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S AT U R DAY, JA N UA RY 2 8 , 2 023
Rebuilding their lives Gaviota residents still manage to smile after losing their home to mudslides
Fire and police commission holds its first meeting By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
The new Santa Barbara Fire and Police Oversight Commission received a quick course in “Fire Department 101” and other training during its first meeting Thursday. Commissioner Lizzie Rodriguez served as acting chair during the meeting at the city council chambers. The chair and vice-chair will be nominated and appointed at the next meeting in February, when all commissioners are present. All commissioners received their oath of office before beginning work on Thursday
afternoon, through the city clerk’s office. In addition to Ms. Rodriguez, the commissioners are Linda Esparza Dozer, Daniel Herlinger, Ana Alicia Zepeda and Gary Jon Hill. During the meeting, Barbara Andersen, senior assistant to the city administrator, reviewed the new duties and authorities assigned to the Fire and Police Commission. She also addressed components of the new orientation and training program. The Fire and Police commission is established by city charter section 816. The commission operates in an Please see COMMISSION on A2
KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
Taylor Graves and Zachary Briones put on a brave and composed face at their mudslide-damaged home in the hills off State Route 1 in Gaviota.
FYI
KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS
Santa Barbara City Fire Chief Chris Mailes, left, and Police Chief Kelly Gordon attend the first meeting of the Santa Barbara Fire and Police Oversight Commission.
Gaviota couple Taylor Graves and Zachary Briones were only able to retrieve some clothes and house decorations after they lost their Gaviota home to a mudslide. To donate to help them, go to gofundme.com/f/naturaldisaster-relief-mudslide-inthe-home?member=24650 003&sharetype=teams&ut m_campaign=p_na+sharesheet&utm_medium=copy_ link&utm_source=customer, You can also donate by Zelle: 586-747-1879 for Taylor Graves.
December consumer spending declines; recession concerns remain By BRETT ROWLAND THE CENTER SQUARE
By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Mud burst through a wall loudly on Jan. 9 — the day that Taylor Graves and her boyfriend Zachary Briones lost their Gaviota home to mudslides. But Ms. Graves and Mr. Briones are working on finding a new residence. And they appreciate the help they’ve received from others after becoming two of the many residents impacted by the recent storms. Ms. Graves is originally from Michigan and moved to Santa Barbara in September 2021. Her boyfriend Zachary is a Goleta native. They moved to their home in Gaviota together in March 2022 and had lived there less than a year when a disaster struck. “On Jan. 9, when we woke up at 7 a.m., our driveway was washed out, and we had to shelter in
Taylor Graves stands Friday inside the home damaged by mud.
place due to two mudslides on the driveway and two mudslides up by the house,” Ms. Graves told the News-Press. “There was a high velocity of water flowing down and creating ruts through the driveway; water tunneled underneath and into the field. The driveway is still unstable.” Ms. Graves described the day in more detail. “We were hanging out in the house all day, and about 5 p.m., we were watching a movie and heard what sounded like pebbles Please see MUDSLIDES on A4
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i n s ide Classified.............. A8 Life..................... B1-4 Obituaries............. A4
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Zachary Briones hauls a wheelbarrow up his and his girlfriend’s driveway, which was severely damaged by mudslides.
(The Center Square) – Consumer spending fell 0.2% in December from the previous month, the Commerce Department said Friday. From the same month one year ago, the PCE price index – a closely watched measure of inflation – for December increased 5%. Prices for goods increased 4.6% and prices for services increased 5.2%. Food prices increased 11.2% and energy prices increased 6.9%. Excluding food and energy, the PCE price index increased 4.4% from a year ago. Friday’s consumer spending figures follow a series of economic reports this week that show concerns about a recession remain. U.S. economic growth slowed to a 2.9% annual rate in the fourth quarter of 2022, bringing an end to a year marked by high inflation. In the third quarter of last year, real GDP increased
3.2%, the U.S. Commerce Department said Thursday. Pending home sales increased in December for the first time since May 2022, after six consecutive months of declines, according to the latest figures from the National Association of Realtors. “The main issue this year has been declining affordability, with potential buyers getting squeezed by both higher prices and rapidly rising mortgage rates,” according to First Trust Portfolios. The latest survey from the National Association for Business Economics, released this week, found that more than half of respondents put the possibility of a recession over the next year at 50% or higher. “The results ... indicate widespread concern about entering a recession this year,” NABE President Julia Coronado said. “For the first time since 2020, more respondents expect falling rather than increased employment at their firms in the next three months.”
Sudoku................. B3 Business . ..........A5-6 Weather................ A4
Wednesday’s SUPER LOTTO: 2-17-20-37-41 Mega: 9
Friday’s DAILY 4: 3-0-1-1
Friday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 4-43-46-47-61 Mega: 22
Friday’s FANTASY 5: 8-13-28-30-35
Friday’s DAILY DERBY: 08-03-06 Time: 1:41.60
Wednesay’s POWERBALL: 9-17-20-38-40 Meganumber: 18
Friday’s DAILY 3: 0-6-9 / Midday 3-1-6