Santa Barbara News-Press: June 03, 2023

national donut day

Local residents and businesses celebrate a pastry that’s earned its own day

nEWS-PRESS SPECiAL REPORT

City of Santa Barbara tackles homelessness

Effort under way to move unhoused people off the streets

MORE nEXT WEEK

More articles on homelessness will appear next week in the News-Press.

By LIAM HIBBERT NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT

With the smell of doughnuts and coffee in the air, Santa Barbara was out and about on Friday and celebrating with some unlikely early June sun.

It was National Donut Day.

And people celebrated the pastry in all sorts of unique ways, although mostly by eating them.

“Happy to get some doughnuts later and some coffee. Big doughnut guy,” declared Ian Mickool after an early morning run with Santa Barbara’s own rabbit running apparel company. (The business doesn’t capitalize its name.)

“It was nice to see some sun today,” Mr. Mickool told the News-Press. “It was a good

Joggers take flight Friday during the National Donut Day run from the rabbitHOUSE, the rabbit running apparel company’s corporate office in downtown Santa Barbara.

to move homeless persons off the street and into transitional housing.

The goal is to also provide help for those with mental health and addiction issues.

A Santa Barbara City Council Ad Hoc Committee on Homelessness has explored

these issues over the past 12 months, gathering information, listening to homeless experts, and talking to city staff and various stakeholders.

The committee, consisting of Councilmembers Eric Friedman, Kristen Sneddon and Mike Jordan, recently unveiled a series

Please see HOMELESS on A6

Former sex crimes prosecutor concerned about Santa Barbara Unified School District

Audry Nafzinger discusses district after $950,000 settlement

By ANNIKA BAHNSEN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

With the recent settlement of $950,000 over a victim in a child sexual abuse case against Santa Barbara Unified School District and former teacher Matef Harmachis, many families reportedly have noticed a concerning pattern in SBUSD.

Audry Nafzinger — a sex crimes prosecutor with over 29 years of experience, the former supervisor of the Sex Crimes division of the Ventura County District Attorney’s office and a Santa Barbara resident — has spent a great deal of professional and personal time working to protect the vulnerable.

She said she has recognized a major problem within SBUSD and

believes it is time to make some changes.

“From years of witnessing local abuse incidents play out in the press, at board meetings, and in speaking with victims and their parents as a private citizen, several facts have arisen which are indisputable, systemic, and appear to undermine survivors, while protecting the ‘institution’,” Ms. Nafzinger told the News-Press.

Sheridan Rosenberg, a Santa Barbara resident who has been tracking cases such as the Matef Harmachis case, told the News-Press that many families believe that the case involving Mr. Harmachis was handled improperly within the district

Please see SBUSD on A7

KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS

Amid debt ceiling vote, California Senator pushing for increased water funding

By TOM JOYCE

THE CENTER SQUARE CONTRIBUTOR

(The Center Square) - As the United States Senate will soon vote to suspend the debt ceiling, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, DCalifornia, is pushing for the federal government to spend more on water.

Sen. Padilla serves as Chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife.

He hosted a hearing this week entitled “Water Affordability and Small Water Systems Assistance” which looked at, “rising water rates, aging infrastructure, and extreme weather events are increasing water affordability challenges for communities across the country,” according to a press release from his office.

During the meeting, advocates pushed for a permanent national water assistance program; they argued that such a program would

particularly benefit rural areas.

“Access to water is the foundation for strong and healthy communities, economies, and families,” Sen. Padilla said in a press release. “This topic is near and dear to me and to 40 million Californians — as well as to all Americans who have ever had to worry about whether they could afford their next water bill or if their water will be shut off because they cannot pay. For decades, we’ve underinvested in water infrastructure, pushing the cost of maintaining and repairing water infrastructure on hardworking ratepayers. It’s time for a paradigm shift in how we finance and fund needed water infrastructure for communities, and it’s long past time that we have a permanent water assistance program to help communities pay their water bills, just like we do for energy assistance.”

Sen. Padilla said that all communities need an adequate

Santa Barbara Humane changes to be reviewed

GOLETA — The Goleta Design Review

Board is considering proposed changes to the Santa Barbara Humane campus on June 13. The meeting will be held at 3 p.m. at the Goleta City Council Chambers, 130 Cremona Drive. The review is in response to proposed

water supply and argued that rising water costs negatively affect low-income, rural, Tribal, and farmworker communities. He cited the existence of federal energy assistance programs as a reason to create such a program for water.

“Water systems, especially those in small rural or disadvantaged communities, also frequently lack adequate staffing and financial capacity to make necessary upgrades,” the release from his office said. “As a result, the cost of maintaining and repairing water infrastructure has fallen on states, localities, and of course, ratepayers.”

“This all points to an alarming water affordability crisis and an environmental justice crisis as well, with underserved communities who already struggle to afford utilities in rural, low-income, and tribal communities being hit hardest by rising water rates,” the release

changes by Santa Barbara Humane: demolishing and replacing all existing buildings, except the existing education building. The proposal would relocate the historic Beck House.

The changes, which are to the Santa Barbara Humane campus at 5399 Overpass Road, Goleta, would also include a required parking space reduction from 79 to 65, as well as removing 38 of the existing 55 trees.

Bonta suggests tenant screening reforms in letter to FTC

By RIA ROEBUCK JOSEPH

THE CENTER SQUARE CONTRIBUTOR

(The Center Square) - Access to housing is being hampered by the tenant screening process, California Attorney General Rob Bonta asserts. In a letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Mr. Bonta suggests reforms to the tenant screening process.

The letter is a response to the FTC and CFPB request for information on tenant screenings.

Mr. Bonta’s letter raised concerns about nonrefundable application fees, inaccurate screening reports and problematic screening algorithms.

“Application fees that landlords charge prospective tenants are often non-refundable and purportedly cover the landlord’s administrative costs of screening a tenant. They are paid with no guarantee that the application will be approved and are not refunded if the application is never reviewed because another applicant is selected first or if it is denied,” the letter stated.

“The fees add up and become sizable to low-income renters, particularly when a prospective tenant’s search requires applying to several landlords who might each charge fees for the same screening service. The consumer’s harm from application fees is exacerbated when an individual’s experience of being denied housing – and submitting multiple applications and incurring cumulative fees – is based upon errors and inaccuracies in the screening reports used by the landlords. “

Mr. Bonta says that the unregulated screening industry subjects the reporting to numerous errors.

“Many aspects of the tenant screening industry remain unregulated. Tenant screening reports are compiled from literally thousands of data sources and are aggregated by third party data brokers … This complex ecosystem creates a high risk for reporting errors.”

Algorithms, according to the letter, are built to correlate to selected historical or example data to generate a predictive outcome.

“The process and methodology by which these algorithms are developed are proprietary and unregulated,” Mr. Bonta said in the letter.

Mr. Bonta’s letter raised concerns about non-refundable application fees, inaccurate screening reports and problematic screening algorithms.

These algorithmic screening services generally collect all or some combination of the categories of data used to assess an applicant’s criminal conviction histories, credit reports, civil court records that reveal evictions, landlord-tenant disputes, and various forms of outstanding debt and present landlords with a single score or result indicating how “safe” it would be to rent to an applicant.

Some of the recommendations

Mr. Bonta suggested include but are not limited to: capping application fees at $20, allowing a prospective tenant to dispute or rebut criteria used to deny the application, and enforcing prohibition against unfair and deceptive practices by auditing for race based or digital redlining resulting from biased underwriting in tenant screening products.

“For too many Californians, securing a good, decent place to rent is challenging,” said Mr. Bonta.

“I’m co-leading a coalition of attorneys general urging action to address one of the barriers to doing so. We are sharing with the FTC and CFPB problems that renters commonly encounter during the background check process and proposed regulatory reforms that would mitigate those issues. Federal action on these issues would complement the work the California Department of Justice’s Housing Justice Team is doing to advance housing access, affordability, and equity in California.”

In submitting the comment letter, Mr. Bonta was joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin.

added. The federal government is currently in about $32 trillion in debt, according to the U.S. Debt Clock.

To join the meeting, community members can go in person to the City Council Chambers or watch the meeting live on the city’s website, or on Goleta TV Channel 19, www.cityofgoleta. org/meetings-agendas. Written submittals concerning agenda items can be sent to mchang@cityofgoleta.org, but must be done so more than 24 hours before the meeting.

— Liam Hibbert

TRAFFIC, CRIME AND FIRE BLOTTER

Shooting in Santa Maria

SANTA MARIA — Santa Maria police are investigating a shooting that took place Thursday evening near the old Sears building at the Santa Maria Town Center.

Sgt. Daniel Rios said officers responded to the scene, which was in the 200 block of East Main Street, around 7 p.m. and found a male juvenile victim suffering from gunshot wounds.

The juvenile was transported to a hospital for treatment, and Sgt. Rios said the juvenile was in stable condition. Sgt. Rios said no arrests have been made in the case.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call Detective Hesch at 805-928-3781, ext. 1349.

To make an anonymous tip, call Detective Hesch or the Santa Maria Police Department Communications Center at 805928-3781, ext. 2277.

— Dave Mason

Ohio pushes to become the first not to charge sales taxes on guns, ammunition

By J.D. DAVIDSON THE CENTER SQUARE

(The Center Square) – While the Ohio General Assembly moves closer to removing sales tax from baby items, another bill introduced late Wednesday would strip sales tax from guns and ammunition.

The proposed legislation would also give tax credits to gun and ammunition manufacturers to offset a federal excise tax on gun and ammunition makers.

“We are enforcing the constitutional rights of our citizens with this legislation,” Rep. Al Cutrona, R-Canfield, said. “This will not only lower costs for Ohioans, but it will also assist Ohio’s businesses.” Ohio would become the first state in the nation – of those with sales taxes – not to charge sales taxes on guns in ammunition if the bill is passed and signed into law. Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon are the only states without sales taxes on guns and ammunition. Each of those states also does not have a statewide sales tax.

HB189, which includes 10 other

Republican co-sponsors, would also give tax credits to firearm and ammunition makers that both Cutrona and Sen. Tim Schaffer, RLancaster, say will offset set the federal excise tax of 10% to 11% on the sale of firearms in the U.S.

The Senate version has one other Republican co-sponsor.

The two lawmakers say both removing the sales tax and creating a tax credit will make Ohio more competitive with other states.

“I am proud to work with Representative Cutrona on removing burdensome taxation on Ohioans exercising their Second Amendment right,” Sen. Schaffer said. “This is the least we can do to make owning a firearm for self-defense, hunting, and sport more affordable for the average Ohioan.”

HB189 has yet to be assigned to a committee, while SB124 is awaiting its first hearing in the Senate Ways and Means Committee.

The Ohio Legislative Service Commission still needs to produce a fiscal note detailing the potential revenue loss for state or local governments.

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in digital payment apps such as Venmo, PayPal, may not be insured, watchdog warns

Dementia for two, Putin in a stew, tipping and donations askew

“ACTRESS JANE FONDA

SAYS WHITE MEN ARE TO BLAME FOR ‘CLIMATE CRISIS’ AND IS CALLING FOR THEM TO ALL BE ARRESTED AND JAILED”

It’s awfully tough to remain relevant when you’re 85, but “Hanoi Jane” takes the cake (and all the candles with it) for trying.

Yes, that’s the answer, Jane, arrest every white male in the U.S.A.

May I offer you a cognitive impairment test?

And speaking of old age dementia …

“FEINSTEIN CONFUSION OVER KAMALA HARRIS PRESIDING OVER SENATE”

As Vice President Kamala

Harris was about to cast a tiebreaking vote in the Senate, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.., asked, “What is she doing here?”

Thus, the real question should be, “What was Sen. Feinstein doing there?”

Clearly, with humans living longer than ever before, Congress needs to legislate an age limit (along with long-needed term limits) for elective office.

I propose 75. Let’s lose that senile old fool in the White House.

“BUD LIGHT SALES DOWN NEARLY 30% AFTER DYLAN MULVANEY DISASTER”

Proof-perfect that LGBTQ isn’t to be poured down everyone’s throat. Backlash by regurgitation?

“TARGET LOSES $10B IN 10 DAYS AS STOCKS FALL FOLLOWING BOYCOTT OVER LGBTQ-FRIENDLY KIDS CLOTHING.”

Ditto.

And this: Leave kids out of transgender discussion and surgeries. Let them grow up and discover themselves on their own, please.

Trends, fads and progressive (fanatical) politics are for suckers, not for our innocent, impressionable children and grandchildren, along with the enduring (and scarring) consequences.

“BLACK CONSERVATIVES

WARN REPARATIONS ARE A ‘SCHEME’ TO GAIN VOTES: ‘PROMISE THE MOON,’ THEN ‘DELIVER NOTHING’”

Someone’s smartening up.

Sad but true: It is traditionally

ROBERT ERINGER NEWS REVUE

the Democratic Party (behind the scheme) that perpetuated Jim Crow laws and dragged its feet on civil rights legislation. Not speculation. Fact.

“PUTIN BLITZED: KAMIKAZE DRONES STRIKE IN EARSHOT OF PUTIN’S PALACE AS MUSHROOM CLOUD FILLS SKY IN ‘WORST ATTACK ON MOSCOW SINCE WW2”

It was just a matter of time before Ukraine delivered Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war back to him. Does Mad Vlad truly believe he can strike at Ukrainian civilians without impunity?

Sickly (and humiliated abroad and at home), President Putin is broken and bunkered, like Adolf Hitler before him.

On Feb. 20, 2022, on the eve of President Putin’s ill-fated Special Military Operation, I wrote in these pages: “Invading Ukraine would ultimately spell the end of Putin the Terrible.” We are not there yet. But we’re getting closer.

Or as The Hill put it: “Putin is down to his nukes in Ukraine. And even he likely knows that they are not a viable or winning option. The question is no longer whether Russia conventionally loses in Ukraine, but when.”

And no one knows it better than Wagner-Meatgrinder Train engineer Yevgeny Prighozin, who…

“EXPLODES WITH FURY AT PUTIN’S MINIONS OVER MOSCOW DRONE ATTACKS”

“You scum!” Mr. Prighozin screamed at President Putin and his cohorts. “You bastards! Get your smelly scumbag asses out of the offices!”

Does this sound like someone who has a grip on the situation? Methinks not.

Ironically, Mad Vlad accuses Ukraine of “terrorist activities” for providing only a very minor partial of what he has wrought, without provocation, on Ukrainian civilians.

Russian “logic” has always defied explanation. But President Putin and his spokesperson, Dmitry “Pesky” Peskov, have transformed Russian “logic” into a new art form.

