And retiring director Allison Gray talks about a job she’s loved - B1
Governor’s comment is in response to chain’s decision not to distribute abortion pills in 20 states - B4
The Santa Barbara City Council’s consideration of a proposed affordable housing fund took two different turns than expected Tuesday.
Staff had presented council members with a draft ordinance to create a Housing Opportunities, Preservation and Equity (HOPE) Fund for their review. And staff had asked for any suggestions before staff returned to council with a revised ordinance for approval.
Instead, the council voted unanimously to send the proposal
to its Ordinance Committee so its members could distill the draft ordinance down from its lengthy, complex, multi-faceted approach to a simplified approach the full council can consider and approve.
In addition, council members strongly agreed with members of the public and the Santa Barbara Housing Authority that too much emphasis was being placed on housing programs and administrative services rather than the bottom line: building more affordable housing.
Councilmember Mike Jordan, an Ordinance Committee member, put it bluntly: “We just need more units. Period. We can discuss what
kinds of units later.”
Councilmember Meagan Harmon, who helped set the affordable housing trust fund in motion, said the fund was not meant to provide housing programs and administrative services.
“This fund is really about the production of housing,” she said. “That’s what’s guided my thinking from the very beginning.”
Before the council listened to a staff presentation on the ordinance followed by several speakers on the subject, they heard several residents talk about their being evicted by their landlords.
The residents said their landlords claimed they needed to make renovations, but the residents said that was just an excuse to oust them, then raise the rent for new tenants moving in.
Tuesday’s session was a repeat of last week’s council meeting when residents — many of them long-time Santa Barbarans — pleaded with the council to help them stay in their homes and not have to move out of town just to afford a place to live.
Organizers of the group vowed last week that they’d return weekly to voice their concerns.
They made good on their promise on Tuesday.
One woman, cradling her infant in her arms, said she was evicted when eight months pregnant because of bogus “renovations.”
“It was one of the most stressful things I’ve ever had to experience,” she said, noting she received a payout to move, “but not for peace of mind.”
She, like speakers who followed, urged the council to put an end to rent evictions “just to hike up the rent and make people who grew up here not afford to live here anymore.”
Wendy Santamaria, a community organizer with the Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy, confided
that, like the people she works with, she, too, is facing eviction. “I’m going through the same thing,” she said. “They’re trying to raise the rent, and I can’t afford it anymore. I’m seeing these people pushed and harassed, and now it’s happening to me, too.”
When it came time to talk about the affordable housing fund, Mayor Randy Rowse cautioned that, aside from the staff presentation and hearing from public speakers, the council would not take action on the ordinance other than to forward it to the council’s Ordinance
Please see COUNCIL on A4
A Santa Barbara man will return to court in May to set a date for his preliminary hearing on charges that he killed his girlfriend’s 3-year-old daughter.
Elvis Alberto Lopez, 25, appeared in court last Thursday to set that date, but the matter was continued to May 4 for a preliminary hearing setting, Supervising Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Karapetian told the News-Press.
Mr. Lopez was charged in a six-count felony complaint with the murder of 3-year-old “Jane Doe” on Feb. 4, with assault on a child causing death for the Feb. 4 incident, and with child abuse for an incident that occurred on Feb. 2, prosecutors said. In counts 4 through 6, “the defendant is charged with three separate incidents of child abuse that allegedly occurred between Sept. 1, 2022 and Feb. 1, 2023,” prosecutors said.
Mr. Lopez was previously convicted of a serious and violent felony, or “strike” offense, prosecutors said. If convicted in this case, he would receive a second strike, according to the complaint filed against him. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges, and he denied all special allegations. His bail is set
at $4 million.
Santa Barbara police dispatch received a 9-1-1 call reporting a medical emergency concerning the child at 1:33 p.m. on Feb. 4. The initial report was that a 3-year-old girl had fallen out of bed, injuring herself.
Santa Barbara City Fire and American Medical Response personnel were attending to the child, performing CPR, when police arrived. The child was taken to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Santa Barbara police detectives, with the assistance of the Santa Barbara County Coroner’s office, investigated the girl’s death. Based on the evidence gathered, the case was categorized as a homicide. Based upon their investigation of what police called “this heinous crime,” detectives identified Mr. Lopez, the boyfriend of the girl’s mother, as their prime suspect, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was contacted at his family’s residence by Santa Barbara Police Department detectives and taken into custody without incident, police said.
email: nhartsteinnewspress@ gmail.com
Grace Fisher appears in front of the Grace Fisher Foundation’s new Inclusive Arts Clubhouse, located
The grand opening of the facility will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. today.
By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS STAFF WRITER
The community is invited to the grand opening of the Grace Fisher Foundation’s Inclusive Arts Clubhouse today from 4 to 7 p.m.
The clubhouse is located at La Cumbre Plaza (Space F 118, next to the Museum of Sensory and Movement Experience) in Santa Barbara.
The site is designed to be a safe and welcoming space for children of all abilities to explore and express themselves through mediums such as art, music and dance. It’s also an outlet for social programming.
“This has been a dream since
I started the foundation back in 2016,” Grace Fisher told the News-Press. The Grace Fisher Foundation’s focus is on children and young adults living with a disability, but there are also programs in place for adults living with other conditions such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and spinal cord injuries. And Ms. Fisher has been a strong advocate for youths of varying abilities. She’s been in their shoes.
She had to learn new ways to express herself creatively after being diagnosed in 2014 with acute flaccid myelitis. The rare spinal condition left Ms.
Fisher — at the time a Santa Barbara High School senior and an accomplished pianist, cellist and guitarist — paralyzed from the neck down. But she went on to compose music and paint pictures with special technology.
“I have been so grateful that throughout the years everyone has rallied behind me and wanted to support me any way that they could,” Ms. Fisher said.
