Santa Barbara News-Press: June 17, 2023

Say hello to the summer films

Movie

‘Public option’

Locals turn out for Fiesta Ranchera

Board of Supervisors discusses budget

By LIAM HIBBERT NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT

The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors met Friday to discuss the county’s budget proposal and listen to concerns from the public.

The board met at the County Administration Building on June 16 to announce a balanced budget with no cuts to services. They discussed a wide variety of topics, from law enforcement to the homelessness crisis and climate change adaptation.

“This budget reflects prudent planning,” said County Executive Officer Mona Miyasato. “Over the last few we have invested more into addressing homelessness than we had in previous years.”

The public safety section of the meeting largely dealt with law enforcement, including budget expansion requests of almost $5 million by the Sheriff’s office to meet the challenges presented by the growing drug epidemic and continued understaffing.

“Although we’re seeing progress we still have had 40 suspected Fentanyl overdose deaths in our county this year,” said Sheriff Bill Brown. “The sheriff’s office resources continue to be at their lowest level in the last twenty five or more years.”

The meeting started off with two major social issues.

The first was the declaration of June 19 as Juneteenth, in honor of the black-independence holiday associated with the end of slavery.

The second was the declaration of June as Pride Month.

Both declarations received praise from the board and many of those in attendance.

The County Board’s 2023 budget, nicknamed “Ready for Today, Preparing for Tomorrow,” addressed the uncertain nature of the national and state-wide economies.

“If we do have another recession we would see more mild impacts compared to recent years,” said

Please see BOARD on A7

No mail, no News-Press on Monday

All branches of the U.S. Post Office will be closed Monday for the federal observation of Juneteenth.

By LIAM HIBBERT NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT

The Santa Barbara Fiesta teaser event, Fiesta Ranchera, was held Thursday as the city honored the area’s history – and made sure to have some fun too.

Dances, friends and plenty of food and drinks were the main attraction for the Goleta event’s fifteenth year. In the beautiful Rancho La Patera garden, people from around the county enjoyed the celebrations as the afternoon turned into night.

“It’s wonderful to get together

There will be no mail. And that means the News-Press, which is distributed through the mail, won’t publish on Monday. But our office in Goleta will be open during its normal hours. And the News-Press will publish as usual this Friday, Saturday and Tuesday.

Federal offices and banks will be closed Monday.

The Juneteenth holiday celebrates the emancipation of black slaves in America. It is celebrated on the anniversary of June 19, 1865, when Major Gen. Gordon Granger proclaimed freedom for slaves in Texas.

— Dave Mason

Columnist Sally C. Pipes critical of California’s revival of public insurance - C1

season features everyone from Indiana Jones to Barbie - B1

KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS

Spirit of Fiesta Jack Harwood and Junior Spirit Olivia Nelson dance together in front of attendees of Fiesta Ranchera at the Stow House in Goleta on Thursday.

Tony Ybarra plays guitar at the event.

This year’s El Presidente David Bolton, left, is shown with his husband - and El Primer Caballero -Gonzalo Sarmiento.

Please see RANCHERA on A2

TRAFFIC, CRIME AND FIRE BLOTTER

Structure fire extinguished in Cuyama

A structure fire in Cuyama last night was put down by firefighters. The fire was found after neighbors were alerted by their smoke detector and called 911. One resident has been displaced.

The fire, on the 4800 block of Sisquoc Street, was put down by firefighters from station 27 at 9:50 p.m. The fire is still under investigation. No cause has been reported.

- Liam Hibbert

RANCHERA

Continued from Page A1

with the local people and really celebrate in an informal way,” said Father Larry Gosselin, OFM. “I love our community and all that it represents and stands for.”

The event went from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and started off with music performed by Tony Ybarra, a Flamenco guitarist. Then, mixed in with a number of speeches by event organizers and honored guests, the Junior Spirit and Spirit of Fiesta performed their muchanticipated dances.

Spirit of Fiesta Jack Harwood

and Junior Spirit Olivia Nelson wore colorful and elaborate clothes while they danced to a live band in impressively

choreographed dances, briefly joining up to dance together for a few songs.

Guests circled around the stage during the performances and stuck around for the colorful Mexican Folk dance from the state of Nayarit. The dance saw men

with machetes – and occasionally blindfolded eyes – dance around with women who wore bright and flowing dresses.

“I love this event. It expresses what our community in Santa Barbara is all about,” said Yatzie Acosta, one of the dancers. “And

it’s always nice getting to see everyone again.”

Fiesta Ranchera slowly became covered in night as Area 51, a popular Santa Barbara band and the last show of the night, came on. The many drink and food stations organized around the grass field continued to serve as the crowd was informed that they could leave their cars in the parking lot overnight with no risk of towing, if that were necessary.

““It’s very exciting because I haven’t experienced the Spanish Days Fiesta from the inside,” said Lisa Osborn, the honorary Saint Barbara 2023. “Getting to work with and be around the Fiesta family is very exciting.”

Fiesta Ranchera, an event held by both the Old Spanish Days team and Goleta Valley Historical Society, is done for the year, but looking not-too-far ahead this August the larger Fiesta events begin.

For more information visit the fiesta website at https://www. sbfiesta.org/. email: lhibbert@newspress.com

WENDY

ARTHUR VON WIESENBERGER . . . . .Co-Publisher

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KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS

Dancers from the local Maria Bermudez Flamenco Performing Arts Studio, including Spirit of Fiesta Jack Harwood, perform in front of attendees during Fiesta Ranchera at The Stow House in Goleta on Thursday.

Junior Spirit of Fiesta Olivia Nelson performs during the event.

‘What our community in Santa Barbara is all about’

Unabomber’s mind controlled, the need for Demo debate, Gavin’s pooper scoopers and Karen at the Gate

“ELON MUSK SAYS UNABOMBER’S INFAMOUS MANIFESTO WARNING OF THE DANGERS OF TECHNOLOGY MIGHT BE RIGHT”

Ya think?

The maiming and murder of his bomb victims (three dead, 27 injured between 1978 and 1995) was, of course, horrific and deplorable and, thus, Theodore John Kaczynski unquestionably got the prison sentence he deserved (eight life terms without the possibility of parole).

But if you read the manifesto — “Technological Slavery”— which he wrote and coerced The New York Times and The Washington Post into publishing (which resulted in his capture), Mr. Kaczynski’s beliefs were visionary and spot on. (His lawyers wanted him to plead insanity; he fired his lawyers instead.)

Not only was Mr. Kaczynski, who died in prison last Saturday aged 81, prescient about the dangers posed by technology (which now include a sentient super artificial intelligence) he was also possessed of an insightful vision into America’s political scene.

How so?

Mr. Kaczynski’s own words:

“Leftism is a totalitarian force. Wherever leftism is in a position of power, it tends to invade every private corner and force every thought into a leftist mold. In part this is because of the quasi-religious character of leftism; everything contrary to leftist beliefs represents Sin. More importantly, leftism is a totalitarian force because of the leftists’ drive for power.

“The leftist seeks to satisfy his need for power through identification with a social movement, and he tries to go through the power process by helping to pursue and attain the goals of the movement. But no matter how far the movement has gone in attaining its goals, the leftist is never satisfied, because his activism is a surrogate activity.

“That is, the leftist’s real motive is not to attain the ostensible goals of leftism; in reality, he is motivated by the sense of power he gets from struggling for and then reaching a social goal.

“Consequently the leftist is never satisfied with the goals he has already attained; his need for the power process leads him always to pursue some new goal.

“The leftist wants equal opportunities for minorities. When that is attained. he insists on statistical equality of achievement by minorities. And as long as anyone harbors in some corner of his mind a negative attitude toward some minority, the leftist has to re-educate him. And ethnic minorities are not enough; no one can be allowed to have a negative attitude toward homosexuals, disabled people, fat people, old people, ugly people, and on and on and on. It’s not enough that the public should be informed about the hazards of smoking; a warning has to be stamped on every package of cigarettes. Then cigarette advertising has to be restricted if not banned.

“The activists will never be satisfied until tobacco is outlawed, and after that it will be alcohol, then junk food, etc.

“Activists have fought gross child abuse, which is reasonable. But now they want to stop all spanking. When they have done that, they will want to ban something else they consider unwholesome, then another thing and then another. They will never be satisfied until they have complete control over all child rearing practices. And then they will move on to another cause.”

Does militant progressive behavior and how it extends to masks, lockdowns, vaccines, woke and transgenderism ring a bell? And also how technology (the internet) under the thumb of a leftist mainstream narrative restricted freedom of speech by permitting government-driven censorship?

Add this from Mr. Kaczynski: “Leftists promote collectivist values, ‘enlightened’ psychological techniques for socializing children, dependence of the individual on the system...”—all of which equates to CONTROL. Which leads me to a sinister dimension to the Ted Kaczynski story that may explain how and why he became a hermit murderer.

“THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION AND ITS CONSEQUENCES HAVE BEEN A DISASTER FOR THE HUMAN RACE”

Although not reflected in the headline, this story is about a

ROBERT ERINGER NEWS REVUE

mind-control project that took place at Harvard University where Ted Kaszynski was a brilliant mathematics student. (He entered Harvard at age 16 after skipping two grades.)

Described as a “horrific psychological experiment” believed to have been part of the CIA’s MK-Ultra, Mr. Kaczynski’s personality was altered, as he explained himself in a 2,000word letter from prison, revealing how he unwittingly (along with 21 other students) allowed himself (for three years, 195962) to be subjected to “intensive interrogation, what (program director Henry A.) Murray called ‘vehement, sweeping, and personally abusive attacks, assaulting his subjects’ egos and most-cherished ideals and beliefs to cause high levels of stress and distress.”

In all, Mr. Kaszynski endured 200 hours of abusive treatment, which included being forced to watch videos of himself being abused.

Purpose? This experiment, ironically codenamed “Lawful,” sought to improve Cold War interrogation techniques through mind control.

“During this time,” states this article, “Kaszynski is believed to have started dreaming of isolation — and resenting technological advancement.”

No, I’m not suggesting that the CIA intentionally created the Unabomber.

But I am suggesting that CIA’s MK-Ultra mind control experiments on unsuspecting persons inadvertently resulted in much turmoil and anguish and, quite possibly, caused Ted Kaszynski to maim and murder people.

Little wonder that in 1973, CIA Director Richard Helms ordered all MK-Ultra files destroyed.

“ZUCKERBERG SAYS ‘ESTABLISHMENT’ ASKED FACEBOOK TO CENSOR COVID MISINFO THAT ENDED UP TRUE: ‘UNDERMINES TRUST’”

On a podcast last week (anti)social media titan Mark Zuckerberg admitted that he was urged by the scientific “establishment” (read: CDC, NIH, Anthony Fauci et al) to “censor” posts that are now considered (in his words) “debatable or true.” The good news: Twitter is now owned by Elon Musk, who believes in freedom of speech. And Mr. Zuckerberg now understands that his trust was “undermined” (a gentler way of confessing to being fooled and deceived). Hopefully, Mark will no longer allow his (anti)social media platform to be manipulated by government agencies striving to promote a mainstream narrative.

“J&J’S COVID VACCINE TAKEN BY 19 MILLION AMERICANS IS PULLED BY FDA OVER RARE BLOOD CLOT CONCERNS”

Expect to read much more in the coming months and years, in fits and spurts, about the damage that COVID-19 vaccines, in general, did to normal, healthy people, including ending their lives.

“RUSSIANS MOURN ‘BEST’ GENERAL AS UKRAINE COUNTEROFFENSIVE GAINS GROUND”

That makes 10 dead Russian generals since Mad Vlad Putin made war on Ukraine.

I prefer to mourn the lives of Ukrainian women and children tortured, raped and murdered by Russian troops and mercenaries. Whatever Russian generals are left should be hanged for war crimes, along with their political masters.

“PUTIN ADMITS RUSSIA LACKS DRONES, OTHER WEAPONS IN WAR AGAINST UKRAINE”

“The despotic leader told state media that things were missing in Russia’s ‘Special Military Operation.’” Brains?

“PUTIN’S ‘STRESSED’

ADMINISTRATION STAFF

START EACH DAY WITH BOTTLE OF VODKA”

Alcoholism seems to be the rule, not the exception, in Kremlin circles, where benders are routine followed by cognac for breakfast, ensuring that whatever brains still exist among Russians bigwigs are saturated with booze, which typically leads to WernickeKorsakoff Syndrome, otherwise known as “wet brain.”

Given Russia’s looming defeat, that makes all the sense in the world.

“GAVIN NEWSOM ADMITS CALIFORNIA’S HOMELESS SITUATION IS OUT OF CONTROL AS HOTELS & SHOPPING MALLS ABANDON SAN FRANCISCO & ENCAMPMENTS BLIGHT SAN DIEGO”

California currently plays host to 170,000 homeless persons.

Gov. Gruesome crows about having “a $15.3 billion homeless plan.”

That’s your money, folks!

These are funds that, more than likely, will be squandered on nonsensical programs (as before) that create new government jobs (handed out as rewards to party stalwarts) and serve only to encourage more homeless from around the country to emigrate to California for a free ride.

Well done, Gav!

Can you imagine if he got elected president?

“80 PERCENT OF DEMS THINK BIDEN SHOULD DEBATE RFK JR.”

It would be like Mike Tyson vs. Trevor Berbick: A 10-second knockout.

And this would be great for the United States of America because

“WHERE PRESIDENT BIDEN FAILED AS NATIONAL UNIFIER ROBERT KENNEDY JR. COULD SUCCEED”

This comes from my high school U.S. History teacher, William Moloney, a columnist for The Hill.

“In 2020, Joe Biden persuaded the progressives of his party that he could defeat the un-electable Bernie Sanders, and then as president energetically deliver the Sanders radical agenda.

“He did both.

“He also persuaded the American people that he would govern as a traditional Democratic centrist and most importantly he would unify and heal a dangerously polarized country.

“He did neither.

“Robert Kennedy is seeking to redeem both these broken promises.”

AND THIS JUST IN: “ROBERT

F. KENNEDY JR. TOPS BIDEN & TRUMP IN NEW FAVORABILITY POLL”

It is happening, folks.

All the disparaging nonsense put out by mainstream establishment media trying to write R.F.K. Jr. off as a longshot anomaly is starting to crumble as poll numbers — in this case conducted by The Economist and YouGov — reflect that he is more popular among voters across the board than any other presidential candidate.

So now mainstream media is awakening, as evidenced by…

“BEWARE: WE IGNORE ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR’S CANDIDACY AT OUR PERIL”

This, from The Guardian in the U.K.: “We should expect him to build momentum. Ignoring him is not an option.”