“BELARUS DICTATOR ALEXANDER LUKASHENO ‘IS RUSHED TO MOSCOW HOSPITAL AS HE FALLS

SERIOUSLY ILL”

Add fellow tyrant Lukashenko to the sick list. Poisoned by President Putin? No one is safe from Mad Vlad, not even his closest ally.

“ELON MUSK REPORTEDLY GOES ON ‘EXPLORATORY JOURNEYS’ AND LIKES TO SHOW FRIENDS A CHART OF THE BENEFITS OF MDMA AND MUSHROOMS OVER ALCOHOL”

Incensed that Elon Musk transformed Twitter from a political tool of the Democratic Party into a platform for free speech, mainstream media continues to peddle a narrative that strives to marginalize and demonize the billionaire.

Truth is, as current and future experimentation will show, Elon is absolutely correct. Scientists testing the matter have discovered that psilocybin may be one of the best treatments (if not yet available to the public) for weaning alcoholics off booze. But don’t take my word for it. The New York Times reported on Aug. 25, 2022: “Psilocybin therapy sharply reduces excessive drinking.” Half of those in an eight-month trial stopped drinking entirely. If you or someone you know has an alcohol problem, magic mushrooms may be the solution. And if you desire truthful information and advice: Listen to Elon, not mainstream media.

“FEDS HID JFK FILM THAT COULD PROVE GRASSY GNOLL CONSPIRACY”

Two persons filmed President John F. Kennedy’s motorcade in Dallas that fateful day in November 1963.

One was Abraham Zapruder,

whose camera caught the shot that blasted J.F.K.’s skull — a shot that clearly originated from in front of him, not behind where Lee Harvey Oswald was situated.

The other, much lesser known, was Orville Nix, whose eightmillimeter movie camera caught activity on the grassy knoll, from which that fatal shot was fired.

The last time Mr. Nix’s film was viewed was 1978 when the House Select Committee on Assassinations concluded that J.F.K. “was probably assassinated as a result of a conspiracy,” having determined that “two gunmen” fired at him.

“IS TWITTER FOUNDER JACK DORSEY TO BLAME FOR TIPFLATION?”

It is Jack Dorsey’s company, Square, that developed and supplies the iPad that coaxes (or shames) consumers into adding a tip on just about anything and everything these days.

Here is a tip of my own: If you are prompted (shamed) by an iPad to leave a tip, hit the “No Tip” option. If you like the service, give the server cash.

Which brings me to “check-out charity donations.” We’ve all been there. Vons. CVS. Other chain stores. Your purchases get rung up, then you are prompted (shamed) into donating to some cause or other.

My standard response, loudly (to shame the shamers). “I NEVER do that in shops.”

And why should anyone?

Donate to the charity of your choice, and write it off your own taxes rather than be shamed into donating at a store, which then claims as their own what should be your tax credits.

Be aware that CVS was subject to a class-action lawsuit filed in May 2022 over a “deceptive fundraising campaign” supposedly for the American Diabetes Association.

And speaking of donations …

“JUST 33% OF THE $90 MILLION THAT BLACK LIVES MATTER RECEIVED IN DONATIONS WENT TOWARD HELPING CHARITABLE CAUSES”

The rampant rip-off and scandals continue around BLM’s fund-siphoning and nepotism/ favoritism, utterly blackening their cause.

“REPUBLICANS WILL HOLD

FBI DIRECTOR WRAY IN CONTEMPT FOR REFUSING TO HAND OVER DOCUMENT ALLEGEDLY DETAILING BIDEN’S PART IN $5 MILLION BRIBERY SCHEME WITH A FOREIGN NATIONAL”

The lingering question: Who will pardon Hunter if/when Joe Biden — the most corrupt president in U.S. history —is forced to resign in disgrace?

Next question: Who will pardon Joe?

“BIDEN’S AMBASSADORS & THEIR SPOUSES DONATED $22 MILLION TO DEMOCRATS BEFORE GETTING CUSHY OVERSEAS POSTINGS: BOMBSHELL REPORT ACCUSES JOE BIDEN OF SELLING AMBASSADOR ROLES ABROAD”

The Campaign Legal Center calls it “the donor-to-ambassador pipeline” — and it violates federal law.

But of course, violating federal law comes naturally to President Biden, whether retaining classified material or taking bribes from foreign governments.

Limited experience (foreign service) matters not to President Biden when appointing ambassadors. It’s all about money for ambassadorships. No meritocracy. No benefit to the American people.

Representing the United States abroad is better left to professionals within the Foreign Service, who understand diplomacy and speak the native language of the countries in which they serve. They run embassies, not politically appointed ambassadors, whose salaries, benefits and official residences are payback for campaign donations and an unnecessary burden on the American taxpayer.

“DEM SENATOR SLAMS ‘GREATER IDAHO MOVEMENT’ TO ABSORB CONSERVATIVE COUNTIES FROM LIBERAL OREGON”

I wrote about this three months ago. At that time, Oregon state politicians were not taking Greater Idaho seriously, and they appeared to have a concerted strategy for dealing with media queries on the matter: Ignore them.

But now that more counties have voted to secede it can no longer be ignored, hence the need

to lash out.

Greater Idaho might be bad for Oregon, but it is good for conservative folk who inhabit eastern Oregon and feel wholly unrepresented by the liberals of western Oregon who run the state and have gifted Portland to its vast and increasingly violent homeless population.

“HARRY, MEGHAN MARKLE TO STOP MAKING ROYALBASHING NETYFLIX SHOWS AND TELL-ALL BOOKS AFTER HUGE BACKLASH”

Too late!

(Banished to permanent exile, well done.)

“VICTIM’S ATTORNEYS ANNOUNCE $950,000 SETTLEMENT IN CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE AGAINST MATEF HARMACHIS AND SBUSD”

Almost $1 million of your tax money will be paid out to settle a child sexual abuse case emanating from the unlawful actions of a teacher employed by the Santa Barbara Unified School District.

According to the lawsuit, Matef Harmachis “repeatedly sexually harassed, groped and assaulted a victim while she was a 16- and 17year-old student at Santa Barbara High School.”

Says victim’s attorney Morgan Stewart: “I have never seen a case where a school district ignored so many red flags and allowed a dangerous individual to have unfettered access to vulnerable students.”

Wow. That’s worth repeating. Ignored so many red flags.

I urge parents of students within the district to become more active and vocal with regard to school policies and curriculum — and to keep a vigilant eye on the Santa Barbara school board and school administrators.

The education of our children is far too important to leave in the hands of radical progressives who espouse transgenderism and critical race theory and circle their wagons whenever someone within their orbit is accused of sexually abusing minors.

Time to put the whole lot of them on notice and under a microscope.

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

Senate passes debt limit deal, sends it to Biden

By CASEY HARPER THE CENTER SQUARE

(The Center Square) – The U.S. Senate voted 63-36 late Thursday to pass the debt limit deal brokered by President Joe Biden and U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.

“We may be a little tired, but we did it,” Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said after the vote.

The legislation suspends the nation’s debt limit until Jan.

1, 2025, notably after the 2024 presidential election; caps nondefense spending but also limits defense spending increases; and expands work requirements for some of those receiving food stamps, among other things.

Many Republicans wanted steeper cuts to raise the debt ceiling. They point to rampant inflation, which is fueled by federal debt spending. The national debt is on pace to hit $32 trillion this year.

“Reckless spending got us into this mess, and this debt limit deal missed the mark to curb Washington’s habits,” said

SYLVIA, Karen

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. “We simply didn’t get enough in return for the new debt we’ll incur as a result of this deal.”

President Biden is expected to sign the “Fiscal Responsibility Act” before June 5, the deadline given by the U.S. Treasury when the federal government risks defaulting on its debt obligations.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted earlier this week to pass the deal 314-117 in favor, with dozens of Republicans and ome Democrats voting against. Rep. McCarthy saw a flurry of Republican defections and may have risked his leadership position to pass the bill.

“Results,” he tweeted after the Senate vote. “Leaders Schumer & McConnell committed to pass all 12 appropriations bills on time this year—for the 1st time since 2005—under pressure of an auto spending cut I included in the debt limit agreement. Ending the era of the omnibus & getting Washington back to work!”

MONEY

Continued from Page A2

$250,000 per depositor at member firms.

“Popular digital payment apps are increasingly used as substitutes for a traditional bank or credit union account but lack the same protections to ensure that funds are safe,” CFPB Director Rohit Chopra said in a statement. “As tech companies expand into banking and payments, the CFPB is sharpening its focus on those that sidestep the safeguards that local banks and credit unions have long adhered to.”

The warning comes after bank runs and failures at Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, and First Republic Bank.

The Financial Technology Association, a Washington-D.C.-based trade group that represents the industry, said the products are safe and transparent.

“Tens of millions of American consumers and small businesses rely on payment apps to better spend, manage, and send their money,” the group said in a statement. “These accounts are safe and transparent, with users receiving FDIC Insurance on their accounts depending on the products they use.”

Not all accounts have FDIC protections.

“Unlike traditional bank and credit union accounts which have deposit insurance, funds stored in these nonbank payment companies may be unprotected,” the bureau warned.

“When users receive payments, through these apps, these funds are not automatically swept into their linked bank or credit union account,” the bureau said. “In addition, payment app companies do not necessarily store customer funds in an insured account through a business arrangement with a bank or credit union. The company’s investments carry risk and if it were to fail, customers could lose their funds.”

Federal judge recuses himself in Disney lawsuit against DeSantis

By ANDREW POWELL THE CENTER SQUARE CONTRIBUTOR

(The Center Square) — New details have emerged about the legal battle between the state of Florida and the Walt Disney Company after the presiding judge recused himself from the case.

U.S. Judge Allen Winsor (appointed by former President Donald Trump) will take over the case after U.S. Judge Mark Walker (a former President Barak Obama appointee) recused himself on Thursday. On Friday, Judge Winsor issued an order setting a deadline for June 26 for the state of Florida to file a motion to dismiss the case and gave a deadline of July 26 for Disney to file a counter filing.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has been engaged in the heated battle with the media behemoth since early 2022, after Disney publicly opposed House Bill 1557. It was called by opponents the “Don’t Say Gay Bill,” which banned sex education, including gay and transgender issues, from kindergarten to eighth grade.

Gov. DeSantis stated that the Legislature was working to dissolve the Reedy Creek Improvement District, established in 1967, which gave Disney self-governing powers along with a plethora of tax breaks that include using tax-free municipal bonds for infrastructure improvements.

After Disney development deals were nullified by actions of the new Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (which replaced the Reedy Creek board), Disney filed legal proceedings against the state of Florida.

On May 19, the state filed a motion to disqualify Judge Walker, citing that the judge would be unable to maintain

FIVE-DAY FORECAST

Born February, 1947, Karen Sylvia (Serena) passed on May 1, 2023. Karen was a near lifelong resident of Santa Barbara and daughter of the late Egido (Ed) and Emily Serena. Karen is survived by Jerry Sylvia, her husband of nearly 53 years, daughter Cindi and son Brian (Gina) Sylvia, as well as grandchildren Chase and Owen.

Family was the cornerstone of Karen’s life. Whether a holiday gathering, or just a regular weekend, Karen truly valued time with immediate and extended family. A dedicated ‘fan’ of her grandkids, Karen could be counted on to be in the stands for them. Karen, who cherished good friends almost as highly as family, left this earth with numerous longtime friends, several of more than 40 years.

No services will be held at this time. If desired, the family requested donations be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital, Santa Barbara Humane Society, DAWG, or other animal shelter services in Santa Barbara.

PEPE, Catherine Anna (Burcham)

Catherine Anna (Burcham) Pepe died on May 26, 2023, at home in Lompoc, CA. Cathy’s life was rooted in family and faith. She attended to everything in her life with zest, always striving for excellence. As we look back on her remarkable life, we are amazed by her many accomplishments, her commitment to family, her service to her community, and her generosity.

Cathy’s family was her pride and primary source of joy. Her family includes husband, Steve Pepe, sons Rob Hagen (Krista) and Wes Hagen (Chanda), and grandchildren Jennifer Hagen, Nicole Hagen, Lyndsey Ruetz, Caden Ruetz, Brody Ruetz, and Kellan Hagen. She is also survived by her sister Mary Blythe (Gary) and brother David W. Burcham (Chris); nieces and nephews Michael Blythe (Robert Gammel), Gregory Blythe (Yadan Li), Bryan Blythe (Marcelo Vilela), Stacy Burcham and David J. Burcham �������������������������������������������������������������������������������

Donald Burcham and parents Hugh David and Esther Burcham predeceased her. Cathy’s favorite role was mom/grandma. She raised 2 generous and accomplished ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������� equity, Wes in the wine industry. She delighted in visits with her grandchildren and always had a plan for fun activities and, usually, a surprise or two. Cathy’s Easter and Thanksgiving feasts at Clos Pepe were legendary and a time when “family” extended to all family, family of family, friends of family of family and friends, old and new. All were generously and deliciously fed and welcomed with gratitude into the fold.

Cathy excelled at homemaking. She loved decorating and personalizing her homes with her own needlepoint creations. She and Steve bought 40 acres of land in Lompoc in 1994, planted 29 acres of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes and produced and sold Clos Pepe wine for many years. Cathy designed their dream home which was built on the vineyard.

Cathy strived for excellence in her professional life. She graduated as valedictorian of her class from Oakland High School in 1960, and from Occidental College (magna cum laude) in 1964. She was elected to Phi Beta Kappa in 1964. She received her Juris Doctorate (summa cum laude) from Loyola University of Los Angeles School of Law in 1978. While at Loyola Law School, Cathy served on the Loyola Law Review as staff in 1976 – 1977, and as Ninth Circuit editor in 1977 - 1978.

After law school, Cathy joined O’Melveny & Myers, LLP and had a distinguished career ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ �������������������������������������������������������������������������������� Department. As a junior partner, Cathy was appointed by Warren Christopher to the management committee. She also served as chair of the associate committee and chair of the minority issues committee. Cathy was a national authority on sex harassment and discrimination. Her expertise was in the defense of sexual harassment/discrimination litigation and employment matters. Cathy wrote a number of articles for publication in industry and legal journals and made many lectures and presentations in the area of sex harassment and discrimination. Among her presentations was a panel discussion in which Cathy participated with Senator Alan Cranston and Senator William Lockyer. She made a number of media appearances, notably a debate with attorney Gloria Allred on “Use of Women and Minority Quotas in Hiring” on CBS-TV. ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ Club in Los Angeles.

