Santa Barbara News-Press: May 13, 2023

Honoring mothers

City of s anta Barbara deals with budgetary challenges

Revenue from sales tax and TOT is rebounding, although modestly

Editor’s note: This is the first in a three-part series on finances for the city of Santa Barbara government.

By NEIL HARTSTEIN

NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

At first glance, Santa Barbara’s financial picture looks grim.

Revenue from two of the city government’s three main sources of income — general sales taxes and transient occupancy taxes –— dropped precipitously during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a result, the General Fund, which pays for major city departments including police, fire, and parks and recreation, contains structural deficits that need to be addressed in Fiscal Years 2024 and 2025.

And that means these departments must grapple with $2.7 million in budget cuts for at least the next two years. City staff have proposed 2% budget reductions for FY24 and another

Please see BUDGET on A4

Federal

judge

By ANNIKA BAHNSEN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

On a beautiful Friday morning,VNA Health held a Mother’s Day luncheon at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort, where the honorees included Rona Barrett and the late Olivia Newton-John.

Families and friends from the Santa Barbara community came to support the mothers in their lives as well as honor mothers who have passed away.

The event was full of fun and celebration, with many surprises and performances for all to enjoy.

The theme of the luncheon this year was “generations” in order to highlight the many generations of mothers and families who were in attendance.

Ms. Newton-John, who was a Santa Ynez resident, was the 2023 Remembered Mother at this event. Many of her friends and family were in attendance, showing how appreciative they are of the singer and star of the 1978 movie “Grease.”

Jane Seymour, a former Montecito resident and dear friend of Ms. Newton-John, flew from Hawaii the night before to speak about her friendship with Olivia. In the speech, the movie and TV star shared how they were pregnant at the same time and raised their children together.

Lailan McGrath, the director of the VNA Foundation, told the News-Press that Ms. Seymour really “connected with the generational theme.” She also said, “It was a very touching and moving speech. Ms. Seymour

is very generous as well. She brought her scarves to sell in the lobby, and all of the proceeds went to VNA Health.”

Additionally, Ms. Seymour, who recently spoke at the Alzheimer’s Association luncheon in Santa Barbara, shared the impact hospice care has had on the people in her life who have struggled with the disease. Ms. McGrath reflected on this speech and said, “Alzheimer’s disease is the top leading

condition in the older generation. It will become more prevalent over the years, and that in combination with the staffing shortage is something that needs to be solved.”

One memorable moment from the event was that VNA Health surprised Ms. McGrath with her family. Ms. McGrath was unaware that her family was going to make an appearance, but they surprised her to show her some Mother’s Day love.

Easter Moorman, VNA’s director of marketing and communications, told the NewsPress that this secret was a tough task.

“Lailan helps the community live well and healthy. She is the queen bee, so how do you include a secret in this whole production schedule and keep it hidden from the master planner?”

Both women shared a laugh

Please see VNA on A4

COURTESY

Santa Barbara Finance Director Keith DeMartini remains optimistic because of city staff’s ability to see the economic writing on the wall.

issues temporary

restraining order halting plan to release foreign nationals into the U.S. en masse

TRO in effect for two weeks

By BETHANY BLANKLEY

THE CENTER SQUARE CONTRIBUTOR

(The Center Square) – A federal judge in Florida Thursday night issued a temporary restraining order halting the Biden administration’s plan to release illegal foreign nationals into the U.S. en masse.

The order is in effect for two weeks.

The judge issued the order in response to a lawsuit filed by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, who sued after she learned of the plan. Ms. Moody argues it violates a previous order issued by the same judge in a lawsuit she filed over a year and a half ago and won in March.

U.S. District Judge T. Kent

Wetherell for the Northern District of Florida Pensacola Division Thursday night granted Ms. Moody’s request to issue a temporary restraining order and enjoined the Department of Homeland Security from implementing or enforcing a new parole policy it created. A May 10, 2023, Memorandum issued by Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz, “Policy on Parole with Conditions in Limited Circumstances Prior to Issuance of a Charging Document (Parole with conditions),” is the same parole program Judge T. Kent Wetherell already ruled was illegal but was announced under a new name, Ms. Moody argues.

The TRO went into effect at 11:59 p.m. EST to correspond with

MORE INSIDE

Border crossers released by Biden Administration living on El Paso streets, please see A7.

the end of Title 42 and to give Ms. Moody time to seek an emergency stay from a higher court.

The TRO will expire in 14 days on May 25.

A preliminary injunction hearing is scheduled for May 19 in Pensacola.

At a hearing before Judge Whetherell on Thursday, the Biden administration argued that without being able to release people en masse they would have 45,000 illegal foreign nationals in custody by the end of the month. On Wednesday, they already had 28,000 in custody.

On May 9, The Center Square reported that there were already 27,000 illegal foreign nationals in custody and “of that 27,000, a little over 5,000 are processed waiting for their next phase in the process,” a Border Patrol agent in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas told The Center Square. “Every sector is near 150% capacity,” the agent said, referring to nine U.S. Customs and Border Protection sectors along the southwest border, five of which are in Texas.

Judge Wetherell replied to the

Please see TRO on A7

VNA Health salutes Olivia Newton-John and Rona Barrett at luncheon

KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS

A framed photo of the late Olivia John-Newton is shown during the VNA Health 22nd Annual Mother’s Day Luncheon Friday at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort.

Rona Barrett, center, speaks to the audience before receiving the Honored Mother award.

Goleta City Council to look at zoning, short-term rentals

By ANNIKA BAHNSEN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

The Goleta City Council will discuss zoning amendments and short-term vacation rentals during its meeting at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Goleta City Hall, 130 Cremona Drive, Suite B.

The council will conduct a public hearing to consider adoption of a Title 17 Zoning Amendments Ordinance. Since adoption by the council in 2020, the city has conducted three rounds of amendments to Title 17, including necessary revisions related to changes in state law and to clarify various provisions.

The proposed amendments to Title 17 address state law consistency, implement the Housing Element 2023-2031, remedy issues identified during implementation, and provide clarity to the regulations adopted.

Deputies arrest

Ojai man on suspicion of drug possession

CARPINTERIA — Santa

Barbara County deputies and detectives have reported seizing a large amount of dangerous drugs from an Ojai man who overdosed in Carpinteria.

On April 22, deputies responded in the 5900 block of Birch Street in Carpinteria for a report of a subject who was unresponsive in a vehicle. When they arrived, they found the subject, later identified as 26-year-old Christopher Elizalde from Ojai, unresponsive with drug paraphernalia in his lap. The vehicle also held a large quantity of dangerous drugs including suspected fentanyl, M30 pills, cocaine and ketamine.

Sheriff’s deputies worked with detectives from the Special Investigations Bureau to author search and arrest warrants for Mr. Elizalde and his Ojai residence. Later that evening, detectives served a search warrant at Mr. Elizalde’s home where they recovered additional fentanyl, heroin, oxycodone M30 pills, and cocaine.

As a result of this investigation, approximately 2.9 ounces of ketamine, 1.82 pounds of fentanyl, 1.16 pounds of cocaine, 4.6 ounces of heroin, 4.7 ounces of methamphetamine, 616 oxycodone M30 pills, and 50 benzodiazepine

Additionally, the council will discuss Short-Term Vacation Rentals Ordinance Amendments and voluntary collections agreement with Airbnb. Created in 2015, the current ordinance and STR permit program is in need of revising to improve efficiency, monitor the number of STR units in Goleta more accurately and assess their impacts on local housing, according to the city.

Contracts with Airbnb and the city are supposedly in the works as well.

The council will also discuss partnering on a Home Solar and Battery Storage Program with the Sustainable Community Network Program. The city said developing and implementing a home solar and battery storage program would help expand community access to renewable energy and improve energy resilience.

The goal of the SCN program is to improve

resilience and protect against the worst impacts of outages. Participation in SCN also supports the city’s Strategic Energy Plan, which includes a goal of moving communitywide electricity supply to 100% renewable energy by 2030.

Finally, the council will discuss board and commission document amendments.

Staff have come up with proposed changes including: establishing the Public Engagement Commission as a regular city commission; modernizing and simplifying the Municipal Code; updating member qualifications; amending the number of meetings per year; eliminating extraneous documents; and more.

If you would like to join the meeting, visit cityofgoleta.org/meetings-agendas.

email: abahnsen@newspress.com

TRAFFIC, CRIME AND FIRE BLOTTER

duty. Additionally, he proclaimed the week on which it falls, as Police Week, in recognition of the service given by officers who protect the communities in which they serve.

The SBPD encourages all Santa Barbara community members who wish to remember those fallen officers to join.

— Annika Bahnsen

May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness month

pills have been taken off the streets.

Mr. Elizalde is being held on $260,000 bail for charges including possession of various illegal drugs as well as transportation and sales of these drugs.

— Annika Bahnsen

SBPD to host remembrance ceremony

SANTA BARBARA — The Santa Barbara Police Department

is hosting a remembrance ceremony for National Police Week at 2 p.m. Tuesday.

The ceremony will be held on the front steps of the police department, 215 E Figueroa St.

The SBPD will be honoring those fallen law enforcement heroes who have given their lives or become disabled in the line of duty for the safety, protection and service to their community.

In 1962, President John F. Kennedy proclaimed May 15 as National Peace Officers Memorial Day to honor law enforcement officers who have lost their lives or become disabled in the line of

During May, the Santa Barbara Police Department is marking Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. The SBPD wants to remind drivers to always look twice for motorcycles. Safe riding and driving practices, and a shared responsibility from all road users, will help everyone get to their destination safely.

Police offer these tips for drivers: Do not follow a motorcycle too closely and always keep a safe distance. Always check mirrors and blind spots before changing lanes, and if you see a motorcycle with a signal on, be careful.

Additionally, Santa Barbara police want to remind motorcyclists of some safety tips as well such as wearing the proper equipment, make sure you ride defensively, and don’t assume a driver can see you.

— Annika Bahnsen

Good day for paragliding

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will be walking or running with or in honor of the moms in their lives.

event begins at 9 this morning, with

registration/check-in at 7:30 a.m.

main race is a 5K, but there will also be a children’s fun run as well. All of the races will start at the hospital, continue down Patterson Avenue and Atascadero Creek, then return right back to the hospital. The funds raised from this 5K will directly benefit Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital. Specifically, the money will be used to strengthen the state-of-the-art

healthcare facility and provide better care for Santa Barbara community members. The hospital is still looking for sponsors and fundraisers for the event. If you or a group would like to sign up, visit runsignup. com/Race/CA/Goleta/MilesforMoms. Online registration for the race is closed for this event, but there will be limited day-of registration available.

Email...dmason@newspress.com

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SANTA BARBARA COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE PHOTO

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office reported seizing these drugs from an Ojai man who overdosed in Carpinteria.

— Annika Bahnsen

Monaco intelligence: Prince Albert’s favorite operation

Prince Albert of Monaco’s favorite intelligence operation was rooted in a lawsuit initiated by the mother of the prince’s illegitimate daughter, Jazmin Grace Grimaldi, whom Albert failed to recognize or financially support even though there was no doubt he was the father.

It started like this: Prince Rainier was on his deathbed, and we, our intelligence service, felt Albert had not been properly prepared to ascend the throne and become sovereign.

During a briefing, my deputy and I cautioned him that everyone from everywhere would come out of the woodwork to make power plays following the death of his father.

“Like who?” the prince challenged. “Hit me.”

“Tamara Rotolo,” I replied.

It hit him harder than a slap across the face.

Tamara Rotolo was the California woman with whom Albert sired Jazmin, born March 4, 1992. She tried to sue the prince in California for child support, but the court ruled lack of jurisdiction. However, Rotolo (we learned) was now trying to sue the prince in a French court. Would he like us to monitor this situation?

Yes, the prince replied, please monitor.

So I introduced our monitoring technique: We would pose an operative as a book author and equip him with a backstopped legend complete with “book contract” from a reputable publisher.

The subject of the book?

Prince Albert of Monaco.

Our operative would contact celebrity magazines such as Paris Match and Oggi in Italy — notorious for their reporting on Monaco’s royals — and identify journalists charged with digging up dirt on Prince Albert and his family. Our operative would find out what they knew, what they were working on and (if possible) determine the identities of their sources, who would then be approached in similar fashion.

Albert declared this plan “brilliant” and authorized us to proceed.

Within two weeks I set the basics into place and FLOATER, the codename of my operative, went to work posing as the author contracted to pen an unauthorized biography titled “Albert: Prince of Sport.” He contacted Romain Clergeat, the “Prince Albert beat” reporter at the Paris Match, and they met in Paris. The French journalist revealed his main sources of information on the principality to FLOATER. Next was Rome and Michaela Aurti, who had been covering Monaco’s royals for 15 years. She did the same.

When I next briefed the prince, he was shocked and awed by what we had uncovered and asked that we target some of his close personal friends who our enquiries revealed as sources for these journalists.

ALBERT’S SELF-APPOINTED GATEKEEPERS

We focused our attention on Steven Saltzman, son of the late Harry Saltzman who, with Albert Broccoli, had brought James Bond to the big screen. Mr. Saltzman was willing to meet FLOATER but insisted on the presence of his lawyer, Thierry Lacoste (who also happened to be PRince Albert’s personal lawyer).

This pair of Parisians, the hub of a so-called “Paris Clique,” were regarded by Monaco insiders as vultures for the control they tried to exert overt Albert.

Mr. Saltzman began by trying to corral FLOATER’s biography into his domain on the basis that he purportedly controlled all possible sources of information on the prince. Mr. Saltzman insisted that no insider would talk to FLOATER without his permission.

Mr. Lacoste backed him upon this point, asserting that both he and Saltzman were Albert’s gatekeepers.

Oddly enough, the pair suggested that they could provide information that would potentially embarrass the prince.

Mr. Lacoste also tried to insert himself by proposing that he would become FLOATER’s legal adviser — for a fee (of course). If Mr. Lacoste’s proposal was not agreed to, “You’ll get nothing from me or anyone else.”

As theater, quite comical. In reality, most tragic.

And also not surprising based on what we already knew about this pair of hangers-on.

RUSING NICE-MATIN

Soon after, Roger-Louis Bianchini of Nice-Matin published a story about how donations to the Monaco Red Cross were regularly stolen by its administrators. We wanted to know the source of this highly accurate information.

Re-enter FLOATER, who went to see the venerable investigative reporter and returned with a full report.

On Money Laundering: “Monaco keeps its eyes shut. Nothing can change” despite Prince Albert’s vow to clean it up, “because any deviation from the way things are done will change the climate for doing business in Monaco and that will not

happen.”

Mr. Bianchini was smack on the money.

On Russian Influence: “A lot of money and people have moved into the Cote d’Azur recently.”

Again, spot on.

What we learned led to our investigation of Philippe Narmino, director-general of the Monaco Red Cross and a very corrupt senior judge in Monaco’s judicial system. (Years later, Mr. Narmino resigned in disgrace as chief judge and was charged with corruption.)

BACK CHANNEL

Later the Prince invited me to join him for a one-on-one 9 o’clock dinner at the Palace. I was shown by Palace staff into the parlor, filled with family photographs and sculptures and handed a Kir Royale. When Albert appeared he looked to me like a deer in headlamps.

The international media had just exposed his illegitimate son, Alexandre, sired with an air stewardess from Togo named Nicole Coste. Albert’s lawyer, Thierry Lacoste, had botched the negotiations and a frustrated Nicole had gone public, possessed of an “African chip on her shoulder,” the Prince told me. I asked Albert if he had other publicly unknown children I should know about for future damage control.

