Santa Barbara News-Press: February 20, 2021

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Restoring a historic part of New Cuyama

Gauchos fall in season opener UCSB’s pitching struggles in loss to Santa Clara - A6

Our 165th Year

Architects work together on iconic Cuyama Buckhorn - B1

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Vaccine progress sparks optimism

Residents at GranVida feel ‘untouchable’ after receiving second vaccine dose

Elementary schools could reopen next week Pfizer requests relaxed storage regulations, first dose found to generate robust immunity By GRAYCE MCCORMICK NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

Local elementary schools could reopen for in-person instruction as soon as next week, as the county’s COVID-19 case rate continues to decline. Dr. Henning Ansorg, public health officer for the county Public Health Department, announced Friday that the county’s adjusted case rate for the past three days has been below 25 per 100,000, and if it stays that way over the weekend, elementary grades kindergarten through sixth will be able to reopen on Wednesday. He said health officials will reach out to the schools on Monday to inform them of the case rate. “We know how important it is to get our kids back in school,” Dr.

Ansorg said. He also discussed the state’s new guidance on school and recreational adult sports, which allows outdoor high- and moderate-contact sport practice and limited competitions for counties in the red and purple tiers. “We are really confident this will be welcome news to young athletes, their parents and their coaches,” Dr. Ansorg said. In addition to the good news for schools, there is the potential for some good news from Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech. On Friday, the vaccine company requested the U.S. health regulator to relax requirements for the vaccine to be stored at ultra-low temperatures, which could allow it to be stored in Please see schools on A2

Bill introduced to ban fracking By MITCHELL WHITE NEWS-PRESS ASSOCIATE EDITOR

KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS

Donna Harris, a GranVida resident, recounts her vaccination experience and points to the injection site where she received the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine Thursday.

By MADISON HIRNEISEN NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT

The atmosphere is optimistic at GranVida Senior Living Facility and residents are resting easier now that the majority of the facility’s staff and residents have received their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. GranVida, located in Carpinteria, houses a vulnerable population within its walls, with 42 residents between the ages of 58 and 96 living in the assisted care and memory care wings of the facility. After months of smallscale outbreaks in the facility and enforced COVID-19 precautions, residents are feeling “untouchable” now that they’ve received the vaccine, Marketing Director Claudette Geller told the News-Press. Donna Harris, a resident at GranVida, told the News-Press that she was “very happy” when she heard the facility was receiving doses of the Pfizer vaccine for distribution. Ms. Harris, along with a majority of the other residents, did not experience any serious side effects after receiving both doses of the vaccine, aside from some soreness at the injection site. “(I was) nervous before I got (the vaccine) because I’m not too fond of shots, but I was looking forward to it,” Ms. Harris said. While residents are anxious to return to some sense of normalcy soon, GranVida plans to require masks and social distancing until the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updates restrictions for those who receive the vaccine. For resident Barbara Crowley, this will be no problem, as she plans to continue to follow precautions until it’s safe. “When there are so many people here like this, we could all have (COVID-19) in no time,” Ms. Crowley told the News-Press. “So it’s so important that we just do the little things

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GranVida is a residential care facility located in Carpinteria that offers both assisted living and memory care wings for residents.

of trying to not be too close to people and keeping our hands washed and little things like that.” Soon after the start of the pandemic, GranVida began testing its residents and staff on a weekly basis to track the spread of the virus. Instead of bringing residents together in large groups for meals or activities, the staff at GranVida began caring for residents one at a time and allowing them to meet in small groups throughout the week while wearing masks and social distancing.

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Early on, GranVida also installed a COVID Wing, where residents could be taken to isolate and be treated in-house if they tested positive for the virus. According to Ms. Claudette, GranVida’s adoption of a COVID Wing to treat patients is unique and something she hasn’t seen at other facilities in the area. During the course of the pandemic, if one person tested positive, all other residents would go into lockdown until the infected Please see granvida on A3

Earlier this week. Sens. Monique Limón, D-Santa Barbara, and Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, introduced Senate Bill 467, which would ban fracking and other oil extraction methods starting Jan. 1, 2022. SB 467 would also halt the issuance or renewal of permits for acid well stimulation treatment, cyclic steaming, and water and steam flooding, while also prohibiting these extraction methods entirely starting Jan. 1, 2027. The bill would also prohibit all new or renewed permits for oil and gas extraction within 2,500 feet of any homes, schools, healthcare facilities or longterm care institutions such as dormitories or prisons, by Jan. 1, 2022. The setbacks portion of the bill is expected to be amended into SB 467 within the next 30 days, due to administrative reasons, officials said. Environmental advocates argue that these types of production and extraction methods pose significant risks to the environment and public health. The legislation also contains provisions to facilitate a transition of oil workers to jobs in well remediation and sealing. “It’s meaningful for my district to join Senator Wiener as a joint author on this bill,” Sen. Limón said in a statement. “As I often say, ‘if there’s not a bill, there’s not a conversation,’ and it is necessary to have these conversations at the state level about environmental impacts and public health as oil production continues near our homes and schools. This bill continues robust policy conversations on fossil fuels and alternative energy production that have been going on for decades. “Even more important is that we have these conversations simultaneously as President Biden takes action on pausing new oil and natural gas leases on public

lands or offshore waters.” The bill’s introduction comes several months after Gov. Gavin Newsom called on the Legislature to ban fracking. Environmental groups argue that when an oil or gas well is drilled, only 5 to 15% of the oil is recoverable without additional production and extraction methods that further stimulate the well. The various methods that “pose serious danger to the environment and our water supply, and cause a myriad of negative health impacts on nearby communities,” would be banned under SB 467. SB 467 is sponsored by the Center for Race, Poverty and the Environment and Voices in Solidarity Against Oil in Neighborhoods. It is jointly authored by Sens. Wiener and Limón and is co-authored by Sen. Ben Allen, D-Los Angeles, and Assemblymembers Mark Stone, D-Santa Cruz and Ash Kalra, D-San Jose. “Climate change is not a theoretical future threat — it’s an existential threat to our community and is having devastating impacts right now,” Sen. Wiener said in a statement. “We have no time to waste, and California must lead on climate action, including transitioning to a 100% clean energy economy. Extracting massive amounts of oil — particularly with destructive techniques such as fracking — is totally inconsistent with California’s commitment to a sustainable climate future. And drilling for oil near where people live or go to school is deeply harmful to community health, particularly for the communities of color near which oil extraction is most likely to be located. It’s time to transition away from these oil extraction methods, protect our community’s health and water supply, and create a brighter future for our state and our planet.”

Obituaries............. A6 Sudoku................. b3 Weather................ A6

Wednesday’s SUPER LOTTO: 20-26-39-40-46 Meganumber: 19

Friday’s DAILY 4: 7-0-4-5

Friday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 27-32-47-50-53 Meganumber: 4

Friday’s FANTASY 5: 9-12-21-28-31

Friday’s DAILY DERBY: 07-03-12Time: 1:48.65

Wednesday’s POWERBALL: 1-15-21-32-46 Meganumber: 1

Friday’s DAILY 3: 3-8-7 / Sunday’s Midday 1-2-6


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