In retirement, Cathy was appointed by the Federal District Court in the District of Columbia and the Federal District Court in the Northern District of California as the diversity monitor for the Consolidated Settlement Agreement in the expanded nationwide class action alleging gender discrimination against Morgan Stanley Wealth Management and Smith Barney, Inc. She also served as expert witness in litigation in her area of expertise.

Cathy’s generosity extended to the community. She and Steve opened their home at Clos Pepe many times for community and church events. She was an active member of St. Marks in the Valley Episcopal Church in Los Olivos where she served as chancellor of the parish, two terms on the parish’s vestry (board) and twice as senior warden (lay president) of the congregation. She also loved singing with the St. Marks Choir and the Lompoc Chorale. At St Marks, Cathy began a popular ministry of needlepointing a Christmas angel or star to remember church members who had passed. She eventually enlisted other church needleworkers and the annual Christmas tree is now bedecked with angels and stars memorializing over 30 friends and members

Cathy served on the board of trustees of the Santa Barbara Foundation for eight years serving, at various times as a member and, in some instances, as chair of the Investment, Governance, Audit and Compensation Committees. She also served on the boards of directors for Occidental College and PCPA. She volunteered as a consultant for the National Charity League.

������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� dream of authoring a series of children’s books loosely based on the adventures of her brother, Donald. Three books have been published with a fourth to be published in ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� selected as the book of the month for May, 2023, by the Online Book Club.

Cathy’s family thanks the caregivers and staff at Arosa - Central Coast who provided loving and reliable care for her in the last months of her life.

Services to celebrate Cathy’s remarkable life will be held on July 15, at 2:00 p.m. in the sanctuary at St Marks in the Valley Episcopal Church in Los Olivos (smitv.org). All are welcome.

made to St Marks Episcopal Church (smitv.org) or to PCPA (pcpa.org).

CHROSTOWSKI, Marshall

Stanley

1937 - 2023

Marshall Chrostowski, 86, died peaceful at home in Quebec, May 10, 2023.

He is survived by his beloved wife Micheline Lanctot, his daughters Kristen McClintock, and her husband Brian, Linda Neely, and her husband Lance, his son Brian, his grandchildren Michael McClintock and Caitlin McClintock, and his great-grandson Leo McClintock.

A memorial of his life will be held in Santa Barbara, date TBD. Those who wish to make gifts in his honor may do so to Seed Savers Exchange, 3094 North Winn Rd. Decorah IA 52101.

Marshall was born in Claremont NH. He lived in Santa Barbara for over 40 years, bringing beauty to many landscapes, most notably as the curator of his beloved ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������� unconditional love, generosity, loyalty, perseverance, stewardship and humor. He will be sorely missed but his legacy will live on.

BAUER, James Anthony

March 14, 1947 - May 22, 2023

Born in Florida, when his father was transferred there by the army, Jim was the second son of Joseph Peter Bauer

Sr & Edna Victoria Jacobsen’s 7 children. The family later moved to Alaska. After graduation from Juneau High, Jim joined the US Navy (68-72). He served as a jet engine mechanic for the Blue Angels, before being deployed to Vietnam. While serving on the USS Kittyhawk in the Gulf of Tonkin, he assisted in search and rescue for downed pilots. He later joined his parents in Santa Barbara CA, after serving several years as Brother Makarios at St Andrew’s Abbey in Valyermo CA. While in SB, Jim was an active member of Holy Cross Parish, serving in music ministry, in the local Knights of Columbus, and worked at Catholic Charities. Recently, he moved to Garden Court senior housing. On May 22nd, Jim died peacefully at Serenity House.

Jim loved creating music and keeping cats. He is survived by his older brother Joseph P. Bauer Jr, a younger brother, and two sisters. Interment was June 1st, at Calvary Cemetery. Funeral mass will be on June 8th, at 10 a.m. at St. Raphael’s Church.

PEFFER, Steven Edmond

Oct. 15, 1948 - Feb. 27, 2023

Solvang- Steven Edmond Peffer passed away at the age of 74, after suffering cardiac arrest. He was born in Fresno, CA. He moved to San Jose with his family in 1966, and graduated from Andrew P. Hill High School. Steve joined the US Air Force in 1968, and served as a sergeant for the “Rustic” Forward Air Controllers (FAC) at Binh Thuy and Bien Hoa, Vietnam from Dec. 1970, to Dec. 1971. Steve was responsible for maintenance of the ���������������������������������������������������� over Cambodia.

Upon returning from Vietnam, Steve was stationed at McClellan Air Force Base near Sacramento, CA. Steve was a 33-year employee of the Hewlett Packard and Agilent in San Jose, CA. After retirement he resided in San Jose, Camarillo, Santa Barbara, and Solvang, CA and was an active member of the Elks Lodge in Santa Barbara and the “Rustic” organization. Steve was a gregarious and kind person with many lifelong friends.

He is succeeded by his former wife Lynn R. Peffer, his daughter, Desirea S. Peffer and four grandchildren, Mario F. Peffer, Giovanni R. Melendez, Niko A. Melendez, and Cali J. Melendez, as well as his sisters, Cheryl A. MacDonald, and Melanie R. Rossi, and his companion, Claudia Wiseman. A Military Honors Ceremony was conducted at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery in Dixon, CA on May 12, 2023, where he was ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� his Uncle Curtis B. Fry.

Obituary notices are published daily in the Santa Barbara News-Press and also appear on our website www.newspress.com

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impartiality in the case after Gov. DeSantis and his administration had been accused of retaliating against the company for having a different viewpoint. The filing further alleged that in two unrelated cases, the judge had used Disney as an example of “state retaliation.”

According to the filing, this would imply that the court had already passed judgment on whether or not the state had retaliated against Disney for opposing legislation.

Disney countered with its own filing on May 25, alleging that the “defendants’ (DeSantis) motion to disqualify is premised on a misapprehension of the law and a misstatement of the facts,” further adding that the court recently ruled in favor of Gov. DeSantis and other state officials in cases cited by Gov. DeSantis as evidence of potential bias against them.

On Thursday, Judge Walker officially recused himself, however, he denied that it was for the reasons stated in the state’s original recusal request and instead offered his own explanation for doing so.

The reason that Judge Walker is disqualifying himself, he says, is because he recently found out that a close relative owns 30 shares (worth around $2,700) in the Walt Disney Company, which is enough reason to disqualify himself.

Judge Walker said that the motion to disqualify him by Gov. DeSantis was without merit and that his use of hypothetical questions which referenced facts related to the Disney case, dealt with the same motivations of “political actors.” Judge Walker also stated that Gov. DeSantis is using convenient language and judge-shopping.

holds 188,030 acre-feet. An acre-foot is 325,851 gallons, equivalent to the amount of water consumed annually by 10 people in an urban environment.

‘Funds stored in these nonbank payment companies may be unprotected’

Has Goleta’s housing market caught up with Santa Barbara’s?

The long-standing debate and rivals: Santa Barbara vs. Goleta.

To an outsider, the two cities seem like one when viewing a map, but to any local, the two cities couldn’t be more different.

Or so they think …

Santa Barbara, often referred to as the “American Riviera,” is a coastal paradise and worldrenowned for its Mediterranean climate, architecture, art galleries, wineries and vibrant cultural scene. The real estate market is known for its upscale properties, including luxury estates, oceanfront residences and historic homes.

Pocket neighborhoods throughout the city create charming and eclectic districts featuring everything from craftsman-style homes to historic Victorians, Adobes, Spanish Revival and everything inbetween.

Easy to get around, where nothing is more than a 10-minute drive, it’s no wonder why Santa Barbara is one of the most exclusive and sought-after places to live.

But right up the road is the small town of Goleta … otherwise known as “The Goodland.” Home to the Coronado Butterfly Preserve, bird-haven Lake Los Carneros, Ellwood Bluffs and The Ritz-Carlton Bacara resort.

Goleta provides employment to some of the largest employers in the area: UCSB, Deckers Brand and Raytheon, to name a few. It has also become recognized as a hub for technology and research companies. Goleta includes a warm, down-to-earth atmosphere with easy access to parks, picturesque beaches, hiking and biking trails, and some of the best surfing around. This rural retreat, full of stunning natural beauty is a little secret to the rest of the world. The suburban city mimics some of the draws to Santa Barbara, but at a lesser cost, it includes a mix of suburban neighborhoods, gated communities, and coastal properties.

With Goleta being historically more affordable, has the COVIDcrazed market brought the prices up in Goleta to compete with those of iconic Santa Barbara?

The answer: Yes — and no.

Let’s rewind to 2019 or “preCOVID” days. (We know … we know … It’s hard to remember what those days were like, let alone what the housing market was like!)

In 2019, the average price of a home in Santa Barbara was $1,478,000, with an average price per square foot of $769 and 57 days on market. In Goleta, the average price for a home was $1,200,000, with the price per square foot being $532 and an average of 32 days on market.

Today, the average price in Santa Barbara for a single-family residence is $2,306,000. In Goleta, $1,616,000. Santa Barbara’s average price per square foot is $1,252 with 37 days on the market. In Goleta, it’s $926 per square foot, with an average days on market of 23.

What does this mean? It means a lot of things. First, let’s look at the growth of both real estate markets. Since 2019, the average Santa Barbara home price has increased by roughly 55%, and Goleta has increased by roughly 35%. Those are significant numbers — fueled by limited

inventory and high demand. We are starting to see a lot of buyers who are now priced out of Santa Barbara going to Goleta to get larger homes and more land than they could in Santa Barbara.

Second, let’s take a closer look at the price range breakdown. According to Fidelity National Title, over the past three years, there has been a significant price point shift in Goleta.

In 2019, only 29% of all sales in Goleta were over $1 million, but in 2022, almost 70% of sales in Goleta were over $1 million.

A big price point shift in Santa Barbara (not including Montecito or Hope Ranch) occurred in the $4 million-plus range.

In 2019, sales over $4 million represented only 0.1% of all transactions in Santa Barbara. As of 2022, $4 million-plus sales increased to 10% of all transactions. This just goes to show the strength of the luxury Santa Barbara real estate market and the appeal of its exclusivity. What lies ahead for our real estate market? That’s the million dollar question! Wouldn’t it be nice to have a crystal ball?

In all honesty, we don’t know what’s in store, but we do know what the market is doing right now. With a little more than one month of inventory (meaning all homes on the market would be sold in about 30 days with the number of buyers there are), we continue to be in a “seller’s market.” Additionally, cash sales remain strong at 36% of all transactions. While the number of sales is down for both cities (due to lack of inventory), the average sales price (for singlefamily homes & condos/PUD’s) in Goleta has increased year-todate by $56,000. Recently, one of our listings in Goleta received multiple offers (upward of 10-plus), helping to push Goleta prices up and up.

As for Santa Barbara, although the average sales price is down YTD, for the first time in seven or eight months, closed prices

are averaging over the last asking price. As we head into summer, we expect this trend to continue. So which city is better? The answer is …

Kim Crawford and Angel Speier have been practicing real estate in Santa Barbara for over 20plus years combined. They’ve been a team since 2017 and are consistently top producers in

terms of number of sales and sales volume. They love what they do! For more information, go to csgroupsb.com or you can reach them at csgroup@villagesite.com or 805.683.7335.

KIM CRAWFORD AND ANGEL SPEIER

RAFAEL BAUTISTA PHOTO

Santa Barbara houses on the market include this one at 4156 Vista Clara Road. The average price for a single-family residence in Santa Barbara is $2,306,000.

SANTA BARBARA PHOTO TOURS

Among the homes for sale in Goleta is this one at 629 Wakefield Road. The average price for a singlefamily residence in Goleta is $1,616,000.

request of Pacific Pipeline Company (PPC) to consider the approval of a County Code Chapter 25B Permit Amendment for Final Development Plan (FDP) Permit No. 88-DPF033 (RV01)z, 88-CP-60 (RV01) (88-DPF-25cz; 85-DP-66cz; 83-DP-25cz) for the following:

a) A Change of Ownership of the All American Pipeline L.P. (AAPL) 901 and 903 Pipeline System (Las Flores Canyon to Pentland) from Plains Pipeline L.P. (Plains) to PPC;

b) A Change of Guarantor of AAPL Lines 901 and 903 from Plains to ExxonMobil Corporation; and

c) A Change of Operator of AAPL Lines 901 and 903 from Plains to ExxonMobil Pipeline Company (EMPCo).

The request involves a linear pipeline system crossing various Assessor Parcels within the First, Third, and Fourth Supervisorial Districts. Documents related to this request may be reviewed at the Planning and Development Department located at 123 East Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara, or on the County website at https://www.countyofsb.org/3773/Plains-Pipeline901903-Permit-Transfer.

The County Planning Commission hearing begins at 9:00 A.M. The order of items listed on the agenda is subject to change by the County Planning Commission. The staff analysis of the proposal may be viewed at the Planning and Development Department website, located at https://www.countyofsb.org/1625/County-Planning-Commission prior to the hearing. For further information about the project, please contact Jacquelynn Ybarra, Planner, at jybarra@countyofsb.org.

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

The County Planning Commission provides in-person participation as well as virtual participation until further notice.

The following alternative methods of participation are available to the public:

1. You may observe the live stream of the County Planning Commission meetings on (1) Local Cable Channel 20, (2) online at: http://www.countyofsb.org/ceo/csbtv/livestream.sbc; or (3) YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/user/CSBTV20

2. If you wish to provide public comment, the following methods are available:

� Distribution to the County Planning Commission - Submit your comment via email prior to 12:00 p.m. on the Monday prior to the Commission hearing. Please submit your comment to the Recording Secretary at dvillalo@countyofsb.org. Your comment will be placed into the record and distributed appropriately.

� Attend the Meeting In-Person: Individuals are allowed to attend and provide comments at the County Planning Commission meeting in-person.

� Attend the Meeting by Zoom Webinar - Individuals wishing to provide public comment during the County Planning Commission meeting can do so via Zoom webinar by clicking the below link to register in advance. Register in advance for this meeting: After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing important information about joining the webinar.

When: June 14, 2023, 09:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Topic: County Planning Commission 06/14/2023

Register in advance for this webinar: https://countyofsb.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_6U3kiAuDSwuJxxwvKHLEDA

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

The County Planning Commission’s rules on hearings and public comment, unless otherwise directed by the Chair, remain applicable to each of the participation methods listed above. Attendance and participation by the public is invited and encouraged. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the Hearing Support Staff (805) 568-2000. Notification at least 48 hours prior to the meeting will enable the Hearing Support Staff to make reasonable arrangements.

