Four pools, one meet
You can do a lot with bagels Enjoy Bagels & Sweets offers many options in Buellton - A3
Our 165th Year
Westmont swimmers finish second during virtual event - A7
75¢
T U E S DAY, NOV E M BE R 10 , 2 0 2 0
Hannah-Beth Jackson looks back at eight years as a state senator By JOSH GREGA NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Looking back on her eight years as a state senator representing the 19th District, Hannah-Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara, summed up the experience as “gratifying.” Term limited after this year, her senate seat will be taken up by Monique Limon, currently the Democrat assemblywoman for the 37th Assembly District. In an interview with the NewsPress on Monday morning, Sen. Jackson said she is particularly proud of legislation that she passed in three key areas, environmental protection, equal pay, and pharmaceutical industry regulation. In the first category, the senator cited legislation she passed against the expansion of oil drilling such as 2017’s SB 188, which she co-authored with Sen. Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, and Sen. Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens. The bill prohibits the State Lands Commission from approving new leases for oil and gas infrastructure in the threemile coastal area controlled by the State of California. Though oil and gas drilling does occur in federal waters, the senator said SB 188 makes the cost of putting oil on a freighter in this area “prohibitively expensive.” Other environmental protection bills she is pleased to have gotten passed include the 2015 bills SB 551 and SB 379. The former
directed the Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources to create a plan for decommissioning oil and gas infrastructure in its jurisdiction, and the latter requires for cities and counties to make a plan for adapting to climate change impacts such as rising sea levels, fires, floods, and droughts. In 2019, Sen. Jackson passed SB 358, which she said is considered “the strongest equal pay law in the country.” The bill requires companies with 100 or more employees to file a report to the federal government in order to identify where there is job segregation. Sen. Jackson explained that this is necessary because there is commonly a disparity between the number of men and women in higher paying job categories, a disparity that leans heavily toward the former. Should former vice president Joe Biden be sworn in as president come January after President Donald Trump’s legal fights in key swing states prove unsuccessful, Sen. Jackson hopes this bill will be implemented in areas beyond California. “That is a bill that will hopefully be implemented on the state and federal level with this changing administration,” she said. Inspired by legislation out of the Canadian province British Columbia, SB 212 is a piece of “first in the nation” legislation that Sen. Jackson is happy to Please see jackson on A7
Progress reported on COVID-19 vaccine Early data shows 90%+ effectiveness, Wall Street soars in By DAVE MASON NEWS-PRESS MANAGING EDITOR
Monday’s news of progress toward a potential COVID-19 vaccine inspired smiles by doctors, a rally on Wall Street and hope for the nation. Pfizer announced that it saw more than 90% of infections prevented during the trial for its vaccine, BNT162b2. More than 40,000 people were enrolled in the Pfizer trial. After Monday’s news, the Dow, S&P and Nasdaq hit record highs. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed almost 835 points and was at 29,157.97 by the end of trading. It was Wall Street’s biggest rally since February. Pfizer, a New York City pharmaceutical company, reported no serious safety issues to an independent data Please see vaccine on A8
GOP members allege electioneering in I.V. NIK BLASKOVICH / NEWS-PRESS
Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson in 2016. The senator will soon complete her second and final term in the California State Senate.
County Elections calls allegations about polling place false By JOSH GREGA
Local business commissions mural By ANNELISE HANSHAW NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
There’s a splash of color developing off East Gutierrez Street as artist Gus Harper paints a mural on a cinderblock wall outside Urban Grow Systems. The project will take at least four days, so it may look like a big, red canvas now. But eventually, it’ll be painted full of florals, gems and blue agave. Mr. Harper said it’s a “painting about abundance.” “It’s a theme I paint a lot, the quest to find beauty,” he said. His website, gusharperart. com, lends a taste of his work. He paints in deep, saturated colors with gradiation that brings depth to large, flat walls. He says murals draw attention to businesses and locations. “It beautifies the property but also puts a spotlight on it,” he said. Business owners can easily direct customers to their establishment when a piece of art adorns the property. One of Mr. Harper’s clients tells people to “turn left at the mural.” J.D. Ashton, owner of Urban Grow Systems, relocated the business in January 2018 to 611 E. Gutierrez St. in Santa Barbara. He just added a nursery to his store and sells plants that produce food. He saw Mr. Harper’s mural “Sojourners” at 126 E. Haley St. and gave him a call. “I wanted to add some art to the area,” Mr. Ashton said. “I look at
RAFAEL MALDONADO / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
Painter Gus Harper starts a mural at 611 E. Gutierrez St. Monday at 9 a.m. He worked with J.D. Ashton, the owner of Urban Grow Systems, to design a piece to reflect the business.
