Santa Barbara News-Press: July 20, 2022 by Santa Barbara News-Press

Nikki Haley hints strongly at presidential run

Empowering breast cancer survivors

Former Republican governor says it’s time to ‘make America strong and proud once more’ - A3

Local entrepreneur launches a business called Stage - B1

Our 167th Year

75¢

W E D N E S DAY, J U LY 2 0 , 2 0 2 2

Hospital admissions up because of BA.5 variant Ansorg: Mask mandate isn’t necessary at this time

DAVE MASON/NEWS-PRESS

Dr. Henning Ansorg

By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

DAVE MASON/NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS

Santa Barbara City Councilwoman Kristen Sneddon looks at a projection of the meeting agenda on the wall as she makes a motion in support of moving forward with the new police station. “This is a very positive move forward,” she said.

Contract awarded for police station Santa Barbara City Council moves forward with long-awaited project

In recent weeks, Santa Barbara County has seen an increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations due to the BA.5 variant. According to ca.gov (the state of California’s website), Santa Barbara County has a 16.1% positivity rate. “It is slowly increasing. As of last week, we passed the threshold of 10 new admits (to hospitals) per 10,000 per day,” Dr. Henning Ansorg, the Santa Barbara County public health officer, told the News-Press Tuesday. But the county is not considering reinstating the mask mandate at this time, Dr. Ansorg

NEWS-PRESS FILE PHOTO

Dr. David Fisk

said. “Assess your own risk,” Dr. Ansorg said. “How much do you want to avoid getting COVID? If you really want to avoid it, behave accordingly. “We cannot rely on mandates so much because we want to reserve drastic measures for real emergencies about life and death,” he said. “We don’t want to over-utilize it when it’s not necessary.” Dr. David Fisk, medical director of infection prevention and control for Cottage Health, told the News-Press the trend of increased hospitalizations “has probably been going on the last four to six weeks at Cottage, but on average slowly and steadily Please see B.A.5. on A4

Draft police oversight ordinance expected to be revealed Aug. 1 By NEIL HARTSTEIN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

At left, councilmember Mike Jordan congratulated “the entire team” for its work on the police station project. At right, “The community has waited a long time,” Mayor Randy Rowse said about the new police station. “It’s time to get going.”

By NEIL HARTSTEIN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

The Santa Barbara City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to award a $4.5 million contract to Cearnal Collective for architectural and design services for a long-planned modern police station and associated parking structure. Councilmembers also adopted a final mitigated negative declaration, following a required environmental review that concluded there would be no significant environmental impact. The new 53-foot-tall, 64,000-square-foot police headquarters is slated to be built on Cota Street, where a commuter parking lot is now situated.

The site is at Cota and Santa Barbara streets. The new station’s address will be 601 Santa Barbara St., and the facility will replace the current station at 215 E. Figueroa St. The new station’s adjacent parking structure will accommodate 236 parking spaces, with 128 spaces for Police Department fleet vehicles and 108 spaces for employee vehicles. “I’m very proud to be here,” architect Brian Cearnal told the council Tuesday before the vote. “We’ve been working on it for four years and are looking forward to the next step.” Mr. Cearnal called it “good news” that the new station will be located downtown. “It makes eminent sense.”

66833 00050

One of the most important elements of the new station is that it will give police department staff a place to park, which they don’t have today at the current station, he said. The new station will unify dispatch with staff and officers going out on patrol. There will be a practice firing range in the basement, a second-floor meeting room that can be used by multiple city agencies and the public, a single unisex locker room for all officers and employees to use, a fitness facility with outdoor deck and a lounge for police officers complete with outdoor dining space. Investigations and a crime lab will be on the third floor, as will the police chief’s office.

The station will face the mountains providing “fantastic light in working spaces for office staff,” he said. The parking structure, he said, would be integrated with the station so it would not feel imposing. “It won’t look like a parking structure.” Councilmembers were unanimous in praising the project. “It’s pretty gratifying after all this time,” Councilmember Kristen Sneddon said. “This is a very positive move forward. I’m grateful how many times you paused to address community input.” Councilmember Meagan Harmon agreed. “It really is remarkable. I’m happy to be here Please see COUNCIL on A4

City officials say they will unveil a draft ordinance aimed at increasing oversight of the Santa Barbara Police Department no later than Aug. 1. Barbara Andersen, senior assistant to the city administrator, told the NewsPress that releasing the proposed ordinance for a new civilian oversight system will trigger a 30-day public comment period, after which it will be sent to the city council ordinance committee for consideration and eventually to the full council for review and possible adoption. “The perception from the outside is that it’s just bureaucratic inside, but we are so much more adaptive and responsible,” she said. “We’re really one team with one approach here. We want to do all that we can to ensure the safety of residents.” The goal of the oversight process is “to audit functions over police performance and make sure there is a process for the community to lodge complaints and concerns about police conduct,” Rene Eyerly,

COURTESY PHOTO

Barbara Andersen

assistant city administrator, told the News-Press. The draft ordinance fulfills a recommendation by the Community Formation Commission that the council take steps to update and improve police department oversight and transparency. It does that by enhancing the oversight duties and authorities of the existing Fire and Police Please see ORDINANCE on A4

INSIDE

L O T T E RY RESULTS

Classified................. B4 Life...................... B1-2 Obituaries............... A4

Saturday’s SUPER LOTTO: 2-14-26-35-43 Meganumber: 27

Wednesday’s DAILY 4: 1-3-1-0

Tuesday’s MEGA MILLIONS: N/A Meganumber: N/A

Wednesday’s FANTASY 5: 1-2-12-23-35

Wednesday’s DAILY DERBY: 09-07-06 Time: 1:41.22

Monday’s POWERBALL: 14-34-36-50-58 Meganumber: 5

Sudoku................... B3 Weather................. A4

Wednesday’s DAILY 3: 4-2-8 / Wednesday’s Midday 9-4-8

NEWS

SANTA BARBARA NEWS-PRESS

WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 2022

San Diego school district reinstates mask mandate Los Angeles County could require masks again starting Friday

By MADISON HIRNEISEN THE CENTER SQUARE STAFF REPORTER

(The Center Square) — Months after California lifted its mask mandate for schools, the San Diego Unified School District reinstated an indoor mask requirement this week as the region sees a rise in COVID-19 transmission. The mask requirement, which took effect Monday, primarily impacts students and teachers involved in summer school and enrichment programs. The requirement applies to all schools and district offices, according to an announcement from the district. The decision to require indoor masking came after San Diego County entered the “high” COVID-19 community level – a metric established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that considers new COVID-19 hospital admissions, the percent of staffed inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients and total new COVID-19 cases

COURTESY PHOTO

A mask mandate could go into effect Friday in Los Angeles County. On Monday, a mask requirement took effect in the San Diego Unified School District.

per 100,000 over seven days. In May, the school district published parameters for indoor masking, which included returning to indoor masking if the county reached the “high” community level. More than 30 California counties are in the “high”

community transmission level, according to the CDC. Los Angeles County is one of those counties, and local health officials said last week that a mask mandate could take effect this Friday, according to the Los Angeles Times. Meanwhile, Dr. Sharon Whitehurst-Payne, president of

the San Diego Unified School District Board, told KUSI News Monday that the school district could implement an indoor mask requirement in the fall if rates remain high. She noted that for students who do not want to wear a mask during school, there are online options available for the fall, though these options do not exist for summer programs. If students do not want to wear a mask during summer school “they should just make it known that they don’t feel comfortable and at that point, just not return,” Dr. Whitehurst-Payne said. At this time, there are about two weeks of summer school left for high school students and one week left for younger students, according to KUSI. In an announcement, the school district said it will “continue to monitor the COVID-19 community level according to the CDC and county data, and we will communicate if there are any changes in two weeks.” Madison Hirneisen covers California for The Center Square.

7KLQNLQJ $ERXW 0HGLFDUH" 7KLQN +RSSHU ,QVXUDQFH 6HUYLFHV $ ! % ! ! ,QVXUDQFH 6HUYLFHV

%RE +RSSHU 3K '

# "

/LF

| +RSSHU,QVXUDQFH6HUYLFHV FRP

Report: California’s unfunded pension debt could swell to $285 billion By MADISON HIRNEISEN THE CENTER SQUARE STAFF REPORTER

(The Center Square) — California’s unfunded pension liabilities could swell to more than $285 billion in 2022, depending on investment returns, a new report from the Reason Foundation estimates. The forecast, produced by the Reason Foundation’s Pension Integrity Project, estimates that unfunded pension liabilities could grow to $232.98 billion if California’s major pension plans report -6% returns in 2022 and $285.57 billion if plans report -12% returns. That would represent a dramatic shift for the state, which had $131.57 billion in unfunded pension liabilities in 2021, according to the Reason Foundation. Pensions are primarily funded by investment returns and

employer contributions, with smaller additions from employee contributions. When plans are underfunded, pension plans only have so many “levers they can pull to reach full funding” for the constitutionally protected benefits, Ryan Frost, a Reason policy analyst, told The Center Square. “(Plans) either have to earn more in the stock market, or they have to raise contribution rates on employees and employers via the taxpayer,” Mr. Frost said. “If the plan is continuing or growing at a rate of adding debt to the plan, then really the only thing the plan can do is raise rates and that just increases costs.” The state’s largest pension plan, the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, is a prime example of how “one bad year of investment returns can significantly impact unfunded

liabilities, public employees and taxpayers,” Reason’s report notes. Analysts estimate that CalPERS’ unfunded liabilities could rise from $101 billion in 2021 to $159 billion in 2022 if investment returns come in at -6%. The report estimates that this would equal a debt of $4,057 for every Californian. CalPERS has had millions in unfunded liabilities since the 2008 recession, with underfunded liabilities skyrocketing to a record high of $162 billion in 2020, according to Reason’s projections tracker. If returns come in at -6% this year, the report estimates that CalPERS’ funded ratio will drop to 73.6% in 2022. In November, the CalPERS board lowered its market expectations, which in turn, meant certain employees would have to contribute more to their pension funds because the fund expected

to earn less from its investments. The contribution changes primarily impact employees hired after January 2013, taking effect for school employees (excluding teachers) this month and most other local government employees in July 2023. Reason forecasts that unfunded liabilities for 118 state public pension plans nationwide are expected to exceed $1 trillion in 2022. Looking ahead, Mr. Frost said analysts anticipate that over the next 15 years, pension plans will likely earn between 5.5% and 6%, and the average assumed rate of return is 7% across the country. This means that the “spikes that we’ve seen are probably going to continue until those assumed rate of returns are brought down,” Mr. Frost said. Madison Hirneisen covers California for The Center Square.

