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W E DN E S DAY, J U LY 29, 2 0 2 0
SB Council votes to further enforce mask wearing
‘A welcomed surprise’
The Santa Barbara City Council passed a motion on Tuesday to increase police presence on the 500 block of State Street and other highly populated areas in order to enforce face mask wearing.
Most vacation options have gone by the wayside due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but there is one that is gaining large traction in Santa Barbara County: recreational vehicles. As cruises and long flights continue to be seen as a risky choice, families are choosing to buy RVs, commute across the state and get some fresh air. “We absolutely have seen a spike in reservations,” Matt Bernard, area general manager for Highway West Vacations, told the News-Press. Mr. Bernard oversees operations at Flying Flags RV Resort & Campground in Buellton and has been a bit shocked by the amount of people suddenly interested in renting and buying RVs. “This July is actually busier than last July was. We’ve seen a huge increase in demand for people looking to get out and get outside,” Mr. Bernard said. “People look at RVs as being sort of a safer way of traveling where everything is sort of self contained. “It’s obviously a welcomed surprise.” Genese Izuno, property manager of Santa Barbara
RV resorts see more reservations being taken, but demand might be too high By JORGE MERCADO NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Sunrise RV Park, has noticed a similar trend among an uptick in reservations, but also a new one as well. “In the summertime, we usually get a lot of international guests, and of course almost none are now, so more of our guests are from Southern California,” Ms. Izuno said. “A lot of them are renting our RVs for the first time.” Asked why she thinks there are people more interested in buying or renting RVs now than before, Ms. Izuno said it really has to do with the ability to control one’s own environment. “I am sure hotels do a great job, but you are walking through lobbies and things like that and even if it doesn’t have more risk, people can perceive it does,” Ms. Izuno said. “Especially when you’re traveling with a family… in an RV you can control costs.” Of course, with new buyers means that sometimes folks are a little unprepared. To mitigate the concerns, Ms. Izuno says they send an email out to RV renters looking to camp. The email contains a list of items one should have in order to safely RV, as well as instructions on how to do certain things. Please see rv on A8
RAFAEL MALDONADO / NEWS-PRESS
By GRAYCE MCCORMICK
Mayor Cathy Murillo has been sitting during the Pledge of Allegiance at the start of city council meetings. She told the News-Press the reason is because her camera is stationary and the decision was made to have her sit so she can look into the camera and salute. “Please know I have deep respect for our flag,” she said.
NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
The Santa Barbara City Council discussed how to further enforce face mask wearing in public in its meeting on Tuesday, particularly focusing on the State Street promenade which has become a highly populated area. The county health officer order issued on July 24 provides the city authority to enforce mask usage where an individual cannot keep a six-foot distance from others. This order is applicable to crowded public areas only and a violation would be an infraction equivalent to a monetary fine. The council unanimously passed a motion approving the educational enforcement via ambassadors and the police department, with the ability to write citations as a last resort with targeted enforcement in high-risk areas. The meeting began at 2 p.m. and Mayor Cathy Murillo was seated for the Pledge of Allegiance. “The camera in the city council chambers is a stationary computer. We decided that I would do the pledge seated so that I could look into the camera and we put an image of the American flag there that I am saluting,” she told the News-Press. She added, “Once a month I participate in the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments and Air Pollution Control District meetings, which are held in the County Board of Supervisors hearing room, where I participate in person. And I always stand for the flag salute for those meetings.” The mayor concluded saying remote meetings are challenging, but for everyone to “please know I have deep respect for our flag.” According to John Doimas, the assistant city attorney, the citations are equivalent to parking tickets, and ambassadors would need training to issue them. Those ticketed can appeal,
much like a parking citation. “Working in tandem with the ambassadors and the police department, the police department would have a presence on the (500 block of State Street) and coordinate an educational approach,” said Rob Dayton, the transportation planning and parking manager for the city. “By the authority of the badge and the uniform, you get more compliance than you would with an ambassador. We’ve gotten to 90% compliance with just the ambassadors and I think we can go the rest of the way with that (police) presence and revisit it if we think it needs more.” Nina Johnson, the senior assistant to the city administrator, gave a presentation on how the city has been encouraging compliance. Since June, masks have been mandatory in public, including outdoors if a six-foot distance is not possible, at work near other people or in common areas, inside any indoor public space, on public transportation and when ride-sharing. Masks can be removed when eating or drinking, not sharing a common area, outdoors with a six-foot distance, if wearing a mask poses a risk like getting stuck in machinery and if a hearing-impaired person needs to read lips. Exemptions include children under 2 years old, people with
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respiratory issues, people who cannot remove a mask without help and anyone with a medical condition, mental health condition or disability who cannot wear a mask. In addition to education and signage in busy areas such as the State Street promenade, Mr. Dayton shared a survey the city has been conducting to determine why individuals don’t wear masks or take free ones offered to them. According to the survey, the number one answer is they forgot, followed by they intend to social distance, exercise, feel discomfort with the mask or they were not aware of the governor’s order. These responses represent 70% of the people who were not wearing masks this last weekend. “There was a big difference from the weekend before last and just this last weekend,” Mr. Dayton said. “We’ve been counting the number of people who have masks and who don’t. We were at 60/40 last weekend and now we’re at about 90% compliance.” Capt. Todd Stoney of the police department said they hope to educate residents about mask wearing in a similar way the city once educated residents about smoking in public. “There is always a strong desire by your police department to protect and make the community feel safe,” he said.