If you challenge the project in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing described in this notice, or in written correspondence to the Planning Commission prior to the public hearing.

Ad Hoc Committee on Homelessness was creted in April 2022

of key findings from research and interviews over the past year. The panel recommended a number of policy priorities.

“The committee worked with key city staff for approximately a year to gather information on the systems in place to address homelessness,” Councilmember Friedman told the News-Press.

“We met with representatives from local partner agencies both government and nonprofit, community representatives who are working on the issues, the cities of Santa Monica and Houston and author Michael Shellenberger. We also met with the district attorney to understand the justice system and its role.

“Our goals were to better understand current strategies to reduce homelessness, further research best practices in addressing homelessness and identify areas for improvement at the local and regional level.

“At a very high level, the key recommendations we developed are prioritizing getting individuals housing ready; the need for more interim and transition housing and emergency shelter beds, including medical respite beds; the need for a local flexible funding source that doesn’t have the restrictions of state and federal sources; researching if the continuum of care can be improved; and the need for more formal collaboration among South County jurisdictions to coordinate services and strategies.”

THE HOMELESS

A countywide Point-In-Time Count in January conducted by the Continuum of Care determined there are 786 homeless persons living in Santa Barbara who are scattered throughout the city, including downtown, the waterfront, eastside, uptown and other areas.

That’s a tiny fraction, less than 1% of Santa Barbara’s population of 88,665 listed in the April 1, 2020 U.S. Census.

But the impact they have, from their very presence to the extreme reactions they provoke to the city’s scramble to help, far outweighs their numbers.

They seem to be everywhere:

• Sleeping in the bushes, on patches of grass, in store openings and alleys, even on sidewalks, including one young woman sound asleep at a busy intersection, oblivious to the cars whizzing by and the pedestrians walking blithely past her.

• Washing up in public bathrooms at the Central Library and downtown MTD transit center, and in restaurant restrooms supposedly reserved for patrons.

• Asking passersby for handouts.

There’s the woman near Denny’s on upper State Street.

“Do you have any money you can spare?” she asked. “Anything would help.”

And the man who set up camp at Loreto Plaza. “Do you have $2?” he asked. Sensing a no, he adds, “How about a paper towel?”

There are the young men, some nicely dressed, who rapidly approach their intended target, then turn away at the first sign of rejection in search of someone else who might say yes.

The mother and child with fixed smiles standing in the parking lot of Trader Joe’s, holding a sign blessing anyone who gives them money for food.

And the man slumped against the wall of the San Roque post

office, too tired to ask for money. It’s all he can do to prop up his sign.

• Being evicted from a downtown bench for openly drinking hard cider. Another man sits nearby on the sidewalk, leaning against a wall, smoking a joint. And a third on another bench a block away, casually lighting his crack pipe.

• Sitting alone or in pairs or standing around in groups, talking quietly or smoking cigarettes or doing nothing at all, just … existing.

• Shouting from a hidden alcove, an unseen voice of a man railing against everyone who had ever wronged him. And another man screaming at the sky while striding across a parking lot, gesticulating wildly.

• And of course, the ubiquitous shopping carts overloaded with remnants of peoples’ lives, some abandoned, others pushed rapidly by men on a mission to who-knows-where. One sits next to a middle-aged woman standing erect on sentry duty, staring blankly at … what? Another is pushed slowly by an elderly woman, impossibly bent in half over her cart as she inches forward, muttering.

THEIR IMPACT

Reactions to the homeless vary:

• Compassion and/or guilt by those reaching into their pocket for change or wallet/purse for a spare dollar or two.

• Frustration by merchants whose front windows have been broken and their goods stolen by brazen homeless vandals and thieves.

• Frustration by those who accuse some homeless persons of aggressive panhandling, peeing in public, and drinking alcohol and using illegal drugs.

• Fear by those walking downtown toward would-be muggers emerging from the shadows, and those who actually have been assaulted for no eason other than they happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

• Irritation by those who say the presence of so many homeless people on State Street mar its beauty and stateliness, and disrupts their mental picture of what it used to be like, and could be again, if only the homeless

were somewhere else.

THE RESPONSE

The city has taken several stabs at the homelessness problem. Some apparently have paid off.

For example the number of “citywide street exits” reported by City Net and Good Samaritan street outreach teams — the number of people no longer living on streets — were 99 in 2021 and 103 in 2022. Of these, 69 were people removed from the downtown area.

Street outreach entails locating, identifying and building relationships with unsheltered people to provide immediate support, intervention, de-escalation, and connections with homeless assistance programs, such as medical and mental/behavioral health services and housing programs, Shelly Cone, the city’s public information officer, told the News-Press.

“City Net’s weekend outreach team works in collaboration with the city’s Downtown Ambassadors and other city staff, to respond to individuals of concern or those who are experiencing distress and/or need assistance,” Ms. Cone said.

The outreach has proven so successful that in February, at the Santa Barbara City Council’s direction, the city contracted with City Net to provide expanded street outreach services along the downtown corridor and waterfront area during weekends and evenings, specifically from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.Thursdays through Sundays.

More recently, when council members approved an ordinance to remove abandoned property from public walkways to provide safe, unobstructed passage for pedestrians, they included free storage of peoples’ belongings. When they show up to claim them, they will be offered assistance at that time.

And the council acted to prevent others from ending up on the street by requiring landlords to show “good faith” when claiming “just cause” to evict their tenants by following through on planned renovations.

THE AD HOC COMMITTEE

These efforts, however, are piecemeal in nature. And that’s

“Our goals were to better understand current strategies to reduce homelessness, further research best practices in addressing homelessness and identify areas for improvement at the local and regional level,” said Eric Friedman, the Santa Barbara City Council member who sits on the Ad Hoc Committee on Homelessness.

why the Ad Hoc Committee on Homelessness was created in April 2022, to provide a unified, coordinated approach to addressing the issue.

The objectives were to further research current best practices in addressing homelessness as well as identify areas for improvement at the local and regional level, according to Barbara Andersen, senior assistant to the city administrator.

The committee has convened 12 times to interview key stakeholders including representatives from local government and nonprofit agencies and other cities, as well as a national bestselling author, Ms. Andersen said.

“The reflections from these discussions, as well as additional insights and experiences from frequent interactions with people experiencing homelessness and engagement with the city of Santa Barbara’s ACT on Homelessness Collaborative and the Santa Maria / Santa Barbara County Continuum of Care, will be the basis for the recommended policy priorities,” she said.

email: nhartstein@newspress.com

KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS

An unhoused man smokes at the corner of State and Anapamu streets in Santa Barbara.

DAVE MASON / NEWS-PRESS

National Donut Day run is rabbit’s first

RUN

Continued from Page A1

run. State Street was pretty lively this morning.”

The run was rabbit’s first-ever official National Donut Day run, accompanied by special running shorts illustrated with doughnuts, which Mr. Mickool wore for his doughnut run. The company also partnered up with local company

Considered Coffee to supply the runners some caffeine to start the day.

“It’s been busy, lots of people coming through. They’re getting mostly maple bars, glazed doughnuts, chocolate bars,” a manager at the Spudnuts donut shop on Carrillo Street told the News-Press. “We also have special cronuts, apple fritters and cinnamon buns for today.”

And sprinkles added some

culinary magic to the doughnuts at businesses such as Eller’s Donut House in Santa Barbara.

Donut Day, a simple and fun holiday, also has an intriguing history.

In 1938, it was started by the Salvation Army in honor of the women who served doughnuts 20 years earlier to American soldiers in Europe during World War I. Around Santa Barbara County on Friday, doughnut shops

Attorney: Red flags ignored by district

SBUSD

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— to an extreme extent.

The district had plenty of opportunities to get this man fired from his position, yet even with the pursuance of The Commission of Professional Competence, nothing was done about the situation, which resulted in continued behavior. That’s according to the report by the law firm Manly, Stewart and Finaldi, which represented the plaintiffs in the lawsuit. Morgan Stewart, an attorney with the firm, said he had never seen a case where so many red flags were ignored by a school district.

“Parents and victims have stated that they believed SBUSD’s investigator was there to help them, not to undermine them,” Ms. Nafzinger told the News-Press. “However the facts appear to prove otherwise. SBUSD appears to use one particularly useful female private

investigator.”

Ms. Rosenberg shared with the News-Press a document that contained about 15 separate cases that the SBUSD has not addressed.

“The essential question which needs to be answered is this: How many incidents of abuse have been reported to SBUSD over the past 10 years, and how many of those were cross-reported to law enforcement?” Ms. Nafzinger said.

In addition to the Santa Barbara Unified cases, Ms. Rosenberg shared a recent allegation that has come to light about Montecito Union School, where three former students said they were sexually abused between 1972 and 1976 by a teacher. The Montecito Union School District was sued by the three former students, who are now in their 50s. The district is currently addressing the issue.

“How a town this size has a problem this size is a red flag!” exclaimed Ms. Nafzinger. email: abahnsen@newspress.com

faced longer lines and hungrier customers than usual. If you forgot to get yourself involved in this year’s Donut Day, then make sure to treat yourself next time around or even participate in rabbit’s run.

email: lhibbert@newspress.com

KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS

The rabbit apparel company features shorts covered with doughnuts.

Joggers arrive from the National Donut Day run on State Street in downtown Santa Barbara.

Life theArts

CALENDAR

Store says ‘Yes’ to full-year service

The Yes Store becomes permanent fixture, selling art works on State Street

By KIRA LOGAN NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT

Small businesses are a large economic and social aspect of Santa Barbara’s downtown area. One store in particular — The Yes Store — has a long history in Santa Barbara.

Formerly strictly a holiday season shop featuring local artists’ works, it has now become a permanent piece of downtown Santa Barbara at 1100 State St.

The Yes Store came to be in 1968, and the store just celebrated 55 years of serving downtown Santa Barbara during the holiday season. The store had been moving locations around the downtown area for decades, but decided to settle down at a permanent location and open its shop doors throughout the year.

The News-Press spoke with the owner of the store, Deborah Healy, about the transition from a seasonal to permanent store.

“It seemed to all fall into place, and with all the experience and the people in the store, I worked on pulling it together with a few other artists that were interested in making it a year-round store,”

Mrs. Healy said.

Her husband and she have been involved with the store since the 1970s and have made great consideration before making the permanent decision for a yeararound store.

The Yes Store features over 25 local artists, ranging from: pottery, fine jewelry, sculptors, glass artists, kaleidoscope artists, ceramic art, rock paintings and much more.

“We want people to come in and have an experience of seeing high

FYI

The Yes Store is open Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and open on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at its new permanent location, 1100 State St., Santa Barbara. For more information, call the store at 805-9669777 or visit www.theyestore.com.

quality, well made work,” Mrs. Healy said.

When asked about the transition from the operation of a seasonal store to a year-round store, Mrs. Healy explained, “We’re just trying to take what we’ve learned throughout the 55 years of business, and put it into a yearround routine, while maintaining our legacy.”

As previously mentioned, The Yes Store had been a holiday tradition in Santa Barbara for

over five decades. In the past 55 years, Mrs. Healy recants all of their past locations: “We’ve been everywhere! We went from the 500 block all the way to the 1200 block.”

Mrs. Healy described her store as eclectic. “It’s always evolving — the artists evolve as well. The work never stays stagnant.”

She said the store is making more room for their artists to showcase their ever-evolving work.

When asked what her favorite part of working at the store is, Mrs. Healy doesn’t hesitate. “I love seeing people when they come in, and see their reactions of seeing individual handmade work by local artists for the first time.

“It’s very intimate and I love it!”

Mrs. Healy elaborated that many tourists visit the shop, and she loves meeting all of the people

who enter the store and getting to know their stories.

“Local people or tourists, they can feel the handmade aspects,” Mrs. Healy stated. “There’s always an extra ingredient, and I call it love.”

Mrs. Healy’s passion for the store is nothing short of overflowing and constant. She said she wants customers to feel like they’re taking a piece of the local Santa Barbara with them.

“We are hoping to give the city of Santa Barbara this wonderful store that they can come to any day of the week, and marvel at beautiful handmade art,” she said. She explained that The Yes Store is essentially an art community — artists who have known each other and grown in their work together.

email: klogan@newspress.com

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.

11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The James Castle exhibit is on display at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, 1130 State St. Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. Admission is free from 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursdays. For more information, see sbma.net.

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.

1:30 to 4:30 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m.

The McGuire/Moffet Band and Cadillac Angels will perform at Cold Spring Tavern, 5995 Stagecoach Road, Santa Barbara. For more information, visit www.coldspringtavern.com.

4 to 7 p.m. 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. with a VIP hour from 3 to 4 p.m. The zoo is at 500 Ninos Drive, Santa Barbara. 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 805-962-5339.

JUNE 4

1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Tom Ball and Kenny Sultan will perform their mix of guitar and harmonica blues, rags and good-time music at Cold Spring Tavern, 5995 Stagecoach Road, Santa Barbara. For more information, visit www. coldspringtavern.com.

5:30 to 8 p.m. The WineStock music series starts with The Double Wide Kings playing at Fess Parker Winery, 6200 Foxen Canyon Road, Los Olivos. Other performers in the series include Tearaways from 4 to 7 p.m. July 23, Bryan Titus Trio from 5 to 8 p.m. Aug. 19 and Harmony All Stars from 5 to 7 p.m. Sept. 10. Tickets for each concert cost $20 per person and $15 for wine club members. To purchase, go to fessparkerwineshop.com/Tickets/ WineStock-2023.

JUNE 9 6 to 7:30 p.m. The Pearl Chase Society’s Kellam de Forest Speaker Series will continue at the Carrillo Recreation Center. 100 E. Carrillo St., Santa Barbara. This is the third installment in the series. Author and editor Douglas Woods will discuss the transformation of Santa Barbara’s architecture following the great earthquake of 1925 to a model Spanish Revival-style city. For more information or to make a reservation, call 805-403-7053.

JUNE 10 7 p.m. A concert will feature South of Linden, The Vonettes, Ron Solorzano of Mestizo and The Youngsters at Alcazar Theatre, 4916 Carpinteria Ave., Carpinteria. Cost is $15 for general admission. You can buy two tickets for $25 at https://www.thealcazar.org/ calendar/11838-south-of-linden-firends.

JUNE 15

7:30 p.m. The Santa Barbara Symphony and vocalist Tony DeSare will perform Frank Sinatra’s hits at The Granada, 1214 State St. Tickets for “An Evening with Sinatra” can be purchased at granadasb.org.