Earn up to $20,000 by renting your RV through RVshare! Learn more and sign up for free today

rvrent.org/sbnp

TRAFFIC, CRIME & FIRE BLOTTER

The UCSB women’s water polo team set a new program record with 15 of its members being named to the ACWPC Spring 2022 Women’s All-Academic Team. Based on their GPA, individuals can earn the distinction of Excellent (3.20-3.40), Superior (3.41-3.70) or Outstanding (3.71-4.0) from the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches. Goalkeeper Taylor McEvilly earned the top honor of Outstanding, while five Gauchos made the Superior column and nine others earned Excellent. As a whole, the Gauchos were recognized for their cumulative team GPA of 3.40. This is the second time the program has reached doubledigits in its ACWPC All-Academic recipients, this time placing five more student-athletes than the

previous benchmark year in 2020. Here are the Gauchos on the team: Taylor McEvilly, Outstanding; Juju Amaral, Superior; Claire Kelly, Superior; Cami Mras, Superior; Nina Munson, Superior: Reese Oliver, Superior; Mel Damato, Excellent; Annie Kuester, Excellent; Caitlyn Snyder, Excellent: Leigh Lyter, Excellent; Bianca Borunda, Excellent; Camilla Mackay, Excellent; Aidan Flynn, Excellent; Mary Beth Heffelfinger, Excellent; Drew Halvorson, Excellent. To view the full list of honorees, go to ucsbgauchos. com/sports/w-wpolo/2021-22/files/ Spring2022ACWPCAll AcademicWomen.pdf. — Daniel Moebus-Bowles, UCSB sports writer

ambulance, treated and returned to custody. Ms. Zick said the Sheriff’s Office would like to highlight this incident as an example of the danger of fentanyl use, the importance of carrying naloxone, and recognizing the signs of overdose, which may include difficulty waking up, slowed breathing, confusion, and blue or pale lips and fingernails.

Spots are still available but are going fast. To register, go to www.ucsbgauchos.com/ sports/w-baskbl/2021-22/ releases/20220719kz37y. There’s a number of ways to support the program even if you prefer to kick your feet up in the clubhouse. Contact Mia Weber (mia.weber@ athletics.ucsb.edu) if you have any questions. — Daniel Moebus-Bowles, UCSB sports writer

Buellton planning meeting canceled BUELLTON — The Buellton Planning Commission has canceled Thursday’s meeting because of a lack of business. The panel normally meets on the first and third Thursdays of each month. — Dave Mason

Los Angeles’ $600,000 fire captain and 86 firefighters made more than $400,000 in 2021 By TOM GANTERT, ELYSE APEL AND BRETT ROWLAND THE CENTER SQUARE

made $400,000 or more in 2021. However, the highest ranking employee was not among those. The fire chief made $338,624, or nearly $250,000 less than the fire captain. The Los Angeles Police Department has far more employees than the city’s fire department, but the fire department’s overtime was much higher. The fire department’s total payroll that year was $798.2 million. Overtime accounted for $244.9 million or about 31% of

all the fire department’s payroll costs. The fire department paid more in overtime costs in 2021 than the police department, which paid $132.4 million in overtime that year. The Los Angeles Police Department had 12,139 sworn and civilian police employees in 2021 compared to 3,643 sworn and civilian fire department employees. Even so, the fire department paid out more than $100 million more in overtime costs than the police department.

HOW TO REACH US . . .

HOW TO GET US . . .

MAIN OFFICE

CIRCULATION ISSUES

715 Anacapa St. Santa Barbara, 93101 . . 805-564-5200

MAILING ADDRESS

P.O. Box 1359, Santa Barbara 93102 News Hotline. . . . . . 805-564-5277 Email . . dmason@newspress.com Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . 805-564-5277 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . 805-564-5277 News Fax . . . . . . . . 805-966-6258 Corrections . . . . . . . 805-564-5277 Classiﬁed. . . . . . . . . 805-963-4391 Classiﬁed Fax . . . . . 805-966-1421 Retail. . . . . . . . . . . . 805-564-5230 Retail Fax . . . . . . . . 805-564-5139 Toll Free. . . . . . . . 1-800-423-8304

Voices/editorial pages . . 805-564-5277

SANTA BARBARA NEWS-PRESS All rights are reserved on material produced by the News-Press, including stories, photos, graphics, maps and advertising. News-Press material is the property of Ampersand Publishing LLC. Reproduction or nonpersonal usage for any purpose without written permission of the News-Press is expressly prohibited. Other material, including news service stories, comics, syndicated features and columns, may be protected by separate copyrights and trademarks. Their presentation by the News-Press is with permission limited to one-time publication and does not permit other use without written release by the original rights holder. Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations and The Associated Press Periodicals Postage Paid at Santa Barbara, CA. Postmaster: Send address changes to the Santa Barbara News-Press, P.O. Box 1359, Santa Barbara, CA 93102. Published daily,

South Coast . . . . . . . . . . 805-966-7171 refunds@newspress.com newsubscriptions@newspress.com vacationholds@newspress.com cancellations@newspress.com Home delivery of the News-Press is available in most of Santa Barbara County. If you do not receive your paper by 6 a.m. Mondays through Fridays, or 7 a.m. on weekends, please call our Circulation Department before 10 a.m. The Circulation Department is open 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. 7 days a week.

SUBSCRIPTION RATES

Home delivery in Santa Barbara County: $5.08 per week includes sales tax, daily and Sundays. Weekends and holidays only, $3.85 per week includes sales tax. Single-copy price of 75 cents daily and $2 Sunday includes sales tax at vending racks. Tax may be added to copies puchased elsewhere. “The Santa Barbara News-Press” (USPS 0481-560). Circulation refunds for balances under $20, inactive newspapers for elementary school classrooms.

VOL. 167

NO.

www.newspress.com Newspress.com is a local virtual

community network providing information about Santa Barbara, in addition to the online edition of the News-Press.

NEWSPAPER

ASSOCIATION

PUBLISHERS

(The Center Square) — Members of the Los Angeles Fire Department multiplied their annual income by racking up hours of overtime last year. The Center Square analyzed the department’s payroll records from 2021, uncovering dozens of employees who made more than $400,000 in the one year. A captain in the department made $434,394 in overtime in

2021, pushing their gross pay to $598,532 to become the highestpaid employee in the city that year. Another fire captain made $420,055 in overtime, pushing that person’s gross pay to $593,314 in 2021. That person was the secondhighest paid employee in the city, according to city payroll records. A firefighter with a base salary of $129,638 made $411,606 in overtime, making that firefighter’s total compensation $554,056. There were 86 employees in the fire department who

YOLANDA APODACA . . . . . . . . . . . Director of Operations DAVE MASON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Managing Editor

— Katherine Zehnder

UCSB women’s basketball team to host golf tournament GOLETA — The UCSB women’s basketball team has announced its annual golf tournament scheduled for Aug. 29 at Glen Annie Golf Club, 405 Glen Annie Road, Goleta. Registration is set for 11 a.m., followed by the shotgun start at noon and the silent auction at 5 p.m. Dinner and awards will follow. The tournament will be a fourperson Texas scramble with a number of tee prizes and a putting contest.

WENDY McCAW . . . . . . . . . . . . . Co-Publisher ARTHUR VON WIESENBERGER . . . . . Co-Publisher

CALIFORNIA

Water polo players named to all-academic team

staff administered two rounds of naloxone nasal spray to the inmate who remained unresponsive, Ms. Zick said in a news release this week. A custody deputy administered a third round of naloxone, and by 4:20 p.m., the inmate became responsive. Ms. Zick said the inmate admitted to jail staff that they had taken fentanyl prior to being booked at the NBJ. The inmate was transported to an area hospital by

NEWSROOM

SANTA MARIA —- Santa Barbara County custody deputies and a WellPath nurse successfully used naloxone on an inmate who was overdosing on fentanyl at the Northern Branch Jail. At approximately 4:13 p.m. July 5, custody deputies in the NBJ noticed an inmate who was

unresponsive and lying on the ground in a cell in the intake area. Custody deputies entered the cell and found the inmate to be unresponsive, pale and cold. The custody deputies quickly surmised that the inmate was likely overdosing and called for jail medical staff, naloxone and an ambulance, said Raquel Zick, the Sheriff’s Office public information officer. Within minutes, WellPath

ADVERTISING

Overdose reversed at jail

GENERAL EXCELLENCE 2002

3XEOLVKLQJ //&

NEWS

SANTA BARBARA NEWS-PRESS

Nikki Haley hints strongly at 2024 presidential run By CASEY HARPER THE CENTER SQUARE SENIOR REPORTER

(The Center Square) — Nikki Haley hinted strongly at a 2024 presidential run during a speech Monday night. “If this president signs any sort of (Iran nuclear) deal, I’ll make you a promise,” said the former Republican governor of South Carolina and former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. “The next president will shred it on her first day in office.” Ms. Haley made the comments at a Christians United for Israel event where she praised Israel and criticized President Joe Biden’s foreign policy. “Just saying, sometimes it takes a woman,” she said to cheers. Former President Donald Trump, former Vice President

Mike Pence and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis are considered potential Republican primary candidates, and now Ms. Haley appears to be on that list. “The time has come to make America strong and proud once more,” she said. At the same time, President Biden has seen his approval ratings dip and apparent Democratic primary challengers begin to surface. California’s Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has sparked rumors that he is considering a primary run against President Biden after running ads attacking Gov. DeSantis in Florida. Gov. Newsom, along with Vice President Kamala Harris and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis have reportedly been reaching out to donors in the event of a 2024

run. Illinois Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker also has made key speeches in New Hampshire and Florida in recent weeks, leading to speculation he is considering a run. A CNBC All-America Economic Survey released this week showed that President Biden’s economic approval rating has hit a new low, even below the low points of his predecessors, former Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump. President Biden’s economic approval dropped five points to 30%. Notably, as The Center Square previously reported, only 58% of Democrats expressed their support for Biden’s work on the economy. Casey Harper works at The Center Square’s Washington, D.C., bureau.

