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T U E SDAY, M AY 25, 2 021
Progress accelerated on Highway 101 project
Fire hazards of encampments City to consider temporary shelter for high fire season
Montecito construction to advance, officials celebrate Padaro Lane crossing By GRAYCE MCCORMICK
By ANNELISE HANSHAW NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
RAFAEL MALDONADO / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
Above, six UCSB Army ROTC Color Guard Cadets present the colors at the unveiling of the Blue Star Memorial Highway Sign in tribute to the U.S. Armed Forces and the announcement of a World War I memorial between Santa Claus Lane and North Padaro Lane. Below, U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, unveiled this mock-up of the Blue Star Memorial Highway Sign alongside attendees from the Blue Star Mothers of America, the president of the Santa Barbara Chapter of Vietnam Veterans of America, board members of the Carpinteria Valley Museum of History, the director of the Channel Islands District of the California Garden Club and the president of the Las Floralias Garden Club.
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newspress.com In addition, a new clear-span bridge and on- and off-ramps will be built; the bridges at Arroyo Parida and Toro Creeks will be replaced with drainage improvements along the freeway; three new sound walls will be added; and a new separated bikeway will connect Santa Claus Lane and Carpinteria Avenue near the salt marsh. The improvements to Padaro cost $200 million, which has been funded by Senate Bill 1, Measure A and other state and federal funds. Construction of the Padaro project begins June 7, and it is anticipated to be complete in Please see 101 on A4
Section 4E will be constructed after the advanced portion of the project, 4D, which includes lane and roadway improvements and construction of roundabouts at Olive Mill and San Ysidro.
Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Donna Geck rejected an anti-SLAPP motion from Cold Spring School parent Amanda Rowan Friday — part of an ongoing legal battle between Ms. Rowan and the Cold Spring School District. The conflict drifted out of email inboxes and into public spheres this fall as Ms. Rowan frequently penned letters to the editors of multiple local publications and Superintendent/Principal Dr. Amy Alzina released statements in her weekly newsletter. The standoff culminated March 10 when the Montecito district filed restraining orders against Ms. Rowan on behalf of two teachers, a spouse and the superintendent’s executive assistant/HR representative. The anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) motion is used by defendants to dismiss lawsuits designed to limit First Amendment rights. As stated in Judge Geck’s ruling, Ms. Rowan “asserts that the petition is designed to chill (Ms.) Rowan’s right to free speech.” Ms. Rowan is an outspoken critic of the district and has repeatedly called for extensive audits of funds. But Judge Geck ruled the statements provided in the lawsuit were not of public interest but were “expressions of rage.” The judge continued to say the district proved a “probability of success” as it moves toward the petition’s June 9 hearing. (If Ms. Rowan had proved her actions were protected by the anti-SLAPP statute, the obligation would have moved to the district to prove it could win its petition.) The ruling focuses on a conversation Ms. Rowan had with Coral Godlis, who serves as Dr. Alzina’s executive assistant, in March. Ms. Rowan thought the district had fired her friend who teaches at the school and confiscated that teacher’s cellphone. She allegedly threatened litigation in an “extremely agitated and aggressive” tone, full of profanity, according to the court
documents. According to the documents, Ms. Rowan allegedly yelled that she would “sue everyone at the school, including you, Coral!” Ms. Rowan admitted to making threats of legal action but has denied making threats of physical or other violence. Both she and the district reported that Ms. Rowan called the next day to apologize. But according to court documents, Ms. Goldlis said in her March 4 declaration that she felt like that call was further intimidation. The ruling states that the district doesn’t have evidence of “unlawful violence” and instead must prove a “credible threat of violence.” Judge Geck said she infers that Ms. Rowan’s alleged use of profanity, tone and volume could have made Ms. Godlis fear violence. The ruling also cites an incident that, for now, is hearsay. In March, the court did not grant temporary restraining orders (a common request in workplace violence cases). One of those teachers seeking protection, Mari Callahan, resigned during a board meeting May 10 saying “enough is enough’’ in reference to attacks against her. The resignation came before a presentation on a possible Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team audit of Bond Measure C (2008), an action Ms. Rowan repeatedly advocates for. While previous audits have confirmed that the district’s files look satisfactory, a FCMAT audit is more involved and can reveal fraud (as it did in an audit of Sweetwater Union High School District in Chula Vista). Both parties were uncomfortable being quoted, but Dr. Alzina provided a statement via email to the News-Press: “The safety of our students and staff is our top priority at the Cold Spring School District. We are humbled and grateful the Court recognized the importance of our efforts to maintain a safe school environment for our staff and students. We are sincerely hoping that we can now refocus our energy on providing our children the best public education possible.” email: ahanshaw@newspress.com
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increases the potential for infectious disease spread. That guidance remains in place, meaning service providers are still recommended to improve sanitation in the encampments rather than remove them. This guidance has been in Please see FIRES on A4
School district’s petition for restraining orders continues
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Judge rejects parent’s motion against Cold Spring
This map shows the section of the Highway 101 project (4D) that was advanced by a year to benefit residents who live in the area.
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NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
As Santa Barbara enters high fire season, city officials are brainstorming what they can do with the many homeless encampments around the city and Highway 101 that pose fire hazards, especially following the Loma Fire that burned 10 acres last week on the Mesa. The CDC stated that clearing homeless encampments
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
The Montecito portion of the Highway 101: Carpinteria to Santa Barbara project between Olive Mill and Hixon roads will be finished one year ahead of schedule now, thanks to an advancement of $50 million by the project team. Tim Gubbins, the director of Caltrans District 5, made the announcement Monday morning at the Santa Claus Lane undercrossing at Padaro Lane in Carpinteria. The announcement came during a ceremony, which was held to mark seven miles under construction, to unveil the Blue Star Memorial Highway Sign in tribute to the U.S. Armed Forces and to announce a World War I memorial between Santa Claus Lane and North Padaro Lane. Mr. Gubbins said the $50 million advancement was made possible by reprogramming done at the state level, and by working on both the Olive Mill roundabout and the San Ysidro roundabout/ improvements at the same time. “That will help the entire corridor,” the District 5 director said. “It reduces the overall impacts by shortening the construction time frame in the area, and it’s responding to community requests we’ve been getting.” This acceleration highlights the partnerships between the California Transportation Commission, the federal government and the county and city of Santa Barbara, Mr. Gubbins said, which have also worked to bring in innovative construction methods, even using a quieter concrete surface. By advancing this portion of the project, residents in the area don’t have to navigate multiple stages of construction for this one area, and crews won’t have to close successive ramps. “We’re celebrating not just what we’ve accomplished, but the way we’ve accomplished it,” Mr. Gubbins said. “This has really come together well ...This is what gives us the ability to move things as quickly as we can from one section to another.” The Padaro project will add a peak-period carpool lane to Highway 101 in each direction to connect with new lanes in Carpineria and Summerland.
By GRAYCE MCCORMICK
Sudoku................. B3 Sports ................... A3 Weather................ A4
Saturday’s SUPER LOTTO: 26-38-39-41-44 Mega: 7
Monday’s DAILY 4: 8-6-7-7
Friday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 6-9-17-18-48 Mega: 8
Monday’s FANTASY 5: 10-13-15-23-38
Monday’s DAILY DERBY: 02-01-07 Time: 1:44.58
Saturday’s POWERBALL: 3-19-27-37-40 Meganumber: 8
Monday’s DAILY 3: 4-9-1 / Midday 9-8-7