Santa Barbara News-Press: December 03, 2022

Christmas spirit shines bright

Large crowd gathers for tree lighting on State Street

By JARED DANIELS NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

Santa Barbarans didn’t let the cold and damp keep them indoors Friday evening, as well over a hundred people gathered together with friends and family to witness this year’s Christmas tree lighting event outside the Arlington Theatre.

The event, which is part of the Downtown Santa Barbara organization’s Season of Cheer, also featured a holiday “block party” inside Arlington Court that offered music by DJ Darla Bea and a variety of familyfriendly activities.

While event organizers expressed some concern over the light rain that fell on the city throughout the afternoon and into the early evening — a forecast that earlier caused the block party portion of the event to be moved indoors from its original location outside

Please see TREE on A4

Biden signs rail deal to avert ‘catastrophe’

By CASEY HARPER THE CENTER SQUARE

(The Center Square) – President Joe Biden signed a bill forcing a deal between several rail companies and a dozen rail unions to avert a Dec. 9 strike.

“With the signing of the Railway Labor Agreement, we not only spared this country a catastrophe,” President Biden said after the signing. “We ensured rail workers will get a historic 24% wage increase, better conditions, and a cap on health care costs. And I won’t stop fighting for paid sick leave for all workers.”

The House and Senate voted on the deal this week. Critics said the deal didn’t do enough for workers and that the process shouldn’t have been taken over by the federal government.

A report from the Association of American Railroads said that the shutdown would cost $2 billion per day and “would immediately harm every economic sector served by rail.” The group said 7,000 trains per day would be affected and would “trigger retail product shortages, widespread manufacturing shutdowns, job losses and disruptions to hundreds of thousands of passenger rail customers.”

Workshops to cover State Street design

By NEIL HARTSTEIN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

The city of Santa Barbara next week will host a series of State Street Community Design Workshops, where residents will get a chance to design the future look of the city’s main thoroughfare.

On Dec. 9 and Dec. 10, the city will host workshops at 821 State St. (between Canon Perdido and De La Guerra streets) for members of the community to help

Please see STATE ST. on A8

COURTESY PHOTO

President Joe Biden

Above, Santa Claus made an appearance to greet families during the event. Below, young visitors to the tree lighting ceremony had the opportunity to have their letters to Santa typed up on an old-school typewriter.

KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS

The Christmas tree is lit during the Winter Wonderland Block Party & Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony at the Arlington Theatre on Friday.

Broadband Consortium Launches speed assessment

By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

The Broadband Consortium of the Pacific Coast has launched a Tri-County internet needs assessment survey and speed test campaign.

The campaign is encouraging the public to report its internet experience and speed at home, work or wherever they connect.

“Initially we have been working over the last year on the Santa Barbara County Broadband Strategic Plan and (on understanding) the needs of Santa Barbara County internet users,” Shelby Arthur, collaborative coordinator of the Broadband Consortium of the Pacific Coast for Santa Barbara County, told the NewsPress. “This is a common practice on assessing internet needs across the state.”

The tri-counties are Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties.

The needs assessment survey for Santa Barbara County was completed in June 2022 as a component of the county’s broadband plan.

“We decided to take this opportunity to expand speed testing to the Tri-county area and reopen the testing for Santa Barbara County,” Ms. Arthur explained. “The program is funded through the California Emerging Technology Fund. There are similar speed tests going around in different parts of the state.

“This will help us compare what providers are offering in terms of speeds and what people in counties are actually experiencing,” she said. “This information will help us to assess discrepancies and build on the tests conducted in June.

“The Infrastructure and Jobs Act includes an imperative to upgrade and update the broadband infrastructure in our communities,” Ms. Arthur noted. “It also

includes funding to help communities upgrade broadband systems and infrastructure. It is important to know the speed of the internet in our counties or if they don’t have it at all.”

Data from the survey and speed test campaign will be mapped by GEO Partners, LLC., a geospatial engineering firm, and used to identify areas in the county with low or no access to high-speed internet. Within this test, individuals can also identify areas with low or no service or where access to the internet is unaffordable.

The News-Press inquired as to what areas of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties have low or no internet access.

“The priority areas include: Los Alamos, Cuyama, around Casmalia and Guadelupe,” Ms. Arthur said. “There are pockets in every community that are ‘under served,’ meaning no access to speeds necessary to conduct economic, professional and health activities.”

Maria Kelly, collaborative coordinator for Broadband Consortium of the Pacific Coast for San Luis Obispo County, told the NewsPress: “There are very few areas that have no access. Most of it is mostly the peripheral and unincorporated areas. As we collect data over time, I suspect we will find areas with low to no service. We are talking about internet service, not satellite service.”

Ms. Arthur said the assessment is live now and that plans call for it to remain open through June, but added, “If we continue to get the data we need we will continue to collect.

“The Federal Communications Commission has released the national broadband maps recently updated showing where there is access to the internet and where it is lacking,” she said. “These speed tests will help us with a local comparison and an opportunity to challenge the FCC map if it is not reflective of our reality. So we are pushing for the

Goleta Holiday Parade delayed until next week

By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

The Goleta Holiday Parade, which was scheduled for today, has been postponed to next week because of a high probability of rain.

The fifth annual event is set for 6 p.m. Dec. 10.

And the parade route is on Hollister Avenue from Orange Avenue to Kinman Avenue.

Hollister Avenue from Fairview Avenue to Kellogg Avenue will be closed to traffic, including e-bikes, starting at 5 p.m. Dec. 10 and will reopen around 8:30 or 9 p.m., according to the city.

The city of Goleta would like to thank the Goleta Lions Club for spending hundreds of hours preparing for the parade and to the participants, volunteers and sponsors for

pivoting to a new date.

The city said it is appreciative of all the work that has been done behind the scenes to make the parade happen and that it appreciates the community’s support as it shows up next Saturday.

Public parking for the parade will be available in the Yardi parking lot at 430 S. Fairview Ave. If your vehicle is parked in the parade route, it will be cited and towed, according to the city of Goleta.

Those attending the parade are encouraged to allow time for parking and, if possible, carpool.

For the latest information, go to goletaholidayparade.org.

The entire name of the parade is the Santa Cruz Market 5th Annual Goleta Holiday Parade Presented by Fuel Depot. email: kzehnder@newspress.com

Christmas spirit bright despite clouds

assessment to be taken sooner rather than later so we can get data to understand if we need to pursue challenging the FFC. The window to challenge the FCC closes in January.”

In December 2020, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the Broadband for All law to advance the state’s commitment to bring affordable access to high-speed internet service across California. The information collected through the Tri-County survey and speed test will be used to seek funding to improve affordable access to high-performing internet.

“Anyone living in Santa Barbara or SLO or Ventura counties is eligible for the assessment,” Ms. Arthur said. “We are interested in collecting information from your home or business.”

Ms. Kelly said the assessment is voluntary and that private information won’t be collected.

And Ms. Arthur noted that the FCC is providing a $30 subsidy to cover internet bills through its Affordable Connectivity Program. She said that in some cases, that would make internet access free.

email: kzehnder@newspress.com

FYI

The internet needs assessment for the Tri-County area can be found at pcbroadband.org/needsassessment.

The speed test can be found at pcbroadband.org/santabarbara-countyspeed-test-2.

To find out about the Affordability Connectivity Program, see pcbroadband. org/affordable-connectivity-program.

TRAFFIC, CRIME AND FIRE BLOTTER

Highway lane closures announced

Caltrans has announced the Highway 101 lane closures for the Montecito/Summerland/ Carpinteria area.

NORTHBOUND HIGHWAY 101

There will be one lane of traffic from Santa Claus Lane to Sheffield Drive, from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sundays and 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Mondays through Thursdays.

The on-ramp at Ortega Hill Road will be closed for up to eight months and is expected to reopen Feb. 14. Until then, drivers can use the on-ramp at Sheffield Drive.

The off-ramp at Evans/Lillie Avenue will be closed for up to four months and is expected to reopen Jan. 26. Until then, drivers can use the northbound off-ramp at North Padaro Lane.

SOUTHBOUND HIGHWAY 101

There will be one lane of traffic from Sheffield Drive to Carpinteria Avenue from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Sundays and 9 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. Mondays through Thursdays

The on-ramp at Santa Claus Lane will be closed for up to five months and is expected to reopen Jan. 29. Until then, drivers can use the detour on Via Real, Santa Ynez Avenue, Carpinteria Avenue and Reynolds Avenue.

The off-ramp at North Padaro Lane will be closed Sunday night from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. The off-ramp’s long-term closure is scheduled to start Monday and will last for up to three months. It is expected to reopen Feb. 28. Drivers can use the detour at South Padaro Lane and Via Real Carpinteria Avenue from Estero Street to Hwy 101.

Two Highway 101 lanes will remain open in each direction during daytime hours.

Caltrans urges motorists to drive safely and to slow down in cone zones. The speed limit is reduced to 55 mph for safety throughout the construction areas.

—Katherine Zehnder

Work on Olive Mill Roundabout postponed

MONTECITO — The start of construction for the Olive Mill Roundabout in Montecito has been pushed back a couple of weeks to enable Caltrans, the city of Santa Barbara and Santa Barbara County more time to finalize the longterm maintenance agreement.

— Katherine Zehnder

Seacliff closures delayed

The Seacliff ramp closures that were previously scheduled for this weekend have been postponed due to weather. The Highway 101 work has been rescheduled for Dec. 9-12.

— Katherine Zehnder

Correction

“Design Awards Gala” article in Friday’s Life Section should have read: “Honorable mentions were awarded to AB Design Studio for Hideaway Santa Barbara; Bob Easton AIA Architect for All Saints by the Sea Episcopal Church; and Michael Porter Architects for Highland.” An error concerning the architectural firm for Highland was in information provided to the News-Press.

The

KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS A Christmas tree is in the process of being set up on Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara as gloomy conditions persist Friday on the South Coast. During the 24-hour period ending at 4 p.m. Friday, .33 inch of rain fell in Goleta, .08 inch in Santa Barbara, 0.26 inch in New Cuyama and 0.24 inch in Santa Maria. The numbers are from the National Weather Service, which said highs in the county were in the upper 50s or low 60s (except for New Cuyama, which saw a high of 53). Lows were in the upper 40s or low 50s (except for, again, New Cuyama with a low of 39). The forecast calls for rain today in Santa Barbara County and showers here on Sunday.

Spymaster rules, part 2

Editor’s note: Here are more spymaster rules from columnist Robert Eringer, the former head of intelligence for the Principality of Monaco.

20. Welcome crisis.

You will identify your true friends.

During any period of crisis or uncertainty, take careful note about who deserted you and who remained loyal — and more especially, those who pretended to remain loyal.

Then go to a good bar, order a dry martini and light up a Cuban Monte Cristo No. 5.

21. Do not be disappointed; learn.

This is another rule for life in general. You cannot control others so don’t even try. Motivate and hope for the best.

The secret to happiness is low expectations. When something goes wrong, view it as part of your ongoing education.

Prince Albert of Monaco pledged to fight rampant corruption and money laundering in his principality. He hired a spymaster and later a chief of staff to assist him in this endeavor. But when faced with resistance from corrupt influences around him, the prince caved and reneged on promises he made to his spymaster, chief of staff subjects, foreign intelligence services and the world — and became complicit in their corruption.

22: Never take it personally — it’s business.

Sometimes, when vipers surround you it is hard not to take their venom to heart. But it is just business, nothing personal. Same as when you bite back.

23. Do not underestimate the opposition or become complacent.

Your targets may be better informed than you think. They may even have a spy in your camp. You do not know what they know. And it may be that their jobs, their reputations and even their freedom is at stake due to your investigations.

People get desperate when they feel threatened. And desperate people become dangerous.

24. You need formidable enemies to keep you sharp.

This comes from German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, who said you should choose your enemies with care; that an enemy is valuable to have in your life and that you rarely get on successfully without a few good enemies to spur you on.

Also, this gem from Nietzsche: The best weapon against an enemy is to discover that enemy’s biggest enemy — and get them both whacking away at one another.

25. Don’t complain. Unfairness is the history of mankind from the beginning. Just pick up the torch, and do the right thing.

Do not grow into a victim mentality. We are all victims of something eventually. The key is to rise above whatever curveballs life throws at us.

An old saying: If life hands you a lemon, make lemonade.

When the prince got swayed by his criminally minded establishment, I packed up the intelligence service I’d created for him and left town.

And when the prince did not respond to my final invoice, our intelligence files were transformed into an interactive hub of dissent so that, ultimately, truth would prevail.

26. Unlike the insecure personnel of most intelligence services, do not fear the media, courts and elected representatives. Embrace them.

Intelligence services are generally fearful of media enquiries, government oversight and/or being hauled into court by judges who can override confidentiality.

Many intelligence officers are risk-averse for fear of being exposed in the media for involvement in controversial operations. For them, it would be a career killer. They also fear prosecution for having violated some obscure statute of which their superiors were either unaware or ignored.

Intelligence bigwigs strive to avoid being grilled by congressmen looking to enhance their political careers

I never subscribed to such fears, believing it more strategic to solicit the assistance, witting or unwitting, of the fourth estate to meet objectives.

After establishing a relationship between Prince Albert and the CIA, I sought out and secured U.S. government oversight by establishing a relationship with a U.S. senator serving on the Select Intelligence Committee.

As for courts: When you are confident of the facts and everything you report and write can be proven through documents and witness testimony under oath, the courts are your friend, not foe.

27. Better to be safe than sorry. The shredder, the better.

Every spymaster needs a safe — a large one. We kept a large heavy-duty safe in our operational headquarters bolted to a closet floor. We also possessed an industrial-strength shredder (gifted to us by a friendly intelligence service) that slashed documents into confetti.

28. Assume everything said over the phone is overheard. Assume all texts, faxes and email are intercepted.

Most countries possess the technological capability to transform your smartphone into their own open microphone. They can listen not only to phone conversations but also your conversations with people around you, wherever you are.

Switching off your phone does not help.

The only way to ensure you are not overheard is a walk in the park (without your phone): Speak in a whisper and occasionally shield your mouth with your hand (in case lip-readers have been assigned to you).