PRIMARY CARE DOCTOR JACQUELINE DESITTER KROCK, MD Private Practice No Annual Concierge Fee House Calls Offered

805-563-0933 Accepting Medicare, Cottage Health, Blue Shield, Aetna, United HealthCare 3324 State Street, Suite I Santa Barbara, CA 93105

COURTESY PHOTO

Nikki Haley

Pritzker’s November opponents weigh in on speculation governor plans presidential run By KEVIN BESSLER THE CENTER SQUARE STAFF REPORTER

COURTESY PHOTO

Gov. J.B. Pritzker

(The Center Square) — With recent speeches in Florida and New Hampshire, the speculation won’t go away that Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is eyeing the White House. As a speaker at a Florida Democratic Party conference, Gov. Pritzker attacked Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron Desantis, calling him Donald Trump with a mask. Gov. DeSantis himself is considered a potential Republican presidential candidate. Gov. Pritzker’s Florida appearance came a month after his keynote speech before New Hampshire Democrats, who historically have been the ones to cast the first votes in presidential primary elections. “Here is where the Republican game plan is the most audacious,” Gov. Pritzker said. “They want to distract you into believing that gay marriage, black history, Disney World and library books are more of a threat to our children than an

AR-15.” He also grabbed the national stage following the Fourth of July shootings in Highland Park. “I’m furious that this is happening in communities all across Illinois and America,” Gov. Pritzker said. “I’m furious because it does not have to be this way.” Gov. Pritzker then got into a highly publicized Twitter feud with the National Rifle Association. Gov. Pritzker faces Republican state Sen. Darren Bailey, R-Xenia, an avid gun rights advocate, in the November election for Illinois governor. “Instead of coming to Springfield to do his job, Gov. Pritzker is gallivanting with his rich friends in Europe, New Hampshire, D.C., Maine, and Florida,” Sen. Bailey said in a statement. “Illinois families have a message for J.B.: Repeal the Pritzker gas tax hike. Stop campaigning for president and do your job.” Scott Schluter, the Libertarian party candidate for governor, said Gov. Pritzker needs to get his

priorities straight. “He is currently running for reelection as governor as he’s more interested in the next big, shiny thing than actually staying home and helping fix the disaster he caused in Illinois with all of his mandates and executive orders,” Mr. Schluter said. Fox News personality Tucker Carlson recently berated Gov. Pritzker during a broadcast, saying that under his direction Illinois has lost population, become much poorer, much more dangerous, and much less free. “Illinois loses a resident every 4 minutes. Now, how many people is that? Well, over a year, that’s the equivalent of losing the entire city of Springfield, which is the capital of Illinois,” Mr. Carlson said. “How many are going to Florida? Well, most of them. One of the reasons that Illinois isn’t safe anymore is because people with jobs are leaving.” No Illinois governor has moved on and become president of the United States.

Texans sue NLRB over alleged constitutional violations By BETHANY BLANKLEY THE CENTER SQUARE CONTRIBUTOR

(The Center Square) — The Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Center for the American Future sued the National Labor Relations Board, alleging new guidance it issued violates the First Amendment. The lawsuit was filed Monday in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas Sherman Division and lists the NLRB and its general counsel, Jennifer Abruzzo, as defendants. The center sued on behalf of five Texas staffing agencies whose clients reside in multiple Texas counties. At issue is an April 7 Memorandum GC 22-04, “The Right to Refrain from Captive Audience and other Mandatory Meetings,” Ms. Abruzzo sent to all regional directors, officers in charge and resident officers in the NLRB. In it, Ms. Abruzzo proposed changing a decades-long practice of employers holding mandatory employee meetings during paid

time to discuss statutory labor rights. NLRB case precedent has found that such mandatory meetings are lawful. Ms. Abruzzo argues these rulings were decided inaccurately. She argues that requiring employees to attend mandatory meetings under threat of discipline unlawfully “chills” employees’ rights protected by the National Labor Relations Act. She argues the meetings “inherently involve an unlawful threat that employees will be disciplined or suffer other reprisals if they exercise their protected right not to listen to such speech.” NLRB case precedent, “which has tolerated such meetings,” she adds, is “at odds with fundamental labor-law principles, our statutory language and our congressional mandate.” As a result, she urged the board to reconsider NRLB case precedent and to determine that the mandatory meetings are unlawful. Her guidance isn’t legally binding and would need to be approved by the NRLB’s five-

member board. Ms. Abruzzo also maintains that protecting “employees’ right to refrain (from participating in these meetings) will not impair employers’ statutory or constitutional freedom of expression,” pointing to an argument made in a 1945 U.S. Supreme Court ruling. But the center and plaintiffs disagree, arguing the guidance directly restricts employer speech “on the basis of its content, viewpoint and speaker,” which violates the employers’ right to free speech protected by the First Amendment. “It’s a basic principle in this country that the government doesn’t get to pick the side of a debate that it likes and silence the opposition,” Chance Weldon, director of litigation for the Center for the American Future, said. “That principle doesn’t change just because the debate occurs on a shop-room floor, rather than in a town hall or on Twitter.” All Americans, including employers, have free speech

rights under the First Amendment, the center’s senior attorney, Matt Miller, added, including “the right to convey simple, truthful information about unionization to their employees.” National Right to Work Foundation Vice President Patrick Semmens told The Center Square, “The Biden NLRB, with former union boss Jennifer Abruzzo at the helm, is stopping at nothing in its aggressive push to expand union bosses’ coercive monopoly powers.” The nonprofit has been at the helm of several legal challenges to Biden administration tactics that it argues restrict employees’ constitutionally protected right to free speech. “The Biden Board has shown no hesitation when it comes to trampling the rights of both employers and employees opposed to unionization, in its pursuit of forcing more workers into Big Labor’s forcedunion dues ranks even when workers want nothing to do with unionization,” he added.

Moody calls on Biden to classify illicit fentanyl as weapon of mass destruction By BETHANY BLANKLEY THE CENTER SQUARE CONTRIBUTOR

(The Center Square) — Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody is calling on President Joe Biden to classify illicit fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction after 26 people in two separate incidents were poisoned by fentanyl in one week, including nine who died over the July 4 weekend. She sent a letter to President Biden on Monday demanding that he take immediate action to stop the fentanyl crisis in America. Last year, 75,673 adult Americans died from opioids, primarily fentanyl. Over the past two years, more than double the number died from synthetic opioids than were killed in the Vietnam War, Ms. Moody noted. While she’s not equating fentanyl deaths “to those of Americans who fought and gave their last

COURTESY PHOTOS

Attorney General Ashley Moody

President Joe Biden

full measure of devotion for this country,” she said, she’s providing the numbers “to give context to the stark carnage that this country is

experiencing. “Fentanyl has hit the state of Florida hard, like many other states across this country, and

WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 2022

the death toll is increasing at an alarming, exponential rate.” According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, there were 5,806 fentanyl related deaths in 2020. In the first six months of 2021, there were more than 3,210. Attorney General Moody sent the letter after 19 people overdosed from fentanyl poisoning in Gadsden County over the July 4 weekend, killing nine. One week later, seven people were found unresponsive at a convenience store in Tampa after they’d consumed drugs laced with fentanyl. In March, five West Point cadets overdosed, in addition to others in their group who also got sick from drugs laced with fentanyl while on spring break in Wilton Manors. The exposure was so deadly, Please see FENTANYL on A4

rafaelmendezbuilding maintenanceservices.com 805-689-8397 Carpet Care, Oriental & Area Rugs, Wood Floors Repaired & Reﬁnished, Water Damage & Mold Service

406 W. Figueroa Street

805-963-3117 6LQFH /,&

Great Kitchens Don’t Just Happen... They Happen by Design. % ! $ % " ! ! # % " !# % ! !"

3!.4! "!2"!2! + ) 4 # ( % . 3 C()05,;: *6<5;,9;67: +,:0.5 :,9=0*,: 05:;(33(;065S

Visit our Showroom Upstairs at "#' ) * (* .

Are you at risk? Get Screened for Risks of Stroke and Cardiovascular Disease 5 Screening Package for $149 Call 888-413-3258

DO YOU FEEL OVERWHELMED MANAGING BILLS? TAKE THE MONTH OFF, ON US. SILVERBILLS ELIMINATES THE STRESS AND HASSLE OF MANAGING BILLS. • Our dedicated, U.S.-based account managers manage, scrutinize and pay bills on your behalf. • All household bills are guaranteed to be paid on time.* • No computer is needed to use our service. PROFESSIONAL SERVICE FOR AN AFFORDABLE MONTHLY FEE. CALL TODAY FOR A

FREE MONTH

TRIAL OR CUSTOM QUOTE:

844-563-1147 * as long as appropriate funds are available

SANTA BARBARA NEWS-PRESS

NEWS

WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 2022

ORDINANCE

Continued from Page A1

DAVE MASON/NEWS-PRESS

KENNETH SONG/NEWS-PRESS

At left, “We’ve waited four long years,” Councilmember Eric Friedman said, noting the importance of a good work environment for city staff. At right, the new station will replace the current one at 215 E. Figueroa St.

COUNCIL

Continued from Page A1 and to be moving this forward.” She noted that now is the time to consider what to do with the current station once the new one is built. “We should include what that will become as part of the conversation,” she said, suggesting it might be “very well-suited” for affordable housing. Councilmember Mike Jordan congratulated “the entire team” for working on the project. “Some are going to say the men and women on the force deserve this building, but everyone of our employees deserve to work in a safe and modern building.”

BA.5

Continued from Page A1 increasing, which is largely due to arrival and dominance of the BA.5. “These admissions are due to COVID illness and needing additional support,” Dr. Fisk said. “However, some are incidental findings of COVID due to admission for a different reason. Admissions are impactful due to special precautions. “That being said, admissions are increasing, but there is a smaller fraction requiring ICU care,” Dr. Fisk said. Dr. Ansorg noted, “I’d like to say that we have gone through this for two and half years, and in the beginning it was really grim. In the beginning 10% ended up in the hospital. “New variants are more transmissible but cause less severe infections,” Dr. Ansorg said. “Many people have some form of immunity, even partial immunity. The severity of illness has changed greatly. “It doesn’t disrupt our lives quite as much. For the most part,

FENTANYL

Continued from Page A3

the first responder also overdosed after attempting to resuscitate them, Ms. Moody said. Those poisoned by fentanyl in Tampa and Wilton Manors survived after receiving medical treatment. “Fentanyl has flooded into the country, and Joe Biden continues to look the other way as Mexican drug cartels smuggle massive amounts of this deadly opioid across our southwest border,” Ms. Moody said after the Gadsden County incident. Addressing the president, she said: “Biden, do your job, secure the border and help us

“We’ve waited four long years,” added Councilmember Eric Friedman. “This is one of the most important ways we have as a city to recruit and retain a police force. We want all of our staff to be able to live within the city. When that can’t happen, we have to have a great work environment.” Noted Mayor Randy Rowse, “The community has waited a long time. It’s time to get going.” In other business, the council voted unanimously to direct staff to negotiate a one-year extension of the current solid waste hauler franchise agreement with local company MarBorg Industries. If an agreement is not reached within eight months, the city retains the right to talk to other

waste haulers. Several speakers praised MarBorg for going far beyond its contract in dealing with the city, businesses, residents and nonprofits, calling them responsible and extremely responsive to customers’ needs. “They’re more than a trash company. I don’t know what we’d do without them. They’re part of the community,” said Hillary Hauser, president and executive director of the nonprofit Heal the Ocean. Earlier in the meeting, the council approved items on their consent calendar without discussion, including: • Updating the Santa Barbara Airport Master Plan by

authorizing the airport to execute a $919,000-plus contract with Mead and Hunt Inc. for master planning services. • Ratifying a three-year pact negotiated between the city and the Santa Barbara City Firefighters’ Association calling for across-the-board salary increases of 1.5% effective July 30 and 3% as of July 30, 2023. • Authorizing an agreement with Carbon Solutions Group EV for another 92 electric vehicle charging stations to be installed in the city on top of the 66 already in operation, with the potential of adding more up to a total of 258 stations.

