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Our 166th Year
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T u e sday, o c tobe r 5, 2 021
Goleta Valley Library unveils book van
Orange County oil spill joins long state history By ANNELISE HANSHAW
Mobile library to visit Isla Vista community spots
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
ANNELISE HANSHAW / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
California Sen. Monique Limón and Goleta Mayor Paula Perotte cut a ribbon to signify the opening of the Goleta Valley Library book van Monday.
By ANNELISE HANSHAW NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Public library services are now available in Isla Vista for the first time, thanks to a roaming Goleta Valley Library van. California Sen. Monique Limón secured a $200,000 grant that will provide all the supplies and labor needed for two years of this mobile library. At a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday, officials expressed sentiments that the van’s two-year pilot program is just the beginning. They are creating small libraries and book-drop locations throughout Isla Vista for those who miss the library van, and Goleta Mayor Paula Perotte alluded to the possibility of book vending machines. “Since taking over library management from the City of Santa Barbara, we have been really able to tailor our library services to the community’s needs and interests. For some time, our partners in Isla Vista, including the Isla Vista Community Service District and Isla Vista Elementary, have been interested in providing satellite library service to the Isla Vista community,” she said. The City of Goleta took control of
Book van schedule
Goleta Valley Library July 1, 2018, and the library soon looked at ways to expand its reach to other communities. In 2019, the library surveyed Isla Vista residents and determined a mobile library would be the best outreach solution. Sen. Limón said the State Legislature supported the initiative because of the importance of literacy. “This is more than just a book van . . . This is about investing in literacy and technology for our communities, particularly in those communities that can’t come to us. So we are going to the communities, making a meaningful investment to ensure that our kids have the ability to check out books,” she said. The van provides digital materials, a wifi connection, crafts, DVDs and supplies such as virtual-reality headsets. It holds about 500 books at a time. “Throughout the covid 19 pandemic, it’s brought to light something that we always knew, which is that there is a stark digital divide. And bringing these services of print materials, books, novels, is going to be so transformative for those that live in our community,” Spencer Brandt, Isla Vista Community Services District board president said. He thinks of libraries as community
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WEEK TWO WEEK ONE Monday 2-7 p.m.: Isla Vista Community Services District Community Center Tuesday 11:15 a.m.-12:45 p.m.: Storke Community Center 2-7 p.m.: Isla Vista Community Services District Community Center Wednesday 2-7 p.m.: Isla Vista Community Services District Community Center Thursday 2-3:30 p.m.: Estero Park 3:45-5:30 p.m.: Isla Vista Teen Center Friday 2-3:30 p.m.: Friendship Manor 3:45-5:30 p.m.: Studio Plaza
Monday 2-7 p.m.: Isla Vista Community Services District Community Center Tuesday 11:15 a.m.-12:45 p.m.: Sea Lookout Park 2-7 p.m.: Isla Vista Community Services District Community Center Wednesday 2-7 p.m.: Isla Vista Community Services District Community Center Thursday 11:15 a.m.-12:45 p.m.: Perfect Park 2-3:30 p.m.: UCSB Early Childhood Center 3:45-5:30 p.m.: West Campus Playground 1:30-5 p.m.: Isla Vista Elementary School
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Big issues await Supreme Court in new term By DAVE MASON NEWS-PRESS MANAGING EDITOR
Sen. Limón secured a $200,000 grant to fund the book van for two years.
centers, a place to learn together. Santa Barbara County Third District Supervisor Joan Hartmann is glad to see the van stop at places that serve all ages, from preschoolers to the community’s elders. “Isla Vista is in a renaissance with the Community Services District and with the rec and parks; we’re seeing all kinds of new activities,” she said. “And people are coming together from different backgrounds, different ages, and here at the community center, rubbing shoulders and understanding what it means to be a member, a responsible member, of this community. So this book van is going to help us a long way on that course.” Goleta Valley Library Director Allison Gray is excited to see what the van will provide. “There are a lot of people here in Isla Vista who come from cultures where there are no libraries, so they are unfamiliar with the concept. So we want to hope that they will be curious enough to come up and give us a try,” she said. Anyone can receive a library card and check out books at the van. Although the van has an abbreviated selection, members can call to reserve
Ms. Perotte says the City has more planned for library outreach into Isla Vista.
a book for pickup at one of the van’s scheduled visits. To learn more, go to cityofgoleta. org/city-hall/goleta-valley-library/ information/bookvan. email: ahanshaw@newspress.com
The U.S. Supreme Court began its term Monday with major cases ahead and a 6-3 conservative majority. This term, justices are hearing cases involving gun rights, religion and abortion. Monday marked the first day that the justices were back in their historic courtroom after an 18month absence caused by the pandemic. Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who tested positive for COVID19, stayed at home and worked remotely. (The justice, who is fully vaccinated, isn’t showing symptoms.) It’s the first full term for the 6-3 majority, which now includes Justice Amy Coney Barrett, the third of President Donald Trump’s appointments to the Supreme Court. She succeeded liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. This year’s Supreme Court term comes nearly 50 years after a woman’s right to an abortion was established nationally by the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling. The question now is whether the court’s rulings this term will overturn or revise that ruling or leave it entirely intact. On Saturday, hundreds of local residents marched in Santa Barbara in support of reproductive rights for all, chatting to protest abortion restrictions. Justices voted 5-4 in early September to permit Texas’ ban on most abortions, but they haven’t ruled on the substance of the law. On Dec. 1, the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments on Mississippi’s law to ban most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Lower courts blocked the law. They pointed to high court rulings that permit states to regulate but not outright ban abortion before 24 weeks of pregnancy. That’s the point when a fetus can survive outside the womb. Please see SCOTUS on A2
LOTTERY
i nsi d e Classified.............. B4 Life..................... B1-2 Obituaries............. A4
A leak from the oil platform known as Elly has washed crude along Newport, Laguna and Huntington beaches. Approximately 126,000 gallons of oil poured into the Catalina Channel, similar to the size of the 2015 Refugio State Beach oil spill. Elly, installed in 1980, is far from the oldest platform off California’s coast, and investigators are working to pinpoint the exact location of the leak. Coast Guard investigators believe a misplaced anchor may be the culprit, according to a Los Angeles Times report. Elly is one of 23 platforms in federal waters. Of those, 19 are off the coast of Santa Barbara County, and two are being decommissioned. There are 19 rigs in California waters. In January, U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, introduced the California Clean Coast Act, which would ban offshore drilling off the coast of California. Although the act has not gained significant traction in the House, the fiscal year 2022 Housepassed appropriations bill includes protections from oil exploration off California’s coast. “The Central Coast is no stranger to the danger of oil spills. I will never forget walking along the beach after the Refugio Oil Spill in 2015 and seeing our coastline slick with oil,” Rep. Carbajal told the News-Press. “The latest spill in Orange County should serve as yet another wake up call, reminding us of the risk oil drilling poses to our environment, health and economy.” Please see SPILL on A3
Sudoku................. B3 Sports ................... A4 Weather................ A4
Saturday’s SUPER LOTTO: 6-22-32-34-46 Mega: 3
Monday’s DAILY 4: 4-8-3-7
Friday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 21-25-36-62-63 Mega: 6
Monday’s FANTASY 5: 6-20-28-29-35
Monday’s DAILY DERBY: 02-08-10 Time: 1:44.35
Saturday’s POWERBALL: 28-38-42-47-52 Meganumber: 1
Monday’s DAILY 3: 2-1-7 / Midday 6-1-2