I was provided a STE (cryptographic telephone) by a

Arthur Cyr to speak at brunch

SANTA BARBARA — News-Press columnist Arthur Cyr will give an update on Asia Monday during a Channel City Club and Committee on Foreign Relations brunch at Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort.

The “Santa Barbara’s Window on the World” event will run from 10 a.m. to noon at the resort, 633 E. Cabrillo Blvd.

Dr. Cyr, a UCLA graduate with doctorate with distinction from Harvard University, is author of “After the Cold War: American Foreign Policy, Europe and Asia” (NYU Press and Palgrave/

“friendly” intelligence service to be used for secure communication between the two services. But I soon discovered that the STE itself was a full-time open microphone. Thus the STE was relegated to a small table adjacent to the toilet.

29: If you are concerned about taking risk, consult an actuary: Odds are you’ll survive. Not forever, but for now you’re good. So be bold (assuming the gain outweighs the risk).

Always assess the risk. If the risk outweighs potential gain, drop it, move on.

The reason CIA spymaster Clair George became legendary among his colleagues was partly because he went to Athens as station chief when no one else at the agency wanted the job.

Richard Welch (station chief) had just been assassinated by a Greek terrorist organization, and they needed a new chief to fill the position.

Only Clair was willing.

The agency tried to sweeten the deal. For a start they’d buy a new residence for the new station chief. “Nothing doing,” said Clair. “I’ll live where Mr. Welch lived.”

“OK, we’ll put up 10-foot-high gates,” the agency said.

Clair said, “Nope.” He refused to hide himself. Instead, he enjoyed nightly cocktails on the residence’s front porch, in full public view.

Clair understood odds as well as any actuary.

30. Keep them laughing half the time, scared of you the other half. And always keep them guessing.

This was Clair George’s creed for survival and success in the arenas of espionage and cumbersome government bureaucracies.

Clair had a great sense of humor. But when he was not amused, he knew how to be scary.

And he was the master at keeping everyone guessing.

31. Risus Supra Omni (laughter above all); look for a high L.Q. (laugh quotient) in all you do. You need a good sense of humor for most things in life and most especially the spy business.

When I first started working with CIA spymaster Clair George, we had this ironclad rule about accepting assignments from billionaires and royalty: If it ain’t funny, we don’t do it.

32: There are no rules.

A few days before his 75th birthday, I took Clair George to lunch in Georgetown. Over baconcheeseburgers, I excitedly told him about a new intelligence principle I’d learned with reference to liaison partnerships called “The Third-Party Rule.”

Clair took off his glasses, rubbed his sore eyes and looked at me with amusement. “In this business,” he said, “there are no rules.”

33: “Groghe dani kez.”

This is an ancient Armenian joke and curse that means, “May the scribe take you away.”

In other words, a good writer always has the last word.

Or as Winston Churchill put it, “History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.”

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

Macmillan). He is also the director of the Clausen Center at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisc., and a Clausen Distinguished Professor.

His columns on national and international topics appear Saturdays in the Voices section in the Santa Barbara News-Press Weekend.

In addition to Dr. Cyr, Monday’s event will feature a performance by the Montecito Union School’s Sixth Grade Chorus.

Tickets for the talk are no longer being sold at the website (channelcityclub.org). But Dr. Cyr’s talk will be covered in Tuesday’s News-Press.

— Dave Mason

Could California have a masked-up Christmas? COVID numbers rising

By MADISON HIRNEISEN THE CENTER SQUARE

(The Center Square) – For the first time in months, California’s 7-day COVID-19 test positivity rate reached 10.8% over the last week, indicating increased spread of the virus as state officials report a rise in COVID-19 hospitalizations.

The last time California’s 7-day test positivity rate reached double digits was on August 20, when the rate stood at 10%, according to data from the California Department of Public Health. This week’s test positivity rate is higher

than the same time last year, when the state’s 7-day positivity rate on December 3, 2021, was 2.2%.

As case rates rose during the winter surge at the end of December 2021 and start of January 2022, the 7-day positivity rate spiked to 22.3% in the second week of January, according to data from the Department of Public Health.

While the current positivity rate is still significantly lower than the positivity rate during the peak of last year’s winter surge, health officials are warning that the state is already seeing an

uptick in hospitalizations. As of Friday, 3,793 were hospitalized for COVID-19 in California, according to CDPH. During the last winter surge in January, the number of patients hospitalized with the virus in a single day peaked at nearly 15,500 patients.

“COVID-19 cases are impacting California earlier than usual this year and the state is beginning to see an increase in hospitalizations,” the California Department of Public Health told The Center Square in an email,

Please see COVID on A4

We are accepting consignments of Chinese paintings, calligraphy, and works of art for upcoming auctions. Speak with a Chinese Art specialist today for complimentary and and entire collections.

Hannah Thompson +1 (323) 436-5585 hannah.thompson@bonhams.com

ROBERT ERINGER

Ceremony included a variety of Christmas-themed activities

classic Christmas decorations, and a space awash in red and green lights and the sounds of DJ Darla Bea spinning classic holiday tracks.

on the 1300 block of State Street — a steady stream of bundled-up attendees, many gripping holidaythemed cups bearing hot seasonal drinks from Starbucks Coffee, began filing inside to fill the space shortly after the event began.

Upon entering Arlington Court, attendees were greeted with festoons of gold garlands, other

Activities such as wreath making, face painting, a Santa Barbara Public Library pop-up, and a small artisanal market all drew heavy engagement from those in attendance. Other big draws at the event included a meet-and-greet with Santa, as well as a station where children could

dictate letters to the North Pole that were typed up on typewriters for a retro spin on the holiday activity.

As the clock neared five minutes ‘till 7, Santa Barbara Mayor Randy Rowse led the assembled crowd in a countdown for the tree lighting. Immediately upon the lights and tree-topped star flashing on at the end of the count, the San Marcos High School Band treated the gathering to a medley of Christmas songs that included

“Jingle Bells” and “Angels We Have Heard on High.”

email: jdaniels@newspress.com

FYI

To learn more about Downtown Santa Barbara events this holiday season, visit downtownsb.org/events/ holiday-events.

SBCC defeated in Monterey Bay Classic opener

By MICHAEL JORGENSON SBCC SPORTS WRITER

The SBCC men’s basketball team went into halftime leading Monterey Peninsula by a slim 49-46 margin in Thursday’s Monterey Bay Classic opener, but couldn’t find the offensive touch down the stretch as the Lobos pulled away to win 82-75.

Santa Barbara (1-7) got huge performances from sophomore guard Wilfrid Nado and freshman forward Aidan Mandel, who became the first Vaquero duo this season to score over 20 points in the same game. Nado enjoyed the

second-highest scoring outing of his career, putting up 29 points on 8-of-12 from the field and 6-for-9 on threes.

Mandel notched his second double-double of the year with 22 points and 14 boards, including nine on the offensive glass. It was the fourth time in five games that he scored at least 22 points. He also added three steals and a pair of blocks.

Despite their big performances, Monterey Peninsula (5-4) was able to outscore SBCC by double-digits over the final 20 minutes. The home side outshot the Vaqueros 50 percent to 37.9 percent.

On a positive note, SBCC was sharp from outside for the second straight game. The Vaqueros set season-highs in three-point makes (8-14 3FG) and percentage (.571). Outside of Nado’s big three-point shooting day, guards Elijah Simpson, Truman Teuber and Jacob Yamagish all hit one as well, combining to go 3of-4 between them.

Michael Jorgenson works in communications/ media relations at Santa Barbara City College.

email: sports@newspress.com

Coaches make debut at Bishop Diego soccer game

By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

Bishop Diego High School defeated Orcutt Academy 4-0 Tuesday afternoon during the first boys’ soccer game of the season.

The Santa Barbara school’s new head coach, Emmanuel Verduzco, and assistant coach Cole Richards

made their coaching debut with the Cardinals during the victory.

The four goal scorers for Bishop Diego were sophomores Dawson Pennestri, Dallas Van Wingerden, Thomas Gaggs and senior Oswaldo Perez.

Coach Verduzco is working with a young varsity team with only one senior, one junior, and a mix of freshman and sophomores.

Bishop Diego finished the 202122 season 4-2, putting them second in the Tri-Valley League. Coach Verduzco is an alumnus of Bishop Diego High School, class of 2006.

“It is surreal to be coaching on the same field where I made so many memories playing soccer for Bishop,” Coach Verduzco told the News-Press. “Most of these boys were born the same year I

graduated high school so this is a special group for me.”

Coach Verduzco was previously the head varsity soccer coach of Tri-City Christian High School in Vista. Coach Verduzco is also the owner and co-founder of Ageless Fitness, a specialized fitness studio for seniors.

email: kzehnder@newspress.com

Officials monitoring RSV and flu activity in addition to COVID

COVID

Continued from Page A3

adding that the department is urging Californians to “protect themselves and their families against COVID and other winter viruses” by getting the flu shot and COVID boosters, testing for COVID-19 when sick, wearing a mask in indoor public spaces and washing hands frequently.

In mid-December 2021, state health officials moved to reinstate an indoor mask mandate after the state saw a 47% increase in COVID-19 cases. At this point in time, state officials have not announced that the state could return to an indoor mask mandate, but according to the state’s COVID19 response plan (the SMARTER plan), “there may be conditions that warrant temporary, targeted and risk-based masking requirements.”

Several California counties are currently in the Center for Disease Control’s “medium” tier of community spread, which is determined by a combination of case rates, COVID-19 hospitalizations and the percentage of staffed inpatient beds occupied by COVID patients. The counties identified at the “medium” community level as of Friday include Los Angeles, Orange, Fresno, Monterey, Sacramento, and several others in the Central Valley and Bay Area.

With Los Angeles moving into

the “medium” community level this week, Los Angeles Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer announced during a press conference Thursday that the county could move to reinstate an indoor mask mandate if the region surpasses the threshold for the “high” community level. The current case rate in Los Angeles is 185 cases per 100,000, and the rate of COVID hospitalizations reached 12 per 100,000 this week, according to Ferrer.

Ms. Ferrer said the county could be in the “high” community level as soon as next week based on current trends, but as noted by the Los Angeles Times, it remains uncertain if that threshold will be met. If LA County does hit the hospitalization and case rate benchmarks to instate a mask order, officials could implement the rule a few weeks later, the Times reported.

Over the summer, LA County was poised to reinstate an indoor mask requirement after seeing a rise in cases, but ended up holding off on the mask order after seeing an improvement in COVID-19 case rates and hospitalizations.

Meanwhile, state health officials are also watching a rise of RSV and flu activity in California this winter, urging Californians to take prevention measures like masking in crowded indoor spaces, getting the flu shot and staying away from individuals who are sick.

Today Sun.

City Hi/Lo/W Hi/Lo/W

Cuyama 61/47/r 61/40/c

Goleta 63/53/sh 65/45/c

Lompoc 64/48/r 63/45/c

Pismo Beach 64/49/r 60/43/c

Santa Maria 65/50/r 62/43/c

Santa Ynez 66/50/r 65/42/c

Vandenberg 63/50/r 62/44/c

Ventura 64/56/c 65/49/c

VAN DYKE, John Ross

August 20, 1931- October 20, 2022

John was born in Kewanee, IL. to Charles C. Van Dyke and Frances M. Butterwick. He had an idyllic childhood in Galesburg, IL shared with his older brother, Clifford C. Van Dyke. The two boys spent summers with their grandparents in Kewanee, who owned a hardware store and a machine shop.

As a member of the Boy Scouts, John achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. After graduating from Galesburg High School, he attended Knox College in Galesburg and Bradley University in Peoria, IL, where he met his future wife, Mary Jean Thompson. John then joined the Navy and soon after they eloped in 1954. By chance he was stationed in Mountain View, CA and served on the Yorktown aircraft carrier. After his time in the Navy, John graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Soon after their children were born, the family moved to Goleta, CA in 1965.

As a loving father and grandfather his children and grandchildren were his pride and joy. He was involved in their interests and activities and was their number 1 fan at countless performances and sporting events.

John was a car, boat, and airplane enthusiast and an expert in all things mechanical. His family and friends would often comment, “He can fix anything!”At the age 78 he accomplished a lifelong dream to fully restore a self-made house car originally built by John’s grandfather, Charles Earnest Van Dyke, which has since garnered awards and accolades in car shows.

As an active member of the Graham Owner’s Club International for many years, John and Mary Jean travelled every year throughout the country to several car meets. He also participated in the Antique Auto Club of America, and Antique Outboard Motor Club of So Cal.

John will be missed by family and friends who knew him as a gentle, kind, and genuine man. He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Mary Jean Van Dyke of Goleta, his children, Tom Van Dyke, and Susan (Van Dyke) Patzlaff, both of Huntington Beach, CA, four grandchildren, Daniel and Jessica Patzlaff, and Tyler and Dr. Sara Van Dyke, and his brother, Clifford C. Van Dyke of Benzonia, Michigan.

At his request there will be no memorial service. If you wish, please donate in his honor to the Gary Sinise Foundation or a charity of your choice supporting U.S. Veterans.

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

To place an obituary, please email the text and photo(s) to obits@newspress.com or fax text only (no photos) to (805) 966-1421. Please include your name, address, contact phone number and the date(s) you would like the obituary to be published. Photos should be in jpeg format with at least 200 dpi. If a digital photo is not available, a picture may be brought into our office for scanning. We will lay out the obituary using our standard format. A formatted proof of the obituary and the cost will be emailed back for review and approval.

The minimum obituary cost to print one time is $150.00 for up to 1.5” in length -- includes 1 photo and up to 12 lines of text, approximately 630 characters; up to approximately 930 characters without a photo. Add $60.00 for each additional inch or partial inch after the first 1.5”; up to approximately 700 characters per additional inch.

All Obituaries must be reviewed, approved, and prepaid by deadline. We accept all major credit cards by phone; check or cash payments may be brought into our office located at 715 Anacapa Street.

The deadline for Weekend and Monday’s editions is at 10a.m. on Thursdays; Tuesday’s edition deadlines at 10a.m. on Fridays; Wednesday’s edition deadlines at 10a.m. on Mondays; Thursday’s edition deadlines at 10a.m. on Tuesdays; Friday’s edition deadlines at 10a.m. on Wednesdays (Pacific Time).

Free Death Notices must be directly emailed by the mortuary to our newsroom at news@newspress.com. The News-Press cannot accept Death Notices from individuals.