people recover and get on with their lives,” said Dr. Ansorg. The News-Press asked the medical professionals if people have become too apathetic too quickly about COVID-19. “I think it does play a role. You can only be in emergency mode for a certain amount of time before you are tired of it,” Dr. Ansorg said. “Vaccinations give a false sense of security. Quiet mutations are able to bypass the immune system. They don’t leave a robust community behind. Immunity doesn’t last as long as it did before.” Dr. Fisk said the question of complacency is an important one. “The one thing we cannot assume is that COVID over time, in the coming weeks and months, will become less dangerous. We don’t know what will happen. “What we are seeing is reflective of community fatigue of dealing with COVID since it has gone on so long,” he said. “COVID still poses a real and present risk to individuals in the region,” Dr. Fisk said. “We are at a time when most vulnerable members of the community are getting further and further out

from their second booster, so immune protection from COVID is waning, leading to increased risk in the most vulnerable community members. “While it can be a mild illness, it remains a life-threatening disease for many others. We do need to remain cognizant of individual risk,” Dr. Fisk said. Dr. Ansorg recommended people wear a well-fitting mask, such as N-95 or KN95 mask, in indoor public settings. “Sharing indoor space is enough to catch a virus. Every one in 50 (people) to one in 30 is carrying the virus. “You can also catch the virus in crowded outdoor spaces,” Dr. Ansorg said. He also recommended people get vaccinated and boosted. “If you haven’t had your second booster, get it. “For those who have tested positive, there is now medication,” he said. “Paxlovid is now available free of charge. Pharmacies can give it out without a prescription. Every doctor can prescribe it. “It’s available and should be utilized,” Dr. Ansorg said. Dr. Fisk said COVID-19

transmission is now at its highest point. “BA.5 variant is the most transient variant reaching our community. Most people know or know of people affected by COVID. It is absolutely rampant in the community at this time.” Dr. Fisk said the number of positive cases is likely much higher than indicated by reported numbers. He said that’s because of people being tested at home or not getting tested at all. “Some of the best models indicate nine actual cases for every reported case,” he said. “Numbers far exceed reported models. “One of the clues is what the wastewater is detecting, and there is evidence that the amount of COVID in waste water is significantly higher than previously and has risen over the last week,” Dr. Fisk said. “My feeling is that mask wearing is proven to be beneficial at reducing COVID in indoor settings, and it is a minimally invasive thing to ask people to do and something we should endorse at this time.”

end this opioid crisis.” In the letter, she said the Biden administration has “done little to abate this American tragedy. Indeed, many of your policies have exacerbated the death toll,” caused by fentanyl “making it across our southern border.” Ms. Moody noted that “the federal government already works to disrupt the supply chains of other chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear weapons. It’s not hard to imagine that similar tactics could be used to reduce the flow of illicit fentanyl into the U.S. through cartels in Mexico – and save countless American lives.” According to the Department of Homeland Security, a WMD “is

a nuclear, radiological, chemical, biological or other device that is intended to harm a large number of people.” Last July, the nonprofit organization, Families Against Fentanyl, and a group of bipartisan officials, called on the president to designate fentanyl as a WMD. They did so after record amounts of fentanyl were seized at the southern border and after federal data showed that fentanyl is the leading cause of death among 18-45-year-old Americans. More Americans died from fentanyl in 2021 than from gun violence and car accidents combined. FAF’s founder, James Rauh,

said, “Not only is illicit fentanyl being used by drug traffickers to poison thousands of unsuspecting Americans, it is also a chemical weapon that poses a very real threat in the wrong hands. The growing prevalence of fentanyl also heightens the potential for this deadly drug to be repurposed by terrorists or cartels as a chemical weapon in a masscasualty event. “The fentanyl death toll will continue to rise unless America takes bold action,” he warned. FAF welcomed Attorney General Moody’s call to action, noting that the WMD designation has bipartisan support in Congress.

email: nhartstein@newspress.com

email: kzehnder@newspress.com

DEATH NOTICE BREMER, NORMAN L., 82, of Santa Barbara. Died July 12. Arrangements are by Simply Remembered Cremation Care in Santa Barbara.

SMIT, Jan

Our beloved Father, Opa and great-Opa Jan Smit passed away peacefully in his sleep at the home of his son, Tom. He was born on August 13, 1926 in Indonesia. He had been under Hospice care for the past 5 months and now has gone to see his wife, Melanie in Heaven. He survived a WWII Japanese POW camp, lifelong asthma, hip surgery and Covid. He moved his family from Indonesia to Holland and then from Holland to California in 1960. He has provided for his family throughout. Jan worked for the City of Santa Barbara for 29 ½ years as an Automotive Mechanic in Motor Pool and retired in 1992. He instilled in his family the value of hard work which attributed to the successful careers of his children. Jan was preceded in death by his wife Melanie and his granddaughter, Nadia. He his survived by his son, Jimmy, his daughter, Maudy Langer (Mark), his sons, Rene’ (Janel), Tom (Nenita) and daughter, Cathy, his grandkids, Renelle Gonzalez (Oscar), Jason Smit (Hannah), Nicolai Smit, Nikki Chan, Jessie Chan, Joey Chan, Daniel Chan and great-grandsons Nathan and Dylan Gonzalez. The Smit Family wishes to thank Tom, Nenita and Nicolai for the years of wonderful care they have provided. Graveside services will be held at the Santa Barbara Cemetery at 10:00 am on Friday, July 22nd.

remember your loved one

at www.newspress.com

WILKE, Robert Paul

On July 17, 2022, Robert Paul Wilke died peacefully in his sleep. Bob was born to Edward and Helen Wilke on January 16, 1929, in Clintonville, WI. He graduated from Carroll College and served in the US Army during the Korean Conﬂict. He moved with his wife, Ginny, to Santa Barbara to work for Raytheon, a position he held for 38 years. After losing Ginny to a heartbreaking battle with cancer in 1991, Bob remarried in 1995. He and Helen (Harper McBurney) Wilke shared many happy years together. Bob loved the Lord, serving others, and especially “keeping the whole world singing.” All who knew him have lived richer lives for the joy, kindness, and music he shared. Bob is predeceased by his parents, brother, and wife Virginia Mae Fenske Wilke. He is missed by his loving wife Helen Wilke and his children, grandchildren, and greatgrandchildren. In reﬂecting on his full and happy life, we echo his own words: “Thanks be to God for all of His blessings!” A memorial service will be held Saturday, July 23, at 2 pm at First Presbyterian Church (21 E. Constance St. Santa Barbara). Gifts to honor Bob’s life may be made to Unity Shoppe, St. Jude’s, or a charity of your choosing.

Obituary notices are published daily in the Santa Barbara News-Press and also appear on our website www.newspress.com To place an obituary, please email the text and photo(s) to obits@newspress.com or fax text only (no photos) to (805) 966-1421. Please include your name, address, contact phone number and the date(s) you would like the obituary to be published. Photos should be in jpeg format with at least 200 dpi. If a digital photo is not available, a picture may be brought into our office for scanning. We will lay out the obituary using our standard format. A formatted proof of the obituary and the cost will be emailed back for review and approval. The minimum obituary cost to print one time is $150.00 for up to 1.5” in length -- includes 1 photo and up to 12 lines of text, approximately 630 characters; up to approximately 930 characters without a photo. Add $60.00 for each additional inch or partial inch after the first 1.5”; up to approximately 700 characters per additional inch. All Obituaries must be reviewed, approved, and prepaid by deadline. We accept all major credit cards by phone; check or cash payments may be brought into our office located at 715 Anacapa Street. The deadline for Tuesday through Friday’s editions is 10 a.m. on the previous day; Saturday, Sunday and Monday’s editions all deadline at 12-noon on Thursday (Pacific Time). Free Death Notices must be directly emailed by the mortuary to our newsroom at news@ newspress.com. The News-Press cannot accept Death Notices from individuals.

Commission, Ms. Andersen said. “We’re reconstituting it. Not only will there be new commissioners, but the new ordinance will elevate their duties to be much more comprehensive as it comes to oversight.” City officials plan to begin recruiting new commission members after the council adopts the draft ordinance. The council will then be asked to remove current commission members. The new board will make its debut in January. And for the first time, the oversight commission will hold its meetings in council chambers, and the meetings will be televised, Ms. Andersen said. The city has been receiving regular reports regarding civilian complaints and in response, has initiated an audit of the police department complaint process regarding the use of force, training and leadership, she said. “All of that will come together in recruiting new commission members with new duties and responsibilities,” Ms. Andersen said. The new commission will review the results of the audit, expected to be completed by late October, and “prioritize what they want to focus on,” she added. “They will be reviewing all complaints received, and will have access to confidential personnel records as it relates to complaints to review trends and patterns in the department.” “My role will be stepping in as monitor.” The city’s role will continue

even after the commission gets to work, Ms. Andersen said. “We want to investigate further and do more analysis and incorporate that in the work plan for the following year so that residents know what’s going on.” Ms. Andersen was hired two months ago to fill a new position dedicated to dealing with police oversight and transparency, as well as the city’s role in helping Santa Barbara’s homeless population. “Her position will be shepherding and providing oversight to make sure everything is handled properly,” Ms. Eyerly said. Ms. Andersen said the bulk of her professional career prior to joining the administration was spent working with law enforcement, particularly on oversight and transparency issues. She said she experienced some tense relationships with first responders before winning their trust, but that she was welcomed with open arms in Santa Barbara. “My experience has given me insight into how they function at their best, and also how law enforcement has a disproportionate impact on marginalized populations,” she said. “We want to coordinate with community-based organizations to create the level of oversight and transparency that we want. I know the importance of trustbuilding and relationships. I was selected for this position based on my decades of work building those relationships.” email: nhartstein@newspress.com

LOCAL FIVE-DAY FORECAST TODAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

Mostly sunny and Mostly sunny and Mostly sunny and Mostly sunny and Mostly sunny and pleasant beautiful pleasant beautiful cool INLAND

INLAND

101 55

101 52

99 51

96 50

94 55

72 59

73 59

74 58

73 57

68 58

COASTAL

Pismo Beach 68/51

COASTAL

Shown is today's weather. Temperatures are today's highs and tonight's lows. Maricopa 104/78

