Setting a great example
Helping special education students La Cumbre Junior High assists youth with online learning - A3
Our 165th Year
City College lab named finalist for Examples of Excelencia - A8
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Cottage Rehab Hospital No additional mask moving to Goleta enforcement By JOSH GREGA NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
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Cottage Health announced Tuesday that it is relocating Cottage Rehabilitation Hospital to the Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital campus on South Patterson Avenue, with the goal of expanding the facility and creating a healing environment.
Cottage Health seeking to implement ‘healing environment’ with expanded center By GRAYCE MCCORMICK NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
Cottage Health is moving its Cottage Rehabilitation Hospital to the Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital campus on South Patterson Avenue within the next few years. The decision was made in hopes of creating
a new and expanded rehabilitation center, with a target move in by the end of 2023, according to officials. It will accommodate 30 patients in all private inpatient rooms, and feature a new aquatic center, two separate gym spaces and outdoor patios. CRH’s outpatient services will be adjacent
to the existing outpatient therapy at GVCH, resulting in a larger, contiguous therapy space. Built-in patient lifts and ancillary services, such as imaging, lab, pharmacy and dietary, will be offered for patient room service. In addition, a restorative garden, patios and open spaces around campus will be implemented, Please see REHAB on A2
Advanced fire truck The Santa Barbara Municipal Airport recently obtained this fire truck with a futuristic appearance. Firefighters can use the Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting truck to “ensure the safest and most efficient responses to emergencies possible,” according to the airport. The 58,863-pound vehicle can hold 1,585 gallons of water and 200 gallons of foam.
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The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors failed to pass an urgency ordinance Tuesday that would have allowed additional enforcement for violators of the county’s health officer orders. The board voted 3-2 on the ordinance that would have allowed peace officers to enforce violations of county health officer orders, like face coverings and large gatherings, with infraction citations and administrative fines. The urgency ordinance requires a fourth-fifths vote to pass. Fifth District Supervisor Steve Lavagnino and 4th District Supervisor and board vice chair Peter Adam voted against the ordinance. In its vote, the board moved to table the ordinance, change it from an urgency ordinance to a regular ordinance, and alter its text to address issues of government overreach — an
issue voiced by a majority of the item’s public commenters. Had the urgency ordinance passed, it would have added a chapter to the county code officially making health officer orders county law. Any violation of orders would be an infraction that could be enforced by administrative mechanisms, like fines. The maximum administrative fines for disobeying the health orders would be $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second offense, and $500 for a third offense, according to a presentation from Tuesday’s meeting. Enforcement would have been carried out by local law enforcement as well as county public officers, like animal control officers. While 2nd District Supervisor and board chair Gregg Hart, 1st District Supervisor Das Williams, and 3rd District Supervisor Joan Hartmann supported the urgency Please see MASKs on A2
SB school district endorses safe storage gun laws By JORGE MERCADO NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
The Santa Barbara Unified School District voted unanimously during Tuesday’s board meeting to approve a resolution in favor of safe gun storage. The resolution aims to require the school district to increase its active endorsement of safe storage practices and laws for parents with guns. “I just want to mention that yesterday a friend told me that he thought it was curious that the schools are getting involved in an issue like this, but I think it’s totally appropriate and right,” said school board member Kate Ford. “In fact, although we address a myriad of other responsibilities, our number one responsibility is to keep students and staff safe, especially now when so many are at home.” With the resolution passing, the school board will send a letter, in English and Spanish, to all district parents and guardians that explains the importance of responsible gun storage. The letter will also cover the legal obligations to protect minors from accessing irresponsibly stored guns, which will be included in annual registration materials at each school site requiring a signature acknowledging awareness of responsible gun storage responsibilities. A sample of the school board’s letter can be found at the school board’s website under the agenda item. Although passed unanimously, many board members spoke up to make sure that sending the letter will not be the only thing
the school board does regarding this issue. Additionally, there will be small changes to the letter, including a clause that ensures the signature given by the parents will be confidential. The agenda was brought up, in part, because students of all ages across the school district are spending the majority of time at home due to school being online for the beginning of the school year. According to the agenda, an estimated 4.6 million American children live in households with at least one loaded, unlocked firearm. Every year, nearly 350 children under the age of 18 unintentionally shoot themselves or someone else. Of those incidents, 77% of them occur inside a household. Additionally, with the current pandemic forcing students and parents to spend the majority of their time at home, mental health has been a major topic of discussion. As a result, the school board wanted to remind parents that the safest way to store a gun in a household is “as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, to store them unloaded, locked, and separate from ammunition.” “We are currently living through unprecedented times. COVID-19 has affected not just our health but our mental health. We are anxious, we are scared, and so are our children. The firearm suicide rate among children and teens has increased 65%, and gun sales have increased by 70%,” Kendall Paida, a community member, said during public comment. Please see district on A8
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Comics................. A6 Classified............... A7 Life.................... A3-4
Saturday’s SUPER LOTTO: 20-24-28-35-37 Meganumber: 22
Tuesday’s DAILY 4: 0-9-8-4
Tuesday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 8-10-15-17-57 Meganumber: 12
Tuesday’s FANTASY 5: 8-9-22-29-31
Tuesday’s DAILY DERBY: 12-06-01 Time: 1:40.29
Saturday’s POWERBALL: 19-30-36-42-66 Meganumber: 14
Obituaries............. A8 Soduku................. A5 Weather................ A8
Tuesday’s DAILY 3: 9-7-4 / Sunday’s Midday 9-9-8