Newsom to present revised budget
A voyage on sea and through love
California has a projected surplus of $45.7 billion- A2
Special talk planned at Santa Barbara Maritime Museum - B1
Our 166th Year
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‘Out of stock’
COVID cases up again
Formula shortage not yet a crisis in Santa Barbara, experts say
County public health officer calls new subvariant ‘sneakier’ By KATHERINE ZEHNDER
By KAITLYN SCHALLHORN
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
As images of bare shelves void of baby formula permeate newspapers and social media, health officials in Santa Barbara have a message for spooked parents: Don’t panic. A nationwide formula shortage — exasperated by recalls and supply chain issues — has left families scrambling to find needed products. Countless desperate pleas pepper Facebook Marketplace and new mom groups: “URGENT NEED.” “PLEASE HELP.” California fares better than nearly every other state when it comes to out-of-stock rates for formula — albeit, the shortage is still felt. California is at 32% out-ofstock, according to the most recent information compiled by Datasembly, a real-time product pricing and data provider, and shared with the News-Press. Eight states and Washington, D.C., have out-of-stock rates higher than 50%. Tennessee, Delaware, Texas, Montana, Nevada and West Virginia top the list. Only three states (Indiana, New Mexico and Colorado) have rates lower than California. In comparison, the national out-of-stock average for the first seven months of 2021 fluctuated between 2-8%. As of May 8, the national average jumped to 43%. “This issue has been compounded by supply chain challenges, product recalls and historic inflation,” Datasembly CEO Ben Reich said. “The category started to see stocking challenges beginning in July 2021, and the situation has continued to worsen into 2022.” While local health officials said the shortages have not yet
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People shopping for infant formula at a CVS Pharmacy store in Santa Barbara were limited to a maximum of three units per customer, according to a posted sign.
reached an exigency, shortages are still felt in the Santa Barbara area — particularly when it comes to specialty formulas, such as EleCare or Enfamil Nutramigen, which are designed for newborns with certain health or dietary needs. “At this time, it doesn’t seem like we’ve reached a crisis level,” Susan Liles, the WIC/Nutrition Services director for the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department, told the NewsPress. “We’re monitoring and listening to the questions and complaints we’re getting … and whenever possible, by calling the stores ahead of time, we’re able to figure out where stores have their shipments and can direct the public to those stores.” Officials said parents should ensure they have an adequate supply of needed or prescribed formulas but avoid stockpiling. “Similar to shortages of hygiene products at the beginning of the pandemic, there is no reason for consumers to hoard,” Dr. Daniel Brennan, a pediatrician at Sansum Clinic, told the NewsPress. “It is a priority to make
A fairly limited selection of infant formula was available at Target in Santa Barbara.
sure we have sufficient nutrition for babies, and I trust that more will be available very soon.” “For most of our patients who take formula, there are substitute (or) alternative brands that will provide excellent nutrition,” Dr.
Brennan continued. “For those on a specialty formula, I would recommend reaching out to your doctor (or the specialist who prescribed the specialty formula). Please see FORMULA on A4
After two years of being virtual, event will be in person at Santa Barbara Mission By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
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Dr. Henning Ansorg
“The new subvariant of omicron is known as BA.2.12.1. Over 50% of California cases are the omicron subvariant BA.2.12.1. The new version of the virus Please see UPTICK on A3
Progress continues on Santa Barbara High’s new VADA facility
I Madonnari Street Painting Festival is back
Artist Delphine Anaya works on her chalk painting at the I Madonnari Street Painting Festival
After a downward trend in March in COVID-19 cases countywide, there was hope that the pandemic was transitioning into an endemic. However, in recent weeks, the number of cases has slowly started to rise again in both Santa Barbara County and across the nation. Two primary reasons are changes in immunity and behavior, according to Dr. Henning Ansorg of the Santa Barbara County Public Health. He explained that part of the problem is a sneaky subvariant of COVID-19. “The virus itself is mutating at a very rapid pace,” the public health officer told the News-Press Wednesday. “The omicron variant started around Christmas time in California, and by March the numbers went down really rapidly. “The new subvariant took over omicron,” he continued.