Guadalupe 68/53

Santa Maria 72/54

Vandenberg 69/55

New Cuyama 111/66 Ventucopa 98/68

Los Alamos 82/56

Buellton 85/53

Solvang 97/57

Gaviota 79/58

SANTA BARBARA 72/59 Goleta 75/59

Carpinteria 73/60 Ventura 70/61

AIR QUALITY KEY Good Moderate

Source: airnow.gov Unhealthy for SG Very Unhealthy Unhealthy Not Available

ALMANAC

Santa Barbara through 6 p.m. yesterday

TEMPERATURE High/low Normal high/low Record high Record low

74/59 74/59 106 in 1992 46 in 1944

PRECIPITATION 24 hours through 6 p.m. yest. Month to date (normal) Season to date (normal)

0.00” 0.00” (0.01”) 10.53” (17.18”)

City Cuyama Goleta Lompoc Pismo Beach Santa Maria Santa Ynez Vandenberg Ventura

STATE CITIES Bakersfield Barstow Big Bear Bishop Catalina Concord Escondido Eureka Fresno Los Angeles Mammoth Lakes Modesto Monterey Napa Oakland Ojai Oxnard Palm Springs Pasadena Paso Robles Sacramento San Diego San Francisco San Jose San Luis Obispo Santa Monica Tahoe Valley

105/77/s 109/82/s 81/53/s 103/64/s 80/64/c 92/57/s 87/62/pc 62/52/pc 107/74/s 87/64/pc 83/51/s 100/64/s 66/53/pc 86/53/pc 69/53/pc 88/61/s 72/61/pc 113/87/pc 90/65/pc 100/59/s 98/60/s 74/64/pc 67/54/pc 82/58/s 79/54/pc 74/63/pc 85/44/s

Thu. Hi/Lo/W 110/63/s 75/59/s 68/54/pc 71/52/pc 72/53/pc 101/52/s 70/55/pc 68/61/pc

89/74/t 91/75/pc 89/70/s 107/83/s 94/64/c 102/80/s 92/80/s 88/70/pc 94/77/s 96/79/s 109/89/pc 89/61/s 99/73/s 98/73/s 82/57/s 93/79/s

POINT ARENA TO POINT PINOS

Wind southwest 6-12 knots today. Waves 1-3 feet; south-southwest swell 3-6 feet at 16 seconds. Visibility under a mile in morning fog.

POINT CONCEPTION TO MEXICO

Wind southwest 6-12 knots today. Waves 1-3 feet; south-southwest swell 3-6 feet at 16 seconds. Visibility under a mile in morning fog.

SANTA BARBARA HARBOR TIDES Date Time High Time July 20 July 21 July 22

3:43 a.m. 4:37 p.m. 5:29 a.m. 5:27 p.m. 7:18 a.m. 6:13 p.m.

3.5’ 5.1’ 3.1’ 5.2’ 3.1’ 5.4’

LAKE LEVELS

Low

9:39 a.m. 11:50 p.m. 10:30 a.m. none 1:01 a.m. 11:25 a.m.

1.4’ 1.5’ 2.0’ 0.9’ 2.4’

AT BRADBURY DAM, LAKE CACHUMA 104/73/s 109/82/s 83/53/s 103/63/s 78/64/pc 92/57/s 85/63/pc 64/53/pc 104/70/s 84/65/pc 85/48/s 99/65/s 67/54/pc 88/54/s 70/54/pc 88/65/pc 72/61/pc 114/86/s 88/66/s 104/57/s 98/60/s 71/66/pc 70/56/pc 82/57/s 80/54/pc 72/64/pc 85/46/s

NATIONAL CITIES Atlanta Boston Chicago Dallas Denver Houston Miami Minneapolis New York City Philadelphia Phoenix Portland, Ore. St. Louis Salt Lake City Seattle Washington, D.C.

Wind west-southwest 6-12 knots today. Waves 2-4 feet with a south-southwest swell 2-4 feet at 16 seconds. Visibility clear.

TIDES

LOCAL TEMPS Today Hi/Lo/W 111/66/s 75/59/s 68/53/pc 68/51/pc 72/54/pc 101/55/s 69/55/pc 70/61/pc

MARINE FORECAST

SANTA BARBARA CHANNEL

93/73/t 90/73/t 90/71/t 99/83/t 97/67/pc 100/79/pc 92/81/pc 89/68/s 95/76/t 97/76/t 111/90/pc 84/58/pc 98/76/s 102/78/s 81/57/pc 95/75/t

At Lake Cachuma’s maximum level at the point at which water starts spilling over the dam holds 188,030 acre-feet. An acre-foot is 325,851 gallons, equivalent to the amount of water consumed annually by 10 people in an urban environment. Storage 80,814 acre-ft. Elevation 705.24 ft. Evaporation (past 24 hours) 28.7 acre-ft. Inflow 14.5 acre-ft. State inflow 22.2 acre-ft. Storage change from yest. -68 acre-ft. Report from U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

SUN AND MOON Sunrise Sunset Moonrise Moonset

Last

New

Jul 20

Jul 28

Today 6:01 a.m. 8:10 p.m. 12:20 a.m. 1:32 p.m.

WORLD CITIES

First

Aug 5

Thu. 6:02 a.m. 8:09 p.m. 12:48 a.m. 2:32 p.m.

Full

Aug 11

Today Thu. City Hi/Lo/W Hi/Lo/W Beijing 91/70/s 93/73/s Berlin 99/72/s 87/63/t Cairo 98/74/s 96/74/s Cancun 91/76/c 90/76/pc London 79/61/pc 78/62/c Mexico City 80/60/c 82/58/pc Montreal 85/74/t 84/68/t New Delhi 91/79/t 86/80/t Paris 80/64/t 86/65/pc Rio de Janeiro 76/68/pc 77/67/s Rome 89/69/s 90/70/s Sydney 61/52/sh 60/54/sh Tokyo 92/78/pc 86/77/t W-weather, s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice.

PAGE

Managing Editor Dave Mason dmason@newspress.com

Life

W E D N E S DAY, J U LY 2 0 , 2 0 2 2

On Stage

Stage’s products include this bracelet by Alexa Leigh.

New business plays major role in lives of breast cancer survivors By MARILYN MCMAHON NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

hen Virginia Carnesale was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 43, she was stunned, confused and even a little ashamed. Had she done something to bring this upon herself? “It was 2018, and I had settled into a break from a big-city corporate career. After a friendly nudge from my ob-gyn, I scheduled the mammogram I’d been putting off, figuring it would be routine and no big deal. “Well, it wasn’t routine, and it was a big deal. After a few more tests and a biopsy, it was confirmed: I had Stage 0 breast cancer,” said Ms. Carnesale, a Santa Barbara native and 1983 graduate of Dos Pueblos High School. She spent the next several weeks reading books about battling breast cancer, adopting a new cancer-fighting diet and seeking support from her inner circle of family and friends. “I researched my options for reconstruction,

selected my medical team and froze my eggs,” Ms. Carnesale told the News-Press. “My doctors reassured me that as long as I had surgery within two months, I’d be fine. But by the time I had surgery, the cancer spread. It was in two lymph nodes, and I was now Stage 2. “Before I knew it, I was doing four rounds of chemo and 28 sessions of radiation. I did scalp cooling therapy to try and keep my hair. Fortunately, the chemo worked, but I still lost my hair. Between my balding scalp and my new chemo-induced wrinkles, I didn’t recognize myself. “I felt ugly and robbed of my

femininity. I tried to put vanity aside. I told myself that it was ‘just hair’ that would grow back. In the meantime, I searched incessantly for stylish hair accessories, scarves, hats and wigs to get me by.” As her treatment progressed, Ms. Carnesale read up on prevention tactics and factors that heighten women’s risks, like sustained stress, certain chemicals in beauty products, lack of sleep — the list went on. “I grew frustrated. Why was I just learning about this now? I didn’t need a pink ribbon. I needed to know how to make a wig look natural enough to wear with confidence, how to adjust my diet for the best odds of beating cancer, which nontoxic household products would make my home safer and most importantly, I needed support, information and advice so that I could

take on this journey with courage, grace and style.” So she created Stage to empower women with everything they need to take on breast cancer with confidence, style and support. It’s a “one-stop shop” featuring everything from cool hair accessories, cozy loungewear, and luxe self-care, to home goods and gifts. “While conventional medicine treats the disease, additional support is essential to promote a woman’s overall wellness, both physically and mentally,” said Ms. Carnesale. “Stage offers a stylish collection of fashion, clean beauty, home goods and gifts curated to empower, inspire and help her navigate this phase of life with dignity.” Launch partners include established brands such as Alexa Leigh, Cosabella, Faherty, Solid & Striped, State Bags, Supergoop and Terez. Patients will also be able to create their own registry of products to send to family and friends in the near future. Besides curating a wide assortment of survivor-tested products, Stage amplifies the Please see STAGE on B2

Virginia Carnesale created Stage to empower women with everything they need to take on breast cancer with confidence, style and support.

At top, this black knotted crop top is among Stage’s outfits. Center, Stage’s products include this Cosabella mastectomy bra. Above, Hermoza swimwear is among the merchandise. COURTESY PHOTOS

NEWS

SANTA BARBARA NEWS-PRESS

WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 2022

STAGE

Continued from Page B1 voices of survivors through its blog and social media content, bringing their stories to life and fostering community through shared knowledge vetted by medical experts. “Stage’s goal is to ensure that the conversation around breast cancer does not just happen in October (National Breast Cancer Awareness Month),” Ms. Carnesale said. “Stage was created to empower and inspire women to take initiative over the lifestyle factors they can control. It’s a singular destination to support their needs and help them feel less overwhelmed by endless information, internet black holes and burning questions.” “Stage gives back a portion of proceeds on every sale to support nonprofits that offer financial assistance, fertility preservation and integrative therapies and support to breast and ovarian cancer patients,” said Ms. Carnesale, who earned her bachelor’s degree in business at the University of Notre Dame and her MBA at USC. For 20 years, she worked in marketing and merchandising for companies such as Gap, Niki, Bebe and Saks Fifth Avenue in San Francisco, Portland, Los Angeles and New York City. “I came back to Santa Barbara in 2017 to be with my family,” said Ms. Carnesale, the daughter of Lucie Carnesale and the late Louis Carnesale of Goleta. She launched her business in February and chose to name it Stage because “cancer is really a journey, a stage of life just like others, a moment in time that is challenging, but it won’t last forever. “With Stage, it’s my passion to arm women with inspiring stories, treatment tips, lifestyle hacks and a community to connect with. I take endless information, internet black holes, burning questions and shopping lists and curate exactly what you need on your journey so that you can focus on what really matters — beating this thing — with love, kindness and a bit of sass.”

NEWS-PRESS FILE PHOTO

Classes will start Aug. 15 at Allan Hancock College.