“The dream that inspired it was when I got home from the hospital, I didn’t feel like there was a space dedicated towards inclusivity within the disabled community. I wanted a place where people could come
together, connect and build friendship and community.
“I think a lot of the time with disabilities, it can be isolating not just for the person but also for the families and parents,” Ms. Fisher said.
She noted the new clubhouse isn’t just for participants. “It is for the whole family. There is already a parent’s yoga class in place. In the next few months, I want to develop other programs for families as well.”
The News-Press asked Ms. Fisher about her vision for the clubhouse.
“It is a place for our adaptive programs, which includes adaptive music, art and dance.
Rain is expected late Thursday through early Saturday in Santa Barbara County and elsewhere in Southern California.
That’s according to the National Weather Service.
After the rainfall, skies are predicted to be partly or mostly cloudy throughout the region through Tuesday.
Today’s sunny spot is Santa Barbara, the weather service says. Everywhere else, including UCSB, will see partly cloudy skies today in the county.
But on Thursday, the weather service expects Santa Barbara will join other communities and see its share of clouds before
the rain falls by the evening.
The Los Angeles office of the National Weather Service predicts 2 to 4 inches of rain for Santa Barbara County. Rain or shine, it’ll be cold. Highs today are supposed in the upper 50s to low 60s throughout Santa Barbara County, and the lows will be in the upper 30s to low 40s.
That’s how temperatures are expected to remain through the weekend. Sunday will be warmer with highs in the mid to upper 60s throughout the county. Again, that’s according to the weather service.
— Dave Mason
SANTA BARBARA — After starting with 36 candidates, Santa Barbara City College has announced its final three candidates for the superintendent/president position.
The finalists are Erika Endrijonas, who currently serves as the superintendent/president of Pasadena City College; Richard Storti,the executive vice
chancellor of San Mateo County Community College District; and Katrina VanderWoude, the vice chancellor of Los Angeles Community College District.
The candidates were chosen by a 19-member screening committee consisting of students, faculty, administrators, classified professionals, community members and members of the Santa Barbara City College Board
of Trustees.
The committee unanimously identified the finalists after a screening process that lasted about four months.
SBCC plans to release details regarding the forthcoming public forums and final interviews later this week. The forums will be available live, in-person and virtually, and will be recorded. City College invites employees,
students and residents to the forums. And an online survey will be available after the forums for those who wish to provide feedback.
SBCC has been searching for a successor to Utpal Goswami, who resigned in July 2021. For more information, see www.sbcc.edu/president-search).
SANTA BARBARA — Channel Islands Restoration is coordinating a maintenance program to improve trail accessibility and provide stable footing and designated walking paths for hikers at the San Marcos Foothills West Mesa. All trail team volunteers will meet at 9 a.m. March 15, 22 and 29 at site, which is at the end of Via
Gaitero Road in Santa Barbara.
Organizers note the trail volunteer days are a fun opportunity to learn about trail maintenance. According to a news release, winter is the perfect time of year for trail restoration because the soft ground and cooler temperatures make it easy to get the maximum
benefit from volunteers’ efforts and to widen trails with ease. Volunteers are asked to:
• Wear long pants for comfort and safet.
• Bring sunscreen and a sunhat.
• Bring work or gardening gloves. Tools will be provided for the trail day,
• Bring plenty of water for the
day and, if they want, snacks.
All volunteers must be fully vaccinated from COVID-19 or have a negative COVID-19 test. To volunteer, go to app. squarespacescheduling.com/ schedule.php?owner=22220171&ap pointmentType=38727134.
— Katherine Zehnder
SANTA BARBARA — The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department has officially reopened West Beach — from the Santa Barbara Harbor to a quarter-mile east of Stearns Wharf.
West Beach was closed to recreational use due to sewage impacts from the recent heavy flooding, but recent ocean water quality testing,
conducted by the department’s Environmental Health Services Division, has confirmed that the ocean water quality is now safe for recreational use. For more information, visit www.sbprojectcleanwater.org.
— Caleb Beeghly
(The Center Square) — More than 205,000 foreign nationals were apprehended or reported as gotaways after illegally entering the southwest border in February, according to preliminary data obtained by The Center Square from a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agent.
The agent provided the information on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.
It only includes Border Patrol data and excludes Office of Field
Operations data.
“Gotaways” refers to those known and reported to illegally enter the U.S. primarily between ports of entry, who intentionally evade capture by law enforcement and don’t return to Mexico.
In February, gotaways totaled at least 67,576, with the greatest numbers reported in the Tucson Sector of Arizona and El Paso Sector, which includes all of New Mexico and two western Texas counties. Apprehensions and gotaways combined totaled at least 205,032 last month.
In January, gotaways totaled nearly 60,000, with the greatest numbers reported in the El Paso and Del Rio sectors of Texas. Apprehensions and gotaways combined totaled at least 215,998 in January, according to the data.
Since President Joe Biden’s been in office, monthly apprehensions of illegal foreign nationals surpassed a minimum of 150,000 for 23 consecutive months, with some months, including gotaways, like last November and December, totaling over 300,000 each.
According to preliminary
Border Patrol data obtained by The Center Square, Texas continues to bear the brunt of illegal entries. But since late last year, cartel operations have driven crossings and illegal entries farther west, law enforcement officials have explained, backed by reported data. In February, the El Paso Sector had the most reported apprehensions and the Tucson Sector had the most reported gotaways. The Del Rio and RGV sectors, which have historically had the highest traffic, ranked third and fifth highest for traffic.
(The Center Square) — U.S. Health and Human Services has proposed a controversial rule change that would roll back Trump-era conscience protections for healthcare workers.
Congress already has laws on the books to “protect the rights of individuals, entities and health care entities to refuse to perform, assist in the performance of, or undergo certain health care services or research activities to which they may object for religious, moral, ethical, or other reasons.”
How HHS interprets and enforces that law, though, is up for debate.
The Trump administration
rolled out a new HHS rule in 2019 to strengthen those protections and the enforcement of them.