“The officers would prefer to have an educational component and the ability to engage the community in conversation as opposed to issuing a citation.” In other news, the council unanimously approved the fiscal year 2021 recommendations for coronavirus response grants. The senior community development programs specialist for the city, Elizabeth Stotts, presented the allocation breakdown. The city will receive $530,774 in funds, with $352,965 going toward rental assistance, $151,271 going toward public services and $26,538 going toward the administration. The CEO of United Way, Steve Ortiz, said that they are looking to use the rental assistance fund to serve about 200 households in Santa Barbara depending on the maximum allocation per individual. As of now, the maximum is $1,000 per household, but Mr. Ortiz said they have proposed $1,500 to $2,000 because of the higher rent in the city. The specific application for this grant money has not yet been uploaded to the United Way website, but residents can still apply now and be put on a waitlist. To learn more or apply, visit https://www.unitedwaysb.org/ covid19. Ms. Stotts added that the city does not yet know if there will be another round of block grant funds. In addition, the council discussed at length the ordinance amending the AUD program. They passed a motion to approve the staff recommendations of density, building height, and open yard incorporating the following changes: density overlay in the CBD, building height to 48 feet, open yard including the rooftop compromise, parking unbundled and a maximum one space and removal of the 250 units trial period. email: gmccormick@newspress.com
Senate, House spar over stimulus By PAUL GONZALEZ NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
On Monday, Senate Republicans unveiled their response to the Democrat-controlled House’s COVID-19 stimulus plan. The Republicans’ $1 trillion HEALS Act has not yet passed the Senate, but the proposal would provide a second injection of cash into the bank accounts of millions of eligible Americans and lawful permanent resident aliens. In late March, President Donald Trump signed a $2 trillion economic security package that provided $1200 Economic Impact Payments for eligible recipients, strengthened unemployment insurance benefits and provided forgivable loans to struggling businesses. The HEALS Act or Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection and Schools Act would provide a second $1200 Economic Impact Payment and $200 supplemental payments for weeks of unemployment through September. In October the $200 payment would be replaced by another payment of up to $500 dollars. The CARES act provided $600 per week in supplemental unemployment insurance benefits through July 2020. “When combined with the state UI payment, (the October payment) would replace 70% of lost wages—either via a formula specified in the bill or by a state proposing an alternative method and receiving approval from the Secretary,” a Senate Committee on Finance statement read. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell claimed the second round of checks would provide more support for families “who care for vulnerable adult dependents,” in a statement released on Monday. The House’s $3 trillion HEROES plan would continue the $600 unemployment insurance
supplements through January 2021. It would also provide a more generous $1200 payment per dependant, up to $6000 per household, compared to $500 per dependant of any age under the HEALS Act. The HEALS act would provide payments for individuals “who have no income, as well as those whose income comes entirely from non-taxable means-tested benefit programs, such as (Supplemental Security Income) benefits,” according to the Senate Committee on Finance statement. Under the HEROES act, full-time students up to age 24 and adults can be considered dependants. Both plans, like the CARES Act, require income tax returns to determine eligibility. “I voted for the Heroes Act in May because it provides the comprehensive relief that our country and our community needs right now. It’s disappointing that Senate Republicans put forward a plan that falls short of what’s necessary to address this crisis, contain the virus, reopen safely, and ensure Central Coast residents can provide for their families throughout this pandemic,” Democrat Representative Salud Carbajal of Santa Barbara said. “Americans are facing evictions, expiring unemployment insurance, a lack of access to child care, and so much more. I’m hopeful we reach a bipartisan compromise as soon as possible to bring desperately needed relief to Americans who are suffering,” Mr. Carbajal said. According to MarketWatch, the HEROES act forbids debt collectors from garnishing stimulus payments. It also contains language that prevents the Internal Revenue Service from offsetting stimulus payments for past-due child support. email: pgonzalez@newspress.com
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