Goleta City Council approves grants
There was no year like 2020
City budgets $360,000 for various organizations - A2
Santa Barbara author Dawn O’Bar writes about life during the pandemic - B1
Our 166th Year
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T H U R S DAY, M AY 5 , 2 0 2 2
Library plaza’s new chapter
Federal Reserve announces largest interest rate increase in 20 years
Speakers at groundbreaking praise efforts for site, which is being named after philanthropist Michael Towbes By DAVE MASON NEWS-PRESS MANAGING EDITOR
As she addressed a small audience outside the Central Library, Anne Towbes recalled something her husband, the late Santa Barbara philanthropist Michael Towbes, said. “The only thing better than a groundbreaking is a ribbon cutting!” Mrs. Towbes said. The crowd chuckled late Thursday morning as the sun shined on what would be developed fully into the Michael Towbes Library Plaza, the first facility to be named after the man well-known for supporting nonprofits and the arts. “What a perfect place and perfect way to honor my most amazing husband, Michael Towbes,” Mrs. Towbes noted. The groundbreaking ceremony included speeches by Mrs. Towbes and others, as well as a ceremonial shoveling of dirt by those involved in the partnership between the Santa Barbara Public Library Foundation and the city of Santa Barbara. Officials attending included Mayor Randy Rowse, City Manager Rebecca Bjork and, speaking to the audience, Councilman Eric Friedman. During the ceremony, donors and others were thanked, and the speakers praised Mr. Towbes and his efforts for the community. Santa Barbara has contributed more than $1.6 million to the effort, the Santa Barbara Public Library Foundation said. Plans call for the Michael Towbes Library Plaza to host book, career, college and volunteer fairs; new citizen celebrations; GED graduations; and activities for children such as puppet shows and science experiments, according to the foundation. A rendering of the plaza’s eventual appearance stood on a stand as the audience listened to Mrs. Towbes, who noted her husband would have loved the plaza. “Michael was a lifelong learner and a voracious reader,” said Mrs. Towbes, who is and honorary committee co-chair for the plaza effort. “Every shelf (at home) was piled high with books. You should
By DAN MCCALEB THE CENTER SQUARE EXECUTIVE EDITOR
KENNETH SONG/NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
During a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday, Santa Barbara Public Library Foundation board president Anne Howard thanks all who have made the new Michael Towbes Library Plaza possible.
have seen his desk!” She noted Mr. Towbes loved going to The Granada, which is visible from the library plaza. “I think he would truly have enjoyed the view.” Earlier during the ceremony, Janet Garufis talked about Mr. Towbes as she shared the stage with Jim Jackson. Ms. Garufis and Mr. Jackson are co-chairs of the library plaza campaign, and like other speakers, they praised campaign cabinet member Bob Bason, who smiled as he stood in the audience. Mr. Bason wanted something in the community named after Mr. Towbes. “Bob sent me an email and said, ‘I’m really irritated,’” Ms. Garufis recalled. Mr. Bason was bothered by the fact that nothing in Santa Barbara had been named after Mr. Please see LIBRARY on A4
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
DAVE MASON/NEWS-PRESS
Dr. Jenna Tosh, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood California Central Coast, discusses the fate of Roe v. Wade during a rally Tuesday evening in De la Guerra Plaza in Santa Barbara.
From increased staffing to voter advocacy, Planned Parenthood California Central Coast has been preparing for the possibility abortion access could be challenged in the U.S. So when a draft opinion from Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito gutting Roe v. Wade was leaked earlier this week, rattling the nation, officials with the local Planned Parenthood organization were ready. “We have been preparing for an opinion as devastating as this because we could see it coming,” Dr. Jenna Tosh, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood California Central Coast, told the News-Press. The draft opinion, first published by POLITICO, said
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Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell announced the interest rate increase Wednesday.
three months of 2022, raising concerns about a possible recession. email: dmccaleb@ thecentersquare.com.
Santa Barbara gets to work on housing goals By KAITLYN SCHALLHORN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
This rendering, which stood during Wednesday’s ceremony, shows the eventual appearance of the Michael Towbes Library Plaza.