He answered “no,” fully knowing there was another beyond Alexandre and Jazmin. I have since met her. She is a delightful young lady who wants neither money nor publicity, and I pledged to keep her identity secret.

Due to Mr. Lacoste’s mishandling of the situation, Prince Albert asked me to try to resolve the Rotolo-Jazmin situation on a human level.

Thus, I contacted Tamara Rotolo. She was suspicious at first and quizzed me with questions for Albert, the answers to which only he could provide. First question: “Where did we meet?” When I asked Albert, he irritably replied, “How am I supposed to remember that?”

After a bit more effort, I finally convinced Tamara I was operating on Albert’s behalf.

PRINCE ALBERT MISSES A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY

And so it was that I met Tamara Rotolo and Jazmin Grace the day after

Christmas 2005. I took them to dinner at Stars & Bars, a popular Monaco restaurant, and gifted both with silver trinkets from Tiffany’s. They explained to me how they had suffered a difficult time the past few months with paparazzi hanging outside Jazmin’s school and uncertainty about her status even while the Prince openly acknowledged siring Nicole Coste’s son, who arrived on this earth long after Jazmin. Mother and daughter felt left out, ignored and hurt. Especially Jazmin. All she wanted in the whole world was to meet her father. The first question she wanted to ask him:

“Do you have asthma?” Jazmin suffered asthma. (The answer was “yes,” the prince told me later. As a child he had suffered asthma being around cats and in cold weather.)

When Prince telephoned me the next day and said he wanted to drop by the safe house for a martini, I mentioned that his daughter Jazmin was in Monaco, and I suggested he meet her for the very first time in the privacy of our base without her mother present. I advised him that this simple gesture would go a long way toward finalizing a solution outside of the courts and the media, which was precisely what he professed to want.

Albert replied: “I don’t think I’m ready for that.”. I suggested we talk it over martinis. But it must have frightened him off it because he never appeared nor even phoned to say he wasn’t coming. Thus, Albert missed the perfect opportunity to meet his adorable daughter — and stave off what would happen two months later.

Instead, Thierry Lacoste tacked a new condition on any financial agreement regarding paternity: The prince would not recognize Jazmin as his daughter until her 18th birthday.

I knew this would be a deal-breaker. As I had previously advised the prince, recognition by her father was what Jazmin wanted most.

Two months later, a representative of Jazmin was upset and warned there would be bad publicity for the prince.

But eventually, Prince Albert and Jazmin did meet in Paris.

Before the meeting, I reminded the Prince to wish Jazmin “happy birthday” in case he’d forgotten, which he had.

Thus, a crisis was averted by default.

Which is how Albert normally made decisions.

Robert Eringer is a longtime Montecito author with vast experience in investigative journalism. He welcomes questions or comments at reringer@gmail. com.

Carpinteria City Council to discuss Rincon trail

CARPINTERIA — The Carpinteria City Council will discuss an update on the Rincon Multi-Use Trail project at 5:30 p.m. Monday at Carpinteria City Hall, 5775 Carpinteria Ave., Carpinteria.

The goal for this trail is to connect the eastern end of Carpinteria to Rincon Beach County Park near the Ventura County line.

The update will include the report on the stakeholder outreach efforts, consideration of alternative trail alignments, as well as the selection of a preferred project alternative for further evaluation.

After this discussion, the council will host public comments. You can attend the meeting in person or watch it at carpinteriaca.gov/city-hall/ agendas-meetings.

— Annika Bahnsen

SBPD to hold a Gun Buyback event

SANTA BARBARA — The Santa Barbara Police Department is holding a Gun Buyback on May 20 between 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the City Yards, off 300 E. Cota St.

The goal of this buyback is to help remove unwanted guns from our community and reduce the risk of homicide, suicide and deadly accidents. If you turn in your firearms to the SBPD, you will receive a $100 gift card. Community members can drive into the City Yards and surrender any unwanted firearms to officers, no questions asked.

The SBPD requests that all firearms be unloaded and transported in the vehicle’s trunk. Once you arrive, SBPD will collect the firearm.

Once collected, all weapons will be checked for lost or stolen status, and if applicable, will be returned to their rightful owners. All other firearms will be prepared for destruction by the Santa Barbara Police Department.

For a full list of commonly asked questions and answers, visit santabarbaraca.gov/news/sbpd2023-gun-buyback.

— Annika Bahnsen

After More Than 40 Years, Michael Can Finally Take His Grandkids Fishing...

ANNOUNCING THE MICHAELKATE RETIREMENT SALE!

After A Record Breaking 2022, It Feels Like the Time is Right...

As many of you know, the retail world is a ‘hands on’ world, and to do it correctly you have to be on board 24/7/360. After 40 years in the furniture business, it is time for Michael to be able to take a break and spend more time with his grown children and grandchildren who have scattered across the country to pursue their own dreams.

Originally founded in 1953, Bob and Barbara McColm, Michael’s parents, purchased the Danica House business in 1970. Over the years Danica House stayed relevant by evolving first into Neuvié and finally MichaelKate. Michael grew up working in the business, and when his parents retired in 2000 Michael took the reigns and has continued the family business ever since.

It has been an amazing run for a furniture business that started as Danica House in a little yellow cottage on Chapala Street. And, we couldn’t have done it without our fantastic customers who have made this such a wonderful experience!

HURRY, SALE STARTS NOW!

EVERYTHING MUST GO!

$1.5 MILLION INVENTORY

ROBERT ERINGER

Overall 2024 budget is $667 million

BUDGET

Continued from Page A1

3% for FY25.

But because the actual structural deficit for FY24 is $3.8 million, the city will have to make up the $1.1 million difference by dipping into its reserves in order to balance the budget.

The problem only gets worse in FY25, when the General Fund will have to cope with a projected $8.9 million structural deficit. In response, staff have proposed budget reductions totaling $4.1 million that will need to be sliced from city departments, with the balance paid once again out of the city’s reserves.

At the same time, the city must deal with the impact of high inflation, rising pension costs, rising self-insurance costs and the hovering threat of recession.

Despite these harsh realities, looks can be deceiving, however, especially when it comes to matters of money.

The fact is that revenue from sales taxes and TOT is rebounding, even if this

MORE NEXT WEEK

In Monday’s News-Press, staff writer Neil Hartstein covers the city of Santa Barbara’s rising revenues, reserve funds and enterprise funds.

In Tuesday’s News-Press, the focus is on what’s ahead for the city.

growth is, according to city officials, “very modest” or “moderate.”

Another fact is that department budgets will receive more funding in FY24 than they did this year, just not as much as they would have been allocated had it not been for the necessary budget cuts. And the city’s reserves are reportedly more than adequate to help balance the budget.

And the city’s Enterprise Funds, about 43% of the budget, which pay for departments not funded through the General Fund, generate their own revenue and are considered stable.

In fact, Finance Director Keith DeMartini remains optimistic because of city staff’s ability to see the economic writing on the wall. He said they’ve been preparing for years to deal with these issues, now and in the long term, to the point where in the coming months they’ll be unveiling new ways of raising revenue.

In a wide-ranging interview with the News-Press for a three-part series, he talked about how the city got to this point, and where it goes from here.

FLUCTUATING REVENUE

The city’s three largest General Fund tax sources are property tax, sales tax and TOT, Finance Director DeMartini said.

“Property tax has remained stable and continues to grow at an annual rate anywhere between 4-8% a year,” he said. Staff is projecting $46 millon of property

tax in FY2024.

“(But) the city is limited on how much additional property tax revenues it generates because of Proposition 13 that was passed by California voters back in 1978, which limited the property tax rate to 1% and only allowed a maximum, annual increase of 2%.

“Also, we have very low inventory resulting in fewer sales and reassessments which limits growth in the future, regardless of how expensive it might be to purchase a home in Santa Barbara.”

The city’s budget challenges, he said, were exacerbated during COVID “with significantly reduced sales tax and transient occupancy tax revenues as well as other department revenues,” he said. The most volatile General Fund tax revenue is TOT, he said.

“Pre-COVID, about $20M annually was generated. It dropped to about $15M annually for FY2020 and FY2021,” he said. “And now it has reached record high levels over $26M with occupancy returning to pre-COVID levels along with record average daily rates.”

However, the record January rainstorms significantly impacted tourism activity and resulted in reduced revenue, he said. “Staff is projecting a continued higher level of revenue with very modest growth, knowing there are economic forecasts showing recession scenarios.”

Sales tax was also impacted during COVID, he said. It dropped by $3M to

$21M in FY2020 during COVID, but has since bounced back, and is projected to reach a new record high over $28M in FY2023.

“Staff is projecting this high level to continue with moderate growth.”

He cautioned, however, that this increase in sales tax revenue is not solely the result of people spending more postCOVID.

“High inflation has been a contributing factor,” he said. General sales tax revenue has been received for many years and funds typical General Fund functions, such as police, fire, library and park and recreation services and programs.

“Our other tax sources, including utility users tax, cannabis tax, business license tax and real property transfer tax are small in comparison to the others, and they do not fluctuate much,” Mr. DeMartini said.

As for revenue from Measure C, which increased the general sales tax by 1%, that money is set aside strictly for street infrastructure projects and other capital improvements. It does not go into the General Fund and therefore is not available to city departments.

BUDGET CUTS

The overall budget for fiscal year 2024 is $667 million, of which a third, $221 million, is slated for the General Fund.

However, to reach that figure, staff had to overcome a projected $3.8 million

CEO: VNA Health emphasizes ‘people over profit’

VNA

Continued from Page A1

after that comment during the conference call with the NewsPress.

Kieran Shah, the CEO of VNA Health, gave a few words at the event as well. His primary message was that VNA really emphasized “people over profit.”

Ms. Moorman echoed Mr. Shah’s statement by sharing that people at VNA are “completely inspired by what we do” and that “hospice care is truly a calling”.

The 2023 Honored Mother was Rona Barrett, former entertainment columnist and founder of the Rona Barrett Foundation in Santa Ynez.

“Rona is a force to be reckoned with!” exclaimed Ms. Moorman. “What she has accomplished, providing affordable care for seniors, is phenomenal.”

As Ms. Moorman shared, Rona Barrett has provided hundreds of seniors with affordable end-of-life care in Santa Ynez. She opened the Golden Inn and Village, where she spreads hope and positivity for all who reside there. She is also in the works of opening a new location called Harry’s House in June, which will also be located in Santa Ynez.

At the event, a video was shown of her residents thanking her for her dedication to the community. Also, some of her friends were in attendance and talked about her old Hollywood days.

“Her friends are long-lasting, meaningful and true,” said Ms. McGrath.

Ms. Barrett had four generations of her family there as well, really exemplifying the theme of “generations”.

Ms. Moorman said the luncheon was a “very meaningful event and very authentic. People who participated were truly grateful for the services of VNA.”

A video will be available next week highlighting the event on the VNA Health website (vna.health). email: abahnsen@newspress.com

VAMPOLA, Cheryl

Santa Barbara- Cherish life. Cheryl Vampola, a San Francisco native was born fifth in a family of ten brothers and sisters. She moved to Santa Barbara in 1975. While at university, she met her devoted husband and together they created a new home and poured their hearts and love into raising four children.

Cher was a loving mother and sister, a committed teacher and a caring grandmother. She provided passion and purpose to the life of her best friend and husband of 44 years. She devoted herself to education and supported the community’s youth through her work and volunteering.

GHASHGHAI TOGHROL, Parvin

Parvin Ghashghai Toghrol (94), widow of Mohammad Hossein Khan Ghashghai, passed away on April 27 2023, in her daughter’s home in Santa Barbara California surrounded by family. She was a loving grandmother, supportive spouse, and beloved mother. Throughout her entire life, she remained sharp and passionate to her love of Persian poetry and literature as well as her vast knowledge of all works of Hafez and Saadi often using their writing for ethics and moral thoughts. She left behind her son, John Ghashghai, her daughters, Nazli, and Niloofar Kilpelainen Ghashghai, and 5 grandchildren, Sebastian, Bailey, Brody, Alexandr Kilpelainen, and Nikolas Kilpelainen.

Cher passed into God’s gentle hands on May 9, 2023, after a long battle with cancer. She is survived by husband John, children Kenneth, Stephen, Lisa, and Kathleen and nine grandchildren. Services to be held in the coming week at St. Raphael Catholic Church. Obituary notices are published daily in the Santa

MOREY, Brian

Brian Delloy Morey of Buellton lost his 4 year battle with cancer on Monday, April 17th. He was born Sept. 1, 1952, in West Bend, Iowa. Brian was a professional meat cutter in local grocery markets. He was preceded in death by his parents, Ray and Wilma, two brothers, Ron and Rob, and stepson, Chris Stanchfield. Brian is survived by his beloved wife, Pam, of 37 years, stepson, Eric Stanchfield, and grandson, Chris Stanchfield II. He is also survived by 2 sisters, Wanda Ellison (husband, Eddie), Lisa Morey, and niece, Amy Ellison. Brian was loved by all who knew him. Pam and Brian’s love was a love of a lifetime and he will be dearly missed.

Loper Funeral Chapel, Directors

structural deficit in FY24 because ongoing revenue growth is not enough at this point.

To balance the budget, staff proposed the $2.7 million in budget cuts from city departments funded by General Fund revenue.

The three departments with the largest budgets are police, fire, and parks and recreation. They’ve been asked to reduce their FY24 budgets by $986,718 (police), $623,026 (fire) and $289,824 (parks and recreation).

In FY25, the projected General Fund structural deficit will be $8.9 million, which will require $4.1 million in budget cuts from city departments.

To help cover that, staff has proposed trimming $4.1 million in budget cuts for city departments funded by the General Fund.

At that point, police will be asked to cut their budget by $1.52 million, fire by $960,165, and parks and recreation by $445,428.

“Implementing this (3%) target will help to achieve a balanced budget, but we’re not quite there,” Finance Director DeMartini said. “Next year’s budget process will be a mid-cycle update to the two-year financial plan, and staff will be including any changes to revenue assumptions, expenditures and projects to determine what other strategies may need to be implemented to balance the budget in FY2025.”

email: nhartsteinnewspress@gmail.com

Audience members at the VNA Health luncheon watch a performance by the Maria Bermudez Flamenco Performing Arts Studio. From left are Natalia Trevino, 2023 Spirit of Fiesta Jack Harwood, Ashlyn McCollum and Jesalyn McCollum.

KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS

Lailan McGrath, director of the VNA Health Foundation, reacts after seeing members of her family make a surprise appearance at the Mother’s Day luncheon.

Business/Real Estate

Fashion extraordinaire opens Los Olivos store

By KIRA LOGAN NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT

From coordinating Chanel runways and Grammy afterparties to the opening of her new store, owner Leanna Drammer and fashion have an unbreakable bond.

“Fashion is my passion,” she said, and her extensive list of experience proves it.

Mrs. Drammer is the owner of LOU Los Olivos, a newly opened boutique in Los Olivos. Mrs. Drammer told the News-Press that her new store is filled with “chic” and “glamorous” pieces.

“When I was thinking about what I wanted the store to be, I was thinking of a rich woman’s closet in Paris,” the fashion extraordinaire explained.

Mrs. Drammer has more than 20 years of experience in the fashion industry. Growing up in the San Ynez Valley, the store owner explained how her grandmother was one of her first influences.

