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City renames street New name is intended to honor Chumash culture
The city formally renamed Indio Muerto Street to Hutash Street Monday. The first sign was replaced Dec. 7, a week before the official change.
Vaccine’s arrival imminent as COVID-19 surges Public health officer calls vaccine ‘a game changer’ By DAVE MASON NEWS-PRESS MANAGING EDITOR
RAFAEL MALDONADO / NEWS-PRESS
By ANNELISE HANSHAW NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Indio Muerto Street is now Hutash Street. The city of Santa Barbara changed the name from Indio Muerto, which translates to “dead Indian,” to Hutash, which is the Chumash name for “Earth Mother.” The change became official Monday. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was recorded Dec. 7 and was played in a webinar Monday
afternoon to commemorate the change. Some remarks were given live, and others took place during the recorded ceremony. Although many were vocal over the years about the need to rename the street, the process was not started until last spring when Barbareño Chumash Tribal Council members Casmali Lopez and Chimaway Lopez requested the change. During the webinar, Mayor Cathy Murillo recognized the efforts of youth and the Ethnic
Studies Now Coalition for their roles in the change. “The Black Lives Matter uprising and movement of this year and a desire to create a racial and social justice for all peoples — this great movement carried the street naming effort,” she said. Although the city acknowledges that it rarely changes street names, the City Council voted unanimously Sept. 29 to rename the street. Please see STREET on A6
Santa Barbara chief of police to retire By ANNELISE HANSHAW NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Santa Barbara Chief of Police Lori Luhnow announced Monday that she will retire Feb. 13. She has served in law enforcement for 32 years and became Santa Barbara’s first female police chief in 2016. “I have deep appreciation for the community of Santa Barbara and enormous gratitude for the talented and dedicated employees of the Santa Barbara Police Department. It has been an honor and privilege to serve as your chief of police,” Chief Luhnow said in a news release. During her time as chief, she increased the community’s voice on the force and added civilian community members to the interview panels to guide hiring and promotion efforts. Chief Luhnow also created a supervisor position to promote employee wellness. She gave a speech about resiliency and wellness through the Bureau of Justice Assistance VALOR initiative. She advocated for community-
oriented policing, collaborating with a range of citizens to prevent crime and solve problems. Chief Luhnow advised her staff on evidence-based policing, and the department formed relationships with criminology, psychology and communication researchers. The research led to nationally recognized communitycentric intervention. She led the department’s website redesign, streamlined the officer application and launched a recruitment team to grow her staff. “Chief Luhnow is a great source of pride for our city,” Mayor Cathy Murillo said in a statement. “She has made a tremendous contribution to creating a culture of community-focused policing through hiring, training, and policy. I congratulate her on all her success in public service and wish her the best in the future.” Locally, Chief Luhnow has received awards from the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission and the Rotary Club of Santa Barbara. Numerous professional associations and community groups have also honored her.
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INSIDE County reports its highest daily count of new cases. A2.
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“This is the first time that we have something in our hands that can prevent the disease from spreading,” said Dr. Henning Ansorg, the Santa Barbara County public health officer, about the Pfizer vaccine.
Designated staff from Cottage Health’s hospitals in Santa Barbara, Goleta and Solvang, as well as its clinics, will go to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital for the shots, Dr. David Fisk told the News-Press. “It’s 975 doses for the first round — at least that many, possibly more,” Dr. Fisk, Cottage Health’s medical director for infection prevention and control, said. He said the first priority goes to physicians and hospital staff who have come into contact with known COVID-19 patients or people who have a high potential of carrying COVID-19. The first-priority recipients include staff and physicians from the emergency room, urgent care clinics, Intensive Care Units and surgical, medical and general floors. “Everyone who gets admitted to Cottage gets a COVID test on Please see COVID on A8
By JOSH GREGA NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Local residents’ outlooks on the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine seem to run the gamut. During interviews from
several passersby on State Street Monday afternoon, the NewsPress heard everything from people completely willing to take the vaccine, to those who want to wait and see how the rollout Please see vaccine on A2
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Lori Luhnow has served as the Santa Barbara police chief since 2016.
Community Oriented Policing Services for the U.S. Department of Justice. “We will miss Barney’s professionalism, empathy, knowledge and wit,” County Executive Officer Mona Miyasato said in a statement. “We wish him all the best as he continues to serve residents on the South Coast.” email: ahanshaw@newspress.com
RAFAEL MALDONADO / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
At left, Santa Barbara resident Matthew Arnold said he plans on taking the new COVID-19 vaccine. At right, Santa Barbara resident Arnold Buckner said he wants to wait and see what the effects of the COVID-19 vaccine are before he decides whether or not to take it.
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Before coming to Santa Barbara, she served as a captain in the San Diego Police Department and oversaw the Regional Police Academy, which trains existing officers and develops civilians into police officers. “I really appreciate Lori’s leadership to work closely with the community and move the police department forward through many challenging issues, while also addressing the day-to-day operations and calls for service. She’s been an excellent resource to our executive team, and we’ll miss working with her,” said city administrator Paul Casey. The Santa Barbara Police Department will look nationwide for a new chief of police. In the meantime, Bernard “Barney” Melekian, assistant county executive officer for public safety for Santa Barbara County, will serve as interim chief. He has 46 years of experience in law enforcement, including serving as Pasadena’s police chief and the undersheriff in Santa Barbara County. He was also the director of the Office of
The daily number of COVID-19 cases surged Monday to a recordbreaking 360 in Santa Barbara County after the Thanksgiving season. But hope during the long pandemic could land as soon as today with the arrival of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. Dr. Henning Ansorg, the Santa Barbara County public health officer, noted doses could arrive by today at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital and Marian Regional Medical Center in Santa Maria. FedEx planes with the vaccine landed Monday at Los Angeles International Airport. “Honestly, I think it’s a game changer,” Dr. Ansorg told the News-Press Monday. “This is the first time that we have something in our hands that can prevent the disease from spreading.” In a new development, Lompoc Valley Medical Center, which originally was to have received the Pfizer vaccine from Marian, has decided to wait to receive the Moderna vaccine, which, pending FDA approval, could come as soon as next week, Dr. Ansorg said. First up to get the Pfizer vaccine are first responders and healthcare workers on the frontline of fighting the pandemic.
Locals’ opinions vary COVID-19 vaccine
Lori Luhnow, first female chief, announces her plans
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