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Our 166th Year
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F R I DAY, J U LY 2 3 , 2 0 21
John Cox campaigns in Goleta Recall election candidate introduces homelessness policy By ANNELISE HANSHAW NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
KENNETH SONG/NEWS-PRESS
Recall election candidate John Cox made a campaign stop at Girsh Park in Goleta Thursday.
John Cox, who ran against Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2018, held a press conference at Girsh Park in Goleta Thursday as part of his campaign in the Sept. 14 recall election. He infamously traveled with a brown bear early in the campaign but has traded in Tag (the bear) for a ball of trash towed by a truck and trailer. “With the ball, we’re just demonstrating the idea that this state is just full of trash — the people aren’t trash; the trash is trash,” the Republican candidate
said when asked about the prop’s symbolism. His speech didn’t touch on the environmental issues one might expect with the image of a pile of trash. Instead, he spoke about the homelessness crisis. Perhaps the incongruence reinforces a point he repeated: He’s a businessman by trade, not a politician. Addressing media professionals in a city he pronounced “Guh-letta,” he outlined a four-pronged approach to solving homelessness. “Now that (Gavin Newsom)’s been governor, the homelessness crisis has gotten worse, not better — despite billions and billions of
dollars spent,” Mr. Cox said. He called Gov. Newsom’s Project Roomkey and Project Homekey, which provide rooms in hotels and apartments to homeless individuals, a “temporary fix.” “It’s not a long term-solution,” he said. “I’m a businessman. I look at causes of problems; I don’t just treat the symptoms.” The largest problem is the cost of housing, he said. He blames lengthy processes stretched by government mandates, lawsuits, the California Environmental Quality Act and layers of approval. “What we need to do is lower these costs, streamline the process, streamline the regulations and
Remembering Hal Conklin
make sure that we build housing that people can afford, just like I’ve done in my business life,” he said. He builds houses primarily in Indiana, where he said he gets approvals within six months to a year. He noted two differences between the Hoosier state and California: leadership and provision of resources. He plans to talk about the access to energy and water later in the campaign. Another key to his homelessness policy is a “treatment-first” approach. He clarified that he doesn’t mean he’d deny housing to Please see COX on A2
Cottage Health hosts next-to-last vaccine clinic
Community gathers at mission to honor life of former mayor By MADISON HIRNEISEN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
A man on a mission. That was the recurring phrase used to describe Hal Conklin, a beloved former Santa Barbara City councilman and mayor, during his memorial service Wednesday night. Hundreds of community members, former colleagues and friends of Mr. Conklin’s gathered Wednesday at the Santa Barbara Mission to honor the life and legacy of the man who left a lasting mark on the city during his many years in public service. Mr. Conklin died May 21 at the age of 75 after a battle with brain cancer. The evening of the memorial was filled with songs, multiple readings from the Bible and reflections on Mr. Conklin’s contributions to the city, the environment and his spiritual community. Speakers during Wednesday’s memorial noted that Mr. Conklin had outlined specific plans for the service, right down to the songs and scripture read at the memorial. The Rev. Dennis Wayman, a longtime friend of Mr. Conklin’s and a retired pastor from Free Methodist Church Santa Barbara, reflected on Mr. Conklin’s life during the service, pointing out high points in the former mayor’s career and spiritual life. Mr. Conklin served as a member of the Santa Barbara City Council from 1977 to 1993 and as mayor for just over a year in 1993. During his time as a politician in Santa Barbara, Mr. Conklin championed early efforts to institute a community recycling program, worked to restore (and redefine) Stearns Wharf and led the effort to establish Paseo Nuevo. As a lover of the arts, Mr. Conklin also helped to establish Santa Barbara’s vibrant theater district and championed the restoration of The Granada. “If you look back on the history of Santa Barbara, you will find Please see CONKLIN on A4
KENNETH SONG/NEWS-PRESS
Santa Barbara resident Nick Hart received his first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine during Thursday’s drive thru clinic at Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital.
Final drive-through clinic will take place next week By MADISON HIRNEISEN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
KENNETH SONG/NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
A printed portrait of the late Hal Conklin was displayed during his memorial service in front of the Santa Barbara Mission on Wednesday. Mr. Conklin was a former Santa Barbara City councilmember and mayor. He died in May at the age of 75.
Hundreds of community members gathered near the steps of the Mission on Wednesday in honor of the late Hal Conklin.
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Cottage Health held its secondto-last, drive-through vaccine clinic Thursday, offering first and second doses to a few hundred local residents ahead of next week’s final clinic. The Community Vaccine Clinic, which is located in a side lot of Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital, has operated as an accessible site for many county residents since January. On Thursday, the clinic reached a milestone of 99,000 doses allocated, revealing the impact the clinic has had on the community vaccination effort throughout its six months of operation. Next Thursday, Cottage Health will host its final vaccination drive-through clinic on the site, giving residents one more chance to get their vaccine at the clinic. The clinic will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and residents can receive their vaccine with or without an appointment. With the Delta variant gaining a foothold in Santa Barbara County, Angeli Mancuso, the director of community vaccination clinics for Cottage Health, said now is the time for eligible community members to
get their shot in the arm to avoid serious infection from the virus. “I think that’s the huge message to make sure that people hear is that it is still important to get your vaccine,” Ms. Mancuso told the News-Press. “If you haven’t already gotten either of the vaccines, start now. Or if you got one, you know, three months ago, and you just didn’t get around to finishing the series, make sure you finish the series.” She continued, “(Experts) are finding that fully vaccinated individuals, although you can still get COVID, you’re going to get a milder form of it and potentially avoid hospitalization.” Next Thursday’s final drivethrough clinic comes as local vaccine interest has waned in recent weeks. According to Ms. Mancuso, the number of patients served at the vaccine clinic has slowly decreased over the last three months. At its peak in April, the clinic administered about 2,300 shots in a single day, but since that time, the number of doses allocated and the amount of appointments scheduled has decreased significantly. Last month, that number
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