Permanent Washington is being told their strategy of ignoring and ridiculing RFK Jr. will no longer work. Voters have cottoned on to their wicked ways and desire to see the unacceptable status quo of corporatized politics and media turned on its head.

But back to Governor Gruesome and…

“’CODE BROWN’: AN ARMY OF CLEANERS PATROLS SF’S FILTHIEST STREETS”

This is the Feces Pick-up Brigade, my name for the SoMa West Community Benefit District’s nonprofit. Says Executive Director Christian Martin: “Seriously, there’s not enough (public restrooms, when you’ve got thousands of people living on the streets.”

“Ambassadors” for the brigade earn three bucks for every poop scooped.

“It’s the scavenger hunt from hell,” Mr. Martin adds. One can only hope that the tons

$199 million in grants to transition the homeless from encampments to housing

By RIA ROEBUCK JOSEPH

THE CENTER SQUARE CONTRIBUTOR

(The Center Square) - The Encampment Resolution Fund, administered by the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency and the California Interagency Council on Homelessness, has awarded $199 million to 23 cities and counties to move people living in encampments into stable housing.

The fund was established last June to assist local jurisdictions in ensuring the safety and wellness of people experiencing homelessness in encampments; provide encampment resolution grants to local jurisdictions and continuums of care to resolve critical encampment concerns and transition individuals into safe and stable housing; and encourage a data-informed, coordinated approach to address encampment concerns.

The awardees include:

• Los Angeles County- averaging $20,000 per person, will receive $59.5 million to serve 3,000 people on Skid Row.

• The City of Fresno - averaging $13,000 per person, will receive $17 million to serve 1,300 people*.

• San Diego County - averaging $57,000 per person, will receive $17 million to serve 300 people from two encampments*.

• The City of Napa - averaging $125,000 per person, will receive $15 million to serve 120 people from encampments on public property*.

• The continuum of care for the city and county of Los Angeles (Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) - averaging $70,000 per person, will receive $13.9 million

VALENCIA, Tom

to serve 200 people*.

• San Luis Obispo County - averaging $67,000 per person, will receive $13.4 million to serve 200 people from an encampment in a flood and fire danger zone*.

• The City of Richmond - averaging $75,000 per person, will receive $8.6 million to serve 115 people from an encampment in a state right of way*.

• Monterey County - averaging $114,000 per person, will receive $8 million to serve 70 people from an encampment along a river and creek.

• The City and County of San Francisco - averaging $24,000 per person, will receive $6.5 million to serve 273 people from a Mission district encampment*.

• Santa Barbara County - averaging $24,000 per person, will receive $6 million to serve 250 people from encampments along state rights of way and waterways*.

• The City of Berkeley - averaging $68,000 per person, will receive $4.9 million to serve 72 people from two encampments.

• The City of Tulare - averaging $27,000 per person, will receive $4.8 million to serve 179 people*.

• Sonoma County - averaging $35,000 per person, will receive $4.6 million to serve 130 people from an encampment along a multiuse trail.

• The City of Redlands - averaging $23,000 per person, will receive $4.5 million to serve 200 people from three encampments near interstates and riverbeds*.

• The City of Oxnard - averaging $36,000 per person, will receive $4 million to serve 110 people from encampments along the coast

San Francisco drug operation seizes enough fentanyl

to kill 2.1 million

and near wetlands.

• The City of Santa Rosa - averaging $17,000 per person, will receive $3.9 million to serve 225 people from a large encampment.

• The City of Carlsbad - averaging $16,000 per person, will receive $2.4 million to serve 150 highly vulnerable people facing behavioral health challenges.

• Marin County - averaging $17,000 per person, will receive $1.6 million to serve 92 people from an encampment in a flood zone*.

• Marin County - averaging $24,000 per person, will receive $1.1 million to serve 45 people from the “Marsh” encampment.

• Butte County - averaging $18,000 per person, will receive $1.1 million to serve 60 people from two encampments.

• The City of Banning - averaging $7,000 per person, will receive $1 million to serve 150 people from an encampment in a flood plain*.

• Mariposa County - averaging $30,000 per person, will receive $600,000 to serve 20 people*.

• The City of San Rafael - averaging $11,000 per person, will receive $250,000 to serve 23 people.

The administration has identified 10,000 homeless individuals for funding in total, and has appropriated $750 million for transitioning them to housing, at an average cost of $75,000 per person.

“We’re doubling down on our investment to ensure that thousands of individuals in communities up and down the state move out of encampments and into housing where they can get the services and help they need. It’s not enough to simply clean up encampments,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said.

LUNA, Sally Ann 04/04/1945 - 06/05/2023

Tom Valencia, 82, of Eugene, Oregon passed away on December 23, 2022. He was born on September 1, 1940, in Santa Barbara, CA. Tom was a sociable person who made friends wherever he went and never met a stranger. He loved football and was an avid fan of the 49ers. In his free ������������������������������������������������������� halibut, and crab in the ocean, He also loved camping and ���������������������������������������������������������

Tom graduated from Santa Ynez High School in 1960 and attended Santa Barbara City College after graduation. He began his career at Swissport in ground support and ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� liaison for international airlines. Tom retired in June 2006.

brother, Jimmy Valencia, and sister Bernadine Ann Hernandez. He also leaves behind many nieces, nephews, eleven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Tom was predeceased by his twin brother, Timmy Valencia, Lawrence (Larry) Crawford, and Tamara Crawford.

the home of Bob and Adele Byrd in Buellton. Donations may be made to St. Jude’s Children Hospital, Cancer Research Institute, or any charity of your choice in Tom’s name.

Loper Funeral Chapel, Directors

CARLSON, Nancy Claybrook

04/08/1928 - 05/26/2023

Nancy Claybrook Carlson, born Nancy Leigh Claybrook to Franklin Dew and Priscilla Leigh Claybrook of Baltimore, Maryland, passed away on May 26, at the age of 95. Nancy was born on April 8, 1928, the third of four children, after sister Priscilla Jean and brother Theodore and six years before her brother Robert.

An excellent student and naturally inquisitive, Nancy excelled academically and athletically in Baltimore schools. After high school, she enrolled at Radcliffe College, a women’s liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts. There she began a course of study in English literature.

After three semesters, Nancy met Robert Carlson, a native of Santa Barbara County and a Harvard graduate six years her senior. Nancy’s mother-in-law described how Robert sold his blood to properly court the young and vivacious Nancy. Robert’s romantic efforts paid off, and on December 29, 1948, Nancy and Robert were married.

After a honeymoon spent bicycling through several European countries, the couple set up house in Boulder, Colorado. Prior to marriage, Robert had accepted the position of administrative director of the Harvard Observatory in Climax, Colorado. With Robert immersed in his work, Nancy resumed her studies in English Literature at the University of Colorado in Boulder.

In 1951, Robert’s work took the couple to Glendale, California, where in the following �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� Harvey. A daughter Martha, now known as Apieh, was born two years later.

In 1959, when Robert and a partner formed Channel Technologies, Nancy and he moved to Santa Barbara, where the family lived in a beautiful Hope Ranch home. Nancy was an enthusiastic and energetic homemaker, wife, mother, gardener, chauffeur and more. She strongly encouraged her children’s educational pursuits and athletic activities, supported local charities and organizations and gave time, energy and organizational skills to a multitude of civic causes. Nancy and Robert belonged to several social clubs where Nancy participated in sports, recreation and healthful activities. Meanwhile, Nancy also completed her education, earning a BA in English literature through correspondence courses at the University of Colorado. Nancy liked to refer to this stretch of years as “the 9-year wonder.”

In the early 1970s, Nancy began classes at a Santa Barbara nursing program. On January 1,1974, she was licensed by the State of California as a registered nurse, an accomplishment of which she was very proud. She maintained her nursing license until the age of 82.

Nancy and Robert Carlson divorced in 1980. At age 52, the next chapter of Nancy’s life began. A catastrophic health event set her back but, if anything, made her more determined to live life to the fullest.

In 2005, Nancy moved into the Edgerly Hotel, part of the Battistone Foundation. There, she prospered, doing all she could for nearly 20 years to make all residents feel welcomed and at home. In the month before her death, Nancy’s Edgerly family surprised her with a celebration of her 95th birthday with food, friends, music, presents and birthday cake.

After decades of heart problems but only a short period of severe illness, Nancy entered Sarah House on hospice care on May 24. She passed peacefully into the loving arms of her Father on May 26, 2023, having been surrounded and embraced by friends and ������������������������������������

Nancy was predeceased by her three siblings, by her son Harvey in 1994, and son Robert in 2003.

Nancy is survived by her daughter Apieh Claybrook of Lompoc, CA, granddaughter Anwanur Gielow, grandson-in-law Ryan Gielow, and three great-grandchildren, Samona, Drew, and Emmett, of Buellton, CA. Nancy is also survived by several loving cousins and other extended family members, as well as hundreds of close friends she considered as dear to her as family.

Nancy expressed her gratitude to her devoted and skilled physician of over 30 years, Elizabeth Kim, MD; to the Battistone Foundation for her happy decades at the Edgerly; to the attentive and loving hospice caregivers at Sarah House; and to her family at Hope Church for their unending love, support and prayers.

Upon her death and per her wishes, Nancy’s body was taken to USC Keck School of Medicine as part of their Anatomical Gift Program. Following USC, her remains will be placed in her family plot.

In Nancy’s memory, a plaque will be placed at a tree just outside the Edgerly Apartments Hotel, 105 W. Sola Street, through the Santa Barbara Beautiful Commemorative Tree Program.

A celebration of life will take place on Saturday, July 1st, at 1:00 p.m. at the Free Methodist Church of Santa Barbara. Please RSVP by calling (805) 682-6232, or by sending an email to celebrate@hopesb.com.

Sally Ann Luna passed away at the age of 78, after a brief bout with pneumonia. She was born in Santa Barbara on April 4, 1945, and passed away on June 5, 2023, at Cottage hospital. Sally graduated from Santa Barbara High School with the class of 1963.

After the death of her sister, Terri, she lovingly cared for and raised her sister’s son, Terry, from birth. Sally enjoyed being with her family and traveled to places like Hawaii and Colorado, vacationing with her father, mother, brother, sister-in-law, and “Son,” Terry. She was an avid reader, enjoying mysteries and books that enhanced her walk with God. She loved her time with family at Christmas, tamale making parties, and all family gatherings.

As friends noted, she was thought of as a humble, sweet, prayerful daughter of the Lord and they admired her faithfulness.

Sally did suffer through illness that she contracted early in life, but she lovingly accepted the challenge with trust in the Lord. Regardless, she was a fervent prayer warrior. She prayed her rosary for the saving of the unborn and their moms, for her nation, which she loved, for the church, and for the sanctity of life.

She was preceded in death by her father, Esiquio C. Luna, her mother, Monica (Lopez) Luna, her brother, Frederick “Fritz” B. Lopez, and her sister, Terri Lynn (Luna) Bautista.

Sally is survived and dearly missed by her brother, Phil Luna, sister-in-law, Chris Luna, her nephew, Terry Luna-Bautista, her “granddaughter,” Zabriske, and by her godchildren and many cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Rosary will be held on June 19, 2023, at 7p.m. The funeral mass will be on June 20, 2023, at 10a.m. both will be at St. Mark’s University Parish in Isla Vista. Interment will follow at Calvary Cemetery.

SHORTLE, George E. Jr “Eb”

8/9/1940 – 4/18/2023

Born to George and Catherine Shortle, Eb grew up in Tipton, IN, graduating from Tipton HS. He went on to Purdue University where he joined Beta Theta Pi fraternity and was in Naval ROTC. He earned a BS in electrical engineering and was inducted into the electrical engineering and engineering honor societies, Eta Kappa Nu and Tau Beta Pi.

After graduation, Eb served 2 years in the US Navy, obtained an MSEE at the University of Michigan, and moved to Seattle to work for Boeing. He met his future wife, Judy Kelchner in a church fellowship group; they married in 1967. After completing his PhD EE at Univ of Washington, his new job at General Research Corporation brought them to Santa Barbara, where their two children, John and Rebecca were born and raised. Eb worked for GRC for 34 years, ultimately becoming head of the Radar group.

Building on the love for the outdoors that developed while in Seattle, Eb took his family on many hiking, camping, backpacking and skiing adventures throughout the West. He developed great skill as a photographer on these trips, ultimately becoming ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� moved from tents to hotels and traveled to many parts of the world, including 5 mission trips to Chile for their church. He took his most adventurous trips with his brother, Bob. Eb had a great ability to remember facts and details of all his trips and of anything connected with his interests, which were many and varied – genealogy (he discovered ������������������������������������������������������������������������������� Foundation established by his parents), watching (“only the important games”) and playing sports (playing for several years on GRC’s City League basketball team). He served on the Finance and Mission Committees at St. Mark Methodist Church and volunteered for the Channel Islands National Park, greeting visitors and leading hikes. He particularly liked spending time with his immediate and extended family, his many life-long friends, and foreign visitors. He especially liked to play host and tour guide to all who came to visit them in Santa Barbara.

Friends and family describe Eb as a sweet and gentle soul, thoughtful and kind, intelligent and wise, competent and reliable, humble, supportive and loving. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Judy, and their children John (Martine) and Rebecca (Damon); two granddaughters Nicole and Jocelyn Shortle; his sister Jody (Bill Harter) and brother Bob (Barbara); sister-in-law Jean (Don Heineman) and Sue Obloy. He is also survived by many beloved nephews, nieces, and cousins. He will be greatly missed.

A celebration of life will be held July 14 at 2 pm at The Samarkand, 2550 Treasure ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� The family would love to have your favorite memory of Eb to include in a Memory Book.

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By RIA ROEBUCK JOSEPH THE CENTER SQUARE CONTRIBUTOR

(The Center Square) - On

May 1st, California Gov. Gavin Newsom launched a collaborative law enforcement effort to stem fentanyl trafficking, now that initiative is paying off with the seizure of over 9 pounds (4.2 kilos) of fentanyl in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco. That’s enough fentanyl to kill 2.1 million people in a city of just over 800,000 residents.

Gov. Newsom announced an agreement between the California Highway Patrol (CHP), California National Guard (CalGuard), San Francisco Police Department, and the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office in April, “to create ... a new collaborative operation between all four agencies focused on dismantling fentanyl trafficking and disrupting the supply.”

The first 6 weeks of operation yielded over 957 grams of methamphetamine, 319 grams of cocaine, and 31 grams of heroin. Ninety-two were arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges related to possession of fentanyl, illegal firearm possession, driving

under the influence and domestic violence.

