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Bill proposes remote access to courts
NEWS-PRESS SPECIAL REPORT
By MADISON HIRNEISEN NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
The road ahead for travel CDC deems air travel safe for fully vaccinated passengers
RAFAEL MALDONADO / NEWS-PRESS
The Santa Barbara Municipal Airport is currently seeing the highest numbers of travelers since the start of the pandemic, with 700 to 800 people a day coming through the checkpoints and departing.
A new piece of legislation is making its way through the state Assembly that would require courts to provide remote access for the media and the public during open court proceedings. The bill, Assembly Bill 716, is authored by Assemblymember Steve Bennett, D-Ventura, and calls for California courts to provide remote access to proceedings via streaming or telephone services. With the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down courtrooms and moving proceedings to Zoom, Mr. Bennett said public and media access to legal proceedings was limited. This lack of access, in addition to the desire for greater transparency, is what led Mr. Bennett to champion this bill. “I think as trust and confidence in government has decreased, (there’s an) increase in the importance of transparency,” Mr. Bennett told the News-Press Friday. “This (bill) is an attempt to increase transparency in one of the branches of government, the judicial branch, that people have typically not had that kind of access to.” Currently, state law restricts the use of cameras in courtrooms, placing an outright ban on photography, recording or broadcasting unless the court grants advanced permission. Court cases are often seen as a
By GRAYCE MCCORMICK NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
An announcement that avid travelers, travel agents, airports and many others have been anxiously waiting for was made Friday morning by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Fully vaccinated individuals can travel both within the United States and internationally “at low risk to themselves.” All airplane passengers, including those who have been vaccinated, must continue to wear masks and adhere to COVID-19 guidelines. And officials continue to recommend people avoid unnecessary traveling. But a recent CDC study suggested that vaccinated people getting infected with and/or transmitting the virus is rare. The announcement came amid an already increasing number of travelers nationwide with spring breaks and additional loosening of restrictions. Last Sunday marked the 18th straight day of more than 1 million people streaming through checkpoints in the U.S., the most prolonged travel rebound during the pandemic, according to national media reports. “The industry was really waiting to get (this announcement) from the CDC, so this is a good thing,” Deanna Zachrisson, spokesperson for the Santa Barbara Municipal Airport, told the News-Press Friday. “Now that the science behind it seems to suggest it is OK to travel, that’s one more vote of confidence to propel the last folks that might be hesitating … There’s no reason to avoid traveling at this point if you’re vaccinated.” The Santa Barbara Airport is also seeing the highest numbers since the start of the pandemic, with 700 to 800 people a day coming through the checkpoints and departing. However, Ms. Zachrisson said that’s still only half of what it would’ve been compared to 2019, so it’s “not anything close to normal.” But the airport is nevertheless preparing for an influx of bookings and air travelers. “Quite a bit of capacity” is being added to the airport, according to its spokesperson. Rental car companies are bringing back their staff, and the restaurant and gift shop is bringing back its furloughed employees, which she said is “a great sign.” Furthermore, the Santa Barbara Airport will be up to serving 11 cities by the end of June, which Ms. Zachrisson said is “pretty amazing” considering where the airport was
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RAFAEL MALDONADO / NEWS-PRESS
District Attorney Joyce Dudley said she is in favor of allowing greater transparency in courtrooms by allowing cameras inside courtrooms.
COURTESY OF KAREN ENSIGN
The CDC announced Friday morning that air travel both in the U.S. and internationally for fully vaccinated people poses a low risk for them, meaning travelers can visit places such as Sydney, Australia.
a year ago. “Everybody knows and believes leisure travel is the source of the rebound,” Ms. Zachrisson said. “Business travel is going to be lagging.” She added that it’s hard to pinpoint a specific demographic of travelers starting to book again, other than ones with a “disposable income” who managed to keep their jobs during the pandemic. That all being said, the pandemic has taken many wild, unpredictable turns, and the potential of a surge in cases has led industry officials to remain cautious. “Most people who plan on being vaccinated believe that they will be vaccinated by the end of June, and most people who want to travel think that they are going to be traveling in the summer,” Ms. Zachrisson said. “It’s going to be interesting to see how that collective belief amongst all of us actually turns out.” For independent travel agents, this news
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balancing act between the First Amendment, which prohibits the government from abridging the freedom of the press, and the Sixth Amendment, which ensures a criminal defendant’s right to a fair trial. In addition, a 1980 Supreme Court ruling of Richmond Newspapers Inc. v. Virginia, held that the press and the public have a right to access and attend criminal trials under First Amendment provisions. Depending on the case, proceedings may be closed to the public to protect a defendant’s right to a fair trial by an impartial jury or to protect the victims, witnesses or jurors. In the case of Mr. Bennett’s bill, all open proceedings would be required to provide remote access, but judges would still hold the right to restrict access to the public if they feel it is in the community’s best interest. The use of cameras in courtrooms, while rare, is not completely outlawed nationwide. As of 2006, all 50 states allow some form of camera presence in their courtrooms. But many states, including California, restrict the use of recording or photography devices without the express permission of the court. In Minnesota, where the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is under way, cameras and recording devices Please see bill on A7
Santa Barbara County misses orange tier criteria By MADISON HIRNEISEN NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
While Ventura and Los Angeles counties are set to move into the state’s orange tier Monday, Santa Barbara County health officials say a recent uptick in local cases will hold the county back from moving into the next tier assignment until infection rates drop. During a Friday press briefing, Dr. Van Do-Reynoso, county health director, said the county’s
INSIDE A physician gives tips on managing the side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine. A2
case rate must drop below 5.9 per 100,000 to qualify for the orange tier. Currently the county’s case rate is moving “upwards in the wrong direction,” she said. “We must all be extra cautious at this time, and that means diligently practicing the masking, the social distancing and limiting gatherings,” Dr. Do-Reynoso said. Officials are unsure of why cases are rising in the region but said they are seeing the highest uptick in cases among people in their 20s. Officials presume that the increase could be attributed to activities reopening and unvaccinated people beginning to socialize again. Thus far, the public health Please see covid on A2
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means their already rising number of bookings will continue to do so. And for some of them, they can finally get back to work. Karen Ensign, a Carpinteria independent travel advisor, can now spend a full day in the office as opposed to her previous two to three hours during the pandemic that would cover all her bookings. She told the NewsPress that business for her started to pick up around three weeks ago, and a large portion of the bookings are actually re-bookings from canceled cruises and trips to Hawaii. Between Hawaii, Mexico and Costa Rica, Ms. Ensign said she thinks travelers will stay closer to home initially. She added that most of them are 70 and older and planning for cruises. “While the U.K. and Europe are always popular destinations, the continuing Please see travel on A2
COURTESY PHOTO
Assemblymember Steve Bennett, D-Ventura, has proposed a new piece of legislation that would require California courts to provide remote access for the media and the public during open proceedings.
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