Royal troubles
The Vintage Fox
Politics in 2016
History repeats itself for Prince Harry and Meghan, columnist Robert Eringer writes - A3
SB store moves to new location, a house on Chapala Street - B1
Columnist James Buckley questions the practices of the Hillary Clinton campaign - C1
Our 166th Year
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Sexual abuse lawsuit filed against Santa Maria school district By MADISON HIRNEISEN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
A former student filed a childhood sexual abuse lawsuit against the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District on Thursday, alleging that the district was negligent in hiring a teacher who sexually assaulted him. The lawsuit was filed by former student James McDaniel, who is accusing the district of completing “inadequate preemployment background checks” before hiring former teacher Michael Cardoza. Mr. Cardoza was a teacher at Santa Maria and Pioneer Valley High Schools from 1997 to 2006 and was convicted in 2008 of
The lawsuit was filed by former student James McDaniel, who is accusing the district of completing “inadequate preemployment background checks” before hiring former teacher Michael Cardoza. Mr. Cardoza was a teacher at Santa Maria and Pioneer Valley High Schools from 1997 to 2006 and was convicted in 2008 of sexually abusing Mr. McDaniel. sexually abusing Mr. McDaniel. The lawsuit accuses the district of “knowingly” fostering a “pervasive and hostile environment that utterly disregarded the rights and safety of young students.” As a result, Mr. McDaniel is demanding a trial by jury and damages exceeding $25,000. “Even after all these years, I still live with the pain of the sexual abuse I suffered at the hands of Michael
Cardoza,” Mr. McDaniel said in a statement. “It was a difficult decision to come forward in 2008, but it was the right decision. Today, I am again coming forward to ensure students at the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District are better protected than I was in 2006.” The case was filed under the California Child Victims Act (Assembly Bill 218), which allows survivors of abuse to file civil lawsuits for child sexual abuse that
was previously barred by a statute of limitations. It was filed in the Superior Court of Santa Barbara County and lists five causes of action — negligence, negligent hiring and retention, negligent supervision, sexual battery and sexual harassment. In addition to the school district and Mr. Cardoza, the lawsuit includes “Does 3 to 20” as defendants. The suit explains these are unnamed individuals who Mr.
McDaniel believes are liable as employees of the SMJUHSD. The suit alleges that the school district and Does 3 to 20 “failed to acknowledge unsafe conditions and red flags” in Mr. Cardoza’s behavior and did not conduct adequate background checks before hiring, which ultimately led to the sexual abuse of Mr. McDaniel and others, Please see LAWSUIT on A6
Art, Design & Architecture Museum reopens
KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS
A pair of visitors converse at the Art, Design & Architecture Museum on the UCSB campus on Saturday.
By MADISON HIRNEISEN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
The Art, Design & Architecture Museum at UCSB reopened on Saturday for the first time since March 2020, welcoming back students and members of the public to enjoy its new exhibitions. The museum initially shut down last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and
officially made its grand return over the weekend. Visitors who have not been able to enter the museum for 19 months are now welcome to return and enjoy the museum’s three new exhibitions. Upon entering the museum, visitors are immersed in one of the new exhibitions titled “Irresistible Delights: Recent Gifts to the Art Collection.” This collection features an array of
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Picasso, which was donated to the museum’s permanent collection. The main gallery is also home to a collection of paintings and photographs that were donated by UCSB graduates, current and former professors and friends of the museum. “What you see (in this exhibition) is a little bit of everything,” Silvia Perea, the acting director of the museum, told
the News-Press on Saturday. “There are paintings, sculptures, ceramics and wood carvings so that students and visitors can see and enjoy the richness of art in all its expressions,” she added. In addition to the exhibition in the main gallery, the museum is also displaying two special exhibits in its side galleries between now and May 2022. Please see MUSEUM on A5
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paintings, photography, wood-carved statues and colorful textiles, all of which were donated to the museum by friends, patrons, alumni and faculty over the last decade. Inside the museum’s main gallery, visitors will notice a variety of African art pieces, including carved statues and textiles. The gallery also displays a collection of pottery work by Pablo
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