Registration remains open for Allan Hancock College classes By DAVE MASON NEWS-PRESS MANAGING EDITOR

Fall classes will start Aug. 15 at Allan Hancock College, but it’s not too late to register. The Santa Maria-based college, which has additional centers in Lompoc and Santa Ynez and at Vandenberg Space Force Base, is offering hundreds of credit classes that are in-person, online or a mix of both. Students can work toward getting a degree or a certificate, transferring to a four-year university or starting a career. “There’s never been a better time for students to enroll in classes at Hancock,” Hancock Superintendent/President Kevin G. Walthers said in a news release. “Our students have the opportunity to earn a quality education and get the services and

email: mmcmahon@newspress. com

FYI

COURTESY PHOTOS

For more information about Stage, visit www.shopstage.co.

At top, this turbin is among the products that Stage sells to women with breast cancer. Above, Stage’s products include Cosabella pajamas.

(# /1.# 4,1. ! . '/ ),,('+% '0/ #/0 3'0& ,1.

+" /& +0#.',. #0 ')

support they need to succeed.” Support services include the Hancock Promise Plus, which provides free tuition for the 202223 academic year to any student taking 12 units or more. The program is open to all eligible students, regardless of residency. Hancock also continues to offer a variety of support services and programs such as financial aid, free textbooks, free bus passes and free tutoring. New at the college are “flex” degree programs that allow classes in a flexible hybrid format that includes nights and weekends. Hancock College said most flex class programs run for no more than eight weeks each semester. Flex degree programs are available in subjects such as business administration, arts and humanities, and psychology.

SANTA MARIA — Kids can dress as their favorite villains for story time this Friday at the Santa Maria Public Library. The “Really A Villain Story Time” will feature stories, songs and a special villain character from the movie, “A Wish Your Heart Makes.” After story time, children dressed as villains can have their photo taken with their family. The story time will take place at 11 a.m. at the library’s Youth Services Altrusa Theater, 421 S.

McClelland St., Santa Maria. Space is limited. For more information, call the library’s Youth Services division, at 805-925-0994, ext. 8564. If Friday seems like too long to wait for a story, fear not. The Santa Maria Public Library’s SMPL to Go Bookmobile is hosting storytimes at a different stop each week during July. Today at 2 p.m., the bookmobile will be Grogan Park, 1155 West Rancho Verde, Santa Maria. At 4

# 1/ )# !,1-,+ +0#. !,"# #$,.# - 4*#+0 0, .#!#'2# 4,1. "'/!,1+0 ! # Expires " 8/2/22.

p.m., the bookmobile will be at the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Mid Central Coast, 901 North Railroad Ave., Santa Maria. For more information, call the library’s Outreach Services, 805925-0994, ext. 8567. Follow the library on social media for updates. For Facebook, search for Santa Maria Public Library; on Instagram, it’s @ santamaria_publiclibrary. — Dave Mason

PET of the WEEK

email: dmason@newspress.com

Villain story time at Santa Maria library

Daisy

There are also new degree programs this fall at Lompoc Valley Center. The classes are available on-campus and inperson during the day and evening to accommodate students’ schedules. Available LVC degree programs include business administration, math and science, social and behavioral sciences, and psychology. In addition to credit classes, Hancock Community Education is offering dozens of free non-credit fall classes, including English as a second language, citizenship, workplace preparation, GED classes, basic skills courses and classes for seniors. To register, visit www. hancockcollege.edu/fall.

# " ! # Expires " 8/2/22.

0 0# 0 0 +0 .# 5

Daisy loves getting attention and getting to play. The 7-year-old brown tabby is awaiting adoption at Santa Barbara County Animal Services. The domestic shorthair needs a calm and patient household where she will learn she is safe and learn to trust her human(s), according to CAPA, a nonprofit supporting the medical and behavioral needs of animals in the Lompoc Valley. “We have watched Daisy bloom slowly here in the shelter and know that she does crave attention and interaction and play. She almost demands attention, and her boundaries and appetite for love has grown leaps and bounds,” CAPA said. “Going into a new environment may be a bit of a restart for Daisy, but we believe

COURTESY PHOTO

those who put in the effort and patience in the beginning to make her feel safe will be rewarded with a sweet kitty who loves to be around her human best friends.” CAPA said Daisy likes to be high in her environment on places like a tall cat tree or bookcase. CAPA

said it doesn’t know yet how well she would do with other cats, so she may do best as an only cat. To meet Daisy, call the Goleta office of the Santa Barbara County Animal Services at 805-681-5285. It is located 5473 Overpass Road. Daisy’s adoption fees include her spay, vaccinations, flea-treatment, and health/wellness exam. Daisy’s microchip is compliments of CAPA. To see all the available animals, go to countyofsb.org/phd/animal/ petsearch.sbc. To learn more about CAPA, follow int on Facebook at www. Facebook.com/CapaofLompoc. Want to help but can’t adopt? Visit www.lompoccapa.org for the CAPA wish list, information on how to become a volunteer and donation opportunities. — Dave Mason

Shelters seek homes for pets

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

SANTA BARBARA NEWS-PRESS

WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 2022

Diversions HOROSCOPE s PUZZLES

SUDOKU

Thought for Today

By FRANK STEWART Tribune Content Agency

:HGQHVGD\ -XO\

6RPH IULHQGV RI PLQH ³ VRIWZDUH HQJLQHHUV ³ SOD\ EULGJH GXULQJ OXQFK ,I WKH JDPH UXQV SDVW OXQFK KRXU WKH\ SRVW D VLJQ RQ WKHLU RIILFH GRRU ´3UREDELOLW\ VHPLQDU LQ SURJUHVV 'R QRW GLVWXUE µ <RX QHHG QRW EH D )HUPDW RU 3DVFDO WR SOD\ EULGJH EXW D EDVLF NQRZOHGJH RI SHUFHQWDJHV LV KHOSIXO ,Q WRGD\·V GHDO 6RXWK IRXQG KLPVHOI DW 17 1RUWK ELG EROGO\ DQG ZDV OXFN\ WKDW 6RXWK KDG DQ DFH DQG QRW D FROOHFWLRQ RI VSRW FDUGV 21/< (175< :HVW OHG WKH TXHHQ RI VSDGHV IRUFLQJ RXW 6RXWK·V DFH WKH RQO\ HQWU\ WR KLV KDQG 6RXWK KDG HLJKW ZLQQHUV WKUHH KHDUWV WKUHH FOXEV D GLDPRQG DQG D VSDGH +H FRXOG VXFFHHG LI D GLDPRQG ILQHVVH ZRQ RU ZLWK DQ RYHUWULFN LI WKH KHDUWV EURNH :KLFK SOD\ VKRXOG KH WU\" 7KLV LV D VLPSOH H[HUFLVH LQ SHUFHQWDJHV WKDW PRVW SOD\HUV ZRXOG JHW ULJKW 'HFODUHU·V FRUUHFW SOD\ IRU WKH FRQWUDFW LV WR OHDG D GLDPRQG WR GXPP\·V TXHHQ DW 7ULFN 7ZR 7KH ILQHVVH ZLOO ZRUN SHUFHQW RI WKH WLPH D EUHDN ZLOO RFFXU RQO\ DERXW SHUFHQW '$,/< 48(67,21

DQG KH QH[W ELGV WZR KHDUWV :KDW GR \RX VD\" $16:(5 %\ GRXEOLQJ IRU WDNHRXW EHIRUH ELGGLQJ D VXLW \RXU SDUWQHU SURPLVHV D KDQG ZRUWK DW OHDVW SRLQWV 6LQFH \RXU KDQG ZDV DOPRVW ZRUWK DQ LQYLWDWLRQDO MXPS WR WZR VSDGHV \RX VKRXOG PDNH D VWURQJ PRYH QRZ -XPS WR WKUHH VSDGHV RU FXH ELG WKUHH FOXEV 1RUWK GHDOHU 1 6 YXOQHUDEOH

1257+ { x $ . 4 z $ 4 y $ . 4

:(67 { 4 - x z . y - 1RUWK y x 17

($67 { . x - z - y

6287+ { $ x z y (DVW 6RXWK 3DVV z 3DVV 17 $OO 3DVV

:HVW 3DVV 3DVV

<RX KROG { 4 - x z . y - 7KH GHDOHU DW \RXU 2SHQLQJ OHDG ³ { 4 OHIW RSHQV RQH FOXE <RXU SDUWQHU 7ULEXQH &RQWHQW $JHQF\ //& GRXEOHV \RX ´DGYDQFHµ RQH VSDGH

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-Saturday and on the crossword solutions page in Sunday’s Life section.

$IFFICULTY ,EVEL

$ % & ' ( ) * + , - . / 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 : ; < =

& ( ' (

(

$ 6 6 <

6 7 ( ' 5

)

( . (

& 2 ; ( 6

$ 0 $ = ( 7 ,

1 ( 5 7

5 $ 7 ( ,

) $ 7

(

* 2 1 ' 2 / $

( 4 8 $ /

7/20/2022 PREVIOUS PUZZLE SOLVED

7 <

$ ' = (

& ' 4 ) . 3 < = $ 1 * ; : 8

Codeword is a fun game with simple rules, and a great way to test your knowledge of the English language.

4 8 $ ) )

How to play Codeword

1 ( : % 2 5 1

DOWN 1 WCs 2 Gospel singer Campbell 3 Skinny sort 4 “__ hear” ¸-HYLLK AHRHYPH .7:¹ UL[^VYR 6 Sleep acronym 7 Oscar of 2021’s “Dune” 8 Some overnight deliveries? 9 Fictional donkey

Answers to previous CODEWORD

ACROSS 1 Paul of guitar fame 4 Old manuscript artisan 10 Doesn’t sit on 14 Shuttlecock’s path 15 BabyGap buy 16 Order 9LSPNPV\Z ÄN\YL RUVÛ HZ [OL “Queen of Heaven” 19 Fashion journalist García 20 Trick 21 Small matter 23 Gorp morsel 5V]LSPZ[ RUVÛ HZ [OL ¸8\LLU VM Crime” 29 Battery size 30 River to the English Channel 4PSP[HY` KP]PZPVU RUVÛ HZ [OL “Queen of Battle” 36 Frontera condiment 5L^ 4L_PJV HY[ JVTT\UP[` 40 Gushes 43 Mosque prayer leader 44 Quick messages -PLSK VM Z[\K` RUVÛ HZ [OL “Queen of the Sciences” 48 Smiles ;H_ KLMLYYLK ULZ[ LNN IYPLÅ` :PUNLY RUVÛ HZ [OL ¸8\LLU VM Jazz” 58 Murmur 7HJPÄJ 0ZSHUKZ Z[HWSL 60 Spiffy 62 The “L” of YOLO *P[` RUVÛ HZ [OL ¸8\LLU VM [OL West” 68 Neighborhood 69 Dream up 70 Charge 71 Skills evaluation 72 Built a tree house? 73 Fabric store meas.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

$IFFICULTY ,EVEL

7 / ( - 0 + 5 9 6 2 %

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.