Now the Biden administration is trying to roll back those changes. President Joe Biden’s HHS published the rule change in January, and public comment closed Monday. HHS cited arguments by various critics of the rule, saying the 2019 rule would hinder “patients’ ability to access” abortions and said it was “overly expansive and incongruous with medical professionalism, among other concerns.”
Critics have pushed back, saying the Biden administration’s changes will expand abortion, make the law more vague, put more power
in the hands of HHS and lead to discrimination against Americans.
On Monday, 26 members of Congress submitted a comment on the rule in a joint letter, saying the Biden administration’s proposed change “leaves gaps in the investigation and enforcement process, and ignores the balance Congress struck when it provided unqualified rights of conscience.”
“Instead of supporting proposed legislation like the Conscience Protection Act to allow victims of discrimination to also have their day in court, HHS is blocking possible legal remedy for victims of discrimination by dropping enforcement actions and clear mechanisms for investigation
and enforcement, and making it harder for any further discrimination claims to be filed, investigated, and remedied,” the lawmakers wrote.
Conscience protections have been in the spotlight in recent years since COVID vaccine mandates left many workers, those in the healthcare industry in particular, forced to take the vaccine or risk losing their job. With the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the abortion debate has also heightened the tension on the issue as healthcare workers unwilling to perform abortions have faced obstacles.
“The Proposed Rule claims that ‘our health care systems must effectively deliver services
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SANTA BARBARA — The Santa Barbara Unified School District performed exceptionally well Saturday at the 40th annual Santa Barbara County Mock Trial competition, sweeping the top four spots. The Dos Pueblos High School A Team clinched first place, followed by the San Marcos High School team, the Dos Pueblos B Team and the Santa Barbara High School team.
The Dos Pueblos High School A Team will represent Santa Barbara County at the Mock Trial State Finals in Los Angeles from March 17-19.
The team consists of Liam Avolio, Edo Barel, Tobin Bohley, Victoria Chen, Charlotte Choi, Elyssa Crutchfield, Theo Evans, McKenzie Kelly, Rachel Lenchner, Anastasia Li, Koi Liechti, Amelia Mendro, Jacob Molina, Daniel Nickolov, William
Shen, Maxfield Steele, Alok Thakrar, Sienna Valentine, Jonathan Yang and Io Zhu.
“We are so proud of the great showing from our students,” said Dr. Hilda Maldonado, the Santa Barbara Unified superintendent, “The Mock Trial teams spent hours preparing for the competition, and their hard work shows in the results. We wish the Dos Pueblos students the best of luck
The next community-wide
Beautify Goleta cleanup event is coming up on March 25.
This one will focus on Hollister Avenue and surrounding neighborhoods in Old Town Goleta.
Because it’s the Spotlight Neighborhood, residents in the area will have access to a free bulky item drop-off from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Community West Bank parking lot, 5827 Hollister Ave. The parking lot is also the meeting place for a Community Cleanup from 9 a.m. – 11 a.m.
According to the city of Goleta, the cleanup is open to anyone
who wants to help pick up litter. To sign up, go to cityofgoleta. org/your-city/public-works/ environmental-services/beautifygoleta.
On March 25, Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County will be the spotlight location in Old Town Goleta. Other Beautify Goleta captains will host additional cleanups throughout Goleta. Those locations include:
• Evergreen Acres Park, 7524 Padova Drive, with Capt. Susan Klein-Rothschild.
• Johnny D. Wallis Neighborhood Park, 170 S. Kellogg Ave., with Capt. Jerry Lucera from Waypoint Church. If you would prefer to clean
up at a different location in Goleta, use the city’s selfguided cleanup program: cityofgoleta.org/home/ showpublisheddocument /26396/637937350199270000.
Just don’t go on private property, the city of Goleta said. Other Beautify Goleta events include:
• April 22: Beautify Goleta: Earth Day at Los Carneros East & West Neighborhood Spotlight (Stow Grove Park, 580 North La Patera Lane).
• July 22: Beautify Goleta: Put A Smile On Your Place.
• Sept. 23: Beautify Goleta: Coastal Cleanup Day. email: kzehnder@newspress.com
(The Center Square) — This year Gov. Gavin Newsom will fulfill his obligation to report on the state of the state by correspondence. The governor will issue a letter to the state Legislature instead of giving the usual speech, in compliance with the California constitution to inform the
HHS
Continued from Page A2
— including safe, legal abortions — to all who need them in order to protect patients’ health and dignity,’” the lawmakers wrote. “Leaving aside that the current Administration has focused immense attention on promoting and paying for abortion, including at times, in violation of federal and state law, such a claim will only lead to further diminution of conscience rights provided by Congress. It is unfortunate, but not surprising, that in the wake of the decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health
Legislature of the health of the state.
It was the week of March 9 last year when Gov. Newsom gave his state of the state speech at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, where he focused on the progress in battling the pandemic and all matters related to the state’s response and relief.
This time the governor will instead embark on a four-day
Organization, HHS has still prioritized abortion access over nearly anything else, including following and enforcing the law.”
The lawmakers called on HHS to strengthen, not weaken, its enforcement of conscience violations.
“The lack of enforcement is evidenced not only by the failure to investigate and prosecute conscience violations by HHS in the last several years, but also the decision by HHS to walk back enforcement actions initiated by the previous administration, as detailed below,” the comment said.
Critics said the rule change could leave countless Americans
tour of California to sell his policy proposals.
“Scripted speeches have given Newsom trouble because of his dyslexia, a common learning disability that makes it harder for him to read and do other things related to reading. It’s why he rarely uses notes in his public appearances and memorizes vast amounts of facts and figures,” The Associated Press reported Tuesday.
open to discrimination with little legal remedy.
“Without strong conscience protections, healthcare professionals across America risk discrimination for holding to their religious convictions,” said Justin Butterfield, deputy general counsel for the First Liberty Institute, which also officially commented on the rule.