65/46/c

Palm Springs 72/50/c 72/51/pc

Pasadena 69/54/c 62/48/r

Paso Robles 63/49/r 61/40/c

Sacramento 49/41/r 59/43/sh

San Diego 67/53/c 67/57/c

San Francisco 51/47/r 58/48/sh

San Jose 55/45/r 59/45/sh

San Luis Obispo 64/50/r 61/44/c

Santa Monica 66/54/c 61/51/r

Tahoe Valley 39/30/sn 36/26/sn

Atlanta 66/42/sh 61/44/c

Boston 58/34/r 43/31/s

Chicago 33/21/s 40/27/s

Dallas 55/41/pc 51/48/c

Denver 48/27/c 52/35/pc

Houston 75/58/c 71/63/c

Miami 82/69/s 82/67/pc

Minneapolis 17/13/s 31/23/s

New York City 57/34/r 45/34/s

Philadelphia 60/34/r 45/30/s

Phoenix 67/56/c 71/54/pc

Portland, Ore. 40/34/c 38/31/c

St. Louis 39/26/pc 47/34/pc

Salt Lake City 38/30/pc 50/32/sn

Seattle 44/31/c 38/32/pc

Washington, D.C. 61/36/r 47/31/s

Dec. 5 7:12 a.m. 6.1’ 12:47 a.m. 1.7’ 8:40 p.m. 3.7’ 2:23 p.m. -0.3’

Beijing 33/13/s 33/14/c Berlin 31/30/sn 38/36/c Cairo 75/57/c 74/57/pc

Cancun 84/75/sh 83/72/pc London 46/36/c 42/39/c

Mexico City 75/45/pc 73/46/s Montreal 46/23/r 31/27/c

New Delhi 75/52/pc 75/50/pc Paris 40/33/c 39/36/c

Rio de Janeiro 83/73/t 84/74/t

Rome 60/52/r 64/49/sh

Sydney 73/60/pc 76/63/pc

Tokyo 56/47/pc 61/45/pc

PENA, Edward Gil, Sr. Edward Gil Pena Sr, of Solvang CA, SYVUHS class of ‘74 passed away peacefully in his home Sunday, Nov. 11th. Big Ed or “Humpy” to family and friends was a father, ‘Tata,’ a husband, a coach, and a well-known member of The Valley. He loved the outdoors, whether it was hunting, fishing or camping. Ed enjoyed BBqing for loved ones. In Ed’s early days as a ranch hand, he took part in several cattle brandings on many ranches in the area. He was a butcher for 37 years and finished as a transporter before retiring. Ed is survived through his wife Patty Pena, sons Edward Pena Jr; Thomas Pena; Sean Foy, numerous grandchildren, sisters, nephews, nieces and many others that loved Ed.

Visitation, Thursday Dec 8th, 6:00pm to 8:00 pm at Loper Funeral Chapel in Ballard.

Graveside Services will be held Friday, Dec 9th 10:00 am at Oak Hill Cemetery in Ballard. Loper Funeral Chapel, Directors

KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS

Dancers entertain the crowd during the Winter Wonderland Block Party & Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony at the Arlington Theatre on Friday.

Recipe for success

By ARTHUR VON WIESENBERGER NEWS-PRESS CO-PUBLISHER

L’Antica Pizzeria opened this month at 1031 State St.

Originally from Naples, the first U.S. restaurant opened in Hollywood.

The pizzas at the new Santa Barbara restaurant are made according to a recipe from 150 years ago, using traditional Italian flour and ingredients. Unlike

many pizzas, these are soft with a blistered edge meant for folding. And they’re heated in a woodfired oven.

The pizzas vary from marinara to margherita, dia vola, capricciosa, bianca al tartufo, pesto, and arugula and prosciutto.

Ingredients range from Sicilian oregano to truffle, mushroom, ham and cherry tomato.

There are more than a half dozen homemade pastas. They vary from spaghetti pomodoro

to cacio e pepe, spaghetti nerano, tagliatelle al pesto and maccheroncini carbonara. The pappardelle genovese includes slow-cooked short rib, and linguine pescatora features linguine, calamari, shrimp, clam, mussel and cherry tomato bisque.

For alternatives to pizza or pasta, L’Antica Pizzeria offers branzino, which is seared Mediterranean sea bass with mixed sauteed veggies, and scaloppina, featuring jidori chicken, lemon, mashed potato and broccolini.

And the desserts include a tortino al cioccolato (chocolate lava cake), tiramisu and gelatos.

There are also salads, including a unique version of the Caesar salad from a family recipe. The other salads are argumi (arugula, orange, fennel, grapefruit and citrus dressing) and barbabietole (heirloom beets, greens, goat cheese, hazelnut and balsamic vinaigrette).

And L’Antica Pizzeria offers a variety of antipasti, which features ingredients such as deep-fried zucchini flowers filled with ricotta cheese, deep-fried calamari and braised Spanish octopus.

email: dmason@newspress.com

Buyers show interest in South Coast homes

Ihope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday, wherever you may have been!

I am forever thankful for the trust placed in me by my clients to continually represent them in their real estate needs. I, as do all agents, know you have a choice and because of the choices my clients made this year, I am pleased to announce my yearly donation to the Santa Barbara Chapter of the Berkshire Hathaway Charitable Foundation in the amount of $50,000.

The real estate market continues to feel like swimming against the tide in some ways, with many “experts” talking about recession and rising interest rates, and certainly we all need to be mindful of the current and future economic conditions.

However, locally we still have many local, out-of-area and outof-state buyers seeking to buy. Although we’ve experienced some easing in the past four weeks, the continued shrinking inventory base is expected to persist into early 2023, which means prices are still being supported for the most part.

The market is very pricesensitive right now and no matter the demand level, if a property is not priced in accordance with the new market realities, buyers are and will give push-back on prices and expectations.

Priorities of “I just have to have a house” are now replaced with a more reserved decisionmaking process based on location, property condition and price point.

For November, we have seen inventory levels keep pace with new listings; the first time in several months. We have also seen an increase in the number of price adjustments.

Here are some statistics.

Montecito

New Listings: 8.

Pending: 8.

Price Changes: 5 Sold: 4.

Santa Barbara

New Listings: 28.

Pending: 29. Price Changes: 14. Sold: 31.

Summerland/Carpinteria

New Listings: 8.

Pending: 7. Price Changes: 1. Sold: 4.

Hope Ranch New Listings: 4. Pending: 0. Price Changes: 3. Sold: 0.

On a national level and looking at the S&P/Case-Shiller home price index: The June 2022 market high point was U.S. housing prices, which also represented the 10-year mark where housing prices had continued monthly price gains. Just think about

that: 120 straight months of price increases nationally for real estate! This also represents the longest continual growth in U.S. history.

I do not think we should be surprised that the market has adjusted in the last few months and taken a more conservative approach. The national index was down just over 1% for October, the 20-city index was down 1.64% and the 10-city index was down 1.62%. We are currently waiting for the November data, but it is expected to continue its downward trend, at least for the time being.

Before you run for the hills and sell everything, it is important to note that for the past year these very same indices are up 9.34%, 8.85% and 8.26%.

So, as we look forward to the new year, the market, although somewhat in flux, remains strong with buyer activity still outpacing supply, but pricing is key in the current environment and will be moving forward. Interest rates, although easing slightly in recent weeks, and continued uneasiness regarding economic downturn possibilities will continue to weigh on the market. There is a light at the end of the tunnel regarding insurance, as more companies are starting to come back into the local marketplace and offer coverage options.

As always, if you have any real estate questions, please feel free to reach out to me, and all inquiries are fully confidential. You may also follow me on Instagram @cristalsb and Facebook @montecitoestate or visit my website at Montecitoestate.com.

Cristal Clarke is a real-estate agent at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, which serves Montecito and Santa Barbara.

CRISTAL CLARKE

ARTHUR VON WIESENBERGER / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS

L’Antica Pizzeria makes its pizzas according to a recipe from 150 years ago using traditional Italian flour and ingredients.

L’Antica

The pizzas are heated in a wood-fired oven.

City of Santa Barbara to accept online business license payments

By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

In an effort to improve tax and license services. the city of Santa Barbara will launch an online business portal and move to a calendar-year business license renewal period in January.

The new online system will allow businesses to apply for, renew and pay their business license payments online. Avenu Insights & Analytics will administer the new system on behalf of the city’s finance department.

As part of the change, the city will transition to a calendar-year based business license tax program. The change begins with the 2023 license tax year.

All current business licenses will expire Dec. 31 and will require business licenses to be renewed in January.

Thereafter, all business license tax certificates will expire on Dec. 31 of each year.

Businesses that have already paid into 2023 will be eligible for a tax credit on the 2023 tax obligation that requires renewal by Jan. 31.

The city sent letters this month to businesses to explain the new process, according to a news release.

After the change takes place Jan. 3, businesses will still be able to apply, renew and pay for their business license in person at the Santa Barbara City Hall, 735 Anacapa St. Hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on alternating Fridays.

“We are excited to offer this customer service improvement to the thousands of businesses that do business in the city,” Keith DeMartini, the city finance director, said in the news release.

“Implementing an online portal, allowing payment online with a credit card, and standardizing the renewal process will allow for greater ease, more transparency and more efficient processes, ultimately saving time and money,”

Earlier this year the finance department launched its online budget book to increase transparency. In addition, the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada recognized the department for financial reporting for its annual comprehensive financial report for the fiscal year 2021.

email: kzehnder@newspress.com

presentation ceremony.

Spherion to

present $2,000 to Women’s Economic Adventures

Spherion Staffing and Recruiting (Spherion) Goleta and Oxnard are giving back this holiday season through the brand’s annual Community Giveback Program.

At 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Spherion Goleta and Oxnard plan to donate $2,000 to Women’s Economic Adventures during a check

Spherion’s Community Giveback Program aims to highlight the efforts of local organizations that are creating change in communities like Goleta and Oxnard.

All local residents are invited to attend.

To learn more about Spherion Goleta, visit spherion.com/our-offices/goleta_1182/.

To learn more about Spherion Oxnard, visit www.spherion.com/our-offices/ oxnard_1176.

— Katherine Zehnder

Design events to include pop-up art show

STATE ST.

Continued from Page A1

create design concepts.

Attendees will be grouped into small teams to design two or three blocks on State Street.

They will use a map of the street and game pieces that reflect potential transportation options and activities that could be included in the street’s long-term design. Each team’s design poster will be hung at the location. Each workshop will also include a brief project update and time to view other teams’ designs.

All events will include the same activities and be in English and Spanish. No professional design experience is required to participate in any of these events, and all community members are welcome. Child care will be provided.

And a pop-up art show focused on creativity and innovation, in collaboration with The Arts Fund, will take place during the design events.

Also, if you have not already taken the survey, the city encourages you to do so before attending a community design workshop.

A design workshop on Friday, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. is geared toward design professionals (e.g.,

those working in design, construction, land use and related fields). Participants are encouraged to stay for the duration of the workshop, although not required. An RSVP for this workshop is strongly encouraged.

A workshop Friday, from 4-7 p.m., is open to all community members. No RSVP is required. Participants are encouraged to stay for the duration of the workshop, although not required. Child care will be provided for families with children ages 1.5 years and older who are participating in the event.

A design workshop Saturday, from 9 a.m.noon, also is open to all community members. No RSVP is required. Participants are encouraged to stay for the duration of the workshop, although not required. Again, child care will be provided for families with children ages 1.5 years and older.

A Community Open House will be held Dec. 10 from 1-4 p.m. All community members are invited and are welcome to stop by anytime and stay for as long as they would like to view the workshop posters, review existing conditions and participate in a variation of workshop activities.

email: nhartsteinnewspress@gmail.com

Lawmakers to introduce bill exempting student loan forgiveness from state income tax

By MADISON HIRNEISEN THE CENTER SQUARE

(The Center Square) – Two California lawmakers have plans to introduce legislation when the Legislature convenes Monday to exempt the Biden administration’s federal student loan forgiveness from state income tax, a measure supported by state Democratic leadership.

The bill, authored by Senators Steve Glazer, D-Contra Costa, and Josh Newsom, D-Fullerton, would take effect immediately if approved by two-thirds of the Legislature and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, according to a press release.

“Many people have struggled for decades to make their monthly payments on their student loans, so the federal plan for forgiven debts is a welcome relief,” Sen. Glazer said in a statement.

“But, it is plain unfair – and yet another hardship – for them to have to pay income taxes on that forgiven portion of their student debt.”

The student loan forgiveness program, which provides up to $20,000 to qualified borrowers, is currently being blocked by lower courts. On Thursday, the Supreme Court agreed to hear oral arguments in the case in February 2023.

In total, the Biden administration estimated more than 40 million borrowers qualify for the student debt relief program. Around 3.5 million California borrowers are eligible for the relief, including more than 2.3 million Pell Grant borrowers, according to the White House.

Sen. Glazer said he is introducing his bill on Monday as an urgency measure “because we need this to be resolved before people pay their taxes next spring.”

Life theArts

A new take on Scrooge and company

Ensemble Theatre Company performs quick-paced adaptation of ‘A Christmas Carol’

By DAVE MASON NEWS-PRESS MANAGING EDITOR

You’ve probably never seen “A Christmas Carol” like this one.

Five actors portray all the characters — and sometimes, no kidding, the furniture — in a fast-paced Ensemble Theatre Company production that opens officially tonight for a run through Dec. 18 at the New Vic in Santa Barbara.

Mark Capri, who stars as Ebenezer Scrooge, is the only actor who has a single role. The other actors all have multiple roles, and that means there are times when they’re leaving the stage as one character and immediately returning as someone else.

“It’s madness,” director Jamie Torcellini told the News-Press. “They have to be supported by the entire crew. It’s quick. They exit, put on a new hat and coat, throw some snow over their head and come back.

“I almost feel like we should have a camera backstage so you can see the madness,” Mr. Torcellini said.

He explained the backstage crew is busy assisting the actors, preparing furniture for scenery changes and providing the special effects in the Dickens ghost story. “They never stop. They pick up their script and run to the next corner.”

The director said the result is a funny yet heartfelt production of playwright Patrick Barlow’s adaptation of the Dickens story.

