Sadako Peace Day
Your orchidding me!
27th annual event set for Friday at Westmont College- A4
Westerlay Orchids workshop teaches the ins and outs of ‘moss ball’ planters - B1
Our 166th Year
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W E DN E SDAY, AUGUS T 4 , 2 021
Indoor mask mandate to begin Friday SBCC vote By MADISON HIRNEISEN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
An indoor masking mandate for Santa Barbara County will go into effect
for all people, regardless of vaccination status, at 5 p.m. Friday, according to the Public Health Department. The new mandate, which is set to
go into effect Friday, comes as the county has seen a recent surge in cases associated with the highly transmissible delta variant. The mandate will be preceded by a new
Health Officer Order, which is expected to be released on Wednesday. Email: mhirneisen@newspress.com
Fiesta Pequeña closed to public No in-person attendance, live broadcast canceled
RAFAEL MALDONADO / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
Old Spanish Days officials announced Tuesday that Fiesta Pequeña will be closed to the public. The opening Fiesta event was set to take place Wednesday night.
By MADISON HIRNEISEN and ANNELISE HANSHAW NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITERS
In the interest of community safety, Old Spanish Days organizers made the decision late Tuesday to close Fiesta Pequeña to the public. Due to the county’s rising case rate associated with the highly transmissible Delta variant, organizers decided to close Wednesday’s Fiesta Pequeña to in-person attendance and will instead film the show and broadcast it at a later date, according to Fiesta’s El Segundo Vice Presidente David Bolton. Organizers also announced Tuesday that Thursday’s Las Noches de Ronda will be outright canceled. “With the surge and with suggestions to not have large gatherings ... we just thought it was the right thing to do for our community,” Mr. Bolton told the NewsPress. “Large gatherings right now — it’s just not the best time to be doing them, and Old Spanish Days didn’t want to put any members of our community at risk, and so that’s why the public portion of Pequeña and all of Noches de Ronda will be cancelled.” The event now joins a list of traditional Fiesta events cancelled due to COVID19, which includes the annual parade and the Mercado De la Guerra. At this point,
the Fiesta rodeo at the Earl Warren Showgrounds is still tentatively scheduled for Friday. While the event would normally be livestreamed, KEYT NewsChannel 3 announced Tuesday evening that it would be cancelling the live broadcast of the event, citing concerns about the safety risk it posed to employees. KEYT will be broadcasting the filmed show at a later date. The cancellation is emotional for many Fiesta organizers, Mr. Bolton said, especially when the organization was so close to celebrating with the community after a hard pandemic year. “It’s hard, it’s hard for everyone involved, it’s hard for participants, the parents, the organizers because everyone looks so forward to the event,” Mr. Bolton said. “(Fiesta) is such a highlight of the year. There’s energy there, generations of families celebrate together, and it’s hard to have to say we can’t do it, but it’s beyond our control. It’s what is happening on a large scale and the recommendations that we received that led us to make this decision. We made this decision thinking 100% that it’s what is best for our community at this time.” Mr. Bolton said the recommendations from the county’s Public Health Department are advising all people to
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email: mhirneisen@newspress.com, ahanshaw@newspress.com
By MADISON HIRNEISEN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Weeks of mounting tensions surrounding the Santa Barbara City College Board of Trustees came to a head on Tuesday when the college’s Academic Senate stamped a vote of “no confidence” against certain members of the board during a special meeting. After deliberating for more than four hours Tuesday, the Academic Senate voted 13-3 with one member abstaining in favor of “no confidence” against five members of the board — Marsha Croninger, Veronica Gallardo, Dr. Peter Haslund, Robert Miller and Kate Parker. Trustees Jonathan Abboud and Dr. Anna Everett were not included in the vote. The board also agreed on Tuesday to deliver a writ of particulars that would outline particular grievances against the Board of Trustees. The “no confidence” vote came after the Board of Trustees faced backlash in recent weeks for opposing a vaccine mandate for the fall semester. This policy, many Academic Senate members agreed, was the “straw that broke the camel’s back,” and comes as the latest issue after years of many grievances. These grievances, according to the Academic Senate, include the board’s alleged lack of respect for faculty expertise, lack of shared governance and failure to listen to the needs of students, faculty and staff, in addition to the board’s recent decision to not enforce a vaccine mandate for the fall semester. Many Academic Senators and SBCC faculty members spoke during Tuesday’s meeting, discussing their frustrations with the board and the feelings of their constituents within certain departments. “One of the things I find profoundly problematic is the complete disregard Please see SBCC on A3
1st Thursday Art Walk returns this week By MARILYN MCMAHON NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Dr. Henning Ansorg, the county’s public health director, cautioned on Tuesday that all people should avoid crowds in an effort to slow the spread of the highly transmissible delta variant.
Downtown Santa Barbara is announcing the return of the 1st Thursday Art Walk from 5 to 8 p.m with more than 15 participating downtown venues as well as a mariachi band on the 1000 block of State Street and flamenco dancing in front of the Arlington Theatre. The Santa Barbara Historical Museum has a special exhibition, “Project Fiesta!,” as it celebrates the 97th Old Spanish Days Fiesta with photos, costumes and artifacts from previous celebrations. 1st Thursday passports, the official map and guide of all participating venues and events, can be picked up at Paseo Nuevo. Maps can also be downloaded at www.downtownsb.org/ events/1st-thursday. “We are so excited to bring the 1st Thursday Art Walk back after such a long hiatus. The monthly event highlights the artists, performers, local Please see ART on A3
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avoid crowds to slow the transmission of disease. Prior to the board’s decision to cancel Pequeña, Dr. Henning Ansorg, the county’s public health officer, told the News-Press that he had concerns that Fiesta could turn into a superspreader event in the county. With the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showing that the delta variant can spread even among fully vaccinated people, Dr. Ansorg said both vaccinated and unvaccinated community members must take precautions to slow disease spread. According to the latest data, 1 in 7 of the county’s COVID-19 cases are occurring among fully vaccinated people, Dr. Ansorg said. “I would discourage any participation in any crowded event at this time,” Dr. Ansorg told the News-Press Tuesday. An indoor mask mandate is imminent, regardless of vaccination status. The mandate will begin at 5 p.m. Friday. More information will soon be released by Santa Barbara County Public Health (who has not yet made an official announcement).
Academic Senate votes ‘no confidence’ in some Board of Trustees members
Sudoku................. B3 Weather................ A4
Saturday’s SUPER LOTTO: 16-18-30-32-38 Mega: 5
Tuesday’s DAILY 4: 9-8-8-3
Tuesday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 1-9-17-27-34 Mega: 24
Tuesday’s FANTASY 5: 13-19-21-30-34
Tuesday’s DAILY DERBY: 09-08-12 Time: 1:40.26
Saturday’s POWERBALL: 1-21-22-34-47 Meganumber: 4
Tuesday’s DAILY 3: 3-8-4 / Midday 7-7-4