“The proposed HHS rules would eviscerate current protections that uphold the rights of healthcare professionals and the ethical integrity of the medical profession.”
Casey Harper works at The Center Square’s Washington, D.C., bureau.
as they compete in the State Finals.”
Carpinteria and Laguna Blanca High School teams also participated in the contest. The Mock Trial competition is organized by the Santa Barbara County Education Office, Santa Barbara County Superior Court and the Constitutional Rights Foundation.
— Caleb Beeghly
SANTA BARBARA — A free viewing of the Oscars will take place Sunday on the big screen at the Arlington Theatre.
Doors will open at 4:30 p.m. at the theater, 1317 State St., Santa Barbara, in time for the live ABC broadcast at 5.
A red carpet pre-show party with music by DJ Darla Bea will precede the broadcast at 3 p.m. in the Arlington courtyard. That event will cost $15, which includes priority seating during the broadcast, free popcorn, a free cocktail and a free raffle ticket to win prizes. Tickets for the pre-show party will be available at the Arlington box office.
The Oscars show will be hosted by ABC talk show host Jimmy Kimmel.
— Dave MasonGrace Fisher said.
Continued from Page A1
It is also a place where it is a hub for people to come in and do drop-in art or have a place to hang out. It’s a magical feeling when you come to it.
“I don’t want it to be a place where people talk about problems. I want it to be a place where you forget about that and focus on the art in front of you and the friendships around you,” Ms. Fisher said.
“The word ‘disability’ sometimes evokes a wheelchair, hospital or words that aren’t necessarily positive,” she said.
“I want it to be a place where when anyone comes in they see that although we may be a little different, these differences are still to be celebrated. We are capable of much more than the assumptions that are out there.”
“I want people with disabilities to feel like there is a place dedicated to them,”
she said. “I want it to be an avenue for people to build relationships, friendships, and connections.
The grand opening of the Grace Fisher Foundation’s Inclusive Arts Clubhouse will take place from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. today at the new facility, located at La Cumbre Plaza (Space F 118, next to the Museum of Sensory and Movement Experience) in Santa Barbara.
“It can be isolating and there are not many artistic opportunities, especially for kids. I hope with this space friendships will be able to be made and formed. I want it to be a place where kids can grow through the arts as they discover new things they might want to pursue in the future and offer opportunities that aren’t already out there.
The foundation would like to thank Kyle’s Kitchen who is catering tonight’s event; Sara Wilcox, the director of the clubhouse; the board of the Grace Fisher Foundation; the Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce and the Santa Barbara Foundation. For more about the Grace Fisher Foundation, go to gracefisherfoundation.org.
“All programs are free, there are no barriers to keep anyone from attending. I want it to
Alethea Seto, dearly adored wife, mother, and grandmother, passed away surrounded by her loving family on February 25, 2023, at the age of 71, in Camarillo.
Born Alethea Maureen Thompson, Thea was raised in the Los Angeles area and graduated from USC with a degree in Occupational Therapy, a profession in which she was engaged throughout her life. After working at Northridge Medical Center, her adventurous spirit moved her to Vancouver, British Columbia, where she traveled in a mobile therapy van throughout Vancouver Island treating many First Nations people and making lifelong friends. Thea returned to southern California to resume a friendship with Raymond Seto. This blossomed into a marriage which blessed them with three beautiful children, Aeryn, Cassandra, and Gregory. After living in Palos Verdes for several years, the family moved to Mission Canyon in Santa Barbara, where Thea devoted her time to raising her children and volunteering at their schools (Roosevelt Elementary, Santa Barbara Middle School, and Santa Barbara High), while continuing her Occupational Therapy career at Cottage Hospital, SELPA, and a variety of home health agencies.
A lifelong mystic, Thea was devoted to living an authentic, purposeful life and seeking the divine through wisdom traditions, earth-based spirituality, and embodied practices including yoga and t’ai chi chuan. She especially enjoyed hosting tai chi retreat groups in Santa Barbara.
After all three of their children left home to attend UC Berkeley, Thea and Ray moved to Ventura County, where she continued to practice Occupational Therapy part-time, and pursued creative writing, volunteering, and healing arts. She created a second family home on the Sonoma Coast and was an active and loving presence for each of her seven grandchildren.
Thea was very proud of her children’s accomplishments. Aeryn became an executive at JP Morgan before pursuing a new path as a Presbyterian pastor. Cassandra graduated from Stanford Law School and became a litigation partner at O’Melveny & Myers.
Gregory graduated from Loyola Law School with a JD and LLM in tax before joining Deloitte as an international tax attorney. However, what provided the greatest joy and fulfillment to Thea was her children’s happy marriages to wonderful partners (Shan, Jonathan, and Julia) and their blessing her with beloved grandchildren.
Thea is survived by husband Ray; children Aeryn, Cassandra, and Gregory; and grandchildren Cody, Liv, Jack, Emerson, Dean, Nathan, and Mia. She is also survived by siblings Karen, Kathleen, and David.
the Vedanta
be a hub, not just a place for programs.”
Ms. Fisher added that the clubhouse welcomes everyone, not just those with disabilities. “It is a place where anyone who comes through the doors sees a celebration of and is a part of diversity.”
In addition to its regular programming, the inclusive arts clubhouse will host special events and workshops throughout the year, including performances, exhibitions, educational opportunities, and supportive services for families, local community groups, and caregivers.
The clubhouse’s goal is to create a “make you feel good” environment where all children can feel comfortable.
“It’s a pretty magical feeling,” Ms. Fisher said. “We have done a variety of adaptive programs around town. Having this space is exciting because we can plan whatever we want, because we have the space and there are no limitations with times or places. It has been fun building the schedule and designing the area.
“We are really lucky because the space already had a lot of stuff in place to evoke a magical feeling,” Ms. Fisher said. “Bella Vista Designs Inc,. brought a lot to the space to bring that welcoming feeling.
