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FDA panel approves vaccine for ages 5-11
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Wireless facilities ordinance passes committee By ANNELISE HANSHAW NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
The City of Santa Barbara is closer to establishing regulations and an application process for the installation of small wireless facilities in the public rights-ofway after Tuesday’s Ordinance Committee meeting. Committee members, particularly councilmember Kristen Sneddon, were not satisfied with the current draft of the ordinance. But they passed it to the full City Council with direction to City Attorney Ariel Calonne to add desired changes. Mr. Calonne will add provisions giving residents a longer appeal window and define a reasonable gap in service. He will also mandate a checklist that will be submitted to the public works director at the time of application. The checklist verifies that the proposed wireless facility meets guidelines, such as Federal Communications Commission rules and is sensitive to historic areas. The proposed ordinance was requested by the City Council 18 months ago. If the committee didn’t pass the ordinance Tuesday, the next available date to review the changes would be in December. “If we continue to move this forward and do nothing, what’s the on-the-ground result?” Ordinance Committee Chair Mike Jordan asked. “We have little to no control at the current time,” Mr. Calonne said. “And installations are going on as we speak, right?” Mr. Jordan asked. “I would assume that to be true,” Mr. Calonne replied. A group named Safe Tech SB has been voicing concerns throughout the ordinance process. The group is represented by Andrew Campanelli, principal litigator at Campanelli & Associates — which represents its business at AntiCellTowerLawyers.com. Mr. Campanelli spoke for the group Tuesday, saying the ordinance was thoughtful but could be improved. He did not provide a redlined copy or presentation, as requested by Mr. Calonne. Mr.
By DAVE MASON NEWS-PRESS MANAGING EDITOR
A COVID-19 vaccine for ages 5-11 won support Tuesday from a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel. That sets the stage for the final steps in a process that could lead to the first pediatric vaccine becoming available as early as next week, according to national media reports. On Tuesday, the FDA committee voted 17-0, with one abstention, to recommend emergency authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines for the age group. The recommendation is now before Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock. If she agrees with it, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization would review the vaccine at its meeting, scheduled for Nov. 2. The panel could decide whether to recommend the vaccine for all children or children with specific health risks. If the CDC panel approves the vaccine, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky could give her final approval within hours. The FDA advisory panel recommended Tuesday the vaccine be given as two doses consisting of 10 micrograms. Members said the shots should be given three weeks apart for ages 5-11. Each dose would be a third of that given to teens and adults. Pfizer submitted data to the FDA that the company said shows the vaccine is more than 90% effective against symptomatic disease for children in the 5-11 age group. Pfizer’s data came from two studies, which involved 2,268 children ages 5-11. The youths either received two doses of the vaccine or two doses of a placebo, which is standard practice in clinical trials. Of the children who got the vaccine, three tested positive for COVID-19, according to Pfizer. The company said among those in the placebo group, 16 tested positive for COVID after the second dose. Last week the Biden administration announced it had a plan to administer the vaccine to 28 million American children. Under that plan, free vaccines would be available at doctors’ offices, children’s hospitals, pharmacies, and school- and community-based clinics.
KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS
Cormorants groom themselves on a tree at Shoreline Park in Santa Barbara.
By ANNELISE HANSHAW NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
DAVE MASON / NEWS-PRESS
Santa Barbara City Council members unanimously approved the priorities for the upcoming Human Services and Community Development Block Grant funding cycle Tuesday.
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Santa Barbara City Council approved the funding priorities and process for Fiscal Year 2023’s Human Services and Community Development Block Grant funding cycle. The council’s unanimous decision earmarked $726,150 from the city’s general fund for the grants. This amount is level with pre-pandemic allotments. The City Council’s decision didn’t take much discussion — apart from the best way to spread the word about the grant opportunity. Otherwise, the criteria (which wasn’t up for discussion) and priorities, which staff recommended to preserve, remained the same.
Human Services funds prioritize, firstly: programs that serve people’s essential needs of food, shelter and medical care. A second priority are proposals that prevent violence or promote residents to function at higher levels. The priorities for CDBG funds are homeless assistance, public facilities/infrastructure and economic development. Approval from council allows staff to start the application process. More details will be released to local media organizations soon and published on the city’s website, santabarbaraca.gov. The first deadline is a mandatory online workshop at 2:30 p.m. Nov. 18. email: ahanshaw@newspress.com
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email: ahanshaw@newspress.com
Human Services, Community Development Block Grant funding cycle to begin
email: dmason@newspress.com
The first pediatric vaccine could become available as early as next week.
Campanelli said the changes would be too numerous for a redline edit. He recommended the city ask for proof of a gap of service beyond computer-generated propagation maps. He also suggested property owners near a proposed wireless facility site receive written notice. The draft gave residents seven days to appeal approvals. Mr. Campanelli said that was too short. He advocated for more specificity throughout. Mr. Calonne was worried about writing small details into the ordinance. If the city would want to change any detail in the future, then it would have to go through Ordinance Committee and City Council. “The ordinance is structured in such a way that we’re trying to encourage applications that go away from residences, with good designs, that don’t mar the city streetscape,” the city’s outside counsel Tripp May said. “If we get those types of applications, we don’t need so much additional information. And if we get applications and locations we don’t like with a design that we don’t like, then it does make sense to probe further.” Councilmember Sneddon argued the regulations are necessary because the ordinance affects telecommunications companies instead of small business owners. “This is something that has the potential to affect people’s quality of life in different ways,” she said. “It’s a communications tower. Once they’re in and approved, it’s more difficult to move them. So I don’t have a problem with having extra regulations on them.” The city’s control over the wireless facilities is limited by the FCC. Officials can’t weigh health and environmental impacts of facilities as long as the radio frequencies meet FCC guidelines. The ordinance looks at aesthetic, location and fire safety among other factors. All six members of the City Council will hear the ordinance next with the changes, as directed Tuesday.
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