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SB County pauses J&J vaccine distribution By MADISON HIRNEISEN NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department will halt all distribution of the Johnson & Johnson single-shot COVID-19 vaccine while FDA and CDC officials investigate a rare instance of blood clots among six patients who received the shot. All counties in California were advised Tuesday to pause J&J allocations at vaccine clinics until advised otherwise by the California Department of Public Health. According to CBS News, all 50
states are following this same protocol and paused the distribution of the J&J vaccine until further guidance is provided. In Santa Barbara County, everyone who was set to receive the J&J vaccine at a county health clinic this week will now receive the Moderna vaccine instead, according to a statement from the county’s Public Health Department. The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will convene today for an emergency session to discuss further guidance after receiving reports of blood clots among six women who
received the J&J vaccine. The women were between the ages of 18 and 48 and developed a blood clot between six and 13 days after receiving the vaccine. One woman died. In a joint statement Tuesday, Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the CDC, and Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said they recommended the pause out of an “abundance of caution.” “This (pause is) important, in part, to ensure that the health care provider community is aware of the potential for these adverse events and can plan for
proper recognition and management due to the unique treatment required with this type of blood clot,” the officials said in a statement. “Right now, these adverse events appear to be extremely rare. COVID-19 vaccine safety is a top priority for the federal government, and we take all reports of health problems following COVID-19 vaccination very seriously.” Health officials at both the federal and local level are reminding the public that the chance of this severe adverse reaction remains low. Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, told CBS Evening News that the
Arrests made in Kristin Smart case SLO Sheriff announces Paul Flores booked on murder charge
By MITCHELL WHITE NEWS-PRESS ASSOCIATE EDITOR
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday that two people have been arrested in connection with the 1996 missing person case of Cal Poly student Kristin Smart. Sheriff Ian Parkinson announced that Paul Flores, 43, was arrested on suspicion of murder and that his father, Ruben Flores, 80, was arrested on suspicion of being an accessory to the murder. Sheriff Parkinson made the announcement during a press conference at Cal Poly, the location she was last seen alive on May 25, 1996. Ms. Smart, who was a 19-yearold freshman Cal Poly student at the time, was last seen near the intersection of Perimeter Road and Grand Avenue as she walked home from an off-campus party. She was last seen with Paul Flores, who was also a 19-yearold freshman at the time. Ms. Smart never returned to her dorm and has not been seen or heard from since. Sheriff Parkinson said Tuesday that the San Luis Obispo Sheriff’s Office took over the investigation about a month after Ms. Smart went missing and that since he took over the Sheriff’s Office in 2011 that Paul Flores has “remained a person of significant interest.” “There’s been some discussion of ‘What is a person of interest versus a suspect,’ and it’s really a matter of terminology,” Sheriff Parkinson said. “When a crime occurs, everybody involved in that area could be a person of interest until they are ruled no longer of interest, either through alibi, through witness or physical evidence, but Paul remained as a person of interest and as the case progressed, became ... the prime suspect in the case.” When Sheriff Parkinson took over the Sheriff’s Office, a complete review of all the physical evidence was conducted. In late 2016, authorities discovered additional evidence that confirmed Paul was the suspect in the disappearance. Additional information was learned in 2019 following
DAVID MIDDLECAMP / SAN LUIS OBISPO TRIBUNE
San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson announced the arrest of Paul and Ruben Flores in connection with the 1996 missing person case of Cal Poly student Kristin Smart, left.
witness interviews, including some information that came to light during a podcast titled “Your Own Backyard Podcast” produced by Christopher Lambert. When new evidence was discovered, a court order was secured authorizing the interception and monitoring of Paul Flores’ cell phone and text messages. In February 2020, detectives served search warrants at the home of Paul Flores, as well as the residences of his sister, mother and father. Physical evidence was recovered, which led to an additional search warrant at Paul Flores’ residence in April 2020, the sheriff said. At that time, detectives recovered evidence related to the murder or Ms. Smart. Last month, an additional search warrant was served in Arroyo Grande at the home of Ruben Flores, yielding more evidence. As a result of the new evidence found, a San Luis Obispo Superior Court judge signed two arrest warrants and two additional search warrants, which were served on Tuesday. One search warrant was served at Paul Flores’ residence in San Pedro, and another at Ruben
Flores’ residence in Arroyo Grande. Both men were taken into custody. Paul is being held without bail, and Ruben was being held on $250,000 bail. Both men were expected to appear for arraignment on Thursday. Sheriff Parkinson said Tuesday that authorities were in the process of executing the search warrants and could be there for the rest of the day Tuesday or into today if needed. He clarified that Ms. Smart has not been recovered and that the Sheriff’s Office will continue to focus on finding her remains, regardless of any court action. The case was turned over to the San Luis Obispo District Attorney’s Office on Tuesday for review. The D.A.’s Office will announce any further proceedings. San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow issued the following statement on his website: “The San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office is evaluating the Kristin Smart investigation following the arrests of Paul and Ruben Flores. We are carefully reviewing the evidence and will provide more information as it becomes
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By MADISON HIRNEISEN NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
During a special presentation Monday, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors heard an update from criminal justice leaders on their efforts towards diversion, an endeavor officials say will keep the jail population low and reduce recidivism. Diversion occurs when a law enforcement officer chooses to deflect someone from the criminal justice system by issuing a warning rather than an arrest.