“When people come through the door, I want them to see how disability is nothing of which to be afraid.
“It’s a place where we are all calibrated for who we are.”
email: kzehnder@newspress.com
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Committee “to distill this down for discussion.” As it stands, “there’s too many options to consider,” he said. “It’s like being given ‘Moby Dick’ and being asked to write a one-page synopsis.”
In her presentation, Laura Dubbels, the city’s Housing and Human Services manager, outlined the draft ordinance’s major components, but the main thing speakers who followed her seemed to agree with was her assessment that the need for affordable housing in Santa Barbara is critical.
Council members, while thanking staff for its hard work putting the ordinance together with little guidance from the council, endorsed the Santa Barbara Housing Authority’s emphasis on buying and building more housing units as opposed to increasing housing services.
Skip Szymanski, the Housing Authority’s deputy executive director, pointed directly at the embattled renters who spoke earlier as the very people who need help.
“Those are the people we want to be housing,” he said. “We can provide housing for the workforce and people in need who have been in Santa Barbara.”
He warned about prioritizing housing services at the expense of providing actual units where people can live.
“If you are to be all things to all people, that doesn’t work,” he said. “We already have those programs and have money for those programs. This is an opportunity to actually build and purchase affordable housing today.”
He noted that the Housing Authority has an opportunity
right now to purchase 60 units where city workers and unhoused people could live.
“If the city had the money today, I could do the deal and bring the project to you,” he said.
Councilmember Eric Friedman immediately responded, suggesting that if a certain amount of money were available for such a purchase, and the Housing Authority needed a bit more just to clinch the deal, the council should be able to make that extra money available for a one-time purchase.
Speaker after speaker stressed that new affordable housing that is built or purchased should go for people with very low, or low, or moderate income at most, people who fall within 160% of the area median income, which includes the city’s workforce — including teachers and sheriff’s deputies — forced to live elsewhere and commute here to their jobs.
Others argued that any ordinance that’s crafted be kept as simple as possible so that it provides a straightforward approach to increase deedrestricted permanent housing with 90-year covenants, essentially ensuring the units would remain affordable forever.
“This does promise to be a truly landmark program,” said Stanley Tzankov, co-founder of the Santa Barbara Tenants Union, as long as the focus remains on the program being a source of funding to “our low and moderate neighbors in this town.”
He also praised the inclusion of up to $250,000 for legal-aid groups or attorneys to defend tenants’ rights “and give them a fighting chance in court” to avoid being evicted.
email: nhartsteinnewspress@ gmail.com
“I want people with disabilities to feel like there is a place dedicated to them,”
On Saturday, the Goleta Valley Library will celebrate its 50th birthday.
The city of Goleta is inviting the community to a celebration from 2-4 p.m. at the library, 500 N. Fairview Ave.
The celebration will also be commemorating the career of longtime library director Allison Gray, who is retiring at the end of March.
Saturday’s celebration will include family-friendly activities, including a scavenger hunt, music by library staff member Nicole Lvoff, birthday toast and special tributes at 3 p.m., signature frame signing photo station, “My Favorite Thing about the Goleta Valley Library” activity, and Goleta Valley Library’s “Celebrating 50 Years” commemorative bookmark.
People are welcome to bring their favorite library memories and to wear the color gray in honor of Allison Gray. Her 36 years of library service included the past 15 years at Goleta .
In her first 10 years, she served as branch supervisor and as library director for the last five years.
“I have been able to nurture the staff and been able to make customer service (the) most important (thing) for us,” Ms. Gray told the News-Press. “It‘s behind everything we do.”
She noted that during her time, the library has been able to greatly expand its programs for children, adults and teenagers.
What’s more, the library staff has built a connection with the community.
“I see patrons, and my staff know their names and have conversations with them,” Ms. Gray said.
“For those who live alone, the library is so important. It might be their only opportunity to interact with someone. My staff is wonderful about engaging people and making them feel good; it is a
COURTESY IMAGE “Clarence Mattei: Portrait of a Community” is on view through May at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum, 136 E. De la Guerra St., Santa Barbara. Above is Mr. Mattei’s self–portrait.
The calendar appears Mondays through Saturdays in the “Life & the Arts” section. Items are welcome. Please email them a full week before the event to Managing Editor Dave Mason at dmason@ newspress.com.
TODAY
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. “Entangled:
Responding to Environmental Crisis,” runs through March 25 at the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art. The museum is open from 10 a.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. It’s closed on Sundays and college holidays. For more information, call 805-565-6162 or visit westmont.edu/museum.
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. “Interlopings:
community hub.
“I feel we are the face of the city,” Ms. Gray said. “I have done my best to make that happen in a good way. I am most proud that people call us the family-friendly library and say we give the best customer service in Santa Barbara County. That was a big change for the library.”
The News-Press asked Ms. Gray what this library means to the community.
“I have been going through every email I got from patrons thanking us or saying something positive. I have about five pages,” the director said. “Most of them say they love
this library, it is so important to the community, and the staff is wonderful. Those were the top three things, and they usually said all three things at once.
“They are also incredibly grateful for the sidewalk service we provided during COVID. The community sees the library as an integral part of the community.”
Ms. Gray talked about some of the significant accomplishments of the library in the last 50 years.
“We have more materials and shelving. Computers are a new thing as well. We also have added more staff than previously
‘Storytelling: Native People Through the Lens of Edward S. Curtis” is on view through April 30 at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.
The exhibit situates the artist and the people he photographed
in the context of American colonialism, inviting viewers to reconsider pervasive popculture beliefs about native life and history.
Influenced by the pictorialist movement of the early 20th century, Mr. Curtis set out to create a photo and ethnographic record of indigenous peoples living in Western regions from the Mexican border to Alaskan
and more open hours. From photographs, I have seen there used to be a lot of space with tables where people can sit. We have some space for people to sit but not enough, due to the increased capacity for materials. The community is demanding in terms of the materials that they want. We have had to boost the materials we have.”