“It hasn’t been done very often,” Mr. Torcellini, who likes the story’s themes of forgiveness and redemption, said about this adaptation. “We may be the second or third company in the United States to have done it.”

He said Mr. Barlow’s adaptation has more humor than Dickens’ original story. “There’s also silliness. Patrick Barlow does have a sense of the silly.”

Sometimes actors break the fourth wall and talk to the

audience.

And if you haven’t seen “A Christmas Carol” like this one, chances are you’ve never seen a Tiny Tim like this. In this adaptation, he’s a lifesize puppet, handled by hands, not strings, Mr. Torcellini said.

Besides the fun and creative aspects, the adaptation offers more insight in Scrooge’s life, said Mr. Capri, 71, who has been looking forward to playing the iconic role since he was a young man.

“Thanks to this adaptation of the Dickens classic, there are facets in his story that are told in

our show and not in others,” Mr. Capri told the News-Press. “We learn more about his background, his childhood, his schooling, his mother, his girlfriend.

“Scrooge is in a school that he was sent to because his father didn’t want him at home. Scrooge’s mother died in childbirth or soon after, and his father resents the child,” Mr. Capri said. “Scrooge was forgotten and put in a strict school with a cruel schoolmaster who damaged him as a youngster. He was in a love relationship with a woman, a relationship that he messed up because he prioritized goods and money over

companionship and love.

“I don’t see him as a victim. I see the influence of the past on his present character,” Mr. Capri said. “I see him as an absolutely rich and complex character.

“I’m not particularly shy about playing the nasty side of this man,” Mr. Capri said. “Everyone knows he will be redeemed. When the time comes for his redemption, he is so reformed and changed that you can recognize him only if you’ve seen the clues beforehand.”

Mr. Capri, who first played Scrooge at age 16 in a high school play, added that he likes the adaptation’s blend of comedy and

drama. “It’s ladened with jokes. The audience will find tons to laugh at, then the next moment the play’s either terrifying or heartbreaking. It’s a reason this adaptation is so special to me. It combines those three elements — comedy, heartbreak and terror — in one evening.”

Mr. Capri, who lives in Los Angeles, brings a lifetime love of acting to his role. After earning his bachelor’s in French and German in 1973 at Stanford University, the Washington, D.C., native studied at the Royal

Guitarist encounters jungle symphony, will play at SOhO

CALENDAR

By DAVE MASON NEWS-PRESS MANAGING EDITOR

Twanguero discovered a symphony of nature’s sounds when he walked with his guitar and computer laptop into a Costa Rican jungle.

He played his guitar there and recorded tracks for his album in the jungle.

“I was practicing every morning when the symphony of the jungle was at its highest point. It was 5 a.m. to 6 a.m.,” the Valencia, Spain, native told the News-Press by phone from his Marina del Rey home. “I started listening to what I thought was the key of the jungle. I was surrounded by birds singing in D major.

“There were birds and monkeys — monkeys who howl like King Kong was coming. Those monkeys were the size of cats,” he said.

Twanguero discovered that if he played louder, the animals in the jungle would become softer.

“I don’t think I tried to emulate the animals. I tried to communicate with them. I tried to be a part of the jungle

symphony,” said Twanguero, who will perform at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at SOhO Restaurant and Music Club in

Considered

TODAY 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The “Wings” juried exhibit makes its debut at the Santa Barbara Tennis Club, 2375 Foothill Road, Santa Barbara. The exhibit will be there through Jan. 4. For more information, contact Susan Tibbles, the gallery director and curator of exhibitions, at info@ susantibbles.com. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m daily. 10 a.m. to noon. The city of Goleta plans a Grove Park Master Plan workshop at La Patera Elementary School, 555 N. La Patera Lane, Goleta. Participants can make suggestions for the park, and the family-friendly workshop will include activities for children. For more information, contact Parks and Recreation Manager JoAnne Plummer at jplummer@ cityofgoleta.org or visit cityofgoleta. org/stowgrovepark.

11 a.m. to 2 p.m. C.A.R.E.4Paws is hosting a Howliday Donation Drive-Thru at Earl Warren Showgrounds, 3400 Calle Real, Santa Barbara. Supporters can drive through and drop off dog and cat food and monetary donations. For more information, visit care4paws. org/drive.

2 and 6 p.m. State Street Ballet Academy will perform “Rudolph” at the Lobero Theatre, 33 E. Canon Perdido St., Santa Barbara. For more information, go to lobero.org/ events/rudolph-2022.

7 p.m. Westmont College ensembles will perform during the Westmont Christmas Festival at The Granada, 1214 State St., Santa Barbara. The 18th annual festival will feature the Westmont Orchestra, College Choir, Chamber Singers and Choral Union. Tickets cost $22. To purchase, go to granadasb.org.

8 p.m. The Ensemble Theatre Company will perform “A Christmas Carol” at the New Vic, 33. W. Victoria St., Santa Barbara. Tickets cost $40$84. To purchase, go to etcsb.org or call 805-965-5400.

7:30 p.m. The Fall Dance Concert will take place at UCSB Hatlen Theater. The UCSB Dance Company will present new choreography. For more information, see theaterdanceucsb.edu.

DEC. 4 2 and 7 p.m. The Ensemble Theatre Company will perform “A Christmas Carol” at the New Vic, 33. W. Victoria St., Santa Barbara. Tickets cost $40-$84. To purchase, go to etcsb.org or call 805-9655400. Story, B2.

3 p.m. Westmont College ensembles will perform during the Westmont Christmas Festival at The Granada, 1214 State St., Santa Barbara. The 18th annual festival will feature the Westmont Orchestra, College Choir, Chamber Singers and Choral Union. Tickets cost $22. To purchase, go to granadasb.org.

7:30 p.m. Twanguero, considered one of the best guitarists in Spain,

The calendar appears Mondays through Saturdays in the “Life & the Arts” section. Items are welcome. Email them to Managing Editor Dave Mason at dmason@newspress.com.

COURTESY PHOTO Grace Fisher poses in front of The Granada, where The Grace Fisher Foundation will present “A Winter Music Showcase” at 7 p.m. Dec. 9. The fi fth annual showcase will feature everyone from the Santa Barbara Folk Orchestra to Jackson Gillies, WIll Breman, State Street Ballet Professional Track Dancers, the Westmont Chamber Singers, UCSB Maurice Faulkner Quintet and more. Tickets cost $18 to $60. To purchase, go to granadasb. org.

Looking back at iMacs

Ask the Gold Digger - B4

ZACH MENDEZ PHOTO

From left, Mark Capri, Bo Foxworth, Jenna Cardia and Louis Lotorto star in “A Christmas Carol,” which officially opens tonight for a run through Dec. 18 at the New Vic in Santa Barbara. Mr. Capri stars as Ebenezer Scrooge in the Ensemble Theatre Company production. Please see SCROOGE on B2

Santa Barbara.

to be one of the best guitarists in Spain,

COURTESY PHOTOS

Twanguero will perform selections from “Carreteras, Secundarias Vol. II” Sunday at SOhO in Santa Barbara.

“Carreteras, Secundarias, Vol. II” is a solo album by Twanguero, considered one of the best guitarists in Spain.

Twanguero recorded “Carreteras, Secundarias” (“Back Roads”), Vol. II in a Costa Rican jungle, where he found a symphony of sounds from nature.

Academy of the Dramatic Arts in London, where he graduated in 1975. In the late 1970s, he performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company, then lived in New York City for 10 years before returning to California and eventually Los Angeles. He earned his master’s in art history in 1994 at Stanford.

In addition to his theater career, Mr. Capri has acted on TV shows such as NBC’s “Frasier” and in movies. In “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” (1980), he played Officer M’kae.

“I was a young man. It was a lot of fun. It was shot in Britain, and I was living in London at the time,” Mr. Capri said.

Later, he played one of the stewards in “Titanic” (1997). His character is the one who gets a bloody nose when Rose, played by star Kate Winslet, punches him in the face.

“That’s the scene folks remember,”” Mr. Capri said.

“I’ve been an actor for 50 years and an amateur actor for 10 years before that. It’s something I knew I wanted to do at an early age.”

email: dmason@newspress.com

FYI

Ensemble Theatre Company is performing “A Christmas Carol” tonight through Dec. 18 at the New Vic, 33 W. Victoria St., Santa Barbara.

The curtain will rise at 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays. There will be additional performances at 7 p.m. Dec. 4, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 6 and 4 p.m. Dec. 10.

Tickets cost $40-$84. To purchase, go to etcsb.org or call 805-965-5400.

How to get through a hard time

There are many things you can do to make a tough time easier. Some may be hard to see if you are stuck in a negative thought loop. Here are a few ways to get started.

1. Remember that things may not be as bad as they seem. Usually in retrospect, what may have felt awful wasn’t really so bad, and that lesson can help you make it through whatever difficult time you are going through now.

2. Remind yourself that nothing lasts forever, not even when it’s bad. OK, it’s tough out there, or maybe your relationship is on the rocks. You can wait it out and things could get better on their own, or you could do a little research or counseling and see if you can make things better.

3. Hang out with people who care about you. They are your greatest asset. The time spent with those you love is time that heals your soul and reminds you of why you are here.

4. Read about how other people made it through tough times. I watched my dad go through a bankruptcy, and the whole time he kept saying, “Yeah, it happened to Walt Disney. He’s done OK, and I will too!” That may be the first affirmation I ever heard, and it worked.

5. Trust your inner resources. In your heart, you know you will never be in a cardboard box under an overpass, but the fear may loom, and if you live paycheck to paycheck and are just getting by, you really have to rely on your own strength and ingenuity to help you get through this time.

6. Make cutting back part of the process. So this year Christmas won’t be as big as it was last year. That is totally fine. You can make it seem bigger and better by just wrapping up as many little gifts as you can. The process of opening gifts and finding out

CALENDAR

Continued from Page B1

will perform at the SOhO Restaurant and Music Club, 1221 State St., Suite 205, Santa Barbara. Tickets cost $25 for general admission and $67 for a dinner reservation and priority seating. To purchase, go to www.sohosb.com.

DEC. 7 4 p.m. The Hoodlum Friends will perform at 4 p.m. at Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara. The concert is free.

5 to 7 p.m.: A free candlelight concert series takes place on the steps of the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, 1130 State St., Santa Barbara.

DEC. 9 4:30 to 6 p.m. A reception for the “Wings” juried exhibit will take place at at the Santa Barbara Tennis Club, 2375 Foothill Road.

7 p.m. The Grace Fisher Foundation will present “A Winter Music Showcase” at The Granada, 1214 State St., Santa Barbara. The fifth annual showcase will feature everyone from the Santa Barbara Folk Orchestra to Jackson Gillies, WIll Breman, State Street Ballet Professional Track Dancers, the Westmont Chamber Singers, UCSB Maurice Faulkner Quintet and more. Tickets cost $18 to $60. To purchase, go to granadasb.org.

DEC. 11 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. The 36th annual Holiday Parade of Lights will feature a full day of activities at the Santa Barbara Harbor, topped with the parade of lights and its theme, “Deck the Hulls.” For more information, go to santabarbaraca.com/events/36thannual-holiday-parade-of-lights-atthe-harbor.

DEC. 12

5:30 to 7:30 p.m.: The Downtown Community Holiday Mixer will take place at the Broad Street Oyster Co., 418 State St. The $25 ticket price includes a drink and appetizers.

what’s inside is as much fun as anything.

7. Get better at self-soothing. Remind yourself that you are moving in the right direction and of what you have accomplished thus far. Positive self-talk is a great way to let yourself know that you are a successful human being and keep you on the right path.

8. Get okay with where your life is right now. This is not the end of your world. It is only a shift. What do people who have lost everything in a hurricane or fire do? If you have a place to call home, then be grateful that even if things are more expensive, at least you have a place to put them.

9. Stay organized. If you are not happy about where your life is right now, you can get lost in your thoughts and miss out on some good opportunities. Use paper, your phone or a white board to keep track of what you need to do and have to look forward to.

10. Remember who you are. You have many gifts to share with the world, and that is how you will find happiness. Nothing has changed about that, even if the world around you is changing in ways that worry you. Perhaps you can take comfort that you are not alone.

Everyone goes through tough times. It’s part of the human condition and the journey of life. It is usually never permanent, and if you have the ability to take this in, then you can get through a temporary set-back and thrive once more.

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

DEC. 14

5 to 7 p.m.: A free candlelight concert series takes place on the steps of the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, 1130 State St., Santa Barbara.

DEC. 16

8 p.m. Johnny Mathis will perform at the Chumash Casino Resort’s Samala Showroom, 3400 State Route 246, Santa Ynez. Tickets for the Santa Ynez concert are $69 to $109. To purchase, go to www. chumashcasino.com. The Chumash Casino Resort is a 21-and-older venue.

DEC. 17 Noon to 3 p.m. The free Big Brass Tuba Christmas Concert will take place in Storke Placita, which is between 722 and 724 State St. and is adjacent to De la Guerra Plaza in Santa Barbara. The Youth Makers Market will be in the same block.

2 and 7 p.m. State Street Ballet will perform “The Nutcracker” at The Granada, 1214 State St., Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara High School student Olivia Pires will play Clara at the 2 p.m. matinee. Professional State Street Ballet dancer Emma Matthews will portray Clara at the 7 p.m. show. Tickets vary from $38 to $121, with a discounted price of $26 for children 12 and younger in select price zones. To purchase, go to granadasb.org. A student discount is also available for purchase in person at The Granada’s box office.

DEC. 18

2 p.m. State Street Ballet will perform “The Nutcracker” at The Granada, 1214 State St., Santa Barbara. Dos Pueblos High School student Sophia Kanard will play Clara. Tickets vary from $38 to $121, with a discounted price of $26 for children 12 and younger in select price zones. To purchase, go to granadasb.org. A student discount is also available for purchase in person at The Granada’s box office.

— Dave Mason

ZACH MENDEZ PHOTO

From left, Regina Fernandez, Bo Foxworth, Jenna Cardia, Louis Lotorto and Mark Capri star in “A Christmas Carol.” All the actors except Mr. Capri had to play multiple roles in a production that combines humor with more insight into Scrooge’s life.

