Made in Santa Barbara
Mixed results for Westmont basketball
Local jewelry designer opens flagship store in Paseo Nuevo- B1
Warrior women claim victory, men fall short in games against Vanguard - B4
Our 166th Year
75¢
S AT U R DAY, DE C E M B E R 11, 2 0 21
Commission makes final changes to redistricting map By FORREST MCFARLAND NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
The Citizens Independent Redistricting Commission of Santa Barbara made a few final changes to their selected map before the Dec. 15 deadline. Months of meetings and hours of public comment led to the penultimate Wednesday meeting with a nearly complete draft, but there was still work to be done. The commission voted 10-1 to make small changes, mainly centered around the city limits in Districts Four and Five. Commissioner Jannet Rios, who
was born and raised in Santa Maria, recognized concerns about the boundaries in the Four Corners area at the intersection of Broadway and Main Street. Mrs. Rios told the News-Press this amendment was, “based off my own lived experience in Santa Maria.” The commissioner mentioned several landmarks like the library and Allan Hancock College concluding, “All of those pieces are the heart and soul of Santa Maria. Considering we were keeping most of Santa Maria in District Five, it made sense.” As a response to this, part of
northeastern Santa Maria will move from District Five to District Four, using Highway 101 as a boundary. Other than the Santa Maria city limits, the commission also agreed to shift the District One and District Two boundaries by State Route 154 to consolidate more of the local watershed. After these minor changes, public comment suggested an overall satisfaction with the hard-earned redistricting map. “What’s most important is the fact that the community is satisfied with the results of the map. If the public is happy, I’m happy,” Mrs. Rios told the News-
The commission is scheduled for a final Zoom meeting to adopt the map on Monday at 6:30 p.m. Press. “That makes me feel confident in the work that the commission has done.” The commission is scheduled for a final Zoom meeting to adopt the map on Monday at 6:30 p.m. The virtual meeting can be found at https://zoom.us/j/96627818457 with the meeting ID: 966 2781 8457.
Race raises $15,000 for Bethel House Arise Conferences first Santa Barbara event helps nonprofit replace Mattresses, bedding, carpeting
Mrs. Rios urged people to attend this final meeting to celebrate the historic redistricting process. “We still encourage folks to come out,” Mrs. Rios told the News-Press. “We have one last Zoom meeting, this isn’t over yet.” email: fmcfarland@newspress.com
Grand Jury studies public pension plans City of Santa Barbara looks for solution for accrued liabilities By ANNELISE HANSHAW NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
COURTESY PHOTO
Enthusiastic participants gathered to take part in a 5k race last Saturday to raise money for the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission’s Bethel House. The event, sponsored by Arise Conferences, raised $15,000 for the ocal nonprofit, which provides resources for victims of domestic abuse and women who struggle with addiction.
By FORREST MCFARLAND NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
Arise Conferences raised $15,000 for Santa Barbara Rescue Mission’s Bethel House during their first 5k race last Saturday. Two hundred twenty people participated in the race to raise funds for the faith-based treatment facility. Thanks to sponsors, the non-profit, established in 1965, raised enough money to replace mattresses, bedding and carpeting. “The whole vibe was so positive.
Everyone was excited before and after,” founder and host of Arise Conferences Mary Hudson told the News-Press. This is Arise’s first event in Santa Barbara, Mrs. Hudson explained. Arise recently has held conferences in Hawaii and Ventura, CA. “We’ve been spending a lot of time this year asking donors to replace things in the Bethel House,” Mrs. Hudson told the News-Press. “For this run, we replaced 24 mattresses, bedding and carpet which have not been changed for at least 20 years.”
FOLLOW US ON
66833 00050
3
community,” Mrs. Hudson told the News-Press. “It’s one of the most giving communities in the United States.” Arise Conferences is hosting their next conference in Kauai, Hawaii, on March 24-26. Bethel House will be hosting their annual Christmas feast and giveaway for homeless guests on Wednesday, Dec. 22, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Arise is planning on holding another 5k fundraiser in Dec. of 2022. email: fmcfarland@newspress.com
LOTTERY
i nsi d e Classified.............. B4 Life..................... B1-2 Obituaries............. A4
6
Arise and the Rescue Mission’s Bethel House provide resources for victims of domestic abuse and women who struggle with addiction. “We just want to see them go from victims to victors,” Mrs. Hudson explained. “They’ve got a great future ahead of them, and they don’t have to be stuck in the past.” Other than monetary donations to the Bethel House, local businesses also provided water and fresh fruit to the participants of the race. “Santa Barbara is such a giving
The Santa Barbara Grand Jury is requesting the County of Santa Barbara and the cities within the county develop a plan by the end of June to address solvency risks in defined-benefit pension plans. While the Grand Jury didn’t find that any municipality was in imminent danger of being unable to fulfill pension contracts, it labeled Santa Barbara, Santa Maria and Lompoc at higher potential of solvency risks in comparison to the other cities. The City of Santa Barbara Ordinance Committee is currently analyzing its pension plans. The county holds its plans’ assets in the County of Santa Barbara Employee Retirement System. The cities feed into California’s holdings, the California Public Employee Retirement System. CalPERS, the largest public pension fund in the nation, was able to provide 55% of funding through its investment returns, as of June 30, 2020. Employer contributions paid 32% of benefits and employee contributions made the last 13%. CalPERS assets comprised 70.6% of its accrued liability, or what all working and retired beneficiaries had earned, as of June 30, 2020. At the same time, SBPERS assets covered approximately 74% of its accrued liability. Many industry experts have lauded a rate of 80% as healthy, but actuarial scientists debate its application in the public sector. In 2020, CalPERS was barely above average when compared to other state’s pension plans’ funding. Illinois is eyed as the country’s lowest-funded, at 40.4% funded in 2020. In 2020, Santa Barbara was 67.3% funded; Lompoc was 68% funded, and Santa Maria was 68.5% funded.The three cities also have significantly higher employer contributions when compared to their projected payroll. The City of Santa Barbara’s Please see PENSIONS on A2
Sudoku................. B3 Sports ................... B4 Weather................ A4
Wednesday’s SUPER LOTTO: 4-6-23-41-46 Mega: 4
Friday’s DAILY 4: 9-9-9-5
Tuesday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 1-7-40-43-68 Mega: 1
Friday’s FANTASY 5: 9-12-17-29-31
Friday’s DAILY DERBY: 06-05-08 Time: 1:49.20
Wednesday’s POWERBALL: 3-7-33-50-69 Meganumber: 24
Friday’s DAILY 3: 4-5-0 / Midday 3-4-3