Ms. Gray has clearly loved being a librarian.
“I love being around books,” she told the News-Press. “My mother was a library director, so I grew up in libraries. I was sort of destined
to be a librarian. I love talking with patrons about materials and making recommendations. I have read so many books in my life. I can take patrons to the right section and give them books.
I love doing reader advisory.
“I love talking to patrons, and I know so many of them. So many are in my cell phone contacts,” she said. “I have made a lot of relationships at the library.”
Ms. Gray got her start as a children’s librarian in New York and has continued to emphasize
Please see LIBRARY on B2
shores. His motivation was a belief that U.S. government policy and the land grabs of American settlers might wipe away native lifeways forever. While Mr. Curtis’s intentions were wellmeaning, his methods of staging photos bent reality into imagery that is often more art than fact. One hundred years later, indigenous people still contend
with “Indian” stereotypes that are consequences of Mr. Curtis’s vision. Although many of the photographer’s images are iconic, “Storytelling: Native People Through the Lens of Edward S. Curtis” aims to show what has not previously been seen or understood. That was also the goal of the museum’s popular 2007 exhibition of Mr. Curtis’s
photographs curated by museum librarian Terri Sheridan.
“This year, a strong infusion of lesser-seen imagery and new interpretation provide a broader exhibit for people in terms of what’s on the walls as well as what their takeaways might be,” said Ms. Sheridan.
The most important takeaway, according to Ms. Sheridan, is
Colors in the Warp and Weft of Ecological Entanglements” is an exhibit that runs through March 12 at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, 1212 Mission Canyon Road, Santa Barbara. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. The exhibit features weavings dyed with pigments from non-native plants on Santa Cruz Island. The weavings were created by artists Helen Svensson and Lisa Jevbratt. For more information, see sbbotanicgarden.org.
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central Coast artist and London native Annie Hoffman’s exhibit “Seeing Ourselves in Colour” will be displayed through Feb. 28 at Gallery Los Olivos, 2920 Grand Ave., Los Olivos. For more information, visit anniehoffmann.com.
Noon to 5 p.m. “Clarence Mattei: Portrait of a Community” is on view now through May at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum, which is located in downtown Santa Barbara at 136 E. De la Guerra St. Admission is free. Hours are currently from noon to 5 p.m. Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays and from noon to 7 p.m. Thursdays. For more information, visit www.sbhistorical.org
10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. “SURREAL
WOMEN: Surrealist Art by American
Women” is on display through April 24 at Sullivan Goss: An American Gallery, 11 E. Anapamu St. The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily. For more information, www.sullivangoss. com.
MARCH 11 10 a.m. St. Patrick’s Day parade on Main Street in downtown Ventura.
MARCH 14
Lifeline screening for cholesterol, diabetes risks, kidney and thyroid function, plaque buildup in arteries and more at the Santa Barbara Seventh-day Adventist Church, 425 Arroyo Road, Santa Barbara. Registration is required at www. lifelinescreening.com.
MARCH 16 5:30 p.m. Dr. Fabrizio Michelassi — Lewis Atterbury Stimson professor and chairman in the Department of Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical Center and surgeon-in-chief at New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center — will present a public lecture titled “In the Eye of the Storm: Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic.” The free talk will take place at the Wolf Education and Training Center, 529 W. Junipero St., adjacent to RidleyTree Cancer Center in Santa Barbara. Reservations are required by March 10.
To attend, contact J.V. Vallejos at 805681-7528 or jvallejo@sansumclinic.org. Masks will be required.
MARCH 18
7:30 p.m. The Santa Barbara Symphony will perform “John Williams: A Cinematic Celebration” at The Granada, 1214 State St., Santa Barbara. To purchase tickets, go to granadasb. org. For more information, visit www. thesymphony.org or call 805-898-9386.
MARCH 19 3 p.m. The Santa Barbara Symphony will perform John Williams: A Cinematic Celebration” at The Granada, 1214 State St., Santa Barbara. To purchase tickets, go to granadasb.org. For more information, visit www.thesymphony. org or call 805-898-9386. — Dave Mason
As the library prepares for Saturday’s celebration director Allison Gray talks about her career before retiringCOURTESY PHOTO “I love being around books,” said Allison Gray, who is retiring at the end of this month after 15 years as director of the Goleta Valley Library. EDWARD S. CURTIS PHOTOS
family services as the director of the Goleta Valley Library. She enjoys seeing kids reading books or young children pretending to read.
“It makes me so happy to see children and families in the library, it does my heart good,” she said.
Ms. Gray stressed her passion for books and literacy.
“I just think I can’t imagine a life where you don’t read for pleasure,” she said. “My life has been so enriched by reading and listening to books on CD.
My mother taught us to read at a very early age. I was a precocious reader. I was reading adult books at age 12.
“I read the ‘Scarlet Letter’ at age 11, although I didn’t fully understand it at the time. I have learned so much from books both fiction and nonfiction. I have been on the Newberry committee and Caldecott committee; these are the biggest awards in children’s literature.
“I can’t imagine not reading,”
Ms. Gray said. “You learn and enjoy it so much. I think books and authors that write them are beautiful things, and I couldn’t live without them. In my retirement, I am so excited to read all the books I have been writing down for the last 15 years.
I tend to prefer modern authors now because I read most of the classics at an early age.
“My favorite author right now is John Irving, and my favorite genre is suspense and horror. I
COURTESY PHOTO
“I hope that patrons continue to see the library as a friendly community center where they feel comfortable and happy as the staff continues to provide great customer service,” director Allison Gray said about the legacy she hopes to leave behind at the Goleta Valley Library.
think it’s a reaction to COVID. Because COVID was so awful I needed to read books where the circumstances for characters were awful, and it made me feel better. It gave me comfort in a weird way.”