Gov. Newsom is encouraged by these early successes stating, “I’m proud of the CHP and CalGuard’s lifesaving efforts to shut down the Tenderloin’s poison pipeline and hold drug traffickers accountable. These early results show promise and serve as a call to action: we must do more to clean up San Francisco’s streets, help those struggling with substance use, and eradicate fentanyl from our neighborhoods.”

While CHP undertook the seizures, crucial analysis and technical support was given by CalGuard. Alcoholic Beverage Control is developing a plan to deploy additional resources to address loitering and graffiti around liquor stores, gas stations and markets that hold ABC licenses. Caltrans is addressing graffiti with an uptick in maintenance and signage replacement on high-traffic routes.

NorCal High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas task force has also joined the effort with analysts and personnel to develop a citywide plan to combat the open-air

Please see FENTANYL on A7

DEATH NOTICES

AGIN, BETTY LEE, 92, of Santa Ynez, formerly of Lompoc. Died June 14 in Canoga Park. Graveside funeral service will take place at 11 a.m. today at Oak Hill Cemetery in Ballard. A reception will follow at the Solvang Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Agreement resumes West Coast port operations; prevents impact on Americans

By SPENCER PAULEY THE CENTER SQUARE

(The Center Square) – The Pacific Maritime Association and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union have reached a tentative agreement, preventing more costly impacts to Americans.

The agreement needs to be ratified by both parties first, but would create a new six-year contract covering over 22,000 workers at all 29 West Coast ports. The two parties have been in negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement since July 2022.

“We are pleased to have reached an agreement that recognizes the heroic efforts and personal sacrifices of the [International Longshore and Warehouse Union] workforce in keeping our ports operating,” Pacific Maritime Association President James McKenna and International Longshore and Warehouse Union President Willie Adams said in a joint statement. “We are also pleased to turn our full attention back to the operation of the West Coast ports.”

The two parties avoid further halts to operations along the 29 West Coast ports, which could have hurt the U.S. economy. According to Southern Illinois University Associate Professor of Operations Management Gregory DeYong, any delay in port operations can be expensive, especially if products are stuck at the port, where storage fees continue to be charged. These fees are roughly several hundred dollars per container.

“[The fees] are not insignificant, but when you’re talking about a $5,000 container cost, adding on another $1,000 in delay costs hurts and can be the profit margin for some businesses,” Mr. DeYong said in a phone call to The Center Square.

If the International Longshore and Warehouse Union had decided to go on strike, Mr. DeYong estimates that a full shutdown of ports would have cost in the range of $500 million per day. However, he notes that if there was a strike, it would probably end quickly with the U.S.

Select Committee requests detailed report on China’s intellectual property theft

By J.J. BRANNOCK THE CENTER SQUARE

Federal Government getting involved due to the ports’ significant economic impact.

The tentative deal between the two parties was reached with assistance from Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Julie Su.

Current volume levels throughout West Coast ports are up compared to 2019 and 2020, but Mr. DeYong said that more shippers have been slowly moving away from the 29 ports to the East Coast since the 1990s.

“I think in about 2000, the West Coast ports were handling the majority of imports, so 55% plus imports were coming in West Coast ports – they’re now around 40%,” Mr. DeYong said. “Obviously the whole pie has been growing so maybe it’s not as obviously painful as you might think, but that certainly causes some issues.”

Port operations throughout the West Coast have seen halts since March 2023. Most recently, the Seattle Port halted operations. Mr. DeYong notes that while ports were technically open, the union workers were not staggering their breaks, preventing ports from running continually during the day. The halt in port operations could take away approximately two hours from an eight-hour workday, creating limited capacity.

The biggest imports that come into the West Coast ports include furniture, auto parts, clothing, in addition to raw materials such as plastic resin.

The most critical exports going out of the U.S. are agricultural products, including fresh and frozen meat. Mr. DeYong said meat producers have actively rerouted to avoid West Coast ports to prevent a loss in value of goods being exported.

One silver lining of the halt in port operations: U.S. consumers may see cheaper fresh meat at grocery stores due to an increase in supply in the shortterm. However, Mr. DeYong notes that once there is an increase in supply, the production slows, leading to a quick rebound in prices.

(The Center Square) – Federal lawmakers are raising increasing concerns about Chinese intellectual property theft. Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party Chairman Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., and Committee on Small Business Chairman Roger Williams, R-Texas., sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland asking about the Department of Justice’s efforts to combat Chinese intellectual property theft.

The chairmen said their committees are “deeply concerned about the pervasive threat of Chinese intellectual property theft and its impact on American small businesses – the backbone of our economy.” They requested information on the Department of Justice’s efforts in addressing this threat.

According to the Commission on the

Theft of American Intellectual Property, Chinese IP theft costs the U.S. economy up to $600 billion annually as of 2017.

Some examples of this economic loss include the creation of counterfeit inventions stolen from small businesses that spent tens of thousands of dollars to patent. The Chinese counterfeiters simply copied the patents, registered them in China, and began selling them on Chinese e-commerce markets.

Rep. Williams and Rep. Gallagher said in the letter that “the Department has a Task Force on Intellectual Property that ‘is part of a Department-wide initiative to confront the growing number of domestic and international intellectual property crimes’ and ‘works to identify and implement a multi-faceted strategy with our federal, state, and international partners to effectively combat this type of crime.’

“However, it remains unclear as to how many Chinese entities are held accountable for their illegal activities,” the letter added.

The committees requested that the DOJ provide them with a briefing, including overviews on the current measures to help small businesses protect their intellectual property, to investigate IP theft and hold those guilty parties accountable, mainly in China, and to explain how the Protect American IP Act was implemented. They also asked for detailed plans for strengthening investigative efforts to ensure protection against IP theft, information on the DOJ’s collaboration with state and local governments to investigate IP theft cases, and details on the department’s plans to combat counterfeit products also be included in the report.

Rep. Gallagher and Rep. Williams requested the detailed briefing no later than June 30.

The two chairmen, as well as Vice Chairman of the Committee on Small Business Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-Mo., and 19 other members of Congress, all signed the letter.

Federal watchdog recommends strategy for broadband access

By BRETT ROWLAND THE CENTER SQUARE

(The Center Square) – A Congressional watchdog is warning lawmakers about the need for a national broadband strategy as federal programs proliferate.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office reported concerns about overlap and potential duplication in the federal government’s effort to expand access to broadband internet.

“There are over 130 programs administered by 15 different agencies for expanding broadband throughout the country,” Comptroller General of the United States Gene Dodaro said.

“These are all worthwhile efforts, but they could be better coordinated. We’ve recommended a national strategy where you could actually better measure, make sure there’s good coordination.”

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of access to broadband, despite at least $44 billion in federal investment from fiscal years 2015

through 2020. And Congress has continued to appropriate new funding for broadband programs, including nearly $65 billion for new and existing broadband programs in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in November 2021, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

“Among the 130 programs, some have broadband access as their main purpose, while for others broadband access is one possible use of program funds,” according to the report. “Programs also vary in how they support broadband – such as building broadband infrastructure, helping people afford broadband services or devices to access the internet, or building digital skills – and some programs can be used for multiple purposes.”

The Government Accountability Office report recommended a national strategy “with clear roles, goals and objectives.”

“A broadband national strategy could synchronize interagency efforts, manage fragmentation and overlap, and

reduce the risk of potentially wasteful duplication,” according to the report. “Identifying key statutory provisions limiting program alignment could give Congress insight into possible beneficial legislative changes.”

The broadband strategy was one of 100 recommendations from an annual Government Accountability Office report released this week that identified ways to save taxpayers billions of dollars by reducing fragmentation, overlap and duplication across the federal government.

“By addressing this year’s targeted list ... the federal government could potentially save tens of billions of dollars, significantly enhance revenues and make government programs work better for the American people,” Mr. Dodaro said. The 126-page U.S. Government Accountability Office report outlined 100 corrective measures in 35 areas that lawmakers and federal agencies could take to save money and improve efficiency and effectiveness.

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez announces White House bid

By CASEY HARPER THE CENTER SQUARE

(The Center Square) – Miami

Mayor Francis Suarez announced Thursday he is running for president.

Mayor Suarez joins a crowded Republican field but is a fresh face in the race, and his position as a Latino candidate with experience leading, and getting votes from, a large, diverse city could set him apart.

“My Dad taught me that you get to choose your battles, and I am choosing the biggest one of my life,” he wrote on Twitter alongside his announcement video. “I’m running for President.”

Mayor Suarez’ dad was the first Cuban-born mayor of Miami.

“When I was elected, the city was broke and broken, but we came together,” he said. “And I won my election with over 80% of the vote.”

Mayor Suarez pointed to his record lowering taxes to “historic lows” and boosting Miami’s economy, leading to the city’s low unemployment and growing tech industry.

His donation page calls him a “tough-on-crime, pro-police and pro-America leader.”

Mayor Suarez oversees the very city in which the Republican frontrunner and former President Donald Trump was arraigned earlier this week. Mr. Trump faces 37 counts related to his handling of classified documents after his time as president.

Radio host and commentator Larry Elder, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and

Judge in Trump documents case orders attorneys to get security clearance

By BRETT ROWLAND THE CENTER SQUARE

(The Center Square) – A federal judge ordered all the lawyers involved in former President Donald Trump’s classified documents case to get in touch with the Litigation Security Group of the U.S. Department of Justice.

U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, made the order Thursday to speed up the process that involves attorneys being cleared to get access to the classified documents. The attorneys must file a Notice of Compliance no later than June 20, according to the judge’s order.

conspiracy to obstruct justice, withholding a document or record, corruptly concealing a document or record, concealing a document in a federal investigation, scheme to conceal and false statements and representations.

Mr. Trump remains free on a recognizance bond without travel restrictions.

businessman Vivek Ramaswamy have announced their 2024 ambitions as well.

U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., is running, and former Vice President Mike Pence is also in the race.

RealClearPolitics’ polling average has Mr. Trump in the lead with 52% support among GOP voters, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in second with 21.6% support, former Vice President Mike Pence in third with 4.9%, and Ms. Haley in fourth with 3.6%. The announcement video featured Mayor Suarez running through Miami, isiting his childhood home and school.

“I started a program that helped every child open up their own bank account,” he said. “For many, that is where their own American dream started.”

The Litigation Security Group “is a team of security specialists available to be detailed to the Court to serve as Classified Information Security Officers to assist in the handling and protection of classified information. These CISOs serve in a neutral capacity providing advice and assistance to the Court and the parties in the handling of classified information,” according to a U.S. Courts website.

The judge’s order highlights some of the potential hurdles of a high-profile case involving classified material.

Mr. Trump pleaded not guilty Tuesday in a federal courthouse in Miami to 37 counts that allege he kept sensitive military documents, shared them with people who didn’t have security clearance, and tried to get around the government’s efforts to get them back. He is charged with 31 counts of willful retention of national defense information along with

The 49-page indictment laid out the charges against Mr. Trump and Mr. Nauta. Mr. Trump was charged with keeping classified documents after leaving office and later obstructing the government’s efforts to get them back. The indictment contains specific dates and times with to-the-minute details of where the documents were stored, where they were moved, and who was involved.

Among the records were 197 that contained classified markings, including 98 marked “secret” and 30 marked “top secret.” The “top secret” designation means that unauthorized disclosure “reasonably could be expected to cause exceptionally grave damage” to national security,” according to the indictment. Mr. Trump turned those records over to the National Archives and Records Administration on Jan. 17, 2022, in response to demands from that federal agency.

On June 3, 2022, an attorney for Mr. Trump provided the Federal Bureau of Investigation with 38 additional documents with classified markings. And during a raid of Mar-a-Lago on Aug. 8, 2022, the FBI recovered 102 additional documents with classified markings.

While the U.S. Secret Service

provided security to Mr. Trump while he was at his Palm Beach property, Mr. Trump never told the agency that classified documents were stored there, according to the indictment. Mar-a-Lago hosted 150 social events – such as weddings, fundraisers and movie premieres for tens of thousands of guests from January 2021, when Trump left office, through the FBI raid on Aug. 8, 2022. Mar-a-Lago had about 150 employees during that time, prosecutors said in the indictment.

Prosecutors allege the documents belong to some of the nation’s most secret agencies, including the Central Intelligence Agency, the Department of Defense, the National Security Agency, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, National Reconnaissance Office, the Department of Energy and the Department of State.

The documents contained information regarding defense and weapons capabilities of the United States and other allied nations, U.S. nuclear programs, plans for possible retaliation in case of an attack and potential U.S. vulnerabilities, according to the indictment.

Mr. Trump stored the boxes in several locations at Mar-aLago, his social club with 25 guest rooms in Palm Beach. The boxes that contained classified documents were stored in a ballroom, a bathroom and shower, an office space, his bedroom and a storage room, prosecutors alleged in the indictment.

The club was not authorized to store classified documents.

Prosecutors further alleged that Mr. Trump showed classified documents to people not

authorized to see such records. In one case on July 21, 2021, at the Bedminster Club in New Jersey, Mr. Trump allegedly showed a writer, a publisher and two staff members classified documents. During the recorded interview, Mr. Trump said that the documents were “highly classified” and that could have declassified them while president, but could no longer do so after leaving office, according to the indictment. In August or September 2021, prosecutors allege Mr. Trump showed a representative of his political action committee a classified map of a country. Mr. Trump is the first former president to face felony criminal charges.

In April, Mr. Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts in New York related to charges he paid hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels through a lawyer before the 2016 presidential election and covered it up as a legal expense before being elected president.

COURTESY PHOTO

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez

COURTESY PHOTO

Former President Donald Trump

Lawmakers to hold hearing on post-pandemic federal backlogs

By J.J. BRANNOCK THE CENTER SQUARE

(The Center Square) – Congress plans to hold a hearing to address government delays from the COVID-19 pandemic.

U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas., the chairman for the Subcommittee on Government Operations and the Federal Workforce, announced Thursday that the subcommittee will hold the hearing.

During the pandemic, backlogs grew exponentially, causing Americans to wait longer for records required during loan applications and government benefits and for their passports to process, among other issues.

The subcommittee planned for the hearing, titled “Please Leave Your Message at the Tone: Addressing Post-Pandemic Backlogs and Delays at Federal Agencies,” to “examine the backlogs

of military and civil service personnel records requests, the Social Security Administration’s customer service line and disability claims, and passport backlogs.”

The subcommittee also will inquire on what the government agencies are doing to reverse the ongoing delays.