— Dave Mason

Managing

SATURDAY, JUNE 3, 2023

COURTESY PHOTO

The Zoo Brew will take place 4 to 7 p.m. today at the Santa Barbara Zoo.

PHOTOS COURTESY THE YES STORE

The Yes Store is now open the entire year at 1100 State St., Santa Barbara.

Storytelling with the one you love

You may have heard about the Superbloom going on in these parts of California and the West.

Well, my wife, The Angel (T.A.) and I were on the couch the other day talking about where we were going to stalk the blooming poppies and lupines. At some point, I decided to get creative, and “develop” the story, as we like to say in Hollywood.

B.G. (me): “But we have to be careful of the wild chickens. Like the superbloom, there are tons of them this year.”

The Angel (my wife): “What?”

B.G.: “You have to be careful because you might only see one or two, but they attack in packs, so there may be 20 right behind them, like the raptors in ‘Jurassic Park.’”

T.A.: “What, they can attack?”

B.G.: “So if you see one when you’re hiking with your friends, walk the other way!”

T.A.: “What do you mean WILD CHICKENS. I’ve never

heard of wild chickens. They attack, WHAT???” OK, full disclosure, my wife is from a foreign land, which is the only reason I could even begin to get away with this tall tale. I totally had her going and was all set to launch into the one about why the chicken really crossed the road, when she spotted the tears streaming down my cheeks. I hadn’t been looking at her directly. In fact, at that very moment, my eyes were shut, because I knew I would lose it the second I saw her face.

When I opened my eyes, we looked at each other. Then we both started laughing for a long, long time. It is a moment neither of us will ever forget.

My loving wife wasn’t mad at me for teasing her, and I appreciated her indulgence. For the record, I don’t make it a

general practice to make fun of my angel. But for a few moments, I got to feel like the Diane Keaton character in “Something’s Gotta Give” when she’s writing a play about her love affair with the Jack Nicholson character, and is laughing and crying and typing all at the same time. If you haven’t seen that one, do yourself a favor and find it on your streaming service. All the merriment wasn’t entirely at my wife’s expense. I had to send out for dinner to a real restaurant, and I paid. It was a wonderful evening, we had a ton of fun, created a great memory and now have a cute story to tell. When these things happen, cherish them. Yes, you can tease each other a little, if there is zero malice or insults. It’s how most adults play, but sometimes we forget to do it nicely with the

one we love. It’s important to nurture humor as well as love between you. When playfulness leaves your relationship, other things may depart as well, and discontent may set in.

So learn to play nice, don’t be afraid to have a little fun, and always make sure that your partner is enjoying the ride too. By the way, I’m not a standup shrink, but in my work with clients, I do use some humor, because if you give someone permission to laugh, you also give them permission to cry.

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 nearly 35 million readers. He is available for video consults worldwide. Reach him at barton@ bartongoldsmith.com or 818-8799996. He has lived and practiced in Westlake Village for more than two decades. His column appears Saturdays in the News-Press.

Savie Health to hold a free health fair

LOMPOC — Savie Health, a nonprofit medical clinic in Lompoc that serves the uninsured, invites community members, especially those without health insurance, to attend a free health fair today.

The fair will run from noon to 3 p.m. at Savie Health’s clinic, 1111 E. Ocean Ave., Suite 2, Lompoc.

Attendees will be able to browse a variety of booths staffed by local nonprofit and government agencies offering information about services available to the uninsured population.

These services include housing,

Allan Hancock College honors retiring staff

By KIRA LOGAN NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT

Allan Hancock College is saying goodbye to 12 retiring employees who have contributed a combined 261 years of service to the college.

An in-person recognition ceremony was held on May 19.

This year’s honored retirees include employees who spent decades serving Hancock students, as well as faculty who worked to support students in assisting their educational goals.

“These individuals worked tirelessly to change the odds for our students and our community,

0528

and that is something that they should all be very proud of,” said Hancock President/ Superintendent Kevin G. Walthers.

Retirees who were honored at this year’s ceremony at the Santa Maria campus include Student Services Technical Services Specialist Shelda Reyes, who is retiring after a 34 year long career with the college.

“One person can make a difference. That’s the motto I live by,” said Mrs. Reyes.

The college also honored its retiring drama professor, Michael Dempsey. He had a 21-year

BY ROBERT RYAN / EDITED BY WILL SHORTZ

career at the college, in which he contributed substantially to the college. Mr. Dempsey created the college’s theatre arts transfer degree and advocated with the PCPA’s technical theater program. He also served as the Faculty Association’s chief negotiator during the pandemic.

“What I’ll miss most is working with students,” stated Mr. Dempsey. “My advice to faculty just starting out is to be someone your students can trust.”

The list of retirees include: Shelley Allen, budget analysis, 35 years; Kenneth George, assistant professor and Law Enforcement

Academy Coordinator, 34 years; Shelda Reyes, technical services specialist, 34 years; David Hunt, lead groundskeeker, 27 years; Joyce Dendo, financial aid analyst, 24 years; Thomas VanderMolen, 24 years; Micheal Dempsey, drama professor, 21 years; Yevette Valdez-Andrade, administrative assistant II, 16 years; Kevin Boland, multimedia specialist, 11 years; Margaret Lau, dean, 11 years and Eric Smith, associate superintendent/ vice-president of finance and administration, 4 years. email: klogan@newspress.com

health, behavioral health, immigration, clothing, disaster preparedness, childcare, and domestic violence resources. Fair organizers will also distribute food to uninsured community members in need. The event comes as Savie Health celebrates its one-year anniversary. Since opening in June, 2022, the clinic has provided treatment to over 500 patients from North County and beyond, and medical staff have conducted more than 1,000 patient visits.

Chaucer’s Books to host a ‘Read With Pride’ event

SANTA BARBARA — Chaucer’s

Books will host Miss Angel for its Read With Pride event.

There will be a story time reading of “Julian is a Mermaid” as well as other select children’s books at 2 p.m. June 10 at the store, 3321 State St., Santa Barbara.

With a diverse library of books that focus on kindness, selflove, empathy and inclusion that also features a wide range of LGBTQ+ children’s books, Miss Angel’s goal is to create a safe and encouraging space for everyone. She is an author,

an elementary school educator and a curriculum consultant with a master’s in education. She devotes her time reading to young audiences, performing and dancing throughout her hometown of Santa Barbara.

“Julian is a Mermaid” is a picture book written and illustrated by Jessica Love and was the 2019 winner of the Stonewall Book Award.

If you would like more information on this event, visit www.chaucersbooks.com.

— Annika Bahnsen

UCSB hosts event for families

The UCSB Early Academic Outreach Program hosted a special event for families, geared toward first-generation collegebound students to learn more about the different parts of accessing higher education.

The conference took place on May 20.

“In the early outreach world, we know how critical parent

involvement is for first-generation students considering higher education. It really can and does make the difference,” said Britt Ortiz, director of the Early Academic Outreach Program. “Preparing in middle and high school is so critical for getting into college after high school.”

— Liam Hibbert

Shelters seek homes for pets

Local animal shelters and their nonprofit partners are looking for homes for pets.

For more information, go to these websites:

• Animal Services-Lompoc, countyofsb.org/phd/animal/home. sbc.

• Animal Shelter Assistance Program in Goleta, asapcats.org. ASAP is kitty corner to Santa Barbara County Animal Services.

• Bunnies Urgently Needing Shelter in Goleta, bunssb.org. BUNS is based at Santa Barbara County Animal Services.

• Companion Animal Placement Assistance, lompoccapa.org and facebook. com/capaoflompoc. CAPA works regularly with Animal ServicesLompoc.

• K-9 Placement & Assistance League, k-9pals.org. K-9 PALS works regularly with Santa Barbara County Animal Services.

• Santa Barbara County Animal Care Foundation, sbcanimalcare. org. (The foundation works regularly with the Santa Maria Animal Center.)

• Santa Barbara County Animal Services in Goleta: countyofsb. org/phd/animal/home.sbc.

• Santa Barbara Humane (with campuses in Goleta and Santa Maria), sbhumane.org.

• Santa Maria Animal Center, countyofsb.org/phd/animal/home. sbc. The center is part of Santa Barbara County Animal Services.

• Santa Ynez Valley Humane Society/DAWG in Buellton, syvhumane.org.

• Shadow’s Fund (a pet sanctuary in Lompoc), shadowsfund.org.

• Volunteers for Inter-Valley Animals in Lompoc: vivashelter. org.

— Dave Mason

COURTESY PHOTO

— Annika Bahnsen

COURTESY PHOTO

Savie Health is celebrating its one-year anniversary in Lompoc.

Diversions

Thought for Today

HOROSCOPE

Horoscope.com

Saturday, June 3, 2023

ARIES — A planetary configuration like today’s often makes people afraid to start anything that challenges the status quo. This is true for you in your professional life. You should dare to take on more responsibility. The aspects speak of fear only, not of being incapable of succeeding. The saying about fear being the only thing to fear is something you should take to heart right now, Aries.

TAURUS — Taurus, today’s your chance to stand up to family members who want to exert too much control over your love life. It’s time to bang your fist on the table and say, “Enough’s enough, I’ll love who I want to.” When you insist that well-meaning relatives respect your choices, you’ll tap into a new well of self-respect.

GEMINI — It’s up to you to strut your stuff, Gemini. As long as you’re bashful about showcasing your innate gifts, it will be difficult to find meaning in your life. Today’s planetary alignment gives you the challenge to take your talents more seriously. You could easily profit from them, provided you look deep inside to discover how.

CANCER — You don’t have to answer to society’s cultural values, Cancer. If most of your work is organized around an activity that’s considered fashionable, you will never succeed in feeling good about yourself or your creations. You’re too motivated by meaningful activities to spend your time with frivolous ones.

LEO — You may have noticed for some time now to what an extent your ambitions wear you out and to what point they have become outdated. If you aspire to live an ambitious life, but also one that is calmer and more balanced, the celestial energy is indicating the moment has come to make some important decisions, Leo.

VIRGO — Are you hesitating, Virgo? Do you feel caught between the desire to participate fully in the world and the equally strong desire to remain in your dream world, even at the risk of feeling a little out of it? Who says that these two worlds are incompatible? If you look closely, you will see that you don’t need to choose one or the other.

LIBRA — You can expect

By FRANK STEWART

Tribune Content Agency Saturday, June 3, 2023

My “Simple Saturday” columns focus on basic technique and logical thinking. You may have heard about two boll weevils, brothers they were, who grew up in Alabama. One went to the city and became rich. The other stayed home as a laborer; he was, of course, the lesser of two weevils. Declarer may have a choice of plays and must decide which offers the better chance. At four spades, South ruffed the third club, drew trumps and relied on a heart finesse with his jack. West’s queen won, and the defense also got a diamond.

ENTRY

At Trick Four South should play a low diamond from both hands. If East returns a heart, South wins with the king, disdaining a finesse to preserve a dummy entry. He leads to the ace of diamonds, ruffs a diamond, takes the A-K of trumps and ruffs a diamond. South then draws trumps and goes to the ace of hearts for the good fifth diamond.

The correct play offers at least an 80 percent chance. The heart finesse was lesser: a 50-50 proposition. DAILY

You hold:

Your partner opens one club, you bid one diamond

to have to make a choice today related to your intimate relationships. You may have become aware that something is missing, either in your partner or yourself. Today you will act on that awareness, but it may not be easy. The root of the problem could be an issue of independence and selfsufficiency. Try to figure out the source of the problem before acting on it, Libra.

SCORPIO — You’re being called upon to make a commitment or promise, most likely relating to your love life. Will you take that decisive step? That’s the question today. Over the next few days you will doubtless have to prove what you’re made of. The challenge most likely emanates from your romantic relationships. There is no running away this time, Scorpio. It’s time to take a stand.

SAGITTARIUS — There are times in your love life when you may feel somewhat inhibited, as though something is holding you back from total fulfillment. Perhaps the emotions overwhelm you or the idea of commitment frightens you. In any case, Sagittarius, you’re well aware that your reluctance to take the plunge is detrimental to your relationship. The day will call on you to take a few more risks.

CAPRICORN — The forecast today is stormy. You may have sensed that there was some tension clouding the conversation at home. Resentments were left unsaid and subtle power games were played without resolution. Today, Capricorn, it all becomes too unbearable for you. Regardless of the risks involved, you will take measures to clear things up.

AQUARIUS — The day is likely to be somewhat challenging, and it contains some disappointments. You’re liable to feel dejected if you receive a lackluster response from the world. Apparently, Aquarius, your performance has lost some of its ability to captivate an audience. Whether you accept this or try to shine up your act is the question of the day!

PISCES — Pisces, you can expect the day to be a bit bumpy. If you were an Olympic athlete, today you’d be standing at the starting line, wondering if you had trained enough for a topnotch performance. Have you had enough practice? Will you make the grade? Issues related to your material resources will certainly be on the agenda.

and he jumps to three clubs. What do you say?

ANSWER: Partner’s jump-rebid in his own suit promises a good sixcard or seven-card suit and 15 to 17 high-card points. It’s hard to imagine a hand for him that won’t offer a play for at least 12 tricks. (He may hold

A J 4, 6, K J 4, A Q 10 7 4 3.) Raise to four clubs if you are sure he will treat it as forcing. Otherwise, bid six clubs. North dealer N-S vulnerable NORTH

SUDOKU

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

“Be not simply good - be good for something.”

— Henry David Thoreau

LA-StyleBirRia,QuesoTacos&more

There’s as proud history behind Fukagawa porcelain

M.A. sends me a boxed Japanese porcelain vase with a lovely painting of a Warbler bird on a cherry blossom branch, painted on pure white porcelain.

This is Fukagawa porcelain. The story goes back to 1616 in an area of Japan (Arita), which has since become known for the finest whites on the thinnest porcelain.

This is because a Korean potter in 1616 discovered that a slice of the rock and minerals found in the area of Arita contained a composition that made perfect porcelain.

The elder potter (eight generations ago) — the first potter of the Fukagawa family, Ezaiemon — fired up the first family kiln in Arita in the mid-17th century (1650-1680), and his kiln and factory became one of Japan’s first potteries for porcelain.

By the late 17th century, he was making tableware for the imperial families of Japan and was beginning to be noticed by royalty in Europe. But of course, Japan had not been amenable to foreign trade for generations, and he had no easy way of exporting porcelain to Europe. Japan was cut off from the trading world by choice.

The Dutch had a way around this embargo and exported Arita ware, where it grew in popularity in the high class European houses. The late 18th- and early 19th-century porcelain objects made by Fukagawa are the most valuable.

