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S AT U R DAY, JA N UA RY 21, 2 023
False bomb threats lead to SB evacuations By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Between Thursday and Friday, the Santa Barbara Police Department received four false bomb threats to the local community, local private schools, businesses and one involving the Santa Barbara Police Department. Notre Dame School and a nearby school, EF International Language Campus, both received bomb threats Thursday, which led to evacuations at both private schools. “We did indeed evacuate due to a bomb threat being called into the school, as well as
multiple other locations in Santa Barbara,” Tim Flanagan, principal of Notre Dame School, told the News-Press in an email. “Police responded and swept the building. No evidence of a bomb was found here, or at any of the threatened locations.” The top priority for EF International Language Campuses is always the safety of students, teachers and staff, a spokesperson told the News-Press in an email. ”Yesterday at approximately 2 p.m.,we heard from an anonymous caller who made a threat against our campus community, resulting in the temporary postponement of classes and the
evacuation of facilities,” the spokesperson said. “We immediately contacted the authorities, who quickly arrived on campus. “We also engaged a variety of support resources within the school and from our central organization, including staff experienced in safety and emergency protocols. Staff train on these protocols to ensure our ability to effectively respond in the unlikely event a threat materializes. We thank the Santa Barbara Police Department for their rapid and thorough response, as well Please see THREATS on A3
Leading pediatric efforts at Cottage Health Pediatric rheumatologist Miriam Parsa begins as chief pediatric medical officer By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Inspired by her young patients, Dr. Miriam Parsa is excited about her new job as the chief pediatric medical officer for Cottage Health. “I’m definitely humbled by this responsibility,” Dr. Parsa told the News-Press. “I’m still in clinical practice. So I’m a part-time CPMO and part-time pediatric rheumatologist. “It is actually really critical to have a really good understanding of how the program works and what our needs are,” she said. “I really think this work we are doing here in our small town doesn’t feel small with the potential we have. I am humbled and proud to represent my pediatric colleagues. I definitely feel the weight of this responsibility. “My predecessor, Dr. Steve Barkley, had a vision for expanding pediatric specialists locally. He started the movement to have high quality care locally so that people wouldn’t have to travel,” Dr. Parsa said. “There are not very many pediatric rheumatologists in the county,” she continued. “Cottage brought me up from L.A. because there was no pediatric rheumatologist in the Tri-county area. They brought me in eight
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Cottage Children’s Medical Center is based at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. Dr. Miriam Parsa, the new chief pediatric medical officer for Cottage Health, said she sees her responsibility as continuing what her predecessor, Dr. Steve Barkley, emphasized: “providing excellent, high quality, evidence-based health care locally.”
years ago because they recognized the need. I feel like that is very telling of the commitment to pediatrics.”
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American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Rheumatology. Please see PEDIATRIC on A8
California’s unemployment rate holds at 4.1% as hiring slows By SETH SANDRONSKY THE CENTER SQUARE CONTRIBUTOR
(The Center Square) California’s unemployment rate held at 4.1% in December, the same as November, according to the state Employment Development Department. Employers in the Golden State created 16,200 nonfarm payroll jobs versus 26,800 in November. The jobless figures and new hires derive from separate surveys of California businesses and households. “While the focus is on tech layoffs,” according to Jeffrey Michael, Director of Public Policy Programs and professor of public policy at Pacific McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, “it is also worth noting that holiday retail hiring was lower than normal this season and is reflected in these reports. Despite weaknesses in both of these sectors, there is still solid job growth in December and the overall job market in California remains in pretty good shape.” December 2022 was the 15th straight month of gains in California’s nonfarm payroll hiring, according to the EDD. The monthly average addition of new hires was 53,820, for 807,300 jobs created in the past 15 months. In the meantime, U.S. employers added 223,000 nonfarm payroll jobs in December 2022, with a jobless rate of 3.5%, according to the federal Bureau of Labor
Statistics. Ten of California’s 11 industry sectors had growth of nonfarm payroll jobs in December, matching November’s figures. Education and healthcare employers topped the chart, with 8,200 new hires in December. Home healthcare employers in part fueled employment growth. The next sector on a hiring upswing was the construction industry, adding 7,500 jobs. Specialty contractors played a part in construction employment growth, according to the EDD. Leisure and hospitality employers registered 5,300 new hires in December, versus 13,900 in November. The number of December’s agriculture jobs climbed to 5,100 from November, for an industry total of 416,200 in December. “The agricultural industry had 4,900 more farm jobs in December 2022 versus a year ago,” according to the EDD. It is unclear what impacts the recent rainfall from successive storms will have on employment in the industry this year. In spite of tech layoffs in San Francisco and Santa Clara (Silicon Valley) counties, unemployment rates dropped to 2% in December versus November’s 2.3% and 2.4%, respectively. Imperial County east of San Diego saw its unemployment rate drop to 14.8% in December from 16.7% in November. The employment gap between inland and coastal regions persists in the U.S.’s most populous state.
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Dr. Parsa joined the medical staff of Cottage Health and the Cottage Children’s Medical Center in 2013 and is a member of the
KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS
Students of EF International Language Campus are escorted to Alameda Park by their faculty and Santa Barbara police officers after evacuating their campus in downtown Santa Barbara due to a bomb threat on Thursday. The threat proved to be false.
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