Rep. Sessions expressed his desire for the agencies to be cleared of delays and backlogs so the American people can continue to receive quick responses and help from the services they rely on. He also wanted to ensure the agencies were taking steps to prevent future similar problems.

“I look forward to hearing from the witnesses before the subcommittee on what plans are in place at these federal agencies to clear the backlogs, and ensure acceptable service now and in the future,” Rep. Sessions said. The hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, June 21.

House Select Committee requests detailed report on China’s intellectual property theft

By J.J. BRANNOCK

THE CENTER SQUARE

(The Center Square) – Federal lawmakers are raising increasing concerns about Chinese intellectual property theft. Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party Chairman Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., and Committee on Small Business Chairman Roger Williams, RTexas., sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland asking about the Department of Justice’s efforts to combat Chinese intellectual property theft.

The chairmen said their committees are “deeply concerned about the pervasive threat of Chinese intellectual property theft and its impact on American small businesses – the backbone of our economy.” They requested information on the Department of Justice’s efforts in addressing this threat.

According to the Commission on the Theft of American Intellectual Property, Chinese IP theft costs the U.S. economy up to $600 billion annually as of 2017.

Some examples of this economic loss include the creation of counterfeit inventions stolen from small businesses that spent tens

According to the Commission on the Theft of American Intellectual Property, Chinese IP theft costs the U.S. economy up to $600 billion annually as of 2017.

of thousands of dollars to patent.

The Chinese counterfeiters simply copied the patents, registered them in China, and began selling them on Chinese e-commerce markets.

Rep. Williams and Rep. Gallagher said in the letter that “the Department has a Task Force on Intellectual Property that ‘is part of a Departmentwide initiative to confront the growing number of domestic and international intellectual property crimes’ and ‘works to identify and implement a multifaceted strategy with our federal, state, and international partners to effectively combat this type of crime.’

“However, it remains unclear as to how many Chinese entities are held accountable for their illegal activities,” the letter added.

The committees requested that the DOJ provide them with a briefing, including overviews on the current measures to

help small businesses protect their intellectual property, to investigate IP theft and hold those guilty parties accountable, mainly in China, and to explain how the Protect American IP Act was implemented.

They also asked for detailed plans for strengthening investigative efforts to ensure protection against IP theft, information on the DOJ’s collaboration with state and local governments to investigate IP theft cases, and details on the department’s plans to combat counterfeit products also be included in the report.

Rep. Gallagher and Rep. Williams requested the detailed briefing no later than June 30.

The two chairmen, as well as Vice Chairman of the Committee on Small Business Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-Mo., and 19 other members of Congress, all signed the letter.

Board agrees to spend more on costs related to climate change

BOARD

Continued from Page A1

Mrs. Miyasato.

The board also committed to spend more on climate change-related costs, including $160,000 to be spent largely on a Sustainability Transportation Electrification Specialist.

“Our electric vehicle ownership as of 2022 was lower than the state average,” said County Supervisor Das Williams. “Maybe that’s a reality check, but also

room for improvement.”

The Board of Supervisors also agreed to spend $11.9 million of one-time funds on projects like a $3.5 million courthouse roof replacement, and $2.5 million worth of heating, ventilation and air conditioning efficiency improvement projects.

In total, the 2023-24 budget reaches a total of $1.52 billion in operating revenues, and $1.48 billion in operating expenses.

email: lhibbert@newspress.com

Operation ‘focused on targeting fentanyl trafficking’

FENTANYL

Continued from Page A4 drug markets which averages 2 deaths per day.

San Francisco reached a critical point last month when overdose deaths increased by

REVUE

Continued from Page A3

41%. In the first three months of 2023, the city had 268 drug-related deaths and over 330 more opiate overdoses in 11 months averted through the use of Narcan. Local agencies are building large-scale cases with information gathered by law enforcement and the continued efforts of CalGuard

of poop scooped from Fog City streets is delivered to the Governor’s Mansion in Sacramento, where it belongs.

“NEW PUSH TO MAKE EL DORADO COUNTY

ITS OWN STATE BREAKING AWAY FROM CALIFORNIA” Secession fever is contagious.

For the same reason numerous counties in eastern Oregon want to become Greater Idaho (lack of representation in the state capitol), a new movement is underway by citizens of El Dorado County (which stretches from the Sacramento ‘burbs to South Lake Tahoe) to form their own state.

“13 PLACES YOU MIGHT FIND A KAREN CAUSING A RUCKUS THIS SUMMER.”

You know Karen when you see her: An irritating uptight white middle-class female who tries to police the behavior of others by loudly and aggressively spouting off.

I had my own run in with “Karen” when, during the ridiculous COVID-19 lockdown, I set up a portable table near a restaurant on Coast Village

in analyzing the crime syndicate web of connections.

“The operation is focused on targeting fentanyl trafficking, disrupting the supply of the deadly drug in the city, and holding the operators of drug trafficking rings accountable,” a release by the governor’s office said.

Road to enjoy my “take-out” in public. Apoplectic with rage, “Karen” first hollered, then called the cops and waited an hour before realizing they would not show up to enforce her stupid nonsense.

The places mentioned here to find Karen are coffee shops, parking lots, hotel lobbies, the sidewalk, public parks, grocery stores and airports.

In other words, Karen is just about everywhere.

The best policy for dealing with Karen: Laugh uproariously while recording her tantrum on your phone, which, of course, ramps up the histrionics and produces an even more outrageous performance.

This could give rise to a whole new sport (and phrase): Karen-baiting.

LETTER FROM SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAS:

“We’d like to invite you to a short survey about SoCalGas. It should take 5-10 minutes to complete.

Thanks in advance for your feedback.”

My feedback: “I charge $10 per minute for surveys. Please send a check in advance.”

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

WILL REOPEN FOR THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMS

Garden Court Gardens on Hope

Project Based Section 8 Senior Subsidized Johnson Court

To apply scan or visit myaccount.hacsb.org

Each list is ranked separately and based on date and time of application and preference points. The Section 8 waitlist will remain closed.

Housing Authority de la Ciudad de Santa Bárbara anuncia

A PARTIR DEL 20 DE JUNIO DEL 2023 SOLICITUDES PARA LA SIGUIENTES LISTAS SERÁN ACEPTADAS

Garden Court Gardens on Hope

Project Based Section 8 Senior Subsidized Johnson Court

Las solicitudes serán aceptadas por la página web myaccount.hacsb.org a partir del 20 de junio del 2023 a las 8:00 AM.

Si necesita adaptación razonable y/o una aplicación en papel, favor de comunicarse con nuestra oficina al número a continuación.

Para aplicar, visítenos a myaccount.hacsb.org

La clasificación de la lista de espera se basa en la fecha y hora de solicitud y los puntos de preferencia. La lista de Sección 8 permanecerá cerrada

The Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara 808 Laguna Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101

( 805) 965-1071

Managing Editor Dave Mason dmason@newspress.com

Life theArts

SATURDAY, JUNE 17, 2023

Lights! cameras! ...

SUMMER!

CALENDAR

Movie season features everyone from Indiana Jones to Barbie

By DAVE MASON NEWS-PRESS MANAGING EDITOR

Indiana Jones is back.

And that alone is enough to get fans excited about the summer movie season.

At age 80, Harrison Ford is still rushing into danger as the character he first played in “The Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981).

Indiana Jones is a down-to-earth archaeologist who’s not crazy about snakes but likes to chase after rare items. Problem is, he’s always chased by bad guys. Somehow, Indy survives.

Indiana Jones doesn’t have all the answers, and the fun is watching him figure out how to get out of the tightest corners when things don’t go well (which is often).

Fans will see Indy back in action in “Indiana Jones and the Dial of the Destiny” on June 30.

Here are other highlights among films in June and July.

THIS WEEKEND

— “Elementals”: The DisneyPixar movie is about Ember and Wade and a city of residents who

are made of fire, water, land and air. Peter Sohn directs the film starring the voices of Leah Lewis, Mamoudou Athie and Ronnie Del Carmen.

— “The Flash”: Ezra Miller stars as the young Barry Allen, who uses his speedster skills to travel back to life to save his family. Well,

it’s hard to fix the past without messing up the present, and the Flash/Barry Allen is trapped in a reality where General Zod of Krypton (Michael Shannon) has returned to destroy the world.

The Warner Bros./DC Studios film features Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck reprising their roles

as Batman, and Sasha Calle flies into the story as Supergirl.

The film is being released on the heels of “The Flash,” the TV series, wrapping up its long run on The CW with a different cast.

— “Asteroid City”: Director Wes Anderson is known for his quirky movies, and this one, based on the trailers, seems to have some fun quirks. It’s 1955, and everyone has come to a fictional American desert town for a Junior Stargazer/ Space Cadets convention. Everything’s going well until a real outer space alien drops by.

The film stars Jason Schwartzmann, Scarlett Johansson, Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton and Tom Hanks, with supporting actors varying from Rita Wilson to Margot Robbie, Steve Carrell and Matt Dillion.

JUNE 23

— “No Hard Feelings”: Jennifer Lawrence is back on the big screen in a film that she produced.

Ms. Lawrence stars as Maddie who meets rich parents wanting to find someone to date their shy son,

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.

1, 4 and 7:30 p.m. Circus Vargas will present its shows through June 19 at Earl Warren Showgrounds, 3400 Calle Real, Santa Barbara. Tickets cost $19 to $49 for general admission and $49 to $75 for special seating. To purchase, go to circusvargas. com.

6 p.m. Momentum Dance Company will perform “The Glow Gala” at the Lobero Theatre, 33 E. Canon Perdido St., Santa Barbara. The two-hour show will feature tap, ballet, jazz, hip-hop, contemporary dance and acrobatics with a total of 44 numbers. Dancers range in age from 3 to 18. Tickets cost $50. To purchase, go to lobero.org.

8 p.m. Ensemble Theatre Company is performing “Seared,” a comedy/drama about a restaurant, through June 25 at The New Vic Theatre, 33 W. Victoria St., Santa Barbara. Ticket prices range from $40 to $84. To purchase, call the ETC box office at 805-965-5400 or visit etcsb.org. Prices are subject to change.

JUNE 18

12:30, 3:30 and 7 p.m. Circus Vargas will present its shows through June 19 at Earl Warren Showgrounds, 3400 Calle Real, Santa Barbara. Tickets cost $19 to $49 for general admission and $49 to $75 for special seating. To purchase, go to circusvargas. com.

JUNE 19

6:30 p.m. Circus Vargas will present its final show June 19 at Earl Warren Showgrounds, 3400 Calle Real, Santa Barbara. Tickets cost $19 to $49 for general admission and $49 to $75 for special seating. To purchase, go to circusvargas. com.

JUNE 22

7:30 p.m. The Takács Quartet will perform at the Lobero Theatre, 33 E. Canon Perdido St., Santa Barbara. — Dave Mason

ZACH MENDEZ PHOTO

Head chef Harry (Andrew Elvis Miller) works at a Brooklyn restaurant in “Seared,” which Ensemble Theatre Company is performing today through June 25 at The New Vic Theatre in Santa Barbara.

PARAMOUNT PICTURES/LUCASFILM

WARNER BROS.

Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling star as Barbie and Ken in “Barbie,” which is among this summer’s anticipated movies. At top, Harrison Ford returns to one of his iconic roles in “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.”

SONY PICTURES

Percy (Andrew Feldman) and Maddie (Jennifer Lawrence) share some adventures in “No Hard Feelings.”

Why premarital counseling makes sense — at any age

It’s June and wedding season is upon us again. Whenever I attend a ceremony, I wonder if the couple has really talked about what their lives together will be like. When wrapped up in the warm bliss of love, couples sometimes forget to take a long hard look at the practical side of marriage.

Most couples spend more time picking out a new car than they do preparing themselves for the biggest commitment of their lives. Marriage is not to be taken lightly. It is a very serious decision, and you need to know everything you can about how you both view life before you decide to spend the rest of it together.

I highly recommend premarital counseling. It will answer many questions and help you avoid potential pitfalls. You know how much you love your partner and how much you enjoy each other’s company, but have you discussed the important things, like kids, the in-laws, and where you will retire? Unfortunately, most couples don’t, and that is how marital dreams can become a wedded nightmare. Premarital counseling can help you get to know each other and yourself at a deeper level. What’s important to both of you will come to the surface and you will learn to talk about your differences in a positive way. Finding the right counselor or mentor is

important. You can choose among many qualified marriage and family therapists who are trained in this area, or you can pick someone you know and respect to act as a guide as you take this time to learn more about each other in a nonthreatening way. There are some good programs available on the Internet as well.

Counseling can help you learn how to ask questions and get your needs met, without putting each other on the defensive. You should discuss how you will live, where you spend holidays, and what really matters most to both of you. Counseling can also help you avoid potential problems. If you discover that you don’t agree on how you want to live together, you can overcome this problem without becoming disagreeable or surprising each other a year or two into your marriage.

New Beginnings opens center on Montecito Street

By LIAM HIBBERT NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT

New Beginnings announced the opening of its new expanded office and collaborative center earlier this month. The expanded location will house the entire spectrum of services the organization provides in South County.

New Beginnings is one of Santa Barbara’s oldest nonprofits. It provides mental health counseling to low-income community members and helps work on homelessness for individuals, families and veterans throughout Santa Barbara County.

The new center opened on June 9 at 530 E. Montecito Street and will continue to help the more than 2,000 people who are served by the nonprofit in the Central Coast area.

“We are grateful to have found a new home,” said Kristine Schwarz, executive director of New Beginnings. “It was a complicated and lengthy process, but now we can take New Beginnings to the next

level. The need has never been greater, and the time is now. We look forward to expanding our partnerships and the number of people we serve.”

The organization works on four core programs:

— Community Counseling Center.

— Supportive Services for Veteran Families Program.

— Life Skills Parenting and Education Program.

— The Safe-Parking Program.

“This center will make an impact on our community,” said New Beginnings Board President Jackie Kurta. “For the first time, people in need can come to one site and get a full continuum of services to get them back on their feet. COVID-19 showed us all how fundamental mental health care is, as well as the need for safe housing and dependable resources.”

For More Information, visit the New Beginnings website at www.sbnbcc.org or call 805-9637777.

email: lhibbert@newspress.com

VOICES

EVERY SATURDAY

voices@newspress.com

You will learn to create a “we” from an “I” and how to best make practical decisions about your future together.

Premarital counseling also helps you understand the business side of your relationship.

Divorce most often occurs over financial issues, so you have to get together on how you will handle money matters. Most couples think that it will just all work out, and sometimes that happens, but what if one of you were to lose your job or would need to move to another town to keep the one you have? These are important things to look at before they happen so that you know where you stand and have agreed on how to handle these types of issues if and when they arise.