“My grandma was a seamstress; she would make me dresses and matching dresses for my dolls as a child,” Mrs. Drammer explained. “From a very young age,I was influenced by my grandma.”

Mrs. Drammer moved from New York to Los Angeles many times, as she worked her way up in the fashion industry. She first moved to New York knowing there was “something more glamorous for her out there.” Eventually, she found the level of glamor and prestige she had been searching for.

By 1997, Mrs. Drammer was working in the fashion division for Merv Griffin Event Production.

“I was doing shows for Chanel, Micheal Kors when he was designing for Celine, Tom Ford when he was designing for Gucci — that was all so glamorous and I was in my element, and so happy to be doing it.”

Only scratching the surface of her capacious career, Mrs. Drammer also worked with Victoria’s Secret, New York Fashion Week and famous award shows.

“Not only did I do really big fashion events when I was with Merv, but I also produced afterparties for the Oscars, Emmys and

Please see LOU on A6

FYI

LOU Los Olivos is open seven days a week, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at 2938 San Marcos Ave. in Los Olivos. For more information, go to loulosolivos.com.

Make an impact through a Charitable Remainder Trust

Larry Crandell, the one and only “Mr. Santa Barbara,” raised more than $250 million for charities throughout his community over four decades as the “preeminent emcee.”

He explained his love for giving brought “psychic income, which is priceless and will come back to you tenfold!”

Giving of your time, talent and treasure is so important!

Once the decision is made to give, it is important that you choose the most efficient and effective vehicle. In the realm of philanthropy and estate planning, a Charitable Remainder Trust offers a unique opportunity to make a lasting impact while ensuring financial security for the donor and their loved ones.

A CRT is a powerful estate planning tool that allows individuals to donate assets to a charitable organization, receive tax benefits, and generate income for themselves or their beneficiaries during their lifetime.

A Charitable Remainder Trust is a legal arrangement where assets are transferred into an irrevocable trust, with the income generated from those assets being paid to the donor or designated beneficiaries for a specified period or for life. After the trust terminates, the remaining assets are donated to a charitable organization or foundation of the donor’s choice. CRTs provide a win-win situation by combining philanthropy with financial

TIM TREMBLAY

planning. Many charitable organizations will cover the legal costs for the trust and planning process.

Tax benefits are a significant part of establishing a Charitable Remainder Trust. When the assets are transferred into the trust, the donor can receive an immediate income tax deduction based on the present value of the CRT interest. By donating appreciated assets, such as stock or real estate, donors can also avoid capital gains tax on the appreciation.

A key feature of the CRT is the ability to generate income for the donor or beneficiaries.

The trust assets are invested, and the income generated is paid out to the donor or beneficiaries as regular income. This can be especially beneficial for individuals who rely on the income from their assets to cover living expenses. The payments can be structured as either a fixed amount (Annuity Trust) or

a percentage of the trust’s value (Unit Trust).

Charitable Remainder Trusts enable individuals to support charitable causes close to their heart. By designating a charitable organization or foundation as the ultimate beneficiary of the trust, donors can leave a lasting legacy while supporting the causes they care about. It allows individuals to make a substantial impact on charitable organizations and contribute to a positive change in society.

Establishing a CRT requires careful planning and consideration. Donors need to assess their financial situation, long-term goals and the potential impact on their estate.

Professional advice from estate planning attorneys, financial advisers and tax experts is crucial to ensure the trust is set up correctly and aligns with the donor’s intentions.

A Charitable Remainder Trust gives the donor tax deductions, income for the life of the donor and/or beneficiaries, as well as helping a great cause that the donor is passionate about.

The biggest benefit, however, might well be the priceless “psychic income” one can receive from giving.

Give of your time, talents and treasure. And stay the course!

Tim Tremblay is president of Tremblay Financial Services in Santa Barbara (www. tremblayfinancial.com).

PHOTOS COURTESY LOU LOS OLIVOS LOU Los Olivos recently opened at 2938 San Marcos Ave. in Los Olivos.

“I opened the store with pieces I love and that I would wear, and I hope to eventually buy things that my clients will love once I get to know them more,” said LOU Los Olivos owner Leanna Drammer.

Owner open to opening additional locations down the line

LOU

Continued from Page A5

Grammys,” she said. As fruitful as a career Mrs. Drammer has had, she explained that her next journey is to focus on her family and inspire the local community with stylish pieces.

“Becoming a mom is the best gift in the world,” Mrs. Drammer said, “and I feel so full to have done all of those things and now be able to go work in a cute little shop!”

When asked about the name of her new boutique, LOU Los Olivos, Mrs. Drammer explained her reasoning and the heartfelt meaning behind it.

“The name is really special to me. I have two sons, Lex and Luce, and I wanted my third child to be a daughter and named Lou. Even though I didn’t get to have a girl, the store became my baby girl instead! So — I named the store

LOU.”

In relation to her newly opened store, Mrs. Drammer wants her customers to be inspired and motivated to dress up when they shop in her store: “I want them (her clients) to come in and find little treasures that they love. I want them to be inspired to dress up when they look at my clothes.”

Coming out of the pandemic where sweatpants and sweatshirts were the extent of an outfit, Mrs. Drammer wants to help motivate her clients to dress up and enjoy the process as much as she does.

In her store, Mrs. Drammer offers many luxury brands and designers to appeal to a chic and fashionable closet. Some of those designers include: Gemma Styles, Migulina, So De Mal, Bonnie Star, and Louis Verdad — who is offering a capsule collection to her store specifically.

“My friend Louis Verdad, who used to sell to Nordstroms and

Neiman Marcus, did a capsule collection just for my store,” the owner explained.

“I have done some shows for him in the past and have had a really special relationship with him; I love all of his designs.”

Mrs. Drammer explained that recently designer Louis Verdad has only been selling to private clients and celebrities, so this capsule collection is very unique.

“You’ll only find this capsule collection in my store,” she said. “He doesn’t sell to any other stores.”

In regards to future plans, Mrs. Drammer discussed her new bucket list and a few goals she wishes to accomplish.

“I want to visit Paris and Milan and shop there, to be able to put those clothes in my store for my clients,” the owner said.

Further, when asked about expanding the store to multiple locations, Mrs. Drammer said:

“When I become an empty nester,

it would be a dream to have another store somewhere else. There are so many amazing places in the world, and it would be lovely to have a second location or even a third.”

The owner explained she had personally curated the store with clothing items she loves, and hopes her clients will love it as well.

“I opened the store with pieces I love and that I would wear, and I hope to eventually buy things that my clients will love once I get to know them more.”

Mrs. Drammer’s optimism showed, as she explained that she’s excited to watch her store evolve and she believes it will only get better from here.

From fashion event coordinator to store owner, Mrs. Drammer keeps fashion circulating in her life, saying, “I’m really happy with the direction I went in.” email: klogan@newspress.com

Group re-introduces bill to help teachers, first responders buy homes

By BRETT ROWLAND THE CENTER SQUARE

(The Center Square) – A bipartisan group will try again to pass a bill to help teachers and first-responders buy homes in the communities they serve.

U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga.; Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio; and Marco Rubio, R-Fla., reintroduced the Homes for Every Local Protector Educator and Responder (HELPER) Act. The bill would create a first-time homebuyer loan program under the Federal Housing Administration for teachers and first responders who have served at least four years.

Police officers, firefighters, medical first responders and teachers would be able to

apply for the new, one-time use home loan at a 3.6% premium fee with no down payment.

“I’m working across the aisle to support Georgia’s teachers, first responders, and police officers by making home ownership more affordable for public servants who teach our kids and protect our families,” Sen. Ossoff said in a statement.

The bill would eliminate a mortgage down payment requirement, a monthly mortgage insurance premium requirement. It would include an upfront mortgage insurance premium to help fund the program.

Sen. Rubio called homeownership the cornerstone of the American Dream.

“Our public servants’ ability to reside in

the neighborhoods they serve is crucial to the strength and resilience of our communities,” he said in a statement. “As already high housing prices continue to rise, the HELPER Act would ensure that our teachers and first responders can own a home in the communities they dutifully serve.”

Sen. Brown said public servants in Ohio tell him they can’t afford to buy homes.

“When we make housing more affordable for teachers and first responders, we improve recruitment for these crucial jobs and we give more Ohio families a shot at the middle class,” he said in a statement.

U.S. Reps. John Rutherford, R-Fla., and Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-NJ, reintroduced companion legislation in the House.

Supreme Court upholds California law, rejects challenge brought by pork industry

By RIA ROEBUCK JOSEPH THE CENTER SQUARE CONTRIBUTOR

(The Center Square)

- “Products may be marketed as free range, wild caught, or graded by quality (prime, choice, select, and beyond). The pork products at issue here, too, sometimes come with “antibiotic-free” and “crate-free” labels…Much of this product differentiation reflects consumer demand, informed by individual taste, health, or moral considerations. Informed by similar concerns, States (and their predecessors) have long enacted laws aimed at protecting animal welfare.”

This is the opinion of the Supreme Court of the United States in Thursday’s ruling which upheld a California law banning the sale of pork products in California that didn’t meet the state’s requirements. Under the Farm Animal Confinement Initiative or Proposition 12, pork products cannot be sold in California unless the sow from which the

pork-producing pig was born, was raised in a space defined by law to be no smaller than 24 square feet to prevent “cruel” confinement, that prevents a pig from “lying down, standing up, fully extending its limbs, or turning around freely.”

The petition to the supreme court was brought by the National Pork Producers Council and American Farm Bureau Federation “arguing that the law unconstitutionally interferes with their preferred way of doing business in violation of this Court’s dormant Commerce Clause precedents.”

The opinion of the court said. “Assuredly, under this Court’s dormant Commerce Clause decisions, no State may use its laws to discriminate purposefully against out-of-state economic interests. But the pork producers do not suggest that California’s law offends this principle.”

The ruling ended a three year battle which began when the pork producers and the Farm Bureau challenged Prop 12 in the US District Court for the Central District of California and the US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, both of which dismissed the complaint.

The North American Meat Institute challenged against Prop

12 in 2019, citing the “Commerce Clause” which was also dismissed by the US District Court for the Central District of California and the US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals but, unlike the Pork Producers and the Farm Bureau, their petition to the Supreme Court was denied.

The ruling potentially dismisses a pending similar suit brought by Iowa Pork Producers Association in 2021 which was awaiting a decision by the Supreme Court before going any further.

The petition to the Supreme Court was bolstered by a brief submitted by 26 attorneys general who argued that the cost of compliance would be borne by “out-of-state producers that, though they have no vote in California, must remodel their farms (or reduce their herds) to comply with the law.”

“So even accepting everything petitioners say, we remain left with a task no court is equipped to undertake. On the one hand, some out-of-state producers who choose to comply with Proposition 12 may incur new costs. On the other hand, the law serves moral and health interests of some (disputable) magnitude for in-state residents. Some might reasonably find one set of concerns more

compelling. Others might fairly disagree…

“In a functioning democracy, policy choices like these usually belong to the people and their elected representatives. They are entitled to weigh the relevant ‘political and economic’ costs and benefits for themselves and ‘try novel social and economic experiments’ if they wish.

Judges cannot displace the costbenefit analyses embodied in democratically adopted legislation guided by nothing more than their own faith,” Justice Gorsuch wrote in his opinion.

No doubt California’s vast consumer market which imports 99.87% of all the pork it utilizes and 13% of all pork consumed nationwide, will affect pig farmers’ decisions moving forward.

Prop 12 was passed in 2018 with about 63% of the vote representing 7.5 million Californians. It will now be up to The California Department of Food and Agriculture and the California Department of Public Health to enforce the requirements of Prop 12. Violations of the law may be seen as misdemeanors with fines up to $1,000 per pig sale. Enforcement can begin as early as July 1, 2023.

faces ‘significant risk’ of breaking debt ceiling in first weeks of June: CBO

By BRETT ROWLAND THE CENTER SQUARE

(The Center Square) – The U.S. government faces a significant risk of not being able to pay its bills in the coming weeks without an increase to the debt limit, the Congressional Budget Office said Friday.

The warning comes as Democrats and Republicans remain far apart on negotiations over the debit limit.

The debt ceiling is the maximum amount of debt the U.S. Department of the Treasury can issue.

“The Congressional Budget Office projects that if the debt limit remains unchanged, there is a significant risk that at some point in the first two weeks of June, the government will no longer be able to pay all of its obligations,” according to an agency report released Friday.

Even May spending is uncertain.

“The extent to which the Treasury will be able to fund the government’s ongoing operations will remain

uncertain throughout May, even if the Treasury ultimately runs out of funds in early June,” according to the report. “That uncertainty exists because the timing and amount of revenue collections and outlays over the intervening weeks could differ from CBO’s projections.” Republicans have said they won’t agree to raise the debt limit without spending cuts. President Joe Biden and Democrats have said Congress must raise the debt limit before discussing changes to spending or other budget changes.

“If the debt limit is not raised or suspended before the Treasury’s cash and extraordinary measures are exhausted, the government will have to delay making payments for some activities, default on its debt obligations, or both,” according to the CBO report. On the other hand, if the extraordinary measures are sufficient to last until June 15, “expected quarterly tax receipts and additional extraordinary measures will probably allow the government to

U.S.

Border crossers released by Biden administration live on El Paso streets

By BETHANY BLANKLEY THE CENTER SQUARE CONTRIBUTOR

(The Center Square) – Groups of mostly single military age men are encamped on the sidewalk and alleyway next to Sacred Heart Catholic Church in downtown El Paso even after many had been cleared out earlier this week. Thousands had congregated in the area after being released by the Biden administration after they’d entered the U.S. illegally ahead of the public health authority Title 42 ending at midnight Thursday.

Prior to its end, The Center Square observed El Paso Police Department officers clearing the encampment next to the church for a street cleaning crew to come through.

The mostly Latino foreign nationals were moving donated blankets, bedding and other items in boxes that were piled up on street corners and sidewalks ahead of the street cleaning. They do this every day, a police officer told The Center Square.

Men who came up to The Center Square spoke no English and asked for money. One was bathing using a bucket of water on the sidewalk.

The area has been inundated with foreign nationals committing and

becoming victims of crime, Texas DPS Regional Director of the West Texas Region Jose Sanchez told The Center Square. He also said the new group of people being released by the Biden administration “are very entitled. They’ve been giving us a lot of resistance. They don’t have respect for law enforcement. They don’t have respect for the citizens here.”

Mr. Sanchez said gangs are controlling the streets.

“The problem we had downtown with all the migrants and homeless population increasing,” he said, is transnational gang members took over the streets. If homeless illegal foreign nationals wanted “to get in the chow line at the front,” where free food was being offered, he said, they had to pay the gangs.

Local resident Dolores Chacón asked, “why are they being released here in the Second Ward?” She grew up in the neighborhood and told The Center Square, “It breaks my heart to see what is happening. Why just here? Because we’re poor? Because this is 915, the poorest zip code? Why do we have to suffer? Our elderly, people in wheelchairs, they can’t use the sidewalk.”

She asked why those being released “have more rights than we do? Why?”

Yellen says debt ceiling must be raised by June 1

DEBT

Continued from Page A6

continue financing operations through at least the end of July,” according to the report.

House Republicans recently passed a bill to reduce spending by almost $5 trillion and increase the debt limit by about $1.5 trillion, or until March 31, 2024, whichever comes first.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said lawmakers must raise the debt ceiling by June 1 or risk a default.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Friday “the only responsible way to raise the debt ceiling is to limit reckless spending and get inflation under control.”