SUDOKU

CODEWORD PUZZLE

Thought for Today

HOROSCOPE

Horoscope.com

Saturday, December 3, 2022

ARIES — Jump on board the fast train and see how far it takes you, Aries. You will be surprised how far you can go with minimal effort. Your grace and polite manners will help you navigate to where you need to be. You’re your own ship and there is a large gust of wind filling your sails. Make the most of this energy by shooting for the top and not resting until you get there.

TAURUS — Flexibility is important today, Taurus. Take the relaxed, laid-back approach. Trying to ram your ideas through isn’t the best tactic. Having tunnel vision will restrict you in many ways. Keep an open mind and be receptive to other people’s ideas and opinions. You have a great deal of power at your fingertips.

GEMINI — Things coming at you from all sides are forcing you to make a move, Gemini. Try not to feel pressured into something you don’t want to do. A nervous restlessness is apt to take over your being and urge you to act. Don’t let other people’s energies dictate your actions. Secure your position and be strong. Don’t be lured into situations you know are bad for you.

CANCER — Lock into the practical, grounding force that is not only realistic but also flexible. Attend to details and organize yourself, Cancer. Be aware that you may need to alter your course in order to fit with the group energy. Try to work together with those around you to achieve a common goal.

LEO — Today is one of those days in which prosperity is much closer than you think, Leo. You will find what you seek, but it’s up to you to take the first step to going after it. More than likely, you’re looking for solid answers to your deep and probing questions. Don’t let your inquisitive mind rest until you find the answers that ring true for you.

VIRGO — Indecision may leave you helpless at a crossroads today, Virgo. Others around you could be just as undecided regarding their direction. At the same time, you may feel pressured to take immediate action and you’re tired of waiting for others to make the first move. Find answers in simple solutions.

LIBRA — Latch on to the

expansiveness that comes when you connect with others in the social arena, Libra. Communication is a key part of the day. You will find that if you go with the flow, you will land exactly where you need to be. Take the adventurous route and feel free to skip around from one thing to another.

SCORPIO — Connect with the stable, grounding energy of the day, Scorpio, but beware that tension may come in the form of fast talk and misguided information. People might be fickle and frantic. Wait for the dust to settle before you pick which road to take. Impulsive decisions are apt to lead you down paths that might not be the best choice for you now.

SAGITTARIUS — The expansive feeling you might be experiencing is apt to be squelched today as you get the feeling that you’ve lost touch with reality. Make sure you connect with real life, Sagittarius, and do a bit of planning to balance your whimsical nature. Things that you haven’t accounted for might crop up and hit you, serving as a reminder that you need to deal with the here and now.

CAPRICORN — Walk to the beat of your own drum, Capricorn. If you try to latch on to the glib, fast-paced information of the day, you might lose your voice in the crowd. On the other hand, if you plant your feet firmly and try to plan in too much detail, you might deprive yourself of spontaneous events that prove fulfilling.

AQUARIUS — Talk to the person sitting next to you on the bus, Aquarius, or the one behind you in line at the store. He or she may have a piece of wisdom to share that will change your life forever. Know that you, too, could be that person who changes someone else’s life with a single thought or piece of wisdom.

Communication is the key to expanding your world in many ways.

PISCES — Your self-esteem may be challenged by a fast-paced talker or unpleasant situation, Pisces. Don’t accept things as they appear at first glance. There’s a much deeper meaning brewing below the surface, and you’d be foolish not to recognize this when it comes around. Stick to your guns and stay grounded.

INSTRUCTIONS

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

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

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

BY FRANK STEWART Tribune Content Agency

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

“Soul meets soul on lovers’ lips.”

— Percy Bysshe Shelley

Next generation of ukulele players

Here’s a look at the colorful history behind iMacs

After E.D. acquired what’s in her photo — a gift for grandpa in 1999 — the world no longer thought of computers as boring beige plastic boxes.

The very first iMac was introduced in 1998 in Bondi Blue. Bondi? Yes, it was named for the surfer’s favorite beach, and that gave a new meaning to the verb to surf. And that was the present she sent to her grandpa who never used it. Now she has inherited it back and needs to know the history and the value.

Some of us will remember the Apple ads from 1999. The shot was from the ceiling looking down at the tops of five wedgy shaped colored iMacs, showing all five colors of the new line.

Bondi was a moderate success in 1998, so in 1999, five colors were launched, as announced by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. The ads said “collect them all”:

Blueberry, grape, tangerine, lime and strawberry. Almost corny and sappy, other Apple ads suggested the colors were “iCandy” and contained no artificial colors.

So E.D. had one of these blueberry iMacs shipped in 1999 to Grandpa, who didn’t trust it with his personal information and hid it in his garage, never opening the box. You will see that the red box that E.D.’s grandpa’s computer was originally shipped in was HUGE. Yes, the computer of 1999 was fat, and it looked a bit like the head of a Space Fantasy robot.

The “family of colors” was included in the iMac, the iMac DV (DV= Digital Video) and the iMac DV Special Edition, all of which had that wedge shape and a clearto-frosted colored enclosure.

The special edition was slightly different and more expensive in that its enclosure was translucent and glossy, as opposed to the hazier plastic of the standard fruit flavored Macs.

The colors were a success, so

in the summer of 2000, Apple introduced five more colors with less corny associations: indigo, sage, ruby, graphite, and snow, another series of five. When I think of the color minimalist of today, Mr. Jobs was ahead of the game, retiring the strident ruby and sage pretty quickly and replacing them with two other Special Editions in colors, the Flower Power enclosure, and the Blue Dalmatian enclosure, (which is to die for), blue and teal spots on white clear plastic.

Hard to believe that in 1997 Apple sold just 1.8 million Macs. So, when colors were introduced in 1998-9, the new iMac G3 helped Apple make a profit for the first time in three years, and it enabled Mr. Jobs to come back to Apple. It also stopped me from using floppy disks, and the iMacs were the top sellers in U.S. stores for three months. In fact, they changed the way designers thought about computer components, and like I said, they broke the mold.

Beige plastic framed screens in a beige plastic box were out. When I looked into the value of these for E.D, I found some

GUITARIST

Continued from Page B1

Twanguero is known for his fusion of classical Spanish guitar, flamenco, Latin rhythms, country, rockabilly, jazz and surf music.

And his latest album “Carreteras, Secundarias” (“Back Roads”), Volume II, involved the music he played and recorded in the jungle. He’ll play selections from it at SOhO.

The album was inspired by Twanguero’s experience of being among the trees and hearing the birds, howler monkeys, jaguars, cicadas and other animals. He said he wanted to express the symphony of the jungle, where he rented a cabin and lived for three months.

“It’s a solo record. I usually do records with my band,” Twanguero said. “It was recorded in the jungle, live in the jungle. I did some production (in the studio) afterward.”

He found that as he recorded in the jungle during the day, the animals would disappear. So he put a couple microphones in the jungle at night and recorded the animals for ambience to add to the tracks.

Twangero said he hasn’t heard of a guitarist recording an album in the jungle. “Maybe I’m the first.”

He said he has long loved the guitar. “For me, after the voice, the guitar is the most perfect

collectors love the glow the iMacs display when turned on. I found one buyer who had all 13 colors of 19992000 and still is buying duplicates. So there are people out there for this look, but of course, the market likes a computer that is usable. And sad to say, the size and power of these pales in comparison to today’s gear.

But they are cool.

I did find a seller with the whole setup who was asking $1,000, but most folks who have unused iMac G3s in the original box are happy to have them leave their garages for $300 and up.

However, I notice that the tech collectors are a rich group of youngsters, and it is my opinion that it might be wise to hang onto this technology.

In 2014, Bonhams put a rare Apple-1 computer up for auction in New York. Estimated to go for between $300,000 and $500,000, it ended up selling for a whopping $905,000. Years later, that is not the highest known price anyone has ever paid for a vintage Apple computer, but it shows you how what was trash 25 years ago, will surprise you in value today.

A working Apple -1, one of the tech giant’s first line of computers introduced back in 1976, was up for auction on eBay for $1.5 million USD in 2021. If you have the desk space, use it!

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

instrument, in my opinion. You have to be born with the voice (for a singer). I was born with my sensitive hands.

“The first thing I do in the morning is to grab my guitar and play it for an hour, then go out into the world,” Twanguero said. “For me, this is the sweetest time of the day, when I’m with my guitar.

“When I’m thinking about music, I don’t think in terms of styles. For me, I think more in terms of emotions,” Twanguero said. “I’m like a detective.

FYI

I’m always investigating ways of playing the guitar.

“I went to a conservatory, and I learned a lot of things from the Spanish guitar tradition,” he said. “But they never taught me the blues. They never taught me to play bluegrass music.

“I’m not a purist. I’m a composer,” he said, noting his appreciation for rock guitarists such as Eric Clapton and Keith Richards.

He noted “Back Roads, Volume I” focused on the North American guitar and that Volume II is more concerned with the South American guitar.

“I’ve been traveling a lot,” Twangero said. “I’ve seen how the guitar is played in Memphis, how the guitar is played in Cuba. I’ve studied that for many years.

“This is like a mission, understanding the human being through the guitar.”

email; dmason@newspress.com

COURTESY PHOTO

The ukulele club at Our Lady of Mount Carmel School in Montecito meets with ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro after his program Thursday morning for elementary school students at The Granada.

COURTESY PHOTO

Collectors are interested in fruit-inspired iMacs such as this blueberry one.

Spanish guitarist Twanguero will perform at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at SOhO Restaurant and Music Club, 1221 State St., suite 205, Santa Barbara. Tickets cost $25 for general admission and $67 for a dinner reservation and priority seating. To purchase, go to www.sohosb.com.

e costs of a free education

President Joe Biden’s continued determination to give my money away toward student loan debt to buy student votes, got me thinking.

During 2020 and even into 2021, nearly all schools, including the higher forms of indoctrination were closed and kids were forced to stay awake and focus during Zoom classes. We’re now seeing the results of that folly as stats indicate children have fallen way behind in their learning.

At the university level, the results are likely the same, but those schools cost lots of money. If I recall correctly, the UC system didn’t feel the kids were getting any less education not attending in person so there was no refund or discount for tuition.

However, those in charge and “teaching” these impressionable minds needed to be paid their full salaries, despite the schools being ghost towns.

I thought I’d look around the internet playground and see what I could learn. I’ll stick with UCSB and California.

First, UCSB Chancellor Yang received a 28.4% increase in salary in 2022. Most American workers are lucky to get 3%. For Chancellor Yang, that increase unto itself is huge, but so is the salary that goes along with it; just shy of $580,000 a year! I’m certain along with that salary there’s a bag full of other benefits.

Not a bad gig and I don’t begrudge him for it. In fact, all chancellors in the UC system got substantial raises this year. Schools were closed, but administration still needed more cash.

By comparison, the leader of the free world gets $400,000 a year, 100K for travel (which seems kind of silly seeing how he has Air Force One, choppers and limos out the wazoo), and another 50K for expenses (That’s silly too. What expenses? Everything is paid for).

Point being, one lords over an enormous, bloated staff, and the other, well, I guess does the same thing.

Like all large bureaucracies, numbers can be all over the place, along with dozens of reasons to justify it all. As near as I could learn, the average annual salary of a professor can range from $140,000 to $200,000. And you can bet there are thousands more added on top of it for all kinds of other fringe benefits. That’s not counting the pensions that will follow them home later. And that number mounts deep into the billions.

On the other hand, teaching assistants, graduate student

researchers, academic student employees, postdoctoral scholars, readers and tutors are on the march asking for salary increases with annual cost of living adjustments. They hope to go from $24,000 to $54,000.

It’s somewhat ironic that one of the people who helped facilitate their predicament, the one they all likely voted for, the Biden administration, is forcing them to demand higher wages to survive

the steep rise in inflation and the higher costs of rent. I’ve been told firsthand on several occasions that the T.A.’s do most of the heavy lifting while the professors are off writing papers or something. The news confirmed some of this when it said students have not been getting their grades because the T.A.’s are not working.

So where exactly is the professor? If anyone wants to fill me in, please feel free to do so.

So here’s where it gets really murky for me and why things don’t quite gel with the Biden administration’s desperate need to give more tax dollars away.

Rounding the numbers, the UCSB tuition is about $40,000 year for residents and $70,000 for nonresidents. Biden’s administration wants to kick in $10,000 to $20,000 to help pay for it.

But here’s the weird part. University of California

admissions states on its website that 55% of undergrads pay no tuition at all, 70% of undergrads receive grants and scholarships and 45% of California students graduate with zero debt.

This begs the question, why is President Biden so dead set on giving our money to whom? It looks like no one needs it, at least in California. UCSB raised more than $100 million in philanthropic gifts in fiscal year 2021. Overall, the University of California’s assets grew by $38 billion in 2021 to $168 billion.

There are entire nations, multiple nations, that don’t have that kind of money.

We hear repeatedly the left’s mantra about how the Republicans claim the election was stolen. I’ve always been of the school that the 2020 election and even more so, the recent midterms, were heavily manipulated.

But I must give Democrats their due. They knew the red tsunami was going to hit. They needed something to distract the students from insane inflation, high gas prices, high crime and murderers coming across the border.

They got their first offensive weapon from the leak at the Supreme Court and the subsequent ruling that abortion was going to be up to the states. But they didn’t sell it that way. They kept hammering abortion is no longer legal and the Republicans want to tell you what to do with your body. They conveniently left out how the Democrats destroyed the country by telling you exactly what you HAD to do with your body; get the vaccine or else. It was a requirement for doing things such as attending college.

And of course, the Democrats’ other success was the promise of free money to help pay student debt. They riled up the kids and it worked. While the country is going down in flames and killing babies, they wanted to give out early Christmas gifts: the promise to allow students the opportunity to shirk their obligation to pay for what they willingly signed up for.

Again, like the bullet train, numbers are all over, but it can cost us $300 billion. I heard it’s even as high as $1 trillion. Once this train starts down the tracks of giving away unrestricted mula, it won’t stop. Have you ever heard of a government program that worked and didn’t explode into another corrupt mess?

The argument has been made, if students can get free money for a contract they voluntarily agreed to, then everyone should get free money to help with their mortgage, car payment and credit cards.

After all, everyone coming across the border gets it. Come on, man. Let’s be fair.