One more reason to look into premarital counseling is that divorce is a lot more expensive than counseling. Think of it as an investment in your future happiness.

Barton Goldsmith, Ph.D., is an awardwinning psychotherapist and humanitarian. He is also a columnist, the author of eight books and a blogger for PsychologyToday.com with more than 28 million readers. He is available for video consults worldwide. Reach him at barton@ bartongoldsmith.com or 818-879-9996.

Circus is still in town

CIRCUS VARGAS PHOTO

Circus Vargas will continue to present a variety of amazing feats today through Monday at Earl Warren Showgrounds, 3400 Calle Real, Santa Barbara. Showtimes are 1, 4 and 7:30 p.m. today; 12:30, 3:30 and 7 p.m. Sunday; and 6:30 p.m. Monday. Tickets cost 19 to $49 for general admission and $49 to $75 for special seating. To purchase, go to circusvargas.com.

Santa Maria Fair Board appointments announced

SANTA MARIA — Gov. Gavin

Newsom has announced the appointments of Alyson Guerra and Todd Ventura, both of Santa Maria, to the 37th District Agricultural Association Santa Maria Fair Board.

Ms. Guerra has served as corporate secretary at Santa Maria Valley Crop Service, Inc., since 2001, a family owned and operated business. Ms. Guerra is currently a member of the California Cattlemen’s Association and Santa Barbara County Cattlemen’s Association.

Ms. Guerra also earned a B.S. in animal science at California Polytechnic State University.

Mr. Ventura has served on the

community advisory board for the dean’s office at the School of Agriculture at California Polytechnic State University. Mr.

Diversions

Thought for Today

“Problems are not stop signs, they are guidelines.”

— Robert H. Schuller

HOROSCOPE

By Horoscope.com

Saturday, June 17, 2023

ARIES: The past month has allowed you to affirm yourself, Aries, and cement some aspects of your personality. You’re now entering a period of consolidation. It’s like you conceived a product, created it, and are now finally ready to put it on the market. The current period indicates that you will receive all of the rewards that your hard work has earned.

TAURUS: Today heralds the beginning of a very agreeable period. You will be especially happy, Taurus! You will project confidence, clarity, and charisma wherever you go. You used up a lot of your reserves during the last few months. You’ve made it to this stage just in time. Certainly you’ll agree that this is something to be celebrated!

GEMINI: Gemini, this would be a good moment to get rid of anything that still stands between you and achieving your goals. A certain obstacle might be sparking the impulse you have to blend into the background. Don’t forget that you’re an individual. This isn’t something to be overcome. It should be celebrated!

CANCER: The signs say that you can expect a very profitable few weeks ahead, Cancer. You’ve worked hard lately, and it’s only natural that you have finally arrived at this stage. You’re going to be able to measure the distance you’ve come and evaluate your power. Whatever you do, don’t think small!

LEO: The cosmos will ask you to make more of an effort, Leo. To do so means you will have to come back down to Earth and join the rest of us mere mortals. You may be cultivating your independence a bit too much. You seem to be pulling away from people. You should try to mix more and get involved in a cause that’s bigger than you. Accept working with others as a necessary component of your life.

VIRGO: A quest is in store for you, Virgo. You’re likely to engage in a search for physical or intellectual space. You may be asking yourself philosophical questions. Or perhaps you’re thinking of taking a long trip. Which will it be? Will you read philosophy or go to China? At this point, only the stars know.

LIBRA: In navigating your emotional life, Libra, you may feel

you’ve made a great effort in the past month. You’ve been available and conciliatory, and done your best to maintain harmony. Your efforts have paid off. Now you feel a yen for more spontaneity. It seems that the enterprising and reckless you has returned! Go ahead - you deserve this release after all of your disciplined effort.

SCORPIO: Scorpio, the cosmic signs indicate that your emotional universe will once again glow with positive energy. You will meet more people, and your encounters are likely to be profoundly gratifying, emotionally and intellectually. All told, the coming month is wonderfully promising for you. Two key things to anticipate are pleasure and sensuality.

SAGITTARIUS: For you, Sagittarius, the next few weeks portend a period of timidity. You will probably go out less, introduce yourself to fewer new people, and be less prone to showing off. But any relationships you do form will be much more intense than usual. The month ahead is quite promising, though you may have to readjust some of your attitudes.

CAPRICORN: You may have spent the past few weeks exploring other horizons, Capricorn, meeting new people, going out more frequently, or taking short trips. But there’s a significant change of rhythm in the air. You will settle down and bask in the comfort of your home. You will find that you have just the incentive you need to stabilize yourself for a while. Expect some pleasurable moments in the domestic realm.

AQUARIUS: You’re likely to enjoy a change in the rhythm and quality of life, beginning right now, Aquarius. Do you feel a need to take your friendships beyond superficiality? Perhaps you should reestablish contact with some past friends. After a hiatus, you may have some bonds to repair. You can expect another period devoted to sweeping the cobwebs out of your emotional life and letting in light and promise.

PISCES: Today you can expect to be more enterprising in your human relationships, Pisces. You may find new friends or enjoy quality time with old ones. The next few weeks provide excellent resources for improving your emotional well-being. Take advantage of it.

DAILY BRIDGE

By FRANK STEWART Tribune Content Agency Saturday,

June 17, 2023

“Simple Saturday” columns treat basic technique and logical thinking.

As declarer, you see dummy’s assets, but a defender can’t see his partner’s hand. To overcome that handicap, defenders use signals such as “attitude”: whether they want a suit led or continued. In simple methods, signal with a high card to encourage, a low card to discourage or offer no opinion.

Today’s West led the king of diamonds against four spades, and East played the eight. That card looked pretty high to West; he continued with the ace.

CLUB WINNER

South ruffed, led a club to dummy’s king, drew trumps and led a second club. He set up a club winner in dummy for a heart discard and lost only one heart. Making four.

I’ve heard players say a seven or higher is a “high” signal, a six or lower is “low.” That is nonsense. Consider partner’s signal in context. Here, West can see that East’s eight was his lowest diamond, discouraging. If West duly shifts to the jack of hearts at Trick Two, South fails. DAILY QUESTION

10

SUDOKU

CODEWORD PUZZLE

You hold: 5

You open one diamond, and your partner bids one

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 Saturday’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

spade. What do you say?

ANSWER: This situation is uncomfortable. You must tell partner a lie no matter what you bid. A bid of two hearts would be a “reverse” and would promise a much better hand. A rebid of two diamonds would suggest a six-card or longer suit but would be the choice of some players. Bid 1NT, though you would prefer to hold Q,

NYT CROSSWORD SOLUTION

Bad boy of fashion creates unique articles of clothing

It may be because the MET Museum in NYC at the Fifth Ave Gallery 899 is presently showing “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty” from May 5 to July 16, 2023, but fashion values are front and center.

I have been asked for the value of another fashion designer’s piece, this one by Jean Paul Gaultier.

Last week I was asked to value a Dolce and Gabbana dress.

This is a Gaultier jacket, which is a woman’s fancy men’s tux coat on the frontside, and a shiny silk vest that stops at the waist on the back. This one jacket sums up a few key elements of the Gaultier style: gender-fluid, yet fetishizing and obsessed with images of gender power.

This is a severely cut men’s jacket for women.

We remember Mr. Gaultier’s conical pointed bras (under men’s style jackets/and skirts and corsets for men), and his humor (classic formal wear at the front, party at the back) — a thumb of the nose at anything classic. He named his signature perfume, in a bottle that depicts a nude female torso in one of his corsets, “Classique” (created 1993). It was anything but classical.

Beginning to design in 1976, he became known as the bad boy of fashion, perhaps because he was not educated in design, art or fashion. He pulled his design ideas from many sources, all scandalous at the time. He dressed his models in outré styles but used common females, selecting his models from his friends, his staff, using over 60-something women, women of color in the 70s, plus-sized women, women spotted on the day of a runway show that appealed to him on the street.

He loved each body type of female, but he admired the erotic power of the hourglass shape of the 1940s. He is still designing today, and for PRIDE 2023 he has made a version of his perfumes “Classique” and “Le Male” in chrome bottles. (Both genders depict that sex’s nude torso modeled), each wearing a

T-shirt that states: “Get Used to It.” This celebrates the LGBTQIA community, as his website explains.

Speaking of his most iconic designs (the corset and the pointy cone bra), what were his major influences?

Lampooning and capitalizing at the same time the definition of “sexy,” he redefined provocative clothing. He used sex to sell, yet he designed for women who loved his clothing for its celebration of the power of sex (Madonna). A great example of this is his corsets displayed on the outside of the garment.

His grandmother Marie had a beauty salon in suburban Paris in the 1930-40s and was a fond admirer of feminine flounces and corsets, and Jean Paul loved her greatly. He also loved the Folies Bergère.

He is quoted as saying: “As long as your spirit is strong, you can show off your body!” and indeed he respected confident, powerful, unconventional females. He said, “When the breasts pierce the jacket, it is Power and Femininity combined.”

I watched a number of his runway shows on YouTube from the 1980s and 1990s. They are prescient in that they contain diverse influences and diverse bodies: Gaelic, African, Classic French, Burlesque and Showgirl styles, and fetishy masculine Greta Garbo styles as well: black clad women with gorgeous female forms wearing men’s suits and hats.

I had the occasion in New York 20 years ago to see a burlesque show performed by the beautiful

Dita Von Teese with costumes by Mr. Gaultier. She wore a conical bra beautifully (her boyfriend Marilyn Manson sat in front of the round stage), and I saw Donna Summers perform in Mr. Gaultier’s biker jacket with his tutu ages ago.

I love Mr. Gaultier’s Macho Chic style, and I also love the corset fetish of his.

He said, “The corset is not an object of submission but a powerful manifesto of ultra femininity.”

His style continues to be youthful. I noticed at the May 2023 MET gala, Mr. Gaultier dressed a celebrity in a bespoke gown created by one of his protégés, a young designer whom he has chosen to redefine his art form for 2023.

Mr. Gaultier also broke mold in the people he dressed: stage and screen couture for Madonna, Mylene Farmer, and Kylie Minogue, and costumes for films by Pedro Almodóvar, Luc Besson, and Jean Pierre Jennet. Today he designs for Dua Lipa, Christine and the Queens, Lil Nas X, Kim Kardashian and Rosalia.

In short, 1970-1990s fashion is hot in the market as great designers are now celebrated as artists. Mr. Gaultier’s jacket is valued at $300.

Dr. Elizabeth Stewart’s “Ask the Gold Digger” column appears Saturdays in the News-Press.

Dr. Stewart’s book “My Darlin’ Quarantine: Intimate Connections

Created in Chaos” is a humorous collection of short stories that end in personal triumphsover presentday constrictions. It’s available at Chaucer’s Books in Santa Barbara.

The emphasis on action movies will continue later during the summer film season. For example, Denzel Washington returns as vigilante Robert McCall in “The Equalizer 3,” set for a Sept. 1 release.

SONY PICTURES

This time around, Indy is looking for a legendary historical artifact.

— “Rudy Gilman, Teenage

Ryan Gosling star as icons Barbie and Ken in this romantic comedy inspired by the dolls.

Percy (Andrew Feldman), 19.

— “God Is A Bullet”: A detective infiltrates the cult that killed his ex-wife and kidnapped his daughter.

The film stars Nikolaj CosterWaldau, Maika Monroe, Jamie Foxx, January Jones, Ethan Suplee, Paul Johansson and Jonathan Tucker.

— “Past Lives”: Childhood friends are reunited for one week in New York City. The film stars Greta Lee as Nora, and her character’s two lovers are Hae Sung (Teo Yoo) and Arthur (John Magaro).

JUNE 30

— “Indiana and the Dial of Destiny”: Harrison Ford underwent some digital de-aging to play his character at a younger age during World War II, then is his 80-year-old self for the rest of the story. This is the fifth “Indiana Jones” movie, and it’s billed as the final adventure for Mr. Ford’s Jones.

Kraken”: A shy teenager finds out she’s a royal member of the sea krakens in this DreamWorks Animation movie that has a mermaid.

JULY 7

— “Joy Ride”: Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu and Sabrina Wu star as AsianAmerican women who travel together through Asia to find their birth mothers.

JULY 12 — “Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One”: Former IMF agent Ethan Hunt (Mr. Cruise) and his team are trying to find a horrific new weapon that threatens to destroy all of humanity.

Parts one and two were shot back to back, and part two will be out in the summer of 2024.

JULY 21

— “Barbie”: In what seems like great casting, Margot Robbie and

— “Oppenheimer”: Christopher Nolan directed this account of American scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer and the Manhattan Project that resulted in the atomic bomb. The cast varies from Cillian Murphy as Oppenheimer to Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Matt Damon and Kenneth Branagh. Emily Blunt plays “Kitty” Oppenheimer.

JULY 28 — “Talk to Me”: Conjuring spirits isn’t exactly a good idea, as this indie horror thriller shows.

— “Disney’s Haunted Mansion”: Inspired by the Disneyland attraction, this film is about single mom Gabbie’s efforts to get the ghosts to leave the mansion she just bought. Good luck! Rosario Dawson stars as Gabbie.

email: dmason@newspress.com

Editor’s note: Movies are reviewed on Tuesdays in the News-Press.

MOVIES

Continued from Page B1

COURTESY PHOTOS

Designed by Jean Paul Gaultier, this jacket is valued at $300.

‘Public option’ IS NO CURE

California’s revival of public insurance option ends badly for patients

Once a rallying cry for pragmatic Democrats, the “public option” has fallen on hard times. Several recent attempts to create such a government-run insurance plan at the state level have proven unworkable, unpopular, or both. And despite the support of President Joe Biden, the prospects for a federal public option look bleak.

Two professors at UC Berkeley are trying to buck this trend.

Richard M. Scheffler, who was a member of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Healthy California for All Commission, and Stephen M. Shortell have written a new report outlining their “Golden Choice” public health insurance option. They claim it will lower premiums and promote competition in the state’s insurance markets.

But the Golden Choice approach, like all public option variants, would choke off access to timely, high-quality care — and move the state one step closer to a government takeover of the insurance market.

The public option is generally defined as a government-run and -administered health plan that competes against private insurance alternatives.

But several states have opted to create a public option by coopting private insurers. Colorado, Nevada and Washington are all requiring private insurers to offer a plan that meets certain government standards, including premium caps. Nevada’s plan, which will come into being in 2026, will forbid private insurers that refuse from offering Medicaid managed care plans.