Planned Parenthood prepares for Roe decision By KAITLYN SCHALLHORN
(The Center Square) — The Federal Reserve on Wednesday said it was raising interest rates by 0.5 percentage points, the largest hike since 2020. The increase, an attempt to bring skyrocketing inflation under control, comes after a 0.25 percentage point increase in March. The Fed’s benchmark interest rate now has a target rate range of 0.75% to 1.0%. Several more interest rate hikes, which drive up the costs of borrowing for everything from cars to homes, are expected this year. This latest hike comes as inflation soared to 40-year highs last month. The Consumer Price Index, a key indicator of inflation, increased an additional 1.2% in March, part of an 8.5% spike in the past 12 months. The producer price index rose 1.4% in March and 11.2% in the last 12 months. U.S. Gross Domestic Product, a key measure of the size of the economy, declined in the first
both Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (a case that came nearly 20 years after Roe) should be overruled. It argued Roe v. Wade was “egregiously wrong from the start” with “exceptionally weak” reasoning and “damning” consequences. Draft opinions are often circulated around the court as justices engage in the deliberative process. The opinion was from February, meaning justices could have changed their vote or altered the text of a more final version to be handed down, typically expected in June. Should the Supreme Court strike down Roe v. Wade, 26 states would ban or greatly restrict abortion through trigger clauses already in place or indications they would enact restrictions, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a pro-choice
research organization. In California, access to abortion is unlikely to change, but it could see an influx of women coming into the state for such services from places where abortion would be banned, such as nearby Arizona. The Guttmacher Institute estimated California could see a nearly 3,000% increase in women whose nearest abortion provider would be in California. Dr. Tosh said Planned Parenthood California Central Coast has hired more staff — including one full-time staff physician, multiple contract physicians, multiple registered nurses and advanced practice clinicians (such as nurse practitioners, physician assistants and nurse midwives) — recently to Please see ROE V. WADE on A4
The Santa Barbara City Council and Planning Commission met for several hours last week to begin to tackle its Housing Element — a framework for management and growth of the city’s housing. Santa Barbara needs 8,001 new housing units for the 2022-2031 cycle, according to a presentation. Of those, 3,534 need to be affordable to low- and very low-income households. But in the previous cycle, Santa Barbara’s Regional Housing Needs Assessment allocated 4,100 new housing units. As of December 2021, only 1,592 were permitted — leaving 2,508 remaining units. Of those, only 120 units of very low-income households were permitted as well as 112 for low-income and four for moderate-income households. That left 842 remaining units that were earmarked for very low-income households, 589 for low-income households and 816 for moderate-income households, according to figures provided to the group on April 28. Countywide, the housing unit needs for the upcoming cycle total 24,856. During a three-hour meeting, city council members and commissioners contemplated goals for the
proposed Housing Element, which stipulates actions, policies and programs needed for housing growth and retention across all income levels, according to a staff report. The joint group was presented with eight proposed goals for the upcoming sixth cycle of the Housing Element: • Create New Housing: Create new healthy, safe and energy-efficient housing that meets community needs. • Prioritize Affordable Housing: Prioritize deedrestricted housing that is affordable to the city’s workforce and vulnerable communities over other types of development. • Provide Housing Assistance: Provide financial resources and supportive services for members of the community who need housing assistance. • Promote Housing Stability: Retain existing affordable housing and discourage tenant displacement. • Preserve Housing: Prevent blight or deterioration, promote occupancy and discourage conversion to other uses. • Inform the Community: Educate the community about housing issues, affordable housing opportunities and available resources and programs. Please see HOUSING on B4
INSIDE
L O T T E RY RESULTS
Classified................. B4 Life...................... B1-2 Obituaries............... A4
Wednesday’s SUPER LOTTO: N/A Meganumber: N/A
Wednesday’s DAILY 4: 3-4-6-2
Tuesday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 15-19-27-35-57 Meganumber: 17
Wednesday’s FANTASY 5: 7-16-26-33-35
Wednesday’s DAILY DERBY: 03-09-10 Time: 1:46.49
Wednesday’s POWERBALL: N/A Meganumber: N/A
Sudoku................... B3 Sports . ................ A3-4 Weather................. A4
Wednesday’s DAILY 3: 4-6-2 / Wednesday’s Midday 4-1-0