that wall every day; it’s my view outside my office.” He wanted a mural that would compliment the powder blue vintage truck that ornaments the nursery. They decided on blue agave as the main plant featured for its color and since it fits the
FOLLOW US ON
6
66833 00050
3
business’s edible-plant philosophy (because tequila, of course). He commissioned a second mural around the side of the business too. “I wanted to beautify the area downtown and give our nursery Please see mural on A8
FYI We’ll be following the progression of the mural, so keep watching in future editions of the News-Press.
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
The polling location that was set up at Isla Vista Community Center has become the subject of criticism from a few prominent local Republicans, alleging that electioneering was allowed at the polling place on Election Day. The Santa Barbara County Elections Office said the allegations are false. In an interview with the NewsPress, Santa Barbara County Republican Party chairwoman Bobbi McGinnis alleged that voters were allowed to walk into a polling place with a voter guide showing exclusively Democratic Party candidates. According to a few witnesses, the Democratic slates were handed out at a table near the polling place. The table was more than 100 feet away from the polling place in accordance with state election laws. Santa Barbara County Clerk, Recorder, Assessor and Registrar of Voters Joe Holland said that voters walking in with a piece of paper showing only Democratic candidates does not rise to the level of electioneering, so long as they are not showing the voter guides to anyone else. “As long as they’re not displaying it to other voters, then that’s fine. In fact, it’s preferred because that way they can get through the voting process quicker,” Mr. Holland stated. According to the county’s Polling Place Coordinator Guide, electioneering is defined as “the visible display or audible dissemination of information that advocates for or against any candidate or measure on the ballot.” Electioneering examples include displays of the name of a candidate or their likeness
or logo, buttons, shirts, hats, signs or stickers containing electioneering information, circulating initiatives and referendums, and speaking to voters on the subject of marking ballots, among others. Denice Spangler Adams, who worked as a poll observer in Isla Vista, objected that the Democratic candidate slate was not only brought in, but that one was left in a booth and found by a voter. She recounted that a young man came up to her with a Democratic Party voter guide in hand, said he had found it in the booth where he was voting, and inquired what it was. Because voting booths were supposed to be cleaned immediately after use, Mr. Holland was doubtful of Ms. Adams’ assertion. “In this election, it would hot have stayed in there for even 30 seconds, because we cleaned up every booth after every voter,” he said. Ms. Adams also claimed that some college-aged people came up to her and asked if they could just vote for the president, or if they had to vote for every single candidate listed on the Democratic slate they picked up. Ms. Adams said she was shocked by their lack of civics knowledge and thought to herself, “These are the educated college kids of Santa Barbara?” She added, “It just shows our country’s sinking fast. I couldn’t believe the ignorance.” According to Ms. McGinnis, there was a non-egregious and accidental case of electioneering at the Westside Neighborhood Center polling place due to a house located within 100 feet of the polling location displaying a BidenHarris sign. The sign was moved out of sight of the polling location. email: jgrega@newspress.com
LOTTERY
ins id e Classified............... A6 Life.................... A3-4
SANSUM CLINIC PHOTO
“I am certainly smiling, but with an air of caution,” Dr. David Fisk of Cottage Health said about news of promising data in the development of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Obituaries............. A8 Soduku................. A5 Weather................ A8
Saturday’s SUPER LOTTO: 20-26-31-43-45 Meganumber: 9
Monday’s DAILY 4: 8-0-0-2
Friday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 18-24-27-34-60 Meganumber: 2
Monday’s FANTASY 5: 9-12-26-32-33
Monday’s DAILY DERBY: 03-08-07 Time: 1:46.53
Saturday’s POWERBALL: 14-16-37-48-58 Meganumber: 18
Monday’s DAILY 3: 5-7-1 / Sunday’s Midday 8-2-4