All the state-level public options in existence have struggled to launch. As Mr. Scheffler and Mr. Shortell write, state-level public options “have had little success in attracting enrollment or increasing competition among insurers to lower premiums.”

They believe that their Golden Choice plan will succeed where others have failed. Instead of turning the screws on insurers, Golden Choice trains its focus on healthcare providers. This latter group would “accept the financial risk of delivering health services” and in return “receive a riskadjusted, per member per month payment for each enrollee.”

Mr. Scheffler and Mr. Shortell say their model would provide providers “with a predictable revenue stream and with incentives to develop innovative care models and continuously improve patient care.”

But the model also gives providers a strong incentive to skimp on care. After all, they make more money if they can “keep patient care costs within a budget,” Mr. Scheffler and Mr. Shortell write.

That’s a recipe for long waits for appointments and endless appeals when Golden Choice inevitably declines coverage for something a patient wants or needs. And beneficiaries can bet they’ll have to pay out of pocket for any care they seek beyond the confines of the Golden Choice network.

In effect, Golden Choice asks healthcare providers to act like insurers. It’s just another HMO. But it’s an HMO with the backing of the state government.

A state-backed insurer could effectively order providers to participate in its network in some way. It would be tough for hospitals and doctors licensed by the state to say “no” to Golden Choice’s request that they take on the financial risk for treating its enrollees — even if doing so could be ruinous.

Public options also don’t have to make money. They can run perpetual deficits and draw on the state treasury to remain whole. That advantage could allow Golden Choice to artificially

Please see PIPES on C4

My letter to President Donald Trump

I’m torn.

Mr. Trump, you should be in the sixth year of an eight-year presidency. But you were outsmarted, outmaneuvered and outplayed by the opposition in the 2020 election and subsequently denied that second term you so richly deserved.

Instead of a continuation of the hugely successful America First program you had championed, the Democrats managed to put into office a pliable life-long selfserving political do-nothing who’d been relying upon his dysfunctional drug-addict son to enrich himself and other members of his family via a connection and proximity to U.S. policy decisions.

You — and we — believed that not only was re-election stolen from you, but that people close to you or that you had hired had actual proof that millions of ballots had been fraudulently stuffed into the thousands of newly placed unsupervised drop-boxes by teams of “mules” who had filled out those bogus mail-in ballots sent to every “voter” in states where they made a difference in the outcome.

You – and we – believed that you had won re-election on Election Eve 2020 but woke up to learn the morning after that you had not.

That the man you referred to as “Sleepy Joe,” the masked-up candidate who’d

DID YOU KNOW?

Bonnie Donovan

Let’s end the state’s Democratic monopoly

Are we supine bloats?

“Failing to act or protest as a result of moral weakness or indolence?” And “Worthless dissipated people”?

For more than 30 years, we have given a monopoly of power to the Democratic Party in California. We have destroyed even a semblance of democracy in this state because this monopoly of power destroys all checks and balances on government. The resulting attacks on our freedoms go far beyond party politics. Any group of people given such a monopoly on power will eventually abuse it. Now, and in future years, the state government intends to control almost all your personal choices.

Unless we take control of the political process in California, we will be no more than board pieces in a game of political Monopoly, where those in Sacramento control the loaded dice of decision-making.

The reality of the state government takeover of all local decision-making on zoning has hit hard on every homeowner on and around Grand Avenue on the upper East side of State Street.

Without notice to the surrounding neighborhood, a permit request from Los Angeles developers has been accepted. If approved, the building of 30 housing units on a designated R4 lot, slap-bang in the middle of a narrow street of mostly single-family homes will occur. Six of the new units are low-income housing. The other 24 will be market-rate housing.

We can anticipate that this will add at least 60 cars to Grand Avenue. Will they be under the approved one car maximum for the project? Just like 425 Santa Barbara St. and 425 Garden St., approved with no parking. The views from existing homes will be compromised. It is no exaggeration to say that “There is panic in the streets.”

Think that the unthinkable cannot happen in your singlefamily neighborhood, think again.

When our county and city representatives had the power to push back and resist the order from Sacramento to build thousands of new homes at rates several times higher than ever before achieved, they did not push back on the unachievable numbers. Instead, our elected representatives meekly obeyed their masters in Sacramento. Not the interests of us, who elected them.

spent the entire election season in a basement, who’d never conducted a campaign event that drew more than a few hundred people, and whose “rallies” consisted of cars beeping their horns in encouragement of their candidate, had taken the lead in the dead of night and had been declared the winner.

Unfortunately, those who told you they had concrete proof of election fraud came up well short of the needed proof.

Regardless of the merits of your case, you lost.

So, I’m torn.

I voted for you twice and continue to believe that despite your many personal flaws, you were a great president.

However.

If you do get the Republican nomination this time around and do manage to win the 2024 election – and we believe you have at least a 50/50 chance and a slight edge to pull it off – you’ll not only be as old as Joe Biden is now and as old as he will be at the end of his term, but you’ll also be a one-term president. So it is critical that you choose wisely when it comes time to name a vice presidential running mate.

But before we get ahead of ourselves, and before we give you our vote, there are things you must do to convince millions of us that you’ll conduct yourself appropriately if you return to the White House

Our small group has humbly compiled the following short list of prerequisites we’d like to see enacted before giving you our vote for the Republican nomination:

1) If you hire someone during the upcoming campaign and fire that person, do not belittle your hire. Say kind words, give them an exit that won’t sully their reputation or insult their dignity.

2) Neither condemn nor demean any of your Republican opponents for the nomination. You used that technique to win the first time around, but it won’t fly this time. There is too much at stake to be either frivolous or cruel.

3) Be respectful of fellow contenders such as Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Mike Pence, Tim Scott, Vivek Ramaswamy, Larry Elder, et al. Heck, be kind too to Doug Burgum, Asa Hutchinson and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, presidential candidates all. Pick on their policies, not their personalities and be honest about both.

4) If Chris Christie continues to bash you, Ok, we’ll look the other way if you decide to deck him, but otherwise, save your pithy comments for the Democratic opposition.

5) Don’t even think about forming a third party, which would destroy not just the Republican Party, but the nation.

6) Admit to a mistake here and there. Practice some humility if you want the millions of independent voters who will determine this race to vote for you.

7) You were good about your promises, so make a new one: that you’ll begin to tackle the unsustainable government debt that politicians of every persuasion have foolhardily burdened U.S. citizens with over the past half-century. We know you like spending “other people’s money,” but it’s time to put a stop to new debt.

If you can’t or won’t attempt to do at least some of these things, then please step aside and allow another candidate (such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis) who can win and serve eight years as president to run with your full endorsement.

We honor your service and admire and respect you and your family.

Please show us the same kind of respect and do what’s best for the country, whatever that may turn out to be, even if it means accepting the nomination of someone other than yourself.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Written by Christopher Roach

But we also are to blame. As the ancient proverb proved, yet again. “We reap what we sow.” If you value your liberty and your freedom of choice, you must pay attention and most importantly, act effectively against the unfettered wielding of power in Sacramento.

Are you safe in your own home from interferences by the California state government into your personal family life?

If you thought you were, think again!

A bill to modify existing law, influenced heavily by state Sen. Scott Wiener, is likely to be passed unless we all act to prevent it.

This law, AB665, is under review with modifications from the 2010 version. The modifications authorize relevant social workers, medical/psychological workers, and legal authorities to remove from your home and your care and protection, any of your minor children who are considered, by them, to be LBGTQ with mental health issues and/or transgender candidates.

James Buckley

PURELY POLITICAL

Sally C. PIpes

The author is with the Pacific Research Institute

Costs of lockdown

Driving a nation inside changed things forever

Wendy McCaw

Arthur von Wiesenberger Co-Publisher Co-Publisher

GUEST OPINION

County supervisors’ rascally rabbit trick

Santa Barbara County supervisors are apparently going to split the countywide ambulance contract between American Medical Response and the county fire department.

And, for the first time ever, the supervisors will not defer to their professional and politically independent staff to award the contract. Instead they themselves will make the final determination — using some very conveniently suspect arbitrary criteria I might add!

The process by which the supervisors came to this decision should be the subject of a grand jury investigation.

The county initially invited any and all competitors to see if they could beat American Medical Response in an openbid process after AMR enjoyed a 50-year run as the main ambulance provider. Sending the contract out to bid was not a bad idea because competition can often result in better outcomes for the community.

The county hired an independent expert to draft the requirements for the contract, and the county hired additional independent experts to review the contract proposals by AMR and county fire.

Things went downhill from there.

That is because AMR trounced the Santa Barbara County Fire Department with its proposals by a whopping 300 points.

As a result, County Fire filed two subsequent appeals to reverse the outcome of the bid process, failing in both instances.

Not to worry, however.

When the contract came before the board of supervisors, the supervisors pulled a rabbit out of their hat and decided to have both AMR and county fire share the contract.

My hunch? If County Fire had won the bid, there would be no contract sharing!

Nonetheless, there are no details that I can find as to exactly how a county of our size can have two ambulance service providers.

Despite having spent a couple of years working on a plan to have just one provider, the county apparently presented no information or analysis about the plan to have two — i.e., their surprise rascally rabbit.

When I raised this point to the supervisors, Supervisor Bob Nelson publicly stated that

There’s a disturbance in the Force. The world has changed. Something is different postCOVID. It’s hard to define but things are just not the same.

We’ve all heard about or know someone who says they’re dealing with long-term COVID. I believe the entire planet is dealing with a form of longterm COVID.

The global fear was overwhelming as we watched a virus sweep across countries and transfixed watching the death tolls rising, all wondering if we were next.

As it turned out, many of us were or knew someone who succumbed to the China virus. You can play the political tap dance all you want, but the virus came from China.

It’s been all but proven it was leaked from a lab that America contributed financially, which was doing research on how to kill as many human beings as possible.

When it was announced the world was officially dealing with a pandemic, heart rates rose wondering what that was going to entail. America always had a sense of false security that stuff like that wasn’t going to happen here.

what I was saying was untrue — i.e., there has been an analysis. Yet, when I followed up with an email asking him for the document reference, along with the time and date the supervisors reviewed the same, he refused to answer the inquiry. I might add, if Supervisor Nelson and/or any other supervisors have been privy to a report that has not been made public, that is a violation of the California Brown Act, which requires full transparency and disclosure in the government decisionmaking process.

I subsequently asked AMR in private if they had any knowledge of any such analysis. They have not. Neither have they been consulted on how a shared contract for ambulance services would pan out!

What is even more problematic? The three major hospital systems in our region — Cottage Health, Marian Regional Medical Center in Santa Maria and Lompoc Valley Community Medical Center, who receive some 31,000 patients annually via ambulance delivery — signed a joint letter to the supervisors indicating that they too have been kept in the dark!

Here is their statement in their exact words:

“While hospitals view this new provider model as an opportunity to advance the highest standards of care, enhance the current system, and improve patient outcomes, hospitals have not been consulted in how this new model would impact our ability to deliver superior patient care.

“The system must ensure that medically necessary, albeit unprofitable , interfacility transfers and critically ill transfers” (over 5,000 a year!) along with transport for mentally ill patients must continue to be provided 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”

County Fire Chief Mark Hartwig, who I credit for wanting this contract for the right reasons, nevertheless once stated that the county process was “arbitrary, capricious and entirely lacking in evidentiary/factual support.”

I find myself in full agreement for altogether different reasons.

But when planes full of infected travelers from China were allowed to fly into the country unchecked, that myth was squashed. COVID-19 rapidly burned its way from the redwoods to the Smoky Mountains to Martha’s Vineyard.

Then something else happened. Something almost worse than the virus.

Leading medical organizations and prominent virologists began imposing restrictions and “suggestions” on how to slow the spread based on guessing.

That’s when the extraordinary occurred: Liberal politicians suddenly earned their medical degrees overnight and became virologists themselves. They used their new-found knowledge to shut America down. To slowly strangle the entire nation a mere breath away from death.

It was when America stood still and long-term COVID took root.

The consequences of driving an entire nation indoors, the entire planet, changed things forever. More people turned to drugs and alcohol to cope. People stopped working and relied on government handouts; many still do.

The country lost its motivation. Kids didn’t bother with school and turned to gaming and staring at their cell phones.

Those who did work from home didn’t want to go back to the office. The ripple effect was empty office buildings and less productivity.

Suicides rose (sadly for black kids ages 10 to 24, up nearly 40%) and are still climbing overall, and our streets became flooded with 600,000 mentally ill drug addicts. Depression rocketed. People gained weight and didn’t take care of themselves. What was the point?

And now we see more and more kids, because they are mostly kids, unleashing their mental instability shooting up schools and shopping malls. Which I believe is a direct byproduct of long-term COVID.

We’re still on edge if we hear reports about another variant hitting Europe. Is this going to be the next round? Are politicians going to shut things down again? Do we have to go back to wearing the dreaded, worthless masks? Will you lose your job or livelihood because you didn’t get a booster? Will another virus be even worse and burn through more bodies across the globe?

The answer to that one is yes in my opinion. I think the day will come when the population of the planet will be reduced by a significant amount by a microscopic bug. Whether it be a man-made cause or natural, it will be beyond the control of us simple humans.

From this last bout, what were some other long-term consequences? Again, in my

opinion, despite having their own virus issues, China came out on top.

With our present leadership being the weakest in American history, businesses still struggling to rebound, many gone forever, a workforce who is nearly nonexistent, an infrastructure on the collapse (where did those trillions go that President Joe Biden alloted to fix our roads and bridges?), a depletion of our military supplies to a corrupt foreign nation (billions of dollars burning on the fields in Ukraine), inflation robbing the livelihoods of millions and our need to rely on foreign nations for fuel to keep our country going, we are in a very fragile state.

China and the world are watching our breakdown. We’re destroying ourselves from the inside out. The countries who want to see our destruction need only sit back and wait. At the rate, we’re going it won’t be that long.

Already our enemies are ramping up learning our military weakness, spying more and more (even from only 90 miles away), watching how we’re faltering and unable to get our act together.

I have to imagine there’s a great deal of snickering going on when we expose our absurdity by going after a former president. This is America’s greatest problem? Trying to rig an election?

China must be shaking her

arrogant head and wondering how come we haven’t figured out that President Biden and company are the real traitors. But I digress.

Mankind wasn’t designed to be locked up for months on end. Humans aren’t built allowing someone else to tell us how to live our lives.

We can only take so many lies until the truth emerges and then feel betrayed and stupid. This generated a lot of anger over having been misled and treated like children.

