NEWS of the WEEK
JUNE 3-10, 2021
by TYLER HAYDEN, DELANEY SMITH, NICK WELSH, and JEAN YAMAMURA, and INDEPENDENT STAFF
NEWS BRIEFS
COMMUNITY
CORONAVIRUS CORONAVIRUS S.B. County moved from the state’s orange tier into the least restrictive tier, yellow, on 6/9. COVID restrictions and modifications relax for indoor locations, such as 50 percent occupancy for restaurants, gyms, spas, places of worship, and movie theaters; 25 percent or 100 people max at bars; and museums and zoos open indoors with modifications. On 6/15, all business sectors may open throughout California without restriction on capacity or physical distancing, but they must follow CDC guidelines on masking. Full story at independent.com/yellow-tier.
EDUCATION
BIENVENIDOS: Juana Flores (center with flowers) was welcomed home Sunday at Oak Park by “Team Juana”: from left, (back row) Rose Muñoz, Ron and Sally Burns, Kraig Rice, Stuart Kasdin, Paula Perotte, Frank Ochoa, (bottom row) Cristina Flores, Andrés Flores, Salud Carbajal, Paula Lopez, and Bill Burke. Below, Juana and her husband, Andrés, and two of her granddaughters.
Juana Flores Returns Home Deported Goleta Grandma Welcomed Home with Surprise Celebration at Oak Park
by Camille Garcia Photos by Erick Madrid
W
hen Juana Flores heard the news—that she’d be able to return home to Santa Barbara — she couldn’t believe it. She’d spent the last two years in her native Aguascalientes, Mexico, suddenly deported in 2019 after the Trump administration suspended the humanitarian waiver permitting her legal residence in the U.S. Flores had spent most of that time alone, away from her husband, Andrés, and her 10 children and 18 grandchildren in Goleta, where she’s lived and worked for 30 years. But now, to her delight and surprise, it was finally time to go home. “When my daughter called me and told me [I could come home], I told her, ‘That can’t be true. I don’t believe you,’” Flores said in Spanish. “I couldn’t believe that I could be with my family again, to see my house again.” More surprises were in store for Flores upon arriving in Santa Barbara last Friday. On Sunday, about 60 loved ones gathered at Oak Park for a surprise celebration in her honor, complete with savory taco plates, live mariachi music, and the warm embrace of family and community. Walking into the party, Flores was shocked. “It was so nice,” she said. “I never expected my family to welcome me like this.” A contingent of family, friends, attorneys, and elected officials have worked for years to
find a way to bring Flores home. The deportation meant that she would have to wait 10 years before asking to return to the country, per federal law, but a legal team including retired Judge Frank Ochoa and immigra-
tion attorney Kraig Rice was committed to reuniting Flores with her family much sooner. Finally, Congressmember Salud Carbajal successfully appealed to Homeland Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and secured Flores a one-year humanitarian parole. The work will continue in order to get her permanent residency before the parole is up. Settling back into her Goleta home, Flores is happy, although it’s a transition, she said. To be gone for so long and to now suddenly be back feels “un poquito raro”—a bit strange—especially considering how abruptly this whole situation began. Flores entered the U.S. without a visa in 1988 and had received several humanitarian extensions over the years allowing her to stay in the country. She went to regular check-ins with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement until one day in February 2019 when they didn’t renew her extension and, two months later, told her she’d have to go back to Mexico. She went voluntarily, but it wasn’t easy. “Everything happened so quickly,” she said. “We were all very sad.” Flores grew up in Aguascalientes but going back to live there now hardly felt like a homecoming for her. She and her husband left Mexico decades ago. Returning as an CONT’D ON PAGE 6
For the latest news and longer versions of many of these stories, visit independent.com/news. 4
THE INDEPENDENT
JUNE 10, 2021
INDEPENDENT.COM
Thousands packed the stands on 6/2 at San Marcos High’s graduation ceremony, where 427 graduating seniors filled Warkentin Stadium. “The last year has been really hard,” said senior Anthony Ramii, “so it really means everything to be able to be together as a class today.” In addition to San Marcos, 515 seniors graduated from Dos Pueblos High School, 490 from Santa Barbara High, and 88 from La Cuesta/Alta Vista. Full story at independent.com/San-Marcos-grads.
OUTDOORS The expected closure date on El Capitán State Beach has been moved to August 2022, opening up another year of seaside fun beyond the original expected closure this September. There was growing awareness that the delay might need to happen, according to Dena Bellman, district planning chief: “[It] just took a minute to get everyone going in the same direction!” The closure is expected to last about a year and will allow extensive work on the entrance to the campground, among other maintenance and infrastructure projects. A new 24-site campground is proposed for Prisoners Harbor on Santa Cruz Island, and the ability to comment on it lasts through 6/25. Located about a quarter mile from the landing at Prisoners, the rustic sites are to be set on an area previously used for agriculture and hidden from land and water by dense vegetation. To view documents describing the project and to send a comment to the Channel Islands National Park, see tinyurl.com/prisoners-harbor. The Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies program has been working to safeguard endangered whales and reduce air pollution along the California coast by incentivizing ships to reduce their speeds in designated zones. The initiative is led by 12 partners, including the S.B. County Air Pollution Control District and Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. It recently shared the results of its 2020 season and recognized the participants, which consisted of 16 global companies and a total of 483 ships. Full story at independent.com/ blue-whales.
PUBLIC SAFETY The Eucalyptus Hill Improvement Association (EHIA) has initiated a grassroots campaign to help reduce the risk of wildfires in its canyons and neighborhoods. The EHIA represents 700 homeowners in the Eucalyptus Hill area and has been fundraising to hire Cuyama Lamb, LLC, a group that brings sheep and goats to graze flamCONT’D ON PAGE 6