Japan was open for business in the third quarter of the 19th century. This is called the Meiji period in Japan, and for the West, the opening of such a country with its artistic wonders caused a craze for anything Japanese.

Monet collected Japanese woodcuts; so did Toulouse Lautrec, in France. In England, a new trend called the Aesthetic Movement was begun after scholars and art dealers began to collect the very new look of Japanese porcelain and art.

The Aesthetic Movement had the flavor of outright imitation of that Japanese curving line (think of a pagoda roof), and geometric patterns, and English furniture began to be made with this flair. But no European or English porcelain had the purity of Arita ware.

By this time, the owner of the Arita porcelain factory renamed his company with a catchier name, calling it (1875) the Company of the Scented Orchid, or Koransha. Encouraged by the fervor for anything “Japanisme,” he designed a new company structure around export of the porcelain. He was also encouraged by the awards his company received at the best National Expositions (early world’s fairs.)

For example, Koransha won the 1876 Philadelphia Exposition. In 1878 and 9, the company was the winner in Paris and Barcelona. Koransha wcontinued to win — in 1909 at the Alaska Yukon Pacific Exposition; in 1910 at the largest exposition known to Japan, the English-Japanese World’s Fair. Then Koransha took home a prize at the Panama Pacific in San Francisco in 1915 and the grand prize in Industry at Liege in 1930.

Of course, the family name was passed to eight generations of potters — but not without incident.

In the late 19th century, the second son of the Fukagama potter who ran Koransha had the nerve to start his own kiln and his own factory, calling it Chuji Fukagawa. Then he won the biggest prize ever granted the family: the Medaille d’Or at the Paris International Exposition in 1900.

This branch of the family business was given the charter to create porcelain for the Imperial Family from 1910 till today. Bloomberg lists the concern as still up and running in Arita, where there is a museum Fukagawa showing just what the Imperial Family eats from, and other royal families’ tableware, and various vessels they have made that are today designated Heritage of Industrial Modernization pieces.

This branch of the family, Chuji Fukagawa, also has offices in Milan and Arita today. But Koransha is still going strong as well, and prides itself that although their 20th-century style pieces have modern designs, the traditional ways of making porcelain are still in force.

And even though Koransha has branched into porcelain electrical insulators for industry, it still retains the seven main older gentlemen, the artisans of Arita, who know all the secrets, and keep all the process, from clay to glazing, in house.

M.A. in Santa Barbara tells me that he would like to sell this vase, along with the paperwork of authenticity; and the softwood emblazoned box, dating from the mid-20th century for $250.

If anyone is interested, email me at elizabethappraisals@ gmail.com, and I will put you in touch!

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.

COURTESY PHOTO

M.A., a Santa Barbara resident, is selling this vase and softwood emblazoned box for $250.

Editor’s note: Congress this week approved the Fiscal Responsibility Act, the compromise between President Joe Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, on raising the debt ceiling. The passage by the House and Senate came after this commentary was written. The Fiscal Responsibility Act includes work requirements for some recipients of aid from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

One of the key sticking points in the negotiations over raising the debt ceiling centered upon work requirements for welfare.

On one side, Republicans sought to enact work requirements for able-bodied adults on Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the

Voices

SANTA BARBARA NEWS-PRESS

e support for workfare

Most Americans support work requirements for welfare

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. On the other side, Democrats and President Joe Biden adamantly opposed any and all work requirements for these programs.

Eventually, the sides agreed to a compromise, by which work requirements would be applied to those on SNAP up to age 54 years old. But, this includes many loopholes. And, due to strong Democratic opposition, work requirements will not be included for Medicaid or TANF.

Chris Talgo

The author is with The Heartland Istitute

President Biden supported work requirements in 1996, stating, “The culture of welfare must be replaced with the culture of work.” That same year, then-Sen. Biden, D-Del., voted for President Bill Clinton’s welfare reform bill, which included work requirements for virtually all welfare programs.

productive jobs.”

DID YOU KNOW?

Bonnie Donovan

Fentanyl is a big killer

Fentanyl overdose has been the leading cause of death for young Americans since 2019.

U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, voted against making fentanyl a Class 1 drug, which would have enabled the courts to set higher sentences for criminals found guilty of selling it. This demonstrates both his foolhardiness and his lack of empathy for the families of thousands of victims killed by ingesting this deadly drug.

In California alone, the 2021 death toll from illegal opioid drugs was 6,843. Of those, 5,722 were related to fentanyl. Santa Barbara had 168 overdose deaths; 113 were fentanylrelated. The number of fentanyl deaths across America was 70,601 in the same year. There has been no progress in American negotiations with the Chinese government to stop the Chinese supply of ingredients to the drug cartels in Mexico. The Chinese government has used these pleas by America, to leverage pressure on America to give way to other negotiations, by suspending talks on stopping fentanyl exports to the Americas.

According to Anders Corr, publisher of the Journal of Political Risk, the Chinese regime is now weaponizing the drug issue against the United States.

It should be noted that the vast majority of Americans, 63% to be exact, “strongly or somewhat support requiring Medicaid or SNAP recipients to show proof of work to receive benefits.”

It also should be noted that

What’s more, in 1988, Sen. Biden penned an oped for the Newark Post, writing, “We are all too familiar with the stories of welfare mothers driving luxury cars and leading lifestyles that mirror the rich and famous. Whether they are exaggerated or not, these stories underlie a broad social concern that the welfare system has broken down — that it only parcels out welfare checks and does nothing to help the poor find

I could not agree more with Mr. Biden’s assessment of work requirements back when he was in the Senate. However, for whatever reason, President Biden and the Democrats have now become so opposed to work requirements that it makes me wonder if they want to create an entirely new underclass of Americans who are dependent on Big Government, instead of themselves.

As of this writing, there are approximately 10 million unfilled jobs in the United States. At the same time, more than seven million able-bodied men aged 25 to 54 years old have dropped out of the workforce; they are not even seeking a job.

In the 1950s, 98% of able-bodied men in their prime working years held a job. Today, it has dropped to an all-time low of 67%.

Throughout the 1990s, the labor force participation rate hovered above 67%. Today, it is barely above 62%. In other words, in the post-pandemic era, tens of millions of able-bodied adults in their prime working years have simply vanished from the workforce.

Of course, much of this is due to the fact that during the pandemic, the federal government offered lavish benefits, stimulus checks, and all sorts of other goodies that have had the unintended consequence of keeping people dependent on the government dole without having to work in return for benefits.

However, the stripping of work requirements began long ago, when President Barack Obama single-handedly gutted work

Please see TALGO on C4

Debt ceiling ‘crisis’ vs. Kabuki eater

Editor’s note: The Fiscal Responsibility Act has been passed by both houses of Congress.

The Senate vote came after this commentary was written.

As “news”-casters on cable and broadcast stations, as well as uninformed notetakers (once referred to as “print journalists”) wail about the dangers of the potential failure of our debt-ceiling talks, many turn off this unending stream of nonsense to tune into more meaningful brain fodder, such as the Comedy Channel or the Home & Garden TV network.

One can compare these semiannual congressional debt-limit confrontations with Kabuki, the classical Japanese theater pieces that feature elaborate costumes and a silent-movie-style of over-thetop dramatic performances that depend upon elaborate costumes and extravagant showmanship and

very little upon any kind of content to tell their story.

The outcomes of both are inevitable and pre-determined and are staged for the enjoyment and satisfaction of their audiences, who are amused and sometimes frightened but always comforted in the assurance that all will work out in the end.

PURELY POLITICAL

In Japanese kabuki, for example, exaggerated faces and painted masks identify the feelings of the performers, who will hold poses for an extended period, making it clear to one and all the exact expression the actor is feeling and/ or portraying.

James Buckley

Democrat. In between the two opposing lawmakers will be a “president” (“Tachiyaku,” in Japanese, the always wellmeaning male lead in kabuki) who — if he’s a Democrat — confronts the tight-fisted Republican whose only goal is to steal cookies from poor children and push confined-to-awheelchair grandmas off a steep cliff to save a few Medicare bucks. Nearby is the Democrat, wearing his white-hattedhero mask, decrying the budget “cuts” that the evil good-for-nothing Republican Congressman is forcing his party to accede to.

the plot of kabuki, neither are you required to know anything about how the U.S. budget process works or is supposed to work.

In the end, the two sides will come together, hold hands, and take their respective bows, as printed press note-takers and TV and radio “news” readers deliver the results based upon the audience to whom they are directing their conclusions.

After Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in 2022, Beijing announced the suspension of bilateral talks and collaborations with the United States related to illegal immigrant repatriation, criminal justice assistance, climate talks, transnational crime and anti-drug programs. About 99% of the fentanyl ingredients are coming from China. We know that the Chinese government actions to curb the production and export of fentanyl ingredients are at best, ineffectual; at worst, nonexistent.

We know that the Mexican Jalisco and Sinaloa cartels manufacture and ship fentanyllaced illegal drug products to the U.S. Fentanyl is a powerful, synthetic opioid, up to 50 times more potent than heroin and up to 100 times stronger than morphine. Manufacturers of illegal drugs add fentanyl to heroin, cocaine, methamphetamines and other drugs to make the drugs more powerful, cheaper to produce — and far more deadly.

Fentanyl has remained the leading cause of death for Americans aged between 18 and 45 since 2019. Fentanyl deaths have surpassed deaths from suicide, car accidents, COVID-19, and cancer, according to CDC data. According to investigative journalist, Ben Westhoff, who went undercover in several Chinese fentanyl operations, the CCP has never curbed the production and export of illegal chemicals to Mexico.

In Congress, a Republican male kabuki actor will wear a mask or makeup of masculinity, proudly displaying his manly budget-balancing stance against an evil smiley-faced free-spending

If the president happens to be a Republican, the roles and plots are basically reversed, whereby the Democrat is the evildoer, and the Republican is Mr. Goodnik.

Just as you don’t have to speak or understand Japanese to follow

During this “turmoil,” the financial marketeers play their part, sending various stocks skyward upon leaked “news” of an impending agreement, then causing them to plunge upon word of a failed “compromise.” Finally — just in the nick of time! — a deal will be made. It will be examined and, lo and behold, each side gave a little and took a little. The stock market recovers, the country is saved, democracy prevails, and life (and the reckless spending) goes on. There will be talk of “budget

cuts” that “slash” spending for (name any one of thousands of useless and ineffective federal programs), and lamentations that a certain program (name any one of thousands of ineffective and useless federal programs) will be “gutted” or worse, eliminated (though that never actually happens). Grim-faced mainstream media talking-head opinionators will decry the “cuts” and will find some individual Republican “budget-cutter” to shame for taking money from the poor and giving it to his rich friends.

On the other side (the Fox News Channel, OAN, and a smattering of others), there’ll be talk of “giving in” and gutless “compromising,” etc.

But the spending will go on.

The U.S. official debt held by the public will soon exceed $32 trillion. A number too large to imagine, but one that represents nearly $100,000

on C4

We have a massive interlocking system of national intelligence operations. We have the most powerful military forces in the world. We have the most effective special operations forces in each branch of the military. We have a government whose main responsibility is the safekeeping and protection of all our citizens from threats, both foreign and domestic. We have more than 800,000 sworn police officers in the U.S., 137 000 of them working for federal agencies.

That sounds like enough government resources to stop Chinese and Mexican nationals from smuggling into America the illegal drugs that kill tens of thousands of young Americans every single year. Otherwise, why are we paying for this law

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Wendy McCaw Arthur von Wiesenberger Co-Publisher Co-Publisher

GUEST OPINION

Biden destroys what he inherited

County supervisors plan a jailbreak!

Santa Barbara County supervisors

Das Williams, Joan Hartmann and Laura Capps are proving themselves a menace to society.

It all has to do with their woke ideology as it pertains to our criminal justice system.

Their efforts will make your neighborhood less safe while making it nearly impossible for law enforcement officials to do their jobs effectively and efficiently. It has to do with their Pollyanna view that almost all criminals (whom they refer to as clients and victims) can be rehabilitated by avoiding jail time.

Meanwhile, they are running roughshod over fellow officials who were elected to keep us safe from criminals, namely Sheriff Bill Brown and District Attorney John Savrnoch.

The effort to divert criminals from jail includes people who have been arrested while their trial is pending and the mentally ill, even after they have been convicted.

The effort went full speed ahead during COVID-19 to avoid the spread of the virus in the county jail. During that time, 50% of the people who should have gone to jail — mostly for felonies, mind you — were instead diverted to counseling, house arrest, ankle bracelets and various other measures rather than time behind bars.

Now the supervisors are increasing the pressure to divert people from incarceration by handing the sheriff, the D.A., and the public a fait accompli.

They are in the process of eliminating hundreds of jail beds that will effectively close the county’s Main Jail in Santa Barbara, which is in dire need of a rebuild.

Meanwhile, the supes want to add a few more jail beds to the new Northern Branch jail near Santa Maria, but not nearly enough to make up for the beds we will lose in the Santa Barbara facility.

Moreover, the capacity of the North County jail is misleading because a significant number of the beds in that jail are reserved for state prison inmates who are located there.

Whereas, both the sheriff and the district attorney have been willing to consider

alternative sentencing protocols, this effort to downsize the jail goes against their advice and undermines their authority along with that of several police chiefs who are actively opposing these extreme measures. Not only are the supervisors refusing to “stay in their lane,” they are also in effect wrong-way drivers putting our entire community at risk.

One of the main arguments the menacing supes’ position about reducing the number of inmates in jail has to do with the significant number of criminals who have been diagnosed as mentally ill. There are three main problems with their position.

First, as mentioned previously, upward of 90% of the inmates have been charged with a felony. Mentally ill or not, they belong in jail.

Second, the county has virtually zero “beds” for these mentally ill people upon release from incarceration for treatment nor can the county force these people into treatment.

Third, the county is already spending over $130 million per year on mental health services with little or nothing to show for it.

These supervisors deserve to be excoriated for failing to protect our communities. In essence, they are looking at this whole matter through the wrong end of the telescope.

They should be picking apart the $130 million mental health budget to ascertain why so many mentally ill people are committing crimes in the first place instead of cutting the sheriff’s jail capacity and the D.A.’s ability to successfully prosecute criminals. They should use more of the mental health monies to treat the people who are in jail instead of essentially releasing them back out on the streets where they will most likely refuse treatment.

This decision to override and undermine the sheriff and the D.A. who were elected to keep us safe is nothing short of a catastrophe.