More than 100 street paintings will come to life when the I Madonnari Street Painting Festival returns this month as an in-person experience. The longtime, popular festival will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. May 28-30 in front of the Santa Barbara Mission, where paintings will be created live with chalk pastels. The festival was virtual in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s in-person experience will mark the festival’s 36th anniversary. This is the first festival of its kind in North America, presenting the performance art of street painting. This event is produced by and raises funds for the Children’s Creative
Project, a nonprofit arts education program of the Santa Barbara County Education Office. New local vendors at the festival include United States of Espresso, Dave’s Dogs, and Rascal’s Vegan Pop-Up. Not to be forgotten are old favorites such as lemon-rosemary roasted chicken, pizza, gelato and more produced by the Children’s Creative Project board with volunteers from National Charity League and Boys Charity League. All proceeds from sales benefit the Children’s Creative Project. This year’s festival will celebrate local champion of the arts, Kai Tepper, who is in her first year as the executive director for Children’s Please see FESTIVAL on A3
By KAITLYN SCHALLHORN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
A new building for Santa Barbara High School’s Visual Arts & Design Academy is in the works. As it’s imagined, the facility will include administrative office space as well as a conference room and two studio classrooms. One design lab will be utilized for all digital design and photography — and be equipped to handle equipment like 3D scanners, industrial sewing machines, vinyl plotters and more — and the other will be a more traditional analog art studio, Daniel Barnett, the VADA program director, told the News-Press Wednesday. The studios can be used separately or as one giant classroom, Mr. Barnett said. Santa Barbara High’s VADA program is a four-year, careertechnical educational program. The “school within a school” serves about 220 students (roughly 10% of the total student population) and has 20 classes. The new building — which Mr. Barnett equated to a stadium for student-athletes — will be tucked away in what was described as an “underutilized and underdeveloped” corner by East Canon Perdido Street on Santa Barbara High’s campus near most of VADA’s classes. It was designed in conjunction
with partner companies (such as Adobe, Deckers and Patagonia), which provided feedback on what kind of facility is needed to properly train students. “We’ve done so many great things in the space that we have, and it’s funky and quaint and creative and cool, but we’re going to be able to do and realize so much more of the potential of the program and the students in the new space,” Mr. Barnett said. “What the new building says to our creative students about how important and valuable and marketable and viable their work and their future is, that’s really important.” “It’s a beacon and declaration of how we’re prioritizing student preparation and their work,” Mr. Barnett, who has been VADA’S program director since 2007, added. An update on the project and fundraising was presented to the Santa Barbara Unified School District Board of Education on Tuesday. The board approved a memorandum of understanding for the new building in 2019. In all, about $6 million has been raised for the new building through various means, including grants and private donations, Andy Beall, president of the nonprofit Friends of VADA group, said. Friends of VADA has raised more than $2.5 million as of Tuesday, Mr. Beall said, through Please see VADA on A4
INSIDE
L O T T E RY RESULTS
Classified................. B4 Life...................... B1-2 Obituaries............... A4
Wednesday’s SUPER LOTTO: 8-34-37-44-45 Meganumber: 3
Wednesday’s DAILY 4: 2-7-4-7
Tuesday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 15-19-20-61-70 Meganumber: 9
Wednesday’s FANTASY 5: 13-15-19-21-23
Wednesday’s DAILY DERBY: 11-09-12 Time: 1:46.76
Wednesday’s POWERBALL: 5-7-61-63-69 Meganumber:18
Sudoku................... B3 Sports . .................... A3 Weather................. A4
Wednesday’s DAILY 3: 1-4-5 / Wednesday’s Midday 8-9-3