President Biden put the blame on Republicans.

“MAGA House Republicans are threatening to default on America’s debts unless we give in to their demands,” he posted on Twitter. “Their wish list could cut thousands of jobs – including wildland firefighters, National Park rangers, and workers who regulate water quality. It doesn’t work for families.”

The CBO report warned of consequences if the U.S. were to come up short on cash: “Those actions could result in distress in credit markets, disruptions in economic activity, and rapid increases in borrowing rates for the Treasury.”

Ms. Chacón also said the situation was “degrading” and “insulting. I’m insulted. It breaks my heart,” adding that she was also speaking for her neighbors, not just herself.

El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego told KTSM News that those outside of Sacred Heart “are not the thousands that we had … A lot of them have left and gone back to get processed and done it the right way and now our process center is beginning to receive more and more.”

Judge Samaniego also said he expected fewer people to enter from Juarez, Mexico, because 250 Venezuelans were “taken back” to Mexico. However, in a video message published to the local community, he said, “with the expected rollback of Title 42 we expect that the number of persons migrating into our community will increase.” He also encouraged residents to “be vigilant when driving down the border highway … as migrants are frequently crossing the roadway.”

The increased presence of military and law enforcement in the area, he said, was “meant to facilitate a peaceful transition from Title 42 to Title 8,” although Title 8 has always been in effect and is the federal law that determines admission or expulsion from the U.S.

“This will be a challenging moment for our community,” he added. “But it is important to recall that this challenge is fundamentally a humanitarian one.” He said multiple officials, faith communities and non-governmental organizations were “working around the clock in close coordination” to “provide hospitality and care.”

Bishop Mark Seitz of the Diocese of El Paso also spoke in the video message, saying, “our community has made it through the most difficult of times,” including “previous migrant surges. Each time, we get through it by pulling together, not by being divided. This is another situation where we need to be ‘El Paso Strong.’”

Local governments were “also supporting this important work with additional facilities and logistical operations to ensure their safe, humane and efficient processing through our community.”

He also claimed, “the travel of the migrants is paid for by the migrants or their sponsors,” in direct contradiction to information published by the city. Over $26 million worth of taxpayer money allocated by FEMA to the city covers their transportation, housing, food and other services free of charge.

Republican governors ask Biden administration to rescind Title IX guidance

By STEVE WILSON THE CENTER SQUARE

(The Center Square) — Twentyfive of the nation’s 26 Republican governors have asked the Biden administration to shelve its intent to expand Title IX protections to transgender athletes.

The letter, led by the signature of Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, says the U.S. Department of Education’s proposed regulation should be withdrawn pending litigation that could be addressed by the U.S. Supreme Court.

“The Department’s proposed regulation would attempt to coerce compliance with an uncertain, fluid, and completely subjective standard that is based on a highly politicized gender ideology,” the letter reads.

The letter comes as the public comment period ends Monday on a proposed revision to Title IX that would ban state and local governments from prohibiting

transgender students from participating on sports teams aligned with their gender identity.

Title IX was created to increase opportunities for female athletes. Federal funds can be withheld from those found to be in violation. The law, which was passed in 1972, prohibits discrimination based on sex for school districts, universities, museums and other educational institutions that receive federal funds.

“Compelling a subjective, athleteby-athlete analysis controlled by a student’s self-identified ‘gender identity’ enforced under threat of Department retribution affords no clarity,” the letter reads. “It does the opposite. This ‘fluid’ subjective standard ensures chaos and confusion in schools and will no doubt result in protracted and disruptive litigation.”

Twenty-one states prohibit transgender students from participating on sports teams that do not align with their biological sex at birth, according to the Movement

problem is largely one of Defendants’ own making’

TRO

Continued from Page A1

administration’s argument, saying, “this problem is largely one of Defendants’ own making through the adoption and implementation of policies that have encouraged the so-called ‘irregular migration’ that has become fairly regular over the past 2 years,” the Los Angeles Times reported.

The judge replied with the same perspective he gave in his March 8 order, ruling the parole program was illegal.

He said the administration’s policies “were akin to posting a flashing ‘Come In, We’re Open’ sign on the southern border. The unprecedented ‘surge’ of aliens that started arriving at the Southwest Border almost immediately after President Biden took office and that has continued unabated over the past two years was a predictable consequence of these actions. …

Advancement Project that tracks state policies.

The letter was signed by Alabama

Gov. Kay Ivey, Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, Idaho

Gov. Brad Little, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, Montana

Gov. Greg Gianforte, Nebraska

Gov. Jim Pillen, Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice and Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon.

The signature of Vermont Republican Gov. Phil Scott is not on the letter.

“Thus, like a child who kills his parents and then seeks pity for being an orphan, it is hard to take Defendants’ claim that they had to release more aliens into the country because of limited detention capacity seriously when they have elected not to use one of the tools provided by Congress in §1225(b)(2)(C) and they have continued to ask for less detention capacity in furtherance of their prioritization of ‘alternatives to detention’ over actual detention.”

CBP maintains that the ruling is “harmful” and will result in overcrowding of CBP facilities and “undercut” its ability to “efficiently process” illegal foreign nationals into the U.S. Their release instead of deportation, Ms. Moody and others argue, violates federal law.

CBP says it will comply with the order and DHS is expected to appeal.

‘This

By MARILYN

For strawberry lovers, the California Strawberry Festival is two days of strawberry heaven.

More than 50 food and beverage vendors will serve treats such as strawberry pies, strawberrytopped funnel cakes, strawberry nachos, deep-fried strawberries, berry kabobs, strawberry tacos, strawberry beer and smoothies.

Festival goers can build their own strawberry shortcakes, piling on as many strawberries and whipped cream as possible at the 37th annual California Strawberry Festival May 20 and 21 with strawberry-themed food, beverages and contests, live entertainment, rides and activities.

This year marks the first time

Life theArts

It’s the berries

California Strawberry Festival moves to Ventura County Fairgrounds

CALENDAR

This is Chester Wilcox’s wood carving of a North American male kestrel. Bird Month is being jointly celebrated by the Santa Barbara Audubon Society and Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, 1212 Mission Canyon Road Family-fun activities are taking place today at the garden.

The calendar appears Mondays through Saturdays in the “Life & the Arts” section. Items are welcome. Please email them a full week before the event to Managing Editor Dave Mason at dmason@newspress.com.

TODAY 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.: The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, 2559 Puesta del Sol Road, has reopened its permanent mineral exhibit of rocks and crystals that is on view in the small hall off the museum’s central courtyard. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Mondays. The exhibit, which opened April 22, is included in museum admission. Members are always admitted free. For others, prices vary from $14 to $19. For more information, visit sbnature.org/ minerals.

10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Santa Barbara Audubon Society and Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, 1212 Mission Canyon Road, will jointly present family-fun activities at the garden throughout May, Bird Month, including “Family Bird Nest” on this day. Activities include guided bird walks, bird-themed Story Time, avian crafts, bird scavenger hunt, and more. Participants will discover why native plants are important to birds and how to create a birdfriendly garden. Reservations are required. To make them, go to www. sbbotanicgarden.org/visit/hoursreservations.

Noon to 5 p.m. “Clarence Mattei: Portrait of a Community” is on view now through May at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum, which is located in downtown Santa Barbara at 136 E. De la Guerra St. Admission is free. Hours are currently from noon to 5 p.m. Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays and from noon to 7 p.m. Thursdays. For more information, visit www.sbhistorical. org. 1 to 4 p.m. today and appointment on weekdays: “Holly Hungett: Natural Interpretations” is on view through May 20 at the Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara’s gallery, 229 E. Victoria St., Santa Barbara. The gallery is open 1 to 4 p.m. Saturdays and weekdays by appointment. For more information, call the foundation at 805-965-6307 or go to www.afsb.org.

7 p.m. Vocalist Julie Christensen will perform with guitarist Joe Woodard and bassist Steve Nelson at the Ojai Underground Exchange, 616 Pearl St. in Ojai. Ms. Christensen’s album, “The Price We Pay for Love,” was recently released. Tickets are $35. To purchase, go to ojaiundergroundexchangetickets. square.site. For more information, call 805-340-7893.

the festival is being held at the Ventura County Fairgrounds, 10 W. Harbor Blvd. in Ventura. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. both days.

Previously the festival was at its longtime home — College Park in Oxnard. But now strawberry heaven has moved to Ventura.

Nearly 50,000 people are expected to attend the festival, many coming from Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Riverside and Orange counties. An estimated 1.5 million strawberries will be consumed over the two-day event. Strawberries are the No. 1 crop in Ventura County. Strawberries grown in the Oxnard Plain are considered by many to be the besttasting and juiciest in the world.

For festival goers who want to take a bit of the festival home, Ventura County family-owned farms will be selling fresh-picked, vine-ripened strawberries at the festival in three-packs, half trays

and full trays.

While people enjoy the strawberries, they can listen to music. On two stages, 24 bands will perform reggae, Latin, rock, country and R&B. Popular Los Angeles-based reggae artist, Arise Roots, will take the stage at 4 p.m. on May 20.

In the festival’s Strawberryland, kids can enjoy science and magic shows on the Jest in Time Family Fun Stage presented by Wonderfold. The stage will also be the site of the Berry Baby Fashion Parade presented by SoCalFord at 2 p.m. both days.

Kids from infants to four years of age can show off their strawberry-themed costumes from the stage (with the help of their parents). There is also a Strawberry Tart Toss and a Ninja National obstacle course.

The California Strawberry Festival features more than 200

artisans from throughout the West who will showcase their goods.

Many of the artists and crafters have been coming to the festival for years.

“Festivals allow shoppers to get an up-close look at items before buying. They can talk with the artisans to learn more about their work. It’s an experience that you don’t have when shopping online,” said Dana Hale-Mounier, director of Pacific Fine Arts Festivals and coordinator of the festival’s arts and craft booths.

“We are looking forward to providing a comfortable festival goer experience — a rain-or-shine venue with three food courts, indoor space for our artists and crafters, indoor and outdoor dining areas, paved parking on site, an Amtrak Station across the street, close proximity to the 101 Freeway and easy access to free shuttles,” said Dean Kato, festival

chair.

Through the event, participating nonprofits have raised more than $5 million.

The nonprofit California Strawberry Festival is known as one of the nation’s finest. The International Festival & Events Association and the Library of Congress have recognized the California Strawberry Festival for its extensive community programs benefiting education, the arts and youths. The association’s research estimates the festival’s economic impact on the community hovers at approximately $7.5.

“Our goal has always been to create a celebration in honor of the strawberries that grow prolifically throughout our rich agricultural region and to support other nonprofits within our community,” said Mr. Kato. “Our

7:30 p.m. The Santa Barbara Symphony will perform its “Platinum Sounds” concert at The Granada, 1214 State St., Santa Barbara. The orchestra’s 70th anniversary program will feature Grammy-nominated American violinist Philippe Quint on Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E Minor, Opus 64. And the symphony will showcase its own players performing Jonathan Leshnoff’s Concerto Grosso, previously commissioned for the symphony’s 60th anniversary. The orchestra will also perform Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Opus 68. Tickets cost $35 to $175. To purchase, go to granadasb.org

MAY 14

2 p.m. Free concerts take place at 2 p.m. Sundays through July 9 at Hitching Post Wines’ tasting room, 420 State Route 246, Buellton. For more information, visit hpwines.com.

Managing Editor Dave Mason dmason@newspress.com

SATURDAY, MAY 13, 2023

CATHERINE MIJS PHOTO/COURTESY OUTDOOR CALIFORNIA

MCMAHON NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

PHOTOS COURTESY CALIFORNIA STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL

The pie toss is a fun part of the annual California Strawberry Festival.

At left, men enjoy their treats at the California Strawberry Festival at Strawberry Meadows at College Park. This year the festival is moving from its longtime home in Oxnard to the Ventura County Fairgrounds in Ventura. Center, a shortcake eating contest has been among the festival’s activities. At right, You can buy a lot of strawberries at the festival.

Zoo Brew will take place June 3 at the Santa Barbara Zoo.

Tap into Zoo Brew at Santa Barbara Zoo

SANTA BARBARA — Zoo

Brew, the Santa Barbara Zoo’s annual fundraiser that caters to beer and animal lovers alike, will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. June 3, with a VIP hour from 3 to 4 p.m.

The zoo is at 500 Ninos Drive, Santa Barbara.

Guests, who must be 21 and older, are in for a “wild” day of sipping on a whole herd of beverages and interacting with the local brewers who crafted them, all while admiring the Zoo’s

hilltop ocean view. VIP ticket holders will also enjoy early entry, appetizers and animal encounters.

This year’s event features more than 30 skilled beverage makers from California, including beer, cider, hard seltzer, wine and more. Food and non-alcoholic beverages are also available for purchase.

Breweries, wineries, and beverage purveyors interested in participating can get more

The California wildlife crossing on Highway 101

Ifeel like a proud papa. My community, along with a bunch of civic, private and local agencies, is creating the world’s largest (and one of a very few) wild animal crossings over a busy 10-lane freeway, Highway 101. And no tax dollars were spent.

since he was a kitten, and his movements provided valuable insights into the behavior of mountain lions in urban areas. He crossed several busy roads and highways during his travels, including Interstate 405 (the busiest freeway in the world) and Highway 101 (the second busiest.)

COURTESY PHOTO

information by calling 805-9625339, ext. 162, or emailing Belle Gilliam at bgilliam@sbzoo.org. General admission tickets are $75 per person and include unlimited beer tastings and one Zoo Brew 2023 commemorative tasting cup, and VIP tickets are $110. All proceeds benefit the animals at the Santa Barbara Zoo. For more information, call 805962-5339.

— Marilyn McMahon

Located a mere 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles are the Conejo Valley and Agoura Hills, where the new crossing is going up at Liberty Canyon. The hashtag connected with the project (#SaveLAcougers) is an homage to P22, a famous cat that roamed Los Angeles and the Conejo Valley for years. Unfortunately, he recently fell ill and had to be euthanized, but he was a big inspiration for getting this project off the ground.

P22, also known as the “Hollywood Cougar,” was a male mountain lion who gained fame in 2012 after being photographed crossing Highway 101 near the Cahuenga Pass. Since then, he has become a symbol of the challenges facing wildlife in the Santa Monica Mountains and the need for safe crossings to help wild animals move between fragmented habitats. This magnificent animal had been tracked by researchers

In 2015, P22’s journey across the 101 Freeway near Liberty Canyon sparked renewed interest in the need for a wildlife crossing in the area. The crossing was approved by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) in 2017, and construction began in 2021.

The Liberty Canyon Wildlife Crossing will span 200 feet over Highway 101 and will feature natural vegetation and water sources to help animals feel comfortable while crossing. The crossing is expected to be completed in 2023 and is seen as a crucial step in protecting the genetic diversity of wildlife in the region.

I’m taking a video of the construction every time we drive by. It truly is like waiting for a baby to be born. Until recently, I had only read about and seen pictures of environmentally integrated architectural designs and builds like this, and just

knowing that they exist has to make any animal and nature lover smile. Now watching it take shape near where I live adds to the tapestry of my life and reaffirms my faith in what we can do as human beings.

Helping these animals that we have displaced is a civic duty and one we should all take part in. Some people will always complain when a project like this gets created that there is so much need in the world right now, the money could have been better spent another way. Perhaps, but I am choosing to highlight this project because it touched my heart.