The News-Press asked Ms. Gray what legacy she hopes to leave behind.
“I hope that patrons continue to see the library as a friendly community center where they feel comfortable and happy as the staff continues to provide great customer service. I am very confident that the staff will
continue to do that after I leave. It is a wonderful group of people who work at the library.”
She noted the city of Goleta has supported the Goleta Valley Library for the last five years.
“I just feel so grateful to have been able to target the services to our community and respond to their needs in a way that has made them satisfied. I feel very honored to have been here for fifteen years.
I will be happy to be there as a patron, but sad to not be doing the work to better our services.”
The News-Press asked Ms. Gray what one piece of advice she would give to her successor, who has not yet been named.
“It would be to remember how important it is to check in with the staff and know how to do most everything the staff does so you can pitch in and so they feel that you are part of the team. It’s important to have a great team that supports each other and you need to be part of that. I work at city hall because there is no room for me at the library. So I go to the library frequently and check in with the staff.”
email: kzehnder@newspress.com
The Goleta Valley Library’s 50th anniversary celebration will take place 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday at the library, 500 N. Fairview Ave., Goleta. You can watch the video invitation to Saturday’s celebration in English at youtube.com/watch?v=ejYrgOc4gHw. To watch the invitation in Spanish, ee youtube.com/watch?v=R41dxPKkwY;.
Local animal shelters and their nonprofit partners are looking for homes for pets.
For more information, go to these websites:
• Animal Services-Lompoc, countyofsb.org/phd/animal/home. sbc.
• Animal Shelter Assistance Program in Goleta, asapcats.org. ASAP is kitty corner to Santa Barbara County Animal Services.
• Bunnies Urgently Needing Shelter in Goleta, bunssb.org. BUNS is based at Santa Barbara County Animal Services.
• Companion Animal Placement
Assistance, lompoccapa.org and facebook.com/capaoflompoc. CAPA works regularly with Animal Services-Lompoc.
• K-9 Placement & Assistance League, k-9pals.org. K-9 PALS works regularly with Santa Barbara County Animal Services.
• Santa Barbara County Animal Care Foundation, sbcanimalcare. org. (The foundation works regularly with the Santa Maria Animal Center.)
• Santa Barbara County Animal Services in Goleta: countyofsb.org/ phd/animal/home.sbc.
• Santa Barbara Humane (with
campuses in Goleta and Santa Maria), sbhumane.org.
• Santa Maria Animal Center, countyofsb.org/phd/animal/home. sbc. The center is part of Santa Barbara County Animal Services.
• Santa Ynez Valley Humane Society/DAWG in Buellton, syvhumane.org.
• Shadow’s Fund (a pet sanctuary in Lompoc), shadowsfund.org.
• Volunteers for Inter-Valley Animals in Lompoc: vivashelter. org.
— Dave Mason
respect for unique indigenous cultures. She wants the selected images and their interpretation to counter the stereotypical presentation of popularized Curtis imagery, which depicts cultures as the same. In particular, she hopes to invite greater respect and understanding of the women who agreed to be photographed.
“Because of the patriarchal place Mr. Curtis was coming from,” Ms. Sheridan explained, “he would usually talk with the men, not realizing that often the women were people of power in particular cultures. He also very rarely named women, so their photographs often are just ‘wife of’ or ‘sister of.’ Although we rarely know their names, these women should be seen.”
Luke J. Swetland, president and CEO at the museum, provided an interesting backstory for the exhibit in a recent museum’s monthly newsletter:
“I’ve been repeatedly asked how the museum came to acquire the books and photogravures at the heart of this exhibition. This set of bound volumes was a rare treasure: Only about 270 sets were printed. As is so often the case, our ability to share something remarkable with you was made possible by a gift.
“The story of that gift starts in turn-of-the-century Santa Barbara. A woman named Charlotte Bowditch was living on upper Garden Street when she learned of Edward S. Curtis’s North American Indian project. She wrote a letter to him to learn more about it. The more she knew, the more interested she became.
“From about 1905 to 1915, Bowditch personally corresponded with Curtis. As a subscriber to his 20-volume epic ‘The North American Indian,’ she was one of a relatively small group of people receiving this lavishly-illustrated series of books about the Indigenous peoples of the Western United States.
“Bowditch shared these extraordinary books with her friends. One such friend was Sophie Baylor, who shared Bowditch’s interests in nature and culture. Unsurprisingly, Sophie Baylor was also a good friend of the museum. Beginning first as a member visiting the museum’s exhibits, she started volunteering here in the early 1930s. Recognizing what a special treasure the museum was for our community, she later joined the museum’s board of trustees.
“Unfortunately, Charlotte Bowditch died before Curtis completed his epic work, leaving the first 11 volumes of ‘The North American Indian’ to her friend, Sophie Baylor. She also left her collection of letters from Curtis and a few artifacts that she had purchased from Curtis over the years.
“Sophie Baylor recognized the cultural significance of The North American Indian volumes, folios, letters, and artifacts, and their value to our growing institution. She donated them to the museum on May 17, 1935.
“On March 26, 1938, another trustee of the museum, Mrs. George (Carrie) Steedman donated volume 12, which features the Hopi tribe. This portfolio’s photogravures are printed on Japanese gampi tissue, which is the rarest of the papers that Curtis used for his large format photogravures.
“Only about 25 volumes were printed on gampi tissue. Steedman purchased this volume from the Charles E. Lauriat Book Co. while visiting Boston.
“In the 1950s, Virginia Doulton approached the museum’s Library about donating a full set of ‘The North American Indian.’ The librarian, remembering Sophie Baylor’s gift, told Doulton that the library didn’t need the first 11 volumes. So Doulton gifted volumes 13–20 to our collection.
