denise Hippach makes history as county’s first black judge

Editor’s note: Annika Bahnsen, a Westmont College student, joins the News-Press this week as an intern reporter.

By ANNIKA BAHNSEN NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT

“It was pretty much the best day of my life,” said Goleta resident Thomas Swiech as he talked enthusiastically about his experience snowboarding in the foothills of Santa Barbara this past weekend.

“You are up on the mountain in the snow and can also see the Pacific Ocean … How much more can you ask for?”

In addition to Mr. Swiech, the weather has been quite a surprise for many residents as snow continues to powder the top of the Santa Ynez Mountains behind the city. Although sunshine has peaked its way through the clouds momentarily over the past day, the delight of white on the mountains still gives Santa Barbara a breathtaking landscape.

Snow is not in the forecast for the remainder of the storm. The National Weather Service still predicts some rain and cooler temperatures over the next few days, and Santa Barbara County residents should prepare accordingly.

On Monday, the weather conditions stayed pretty consistent across the county. Goleta, Santa Barbara and Santa Maria had highs around the upper 50s and lows in the upper 40s. New Cuyama had a high of 50 and a low of 41, the only area straying from the rest of the county’s temperatures. And there was no lack of rain in the morning, bringing more water to local reservoirs. As of 8 a.m. Monday, current levels were: Gibraltar: 100.7% capacity; Lake Cachuma: 98.8% capacity; Jameson: 100.5% capacity; Twitchell: 44.6% capacity.

Rainfall numbers have slowly tapered off as the storm starts to dissipate. Most cities in Santa Barbara County range between .02 and 0.2 inches of rain, but San Marcos Pass saw .82 inch of rain Monday, a major increase in comparison to other areas.

Santa Barbara County’s Office of Emergency Management website (readysbc.org) mentions consistent winter weather conditions for parts of Santa Barbara County and major utility outages in Cuyama Valley.

The National Weather Service currently has no alerts or warnings but expects there to be a series of more storms and rainy weather coming our way.

Additionally, if you are looking for home/business/renters assistance due to the severe winter storms since Dec. 27, there have been updates to the Santa

Barbara County declaration centers. The center at Allan Hancock College was permanently closed over the weekend, but a new center will open today at the Orcutt Union School District, 500 Dyer St., Orcutt.

If you need to file for assistance, you can register through the FEMA website here: www. disasterassistance.gov.

Registered for emergency alerts at readysbc.org. There, you will receive emergency alerts via text, phone call and email. email: abahnsen@newspress.com

By NEIL HARTSTEIN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

As a high school student growing up in Lancaster, Denise Hippach couldn’t count on going to law school, let alone practicing law, let alone becoming a judge, let alone making history. She was too busy trying to figure out how to pay for college.

Yet here she is, a graduate of the USC School of Law, a practicing attorney whose most recent job was senior deputy county counsel at the Santa Barbara County Counsel’s Office, and as of Oct. 31 the first black individual ever to don the robes of a Santa Barbara County judge.

“The significance of my appointment, and this moment is not lost on me,” she said at her swearing-in ceremony. “This has been such a long road, and it’s an incredible moment.” She elaborated on the importance during an interview last week with the News-Press.

“My judicial appointment is so significant because I am the first African-American judge in Santa Barbara County history,” she said. “There has never been an African-American judge or commissioner in this county, and that finally changed in the 21st century.

“I am proud to say that I am the first in my family to graduate college and obtain a professional degree,” said Judge Denise Hippach.

“I did not achieve this goal on my own and had many people who supported and encouraged me along the way,” she said. “I also had other women judges of color who paved the way for me. So I know how important it is to have someone mentor you and see things in you that you yourself may not even see at that moment. I understand what it’s like to face barriers