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

Applying common sense to State Street, Modoc Preserve

As Santa Barbara faces two daunting challenges to a unified approach to guarding both our traditions and our rare natural beauty, we will look at both the issues of State Street closure and the Modoc Preserve.

We continue to search for ways to effectively articulate the myriad complexities associated with the plans to permanently close off any part of State Street. We quote a longtime local business owner: “We do a favor to advocate for a closed street and street dining when we focus on rats instead of issues like history, architecture, parades, circulation, fairness, and the revival of retail.”

Results of a study/analysis of about two dozen “pedestrian malls” — since 1960 — reveal a 90% failure rate in the U.S. Of the few remaining successful pedestrian malls, how many can be found on a city’s main street? The answer is none.

For example, Santa Monica’s 3rd Street Promenade, Pearl Street in Boulder, and Church Street in Burlington, Vt. are not primary arteries. None of the successful promenades are more than three to five blocks long. In the face of such evidence, why would we think that we can successfully carve out 10 blocks — or any blocks of our rare main artery, running straight down onto Stearns Wharf — State Street? That’s a combination of ignorance, arrogance and pandering to special interests.

Onto the Modoc Preserve issues: With the two choices offered to the community of Santa Barbara, Alignments A & B, we are looking at the decimation of a longestablished urban habitat for 71-plus bird species, bats, foxes, coyotes, snakes, Monarch butterflies, bees and other insects. Also at stake are 29 historic Canary Island palms planted by the brother of Pearl Chase, no less, along with several protected oaks. Why are we facing another battle, when the solution is not only simple but sensible?

Return to the original project description, which not only combines the eastern and western halves of the Modoc Road Multi-use Path entirely within the county row but which maintains the line of 29 historic Canary Island palms — thereby preserving both the Modoc Preserve and the palms for all to enjoy. This plan is the only logical and right approach to breaching the divide that rips right through the heart of our community.

things former U.S. President Donald John Trump made happen. Not exactly anyway.

However, there are some curious and clear-cut similarities near the end of both men’s political careers that should at least alert those who believe Mr. Trump “could never be reelected” to the possibility that he, in fact, could be reelected.

After all, how many of us believed he could ever be elected in the first place?

Don’t lie.

You know you knew the day he announced that he had no chance of becoming president of the United States of America.

Yet, against all odds, he won.

determined wartime leader. Though there were simmering ongoing conflicts when Mr. Trump came into office, the U.S. was not at war. The people who lived in it did, however, seem to be at war with one another.

The country was plugging along and slowly but surely embedding the progressive agenda into its schools, its military, its colleges, its businesses and even into the mundane daily tasks of ordinary citizens.

or willing to defend, closed and abandoned production facilities littering the landscapes of those smaller American cities, and a dozen other festering problems that were unlikely to be addressed with the ascendancy of Hillary Clinton, whose place in the world of international elites was both well-known and secure. Virtually every political pundit fully expected Hillary Rodham Clinton to become the first female president of the U.S.

Yet, against all odds, she lost.

I’m not going to compare the accomplishments of former British Prime Minister Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill — the man who rallied his country and the rest of the Western world against the depredations of Hitler’s Nazi regime — to the many positive

A trip down memory lane will lead us to Britain’s World War II commander-in-chief: Winston Churchill, who became prime minister after Hitler’s troops marched into Belgium and Holland and Neville Chamberlain resigned in disgrace and humiliation. Mr. Churchill proved to be a courageous, inspirational and

Nothing — it seemed — could stop the relentless march of the globalists, whose policies had gutted the smaller cities of the Midwest and the South, had turned most of our major metropolitan areas into a sanctuary of homes for the welloff surrounded by vast pools of welfare recipients and serviced by an arrogant and well-paid army of civil servants.

Then, there were the issues of energy production logjams, a border no one seemed able

Mr. Trump had zeroed in on Midwestern cities during his campaign, promising that he could reinvigorate their moribund economies. His message reverberated in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Ohio, and elsewhere.

He won and did indeed begin to fulfill the promise of renewal in what had been desultorily labeled the “Rust Belt.”

Like Churchill, Mr. Trump was both determined and courageous, taking on the progressive elites as no one ever had. Mr. Trump, unfortunately, also declared war

on the intelligence community, which, he was forewarned, could cause him trouble.

Big trouble.

As recounted in the Jan. 11, 2017 issue of the New York Post: “A week before unverified

Why must we fight again and again for the obvious and reasonable solution? We all know why. Those who gain from overdevelopment get the most accomplished when the constituents are asleep at the wheel. That’s precisely the common denominator between the Modoc Preserve issue and what’s at stake on State Street. These divisive dilemmas may be unique features of the Santa Barbara scene, but the causes and effects run deeper into the current climate of the policies within the state of California.

Did you know that the number of foreign-born residents of the U.S. has reached the highest number ever recorded at 47.9 million?

At least 2.9 million immigrants have arrived since January 2021. It is estimated that 61% of all migrants arrived as undocumented immigrants.

Illegal immigration has been growing at 143,000 a month since President Joe Biden took office.

DID YOU KNOW? Bonnie Donovan

PURELY POLITICAL

IDEAS & COMMENTARY

COURTESY PHOTO

Donald Trump

YOUSUF KARSH/LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA Winston Churchill

“UCSB raised more than $100 million in philanthropic gifts in fi scal year 2021,” columnist

Henry Schulte

somewhat ironic that one of the people who helped facilitate their

the

von Wiesenberger Co-Publisher Co-Publisher

GUEST OPINION

Sen. Hawley outlines a conservative path forward

Writing in The Washington Post, U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., argues that “the old Republican Party is dead.”

Sen. Hawley was reflecting on the disappointing midterm election results for the Republican Party and is arguing for a new path forward that centers on an American First policy agenda.

“As frustrating as the election outcomes are, the death of the old GOP is no reason to mourn,” Sen. Hawley wrote.

The senator is correct that Republicans need to focus on a policy agenda that supports working class people.

Nevertheless, even though Sen. Hawley urges Republicans to “forge something new,” the policies he outlines are based within traditional conservatism.

Sen. Hawley argues that the reason Republicans did not do as well as predicted in the midterms is not necessarily candidate quality, but on policy substance.

How the American family met its demise

Ilast wrote a piece sequencing America’s transition from a nation of faith-seeking, family-oriented pilgrims to self-seeking, nihilistic pirates.

This transition has happened in other societies, and it has always been marked via the demise of the nuclear family construct by way of divorce, foregoing marriage in the first place, and childlessness, as observed by the renowned British anthropologist, J.D. Unwin, in his study of some 86 societies and civilizations.

The transition is also marked by a loss of faith in, and duty to, God, along with the loss of rational thinking skills.

Many times, this transition has occurred because of relative success in the world that caused societies and cultures to drift away from their moorings and suffer shipwreck. Suffice it to say, what people refer to today as progress is really a renewed form of cultural suicide.

Regarding America, this all began in the 1960s.

In this piece, we will view events and values through a lens primarily focused on women, highlighting the impact on intact families and the nuclear family structure that once served to create stability and prosperity in our culture in every meaning of the word. Next week, we will look through a lens focused on men.

1. The pill and abortion served to “liberate” women from pregnancy initially, and childbearing ultimately.

The fact that the women’s liberation movement considered the de facto antithesis of maternal instinct liberating, speaks volumes. Meanwhile, it also deleteriously affected childrearing. Because a woman’s place was no longer in the home, the purpose and value of home life was upended.

The raising of children by way of nurturing and the inculcation of values became subordinated to the opposite value of leaving the home to find “meaning” in work.

2. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 gave women in the workplace the right to equal pay for equal work. Whereas, that sounds fair on the surface, the previous thinking was that men were heads of households and they needed higher pay because they

had to support their wives and families at home. The subsequent lowering of pay for men now forced mothers out of the home into the workplace while displacing their extremely vulnerable children into preschools, which offer all the nurture of an orphanage, and after that, modern society created the phenomenon of latchkey kids.

3. The welfare system created in the 1960s financially rewarded mothers to have no man in the home even if they were married! What is worse? Having a baby out of wedlock created a revenue stream for unemployed single women.

4. The women’s liberation movement not only encouraged women to forego child rearing, it also encouraged single women to begin families on their own and to pursue equality with men in the market place as a source of fulfillment. Thereby, stayat-home wives and mothers began to be looked down upon as old-fashioned and oppressed.

5

. The combination of the pill, abortion and the women’s liberation movement coincided with the free sex movement and shacking up. Sexuality triumphed over self-control and chastity. Per Unwin, when any society forsook prenuptial chastity, a form of human entropy evolved, that is, a gradual descent into disorder. Why was this so important? Because it opened a Pandora’s box that served to weaken the bonds of lifelong absolute monogamy and fidelity.

6. No-fault divorce laws made divorce easy and quick, and courts favored mothers for primary custody, thereby leaving a significant number of children in a fatherless home, which is the leading indicator of nearly every modern social ill in our society today, including criminal behavior, suicide, homelessness, and drug and alcohol abuse.

7. God was declared dead, and God-given maternal instinct was put on life support, and the results are in.

Andy Caldwell is the COLAB executive director and host of “The Andy Caldwell Show,” airing 3 to 5 p.m. weekdays on KZSB AM 1290, the News-Press radio station.

“For the past two years, the Republican establishment in Washington has capitulated on issue after issue, caving to Democrats on the Second Amendment and on the left’s radical climate agenda (‘infrastructure’),” wrote Sen. Hawley. In addition, he argues that Republicans have acted against the interests of workingclass Americans in terms of trade, immigration and providing too much support for big business.

“In the name of ‘growth,’ these same Republicans have supported ruinous trade policies — such as admitting China to the World Trade Organization — that have collapsed American industry and driven down American wages,” stated Sen. Hawley.

Further, Sen. Hawley argues that disastrous trade policies have led to not only shipping jobs overseas, but also hollowing out many towns and has made it increasingly difficult to raise a family on one income.

As evidence, Sen. Hawley notes that “our trade deficit with China has cost this country 3.7 million good jobs, while a crisis of drug

overdose deaths — particularly among working Americans — has ravaged many of the same communities that have suffered most from deindustrialization.”

In the first nine months of this year, the United States already has a $309 billion trade deficit with China.

Whether it is trade or immigration, Senator Hawley is correct that Republicans must follow an approach that places America first. The American First agenda is actually rooted within traditional conservatism.

President William McKinley campaigned for the presidency on the slogan the “Full Dinner Pail,” which was also used by President Calvin Coolidge. The “Full Dinner Pail’’ slogan reflected the Republican support for tariffs, manufacturing and good paying jobs.

The policy agenda of Presidents Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge consisted of not only placing limits on immigration and supporting Americanization, but also supporting tariffs to protect American workers and the economy. Sen. Hawley argues that “no nation ever got strong by consuming stuff other people make.” Alexander Hamilton, along with Presidents McKinley, Harding and Coolidge, would agree with Sen. Hawley.

It is not just trade or immigration policy that Sen. Hawley addresses, but also the need to restore

domestic energy production, fight the tyranny of big tech and hire more law enforcement to ensure that families are protected.

Finally, Sen. Hawley addresses tax and entitlement policy. He calls for a tax code that supports marriage and families. He also warns Republicans that prudence is needed in terms of entitlement reform, and he cites former President George W. Bush’s efforts to privatize Social Security as an example not to follow.

Conservatism is about prudence, and one challenge for Republicans is the necessity to reduce spending and address the national debt. This also means taking a responsible look at reforming entitlement programs. Once again, Republicans can look to Presidents Harding and Coolidge, who made fiscal restraint a priority.

“Right now, the Republican Party stands at a crossroads. Its leaders can, of course, attempt to resurrect the dead consensus of offshoring, amnesties, and ‘free trade.’ That’s the path to further losses,” argues Sen. Hawley.

This was the agenda of the BushMcCain-Romney Republican Party, and it is an agenda that many hope to see restored. This is an agenda that placed the interests of Wall Street ahead of Main Street and working Americans.

Sen. Hawley is correct that the Republican Party needs to follow a conservative path that places America First. This is a conservative agenda that the Republican Party followed before it embraced liberal internationalism.

It is time for the Republican Party to fully embrace conservative nationalism. Sen. Hawley offers a conservative roadmap that Republicans should follow.

As President Harding said, we are forever devoted “to safeguard America first, to stabilize America first, to prosper America first, to think of America first, to exalt America first, and to live for and revere America first.”

John Hendrickson serves as policy director for Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation. This commentary was provided to the News-Press by The Center Square, a nonprofit dedicated to journalism.

Postelection questions

After elections, it is always interesting to see the uncovering of events that could, and should, have been made prior to the election. That leaves this question: Who benefited by delaying until post-election?

Consider that just three days after the Nov. 8 election, there was the bankruptcy filing of the cryptocurrency companies of FTX, Alameda and 100 affiliates. Cryptocurrency is a medium of exchange through a computer network that is not reliant on any central authority, such as a government or bank, to uphold or maintain it. FTX owes customers 50 creditors more than $3 billion and perhaps up to $8 billion.

In 2017, Sam Bankman-Fried and Zixiao Gary Wang started the trading firm Alameda Research in Berkeley. That was two years before they founded the crypto exchange, crypto exchange, FTX, in Antigua and Barbuda with a headquarters in The Bahamas. Alameda traded crypto using FTX, an abbreviation of “Futures Exchange,” as its exchange despite the lack of independence of the two entities.

Mr. Bankman-Fried named his 28-year-old girlfriend Caroline Ellison, whom he met at the Jane Street Hedge Fund, as a leader and subsequently CEO at Alameda despite her only having 1½ years’ experience after earning a math degree from Stanford. Ms. Ellison, perhaps influenced by her tweet of “nothing like regular amphetamines use to make you appreciate how dumb a lot of normal, nonmedicated human experiences is,’’ talked about how she, and her nine friends that were running Alameda, were skilled in trading: not currencies but partners.

They literally “knew nothing,” to quote Sgt. Schultz from the 1960s CBS sitcom “Hogan’s Heroes,” about financial controls.

Mr. Bankman-Fried donated $10 million to Joe Biden and, in Sept. 2021, moved the headquarters of FTX and Alameda from Hong Kong to The Bahamas, where Ms. Ellison and her nine friends moved into Mr. BankmanFried’s $40 million Orchard Penthouse in Albany.