If Joe Biden and his administration were actually trying to destroy this country, he would merely continue on the path that he has already chosen. Previously, the country enjoyed a closed border, low inflation, low interest rates and low crime. In every case, he has willfully destroyed what he inherited. He promised unity but now claims “white supremacy is the single most dangerous terrorist threat in our homeland.” In what better way could he divide our country than to call the 75 million who didn’t vote for him traitors?

Our inner cities are suffering historic levels of violent crime due to lax district attorneys that billionaire George Soros financed. President Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan was an unmitigated disaster that no sane person could defend, although he tried. His secretary of homeland security, Alejandro Mayorkas, continually claims that the border is closed, yet over 6 million illegals have invaded our country with no end in sight.

Our native-born Americans are being systematically replaced by immigrants — all presumably soon to be Biden voters. The millions of incoming poor will compete for limited federal and state support and jobs with poor

Americans who are also in need.

Much worse than all of this, the president is a crook. Bank records show that the Biden family collected millions of dollars from China and Romania when Mr. Biden was vice president.

Nor has the graft stopped now that he’s the president. Millions more are coming in from Ukraine and other countries.

John Hammerel Santa Barbara

Unlimited debt

Today, there needs to be a national conversation about America’s debt limit. It is now nearly equal to our national GDP.

Democrats claim the real cause of our ballooning indebtedness is taxes are not high enough and the rich do not pay their fair share. Is that true?

America’s debt problem is not because of Donald Trump’s tax cuts or reduced revenue.

“Last year, the federal revenue as a share of the economy, was a full percentage point above the historical average.”

Secondly, as the Cato Institute’s Adam Michel told Congress, it’s the spending that drives the deficit.

Didn’t President Biden add $5 trillion in unnecessary spending to the national debt?

And third, is trying to reduce

our deficit by raising taxes on the rich fair and effective? Don’t the rich already pay a lot and will it work?

Going forward, President Biden and Congress need to get real. They need to stay in Washington, D.C., and tackle our debt crisis. With the simple warning, it’s the spending, stupid.

Don Thorn Carpinteria

Post-Memorial Day thoughts

A s we honor Memorial Day, I wonder if the country has become a country worthy of the sacrifices paid by so many.

What kind of country have we become? A country where we surrender to our enemies (Afghanistan).

A country where the ideology of one political party is more important than the well-being of the country.

Where socialism is better than capitalism. Where statues of our history are torn down because they don’t fit the ideology of some.

So, as we honor Memorial Day, I hope everyone asks themselves if the country is worthy of the price paid by so many in so many wars.

Dennis Smith Ventura

California dreamin’ — of reparations?

While growing up in Haddon Township, N.J., I found my news primarily in the Courier Post, even though my newspaper route was for the much heavier Philadelphia papers, the Inquirer and Bulletin.

My “California Dreamin’ ” was of the lifestyle shown in the Rose Parade and the Rose Bowl — and from my Aunt Jean’s loving visit to San Francisco for the opportunity to get “gussied” up, her words for dressed up, for a night on the town, and her dislike of Los Angeles, for its weather being too warm, which I liked, for her furs.

Douglas made me a very tempting offer of employment in L.A. However, the offer from the University of Tennessee to teach in their College of Business Administration while they paid for me to try law school, was even more tempting. I loved teaching and soon learned that while law school was not much fun, I wanted to be a lawyer.

Brent E. Zepke

The author lives in Santa Barbara.

When reaching university age, I headed south to the Carolinas for the eastern version of the L.A. weather as any place beyond the range of a day’s drive was out of the question.

My “California Dreamin’ ” almost became a reality when, upon my graduating from Clemson University, MacDonald

Finally, after decades of practicing law in multiple locations, an offer from Smith Barney in L.A. enabled my California Dreamin’ to become a reality. Now some 20-plus years later, here are a few of the recent topics being considered in my home state of California.

Gov. Gavin Newsom was foolish enough to permit a group of potential recipients in, of all places, San Francisco, to create a wish for reparations, which means requiring some people to compensate another group of people for alleged activities of others. This year the group identified to compensate others are the taxpayers, the group

being compensated are black Americans, and the activities were slavery that never occurred in San Francisco or anywhere in California.

As anyone who has ever successfully negotiated a collective bargaining agreement knows, if you ever ask the openended question of a wish list, you can never reach a reasonable agreement.

Indeed, their proposal for reparations totaled more than the entire budget for California, which also is an amount the state cannot afford. It will be fascinating to see how the governor balances this with his hopes of running for president.

There is a humorous aspect of reparations in that neither the Civil Rights Act of 1964, or any other statute, defines either the colors “black” or “white” or who qualifies for being of any color or race.

My experience as an employment lawyer is that each individual can decide their own race without any supporting evidence, much like Sen. Elizabeth Warren,

Growing up, I hated history classes. I didn’t care what happened 1,000 or 100 years ago.

But that lack of interest keeps biting me these days. I have more knowledge of history today than when I was a teenager, but it wouldn’t be my favorite category on “Jeopardy!” Over the years as I aged, I gained a lot more interest in history, maybe because I’ll soon be history. (I thought that was funny). In any case, all the things we’re living through today, whether it be personal good times or misfortunes, or politics or wars or law enforcement, has all happened before. And will certainly all happen again.

In 1823, Stephen Austin and his son were given the green light to colonize a portion of Mexico. That portion was to eventually become Texas. Mexico liked the idea because they were using the American colonists to keep the warlike American Indians in check.

To protect the settlements that were growing in eastern Texas, Austin was allowed to create civilian militias. They eventually became known as “ranging companies” from which they evolved into what we are more all familiar with, the Texas Rangers. The job of the Texas Rangers was initially to fight the warring Indians, but eventually that settled down, and the Rangers went after lawlessness in the growing state. Stories were written and movies made of the Texas Ranger’s success of bringing in the bad guys and keeping citizens safe.

Ironically, just like today, politics ended up polluting the Texas Rangers. Some Texas governors began to use the Rangers as political payoffs. One governor, Mirian Ferguson, fired all the Texas Rangers and replaced them with people who helped get her elected. Sound familiar?

With Democrats calling for the stripping of guns from American citizens, the first line of defense from criminals, aka a civilian militia, it’s clear that history has taught us the importance of allowing everyone the ability to protect themselves. It’s also clear that “defunding the police” opened the door for criminals to have their way. Because of that, it’s become even more important to be able to take care of ourselves.

Our country is getting shot up by lawbreakers at an alarming rate. Villains are not punished and locked up anymore because we have to feel sorry for them, not the victims. That wasn’t happening with the Texas Rangers.

The other lesson from history is how President Joe Biden’s cartel has bought and bribed the FBI, CIA and the Department of Justice for helping him get elected. Just like Gov. Fergusen, the Biden group picks off and removes anyone who may cause them trouble.

The Texas Rangers of today are the American people. We technically have the power to determine who stays and who goes, but like Nazi Germany or Communist China, if you’re targeted by this administration, you will be labeled a domestic terrorist and stripped of any legal protections and locked away in a prison. That’s scary, hard to fathom but a very real new America right now. I don’t think there’s ever been, and I’ll have to read up on my history, a president who has ever had so much smoke swirling around him with flames licking at his feet. President Joe Biden, including his son Hunter and family, have been tagged with enough proof of illegal activity to take down a dozen presidents.

Andy Caldwell is the COLAB executive director and host of

Andy Caldwell

We must be able to defend ourselves

Andy Caldwell

Henry Schulte The author lives in Solvang

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COURTESY PHOTO

President Joe Biden

Gov. Ron DeSantis — real presidential firepower

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has announced he’s in. He’s running for president.

I caught DeSantis’ remarks in Orlando at the annual meeting of the National Religious Broadcasters the day before he formally announced.

It was immediately clear that this is no ordinary politician.

It has been said that there are two types of people. Those who want to be someone and those who want to do something.

Gov. DeSantis is clearly that latter. And at age 44, he has already done a lot.

Yale baseball captain, Harvard Law School, Navy veteran — including serving in the war in Iraq — three-term U.S. congressman and two-term governor of Florida, the nation’s third largest state in population and fourth largest in economy.

What immediately spoke to me, and probably most of the 4,000 Christian broadcasters in

the room, was that Gov. DeSantis started right off talking about bringing water from the Sea of Galilee in Israel to Florida to baptize his three children.

This is a man who stands firmly in cement regarding his view of the world in terms of right and wrong, and man’s ability and responsibility to make the right choices. His battle against woke culture is really a battle for freedom and against indoctrination.

And hence Gov. DeSantis’ remarkable achievement of making school choice available practically throughout the whole state of Florida. This puts parents in charge of their children’s education — not politicians, bureaucrats or unions. This defines real conservativism. You start with clarity about right and wrong and then give people freedom to live their life as they choose.

Gov. DeSantis’ list of

accomplishments as governor in many important areas is long. But the headliner is his bold and courageous move in opening his state’s economy and schools during the pandemic, when most other states were still closed. He has made the point that Disney, which has fought him in his battle against sexual indoctrination among youngsters in school, profited handsomely because they were able to operate their business in Florida during the pandemic while being forced to close in California.

It speaks much about the widespread unfortunate realities of many corporations today, which on the one hand profit from freedom and capitalism and at the same time promote policies that undermine that very freedom.

One line of criticism that has been aimed at Gov. DeSantis is

that he is not charismatic and that, in the words of The Wall Street Journal, “He’s a cultural brawler more than a likable unifier.” The Journal suggests he adopt a little of “Ronald Reagan’s self-deprecating humor.”

But Gov. DeSantis is a soldier, not a socialite, motivated, as was President Reagan, to do what is right for the country. He is not going to reinvent himself based on alleged wisdom from political consultants about what voters want to see and hear.

More importantly, the leadership challenges today are even greater than those faced by President Reagan. Our fiscal and cultural challenges are daunting.

Our national debt today is about 100% of GDP. When Mr. Reagan ran in 1980 it was less than 25%. Federal spending today is almost 25% of GDP. When Mr. Reagan ran, it was 20.6%. The federal budget deficit now is 5.4% of GDP. In 1980 it was 2.6%.

As result of the dramatic expansion of government, our

economy today is growing around 2% per year, well below the historic rate of over 3%.

As a result of the breakdown in traditional values and family, the country is aging. The percentage of Americans over 65 stood at 16.9% in 2020, compared to 11.3% in 1980.

The birth rate of babies to unwed mothers is now 40%, compared to 18% in 1980.

If there is any hope in turning it all around, it’s more important that our leadership is tough than jovial.

From what I have seen so far, Ron DeSantis has exactly what America needs in 2024.

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.

Turkey remains important to regional security

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey has just won another term as chief executive.

However, opposition to his autocratic ways is growing, and he was forced into a runoff election.

Significant strains continue to characterize relations between Turkey and the United States.

These include Turkey’s refusal so far to allow Sweden to join NATO.

There is no denying the importance of the two nations.

The U.S. possesses the largest and most productive economy in the world, along with the most substantial and objectively powerful military.

Turkey remains a bulwark against Islamic extremism and traditionally a reliable ally of the U.S., both within and well beyond NATO. Turkish culture emphasizes effectiveness in war, and the national history in that realm is impressive and undeniable.

Mr. Erdoğan is autocratic and has expanded presidential executive power. Yet he has done this through constitutional reforms, not arbitrarily. Elections are held, though freedom of expression has been curtailed.

In 2016, he demonstrated personal courage in thwarting an attempted military coup. Contemporary social media permitted him effectively to spur resistance to the takeover.

Turkey’s continuing significance for the U.S. and the wider international community is a result of central objective facts, undeniable whatever one’s editorial opinions.

In contrast to some other Middle Eastern nations, Turkey has been fundamentally modernizing the economy. This includes expanding trade and investment, reaching

Time bomb: Social Security, Medicare

Social Security is toast. So is Medicare. Too many of us old people live longer, so there are not enough working people to support us.

Soon both Social Security and Medicare will be broken.

Our politicians don’t have the guts to do anything about it. Or even talk about it.

It’s easy to see why.

not gained support and Islamic extremism remains weak.

In “Lords of the Horizon – A History of the Ottoman Empire,” Jason Goodwin notes that he is writing “about a people who do not exist. The word ‘Ottoman’ does not describe a place. Nobody nowadays speaks their language… (Yet( for six hundred years the Ottoman empire swelled and declined.” (1998 edition, p. xiii).

From the 13th century to the empire’s precipitous decline in the 19th century, the Ottoman territory — which crested at the Danube in Europe — was built on military success reinforced by secular executive practices, but not investment and trade.

While the Industrial Revolution initially passed Turkey by, that has changed significantly. Over the last decades of the 20th century, the economy became a powerhouse. Economic growth and investment became strong, both corruption and inflation were greatly reduced, and government red tape and bottlenecks were steadily opened.

Much of the credit belongs to reform Prime Minister and President Turgut Özal, who held office from 1983 to 1993. His relationship with President George H.W. Bush was particularly important during the 1990-91 Gulf War.

In 2015, Turkey hosted the influential G20. The nation must be a component of effective U.S. regional leadership.

U.S. influence in the Middle East peaked under President George H.W. Bush, with successful liberation of Kuwait from Iraq occupation and related diplomacy. Turkey was vital to that success.

Recently, France’s president, trying to keep his country’s pension system from going broke, raised France’s retirement age from 62 to a measly 64.

People have been protesting ever since.

In America, politicians who even hint at such solutions get screamed at by misinformed seniors: “Don’t touch my retirement funds! You took money from my paycheck for years; that’s my money I’m getting back!”

But it’s not. It’s young people’s money. People my age rarely realize that most of us now get back triple what we paid in.

When Social Security began, a government retirement plan made financial sense. Most Americans didn’t even live until age 65. Social Security was just for the minority who did.

But now Americans live, on average, to age 76. I’m 76. Henry Kissinger is 100. Since most of us live so long, there are just not enough workers to pay for us.

Yet our vote-hungry politicians won’t say that in public.

Even Donald Trump cowers, saying, “No one will lay a hand on your Medicare or your Social Security.”

The most clueless, like Sen. Bernie Sanders, even deny the obvious truth. He shouts: “Social Security today is not on the line going broke!”

But it just is. Reserve funds are projected to run out by 2034. Medicare’s reserves will run out even sooner.

Of course, they will. When I first got Medicare, I was surprised how no one even pays attention to costs. Everything

significantly into Central Asia as well as Europe.

Additionally, Turkey has been able to maintain reasonably good cooperative relations at the working level in Europe and the U.S. Economic development reinforces security relationships

and influence.

NATO ties remain important.

