An early start to Fiesta
A tribute to Nichelle Nichols
Reception for La Presidente held in advance of official start of Old Spanish Days - B1
‘Star Trek’ actress was an inspiration to generations of fans - B2
Our 167th Year
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Fiesta parade is back On Friday, Old Spanish Days will present its first parade since 2019
Mayor tests positive, then negative for COVID Randy Rowse says he’s asymptomatic By NEIL HARTSTEIN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Mayor Randy Rowse may have tested positive for COVID-19, but you couldn’t tell it from the way he answered the phone Monday. “I’m good, thanks,” he told the News-Press. “What’s going on?” The mayor, who stressed that he’s asymptomatic, said he tested negative Monday, three days after a rapid at-home testing kit revealed he had been infected with COVID-19. He began taking Paxlovid on
advice from his doctor. Doctors prescribe the antiviral drug to reduce the risk of severe illness for people infected with COVID. He plans to speak with his doctor again on Wednesday, and if he tests negative again, he could be cleared to attend this year’s Old Spanish Days Fiesta festivities, which begin later that day with La Fiesta Pequena, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the Santa Barbara Mission. But he’s almost positive he won’t be there. Please see ROWSE on A4
KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS FILE PHOTO
One of the riders from the Familia Charra and Charros Unidas De Villa gallops past crowds during Fiesta’s Historical Parade (El Desfile Historico) in 2016 on State Street in Santa Barbara.
By JARED DANIELS NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
The Fiesta Historical Parade will return this Friday after three years of pandemic-related interruption. Known for its horses, dancers and floats, the Old Spanish Days procession is scheduled to run from noon to 3 p.m. However, rather than streaming down State Street as in previous years, the parade will begin staging by the Carriage and Western Arts Museum on Castillo Street, then proceed down Cabrillo Boulevard for about 3 miles until the Chromatic Gate between Milpas Street and Calle Ceasar Chavez. That’s where the procession will turn and head back down Cabrillo. The change in route is due primarily to the advent of restaurant parklets that have come to line State Street, the parade’s longtime home, during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I think it’s going to be a good route,” parade chairman Gary MacDonald said in an interview with the News-Press. “It’s going to be wider (than the State Street route), more people will be able to see the parade, and I think it’s going to make for a better family event just because it has the beach right there where the kids can play.” “We’re going to have this same kind of weather (that Santa Barbara has been experiencing) where it’s muggy and humid, probably in the mid-to-low 80s, so we’re hoping it’ll be cooler on the Cabrillo route because of the sea breeze,” added chief of
INSIDE Fiesta’s horse show and rodeo are back. A2.
Republicans lead Congressional ballot as Biden dips below Trump, Carter’s approval rating By CASEY HARPER THE CENTER SQUARE
JARED DANIELS / NEWS-PRESS
Cabrillo Boulevard, the new street for Fiesta’s Historical Parade, connects here with State Street, the parade’s traditional route. Standing, from left, are Gary MacDonald, parade chairman; David Bolton, vice president/spokesman; La Presidente Maria Cabrera; Tony Miller, division chief of pageantry, and Colin Hayward, treasurer.
pageantry Tony Miller. “We’re looking forward to having more space on sidewalks and different businesses involved” compared to the State Street route. The parade will feature close to 800 participants in the procession, as well as more than 400 horses from Santa Barbara County, Arizona, Nevada, as well as other areas of California including Chico, San Diego and Temecula. The grand marshal of this year’s parade will be the Borgatello Family of MarBorg Industries.
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“They’ve been a big supporter of Fiesta. They’re a community company, and they do a lot for Santa Barbara and the parade,” Mr. MacDonald told the NewsPress. “We’ve got them in a really nice stagecoach with a four-up team pulling it, which means two pairs of horses. It’s going to be impressive.” In addition to familiar Fiesta parade mainstays such as the De la Guerra wedding party, a few new sights will also be on display for parade watchers. Among these
will be floats for Santa Barbara Unified School District, as well as for this year’s La Presidente, Maria Cabrera, who usually rides on a horse. Additionally, the Presidentes of the 2020 and 2021 Old Spanish Days Fiestas will also be honored with a float after their parades were canceled due to the pandemic. They will be accompanied by their respective Spirits of Fiesta, as well as Saint Please see FIESTA on A4
(The Center Square) – Republicans have a sizable edge over Democrats as the midterm elections draw closer, according to a new poll. Updated CBS News’ Battleground Tracker data now projects 230 House seats for Republicans, compared to 205 for Democrats. Currently, Democrats have a slight majority in the House 221 to 214. If Republicans retake the House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s four-year run in charge would be over. Midterm elections have featured big losses for the party of the incumbent administration in recent years for both Republicans and Democrats. The latest polling shows that the same pattern is projected to repeat itself unless something changes. Real Clear Politics polling currently predicts 47 Republican U.S. senators and 46 Democratic senators with 7 marked “tossup.”
At the same time, President Joe Biden’s approval rating has steadily dropped since taking office. Gallup’s approval rating hit a new low for President Biden over the weekend, dropping to 38% with 59% of Americans disapproving. “A year ago, Biden’s honeymoon period came to an end when his approval rating dropped to 50% amid a surge in U.S. coronavirus cases,” Gallup said. “Since then, his public support has eroded after the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, the highest inflation in four decades, recordhigh gas prices and continuing supply chain issues.” Those figures are lower than President Biden’s predecessors. “No president elected to his first term has had a lower sixthquarter average than Biden, although Jimmy Carter’s and Donald Trump’s ratings were only slightly better, at 42%,” Gallup said. “Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan also averaged below majority approval.”
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in s i de Classified.............. B4 Life..................... B1-2 Obituaries............. A4
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DAVE MASON / NEWS-PRESS
Mayor Randy Rowse
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Saturday’s SUPER LOTTO: 2-11-28-29-33 Mega: 3
Monday’s DAILY 4: 0-3-1-8
Friday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 13-36-45-57-67 Mega: 14
Monday’s FANTASY 5: 11-27-28-32-34
Monday’s DAILY DERBY: 11-04-06 Time: 1:47.49
Monday’s POWERBALL: 15-21-31-36-65 Meganumber: 16
Monday’s DAILY 3: 2-5-0 / Midday 7-0-8