The world’s confusion over COVID was devastating. We learned there was no one we could rely on except ourselves. No one we could trust except ourselves. The entire escapade raised havoc with our rational thought. Some could handle it better than others, but too many are still struggling to unravel what happened. Some still can’t let it go. They see the virus everywhere and its unnerving.

Long-term COVID is real in the form of Post Traumatic Covid Disorder. The eight billion souls of the world have tried to get back to normal, but the fears linger when will it happen again and will we be ready?

Answer: No.

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

LETTERS TO THE NEWS-PRESS

Willful double standard?

Do we live in a country where there is a glaring double standard? Where Republicans are punished and persecuted, but Democrats are not?

Do we live in a country where there are two sets of laws, one written and one unwritten?

Do we live in a country where written laws are selectively enforced and only unwritten laws matter? Do we live in a country where prosecutorial discretion and selective prosecution are used to target Republicans, but not Democrats? Do we live in

a country where there is equal justice where prosecutions are determined by laws, not by a desire to punish your political opponent? Finally, is America descending into a communist, totalitarian state under the Biden administration? If so, what are you going to do about it, America?

Don Thorn

Carpinteria

What Old Glory means to me

On Wednesday, we honored the

flag — the day in 1777 when the Continental Congress approved the final design of 13 stripes and a circle of 13 stars.

For me, Old Glory is far more than a rectangular bit of cloth. Here is one reason why.

In 1988, my husband was awarded a Fulbright to teach American literature at Humboldt University, East Berlin.

We lived behind the Berlin Wall for six months.

I recall vividly, the times I would be walking along Unter den Linden, the main boulevard, and turning my head down a side street. I’d look for our U.S. Consulate — marked by the flag above its entry.

Every time I saw Old Glory, I would think to myself, “I am safe.” Safe in this foreign land simply at the sight of our flag and the Marines standing guard beneath her. Such a comforting scene for me as I found myself in the epicenter of Cold War geography. Among my most vivid memories, even after 40 years.

Celeste Barber Santa Barbara

Editor’s note: As reported Friday in the News-Press, 20 vehicles adorned with flags were driven locally to celebrate Flag Day. The story remains at newspress.com.

Our Miranda rights are endangered today

If you are arrested, will your rights include the ones prescribed some 57 years ago this past week, on June 12, 1966, by the U.S. Supreme Court?

That Monday was when that court ruled in the case of Ernesto Arturo Miranda. Mr. Miranda had been arrested in 1963 on charges of kidnapping and rape. After a police lineup, law enforcement officers led Mr.

Miranda to believe that he had been positively identified. Two hours later, he confessed orally, and in writing, to both charges, which led to a jury convicting him and the judge sentencing him to 20-30 years for each count.

The Supreme Court of Arizona upholding the conviction bothered an attorney with the Phoenix chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union so much that

he convinced a prominent trial lawyer to asssist him in appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court on:

— Whether the Fifth Amendment prohibited people from being forced to testify against themselves,

and/or

— Whether the Sixth Amendment gives everyone the right to counsel when accused of a crime.

These amendments

are part of the first 10 amendments — the U.S. Constitution’s“Bill of Rights. When are those rights applicable?

The Bill of Rights, as written, was only applicable to the actions of the federal government. Subsequent amendments extended their coverage to the actions of state or local governments.

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

the

radio station.

Andy Caldwell

Henry Schulte

The author lives in Solvang

ROSS MAYFIELD CARTOON

Columnist Henry Schulte is warning about the impact of the lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. Above is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s image of the COVID-19 molecule.

How about a campaign about principles?

With the most recent entry of former Vice President Mike Pence and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie into the presidential race, I count now 12 Republican candidates in the field.

Former President Donald Trump retains a strong lead in the polls, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis a strong second.

But it is still very early in the game, and even the most casual observer of politics knows that the situation is fluid and what will be remains to be seen.

What is clear is that in the big picture of things, Americans are not at all happy with the situation in their country.

In most recent Gallup polling, only 18% say they are satisfied with the direction of the country.

This is not new.

Over the last 15 years, there was only one month in which more than 40% expressed satisfaction with how things are going.

Looking at the breakdown by party ID, Gallup shows, as of April, only 4% of Republicans are satisfied with the country’s direction, 16% of independents and 29% of Democrats. This tells me there is a big opportunity for change to a Republican presidency.

But the question remains: Who and what it will take?

More importantly, will the presidential campaign be another exercise in bumper cars, where the one who makes noise the best wins? Or will we hear and choose a vision for the nation and its future?

Recently in a Wall Street Journal column, former Wisconsin Gov. and presidential candidate Scott Walker offered good advice.

Mr. Walker was an enormously successful governor and conservative reformer in

Wisconsin.

This made him a star, and he entered the 2016 presidential race. But he failed.

He attributes his failure to running on his record rather than laying out a vision of “big, bold ideas” for the country. Rather than listening to consultants and running on his record, Mr. Walker says he wishes he laid out an aggressive program like “a national flat tax, sending the responsibility for education back to the states and schools, work requirements for public assistance, and term limits for public service.”

I think it’s good advice. But I would take it one step further.

We need to restore discussion about what the country is about. Regarding issues, I know what I would like to hear. I have been writing about it for years.

On the economic front, we must get our fiscal house in order. Republicans had success in the recent debt ceiling debate. But relatively speaking, it was

Prime minister’s visit underscores British-U.S. ties

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of Britain has concluded a lowkey, largely successful visit to Washington D.C.

On June 8, he met at the White House with President Joe Biden, who appropriately referenced the importance of the close AngloAmerican partnership.

The leaders agreed on greater cooperation on defense and renewable energy. Prime Minister Sunak did not achieve a desired broader trade agreement, but that is not surprising given the ongoing uncertainty related to Britain’s turbulent withdrawal from the European Union.

Above all, the meeting again confirmed the close relationship between our two nations. This endures despite domestic political turmoil.

This special relationship was initially formalized and announced by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill during the darkest days of World War II. The two leaders met on navy vessels off the coast of Newfoundland in August 1941. Churchill returned to meet with Roosevelt in the

Arthur I, Cyr

White House and address a joint session of Congress in December of that year, shortly after Pearl Harbor.

The first of these historic meetings resulted in the Atlantic Charter, defining broad positive human goals of freedom and basic economic security. The follow-up session resulted in commitment to the concept of the United Nations, which moving forward signified the Allies’ goals in World War II.

This close partnership between Britain and the U.S., forged during the frustrating and terrible first years of World War II, has endured down to the present despite sometimes severe strains. The evolution of the AngloAmerican special relationship underscores important events of that global total war, as well as the Cold War and post-Cold War era that followed.

Prime Minister Tony Blair

a tiny victory. The country is still staggering under massive government and debt, which is retarding productivity and growth.

A major part of the government burden is tied to our bankrupt Social Security and Medicare entitlement programs that no candidate has shown the courage to take on.

On the social front, the country is dangerously aging because of the collapse of family and children and, for years, a free abortion regime. I want to see candidates take these things on.

But more, we need candidates to talk about what our country is about. Who are we?

Are we a free nation under God?

If yes, what does this mean? What principles does this translate into regarding how we live and how we understand our government, our Constitution and how we are governed? And what policies follow from these principles?

If we are not a free nation under

God, what does that mean, and where does it take us?

I return to the words in our Constitution’s preamble that say it is about securing “the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.”

What does this mean?

It is very nice talking about wokeness and the border and debt. But it has been too long since the American people were drawn into a discussion about the nation’s principles and ideals and what these mean for our lives and future.

Editor’s note: Scott Walker is president of Young America’s Foundation.

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.

Fighting woke

People hate Chris Rufo.

“Your agenda to turn our campus into a space of extremist indoctrination is harming our enrollment!” shouts a student at Florida’s New College. “You are the problem!”

“I’m not the problem,” Mr. Rufo tells me in my newest video. “I’m actually the solution.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis made Mr. Rufo a trustee of a state college. Mr. Rufo quickly moved to end what he considers leftist indoctrination.

“We fired the director of DEI and abolished her entire department.”

Mr. Rufo learned about indoctrination after making a PBS documentary on poverty. He started getting odd leaks from government workers.

“Mid-level bureaucrats, so exasperated with what was happening, started feeding me documents,” says Mr. Rufo. The documents showed that government Diversity, Equity and Inclusion officials pushed anti-white racism. Seattle told employees, “Work on undoing your own whiteness.”

It’s a product of critical race theory, says Mr. Rufo. “The intention is to have an emotional lever against you.” “What’s in it for them? I ask. “Career advancement, and cultural and emotional power over others,” he answers. Tweeting the leaks led to more leaks. “I did one story, and then I’d get five or six people sending me documents ... then suddenly it was 100 people and 1,000 people.”

A worker at the defense contractor Sandia Labs revealed that Sandia’s new hiring rules require them to always interview “at least one” woman and one minority.

“Sounds fair,” I say to Mr. Rufo. “Make up for past discrimination.”

“You should be encouraging a wide variety of people to apply,” Mr. Rufo responds. “But when we’re talking about nuclear weapons, you need to have the most capable individuals, regardless of race or sex.”

Millennials moving to the center and right

“Why must every generation think their folks are square? I swore when I was small, I’d remember all I did wrong back then. I hope that I recall that all before the baby’s due.” – John Sebastian

One of the most puzzling and questionable enigmas of modern American political parties is that the Democrats have had majorities that controlled Congress, much longer than Republicans have. At one time Democrats controlled the House for 36 consecutive years and 56 of the last 60 years. It’s also hard to believe they have controlled the Senate for 50 of the past 60 years.

On the other hand, America has elected more Republican presidents than Democratic presidents. Between 1789 and 2016, 46 Americans have been sworn into office as the president of the United States. Of these, a larger number belonged to the Republican Party than those affiliated with the Democratic Party. There have been 19 Republican presidents and 17 Democratic presidents. There is nothing more selfindulgent than the Democrats talking about their emerging permanent majority. In 2008, Democrats were convinced that millennial voters would propel them from one victory to another; because President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden promised to “fundamentally transform” America. And this generation would give progressives perpetual control over the government.

Robert Borosage, co-director of the Campaign for America’s

Mr. Rufo’s critics accuse him of making things up. The New Yorker profile on him

William Haupt III

The author is a Center Square contributor

Future, said during remarks at the National Press Club, “This is the end of the Republican conservative era” after President Obama’s victory. Overzealous Democrats predicted that this was not just about “change.” It was about an America moving further left of center that would lead to the creation of a permanent progressive majority.

Stan Greenberg, a Democratic pollster, raved about the emergence of a new liberal progressive era for America. He bragged that the Republican conservative movement crafted by Newt Gingrich had been “buried and crushed” by this new generation of young progressive and identity voters.

“We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”

– Barack Obama

What all of these liberal pollsters and Obama supporters failed to realize is that Democrats saw President Obama as an opportunity to take back the White House since he was an identity candidate running for president during a recession. Liberal media loved him and camouflaged his many indiscretions. He won because many blacks who never voted in their life turned out in mass to put him in office.

President Obama’s entire presidency was designed by beltway Democrats. They surrounded him with party watchdogs like John Kerry, Susan Rice, Larry Summers and

the Clintons.President Obama appointed leftist Janet Yellen to head the Federal Reserve, who floated his anemic recovery with zero interest rates.

President Obama’s signature legislative accomplishment was taking away our free market healthcare on Christmas Eve — Dec. 24, 2009. When he said, “You can keep your doctors if you wish and the only difference you will see is lower premiums,” identity and millennial voters jumped for joy.

“You will like it. Once we pass the bill after you read it and find out what’s in it.”

– Nancy Pelosi

Most of us grow up sooner or later, like it or not. Fifteen years after the left predicted a perpetual progressive dynasty, it looks like they went to a carnival fortune teller with a broken crystal ball.

Now that the bills are coming due, many of those who thought President Obama’s “change” was the second coming of the Enlightenment are changing their tune. Many are changing their political parties, too.

A recent New York Times report shows a shift toward the right among the same voters who drove the bus for Obama’s victory tour 15 years ago. Looking past the liberal talking points, this is part of a larger pattern for millennials. According to surveys achieved by the Roper Center over the last decade, voters under 50 have shifted to the right. This is unique since it’s mostly one generation. It’s common for those who voted for liberals to move to the center or to the right as they get older and more educated about politics. As they mature and enter the job

market, they recognize: To reap the harvest of capitalism, they must patronize the system that they were once told was bad and evil.

“Your own Self-Realization is the greatest service you can render the world.”

- Ramana Maharshi

The left- leaning Financial Times recently wrote that “millennials are shattering the oldest rule in politics by not moving to the right as they age.” Catalist, the Democratic data firm, agreed. They claim that Democrats haven’t lost any of the millennial vote.

But the millennials of 2008 are not the same as those of 2016. Some of the issues that drove the millennial vote in 2008, like the war in Iraq, same-sex marriage and progressive anti-capitalism mantra are no longer issues for them. This is especially true for millennials who have gone to work for large successful corporations. These businesses depend on profits made in the free markets. With most millennials facing the real world for the first time when they graduate from college, the social issues that attracted them to the Democrats are now actually working against them. They have turned to the Republicans’ colorblind messaging on race and the party’s focus on lowering the debt. They want inflation controlled and free speech protected from a progressive big government.

A poll of over 1,400 people sponsored by the Los Angeles Times and Reality Check Insights after the November 2020 elections revealed that a plurality of millennials consider themselves centrists. Over 50% are politically independent. A total of 16% are conservative, and 30% identify

as liberal. These numbers don’t coincide with the current propaganda from the progressive agitprop machine.

“The trouble with our Liberal friends is that they just know so much that isn’t so.”

- Ronald Reagan

Daniel Patrick Moynihan told us, “You are not entitled to your own facts.” Progressives showed us their vindictiveness when they vowed to avenge Donald Trump’s win over Hillary Clinton in 2016. In the 2020 election, they made social media censor conservative free speech and told liberal media to slanderPresident Trump and the GOP. They used all mail in balloting to eke out a Biden win over populist Donald Trump. Now they are twisting facts about their supporters to hide President Joe Biden’s many failures.

For at least 20 years, liberal academics and pundits have argued that a coalition of young voters, particularly blacks, Hispanics and women would enshrine Democrats as the eternal majority. But that was then, and this is now. Today, the Democratic Party consists primarily of identity and special interest groups. This is forcing aging millennials to go to the right to meet their socio political needs.

“When people show loyalty to you, you take care of those that are loyal to you. That’s how it is in politics. If politicians don’t stay loyal to you, you don’t stay loyal to them.”

- Solon of Athens, 501 B.C.