Please follow my lead and promote the projects and people you believe need our support, and let your local newspaper know, or just post it on social media. The right people will find it and help you spread the word..

Barton Goldsmith, Ph.D., is an award-winning psychotherapist and humanitarian. He is also a columnist, the author of eight books and a blogger for PsychologyToday.com with more than 28 million readers. He is available for video consults worldwide. Reach him at barton@bartongoldsmith. com or 818-879-9996. He has lived and practiced in Westlake Village for more than two decades. His column appears Saturdays and Mondays in the News-Press.

‘Mighty Bad Land’ author to speak at Chaucer’s Books

By MARILYN MCMAHON NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

Chaucer’s Books, 3321 State St., will host Bruce Luyendyk, UCSB distinguished professor emeritus and local author, for an in-store book signing at 6 p.m. June 7.

“Mighty Bad Land” by Mr. Luyendyk, a former professor of geology, reveals his inner battles and challenges. He’s almost 50, asthmatic and fights chronic pain. Through his deft storytelling, readers are invited into a land of emptiness, beauty, constant daylight and unseen menace.

Four geologists and two mountain guides face the brutal beauty of West Antarctica 800 miles from the US main base. Their search reaches far into the treacherous mountains of Marie Byrd Land.

Over six weeks of living in tents and traveling by snowmobile, the team endures endless cold and furious blizzards. They cross ice fields and hidden crevasses, which one of the team learns about the hard way.

Can these scientists find evidence of the formation of the ranges many millions of years ago as the giant continent of Gondwana began to break apart? Was a new continent, now known as Zealandia, created by

CALENDAR

Continued from Page B1

3 p.m. The Santa Barbara Symphony will perform its “Platinum Sounds” concert at The Granada, 1214 State St., Santa Barbara. The orchestra’s 70th anniversary program will feature

Grammy-nominated American violinist Philippe Quint on Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E Minor, Opus 64. And the symphony will showcase its own players performing Jonathan Leshnoff’s Concerto Grosso, previously commissioned for the symphony’s 60th anniversary. The orchestra will also

this event?

Mr. Luyendyk was elected a Fellow of the Geological Society of America, the American Geophysical Union and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. On his first expedition to West Antarctica in 1989, he and his geology team found evidence that a large submarine plateau, a fragment from the Gondwana breakup, comprises a sunken continent beneath New Zealand. This eighth continent was named Zealandia by Mr. Luyendyk.

In 2016, the US Board on Geographic Names honored the author by naming a summit in Antarctica Mount Luyendyk. Mr. Luyendyk is a graduate of San Diego State University and the UC San Diego.

email: mmcmahon@newspress.com

FYI

Chaucer’s Books, 3321 State St. in Santa Barbara, will host Bruce Luyendyk, UCSB distinguished professor emeritus and local author, for an in-store book signing at 6 p.m. June 7. For more information, call 805-682-6787 or email info@ chaucersbooks.com.

perform Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Opus 68. Tickets cost $35 to $175. To purchase, go to granadasb.org. A pre-concert talk with Nir Kabaretti, the symphony’s music and artistic director, will take place at 2 p.m.

MAY 18

3 to 5 p.m. A recruitment reception for volunteer docents will take place at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, 1130 State St. The year-long training course begins each September. For more information or to attend, visit www.sbma.net/docent or contact education@sbma.net.

— Dave Mason

COURTESY PHOTOS

Bruce Luyendyk writes about a search far into the treacherous mountains of Marie Byrd Land in “Mighty Bad Land.”

SUDOKU

Thought for Today

HOROSCOPE

Horoscope.com

Saturday, May 13, 2023

ARIES — Your energy may flag a bit today, Aries. There’s nothing to worry about, though you could take better care of your health. What happened to that exercise regimen you vowed to start? It’s never too late to improve your eating habits and begin working out. Even if you only walk three times a week, you will notice a dramatic difference in your appearance and outlook.

TAURUS — Today is meant for socializing and connecting, Taurus. Your creativity is at an all-time high, so also try to work in some quiet time where you can do some writing or painting. If friends invite you out in the evening, by all means, take them up on the offer. You may meet someone who could be pivotal to your career. Be open to all possibilities.

GEMINI — You can’t help but notice that your home looks a bit drab, Gemini. Today you could plan to do something about it. It won’t take much money, just time and a little creativity. Paint some samples on the walls. Your spirits will improve. You can make big changes to the mood of the place simply by introducing more color.

CANCER — You have a to-do list a mile long today, Cancer. You may spend a lot of your day running errands. It certainly takes a lot to run a household, as you no doubt realize. Try not to get overwhelmed with all that you feel needs to be done. Most of the deadlines are self-imposed. No one will know if you don’t meet them.

LEO — You’re ready for a career change, Leo, or at least a change of venue. Have you considered telecommuting one day per week? That might give you the variety you seek without needing to find a new job. You may meet someone today or in the near future who will have a dramatic influence on your career decisions. Listen carefully.

VIRGO — What is your dream, Virgo? Answer that question as specifically as possible today, then set about attaining that goal. All signs indicate that whatever you begin today will pay off big time. Even though you may feel that your dreams are too ambitious, there’s no need to feel overwhelmed.

LIBRA — This may seem odd, Libra, but you may not be the person you think you are. There are indications that you have hidden talents. If they come out today, no one will be more shocked than you! This could take your career in an entirely new direction. Strategize ways to incorporate this talent into your career.

SCORPIO — You’re about to experience a major change in your life’s direction, Scorpio, and it may occur today. Keep your mind open to all sorts of possibilities. You’re likely to receive some important information. Of course, you may not realize its importance right away. It’s only with the passage of time that you will look back on this event as pivotal.

SAGITTARIUS — You’re unstoppable today, Sagittarius. It seems you can do anything. Your confidence and energy are high. There’s no question that you’re ready to take the world by storm. Is the world ready for you? Think carefully as you formulate plans for your new project.

CAPRICORN — It’s likely that you’re being held back by certain traumatic past events.

Before you can make further progress in your life, Capricorn, you must address these painful memories for the last time. If it feels too frightening to do alone, seek professional help. You will find that mustering the courage to do this difficult, emotional housecleaning is more than half the battle.

AQUARIUS — You could receive some sort of windfall today, Aquarius. Use it wisely. Consider buying some time to figure out what you want to do with your life. It’s likely that your career isn’t exactly ringing your bells these days. You’re ready for new challenges and opportunities. Meditate on what would make you happy and then take a systematic approach to achieving it.

PISCES — It’s likely that you will succeed at whatever you set out to accomplish today, Pisces. If you’ve been held back by worries over the integrity of a relationship or the long-term prospects of a partnership, you can dispel concerns by confronting the person directly. You may find he or she has the same feelings about you! Honesty is important today.

DAILY BRIDGE

By FRANK STEWART

Tribune Content Agency

Saturday, May 13, 2023

My “Simple Saturday” columns focus on improving basic technique and developing logical thinking.

It can be dangerous to make assumptions. (For instance, for what animal would you assume the Canary Islands are named?) But declarer must sometimes make an assumption about the way the defenders’ cards lie.

Today’s North-South reached 3NT on a prosaic auction, and West led the deuce of spades. South ducked twice and won the third spade. He had seven winners — a spade, two diamonds and four clubs — and if the missing diamonds broke 3-2, South could concede a diamond to set up the suit. But then he would have too many losers: the defense would cash a third spade plus the ace of hearts.

FINESSE

So South had to make an assumption, unpleasant though it was. At Trick Four, he led a heart to finesse with dummy’s ten. When East had to win with the ace, South had nine winners and only four losers.

The Canary Islands get their name from the Latin word “canis,” for dog.

6. Your partner opens one heart. The next player

CODEWORD PUZZLE

INSTRUCTIONS

Fill in the grid so every row, every column and every 3-by-3 grid contains the digits 1 through 9. that means that no number is repeated in any row, column or box.

Sudoku puzzles appear on the Diversions page Monday-Saturday and on the crossword solutions page in Sunday’s Life section.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

Answers to previous CODEWORD

How to play Codeword

Codeword is a fun game with simple rules, and a great way to test your knowledge of the English language. Every number in the codeword grid is ‘code’ for a letter of the alphabet. Thus, the number 2 may correspond to the letter L, for instance. All puzzles come with a few letters to start. Your first move should be to enter these letters in the puzzle grid. If the letter S is in the box at the bottom of the page underneath the number 2, your first move should be to find all cells numbered 2 in the grid and enter the letter S. Cross the letter S off the list at the bottom of the grid. Remember that at the end you should have a different letter of the alphabet in each of the numbered boxes 1- 26, and a word in English in each of the horizontal and vertical runs on the codeword grid.

PUZZLE

passes. What do you say?

ANSWER: If partner had opened one spade, you might respond 1NT, but his one heart improves your hand. In “Standard” methods, respond two diamonds and support hearts at the minimum level next. In a “game-forcing two-over-one” style, a response of two diamonds would force to game; hence respond 1NT, forcing, planning to jump in hearts next.

South dealer N-S vulnerable

“I want to do with you what spring does with cherry trees.” — Pablo Neruda

1950s was a great era for women’s hats

Ihave a weakness for vintage hats, and if what I spend on storage for my 1950s hats for 10 years is any indication, I am quite a nut.

I would have spent thousands on hats in the 1950s if I had been around then. To make up for this, I have a vast hat collection, and I spend $350 a month, as my partner thinks the hats should not be on display at our house (although I have threatened to have custom cabinets made for them).

So when I was asked to do an appraisal of 20 hats by the famous designer Russ Russell, shown to me by his granddaughter here in Montecito, I was thrilled. I loved his hats (he was famous in the 1950s), along with hats by fellow designers Mr. John, Frederic and Svend, a few of the other great 1950s designers. But Mr. Russell was the best.

How did these 1950s hat designers have such success?

The secret was advertisements in newspapers, and because hats had a seasonal life, advertising was perfect for newspaper’s daily ads directed to women. A lady would find Easter hats beginning to be advertised in March, Christmas hats in September and summer hats-wide brims in May.

I spent an evening looking at old copies of my hometown newspaper,

The Chicago Tribune, and the hats they advertised over a season (1956), seeing just what was featured. But the overarching question in my mind is: Will hats for women ever return to our heads?

From the 14th century, a lady had a hat — till the 1960s. I can say that I regret the change, for the sake of a bad hair day, and that complete outfit.

I have a reputation in my family for always wearing a hat at weddings and funerals, and I will continue to do so.

On this Russ Russell appraisal, I witnessed a magnificent cherry red hat with dingle cherries of red on the crest, perching on a knob, and I fell in love.

I note that the Chicago Tribune of that era says that in early March of 1956, cherries in red on hats were the rage. Marshall Fields has a cherry hat design advertised on March 8, 1956, and a full page ad of cherries on various hats selling for $19.95- to $69.50, and, when you consider that my mom and dad’s house in Chicago cost $20,000 in 1955, $69 is a lot of money for a hat.

There’s a cherry hat from 1956 from Sears, the cheaper department store, selling for $3.99.

(Sears is always cheaper than Fields, of course.) Then on March 18, we find the master Russ Russell’s hats advertised in Marshall Field’s special advertising column called “The Fair,” along with other great hat designers at their store: John Frederic, Vincent deKoven, Leslie James, Schiaparelli, Suzy Lee, Agnes, H Howard Hodge, Adrienne and John Andrews.

Not only could you buy a hat and suit at Marshall Fields, but you could also buy a Bespoke hat at Lytton’s Chapeaux Boutique on State Street (Chicago had one State Street too! only bigger) for $13.95.

As spring was the seasons to sell hats, Marshall Fields, which was my favorite department store growing up (upstairs, on the top floor in 1970, they had an art and antique gallery, which I loved), Fields had a fashion show of hats designed by the Parisian-trained Svend (his teacher was Jacques Fath), who designed in his native Denmark and in Sweden.

Svend came to Chicago to show at Marshall Fields on March 13, 1956, and if my mom, who lived in the area at this time, could not

afford a $30 hat, she could have afforded a ticket to see Svend at the Walnut Room of Fields, for $1.50 for Svend’s hats fashion show.

But, of course, she could not have afforded the fashion show the night before at the Sheraton Blackstone, a command show for 250 Chicago ladies to see Svend’s hats.

In 1956, if you couldn’t get downtown, other Chicago stores showed Russ Russell and other great designers: Goldblatt’s and Lords in Evanston, and in Highland Park, Edgar A. Stevens Store had hats ($4.15 for a nice floral hat), and there was always Hats by Sue in Irving Park. Gone are the days of local hat shops, and such millinery Artists as the great Russ Russell. The hat by Russ Russell is worth $75. But I would pay more!

Dr. Elizabeth Stewart’s “Ask the Gold Digger” column appears Saturdays in the News-Press. Written after her father’s COVID-19 diagnosis, Dr. Stewart’s book “My Darlin’ Quarantine: Intimate Connections Created in Chaos” is a humorous collection of five “what-if” short stories that end in personal triumphs over presentday constrictions. It’s available at Chaucer’s in Santa Barbara.

Panel

to discuss sexual violence at UCSB

“Ending Sexual Violence on Campus: A Holistic Approach” — a panel discussion featuring UCSB faculty, students and staff — will begin at 5 p.m. Tuesday in Henley Hall at UCSB. Sponsored by the Capps Forum on Ethics and Public Policy, it is free and open to the public. Experts will address the cultural, gendered and legal

BERRIES

Continued from Page B1

all-volunteer board is dedicated to providing a wonderful experience for festival goers.”

The festival premiered in 1984 at Channel Islands Harbor. After eight years, the increasingly popular event outgrew its original site, moving in 1992 to Strawberry Meadows at College Park in Oxnard and in 2023, to the Ventura County Fairgrounds. email: mmcmahon@newspress. com

FYI

The 37th annual California Strawberry Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. May 20 and 21 at the Ventura County Fairgrounds, 10 W. Harbor Blvd. in Ventura. General admission is $15. For active military and their dependents with IDs and seniors 62 years and older, admission is $10, and for ages 5 to 12, admission is $8. Children 4 and under are free. Tickets can be purchased in advance at www.castrawberryfestival. org or upon entry to the festival.

A limited amount of parking is available onsite for $20 per vehicle. Free shuttles will run every 15 minutes from locations in Oxnard and Ventura. The Ventura Amtrak Station is onsite for out-of-area visitors. For parking options, go to www. castrawberryfestival.org/getting-here/ free-shuttle-service. For more information, go to www. castrawberryfestival.org, email info@ castrawberryfestival.org or follow the festival on Facebook and Instagram.

dimensions of this pressing issue, providing a holistic, intersectional approach to ending sexual violence on campus. A Q&A will follow the panel. Panelists include Erin Khuê Ninh, associate professor and chair, Asian American Studies; Ariana Alvarez, director and Title IX officer, Office of Title IX and Sexual Harassment Policy

Compliance; Cierra Sorin, PhD candidate, sociology; Leila Loose, co-chair, Students Against Sexual Assault; and Briana Miller, director, Campus Advocacy, Resources and Education. For more information, contact the Capps Center at 805-893-2317 or info@cappscenter.ucsb.edu.

— Marilyn McMahon

ambassador.

Columnist Elizabeth Stewart is a fan of vintage hats such as this one by designer Russ Russell.

ANDY CALDWELL: One whale of a compost pile/ C2

DID YOU KNOW?

Bonnie Donovan

Number of illegal migrants to increase

Did you know our Border Patrol expects over 13,000 illegal migrants a day to come across our southern border as Title 42 expires?