U.S. Postal Service can deliver on more secure deliveries

For the beleaguered U.S. Postal Service, delivering the mail on time without torpedoing taxpayer dollars has proven quite the challenge.

Policing a vast array of mail crime is even more difficult and requires constant vigilance on the part of America’s mail carrier. With the help of the New York Police Department, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service recently nabbed four people involved in a multimillion-dollar scheme to steal credit cards from the mail and use them at high-end retail stores. Unfortunately, these successful enforcement cases are rare, and mail crime too often goes unpunished.

It’s imperative that the U.S. Postal Inspection Service focuses on delivering justice.

Over the past couple of years,

Ross Merchand

postal consumers have had to make do with lackluster service and rising theft. On the same day that the House Oversight Committee met to discuss postal issues plaguing Pennsylvania, the Cheltenham Township Police Department “advised residents not to put mail with cash or checks inside the blue drop box outside the Elkins Park Post office on Ashbourne Road.

The box, according to police, has been a favorite target for money-hungry thieves.”

Pennsylvania is one of the top states for mailed check theft, and these crimes have gone largely unresolved thanks to the postal service’s lackluster investigations process. From March 2020 through February 2021, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service opened about 1,100 mail theft cases — a tiny fraction of the 300,000 mail thefts reported over that period.

While the U.S. Postal Inspection Service has more than 2,000 employees and a budget of roughly $500 million per year, the service is plagued by mission creep.

In April 2021, Yahoo News reported that the service runs an investigation unit known as the Internet Covert Operations Program (iCOP; since renamed the “Analytics Team”), which sounds more like a CIA op than a postal division. According to the news outlet, “(t)he work involves having analysts trawl through social media sites to look for what the document describes as ‘inflammatory’ postings and then sharing that information across government agencies.”

As if that isn’t creepy enough, the agency uses facial recognition software during internet searches “to help identify unknown targets in an investigation or locate additional social media accounts for known individuals.”

Albany, a gated community with guards in The Bahamas, is owned by Tiger Woods, Justin Timberlake and Ernie Els, who designed the champion golf course located in the compound whose amenities include a Rolex Store, an equestrian center and hotel rooms that begin at $5,100 a night. Mr. Bankman-Fried spent another $32 million for units bringing his total to $300 million for real estate in The Bahamas. His extravagant spending, including $10,000 a day for lunch for his group, attracted celebrity endorsements from Tom Brady, Gisele Bundchen, Steph Curry, Shaquille O’Neal, Larry David, and others.

In 2022, Mr. Bankman-Fried spent $30 million featuring Larry David, a celebrity and a Democrat, in a Super Bowl ad. On Sept. 26 of this year, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., under Trump appointee Martin J Gruenberg, issued a cease-and-desist from misleading representations about FDIC insurance.

In October, the Republicans in Texas started investigating the FTX group. Meanwhile as Mr. BankmanFried “donated” $40 million to the Democrats, second only to George Soros, neither the SEC nor the DOJ did anything. While MSNBC et al say he also donated to the Republicans, be aware that it was only $260,000. Three days after the midterms, Mr. BankmanFried resigned as $473 million

Wendy McCaw

Arthur

Andy Caldwell

Brent E. Zepke

The author lives in Santa Barbara.

COURTESY OMAGE

John Hendrickson

COURTESY PHOTO “Right now, the Republican Party stands at a crossroads,” said U.S. Sen. Josh Hawling, R-Mo.

The author is with the Taxpayers Protection Alliance

COURTESY PHOTO

Bias, envy and hatred

Today, the big media has an agenda. Fox and most talk radio push right; most other media spin left.

For a long time, leftists pretended this wasn’t happening. In 36 years at CBS and ABC, none of my colleagues admitted leaning left. There were only “facts” versus “narrow-minded conservatives.”

Then Bernie Goldberg’s book “Bias” came out. The book is dead-on accurate, and a huge bestseller, but my ABC peers wouldn’t even read it.

Soon after, annoyed by my wish to cover failures of big government, ABC dropped me as “20/20” coanchor.

My new Fox News bosses didn’t like my libertarian arguments either, but they never stopped me from making them. They let me argue that America should allow more legal immigration, stop policing the world, end the drug war, etc. Conservatives were still nice to me in the hall.

There I befriended Megyn Kelly. She seemed neutral politically. But when she got a prime-time

show, she made it clear she found some leftist opinions just silly. That’s when the envy and hatred came out.

As her friend, it was ugly watching it happen.

First, Donald Trump fans attacked her. She had done the professional thing, confronting Mr. Trump about his calling women “fat pigs,” etc.

Mr. Trump then took to the media — including Fox — to say, “I have zero respect for Megyn Kelly” and, “She had blood coming out of ... “

Trump fans then threatened Ms. Kelly. What I didn’t know until I interviewed her this week is that there was also blowback from our Fox boss, Roger Ailes. He told Ms. Kelly not to be so hard on Mr. Trump.

“He was scared,” she says in my new video. “He was losing a portion of the Fox News base to people who felt Fox wasn’t being fair to Trump.”

Then, when Mr. Ailes got embroiled in a sexual harassment scandal and Ms. Kelly didn’t leap

to his defense, Fox’s nasty “media relations” department came after her.

“They would cut you,” says Ms. Kelly, meaning they would spread dirt on their own reporters.

Still, she says, “They look like absolute teddy bears compared to where else I’ve been.”

“Where else” she’s been is NBC, where she moved after Fox.

That’s when we saw how stupid and vicious the leftist media can be.

Because Ms. Kelly was pretty and successful, other reporters, especially women, hated her.

Because she once worked at Fox, she was “evil” and fair game.

People attacked her simply for interviewing bad guys, like Vladimir Putin and Alex Jones.

News shows like “60 Minutes” win awards for interviewing despicable people, but now the media claimed that it was “horrible” for Ms. Kelly to interview Mr. Jones.

After Ms. Kelly interviewed Mr. Putin, “The Daily Show’s” Michelle Wolf sneered, “Seeing someone so conniving trying to manipulate the American public

Congress needs to enact term limits

Seventy percent of voters in both political parties support term limits.

American voters, having wonderful common sense, know that many incumbents who increase their power year by year become more and more disconnected from their voters. In Lord John DalbergActon’s well-worn assessment: “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

Look at the benefits that would accrue from term limits.

Many experienced candidates would become available for each level of higher office. If a U.S. House member were limited to a maximum of three twoyear terms, an average of at least 145 experienced U.S. House members would be available to run for U.S. senator or governor every two years.

If a U.S. senator was limited to a maximum of two six-year terms, a minimum of 33 experienced U.S. senators would be available to run for governor or president every six years.

Today voters are understandably hesitant to lose the considerable clout of their long-time congressman developed over many years. But if all were short-timers, that would not be important. Voters would be more likely to elect candidates having great ability rather than seniority, as seniority would not matter.

Without the advantages held by long-time incumbents, elections would be more competitive. Voters would likely be more interested and more likely to be active in the election process.

Many more capable candidates would decide to run. Those entertaining running today realize they must wait decades to obtain enough seniority to contribute. So those with ability, desiring to make a difference rapidly, will do something else.

However, those who are more passive and only want a career in government do not mind waiting, which is why Congress today has more caretakers than doers.

Members of Congress would be seasoned, having more years of experience. As an uninterrupted career in public office would be more difficult, candidates would likely be much older. There would probably be many who were successful in various fields and wanted “to give something back.” This greater wisdom would benefit us all.

Yet some argue that term limits deprive citizens of the right to

vote for their chosen candidates while at the same time not allowing them the right to retain experienced and greatly loved officeholders. But we are already deprived of this right because we cannot vote for a president or most governors after the two terms they have served. To overcome this objection, an incumbent could be allowed to run, but only as a writein candidate. A truly loved and respected incumbent should be able to win anyway.

Still, others say that under

term limits, the inexperienced officeholders would be captive to their own more experienced staff and lobbyists. Not true. Any successful leader shortly after taking a position hires and trains a team that will deliver their objectives. And being effective in doing that will take less effort today as the recent Supreme Court decision has reduced the administrative state’s power. That decision alone will allow those in Congress to have more control of legislation.

The Articles of Confederation, which preceded our Constitution, included term limits. However, our founders at the time did not believe that any member of Congress would want to spend much time in fetid, swampy Washington, D.C., so they did not include term limits.

Candidates could help themselves and America today by supporting them.

Vern Wuensche’s opinion pieces have appeared in USA Today and other newspapers. He is a smalltown Texas farm boy with an

MBA

FDA gives misleading information

In September, the Food and Drug Administration launched a new initiative designed to tackle the “growing spread of rumors, misinformation and disinformation about science, medicine and the FDA.”

Announcing the initiative, FDA Commissioner Robert Califf promised to make “combating misinformation one of (his) priorities.”

Describing this move as “Rumor Control,” it was primarily aimed at myths and false information about COVID-19 vaccines. But, if Dr. Califf is serious about responsibly informing the public, the FDA should begin with sanctioning itself and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for helping to spread wild falsehoods about youth vaping.

Each year, the CDC and FDA announce results of the National Youth Tobacco Survey and, once again, have done so by releasing the latest data in a way to confuse media and the public (deliberately or otherwise) as to the extent of youth use of vaping products.

In October, the CDC published the 2022 NYTS results in a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, which found that 9.4% of U.S. middle and high school students reported use of an e-cigarette in the past 30 days. However, the method the CDC employs to communicate the data led many news outlets to publish articles inaccurately, claiming “more than 1 in 4 teenagers used electronic cigarettes daily,” which is, of course, impossible. The American Cancer Society also repeated this false claim. The problem is that the CDC splits the frequency of use into proportions of that 9.4%, by stating “daily use was reported among 27.6% of current e-cigarette users” without expressing daily use as a fraction of all middle and high school students. The real figure is, therefore, 2.6% of teenagers which is 1 in 38, not 1 in 4. The CDC is not alone in communicating youth use in this misleading way. In a toolkit about vaping and e-cigarettes on the FDA’s website, a graphic detailing use among youth rounds up the 27.6% and states that “30% use e-cigarettes every day” in bold lettering. This is not a singular error. Last

This

Dutch farmer protests give cautionary tale to the U.S.

Over the summer, farmers in the Netherlands vehemently protested against the government’s new environmental rules. Over multiple weeks, thousands of farmers burned hay bales and blocked roads and food distribution centers in an effort to draw attention to new European Union rules that would paralyze the sector.

The government in The Hague attempts to follow EU guidelines by slashing nitrogen emissions by 50% by 2030. Nitrous

oxide and methane emissions are byproducts of livestock, for instance, when manure is deposed. The Netherlands — along with Denmark, Ireland and the Flanders region of Belgium — had exemptions on EU manure caps because of their small land areas, but that exemption is set to end for Dutch farmers. In practice, this means a considerable reduction in farm animals and putting numerous dairy farmers out of business. Even with the prospect of the

government buying them out, livestock farmers still aren’t on board with the EU’s plans.

The prospect of a considerable reduction in farm animals would also endanger the country’s beloved traditional dairy products, such as Gouda and Edam cheeses. The farmers’ protests have now led to the resignation of Agriculture Minister Henk Staghouwer —who had been in office for less than a year — yet the government still remains steadfast in its decision to follow

EU guidelines.

The European Union unveiled its “Farm to Fork” strategy at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The plan calls for a significant reduction in synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, as well as an increase in organic farming output. The European Commission, the executive arm of the EU in Brussels, structurally unveils legislative packages that make those plans a reality but have run into criticism from farmers and consumers. When the U.S. Department of Agriculture

did an impact assessment on the effects of the strategy, it found that agricultural prices would soar between 20% and 53%. The EU itself did not present an impact assessment.

With mounting criticism and overall food price inflation, the European Council (which represents EU member states) is now delaying the implementation of the cut in pesticides, particularly as countries in Central and Eastern Europe fear it would increase food prices

WIRTZ

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and CPA who founded and continuously ran Houston’s oldest residential construction company for 43 years. He is a lifelong active Republican, a Christian, a veteran, and an early marathoner who ran for president in 2008 and 2012, visiting 6,000 small businesses in 242 towns in Iowa and New Hampshire.

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

John Stossel

Please see STOSSEL on C4

MATT GAGNON/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Megyn Kelly reports at the 2012 Republican National Convention for Fox News. Today, Ms. Kelly prefers to be her own boss as an independent journalist.

Bill Wirtz

The author is with Consumer Choice Center

Vern Wuensche

COURTESY PHOTO

Writer Vern Wuensche said the nation would benefit if Congress had term limits.

There are

President Barack Obama, the rate was 76,000 a month, and under President Donald Trump, it was 42,000 a month. The truth is that the open border policies of the Biden administration are turning, what had been a natural flow of immigrants, into a veritable invasion of people from all around the world. Almost none of them could qualify for legal status under our officially required immigration requirements and standards for legal entry.

Various estimates and research into total costs involved have concluded that the U.S. spends $250 billion a year, and growing, in support of illegal immigrants.

The state of California’s budget for support of illegal immigrants is $27.76 billion. In contrast, the state budget for support of American homeless citizens is $10.7 billion.

It is estimated that there are 2,200,000 illegal immigrants residing in California because this is a sanctuary state.

The number of homeless American citizens in California is estimated to be 161,000 and

growing.

illegal immigrants residing in California

Already in 2022, governmentsubsidized, Medi-Cal has been expanded to cover undocumented immigrant children under 25 years of age for the full scope of Medi-Cal benefits. Medi-Cal has also been expanded to provide full-scope benefits to people 50 years and older irrespective of immigrant status. Roughly 286,000 older undocumented immigrants will be added to the Medi-Cal rolls.

In addition, undocumented workers are agitating for more government benefits, among them is eligibility for unemployment pay.

In the meantime, California is demonstrably incapable of resolving the urgent issue of the growing homeless population of American citizens. The government of the sanctuary state welcomes millions of illegal immigrants. Thus grossly destroying the availability of affordable housing. This same government body then imposes impossible targets for new affordable homebuilding in local towns , cities and counties.

If the governor and the legislature want more affordable

housing, they need to do three basic things.

The first is to make enough government-owned land, available for free, to the local authorities on which to build.

