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Unemployment rate improves in county, state By MITCHELL WHITE NEWS-PRESS ASSOCIATE EDITOR
KENNETH SONG/NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
Moviegoers consume snacks while watching previews at the Metropolitan Camino Real Cinemas in Goleta on Saturday.
Goleta movie theater reopens
California’s unemployment rate dropped 0.5 percentage points to 8.5% in February, as the state’s employers gained 141,000 jobs, according to data released Friday by the California Employment Development Department. Locally, the unemployment rate in Santa Barbara County was 7.1% in February, down from a revised 7.8% in January. The February unemployment numbers were released after January’s downward-revised month-over loss of 80,000 jobs. December and January combined for a two-month total of 155,400 jobs lost, but February’s gain recovered nearly 91% of that loss, according to the EDD Labor Market Information Division. Overall, California has now regained nearly 39% of the 2.7 million total nonfarm jobs lost in March and April 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Santa Barbara County’s unemployment rate, which trended below 6% from December 2018 to February
Camino Real Cinemas resumes indoor operations By GRAYCE MCCORMICK NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
After practically a year of closures, movie lovers can finally see films on the big screen at Camino Real Cinemas in Goleta, instead of streaming them from their couches. Metropolitan Theatres got the green light to reopen the Goleta location on Friday and the Fiesta Five in Santa Barbara this Wednesday. Saturday afternoon, families, friends and individuals came to see “Nobody,” an R-rated horror film; the PG-rated animated “Raya and the Last Dragon” and the new “Tom and Jerry” film. “The first movie of the first day, it was like being reborn,” Chuck McQuary told the News-Press. He and his wife, Dolores, and his
wife’s sister, Sandy Grant, all saw the 2:20 p.m. showing of “Nobody” together. Ms. Grant said it was the “best movie I have seen in years.” “We went out and we were able to sit down, have something to eat and get up and go to a movie,” Mr. McQuary said. “It felt like the old days.” Face masks are required except while eating or drinking in the auditoriums, which are sanitized between showtimes. The theaters are permitted to operate at 25% capacity, with physical distancing measures, and Camino Real Cinemas launched a new mobile app that allows for reserving seats to ensure social distancing. Ms. Grant said she hopes that one day, they won’t need to wear masks as they watch the movies. Mr. McQuary said because no one was near their group during the
film, he slipped his mask off. “Life is good,” he said, adding that the group all received their COVID-19 vaccines. “Our favorite thing to do is go to the movies and go out to eat and this just feels good … This is what life is all about,” Mrs. McQuary told the News-Press. “We’re glad to see things open up and I hope people realize there’s good movies out there. We’re all sick of TV. “We really encourage people to get out. You get sick of staying home, seeing each other, watching television.” Mr. McQuary agreed with his wife, laughing and saying, “We really like each other, but it was really put to a test. “We’ve been over tipping when we go out because we’ve been so thankful for these people to be there and now we don’t have to
do the big tips anymore because people are going to have jobs,” he said. “I really felt bad for the people during that time because they were in a bad way. We were so thankful when we found people that were there for us.” Chuck Huber has lived in the Goleta area since 1987, and told the News-Press he’s always been a big movie lover. He saw the 2 p.m. showing of “Raya and the Last Dragon” on Saturday afternoon, and his review was that it was “really good,” with “beautiful animation” and a “better story.” “I went to a couple (movies) the last time things opened up again briefly,” he said. “Hopefully, this will be permanent.” Mr. Huber said he’s gotten so used to wearing a mask that he barely noticed he was wearing it Please see CINEMA on A6
At left, Moviegoers order snacks at the food court at the Metropolitan Camino Real Cinemas in Goleta on Saturday. At right, Movie theaters are permitted to operate at 25% capacity, with physical distancing measures, and Camino Real Cinemas launched a new mobile app that allows for reserving seats to ensure social distancing.
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Leftover vaccines could be available Pharmacies give out vaccines to ineligible residents By GRAYCE MCCORMICK NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
A slight loophole has allowed for pharmacies to divvy out leftover COVID-19 vaccines to, seemingly, whoever asks or knows the right people. In the mad rush to vaccinate as many people in Santa Barbara County as possible, more than 170,000 doses had been administered as of Thursday. In addition, according to County Public Health’s spokeswoman, Jackie Ruiz, the county will begin welcoming residents ages 16 and older to get vaccinated before Gov. Gavin Newsom’s set date of April 15. However, because of the sheer volume of appointments being made, cancellations are inevitable, and some pharmacies have been giving the extra shots to any resident who calls at the end of the day and asks for one. The doses must be administered within hours once they’re removed from storage, so the extra doses would end up in the trash bin if they’re not administered. “Of course, we do encourage anyone providing vaccines not to waste,” Ms. Ruiz told the NewsPress. “They’re asked to stay within the guidelines as much as possible. We do realize, even
at our own sites, sometimes you really only have 30 minutes to use up the doses.” She said that calling pharmacies at the end of the day is “not an official recommendation of the Public Health Department.” “The language the state and the federal government uses kind of allows for that leeway whenever there’s a possibility the vaccine will go to waste otherwise,” Ms. Ruiz said. This loophole has the potential to allow ineligible residents who can make it to the pharmacy within 30 minutes of a phone call to cut the line ahead of eligible residents who are still stuck on waitlists. But, if eligible residents cannot make it within the time frame necessary to administer safely, the next available people will be called and potentially vaccinated ahead of schedule. “The concern has definitely been raised by community members … Many times, people can’t get there within 30 minutes,” Ms. Ruiz said. “As far as I know, that’s what’s happening … We do everything we can to try and get folks who are eligible vaccinated and then, if that is not possible, we look at other solutions so the vaccine Please see SHOTS on A6
L O T T E RY RESULTS
INSIDE Classified.............. A8 Life........................ B1 Obituaries............. A4
2020, spiked to nearly 14% in April of 2020. The county’s unemployment rate has steadily dropped over the past 10 months. Santa Barbara County has a labor force of 214,600, with 199,300 people employed and 15,300 unemployed. Compared to other local counties, Ventura County had an unemployment rate of 6.8% for February, while San Luis Obispo County had an unemployment rate of 6.3%. In total, Santa Barbara County gained an estimated 3,500 jobs from January to February. This includes an estimated gain of 1,800 farm jobs and 1,700 nonfarm jobs. The county’s labor force increased by 3,700 (up 1.8%) from January. Employment in the leisure and hospitality sector saw the largest employment increase over the month, adding 2,200 jobs. Educational and Health Services added an estimated 300 jobs and manufacturing added 100 jobs. Month-over job losses were also noted in the the professional and business services sector
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