That is a rate of 4,745,000 a year. As California is a sanctuary state, we can expect the number of undocumented migrants in California to grow from approximately 2.75 million to at least 4 million.

This massive increase in illegal migration into America means that among them will be criminals and those who have been deported in the past. We can also expect that it will be easier for our enemies to move their agents across our borders. We can also expect even greater quantities of fentanyl and other dangerous, illegal drugs.

Increases in undocumented immigrants into California will mean another 1.25 million people needing housing, medical care, food and other services.

Invasion of the United States

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas saying that the “border was under control” and Press Secretary Karine JeanPierre reading that the Biden administration had reduced illegal immigration by 90%, raised the question of why the seven million border crossers were not an “invasion,” which is defined as:

1. “An incursion by a large number of people or things into a place or sphere of activity” or 2. “An unwelcome intrusion into another’s domain” or

3. “An instance of invading a country or region with an armed force.”

The “incursion by a large number of people into a place,” (example (1) above), began shortly after the voters chose the “man behind the curtain,” aka Joe Biden, in the 2020 election, instead of the incumbent, who was controlling the border. The

Biden team not only eliminated the border controls but initiated policies to encourage more border crossers that are estimated as seven million, although this is only an estimate since this teams’ policies are so sloppy that there is no accurate count.

Under the Biden administration, there certainly has been an “intrusion by a large number of people,” (example 1 above). And even though the examples are mutually exclusive, the intrusion has also satisfied example 2 of “an unwelcome intrusion into another’s domain” in the red border states, such as Texas and Arizona. However, when the states took steps to prevent the intrusion, the White House successfully sued them to establish that the White House has exclusive jurisdiction over the border. In the blue border states, such as California and New Mexico, their silence is deafening. What about the other states?

While the non-border red states, such as Florida and Tennessee, objected to the White House sending so many of the “intruders,” the blue states pretended to be “sanctuary states” to embarrass President Donald Trump. “Pretended” until Florida called their bluff by enabling Martha’s Vineyard to fulfill its destiny by sending them

only 50 illegals. However, this so upset former President Barack Obama’s neighbors that before the sun set even once, they had called the national guard. Recently the mayors of blue New York and Chicago have chosen to ask Texas, not the White House, to stop sending them to their sanctuary cities, although New York is requesting the

federal financial assistance that was denied to places in red states, such as Eagle Pass, Texas.

What about an invasion of “An instance of invading a country or region with an armed force?”

To be an “armed force” does not require the invaders to have firearms, although the apprehension of some of them has led to shootouts as well as the ability to acquire firearms once here. For example, illegal invader Divimara Lamar Nava, 53, recently slaughtered a family of four in Texas. Sadly, this illustrates the failed policies of the White House team as he had been “deported” four times.

The invaders can also be “armed” with a need to take from the citizens everything needed to live, including housing, food, education and energy, while the White House increases energy costs.

To be “armed” can also mean having the means to harm the residents, such as the gas that was used in World War I. For the current invaders, that “gas”

Biden family enrichment plan explained

If you only get your news from mainstream media outlets, you may not be up to date about how President Joe Biden and his family have amassed their multi-milliondollar fortunes, so I will break it down in simple terms.

If you are a loyal Democrat, the following information is something you, your spouse, close relatives and heirs may be able to take advantage of too,

You don’t need to have a cokedup crackhead son or addict daughter (Joe Biden has both) to develop a family financial enrichment plan of your own.

But what you do need is an immoral (or at least amoral) close family member willing to do the dirty work for you. In Joe Biden’s case, that is/was his crack-pipeaddled son, Hunter.

Additionally, what you also need is to be in a position of power or influence, preferably both. If that’s not the case, you’d have nothing to sell that those you’d be counting on to seed your efforts would want or need. Your “clients” and “business partners” would be sending

money your way in exchange for access; access to someone powerful or influential enough to steer legislation, for example, in a positive direction for you.

Biden family members who’ve received funds from a convoluted amalgam of shell companies include Hunter Biden, James Biden (Joe Biden’s brother), Sara Jones Biden (James Biden’s wife), Hallie Biden (the late Beau Biden’s wife), Kathleen Buhle (Hunter Biden’s ex-wife), Melissa Cohen (Hunter’s current wife), and three children of the president’s son and the president’s brother.

The following is how the Biden family plan works, courtesy of U.S. House of Representatives Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer’s ongoing investigation into what he’s calling an “influence peddling” scheme. Here’s how they did it, and how you can do it too!

1. Create a few “businesses” that can receive money from

dubious sources without drawing attention to your family or any of your family members. These “businesses” will mostly be limited liability corporations (LLCs) with names that would not reveal their real purpose, which would be to “launder” money being siphoned off to various members of the Biden family. The Bidens, for example, created more than 20 companies that received — as of this count — more than $10 million during the eight years of Joe Biden’s vicepresidency.

Beginning in 2009, Hunter Biden and partners Rob Walker and James Gilliar formed “companies” with names such as “Lion Hall Group LLC,” “Owasco P.C.”, “Robinson Walker, LLC,” “Skaneateles, LLC,” “Seneca Global Advisors, LLC,” “Rosemont Seneca Partners, LLC,” Hudson West III, LLC,” “CEFC Infrastructure Investment (U.S.) and others.

2. Create a position or “job” for

your drug-addled offspring that will pay big bucks (the oil company Burisma in Ukraine shelled out $1 million a year for Hunter Biden who had no competence or experience in the field) to sit on its board of directors. Joe Biden was vice president at the time, and one of the roles assigned to him by President Barack Obama was as U.S. government overseer of relations with Ukraine. When a Ukraine prosecutor began to sniff out what seemed like corruption at Burisma, Joe Biden publicly threatened to withhold $1 billion that Congress had approved for Ukraine unless that prosecutor was removed.

Hunter made another million dollars “working” for a company controlled by Gabriel Popoviciu, the subject of a criminal probe and prosecution for corruption in Romania.

3. Space the payments out in order not to attract attention (though the $500,000-plus Hunter received from just one of the million-dollar deals was big enough to draw bank and IRS scrutiny).

To quote from the Oversight Committee’s text: “In some instances, Biden associates would receive significant deposits from foreign sources into their bank accounts and then transfer smaller, incremental payments to Biden bank accounts. These complicated and seemingly unnecessary financial transactions appear to be a concerted effort to conceal the source and total amount received from the foreign companies.”

The committee added that Chinese nationals and companies “with significant ties to Chinese intelligence and the Chinese Communist Party hid the source of the funds by layering domestic limited liability companies.”

Another deal featured a $24 million payout to “Hudson West V” (a Biden-connected LLC). Later, $5 million was transferred from CEFC (a Biden-controlled LLC) to “Hudson West III,” also controlled by Hunter and Chinese associates.

“The volume of evidence is clear,” suggests Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson

We have a huge state budget deficit looming. At some point, in the nearby future, the structure of our society will collapse under the load and overall costs of unstoppable illegal immigration, the forced transition of 39.5 million people over to electricity-only energy, the transition of our food into only vegetarian-based diets and the consequences, the crippling shortages in electricity and everything required to sustain normality under the weight of all these simultaneous changes.

In a spirit of hope, we urge every one of our readers and their friends to read an article just published by Victor Davis Hanson, entitled “The Impending-Thermidor Reaction to Jacobin America”. He draws parallels between the French Revolution and its aftermath with America today and in the future. But, if we want his hopeful predictions to occur, we must all have the courage to push back against the forces aimed at destroying our nation.

In last week’s column, we asked twice of certain Santa Barbara City Council members, why they usurped the normal process to commit city taxpayers to a neverending financial loss and loss of right-of-way, in favor of special interest restaurants on and around State Street. We are still awaiting an explanation for what appears to be misfeasance.

The following is part one of a two-part topic being covered by this column.

According to the Ethan Allen Institute: In 1963, U.S. Rep. Albert S. Herlong Jr., D-Florida, read into the Congressional Record 45 Communist actions necessary to take over America. These plans were gleaned from testimony given to Congress by scholars, and the writings of current and former communists. (Reference: Jan. 10, 1963, Appendix, A34-A35 Communist Goals) There is an important distinction between communism and socialism or progressivism. Socialists believe that they can centralize control of the individual, of the land and of industry by peaceful, but gradual legislation with the right socialists implanted in the right places. Whereas communism seeks a violent and final confrontation to eliminate all dissension to achieve its utopian goal of a stateless and classless world. American society is deeply divided over many issues, but we must not be deceived into thinking that they are singular in nature. In fact, they are all connected in actions by the socialist-progressive wing of

James Buckley

PURELY POLITICAL

Brent E. Zepke

The author lives in Santa Barbara.

COURTESY PHOTOS

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas

Press Secretary Karine JeanPierre

Wendy McCaw Arthur von Wiesenberger Co-Publisher Co-Publisher

GUEST OPINION

Deficit spending must stop

H ow high must our national debt get before President Joe Biden and our politicians do something? It has moved past $31.4 trillion, the legal debt ceiling.

That’s a whale of a compost pile you got there!

Santa Barbara County supervisors recently received a very curious report having to do with the county’s “state of the art” trash-handling facility located on the otherwise pristine Gaviota coast.

This facility, which cost ratepayers a whopping $130 million (plus upward of another $130 million in interest), is composed of two units. One unit sorts trash from organics. The trash goes to the landfill on site (Tajiguas).

The organics go into what is called a biodigester, wherein little bugs eat the organic trash, then pass gas that is put into a gas line to be used for utility type purposes. The other by-product of this facility is compost.

Lots and lots of compost.

The staff report indicated that the facility “had not been commissioned.” We asked, “What does that mean?” Are they going to break a bottle of champagne off the bow of this version of the Titanic even though it has been operating for a few years already?

Moreover, the item indicated they are going to truck the product (150 tons per day!) down to a facility in Ventura County, which is going to cost $1 million. Why is that?

And, finally, the trucks they are going to use are, gasp, diesel trucks. Again, why? Why not electric vehicles, which they demand the trucking world to use?

Here are the answers we got.

• What does “commission” mean? Commission has to do with the facility passing “acceptance” tests per regulatory requirements. Thus far, this facility has only passed two out of eight tests.

• Why not deliver the compost to their normal market audience, which is supposedly local avocado growers?

The answer is nobody will take it, which begs the question, “What is wrong with the product?”

The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors didn’t seem to want to talk about that.

• Why isn’t the county using electric-powered big rigs to deliver the compost? Supervisor Das Williams admitted that the availability

Smartphones rule our lives

Remember in the old movies and even cartoons when a magician would swing a watch back and forth and tell you, “You’re getting sleepy.” Then when they had you under their spell, they could make you do anything they wanted. Such is the way of this new world we’re in. Only the hypnotist’s watch has been replaced by our phones. We’re all guilty to some degree, but none more so than the kids. They’re hypnotized by their phones, and the phones have taken control of their lives and pretty much tell them what to do.

of big rigs is “sparse.” But, hey, maybe, someday, they might be able to use CNG (compressed natural gas) powered vehicles.

Lost on the supervisor is the fact that by California banning the use of fossil fuels, neither diesel nor CNG will be available in the near future.

All in all, another day of virtue-signaling goes up in diesel exhaust!

Meanwhile, up in San Luis Obispo County, something nefarious is about to happen. An organization known as REACH, which Santa Barbara County pays to pretend to develop our regional economy, is up to its eyeballs in a plan that years ago would have brought out earnest environmentalists with pitchforks and torches a-blazing.

Thanks to U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, and a slew of other badfaith actors, there is a plan to overwhelm and destroy the ambiance of either of two remaining picturesque seaside villages in SLO County, namely Morro Bay or Avila Beach, by way of siting a gargantuan industrial facility that would facilitate the assembly and shipping of mammoth wind-turbine parts to a future off-shore wind farm, which will surely kill scores of whales and dolphins in the name of green energy. Where is Greenpeace when you need it?

It is unfathomable that the same people who would not countenance offshore oil rigs or the Diablo nuclear power plant along our coast are remaining passive and silent over this coming monstrosity.

There is zero doubt in my mind that they might as well construct a whale meat processing plant (export to Japan) and whale oil production plant (the greenest fuel of all?) on the same property because, otherwise, why let resources like that go to waste?

Perhaps Santa Barbara County can compost what is left over?

The debt is projected to be over $42 trillion by 2027.

The U.S. Federal Debt Ratio to Gross National Product is presently a record 120.37, projected to be 151.8 by 2027 — an indication of a draconian future.

The present interest on the debt is 15% of federal spending, projected to be 22% by 2027. At present, deficit spending rates, debt principal payoff and interest payments will dominate and take over federal spending. This is the road to financial perdition and nation-ending bankruptcy.

We are the greatest debtor nation in history with a legacy of increasing debt imposed upon our children and grandchildren. Deficit spending must stop. Spending cuts must be made. Increased economy-destroying taxes and charges and Federal Reserve printing of money will not solve the debt crisis.

Both the present Democratic and Republican debt ceiling increase proposals do not resolve the debt crisis caused by deficit spending.

H.T. Bryan Ventura

Here’s why you must vote

Editor’s note: Lompoc resident Anita Dwyer submitted this letter to the News-Press after this week’s news on the Biden family. Amemo from the U.S. House Committee on

Oversight and Accountability said the Biden family, their associates and their businesses received more than $10 million from foreign companies, including companies in China and Romania. The committee said it has uncovered evidence of influence peddling and financial deception by the Biden family, according to a Center Square report. The White House said the committee’s claims lack merit.

What is the definition of “traitor” and who might it apply to in our country? The dictionary definition states, “One who violates his allegiance and betrays his country to his enemy, one who levies a form of war against his country, is a traitor.”

Now let’s look at the “treason” definition: “the offense of betraying one’s country.” Let’s add “rebellion”: “open opposition to government.” Who fits all these definitions you ask? Who has been spending millions of dollars to sway the outcome of our elections; who has money ties and making millions of dollars from China and has a son sharing his wealth with the No. 1 “man”?

One spends millions of dollars to defeat the country he resides in, buys district attorneys, catches and releases prisoners. The other, for over 35 years, has occupied and warmed a seat, collecting not only a yearly salary, but a lifetime of perks and according to records, has nothing to prove any accomplishments in government rulings. And then, by some miracle, he sits in the highest seat of government AND according to the polls, can’t even get support from some of his party members. Then there is the 44th past president and the one spending millions of dollars buying district attorneys. These two, each have a Foundation, “Open Society” and

the other, “Organizing for Action,” which, on a moment’s notice, is sent out to disrupt peaceful rallies.

There seems to be two sets of justice. One party is guilty for every move they make and the other party is exempt, no matter what they do or say. They say “Justice is blind.” What has happened to “equal justice for all?”

Your vote could have prevented some of this hate of our country if you had taken the time or energy and smarts to investigate and vote in the primary election. Only 33% of you filled your obligation as a citizen to get out and vote.

Your job to go out and vote — it is what makes or breaks our country. Your not voting is what can bring down these United States.

Did your reading this help change your mind to get out and vote?

Anita Dwyer Lompoc

Beware of ESG

Instead of seeking profits for their shareholders, more then 500 companies have been coerced into the philosophy of ESG.

So what is ESG? it stands for environmental and social governance. It attempts to require business and investment companies to adhere to policies that promote these standards with regulations, with the motto that they do well by doing good.

