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W E DN E S DAY, NOV E M BE R 18 , 2 0 2 0
Supervisors discuss demotion to purple tier Board approves sending letter to Gov. Newsom to allow in-person church services By JOSH GREGA NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Santa Barbara County is now officially back in the most restrictive purple tier in the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy after experiencing a spike in COVID-19 cases. The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday discussed the recent demotion, announced by the state on Monday, while also voting to direct county staff to draft a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom requesting that places
of worship be given the same COVID-19 restrictions as retail businesses. Drafting the letter passed with a 3-2 vote at the meeting, with 2nd District Supervisor and Board Chair Gregg Hart and 3rd District Supervisor Joan Hartmann the two no votes. The county’s demotion comes following a recent spike in COVID-19 cases locally, which mirrors what is happening across many California counties and across the country. Under the new tier status, brought into effect locally with the Health
Officer Order issued Monday night, places of worship must move to outdooronly operations, as must gyms and fitness centers, family entertainment centers, wineries, movie theaters, zoos, aquariums, and cardrooms. Retail businesses such as bookstores, clothing stores, and shoe stores can operate with indoor occupancy limited to 25%. The question of why places of worship haven’t been allowed to hold indoor operations amid the pandemic has been something of a hot topic since the onset of COVID-19. At Tuesday’s meeting, the
subject was breached by 5th District Supervisor Steve Lavagnino. “Everybody is struggling to figure out what is the justification that allows you to be able to go into retail with 25%, but you can’t go to your place of worship, you have to be outside,” he said. Santa Barbara County Public Health Department Director Dr. Van Do-Reynoso said the justification for restricting churches and other places of worship to outdoor services is because social distancing and mask wearing may be disregarded because most attendees have
familiarity with one another. “What I’ve heard is unease with the context of how people gather in an indoor church,” Dr. Do-Reynoso said. Later in the meeting, Mr. Lavagnino made a motion for staff to send a letter to the governor requesting that places of worship be treated the same as retail businesses. Fourth District Supervisor and Board Vice-Chair Peter Adam was in support of the motion and said whether places Please see board on A8
Back to outdoors only State Street businesses not shocked by county’s demotion to purple tier By GRAYCE MCCORMICK NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Santa Barbara County was demoted to the purple, more restrictive tier as of 11:59 p.m. Tuesday night, and local businesses are forced to take one step back and remove their indoor operations once again. Retail stores are back to a 25% capacity limit, and bars and breweries must serve food to outdoor diners to remain open. Many restaurant and bar owners on State Street said they were not shocked by the news of the return to the purple tier due to rising COVID-19 cases and neighboring counties also being demoted. “We’re not shocked at all,” Brianna Cason, a manager at Institution Ale Company in the 500 block of State Street, told the News-Press. “We pay attention closely to our neighboring counties like Ventura and San Luis Obispo, so we just knew it was a matter of time before it would happen.” While the Health Officer Order didn’t go into effect until late Tuesday, employees at Institution Ale Company removed their indoor tables Tuesday morning in an effort to remind people to eat outside. “Winter in general is our slower season, but I think we’ll definitely see some loss in business,” Ms. Cason said. “I’m a little worried about going back to outdoor dining, only because I think everybody was definitely excited to move indoors and move in that direction.” She added that the brewery is hoping to install more heaters outside to accommodate outdoor diners. John Nasser, the owner of Night Lizard Brewing Company in the 600 block of State Street, said employees have noticed that most people who want to go have a drink only sit inside if they have to, with the only exception being a football game on TV inside. “I’m not surprised. I think we’re in for a tough winter,” he told the News-Press. “I don’t really think things are going to turn around until the vaccine comes out.” He said he already bought a couple more patio heaters, but they prevent him from putting a Please see PURPLE on A8
Jonny D. Wallis Neighborhood Park named 2019 Project of the Year “I don’t think it changes much for us. Business is down, but California traffic is higher.”
“I don’t really think things are going to turn around until the vaccine comes out.”
“Winter in general is our slower season, but I think we’ll definitely see some loss in business.”
“The rain will be a challenge, so we’re thinking of different ways of anticipating the rainy season.”
Minesh Kantaira,
John Nasser,
Brianna Cason,
Joey Somerville,
owner of Sunglass Brands International
owner of Night Lizard Brewing Company
manager at Institution Ale Company
general manager at Joe’s Cafe Joe’s Cafe, like every other restaurant in Santa Barbara County, now has to return to outdoor dining only according to the Health Officer Order that went into effect 11:59 p.m. Tuesday night.
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By ANNELISE HANSHAW NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
The Jonny D. Wallis Neighborhood Park is appreciated by more than just Old Town Goleta residents. The California Central Coast chapter of the American Public Works Association named it 2019 Project of the Year. The award was presented last week during a virtual awards ceremony, which was attended by many Goleta city staff members. The city received compliments on the design, amenities and project result. The park, located at 170 S. Kellogg Ave. in Goleta, topped other structures in the $2 to $5 million range. The project opened in March 2019 and was nominated later that year, but the ceremony was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Jonny D. Wallis Neighborhood Park is a wonderful community park that can be enjoyed by visitors of all age groups and is a reflection of the close collaboration and outreach between the City and the residents of Old Town in the design and layout of the park,” Vyto Adomaitis, director of neighborhood services and public safety, said in a statement. “Our excellent staff at the City and our construction management team, Filippin Engineering, did a truly outstanding job in delivering this long-awaited and beloved project on time and under budget.” The park contains a multipurpose field, basketball court, handball court, concrete pingpong table, bocce ball court, pickleball court, perimeter walking path, fitness nodes with exercise equipment, picnic Please see PARK on A7
LOTTERY
ins id e Classified............... A7 Life.....................A4-5
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Newest Goleta park honored
Obituaries............. A8 Sudoku................. A6 Weather................ A8
Saturday’s SUPER LOTTO: 12-13-23-31-36 Meganumber: 10
Tuesday’s DAILY 4: 7-0-1-0
Tuesday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 8-13-35-46-68 Meganumber: 16
Tuesday’s FANTASY 5: 10-28-32-35-37
Tuesday’s DAILY DERBY: 04-06-11 Time: 1:41.84
Saturday’s POWERBALL: 7-15-18-32-45 Meganumber: 20
Tuesday’s DAILY 3: 0-8-7 / Sunday’s Midday 9-2-5