By David L. Hoyt and Jeff Knurek

7/19/2022

10 Samovar 11 Patron of sailors 12 Blasé feeling 13 Stingray kin ,HYS` ZOV^ ZPUJL IYPLÅ` 5PU[LUKV :^P[JO H]H[HYZ 25 Do something to hide? 26 Metaphor for roles 6YN ^P[O KYP]LY ZHML[` JV\YZLZ 28 SpongeBob’s pet Gary, for one 31 Hairy Addams cousin 32 “Sorry, lassie” 7SHU[Z ^P[O W\YWSL ILSS ZOHWLK ÅV^LYZ 34 Latin stars 35 Though 37 Droop 38 “Jeopardy!” champion Schneider 41 Early Democrat’s adversary )VUL KY` 45 Sort (through) :[PJR PU [OL ^H[LY& ) JVTWSL_ ]P[HTPU 50 Long step 52 Big fanfare 53 France’s longest river 54 Districts 55 Journalist Curry 56 Like salad greens 57 So last year 61 Gets even? 63 Sup 65 Roomba rider, in some viral videos )YVVRS`U Z\MÄ_ 5HUJ` +YL^»Z ILH\ 5PJRLYZVU

Unscramble these Jumbles, one letter to each square, to form four ordinary words.

DTHIC CPYIK

Get the free JUST JUMBLE DSS )ROORZ XV RQ 7ZLWWHU @PlayJumble

DAILY BRIDGE

#ONCEPTIS 0UZZLES $IST BY +ING &EATURES 3YNDICATE )NC

your dreams a reality today, Libra. Success is definitely on the way, though it may not be approaching quite as quickly as you might like. A lot of significant letters and phone calls could come your way, keeping you busy. Don’t allow yourself to get too frazzled, though. T SCORPIO — You could find it harder than usual to wake up this morning, Scorpio, as your energy may be flagging. Personal or professional pressures might stir feelings of futility, but don’t fall into this trap. In spite of your momentary lethargy, everything on the horizon looks far better than it seems - primarily because of your own hard work. SAGITTARIUS — Today it might suddenly hit you that you have a lot of unfinished tasks that need to be completed, and this might lead to a case of the blues. Take heart! The process appears more overwhelming than it is, Sagittarius. A little planning and focused discipline should enable you to get through everything without stressing yourself out too much. CAPRICORN — Business and financial matters look promising today, Capricorn, but you could find yourself torn between the need to attend to these matters and the desire to relax at home. If you have to make a choice, it might be best to choose the former, because today’s aspects promise opportunities that might not come around again for a while. AQUARIUS — Today, Aquarius, matters surrounding business and finances need immediate attention, and this could prove a bit disheartening. Do you have a lot of unfinished tasks that have piled up? Gear up and get to them. They aren’t going away, and you’ll feel better about everything when they’re out of the way. PISCES — New opportunities to advance your professional standing may arise, Pisces. The aspects bode well for business and money. Promising new projects may present themselves. Your tendency to serve and nurture others should strengthen your work relationships, so morale on the job takes a tangible upswing at this time.

#ONCEPTIS 0UZZLES $IST BY +ING &EATURES 3YNDICATE )NC

HOROSCOPE ARIES — Restlessness may plague you throughout the day, Aries, because you could be brimming over with physical energy but have no outlet for it. You might have to stay in and wait for something important, which could prove frustrating. Put on an exercise video and do aerobics while you wait. TAURUS — Though current business and money matters could well encounter obstacles, at this time you may find yourself reaping the rewards of past efforts. Your naturally persevering nature practically assures more success in the future, Taurus, even though you might be blocked now. GEMINI — Today your powers of persuasion are at an all-time high. This is a good day to ask for a raise or promote a new project. Your drive to gain recognition for your accomplishments may necessitate seeking the public eye, so if publicity is what you need, this is the day to go for it. CANCER — This day bodes well for accomplishments in business and finance. Longterm investments of either time or funds may finally pay off. New opportunities could come your way. This is a better time to complete old projects than start new ones, Cancer, but if you must, new projects started now should be successful. LEO — Your insight, creativity, and inventiveness are in full swing, Leo, and new ideas come thick and fast. However, you might find yourself too caught up in boring, mundane tasks to do very much about it. Yet physical energy is plentiful, so you have it in you to take care of chores and then have time to do what you enjoy. VIRGO — As a natural healer, you might find yourself experiencing a rush of transformative energy today, which you should put into practice. This is a great time to go for a massage or study natural healing modalities such as herbs or aromatherapy. Combine them with your innate healing abilities, Virgo, and you might be happy with the results. LIBRA — Be prepared to work diligently toward making

"Y $AVE 'REEN

“Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.” — John Wooden

Horoscope.com Wednesday, July 20, 2022

CODEWORD PUZZLE

Now arrange the circled letters to form the surprise answer, as suggested by the above cartoon.

IN <HVWHUGD\·V

(Answers tomorrow)

Jumbles: DRAWN PANDA OUTING HYPHEN Answer: )RU WKLV JX\ KDYLQJ KXJH DUPV DQG ZLQQLQJ DUP wrestling matches — GO HAND IN HAND

SANTA BARBARA NEWS-PRESS

NEWS / CLASSIFIED

NPR’s ‘Disinformation Team’ faces backlash By CASEY HARPER THE CENTER SQUARE SENIOR REPORTER

(The Center Square) — National Public Radio has announced a new “disinformation team” that is sparking controversy. NPR has covered disinformation formally since last year but is now expanding to a full team this summer. Critics noted that NPR receives taxpayer funds and raised concerns about the weaponization of the phrase for political purposes. “Defund NPR,” U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop, R-N.C., said in response to the announcement. Other critics pointed out NPR’s handling of the Hunter Biden laptop story, one that went mostly uncovered during the last presidential election as many mainstream outlets denied either its veracity or newsworthiness. Later on, outlets like the New York Times confirmed the authenticity of the laptop in coverage after the election. “We don’t want to waste our time on stories that are not really stories, and we don’t want to waste the listeners’ and readers’ time on stories that are just pure distractions,” NPR Managing Editor for News Terence Samuel said in an interview in October 2020. “And quite frankly, that’s where

we ended up, this was … a politically driven event, and we decided to treat it that way.” In April 2021, NPR reported that Hunter Biden’s laptop had been “discredited” by intelligence officials, but then issued a correction. “A previous version of this story said U.S. intelligence had discredited the laptop story. U.S. intelligence officials have not made a statement to that effect,” the correction read. The term “disinformation” has been thrust front and center in part because of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s recently created “Disinformation Governance Board.” The new board, which was immediately criticized as a threat to free speech, is under congressional inquiry. NPR did not respond to a request for comment. “NPR just announced the creation of a disinformation team,” U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., wrote on Twitter. “NPR deliberately covered up the Hunter Biden laptop story by labeling it a distraction. NPR’s first target needs to be itself.” The Hunter Biden coverage has been a focal point for criticism of NPR. “I thought (NPR) was already a disinformation team,” said Ilya Shapiro, a constitutional expert at the Manhattan Institute.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 2022

Economist: 30% chance that U.S. enters a recession within a year’s time

On its website, NPR stresses the need for federal funding, particularly for member stations, saying 8% of its funding comes from federal appropriations via the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and another 4% from state, local and the federal governments. “Federal funding is essential to public radio’s service to the American public,” NPR says on its website. “Its continuation is critical for both stations and program producers, including NPR. Public radio stations receive annual grants directly from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) that make up an important part of a diverse revenue mix that includes listener support, corporate sponsorship and grants. Stations, in turn, draw on this mix of public and privately sourced revenue to pay NPR and other public radio producers for their programming. “Elimination of federal funding would result in fewer programs, less journalism — especially local journalism – and eventually the loss of public radio stations, particularly in rural and economically distressed communities,” the network added. Casey Harper works at The Center Square’s Washington, D.C., bureau.

By RICHIE MALOUF THE CENTER SQUARE

(The Center Square) — A Goldman Sachs economist says there is a 30% probability of the U.S. entering a recession within one year and 48% within two years. Goldman Sachs chief U.S. economist David Mericle outlined the probability of a recession at an event Tuesday and said the likelihood of a recession would decrease if the U.S. had not entered one within two years. “We recently raised and pulled forward our recession probability to 30% on a one-year horizon, about just under 50% on a two-year horizon,” said Dr. Mericle, who has his doctorate in economics. “If you make it beyond two years, conditional on that, recession odds in subsequent years would be lower.” Fears of a recession coincide with elevated inflation rates not seen since 1981. Dr. Mericle said one reason behind the U.S.’ high inflation stems from a historical imbalance in labor supply and labor demand, where the U.S. has too many job openings with too few people looking for work. “We are looking at a historic imbalance of labor demand and labor supply,” Dr. Mericle said. “The difference between total labor demand and total labor supply is the widest it has ever

been in U.S. history.” Dr. Mericle said he can’t exactly say what’s behind the imbalance between labor demand and supply, but that it is widespread and probably pandemic related. “I would still bet that a lot of this is somehow pandemic related,” Dr. Mericle said. He explained that there seems to be a mismatch between employees and employers after the pandemic regarding what a job should look like. “What a worker and what a boss think a job is supposed to look like these days is two different things,” Dr. Mericle said. He also pointed out that workers may have been discouraged due to the fiscal stimulus packages and that prices increased due to a shift in demand induced by the pandemic. “A number of the measures that we saw last year, certainly and most obviously the enhanced unemployment benefits, but also probably more subtly the child tax credit, those things also discouraged labor supply to some degree,” Dr. Mericle said. “Because people were still kinda shy, even after being vaccinated, about going on vacation, going to concerts, there was this huge tilt in the composition of demand away from services to goods. When everybody wants to buy the same thing at the same time, even in the best of circumstances, the

price is going to go up.” The shelter index in the latest CPI report indicates a warning sign of looming inflation as housing prices tend not to move erratically but more slowly. “There was some especially bad news in the fact that shelter inflation, rent inflation, had accelerated for the second consecutive month,” Dr. Mericle said. “The reason this is bad news is that a lot of prices are kind of erratic. If they jump one month, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to jump the next month, but housing tends to be slower moving and more reflective of the underlying fundamental macroeconomic situation. So when that one is strong, you know it’s probably gonna be strong for a while.” When asked what the White House or Congress can do to try and bring down inflation, Dr. Mericle said that their actions are limited. “The honest answer is not a ton,” Dr. Mericle said. “There are a couple of things that are being talked about; one of those things would be lowering tariffs.” Later, he added that the White House could also try and increase legal immigration to increase the labor supply. “We had a shortfall of about two million [legal immigrants in 2020 and 2021,” Dr. Mericle said. “That is additive to that reduction in workforce participation.”