The Turkish military is the second largest in NATO, after the United States. Turkey was a major combatant in the Korean War. In Afghanistan, the nation was a leader. Turkey oversees vital sea and land routes, including the

Bosporus Strait. Finally, Turkey represents a marriage of firmly rooted Islamic religious and cultural traditions with Western government and economy. This draws on the nation’s Ottoman heritage of combining religious and secular dimensions. Terrorist groups have

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.

America suffers from an onslaught of gaslighting

‘Gaslight” was a 1944 movie starring Charles Boyer and Ingrid Bergman. Mr. Boyer, playing the husband, tried to convince his wife, played by Ms. Bergman, that she was crazy by fluctuating the gas lighting.

Today we have co-opted “gaslighting” to describe what has been happening to our country.

Actually it has been going on for a long time, even before the Russian collusion story cooked up by Hillary Clinton and associates in the FBI in an attempt to prevent Donald Trump winning the presidency.

When he did win, to their dismay, they had an “insurance policy” in place to undercut his attempt to save our country from President Barack Obama’s policies. For four years our country struggled to get back on our feet, and then we were attacked by COVID-19, out of China. We were told millions were going to die, and in our ignorance, we all believed the fear mongering.

Our country came to a standstill, small businesses were closed, the ill were prevented from receiving ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine, long in use for other diseases, and proven effective against COVID. In our panic, we thought we could believe the CDC and that the pharmaceutical companies had our best interests at heart.

Actually, the experts who did know the truth, that it was mainly the elderly who were at risk, and children relatively safe, were censored by the mainstream media. Their jobs and research grants were threatened if they strayed from the required narrative. At the same time, our schools were closed, and our children lost two years of a good education, during which time parents learned about the racism and weird ideas about gender being promulgated by our “teachers.”

And while the rest of us were confined in our homes, riots by Black Lives Matter and Antifa broke out across the country, especially in large cities. But it was OK. Of course, they weren’t

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John Stossel

Star Parker

The author is with the Center for Urban Renewal and Education

Gretchen Kieding

The author lives in Solvang

Arthur I, Cyr

GLENN FAWCETT/U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey has expanded his powers through constitutional reforms.

There is a little hope on the horizon

DONOVAN

Continued from Page C1

enforcement?

Did you know that the number of Americans being killed here in America every year by Chinese and Mexican nationals, exporting fentanyl, exceeds the number of American soldiers killed in both wars in Iraq – 203 plus 4,431; in Afghanistan, 2,462; and in Vietnam, 58,220. A total of 65,316!

Whereas the number of Americans killed by fentanyl in 2021 alone, was 70,601.

Total deaths from illegal drugs were more than 106,000. We can expect that number to be exceeded in 2022 and 2023.

How can we continue to tolerate the annual murder of more than 106,000 Americans without punishing the government that has the responsibility and the powers to protect our brothers, our sisters, our sons, and our daughters?

Unless we demand punitive, effective, actions against the known U.S. and foreign perpetrators of deaths and family destruction in our midst, our

government decision-makers will continue to fumble around the edges of these crimes against humanity.

There is a little hope on the horizon, but not nearly enough to stop and prevent mass murder.

We found that in 2022, federal authorities initiated seven criminal cases against drug dealers who sold fentanyl-laced narcotics that caused fatal overdoses in Orange County. Six defendants were arrested, and one other is a fugitive sought by authorities. These were the result of investigations by the DEA’s Overdose Justice Task Force. These men face mandatory sentences of 20 years.

This task force was formed in 2018. It has achieved, in cooperation with local police, approximately 36 federal indictments. This is a drop in the ocean compared with an annual death rate of 70,601 deaths from fentanyl alone.

We have another illegal drug scourge advancing across the nation. Its street name is “Tranq.” Its commercial name is Xylazine. It has terrible side effects on users,

causing what looks like rotting flesh and leading to amputations and overdose deaths. While we applaud the DEA effort, it is not enough to address the domestic problem caused by the criminals in Mexico and China who mass-produce the deadly fentanyl. And here’s some related news from Canada.

Effective Jan. 31, 2023, to Jan. 31, 2026, British Columbia was granted an exemption from the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. This means that adults 18 and older will not be arrested or charged for possessing small amounts of illegal drugs. including opioids such as heroin, morphine and fentanyl: crack and powder cocaine; methamphetamine; MDMA (Ecstasy). The limit is 2.5 grams or less. Selling these drugs will not be legalized. Anyone under the age of 18 found to be in possession of any amount of illegal drugs will be subject to the Youth Criminal justice act. Possession of illegal drugs in the following locations could result in criminal charges: elementary and secondary schools, licensed

Straight white males need not apply

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D-Mass., deciding she was a Native American. For example, when an employee in Gulf Oils Philadelphia Refinery decided to change his race from white to black, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said that was his right. This type of decision making would end the confusion for folks, such as President Barack Obama, whose parents were not both of the same race. This should be music to the ears of California Democrats who support even minors using the same system for deciding their genders.

Under this system, Californians of any race can, at least for purposes of reparations, allege that they qualify for reparations.

absent a previous finding by a court of law that this employer has discriminated, private employers all too often joined the governments in this type of discrimination.

Sadly, the ink was barely dry on the equality standard of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, before the U.S. government started violating it by using affirmative action based on race and gender. In the recent years, this has migrated to substituting “equity,” or the results, for “equality,” meaning the opportunity.

child-care facilities, airports, Canadian Coast Guard vessels and helicopters, malls, bars and cafes, and Canadian Armed forces. Based on similar experiments in Europe, it is expected that the number of arrests and incarcerations for possession of illegal drugs will fall substantially, taking pressure off the police and the prison system.

It appears that there are flaws in this experiment. Its proposers requested a 4.5-gram limit for drug possession because this is the amount many addicts need to consume to satisfy their daily needs, but the central government officials reduced it to 2.5 grams. Also, two British Columbia companies have been granted licenses to manufacture “clean” versions of the drugs for scientific experiments. There is a demand that these clean versions be available to prevent deaths from overdoses caused by the adulteration of street drugs.

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

Work brings purpose and dignity to one’s life

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requirements for welfare.

For far too long, the federal government has made it much too easy for able-bodied adults in their prime working years to live a decent life without working, thanks to generous welfare benefits.

Yet, this is not good for the American people or the American economy. Work brings purpose and

dignity to one’s life. On the other hand, indolence breeds dependence and self-loathing.

And given our macro-economic problems, such as the impending insolvency of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, one would assume that our political leaders, on both sides of the aisle, would be doing everything in their power to ensure that every single able-bodied American is working in order to keep these programs afloat.

I hate to say it, but the cynical side of me believes that

contemporary Democrats are attempting to create a permanent voting bloc of Americans who would rather live off the government than work for a living.

If this is the case, it is a recipe for disaster. As Mitt Romney said in his 2012 campaign for president, “There are 47% of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47% who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility

to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-nameit. That’s an entitlement. And the government should give it to them.”

Unfortunately, 11 years later, we find ourselves in an even more precarious situation. Fortunately, there is a simple solution to this situation: work requirements for welfare.

Chris Talgo (ctalgo@heartland. org) is editorial director at The Heartland Institute.

Medicare is a bomb with a burning fuse

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“Get an MRI,” says my doctor.

I immediately do. I don’t ask the cost. The MRI people don’t mention it either.

Months later, I get a complex notice that says my MRI cost $2,625 and I must pay $83.65. Or sometimes, nothing. Who did pay? Blue Cross? Taxpayers? The paperwork is so complex that I don’t even know.

Old people who scour supermarkets to save a dollar on groceries never comparison shop for MRIs or heart surgery. “Why should I? Someone else pays.”

As my new video illustrates, Medicare is a bomb with a burning fuse moving closer.

“Sooner or later, it will blow up,” says economist Dan Mitchell of the Center for Freedom and Prosperity. “Politicians figure oh, well, maybe it blows up in five years or 10 years or 20 years. I won’t be in office anymore.”

Some claim raising taxes on rich people would solve the deficit, but it won’t. There just aren’t enough rich people. Even taking all the money from every billionaire wouldn’t cover our coming bankruptcy.

The only solution is cutting benefits, raising the age when benefits start (sensible, since we live longer) or, Dr. Mitchell’s preference, privatizing retirement plans, like Australia and Chile did.

America’s politicians won’t do any of those things.

So what will happen?

“The only other alternative is

printing money,” says Dr. Mitchell, who earned his doctorate in economics at George Mason University.

“I suspect that’s what America will do,” I tell Dr. Mitchell. “We’ll be like Zimbabwe.” Zimbabwe’s president printed money to fund his deficit spending. When the currency collapsed in 2009, Zimbabwe was printing hundred trillion-dollar bills.

Yet politicians don’t learn. In the current debt ceiling deal, Speaker Kevin McCarthy got President Joe Biden to “claw back” unused COVID relief funds and keep two years of non-defense discretionary spending roughly flat.

That’s a little progress. But President Biden wants to spend a record $7 trillion next year.

Speaker McCarthy said

Medicare and Social Security were “completely off the table.” So the programs are still doomed. “Sooner or later bad things will happen to senior citizens,” explained Dr. Mitchell. “The government will either cut their benefits or all of a sudden start rationing health care. Or reimbursement rates will be so low that you won’t be able to find a doctor or hospital to treat you.”

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.

The amount of the deficit isn’t delineated

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for every U.S. resident, or $250,000 per average family.

The latest “deal” stuck by President Joe Biden, Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, et al., will add to that burgeoning and unsustainable deficit.

If you really want to cry, visit the U.S. Treasury website (fiscaldata. treasury.gov) whereupon you’ll read that “The U.S. government has spent $3.61 trillion ($3,611,239,136,330.00) in (the first six months of) fiscal year 2023 to ensure the well-being of the people of the United States.” (Italics are mine.)

The site goes on to report that “Compared to the federal spending of $3.35 trillion for the same (sixmonth) period last year (October 2021 through April 2022), our federal spending has increased by $266 billion.”

Which is an increase of 8%.

The site is updated monthly. Which also means, dear friends, that, in the Treasury’s own words, “In fiscal year 2022, the government spent $6.27 trillion, which was more than it collected (revenue), resulting in a deficit.”

The amount of the deficit isn’t delineated, so I had to go to a different site to find out how much the U.S. government collected. The answer is it took in $4.9 trillion in fiscal year 2022 (minus $641.7 billion in tax refunds).

The deficit between input and output was roughly $1.3 trillion. Despite the caterwauling and boasting by all parties concerning this year’s economic “nearcalamity,” U.S. spending will exceed last year’s.

By a lot.

Again.

Oh, and you should know that total U.S. expenditures for fiscal year 2019 — the year before the COVID-19 pandemic appeared — amounted to $4.407 trillion.

And, more significantly, if we simply returned to fiscal year 2019’s spending pattern, we’d be posting a five-hundred-billiondollar budget surplus in fiscal year 2023!

But sadly, in just three years, the U.S. has increased its yearly

budget expenditures by some $1.8 trillion. All the excess “emergency” pandemic spending has been rolled into the new budget year.

This can only be called fiscal insanity. But sanity could return. Speaker McCarthy is new at his job, and so far, he’s performed well. There is an election in less than 18 months, and things could move in a positive direction. Fingers crossed.

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.

However, an obvious question is if the group asking for reparations for the fictional “slavery” in California, how about a group that has experienced actual discrimination from the U.S. and California governments, and their state universities: straight white males.

This discrimination came in the form of offering affirmative action to some while denying it to straight white males. Despite the Supreme Court holding that affirmative action by private employers is prohibited

This migrated to the current presidential administration’s publicizing that its key appointments were, and are, based on race and/or gender and/ or sexual preference. Straight white males need not apply. Now that walking around in California cities has been eliminated from “California Dreamin’,” is this the new “dreamin’ ” of reparations?

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 Non-Lawyers.”

Disarming America is never going to happen

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So how come he’s still in the White House? His predecessor was impeached twice for imaginary crimes, and President Biden is stumbling along without a care in the world.

I didn’t follow up on Gov. Ferguson and where her political career ended up after taking the law into her own hands. But if things continue the way they are in our country, likely the most corrupt president in American history will contentedly stumble off the political stage unscathed and much wealthier than he started. Not a bad gig for nearly a half century of doing nothing and getting paid by us.

To this day, Texas Rangers have maintained a high level of regard — though I’m saddened by what the early settlers did to the American Indians and not happy

about the role the Rangers played in that mistreatment. That said, disarming America is never going to happen. Disarming criminals is never going to happen. Stopping drug dealers and preventing people from taking them is never going to happen. As much as we would like to make things right, and I’m a very optimistic person, history and reality dictate otherwise. Therefore, good citizens need to be armed, law enforcement must prevail and be stronger than ever. Criminals need to be punished. That includes the criminals running the highest law enforcement agencies in the country.

The Democrats always shout, “No one is above the law!” They never finish the sentence and add, “Except us.”

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

Law enforcement has been demonized

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spreading COVID-19, just expressing their frustration. Small business owners lost everything, but major companies weren’t shut down, and they flourished. Did any of the rioters get punished? No.

We’ve seen pictures of the privileged wealthy partying while those who waited upon them were all masked. Masks were a visible sign of virtue, and being without became a criminal offense.

Vaccinations were another requirement and reason for being fired, but now we know much damage has been caused by them. Law enforcement has been demonized, and criminals glorified and set free to continue their violence. Theft has become rampant, and there still today is no punishment. Used to be we knew we shouldn’t take what wasn’t ours. As more states legalize marijuana, are we losing our ability to think rationally?

To add to our misery, the environmentalists are trying to tell us we can control the weather by giving up our oil resources and going all electric with all of its own environmental destruction.

Was all of this gaslighting to distract us from the millions of migrants coming across our southern border? We cannot absorb them all, and many will live in labor or sexual

servitude to the cartels, and as dependents upon our government largesse. Not to mention all the drugs and fentanyl which kill more than 100,000 every year.

We are a country that has always welcomed legal immigrants who become citizens, but that’s not what this is.

Censorship used to be against immoral themes or images in books and movies, but today it’s been turned upside down. Moral and Christian values are under attack and themes that promote darkness are underwritten even by major companies. We’ve given up hope for our own California, as thousands flee to other states that are relatively moral and free.

The most fearsome result of gaslighting has been that our citizens are hesitant to express their opinions. Our First Amendment, freedom of speech, is the most necessary element in a free nation. Name calling must be recognized as the last resort of those without an honest argument or solution.

A new political election is coming soon, and we are under assault on all sides by ads and accusations. It is easier than ever to falsify the news and distort the truth.

We face a future when our whole democracy is under attack, and even our common sense will have a hard time guiding us. But we pray for wisdom and discernment and to once again be a free nation.

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