This commentary was provided to the News-Press by The Center Square, a nonprofit dedicated to journalism.

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Prime Minister Rishi Sunak visited the U.S. recently.

Government controls our lives

Continued from Page C1

The minor child will be taken away from you if you object, or act to protect the child from receiving, what they determine to be, required mental health or gender transformation treatment.

Any actions by you. as the parent, to protect your child from the state’s intent to make permanent bodily changes to your child for what, in most cases, is a transitory phase in childhood development, is considered child abuse under this proposed statute.

This starts with gender-change, psychological counseling, followed by pubertysuppression drugs, followed by male or female conversion drugs, leading eventually, to surgical mutilation and transformation of the appearance of their sex-defining organs.

The politicians in power are more afraid of feet on the streets protesting in their thousands, and by us acting to reverse their damaging legislation, than just letters in the mail.

Sen. Scott Wiener, again, introduces a bill. This time it is SB770. His intent is to create

universal healthcare in California. The bill directs the California Health and Human Services Agency to pursue discussions with the federal government to establish a unified healthcare financing system and to establish a clear timeline for the completion of certain milestones to obtain federal waivers that would divert all funding of existing individual medical plans in California such as Medicare, Medicaid and all private medical care plans to the Universal Healthcare Plan.

Under this bill, all existing funding of medical care would be directed to help fund and subsidize membership in universal healthcare in California, which would be mandatory, for all. It is also estimated that at least another $300, billion in increased taxation would be needed annually to fund this monstrosity advocated by the Democratic Socialists of America.

What this means for each of us personally, is that we will lose all medical insurance funding supporting us individually to a vast bureaucracy. Our individual medical accounts will be used to subsidize others. In addition, individual California taxpayers and businesses will have to bear the burden of at least an additional $300 billion in annual taxes at the

start. All evidence on the performance of such healthcare plans indicates that medical services are leveled down, and costs rise in excess of expectations.

How does/will our Sen. Monique Limon, D-Santa Barbara, stand?

Why are the county and cities spending so much on bike paths that few people use?

Sacramento plans to convert California into an all-electric economy by 2035. All the 31.4 million registered vehicles in California must be electric vehicles by then.

Also, all-natural gas appliances, water heaters and furnaces in our homes must become electric.

Most families will not be able to afford this massive, coerced, transition. Especially, dumping gasoline-powered cars, with no trade-in value, to buy a new or used electric vehicle, with a battery replacement cost of up to $25,000.

Their answer is electric bicycles, by government decree.

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

Are our rights being protected?

Continued from Page C2

They still are not applicable to actions in the private sector.

In the Miranda case, Chief Justice Earl Warren, somewhat infamous for his Warren Commission’s handling of the investigation for the assassination of President John Kennedy, wrote the Supreme Court’s opinion, including the requirement for law enforcement to tell a person who’s being arrested: “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I have just read to you? With these rights in mind, do you wish to speak to me?”

Those seven sentences became the standard after four justices joined the Chief Justice in a 5-4 opinion.

Why did four justices not join in the opinion?

One of those four, Justice Byron White, wrote, “The proposition that the privilege against selfincrimination forbids in-custody interrogation without warnings … and without clear waiver of counsel has no significant support in the history of the privilege or the language of the Fifth Amendment.” His using the label “proposition” is an indication of

his opinion. Here are the Fifth and Sixth Amendments, separated by paragraphs for ease of reading: can you find those provisions?

The Fifth Amendment:

— No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentation or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia when in actual service in time of War or public danger.

— Nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put into jeopardy of life or limb.

— Nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself;

— Nor shall be deprived of life, liberty or property, without due process of law.

— Nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Justice White’s point, that the Fifth Amendment may not “compel” “self-incrimination,” but does not forbid “in-custody interrogation without warnings,” and “without clear waiver of counsel,” “is valid.”

Under the Sixth Amendment, all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall:

— Enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial.

— Be informed of the nature and cause of the accusations.

— Have the right to be confronted by the witnesses

against him.

— Have the assistance of counsel for his defense. Justice White’s point of there not being a requirement of a “clear waiver of counsel,” is valid. Nevertheless, beginning with the retrial of Miranda, where testimony led to his again being convicted and sentenced to 20-30 years, the Miranda Rights became the standard for all arrests. Or has it?

Consider the hundreds, perhaps thousands, arrested for alleged Jan 6 involvement. Were they deprived of life, liberty or property, by being held so long in jail? Can courts use COVID-19 to deny the right to a “speedy trial?” Is being denied the right to “confront witnesses” denied when they are denied access to the video “witnesses” being used against them?

The right to the “assistance of counsel” is an essential part of the rights guaranteed by Sixth Amendment and the Miranda Rights, which must include the attorney-client privilege to eliminate communications with your attorney being used to violate the Fifth Amendment prohibition against being a “witness against himself” and protect the “right to remain silent.” Is the privilege always applicable?

This is one of the questions in the Florida case against former President Donald Trump. The facts seem to be that conversations President Trump

had with his then attorney Evan Corcoran are being used in the allegations. Actually, it was not the conversations but the attorneys’ subsequent transcription of his opinion of the conversation, much as was published by the then FBI Director James Comey after his meeting with this president. While these transcriptions were privileged, Obama-appointed Judge Beryl Howell required the transcriptions to review “in camara,” meaning for her eyes only, to decide if these communications met the only exception to the privilege: Were they made with the intention of committing a crime? The judge then turned them over to the prosecutor. Will the Constitution, Miranda Rights and attorney-client privilege, apply to former, and perhaps future, President Donald Trump? If the answer is “no,” will they be applicable to you if arrested?

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

Florida leads the nation in school choice

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was titled “How a Conservative Activist Invented the Conflict Over Critical Race Theory.”

“I post all of the original source documents for every one of my stories,” Mr. Rufo responds. “It’s so shameful when it’s exposed to sunlight that they’ve engaged in these accusations as a form of denial.”

“All 100 Fortune 100 companies

have DEI bureaucracies. It’s seen as second nature to endorse Black Lives Matter, a left-wing racial activist organization responsible for rioting, violence, but if you say, ‘I’m pro-life and I want a pro-life message in a corporate setting,’ it would be shut down immediately!

... Why are only one set of political ideologies allowed?”

I push back, “Because America’s history of slavery and oppression

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paid a high political price for his faithful support of the administration of George W. Bush in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Yet Prime Minister Blair survived politically and led his Labour Party to another general election victory. More important, the Anglo-American military alliance, and the durable wider NATO structure, was never really seriously threatened.

During the mid-1960s, the Johnson administration pressed extremely hard for at least token direct military participation in the Vietnam War. Australia and New Zealand, both members of

is so bad.”

“But that’s also based on a lie!” Mr. Rufo replies. “Of course, slavery is an abominable historical legacy, but the record of the United States on slavery ... is much better than almost anywhere else.”

Florida now has banned all public universities from funding DEI programs and from claiming that systemic racism is inherent in the United States.

But doesn’t that violate professors’ right to speak?

The free speech group FIRE calls Florida’s new university rules “flatly unconstitutional.”

“I worry about things you and DeSantis do,” I tell Mr. Rufo. “It feels authoritarian.”

“Impressionable young kids should not be taught race hatred,” Mr. Rufo responds. “These are commonsense restrictions that aren’t authoritarian. They’re

the British Commonwealth, did provide forces. In the case of Australia, there was considerably more than a token commitment.

Britain remained out of that war, for understandable reasons. In hindsight, this lack of support by a close ally was an early indication of the questionable nature of the American military escalation.

From the other direction, the most serious Anglo-American and wider Atlantic alliance crisis was over the Suez Canal in 1956. Britain, France and Israel launched a coordinated surprise military attack to retake the waterway and associated territory from Egypt’s nationalist government.

President Dwight Eisenhower

simply acknowledging that the state is the authority in the public schools.”

Florida forbids public schoolteachers from teaching the “1619 Project,” which argues that America was really founded when slaves were brought here.

“The idea that the founders fought the revolution to protect slavery,” says Mr. Rufo, “is so mind-boggling that even Marxist historians debunked it.”

That’s true.

But doesn’t he worry that the next Florida governor might require schools to teach things like the “1619 Project”’?

“Of course I worry about that,” says Mr. Rufo. “But that’s what democracy is for ... what politics is for.”

Really?

I think politics is for letting us choose representatives who preside over limited government — one that protects us from fraud,

was completely opposed as well as offended by lack of consultation. His administration forced an abrupt halt to the operation. No crisis since has so seriously threatened the alliance. Economics strengthens alliance cooperation. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s deregulation of the economy in the 1980s pays powerful dividends today. Canary Wharf, formerly grim docks and working-class housing blocks in eastern London, has been transformed into a mammoth global commercial center. Massive modern skyscrapers dominate the horizon, complemented by fashionable retail outlets. Prime Minister Thatcher’s heavy-handed style earned her the sobriquet of

A recent article in Politico’s Climatology section is intensely disturbing, especially when taken to its logical conclusions.

While the title on its own, “Can Hospitals Turn into Climate Change Fighting Machines?” might not be alarming at first glance, the content has sinister undertones that seem to be more common from those journalists most concerned with climate change.

It may be a good idea, as the article explains, for hospitals in the American Southwest to have more water-conserving landscaping, or patch up or replace nitrous oxide pipelines. However, I don’t want hospital staff who are devoted to “sustainability” foremost, and patient care second, treating me. A San Diego hospital “medical director of sustainability” brags about stopping the use of one anesthetic gas, desflurane, because when it escapes into the atmosphere, it stays there for “a decade or more.”

Indeed, the “sustainability” crowd in medicine seems extremely concerned with our use of anesthetic gasses, the American Society of Anesthesiologists say that they are responsible for “0.01-0.10% of the total global carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions contributing to global warming.”

That’s right – 1/100 to 1/10 of one percent of carbon dioxide “equivalent” emissions.

The document I’m citing recommends that hospital staff mitigate this alleged danger, primarily by using less anesthesia, or opting for the use of less effective topical or more dangerous intravenous methods because “they have less of a negative environmental impact.”

A quick Google search of the phrase “reduce anesthesia for climate change” will find you dozens of articles touting the environmental virtues of reducing the flow of anesthesia to patients.

For you patients out there let me remind you, doctors don’t use anesthesia for fun, they do it to reduce pain during medical procedures.

These misanthropic M.D.s are advocating nothing more nor less than allowing people to suffer in the name of sustainability. It seems the Hippocratic Oath of “do no harm” is being misapplied, from people, who can feel pain, to the Earth, which is not a living being and thus can’t be harmed by anesthesia use.

Some western doctors, hospitals and medical schools are also pushing to “decarbonize” the hospital system, because as the Politico writer says:

emissions of greenhouse gasses including carbon dioxide, methane and ozone — an outsized impact compared to the rest of the world. (Globally, health care systems contribute roughly 4.6% of total greenhouse gas emissions.) Without huge new efforts, the U.S. will have trouble reaching its ambitious emissions reduction goals.” If these stories sound warm and fuzzy because it’s allegedly responsible, and you don’t get a cold chill, consider this:

Why does the health sector in the United States make up a larger percentage of our overall emissions, compared to the world as a whole?

It’s because we have the best health care services in the world (regardless of what the socialists say). We dominate in biomedical research; we have the highest cancer survival rate in the world. Currently, if extreme weather hits a city, the hospitals are able to keep working thanks to backup diesel generators.

The United States and the western world at large are able to leverage energy use into high quality medical care, which translates to high survival rates of disease and injury, while applying proper care for child birth and other procedures 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Fossil fuels have made that possible. Unless a patient has no other choice, he or she does not want to wind up at a hospital or critical care center that relies solely on wind or solar power for its electric power supply. After all, you want top notch care when the wind isn’t blowing and the sun isn’t shining. What does the “sustainable” “net zero” option look like?

For that answer, you can look at the countries that have the least access to electricity, and thus have the lowest emissions, like Liberia, which use mostly wood and dung for energy. There are few, if any, modern neonatal intensive care units in those countries.

No amount of green roofs, micromanaging time spent washing hands, composting, or forcing vegan food down patients’ throats are going to stop the earth from its very modest warming trend. Nothing will ever stop bad weather from happening, much less giving up reliable energy.

force and theft, but mostly leaves us alone.

Florida leads the nation in school choice.

That’s great.

We’re better off when politicians give power back to parents. Then parents who want their kids taught the “1619 Project” can have that.

Those who don’t are free to pick another school.

Choice is better than diktats from politicians.

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.

“Big Sister,” but her forceful deregulation and opening of the economy were crucial to contemporary British prosperity and strength.

McGeorge Bundy, President John Kennedy’s national security adviser, summed up the Anglo-American partnership as “someone to talk to.” The conversation continues, to mutual benefit.

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.

“The health sector is responsible for 8.5% of U.S.

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10 issue of American Greatness online:

“Everything (Joe Biden) has offered has shown a relentless, unrestrained march towards perpetual social revolution – one indifferent to majority opinion, but fully endorsed by a chorus of managerial class leaders in business, media, healthcare, education, and government. The revolution would be enforced by a pincer movement of domestic intelligence agencies and drugaddled Antifa foot soldiers. In other words, the revolution’s conception and sustainment was a top-down affair.”

The “revolution” Mr. Roach is referring to is the social revolution the United States

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under-price private insurersand over time drive them out of business.

Eventually, the public plan could end up being the only plan available in the Golden State — single-payer by default.

Once that happens, there would be nothing to stop state officials from forcing all providers into the Golden Choice network — and setting that “risk-adjusted,” permember, per-month payment at whatever level they wanted.

We have protocols in place to limit medical tests on human subjects without their consent. Hospitals should be devoted to healing patients, not experimenting in loony sustainability projects on captive subjects.

is going through and has been experiencing since the 1960s. He suggests that the small few steps corporate America has taken lately, away from the Left’s never-ending insistence on compliance with their agenda, doesn’t resemble a pendulum swing to the right but rather a communist-like regrouping and consolidation of their gains to date. In other words, there is no “counter-revolution” so one must continue to resist.

If you’d like to read more of Christopher Roach, you’ll find him at amgreatness.com.

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

In this way, Mr. Scheffler and Mr. Shortell’s seemingly modest proposal could lead California to a future without private health insurance, where doctors are de facto government employees, and patients struggle to get the care they need.

Sally C. Pipes is president, CEO and Thomas W. Smith Fellow in Health Care Policy at the Pacific Research Institute. Her latest book is “False Premise, False Promise: The Disastrous Reality of Medicare for All “ (Encounter 2020). Follow her on Twitter @sallypipes.