U.S. senators discuss best ways local, federal governments can help small businesses By RICHIE MALOUF THE CENTER SQUARE

COURTESY PHOTOS

Sen. Tim Scott

(The Center Square) — Two U.S. senators, one Republican and one Democrat, discussed how local and federal governments can help small businesses thrive in an economy plagued by high inflation. Goldman Sachs hosted an event Tuesday where Sens. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., discussed how to help small business owners attract employees and ask for help from local representatives when needed. Sen. Scott cited the 3.6% unemployment rate, but said there are more than 11 million job openings. To attract more employees, Sen. Scott said small businesses need help competing with large companies by offering comparable health benefits for their employees. “The challenge that we have is

how do we help small businesses, especially micro-businesses, five or 10 employees or less, have the ability to compete with large companies,” Sen. Scott said. “In many ways, it’s the benefit package. We need to make sure that there is available retirement benefits that you get at a larger company; you want to have the same kind of health benefits you get at a larger company.” Sen. Scott then explained how America has put too much emphasis on a college education and that people should look to trade schools or apprenticeship programs instead. “We have sold that the only way to succeed or to live your American dream is through having a college education – that is not true,” he said. “We should spend more time focusing on technical education and apprenticeship programs.” Sen. Sinema agreed with Scott, saying there aren’t enough people

attending technical schools. “Just Friday, I was home in Arizona visiting a local company,” she said. “I was talking with manufacturers throughout the state, and their No. 1 concern was they can’t hire qualified folks because we don’t have enough people going to technical school and getting the technical expertise that we need.” Sen. Sinema added that she also hopes to address the supply chain issue by focusing on producing goods in the U.S. rather than depending on foreign imports. “What’s on top of the mind for all of us is how do we deal with inflation, and how do we deal with a coming potential recession,” Sen. Sinema said. “One of the ways to do that is to shorten our supply chain and to enable manufacturing more of what we need right here in the U.S.” Toward the end of the event, the senators emphasized the need for

Classiﬁed To place an ad please call (805) 963-4391 or email to classad@newspress.com

REAL ESTATE $5.97*

RANDY GLICK

Per-Day!

*Rate Based on 30 day consecutive run.

Service Directory Gardening

Landscaping

J.W.’s Landscape & Gardening Services

Casa Landscape Maint.

We fulﬁll all gardening & landscape needs! Commercial & Residential 805-448-7177

Hauling Express Hauling

FREE EST., ANY DAY, JUNK, BRUSH, CLEAN YARD & GARAGE, TRIM TREES, CEMENT METAL, DIRT, JACUZZI, LIFT GATE, HANDYMAN 805-685-3469

Weekly/Bi-Weekly/Monthly Sod, Sprinkler Systems, New Gardens, Hauling. Lic & Ins

805-680-8580

Call 805 963-4391 to place your home or business service listing.

Houses 70

Business ........................ 30 R.E. General .................. 40 Condos .......................... 50 P.U.D ............................. 60 Houses .......................... 70 Shared Equity ................ 80 Ballard .......................... 90 Buellton .........................100 Gaviota .........................115 Goleta ...........................120 Hope Ranch ...................130 Lompoc ..........................140 Los Alamos ....................150 Los Olivos .....................160 Montecito ......................170 Santa Maria...................180 More Mesa ....................190 Rancho Embarcadero ......195 Santa Ynez ....................200 Solvang .........................210 Summerland ...................220 Other SB County Prop ....230 Manufactured Homes .....240 S.L.O. County .................250 Ventura County ..............260 Out of County ................270 Out of State ..................280 Beach Homes .................290 Beach Property .............300 Desert ...........................310 Mountain Property ........320

Honest, Caring, Proven

805-689-7167 Randy@randyglick.com RandyGlick.com

Top 1/2%

Berkshire Hathaway Agents Nationwide. #9 residential agent for the Santa Barbara MLS for 2019.

ARE YOU AN ELECTRICIAN?

Place your ad in the Service Directory in the News-Press Classiﬁed Section Email: classad@newspress.com Or for additional information Call 805-963-4391

MERCHANDISE

Advertise Here For As Low as

Antiques Appliances Art Auctions Audio/Stereo Auto Parts Bicycles Building Materials Collectible Communications Computers Farm Equipment Feed/Fuel Furniture Garage Sales Health Services/ Supplies Hobbies Jewelry Livestock Machinery Miscellaneous Misc. Wanted Musical Nursery Supplies Ofﬁce Equipment Pets Photography Rentals Restaurant Equipment Sewing Machines Sporting

Furniture CUSTOM SOFA SPECIALIST LOCAL

Affordable custom made & sized sofas & sectionals for far less than retail store prices. Styles inspired by Pottery Barn, Rest. Hardware & Sofas U Love. Buy FACTORY DIRECT & save 30-50%. Quality leather, slipcovered & upholstered styles. Call 805-566-2989 to visit Carp. showroom.

OPEN HOUSE DIRECTORY Please submit your Open House Directory ads at

newspress.com Click “SPECIAL EDITION” then click “OPEN HOME” If you have any questions, please e-mail us: openhomes@newspress.com

small businesses to reach out to their local representatives for help. “I would suggest ... reaching out to the local office at home,” Sen. Sinema said. “Because the folks at home ... they have time, five days a week, to talk with local business owners. They can tour your business, they can learn about what your challenges are, what your successes are, and they’re dying to hear from real people on the ground about what your experiences are.” Sen. Scott finished by telling small business owners to reach out to tell their senator to host small business events to discuss issues plaguing their communities. “Ask your local congress member or your senator to have a small business event in your community,” Sen. Scott said. “You’re so busy doing your job that you don’t have time to advocate on your behalf, but we work for you.”

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema

05",)# ./4)#%3 FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT, FBN No: 20220001626 First Filing. The following person (s) are doing business as: CENTRAL COAST MINIATURE CATTLE COMPANY, 2151 RICHVIEW ROAD, SANTA MARIA, CA 93455, County of Santa Barbara. Full Name(s) of registrants: LISA S BOGNUDA: 2151 RICHVIEW ROAD, SANTA MARIA, CA 93455. This business is conducted by: AN INDIVIDUAL. This statement was filed in the office of JOSEPH E. HOLLAND, County Clerk-Recorder of SANTA BARBARA COUNTY on 06/23/2022 by E17, Deputy. The registrant commenced to transact business on: Jun 23, 2022. Statement Expires on: Not Applicable. NOTICE: This fictitious name statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the County Clerk. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before that time. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (See Section 14400, ET SEQ., Business and Profession Code). (SEAL) JUN 29; JUL 6, 13, 20 / 2022--58459

LEGAL AD DEADLINES Publication Day:Sat.-Mon. Due: Thursday 9 a.m. Publication Day:Tuesday Due: Friday 9 a.m.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT, FBN No: 20220001625 First Filing. The following person (s) are doing business as: LAUNCH PAD, 1550 S COLLEGE AVE, SANTA MARIA, CA 93454, County of Santa Barbara. Full Name(s) of registrants: MICHAEL G CONLEY II: 4573 TILBURY CT., SANTA MARIA, CA 93455. This business is conducted by: AN INDIVIDUAL. This statement was filed in the office of JOSEPH E. HOLLAND, County Clerk-Recorder of SANTA BARBARA COUNTY on 06/23/2022 by E30, Deputy. The registrant commenced to transact business on: Jun 19. 2022. Statement Expires on: Not Applicable. NOTICE: This fictitious name statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the County Clerk. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before that time. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (See Section 14400, ET SEQ., Business and Profession Code). (SEAL) JUN 29; JUL 6, 13, 20 / 2022--58458

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT, FBN No: 20220001608 First Filing. The following person (s) are doing business as: PEREZ LANDSCAPING INC, 801 E HALEY ST, SANTA BARBARA, CA 93103, County of Santa Barbara. Full Name(s) of registrants: PEREZ LANDSCAPING INC: 4973 EL CARRO LANE, CARPENTERIA, CA 93013. This business is conducted by: A CORPORATION. STATE OF INC.: CALIFORNIA. This statement was filed in the office of JOSEPH E. HOLLAND, County Clerk-Recorder of SANTA BARBARA COUNTY on 06/22/2022 by E30, Deputy. The registrant commenced to transact business on: Mar 20, 2012. Statement Expires on: Not Applicable. NOTICE: This fictitious name statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the County Clerk. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before that time. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (See Section 14400, ET SEQ., Business and Profession Code). (SEAL) JUN 29; JUL 6, 13, 20 / 2022--58455

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT, FBN No: 20220001574 First Filing. The following person (s) are doing business as: KIDZ SAFE LOCK, 717 E MEEHAN ST. APT 202, SANTA MARIA, CA 93454, County of Santa Barbara. Full Name(s) of registrants: SCOTT MESSIER: 717 E MEEHAN ST. APT 202, SANTA MARIA, CA 93454. This business is conducted by: AN INDIVIDUAL. This statement was filed in the office of JOSEPH E. HOLLAND, County Clerk-Recorder of SANTA BARBARA COUNTY on 06/16/2022 by E35, Deputy. The registrant commenced to transact business on: Apr 01, 2022. Statement Expires on: Not Applicable. NOTICE: This fictitious name statement expires five years from the date it was filed in the office of the County Clerk. A new fictitious business name statement must be filed before that time. The filing of this statement does not of itself authorize the use in this state fictitious business name in violation of the rights of another under federal, state, or common law (See Section 14400, ET SEQ., Business and Profession Code). (SEAL)

PETITION OF: RALPH CHARLES HOUSLEY JR. FOR CHANGE OF NAME. ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME CASE NUMBER: 22CV02334

The Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District (MTD), a public transit operator, is accepting bids for a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) Cleaning System. Invitation for Bids (IFB) packages are available to interested parties starting on July 20, 2022. Detailed information about the IFB will be available on MTD’s website at https://sbmtd.gov/about/doing-business/. Sealed bids will be received at 550 Olive Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 until Wednesday, August 17, 2022, at 10:00 AM (local time) when bids will be opened and read aloud. Any bid received after that time will be returned unopened to the bidder. All contract terms are contained or referenced in the IFB package.

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner: RALPH CHARLES HOUSLEY JR. filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: Present name: RALPH CHARLES HOUSLEY JR. to Proposed name: RALPH CHARLES BELL THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: 8/24/2022 Time: 8:30 am Dept: SM 3 Address: SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SANTA BARBARA, 312-C East Cook Street, Santa Maria, CA 93456, Cook Division A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county: Santa Barbara News-Press Date: 06/23/2022 Name: Jed Beebe, (for Judge Timothy J. Staffel) Judge of the Superior Court.

JUL 20, 29 / 2022 -- 58509

JUL 6, 13, 20, 27 / 2022--58470

Publication Day:Wednesday Due: Monday 9 a.m. Publication Day:Thursday Due: Tuesday 9 a.m. Publication Day:Friday Due: Wednesday 9 a.m. For additional information, please email legals@newspress.com or call (805) 564-5218.

JUL 13, 20, 27; AUG 3 / 2022--58493

Santa Barbara MTD Invitation for Bids for DPF Cleaning System