Diversion can also occur during pre-filing, pre-arraignment, pre-conviction and even postconviction through various programs. “If you’ve ever been pulled over and warned about speeding instead of getting a ticket, congratulations, you have received the benefit of diversion,” Chief Probation Officer Tanja Heitman said Monday. “For many low-level offenses, officers will use their discretion to divert someone away from the criminal justice system.” She continued, “This can Please see BOARD on A4
available.” Sheriff Parkinson said that the search warrants served Tuesday were sealed, and he could not discuss what evidence was found. He did say that physical evidence was located at at least two homes, which he said is believed to be linked to Ms. Smart. He later explained there was “no hiding the fact” that mistakes were made in the case early on. “That first 48 hours is pretty critical in a missing person or a homicide, and there were mistakes made that made that that much harder,” he said. “When I talk about ‘It’s what you can prove, not what you believe,’ I think there’s a lot of people that listened to Chris’ podcast and … either re-lived it because they were around during that time or learned of the story. What (listeners) tended to focus on was, ‘Hey, why aren’t we moving forward?’ And we’re trying to really impress upon people that our duty has to be to prove it beyond a reasonable doubt. It’s not just we believe this person did it and we’re going to pull them off the street and deprive them of their freedom.” Despite not having recovered Please see ARRESTS on A3
During a special presentation at the Board of Supervisors budget workshop Monday, leaders from the county’s Public Safety Department presented what their organizations are doing to enact diversion efforts and keep the county jail population trending down.
Newsom signs wildfire prevention legislation By ANNELISE HANSHAW NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a $536 million wildfire prevention plan Tuesday, accelerating the state’s ability to fund projects to suppress wildfire. The state legislature unanimously passed the bill, Senate Bill 85, Monday. The $536 million is an advance on the governor’s proposed $1 billion investment in wildfire resilience. The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund will supply $125,387,000 of the $536 million package with the rest coming from the general fund. The signing of SB 85 brings money to fire departments months ahead of schedule, which Gov. Newsom declared urgent in a year of drought and “extreme conditions.” He noted that many reservoirs are 50% full going into the state’s peak fire season, a troubling foundation for drier months
ahead. Lake Cachuma currently sits above that mark at 61.3%. Santa Barbara County has only received 51% of the rainfall it usually has at this point in the water year. “With a lack of rain and dry vegetation that’s already drying up right now, the possibility of having significant fires on the Central Coast is there. It’s real,” Capt. Daniel Bertucelli, public information officer for the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, told the News-Press. The state struggled through a large fire season in 2020, made worse by budget uncertainty at the start of the pandemic. “Four-plus million acres burned last year — more than 2018 and 2019 combined,” Gov. Newsom said in a press conference prior to signing SB 85. “And while it wasn’t the deadliest or most destructive fire season we’ve had, it was in terms of acres burned. “We talk in terms of records Please see WILDFIRES on A2
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chance of experiencing these adverse side effects is “less than one in a million.” The U.S. distributed a total of 6.8 million doses of the vaccine as of Monday. In Santa Barbara County, approximately 12,500 doses of the J&J vaccine have been distributed countywide, Dr. Henning Ansorg, the county’s public health officer, told the News-Press. For those who already received the vaccine, Dr. Ansorg advised against panic and encouraged the public to watch for severe side effects. “I would encourage those who have Please see VACCINE on A4
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Saturday’s SUPER LOTTO: 7-8-29-33-47 Meganumber: 20
Tuesday’s DAILY 4: 1-1-4-8
Tuesday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 10-15-19-45-68 Meganumber: 9
Tuessday’s FANTASY 5: 10-13-15-28-31
Tuesday’s DAILY DERBY: 01-11-06 Time: 1:44.95
Saturday’s POWERBALL: 14-16-23-50-53 Meganumber: 3
Tuesday’s DAILY 3: 7-6-5 / Midday 7-9-1