Members of Congress seek to extend FEMA deadline for aid

By KATHERINE ZEHNDER

NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, has joined 25 members of the California congressional delegation in calling for a delay of today’s deadline for families impacted by January’s severe storms to apply for federal aid.

Amid multiple new storms that have caused renewed flooding and displacement of families on the Central Coast, the bipartisan group of lawmakers asked the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Wednesday to extend today’s deadline for support to cover home repairs, temporary displacement and other costs.

Joining Rep. Salud Carbajal in the effort for the extension were U.S. Reps. Julia Brownley, whose district includes most of Ventura County, and Jimmy Panetta, whose district includes northern San Luis Obispo County. They joined the other members of Congress in signing a letter, dated March 15, to FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell.

“Our constituents are currently facing yet another flood event, and many have been displaced right before the March 16, 2023 deadline. Extending this deadline will allow victims to focus on their safety, instead of paperwork, as they continue to experience the fallout from current winter storms,” the group of California lawmakers wrote. “We are confident that FEMA did not anticipate this current storm when setting the current March 16 application deadline. We urge you to extend this deadline for our constituents who have been unable to recover between historic storms and have faced emergencies and losses twice in the past three months.”

Reps. Carbajal and Rep. Panetta successfully urged President Biden to unlock the FEMA aid for residents of San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties earlier this year.

While President Biden has approved a federal emergency declaration for the most recent storms hitting the central coast, applications for FEMA disaster relief can’t be used for damage caused by the most recent flooding events.

For the full text of the letter, see panetta.house. gov/sites/panetta.house.gov/ files/documents/2023.03.15_

LETTER_FEMA_

Relief%20Deadline_ email: kzehnder@newspress.com there was the sound of what NewsPress photographer Kenneth Song called a “hearty, healthy flow.”

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You could see the storm’s impact on places like Santa Barbara’s Miramonte Drive, where the portion off West Carrillo Street was barricaded because of an apparent mudslide.

The impact was also experienced in Santa Maria, where David Navarro, 32, entered the area around a flood control reservoir on Tuesday night and didn’t return. The reservoir is in the area of Blosser Road and Canal Street, and Santa Maria police officers were dispatched there around 10:59 p.m. Tuesday.

The Santa Barbara County Fire Department’s water rescue team assisted the Santa Maria fire and police departments. County Fire used a rescue boat and utility vehicle to search the water’s surface and embankment.

At 3 a.m. Wednesday, County Fire reported that only a single article of clothing had been identified. It was Mr. Navarro’s jacket.

A citizen reported seeing Mr. Navarro entering the fenced area around the reservoir, but Santa Maria police said no one saw Mr. Navarro go into the water. The search continued throughout the area, including flood channels, and the California Highway Patrol searched by helicopter. Santa Maria police are asking that anyone with information call 805-928-3781, ext. 2277. The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office is assisting

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The Santa Maria Police Department is seeking the public’s help in finding David Navarro, who went missing after entering the fenced area around a flood control reservoir Tuesday night in Santa Maria. Anyone with information is asked to call the department at 805-928-3781, ext. 2277.

As first reported by the Intercept, some of those bank clients include California-based businesses formed by Newsom.

The rules do provide exceptions that allow for participation “if the effect on the official’s interests is indistinguishable from the effect on the public.” Federal officials noted that aiding the bank was an attempt to stop a larger panic that put the American financial sector as a whole at risk.

Gov. Newsom has yet to comment publicly on the matter.

SB’s Rotary Club honors Dos Pueblos teacher

Douglas Caines stresses his passion for education

By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

The Rotary Club of Santa Barbara recently honored Douglas Caines for his leadership as a teacher at Dos Pueblos High School in Goleta.

Mr. Caines, whose school is part of the Santa Barbara Unified School District, was awarded a plaque and a $1,000 check for classroom needs.

“I don’t think any high school teacher gets into teaching for awards or accolades,” Mr. Caines told the News-Press. “I don’t like to toot my own harm. I am a longterm educator. I never intended to be in education, but once I found it, it was so natural.

“I don’t need outside validation, but it is nice to hear it,” he said.

Mr. Caines teaches in the Dos Pueblos career technical education media pathway, which includes courses in advanced broadcast journalism, animation and graphic design.

Prior to his teaching career, he worked as a freelance journalist, audio engineer and graphic designer.

Mr. Caines also mixed and mastered music for local artists, ran the front of the house for small plays/productions and did some print/graphic design work. And he worked for several local nonprofits with students.

Mr. Caines was the broadcast director of Santa Barbara Teen News Network and taught a media literacy program at the Westside Boys and Girls Club. He holds a bachelor’s in business administration from American InterContinental University.

Mr. Caines told the NewsPress why he’s so passionate about teaching.

“For me, it boils down to (that) I genuinely enjoy media creation of all forms,” he said. “The passion for the art form is where it starts.

“I think digital literacy is the