So let’s examine what that means. Environmentalism is a large umbrella covering many different areas. Concerning energy, it seeks to outlaw the petroleum industry, the oil and gas, diesel and natural gas that have made

Please see LETTERS on C4

Transportation planning is inadequate in Sacramento

When a true antifreedom-oftransportation state senator makes the following statement, it is clear Sacramento’s transportation planning has failed.

“Mass transit is facing an existential failure … and the state needs to fund it at $5 billion a year,” California Sen. Scott Weiner said on April 26.

Known for his in-your-face attitude toward personal rights, owning and operating cars and trucks, Mr. Weiner’s use of the 75cent word “existential” makes the point he is panicking. This is a clear admission of his failure and world view. He is the leader of a failed majority in Sacramento.

The numbers are in. The state continues to promote what has been an overwhelming inadequacy of transportation planning going back close to 50 years. A prominent catch phrase of this failure is “active transportation.”

Most of the institutions that keep our world from spinning out of control, have at their core, the need for proper efficient flowing commercial and private transportation.

A disturbing trend of bullies in government state cars is the

problem. Why are the yearly trends of more single-passenger auto trips daily? Mass transit does not meet people’s needs. Clearly the public waves the one-finger salute to their actions.

Doubling down on well over 40 years of failure is not sound government.

Bus/rail systems like MTA and BART are a disaster with expensive falling passenger numbers. Does that stop them from trying to force you not to drive,and not own a vehicle? When urban transportation planning does not work. When the traffic grid breaks, and there is no parking. It is like a blocked sewer, choking cities, and backs up to the rural and agriculture communities.

This is government by design, and government’s answer?

“Simple, you the people do not get it, do as we order you.” (You, not government, are supposedly the problem.)

The ultimate insult is a ransom letter delivered to the workers called taxes.

We (big government) broke it.

Now we demand you pay for our failures, aka hard earned dollars.

Because of sovereign immunity, they cannot be held financially or criminally responsible. How do they want to fix it? More of the same. One definition of insanity

is repeatedly doing what does not work! Sure, let’s do more!

There is no substitute for rational planning based upon resources. Is that why we have closed/broken streets and lousy parking?

Have you not noticed there is only so much land? They are not making any more. Sacramento and the governor have refused to create more long-range water storage. How is the abusive high density “Stack ’em and pack ’em” planning going to get a drink? Why are they paving over paradise?

Where will the butterflies thrive?

How can the earth absorb water when every plot of land is paved over?

It is clear Sacramento will continue to pave over every inch of open space, refuse to allow you to have parking and force you into failed mass transit.

Do they care?

No.

You elected them.

Let’s give Sen. Weiner a hand. He finally exposed his hand and Sacramento’s failed politics. He has now openly stated he wants more taxes and does not care about the impacts on the workers.

When you do not plan using baseline resources, you fail. When are the workers and residents going to get it?

Scott Wenz is president of Cars Are Basic.

I’m not on Tik Tok, but I looked to see what it’s all about. I don’t get it. I don’t get Instagram, even Twitter. They’re all short videos that suck you in from one to the next to the next, and you can keep going for hours. It plays into short attention spans.

Supposedly China is running Tik Tok ,and if there was ever a way to hypnotize an entire nation, the world, any easier, it’s through what seems to be an innocuous form of entertainment. In truth, it is a massive, efficient and simple way to gather information and make people do things without them knowing they’ve been brainwashed.

You no longer need to swing something back and forth and snap a finger. Toss into the mix artificial intelligence to gather and collate all the data, and it’s one huge global pocket watch. For me, it’s reached a level of disgust. There can be a large group of kids sitting around, and not one is talking with each other because they’re all staring at their phones. I’ve seen them doing it while riding horses, bikes, skateboards — it doesn’t matter what anyone is doing.

And we lose it if we can’t find our phones. The greatest threat and best form of punishment for a teenager is to take away their social lifeline. They’ll walk in circles, bump into walls, start babbling. They don’t know what to do with themselves.

What was that we did in the old days? Playing outside?

There of course are many benefits to our phones. They have become our laptop, desktop, iPad. They provide news (a lot is propaganda), and they’ve replaced the World Book Encyclopedia. They’ve replaced the need to own a camera. There’s no longer a need to print out photos and place them in some antiquated photo album. How uncivilized. Just store them in the Cloud.

Movies were made many years ago about machines taking over the world. Well, that time is now. Machines have taken over already.

The phones are the machines opening the door into our lives, our businesses, our likes and dislikes, our friends, our medical condition. Nothing is sacred anymore. If someone wants to learn everything about you, they can in minutes.

We say we have nothing to hide so I’m not worried if I’m being watched or listened to. But you no longer have a private life and what you freely divulge is disseminated, and a profile is stored in some digital closet ready to use if needed.

We also make it easy for criminals and malevolent nations. We pretend it’s no big deal. We rationalize, “I have my phone, and I live by all the joy it gives me.”

But that phone is already talking to you. It’s using your profile, telling you how much you like French Bulldogs and pushes products geared exactly for you from your past searches. It knows what kind of clothes you like, food, books you name it. Your phone knows you better than you know yourself. Don’t be fooled; the machines are in charge.

What can those gathering all that knowledge hope

Andy Caldwell is the COLAB executive director and host of “The Andy Caldwell Show,”

Andy Caldwell

PUBLIC DOMAIN PHOTO BY NOCLIP AT THE WIKIPEDIA PROJECT

Ventura resident H.T. Bryan writes that both the Democratic and Republican congressional proposals for the debt ceiling fail to address the crisis caused by deficit spending.

Why doesn’t drowning in debt bother Biden?

The most perplexing thing about President Joe Biden’s stance on the debt ceiling issue is that the staggering national debt does not seem to bother him.

In remarks Biden made the other day, he noted that the national debt has “accumulated over 200 years.” And he also noted the debt increased under President Donald Trump.

But the president’s selective memory chooses to overlook that when the Obama-Biden administration took office in 2009, national debt stood at 60% of GDP.

When they left eight years later, it was at 100% of GDP.

We also must note that from 1965 to 2008, the annual average growth of the U.S. economy was 3.1% per year. From 2009, when the Obama-Biden administration started piling on the debt, to today, average GDP growth has been 2.1% year.

But let’s forget, for now, the “who did what” of the past. Let’s focus on today.

What is clear is that we have entered uncharted — and dangerous — territory. The Congressional Budget Office forecast of national debt reaching 118% of GDP is a historic high. And then CBO goes on to project that the debt will reach almost twice GDP over the 20 years after.

Why doesn’t this bother our president?

If House Republicans, under the leadership of Speaker Kevin McCarthy, had not passed a bill to set conditions for spending cuts as a quid pro quo for authorizing an increase in the debt ceiling, most Americans would not even know the critical situation we are in. Our president would have been just fine authorizing the debt ceiling increase, taking us further into unchartered debt territory, with little fanfare.

President Biden has released a video defining his upcoming reelection campaign. The theme that he is

championing is freedom.

“Freedom, personal freedom, is fundamental to who we are as Americans,” is how he opens the video.

But what can our president be thinking about?

The vision of America’s founders was freedom.

It’s why the focus of our Constitution, as originally crafted, was to limit government.

Not so complicated. More government, less freedom.

Today’s clear direction of the country, particularly under the leadership of President Biden, is toward much more government and much less freedom.

We’ve got staggering national debt because politicians choose to not be honest with citizens by raising their taxes every time they increase spending. Instead, they spend and borrow.

According to the U.S. Treasury Department, federal expenditures accounted for 25% of our GDP in 2022. In 2015, they accounted for

20%. One not-so-subtle hint where President Biden stands is his calling the $4.5 trillion in spending cuts over 10 years proposed by Republicans “draconian.” The total spending in the budget recently submitted by Mr. Biden calls for $82.2 trillion in spending over 10 years. Cutting $4.5 trillion from $82.2 trillion in spending is anything but draconian. What does all this mean for the minority Americans President Biden claims to care so much about?

The median age of the nation’s white population is 43.7; blacks, 34.6; and Hispanics, 29.7.

The growing debt burden over time will fall disproportionately on these younger black and Hispanic Americans. A legacy of massive debt, bloated government, sclerotic economic growth, and life on an ever-expanding government plantation is the future President Biden is laying out for the minority Americans he allegedly cares about.

A just-issued report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office bears the title “The Nation’s Fiscal Health: Road Map

Needed to Address Projected

Unsustainable Debt Levels.”

Everyone seems to understand that national debt larger than our entire national economy is a crisis needing attention.

Everyone, that is, except President Biden.

If America’s future is to be free, the work needed today is to get government back in line — the point of the Republican Limit, Save, Grow Act. Otherwise, we can continue the current ride to socialism and a future as a country that once was great.

Star Parker is president of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education and host of the weekly television show “Cure America with Star Parker.” To find out more about Star Parker and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit www.creators.com.

Copyright 2023 by Creators.com.

– and us

Our close ally Britain has a new head of state. That fellow known for many decades as Prince Charles is now King Charles III, head of state of the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland).

Media there and here focus on royal family personalities. But there are much more durable dimensions to discuss.

Predecessors Charles I and Charles II reigned in the revolutionary 1600s. The first was beheaded. The second restored the monarchy after a bloody war, then dictatorship under Oliver Cromwell.

National institutions since then have endured.

Britain played a pivotal role in World War II, when the AngloAmerican special relationship was truly forged. The alliance between President Franklin Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill was central.

At home, Churchill and King George VI were vital to national unity in a desperate struggle.

The monarch has residual ruling powers, including the authority of actually appointing the government following a general election or other, sometimes unanticipated political shakeup.

In the 1960s, Queen Elizabeth’s husband Prince Philip spoke at UCLA, greeted by an Army ROTC student honor guard that included me. Philip paused, shook hands and talked with each of us, a classy gesture.

The public role of the queen or king may be primarily symbolic. Nonetheless, that can become important in a time of national

crisis or tragedy, especially war. Britain’s government, after the 2016 referendum vote to leave the European Union, embarked on a complicated, painful effort to do so. In contrast to the heroic, historic stand against Nazi Germany, this bizarre ordeal seemed more like “Alice in Wonderland.” Over four centuries ago, namesake Queen Elizabeth I was forcefully in charge of the British Isles. Those were brutal times, when losing a power struggle could cost your life. That Elizabeth modernized Britain, managing Parliament with prudent skill. She stabilized politics following the tumultuous reign of her father Henry VIII. She confirmed influence in Europe, effectively balancing the nations of that continent.

Today, the Crown and Parliament have subtly complementary roles. Walter Bagehot, long-time editor of the influential weekly magazine The Economist, described the situation brilliantly, with enduring insight. The world has changed greatly since Bagehot’s analysis appeared in 1867. However, his fundamental insight remains very valid today. Parliament handles the practical “efficient functions” of governing while the monarchy handles the largely ceremonial “dignified functions.” Americans can envy the lack of an “imperial” presidency there.

Fundamentally important is that the British, unlike the Americans, have no written constitution. Parliament is effectively supreme, though the nation in October 2009 did formally establish an American-style Supreme Court.

Danger: Government digital currency

The important ceremonial functions address the collective emotions of the people at large regarding government. In the 1930s, King Edward VIII generated great controversy when he wanted to marry Wallis Simpson, an expatriate American. In that different, earlier time, the fact that she was not British generated extensive public attention and debate. She also had been divorced twice. In general, notoriety followed her.

Vastly more important, Edward was sympathetic to Nazi Germany, as well as being personally extremely eccentric and unstable.

Adolf Hitler and others at the top of the Nazi regime in Germany considered him a strategic asset, eventually to help control Britain in a conquered Europe. Finally, Edward abdicated to marry his American girlfriend.

History underscores the importance of Britain’s royal family. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine reinforces America’s important relationship with the United Kingdom. Nothing fake about these realities.

To learn more, read Walter Bagehot’s “The English Constitution” (1867) and watch the film “The Darkest Hour” (2017), starring Gary Oldman as Churchill.

Arthur I. Cyr is author of “After the Cold War - American Foreign Policy, Europe and Asia” (NYU Press and Palgrave/Macmillan). He is also the director of the Clausen Center at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisc., and a Clausen Distinguished Professor. He welcomes questions and comments at acyr@carthage.edu.

Congress looks to ease broadband regulations ahead of BEAD funds distribution

Although the federal government will put tens of billions of taxpayer dollars into broadband infrastructure growth in the coming years, the regulatory scheme threatens to harm attempts to close the digital divide.

Telecom industry leaders recently expressed those concerns during a hearing of the House Communications and Technology Subcommittee where they urged Congress to streamline broadband permitting so that providers can work quickly to expand high-speed internet infrastructure.

Lawmakers are considering more than 30 possible drafts that would aid the permitting process. These reforms include addressing such issues as “shot clocks” for acting on permits, making it easier to deploy on federal lands and would exempt environmental and historic preservation reviews on damaged or destroyed communications facilities in need of rebuilding.

Legislation would also cap fees that governments can charge for review applications or

granting access to rights-of-way while also preserving state and local zoning authority.

U.S. Rep. Bob Latta, R-Ohio, chairman of the subcommittee, said in opening remarks that reforms in the permitting processes are necessary.

“I firmly believe that the infrastructure bill was a missed opportunity to enact meaningful permitting reform that would have broken down barriers to deployment and stretched federal funding,” he said. “Lengthy application reviews and excessive fees for deployment will only delay connectivity and increase costs, leaving behind those American families who lack reliable internet access.”

Rep. Latta added that he appreciated the work of the Federal Communications Commission to streamline state and local permitting processes.

“We need to codify and build on these reforms,” he said. “Without changes to the permitting process and meaningful oversight, all of this money set aside for broadband could be wasted. We cannot let

President Joe Biden and the media are excited about something new: a Central Bank Digital Currency, or CBDC. It’s a currency like Bitcoin, except controlled by the federal government.

Not everyone is a fan.

“Sometimes government does things that may appear to be benevolent but really are kind of like a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” says Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in my new video. “This is a wolf coming as a wolf.” For months, I’ve tried to get Gov. DeSantis to sit down for an interview. What finally got him to agree was the government’s plan for digital money.

“If you don’t trust central authority,” Gov. DeSantis says, “then you should see this immediately as something that is very problematic.” Of course, a lot of people do trust central authority. The Biden administration says a CBDC will “protect consumers, investors ... and the environment.”

“That last one’s a tell,” laughs Gov. DeSantis, “they would impose ideology (with) certain criteria ... ‘You’re filling up too much (with gas). Wait a minute — climate change. You can’t be doing that! You bought another firearm? No, no, no.’” Canada’s government used its banking system to control people when truckers protested vaccine rules. The government blocked their bank accounts. That stopped the protests.

Your opinions are valuable contributions to these pages. We welcome a variety of views. Letters must be exclusive to the News-Press. In most cases, first priority for immediate publication goes to those submitted by 6 p.m. Tuesdays.

We encourage brevity, and shorter letters have a better chance of being printed immediately.

We edit all submissions for length, clarity and professional standards.

We do not print submissions that lack a civil tone, allege illegal wrongdoing or involve consumer complaints. We also may decide not to print letters or op-eds for other reasons.

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Britain’s royal ceremony is important for them

John Stossel

Star Parker

The author is with the Center for Urban Renewal and Education

Arthur I, Cyr

ARNAUD BOUISSOU/PUBLIC DOMAIN PHOTO/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

“History underscores the importance of Britain’s royal family,” columnist Arthur Cyr writes following the coronation of King Charles III.

