1st Thursday Art Walk
‘I Can Still Hear You’
Event makes its return after 17-month hiatus - A2
Local novelist explores fatherdaughter relationship - B1
Our 166th Year
MEDAL COUNT
GOLD
33
SILVER BRONZE
36
Overall Ranking #
32 1st
75¢
S A T U R D A Y , A U G U S T 7, 2 0 2 1
SBCC mandates vaccines for fall semester By MADISON HIRNEISEN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
The Santa Barbara City College Board of Trustees voted to instate a vaccine mandate for the upcoming fall semester during a special meeting Thursday. In a 6-1 vote, the trustees reversed a prior decision to not require a vaccine mandate and are now requiring that all students, with limited exceptions, be fully vaccinated on or before Oct. 1 or when one of the vaccines receives full Food and Drug Administration approval, whichever comes first.
A few exceptions to the vaccine mandate apply to students who have an approved exemption based on medical, disability or religious grounds. Pregnant students are also eligible for a deferral. The decision came after weeks of mounting tensions surrounding the Board of Trustees, as many faculty members, students and staff spoke out against the board’s decision to not require a mandate. The board fielded input from more than 30 public commenters during Thursday’s meeting, who spoke both for and against a vaccine mandate. In the end, the board’s decision rested
on what was best for the safety of students and faculty, Trustee Peter Haslund said Thursday. “We need to do whatever is possible to create a safe environment on our campus, for students,” Mr. Haslund said. “Without a safe environment, we can’t do what we do best, which is to teach.” The resolution for a vaccine mandate was introduced by Trustee Jonathan Abboud, who urged the board to align with recommendations from Acting California Community College Chancellor Daisy Gonzales and the California Community College Board of Governors
President Pamela Haynes, who are asking that all community colleges in the state to adopt a mandate given the spread of the highly transmissible delta variant. “SBCC is a community college, and our students, employees and community are our priorities,” Mr. Abboud said Thursday. “Our students and employees are a major part of the community. Our actions have a wide impact.” “Enough is enough,” he later added. “We want this pandemic to end, and it’s only possible through herd immunity quickly achieved through mass vaccinations. Waiting for people to come
Fiesta rodeo returns
along is not going to get this finished, and this resolution is the most effective way to keep our students, our employees and the entire SBCC community safe and healthy. It is our most important contribution to reaching herd immunity and ending the COVID-19 pandemic.” Trustee Veronica Gallardo was the only board member opposed to the resolution, telling the board that adopting a vaccine mandate would limit opportunities for students who are looking to SBCC for an education. “Our job is to open doors, not close Please see SBCC on A4
Solvang Danish Days canceled
COURTESY PHOTOS
Solvang Danish Days has been canceled for the second year in a row.
By MARILYN MCMAHON NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
The Solvang Danish Days Foundation, planners and organizers of the traditional annual Solvang Danish Days festivities, have officially announced the cancellation of the 2021 event weekend. Previously scheduled for a two-day, in-person line-up, Sept. 17 and 18, Solvang Danish Days 2021 would have celebrated the festival’s 85th anniversary. “The decision to cancel this year’s Danish Days for the second, unprecedented year in a row breaks our hearts. The festival weekend is a tradition for so many members of our community, and we look forward to welcoming visitors to our city for this annual cultural event,” said Max Hanberg, co-chair. “However, with Danish Days scheduled for just over a month from now, and with so many unknowns due to the impending COVID surges, we felt that the safest thing to do for our residents and for our tourists was to cancel the event.” A major impetus for the event’s cancellation was the new facemask mandates set forth by the State of California and by Santa Barbara
County. “Solvang Danish Days annually draws thousands of attendees, a potential crowding situation which we wanted to avoid this year due to the spread of the virus’s Delta variant,” added Brenda Anderson, co-chair. Solvang Danish Days, which traditionally honors the 1911 establishment of Solvang by Danish-Americans, was also canceled in 2020 due to the enduring COVID pandemic. “Danish Days is a townwide celebration, and while we cannot hold this year’s festival as planned, our town’s still here. We do welcome visitors who are traveling safely, and our businesses look forward to giving everyone a taste of our ‘little Denmark’,” said Ms. Anderson. More information about Solvang Danish Days, including a brief history of the event and complete contact information, is available at www.SolvangDanishDays. org. Solvang Danish Days is on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, at facebook.com/ SolvangDanishDays, twitter.com/ DanishDays, and @DanishDays. Future event dates will be announced in the first half of 2022. email: mmcmahon@newspress.com
KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
Contestants compete during the two-person Open Ranch Class during the 97th Annual Santa Barbara Fiesta Stock Horse Show Friday at the Earl Warren Showgrounds in Santa Barbara.
By MADISON HIRNEISEN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
The Fiesta Stock Horse Show and Rodeo made its return to the Earl Warren Showgrounds on Friday, roping in a group of community members from across the county
FOLLOW US ON
anxious to be back at a rodeo once again. The atmosphere was lively inside the showgrounds’ Dome Arena on Friday, as attendees — most of whom donned cowboy hats — cheered for friends and fellow riders participating in the events. The show ran from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and will continue
66833 00050
3
THERESA GINGRAS PHOTO
The Solvang Village Band adds its musical spirit to Solvang Danish Days.
LOTTERY
in sid e Classified.............. B4 Life..................... B1-2 Obituaries............. A6
6
through the weekend. Among the crowd of cheering fans was Cheryl Bodnuda, an equestrian from Casmalia, who has participated in the Fiesta Rodeo for about 15 years. During this year’s show, Ms. Bodnuda could be seen wrangling Please see FIESTA on A6
Sudoku................. B3 Weather................ A6
Saturday’s SUPER LOTTO: 4-14-18-36-43 Mega: 14
Friday’s DAILY 4: 9-3-6-6
Friday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 9-18-40-46-69 Mega: 9
Friday’s FANTASY 5: 14-17-29-31-36
Friday’s DAILY DERBY: 06-09-11 Time: 1:48.69
Saturday’s POWERBALL: 5-21-32-36-58 Meganumber: 14
Friday’s DAILY 3: 9-9-8 / Midday 8-9-8