The second is to make all the investments necessary to provide and guarantee the long-term supply of water to the thousands of new homes it is mandating to be built by 2030. All this at a time when severe drought is the annual norm, reservoirs are running dry, the Colorado river flows are permanently reduced and the ancient aquifers are being overpumped with deeper and deeper wells as the surface water declines.

In addition, as referred to in the next paragraph, hydroelectricity generation is being reduced at the Hoover dam because Lake Mead is below the “pool” level and The Lake Powell Hydro dam is in the same shape. All other Californian lakes are well below seasonal levels and have been so, for several years.

The third is to fully ensure that California can reliably supply electricity to all the new homes being mandated. At the same time, the state faces building the

power sources and upgrading the electric grid to produce a reliable, electricity-only power service, across the state to supply the required megawatts to charge 17,765,625 automobiles and 322,639 trucks and power 14,200,000 homes with electric-only energy as well as to power 4,100,000 small businesses, 438,181 hotel rooms, 41 military bases, 6,093 hospitals, 11,815 ambulatory surgical centers and the numerous other needs for energy, including government offices in 55 counties. All this is from a starting point, where California-produced electricity is inadequate for its current load demands and the grid.

Instead of doing these things, their current policy is to destroy single-family neighborhoods and small cities with a policy of imposed high-density housing where the infrastructure necessary to support that density is not available, nor affordable to install, and where cities are already under financial stress.

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

‘About 1 in 4 (U.S. youth) use e-cigs daily’

year, the same website claimed that “about 1 in 4 (U.S. youth) use e-cigs daily” on a page detailing the results of the 2021 NYTS data when in reality, the real figure was 3.1%.

If Dr. Califf is such a champion of eradicating misinformation, perhaps he could begin by ensuring data is presented more clearly on his own agency’s website.

It is abundantly clear that the CDC and FDA are guilty of presenting teen e-cigarette use data in a way that is demonstrably misleading to journalists, the

public and, ultimately, members of state legislatures and Congress itself. Consequently, hundreds of thousands of Americans are being given an entirely false impression of regular youth vaping use which is, in reality, at very low levels.

This follows on from an astonishing CDC Zoom event in October, which was more a form of collective activism with the CDC working in partnership with anti-vaping groups to perpetuate the falsehood of there being an “epidemic” of youth vaping in the media, rather than an exercise in information-sharing and impartial analysis.

It would help the public get a better overall picture if youth smoking rates were available

for comparison, but the CDC has not released this information.

Moreover, the CDC and FDA make no effort to distinguish what proportion of youths currently using e-cigarettes formerly smoked or currently still do. This would add a completely different dynamic to the data as their use of safer nicotine alternatives is a positive development for public health, rather than a negative. In the United Kingdom, only 0.5% of 11 to 17 year olds who regularly vape were not former smokers, it is likely to be similar in the U.S.

It is incumbent on public health agencies in the U.S. to accurately inform the public on survey data, yet they are distinctly failing to do so with youth vaping. Instead,

we are seeing messaging from the CDC and FDA, which seems almost deliberately designed to mislead.

It is true that misinformation and misrepresentation of science is rife in many areas. Sadly, the main perpetrators of misleading data in tobacco and nicotine policy are government agencies themselves. The FDA and CDC cannot lecture others on fake news and misinformation when their own communications seem ideologically driven rather than adhering to objective evidence.

Martin Cullip is International Fellow at The Taxpayers Protection Alliance’s Consumer Center and is based in South London.

Who will be held responsible for not preventing the fraud?

warning the investing public?

was “removed” from FTX by “unauthorized transactions” and FTX, Alameda and 100 affiliates filed for bankruptcy in Delaware.

John Ray III, appointed CEO by the bankruptcy judge based on his experiences with Enron’s collapse, said in court filings that “FTX and its sister companies lacked functional accounting or human resources and SBF (Mr. Bankman-Fried) had received $1 billion loan from one of his own firms, and a complete absence of any trustworthy financial information compromised systems integrity and faulty regulatory oversight abroad, to the concentration of controls in the hands of a small group of inexperienced, unsophisticated and potential compromised individuals.” As of Nov. 12, billions of dollars in customers funds “could not be accounted for.”

Who will be held responsible for not preventing the fraud, permitting it to continue, and not

BUCKLEY

Continued from Page C1

documents emerged undermining President-elect Donald Trump, Senate Democratic leader Charles Schumer predicted that intelligence officials would ‘get back at Trump for challenging their credibility. ‘Let me tell you, you take on the intelligence community, they have six ways from Sunday to get back at you,’ Schumer said in a Jan. 3, 2017, MSNBC interview. Asked what intel officials could do to Trump, Schumer said, ‘I don’t know, but from what I am told, they are very upset with how he has treated them and talked about them.’”

We know how, now, the intelligence community got back at Mr. Trump and basically negated all the positive results of his presidency.

But here’s the Churchill/Trump parallel:

After steering the United Kingdom and the entire British Empire successfully through the great battle for survival against Nazi domination during the war years from May 1940 to July 1945, Prime Minister Churchill was unceremoniously booted from office barely two months after Nazi Germany offered its unconditional surrender to the Western Allies in May 1945. His Conservative Party lost the July 5, 1945 general election to Clement Atlee and the

Mr. Bankman-Fried? Will he be able to avoid extradition, only available for the DOJ, for fraud and theft charges by “hiding” in his $40 million Penthouse in The Bahamas while following his father’s counsel to remotely try to influence regulators? Housing and assets in The Bahamas may be exempt from bankruptcy.

Ms. Ellison, who with her nine “friends” is in Mr. BankmanFried’s Penthouse, for permitting FTX to “borrow” money from customers’ accounts she maintained as CEO of Alameda, for lending Mr. Bankman-Fried $1 million of customers’ funds from Alameda, and for not maintaining financial records? After the bankruptcy filings, she said “Crypto is mostly scams and memes.”

Mr. Bankman-Fried’s parents? They are Sam Bankman and his wife Barbara Fried, both Stanford law professors and heavy contributors to the Democrats, who stated that they want “to return the deed “(clever approach) to a property purchased by FTX in the Old Fort Bay gated

Labour Party. Huh?

In 1938, Prime Minister Chamberlain signed the Munich Agreement with Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, giving the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia over to German conquest but bringing, as Chamberlain promised, “peace in our time.” In September 1939, that peace was shattered by Hitler’s invasion of Poland. Chamberlain declared war against Germany but during the next eight months showed himself to be ill-equipped for the daunting task of saving Europe from Nazi conquest.

After British forces failed to prevent the German occupation of Norway in April 1940, Prime Minister Chamberlain lost the support of many members of his Conservative Party. On May 10, Hitler invaded the Low Countries — Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands — and France. The same day, Chamberlain formally lost the confidence of the House of Commons.

Churchill, who was known for his military leadership ability, was appointed British prime minister in his place. He formed an allparty coalition and quickly won the popular support of Britons.

On May 13, in his first speech before the House of Commons, Prime Minister Churchill declared that “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat” and offered an outline of his bold plans for British resistance. In the first

community in The Bahamas. That’s where they were listed as “signatures,” and may have counseled Mr. Bankman-Fried to locate in The Bahamas and donate to Democrats.

Gary Gensler? The Democrat is the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission, and he died not issue regulations protecting investors, and/or prohibiting FTX from trading in the US and/or bringing an action to prevent the sale of unregistered securities. The SEC defines a security as a capital investment by one party to be managed by another party,which includes crypto. Mr. Gensler repeatedly talked negatively about cryptocurrency while doing nothing, except in October calling the son of former colleague Sam Bankman: SBF.

The celebrities may be included in a class action civil suit allegedly filed against Mr. Bankman-Fried’s group for misleading the public.

Who will be held responsible?

The U.S. Department of Justice, headed by Attorney General Merrick Garland through fellow Democrat Damien Williams, the

year of his administration, Britain stood alone against Nazi Germany, but Churchill promised his country and the world that the British people would “never surrender.”

They never did.

After World War II, the new government immediately began the task of completely transforming British life. As prime minister, Clement Atlee put in place policies leading to the dissolution of the empire. His party pursued rapid decolonization of various British outposts and nationalized the steel, coal and railway industries. They also introduced the idea of free national health service and government-supported full employment.

Socialism had come to Britain.

It took the next 30 years, until Margaret Thatcher was named prime minister in 1979, to begin reversing the damage, but the U.K. has yet to fully recover from the socialist turn.

In 1945, Churchill was just shy of turning 71 and the loss of his party and his position devastated him. He departed for the south of France soon after the election and spent the better part of a year painting and nursing his bruised ego.

Six years later, in October 1951, the Tories won the election, and Churchill was once again prime minister. He served until 1955 and retired at age 80.

Mr. Trump — no doubt demoralized that the electorate

U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York if their investigation continues to join the Hunter and Joe Biden one in their “dead’ pile?

Who will go on trial? Mr. Bankman-Fried and his family, friends and colleagues? The SEC and DOJ? To determine if politics were involved, ask yourself how the SEC, media and DOJ would have acted if the $40 million had been “donated” by Republicans, or by parents dissatisfied with their school boards, or by participants in the Jan. 6 events, or, heaven forbid, by a Trump?

Aren’t post-elections interesting?

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

turned its back on him, and that Democrats had installed a basement-bound do-nothing senator to replace him — has spent nearly two years licking his wounds, though painting isn’t his style.

If another like-minded Democratic candidate is successful in the upcoming 2024 presidential election and brings along with him or her a Democratic-controlled Congress, the damage will also be nearly impossible to undo.

Donald Trump will be 78 on election day 2024. If he manages to rein in his worst tendencies, show kindness towards his opponents and forgiveness to his detractors, he could possibly rehabilitate himself with enough Republican and independent voters to win again. Though I’m now a DeSantis voter, if Mr. Trump is the nominee, I’ll pull the lever for him.

And if he were re-elected, he’d be 82 at the end of his term. Old enough to retire with dignity. And maybe he’d retire early and allow Vice President Ron DeSantis to take over.

Hey, a guy can dream, can’t he?

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

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further. “In countries such as Spain, if you impose a 50%t cut in the usage, you would have a major cut in output,” one diplomat told the Financial Times.

The farmer protests in the Netherlands are only the tip of the iceberg of the Pandora’s box the EU has opened by meddling with Europe’s farming system.

Environmentalism’s utopic and distorted view of agriculture clashes with the real needs of consumers. In fact, Europe’s solution of increasing organic farming is counterproductive to the goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions. CO2 emissions will increase by up to a whopping 70% if organic farming becomes the norm, as researchers in the United Kingdom have shown.

The reason is simple: Organic agriculture needs more resources and more farmland to achieve the same output. This makes organic food not only worse for the environment but also more expensive for consumers.

For the United States, which has dabbled in similar attempts to make farming more “sustainable,” this is a cautionary tale. Europe is finding out the hard way how its ambitious policies are reducing purchasing power on a continent where citizens already spend

much more of their disposable income on food compared to Americans.

To an even larger extent, Sri Lanka’s policy of banning synthetic crop protection in a short period has laid out how green farming policies transform a thriving economy into a nation dependent on foreign food aid. Americans must understand that our food system is conditional on productivity and safety, both things that crop protection tools make possible. In fact, pesticide use is not comparable to how it used to be in the 60s. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, pesticide persistence has been cut in half in the last 60 years, and chemical pesticide use has been reduced by 40% (per acre).

In essence, this means that we have produced more food with less land and less crop protection. We should trust farmers and experts to improve this even further without the need for blanket bans that hurt consumers.

Bill Wirtz is the senior policy analyst at the ConConsumer Choice Center, focusing on new technology, agriculture, trade, and lifestyle regulations. He recently published “No Copypaste: What not to Emulate from Europe’s Agriculture Regulation.” This commentary was provided to the News-Press by The Center Square, a nonprofit dedicated to journalism.

The postal service

has overestimated CDS costs

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All this snooping has come at the expense of direly needed investigations of criminal activity. According to the IG, about a third of USPIS’ investigative activities, “do not directly support protection of Postal Service assets, Postal Service employees, or the mail system.” Restoring a basic semblance of mail security requires that USPS leadership hold the Postal Inspection Service accountable and tie future funding to core investigative activities.

New agency policies can also ensure that mail is transported speedily and more securely.

U.S. Postal Service already contracts out some of its deliveries via the Contract Delivery Service, though contractors currently deliver

to less than 2% of all delivery points. Interestingly, the postal service has consistently overestimated CDS costs (by about 7%), which may have led to the agency not using contractors as much as it could have over the past few years. Turbocharging this service could mean more trucks humming along on the last mile with greater security precautions at a fraction of ordinary compensation costs.

Contractors, after all, have skin in the game and know too well that stolen mail will lead to the termination of their postal partnerships.

Postal consumers have had to worry about their mail being stolen for far too long. It’s time for the USPS to reassess its mission and deliver on a secure and affordable mail system.

Ross Marchand is a senior fellow for the Taxpayers Protection Alliance.

Other reporters, especially women, hated her

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was disgusting ... I’m not talking about Putin, I’m talking about (giggle) Megyn Kelly.”

Women even attacked Ms. Kelly for asking Jane Fonda about plastic surgery.

Then, shortly before Halloween, Ms. Kelly, after she asked a question about dressing in blackface, said, “When I was a kid, that was OK.” Her NBC guests nodded in agreement.

But the media pounced on Ms. Kelly.

“Kelly has always been racist,” said Elle Magazine.

Her comment was “jawdropping,” said a column in The New York Times.

Lefties like Joy Behar and Jimmy Kimmel had actually worn blackface, but Ms. Kelly was vilified just for asking a question about it.

The next day, nearly in tears, she apologized.

The following day, NBC fired her.

Now she tells me: “The leftist media and the woke left are the most insufferable people we have.”

She’s free to say things like that today because she’s her own boss. Ms. Kelly now has a popular podcast that runs on SiriusXM.

“I’m totally un-cancelable,” says Ms. Kelly. “That was my only mission in coming back into our business.”

She calls most of the media “stupid, uninformed ignoramuses” and is upset that they “are the ones driving our national discussion.”

I agree. I’m glad that more people now can get another side of the story from independent journalists like Ms. Kelly. And ... me. At Stossel TV, I bring many points of view together for civilized debate. I don’t shout anyone down. Even when I disagree, we let them have their say.

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

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