Johnny Kampis

The author is with the Taxpayers Protection Alliance

COURTESY PHOTO Gov. Ron DeSantis

Radio appears to be the last bastion of equality in political biases

DONOVAN

Continued from Page C1

the new Democratic Party. The roots of our dark clouds started germination 60 to 70 years ago.

We are now at the end of the first quarter of what could become an irreversible disaster. If we don’t act now to push back on all fronts, we will have socialism for the next 50 years.

We do not have space to discuss all 45 actions defined in the record entry, but we can examine 18 of them to illustrate the core socialist actions in a powerful takeover of our society that is occurring right now, under our watch:

• Capture one of both the political parties of the United States. There is no doubt that the Democratic Party is now directed from top to bottom by socialist implants. The old, moderate Democratic Party has gone.

• Get control of the schools and teachers’ associations. Soften the curriculum.

We can see every day that our failing schools are concerned far more with inculcating students, from an early age, in Critical Race Theory; LBGTQ+ sexual practices, gender transformation encouragement, and elimination of biological parents, as the parentguardians of their children.

Teachers’ unions every year donate many millions of dollars to the socialist Democratic Party and use their power of almost 100% teacher membership to not only promote, but also deliver indoctrination of children in socialist dogma, and race-divisive, and LBGTQ++ propaganda.

• Gain control of all student newspapers. In almost every school and college, left-wing student associations, clubs and socialistic newspapers are favored by school and college administrations. Conservative clubs, associations and newsletters are in the minority

ZEPKE

Continued from Page C1

is called fentanyl. Why is it happening now?

The previous administration convinced China, the source of all fentanyl, to not export it to the U.S. However, under the current administration, the Chinese are sending both the ingredients, and the products, to Mexico, where the cartels are using their control of the border to bring it into the U.S.

The result was in 2021 there were a reported 70,601 overdosing deaths from fentanyl arriving from Mexico, which was 25% higher than in 2020 and double the total of 1999.

The president’s response?

The president of Mexico said the lack of any help from the White House was forcing him to ask China for help in controlling the importation of fentanyl. Imagine the health of U.S. citizens depending on that?

To emphasize the deadlines of fentanyl as a weapon in 2021, compare the 70,601 fentanyl deaths with the 47,286 deaths by guns used in suicides and in

‘We need to lift these regulatory burdens’

KAMPIS

Continued from Page C3

that happen.”

Lawmakers and industry leaders pointed to the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program, by far the biggest of the federal funding efforts, which will provide $42.5 billion in taxpayer money for broadband growth.

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., noted that BEAD money will begin rolling out as soon as the end of this year so Congress needs to expeditiously pass substantive permitting reform.

delays in the process, he noted. Michael Saperstein, chief strategy officer for the Wireless Infrastructure Association, said the industry “simply seek(s) a predictable application process, proportionate to the project, that will be decided in a timely manner.”

and are discouraged or banned by staff, faculty and left-wing students, sometimes violently.

• Infiltrate the press.

The majority of national and local newspapers and their reporters no longer report the news. They use the news almost entirely as a means to spread socialism and government propaganda.

• Gain control of key positions in radio, TV and movies. Among the major TV companies, only Fox News Channel provides alternative viewpoints from the socialism preached by the others. Radio appears to be the last bastion of equality in political biases.

The movies are hopelessly infiltrated by socialist viewpoints and graphic sexualization. The movies are under strong influence from the Chinese communist government to be able to sell American movies in China.

• Eliminate laws governing

murders in 2021.

In 2020, after decades of no congressional actions, President Trump’s Center for Disease Control, to help control COVID-19, used its emergency powers to issue Title 42 to give the Border Patrol the power to expel migrants. However, this power ended on Thursday after, of course, no White House efforts to make it permanent or to do anything to slow the expected onslaught of migrants.

The White House is sending 1,500 U.S. troops to the border. To stop the expected onslaught of border crossers? Heck no. These troops are going to speed up the processing of the “madding crowd” of invaders, by supplying water, diapers and taking down information without any attempt, or capability, of verifying it, before these invaders become “midnight riders” by using free transportation to disappear into the world of the welfare systems. Who are these invaders?

The midterm elections enabled the Republicans to hold hearings in the House, where they learned that many invaders come from Iran and China, who besides

obscenity by calling them “censorship and a violation of free speech and the press.

• Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in the media.

• Present degeneracy and promiscuity as “normal, natural and healthy.” Infiltrate the churches and replace “Revealed” religion with “social” religion.

Actions (6) (7) & (8) are interrelated in the massive enlargement and accessibility of the pornographic and obscenity video industry where “porn” including Bestiality, is available for access by all ages.

In addition, the sexual practices of all types of LBGTQ++ and gender multiple definitions are now being taught in K-12 schools as natural alternatives to heterosexual sex between biological males and females. The level of practicing Christianity has declined over the last 50

supplying the fentanyl, are using the open border to invade the U.S. For example, after 421 crossed in the period from October 2021 to February 2022, an estimated 4,366 crossed during the same period in 2022-23. Why? Was it to bring their engineering expertise in fentanyl, or to take advantage of the White House using funds from the infrastructure bill to build a Chinese-owned chip factory in Michigan, or to better utilize the land the Chinese are buying near our defense facilities that were scouted by their balloon, or to lobby against the prohibition of Tik Tok now that President Biden is going to use it to campaign, or to further their funding of universities, such as the University of Pennsylvania. What about the border?

For Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas and Press Secretary Jean-Pierre to be make sense requires:

(1) Secretary Mayorkas needs to add these words after “border is under control”: “by Mexican cartels.” Then his statement would be accurate.

(2) Press Secretary Jean-

years. Practicing Christians are under constant attacks from the government and new laws to promote deviations from the biological norms in terms of sexual practices, gender abnormalities, and denial of their religious beliefs. Social justice and climatechange missionaries form new groups inspired by quasi-religious fervor, in our cities, hindering traffic and commerce, often using destructive behavior.

Note: Next week, we will publish Part 2 of this column. This Mother’s Day weekend marks the fourth anniversary of Did You Know? and what we have learned is that any citizen can have a voice.

We wish every mother a wonderful weekend!

Bonnie Donovan writes the “Did You Know?” column in conjunction with a bipartisan group of local citizens. It appears Saturdays in the Voices section.

Pierren needs her statement “illegal immigration to be reduced by 90%” to define “illegal immigration” as “invaders.”

(3) In fairness, perhaps both Mr. Mayorkas and Ms. JeanPierre may have been using their government positions to prepare for their post-government futures of offering failing talk show hosts a way to add comedy to their bashing of Mr. Trump. Hire them, or their writers or just play the tapes of their speeches.

What is obvious is that actions speak louder than words. And the action at the border shows there is an invasion of the United States.

Brent E. Zepke is an attorney, arbitrator and author who lives in Santa Barbara. His website is OneheartTwoLivescom.wordpress. com. Formerly, he taught law and business at six universities and numerous professional conferences. He is the author of six books: “One Heart-Two Lives,” “Legal Guide to Human Resources,” “Business Statistics,” “Labor Law,” “Products and the Consumer” and “Law for NonLawyers.”

Gov. DeSantis wonders why the media even cares.

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Gov. DeSantis is so upset about the Fed’s and Biden’s plan for a CBDC he just got Florida’s legislature to ban its use in their state.

I ask, “This will be a national issue. Why is it the business of a governor?”

“This is part of our role,” he responds, citing federalism.

“There’s a back and forth between the federal government and the states. We’re pushing back about things we don’t think are good.”

Gov. DeSantis questions the CBDC’s legality. “The Federal Reserve has come out and said we would only do it after ‘consulting with the legislative and executive branches. Ideally, we’d get specific congressional authorization.’ Wait a minute! It’s not ideal that you get Congress. That’s what the Constitution requires!”

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during an interview on Fox Business Channel’s “Mornings with Maria.” Sen. Johnson adds that “it makes clear the corruption within these agencies, but it also makes clear the corruption of the mainstream media who will largely ignore and minimize it.”

It goes without saying (but I’m saying it nonetheless) that had

Of course, the media is enthusiastic about a governmentcontrolled CBDC.

CNBC says it will be “as trusted as cash, as convenient as a payment app, yet also benefit from the same blockchain technology which underpins cryptocurrencies.”

“When I started talking about some of the dangers from privacy,” Gov. DeSantis tells me, “the corporate press ... all of a sudden (said) ‘DeSantis is trying to promote conspiracy theories!’”

MSNBC even called it “unhinged conspiracy theory.”

Gov. DeSantis wonders why the media even cares.

“Is it really because they are really that invested in cross-border transactions?” he asks. “Of course not. It’s because this is something that could help them advance their ideology of having more central authority ... over the average American.”

I push him, “America’s going to fall behind!” The Wall Street

anything even remotely like this kind of evident corruption been uncovered concerning Donald Trump or any member of his family (unfortunately for the media and late-night comics, President Trump has no dysfunctional family members to expose), this would be headlining newsrooms across the U.S. for weeks, perhaps months.

Another thing that goes without saying (but I’m saying it anyway), is a caveat: If you are

Journal says America’s financial system is outdated and CBDCs will modernize it.

“Oh, please,” Gov. DeSantis sneers. “They want to move to a cashless society, which would basically mean the Federal Reserve, Treasury Department would have supervisory jurisdiction over all of your transactions.”

“Cash is independence,” adds Gov. DeSantis. “You have the cash in your wallet ... It’s not dependent on somebody else.”

In other words, cash is private. So is cryptocurrency, like Bitcoin. People can buy gas and guns without using government money at all.

Advocates of government digital money don’t like that.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren says, “Legitimate digital public money could help drive out bogus digital private money.”

“She clearly would be somebody that rejects any type of digital asset

setting up a family enrichment plan of your own similar to the Bidens’, be sure to register as a Democrat as soon as possible. Donating to a Democrat-backed movement or any number of Democrat groups or causes will help tremendously if you come under investigation or, most unlikely, are charged with an offense.

Even though you may be charged, not to worry: The case will be assigned to a Democrat

“We need to lift these regulatory burdens, cut the red tape, and roll out the red carpet,” she said.

Michael Romano, executive vice president of NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association, said the rollout of BEAD projects could “exacerbate existing backlogs” by creating a larger demand for permit approvals. This could particularly harm smaller broadband providers that can less afford to deal with lengthy

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to accomplish with the information? The possibilities are endless. There are no limitations, no boundaries and nothing to control them.

The opening line from the old “Outer Limits” TV series said, “There is nothing wrong with your television set. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are controlling the transmission.” A black-andwhite TV with tubes was used as the example — not something connected to satellites beaming down digital data in the blink of an eye of which the entire world is connected to.

Phones may be simple in nature. They’re a super convenient modern-day form of communication, but they’re the most powerful tool mankind has ever developed, and the technology is growing so rapidly we can’t keep up.

You can bet all the money you have that a country like China has threaded its tentacles so deep into our society, that it’s likely we’ve already lost all control, and we don’t even know it.

There are still some of us who are along in years who remember what it was like to

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Former FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly, president of MPORielly Consulting, said during the hearing that officials in the Biden administration have expressed support for permitting reforms. It’s yet unclear, however, if Democrats will be on board with some of the proposed reforms, particularly in terms of environmental reviews. Given the vast amount of taxpayer money being used for broadband infrastructure growth in the coming years, it’s encouraging to see congressional efforts toward reforming a permitting process. Hopefully, the denizens of Capitol Hill successfully pass legislation this year that will speed up efforts to close the digital divide.

Johnny Kampis is director of telecom policy for the Taxpayers Protection Alliance.

all control

read a book and watch TV as a family with only 12 channels. (There were never 13 because that was bad luck.)

TV shows like “Bonanza,” “Zorro” and “The Lone Ranger” never showed anyone actually killed. They would wound the bad guy, but there was never any blood. Andy Griffith (aka Sheriff Andy Taylor of Mayberry) would lock someone up for stealing a slice of pie. You would walk to your neighbor’s house and talk to them face to face. No texting. There was no way back then for the evil of the world to enter your space and try and manipulate your mind.

The media certainly did make their attempts even back in the “old days” to do just that, but discussions around the kitchen table would quash any propaganda. Today you’re pummeled with thousands of things at once, and our simple minds can’t properly disseminate it all. Especially young minds. Making us all easy and vulnerable targets of malicious predators. We’ve not only lost control of our television sets but of our lives.

Henry Schulte welcomes questions or comments at hschulteopinions@gmail.com.

that’s not controlled by a central authority,” Gov. DeSantis responds.

The federal government, says Gov. DeSantis, wants “to displace all cryptocurrency because they can’t control that,” telling me, “the dangers so far outweigh any proposed benefits.”

Gov. DeSantis and I then talked about many other things, like sex education and what critics call the “Don’t Say Gay” law, Florida’s antimask mandates, America going broke and his flying migrants to Massachusetts.

I will cover those topics in a future column.

Every Tuesday at JohnStossel.com, Mr. Stossel posts a new video about the battle between government and freedom. He is the author of “Give Me a Break: How I Exposed Hucksters, Cheats, and Scam Artists and Became the Scourge of the Liberal Media.”

Copyright 2022 BY JFS Productions Inc.

judge who’ll go soft, and the mainstream media won’t cover it. Only Fox will, but who watches that anyway? Let’s go, Brandon!

James Buckley is a longtime Montecito resident. He welcomes questions or comments at jimb@ substack.com. Readers are invited to visit jimb.substack.com, where Jim’s Journals are on file. He also invites people to subscribe to Jim’s Journal.

our country so prosperous. This God-given gift, stored under our land, is our greatest resource, sufficient for thousands of years.

Through transporting it by pipeline, we were able to move it with minimal disturbance to the landscape and no emissions. But they aim to cancel the pipelines.

Our natural gas provides electricity with few emissions into our atmosphere. Catalytic converters have enabled our gaspowered engines to run pretty cleanly. Our nitrogen fertilizers are a petroleum product, as well as all the plastic endemic in our packaging and every manner of product in our marketplace.

Strategic oil reserves have been our savings account for the future, but now have been vastly depleted by selling them to China, our enemy. Instead, green energy is part of the ESG plan. Wind turbines, solar panels and electric batteries mostly come from China. The rare earth minerals come from poor countries like Africa, where they are mined even by children.

Within China, these “green energy” components are assembled by slave labor by Uighurs and political and religious prisoners, and when those devices wear out, they become hazardous waste, and our landfills are overflowing.

Some countries, in their attempt to achieve a perfect ESG rating, have accomplished it, to their own destruction. The

Netherlands and Sri Lanka have great scores, but their agricultural industries have been destroyed as they’re no longer able to use chemical fertilizers and dairies are forced to go out of business.

The World Economic Forum is an advocate for ESG, asking us to give up our SUV’s and gasoline engines as they fly to Davos in their private jets. And as they tell us we should be eating insects instead of beef, do you think Klaus Schwab and Bill Gates are going to sit down at Davos and eat bugs instead of a steak?

The social part of ESG also has many facets, from the alphabet of “new genders” to attempts to once again separate us by skin colors. Probably there are only two genders from birth and the present contagion of misgenderism is a social construct meant to divide us. That’s so far from the goal given us by Martin Luther King. He must be rolling over in his grave. The only purpose of all this is to so damage our youth so they doubt the reality of their own being.

And so, our nation, having lost our faith in our Creator, is susceptible to every crackpot scheme that comes along. An honest look at the history of socialist attempts to gain power, shows they destroy a country every time. By the way, ESG actually reduces stockholder returns by 70-90%.

Gretchen Kieding Solvang

It’s likely we’ve already lost

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