“To expand the museum’s collection to the full set, our librarians had to be patient. I hope you will have a chance to see the exhibition and agree that all three of these gifts were significant. The 70 photogravures on display are a carefully-chosen selection from about 700 large-format plates featuring dozens of cultural groups covered across 20 volumes by Curtis.
“Those dozens are a small
sampling of many hundreds of indigenous groups extant across the United States. They demonstrate the diversity of indigenous culture and myriad ways of life that are deeply tied to nature.”
email: mmcmahon@newspress. com
FYI
“A lifetime of training for just ten seconds.”
— Jesse OwensHoroscope.com
Wednesday, March 8, 2023
ARIES — Your laziness isn’t making it easy to get out of bed, Aries. In fact, all you may want to do today is absolutely nothing. Unfortunately, this may not be possible. Whether it is or not, you can make the best of this feeling as long as you keep yourself in the right frame of mind. Find the element of fun in everything you do, including your work.
TAURUS — You may butt heads with someone who’s equally unwilling to budge, Taurus. Use this conflict as a lesson in perspective. Understand the motivation of the opposite side. The life lesson you may need to learn probably has to do with discipline and the need for honest sweat from your brow.
GEMINI — You may run into roadblocks today, Gemini, but don’t worry. These are things you are capable of working around. The tricky part of the situation is that none of these blocks is likely to budge, and you may have absolutely no understanding of why they’re there. Try not to take this barricade personally.
CANCER — Your mind is sharp today, and your willingness to work is equally strong, Cancer. Use this powerful combination of forces to your full advantage. You will find that your brain is like a powerful steel trap. There is very little that will escape your attention.
LEO — You may get out of bed with a jolt, Leo, indicative of the fact that there are forces prodding you from almost every direction. It may seem like you’re in high demand, so do your best to appease those who need your attention. The key for you is not to get overwhelmed to the point where you can no longer function at all.
VIRGO — It isn’t a good idea to blame your troubles on others, Virgo. The only one that you really have to blame is you. You will find that your mind is active today and that it might send you around in circles unless you make a conscious effort to slow it down and get it going on the right path. Deal with the facts of the situation instead of the emotions that may
arise from it.
LIBRA — Today it may seem like you’re trapped in a power struggle that you can’t get out of, Libra. The problem is that this struggle may have very little to do with you and your actions. There’s a strong, limiting force that is asking you to slow down. Try your best not to get involved with conflicts that don’t concern you.
SCORPIO — Your solid, grounded, and steady approach may be challenged today, Scorpio. Someone with a strong ego could punch holes in the plan you’ve so carefully laid out. Try to stick with the facts and do your best not to let this turn into some sort of popularity contest. Be humble and direct. Try not to be too emotional or sensitive.
SAGITTARIUS — Take care that your self-esteem doesn’t depend on what other people tell you, Sagittarius. One minute a bit of flattery may send you high as a kite, and the next minute some criticism may have you feeling down in the dumps. Do your best to not let others blow you up and then deflate you as if you’re nothing but a balloon.
CAPRICORN — Your selfesteem should be good now, Capricorn. You will find that you can make great strides on long-term projects. This is a good day to put your nose to the grindstone and get to work. There’s an extra bit of productive force in the day that will help you achieve just about anything you set your mind to.
AQUARIUS — You may be a bit aggravated today, Aquarius. People seem to be more of a hindrance than a help to you. Don’t be too accusatory until you make sure that you’re operating honestly and productively. You may automatically go into defensive mode and end up accusing someone of the very thing that you’re guilty of.
PISCES — You have a unique opportunity to review plans and foundations that you’ve recently put into place, Pisces. As carpenters say, “Measure twice and cut once.” This is a key time to review your plans and make sure your structure is secure. If there’s any doubt about what you’ve completed so far, consult someone whose expertise you trust.
Wednesday, March 8, 2023
Cy the Cynic says that if you want to kill time, you might try working it to death. But some players are lazy; they are content to let contracts play themselves.
Today’s North-South might have stolen nine tricks at 3NT. Against five clubs, West led the jack of hearts, and South took the ace, drew trumps with the A-K and led a spade. He hoped West would foolishly rise with the ace, but West played low. Dummy’s king won, but West got the jack and ace later, plus a diamond.
South’s play was lazy. Could you do better?
South can take the ace of trumps at Trick Two, then lead a diamond, preparing an end play. As the cards lie, East can’t gain by putting up the king, so West captures South’s queen and leads another heart. South wins, leads a trump to dummy, ruffs a diamond, ruffs his last heart in dummy and ruffs a diamond.
South then leads his queen of spades at the ninth trick. West can’t gain by ducking, and if he takes the ace, he is end-played, forced to lead from his jack.
DAILY QUESTION
You hold:
7 5 4 2. You open one club, and your partner responds one
INSTRUCTIONS
Fill in the grid so every row, every column and every 3-by-3 grid contains the digits 1 through 9. that means that no number is repeated in any row, column or box. Sudoku puzzles appear on the Diversions page Monday through Saturday.
Codeword is a fun game with simple rules, and a great way to test your knowledge of the English language. Every number in the codeword grid is ‘code’ for a letter of the alphabet. Thus, the number 2 may correspond to the letter L, for instance. All puzzles come with a few letters to start. Your first move should be to enter these letters in the puzzle grid. If the letter S is in the box at the bottom of the page underneath the number 2, your first move should be to find all cells numbered 2 in the grid and enter the letter S. Cross the letter S off the list at the bottom of the grid. Remember that at the end you should have a different letter of the alphabet in each of the numbered boxes 1- 26, and a word in English in each of the horizontal and vertical runs on the codeword grid.
spade. What do you say?
ANSWER: No second bid is ideal. You have almost enough strength for a jump to three clubs, but most players would want a stronger suit for that action. A rebid of two clubs might work out. I would choose a more encouraging raise to two spades. Since partner did not respond in a red suit, he is likely to have five or more spades.
South dealer
Both sides vulnerable
