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Las Positas Multiuse Path completed Pedestrians and bicyclists use new Santa Barbara path
Savrnoch running for district attorney Prosecutor seeks to succeed Joyce Dudley, who is retiring By KAITLYN SCHALLHORN NEWS-PRESS STAFF-WRITER
As John Savrnoch approaches the 30-year milestone of his service as a prosecutor, he’s embarking on a new challenge: a campaign for the now-open Santa Barbara County district attorney seat. Mr. Savrnoch has worked as a deputy district attorney in the office since 2015. But Joyce Dudley, who has helmed the office since 2010, has decided not to vie for re-election — and she’s handpicked Mr. Savrnoch to run as her replacement. If Mr. Savrnoch is successful, it will be a culmination of a career
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John Savrnoch has worked as a deputy district attorney in Santa Barbara County since 2015.
A bicyclist uses the new Multiuse Path along Las Positas Road in Santa Barbara.
By KAITLYN SCHALLHORN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
After more than a year of construction, the Las Positas and Modoc Roads Multiuse Path project is officially completed. The city of Santa Barbara held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new bike path Thursday — a celebration of about several years of work that touched every department within the local government, Mayor Randy Rowse said. The new Class 1 Multiuse Path, spanning 2.6 miles and separated from the street, is open to cyclists and pedestrians along Las Positas and Modoc roads. Construction began in late September 2020. “The bike lane ribbon cutting was really cool because it touched not just every department at one point in time in the city, but was the result of generations of council, administration and public employees to finally pull it together,” Mayor Rowse told the News-Press. The project is a “visual, tangible, beautiful piece of executed taxpayer intent and dollar,” he said. The new pathway begins on the south side of Modoc Road and moves east, to the west side of Las Positas Road. It then continues along Las Positas Road to Cliff Drive. It connects to the Coast Bike Route, which extends north to Goleta Beach and south to Ventura. The new pathway was billed as an opportunity to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists and increase walking and biking options. It is also expected to increase access to Arroyo Burro
Beach, Douglas Family Preserve and Elings Park. “We are excited to provide a safe route for bicyclists and pedestrians, improving access to surrounding neighborhoods, parks and the beach,” Jessica Grant, interim Public Works downtown manager, said in a statement. Also completed was Phase II of the Arroyo Burro Open Space Restoration Project. The new footbridge over the Arroyo Burro space connects to the pathway. More than 2,600 native plants and 350 native trees were sown along the park. Improvements were made along the Arroyo Burro and Campanil drainage as part of the creek restoration project. “Completing Phase II of this restoration project will help to improve water quality in the creek and downstream at Arroyo Burro Beach,” Cameron Benson, the Creeks Restoration/ Clean Water manager, said in a statement. “We are excited to connect Multiuse Path users with the park, and look forward to community members enjoying the creek from new viewing platforms on the footbridge.” The project was mostly funded through Active Transportation Program (ATP) grant money as well as local Measure C funds. The Multiuse Path construction cost $15.5 million. The Arroyo Burro open space restoration, funded through the Santa Barbara County Coastal Resource Enhancement Fund and hotel visitors through Measure B, had a construction price tag of about $1.3 million. The ribbon-cutting saw people who had left city government but
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February job growth exceeds expert predictions THE CENTER SQUARE
A pedestrian walks along the new path, which was completed after several years of preparation and one year of construction.
On the left of the stop sign is the new Multiuse Path that runs along Las Positas Road. Construction of the path cost $15.5 million.
Mayor Rowse said. email: kschallhorn@newspress.com
(The Center Square) – The latest jobs report released Friday showed better than expected numbers for February. “Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 678,000 in February, and the unemployment rate edged down to 3.8 percent,” the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) said. “Job growth was widespread, led by gains in leisure and hospitality, professional and business services, health care, and construction.” That job growth surpassed experts’ predictions of 440,000 new jobs and a 3.9% unemployment rate. The gains have come as a rebound from the pre-COVID-19-pandemic shutdowns. “In February 2020, prior to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the unemployment rate was 3.5 percent, and the number of unemployed persons was 5.7 million,” BLS said. BLS said about 6.3 million Americans were unemployed and many still are underemployed. “The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons increased by 418,000 to 4.1 million in February but remains below its February 2020 level of 4.4 million,” BLS said. “These individuals, who would have preferred full-time employment, were working part time because their hours had been reduced or they were unable to find full-time
jobs.” President Joe Biden touted the job creation Friday. “Our economy has now added 7.4 million jobs since I took office. 678,000 jobs added just last month. And unemployment is down to 3.8%,” he said on Twitter. “This is what Building a Better America looks like.” Despite the job gains, inflation remains a persistent problem. Biden addressed the issue Tuesday in his State of the Union address, which came just a few days after personal consumption expenditure data showed aggressive price increases. The consumer price index, another key marker of inflation, is at the highest level in about 40 years, which means despite the increase in wages, Americans’ paychecks are still shrinking because of inflation. “February’s jobs report is further proof that with emergency COVID jobless benefits ending, Americans are reconnecting to work,” U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady, RTexas, said. “But there are real red flags looming, including a large drop in real wages for workers, a wage-price spiral driving inflation higher, and a growing consensus among economists that a recession this year is more likely than not. President Biden offered no real solutions to any of this in his State of the Union remarks. In fact, his obsession with Build Back Better – which is dead – will only make inflation worse and do little to stave off a crippling wage-price spiral.”
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came back for the celebration because they had been involved in the project at some point,
he has loved, he said. “For me, the ability and opportunity to actually lead this office would be a dream come true — protecting victims, protecting public safety along with proposing innovative programs for offenders who I believe we can effectuate change in,” Mr. Savrnoch told the News-Press in an interview. “It’s a very interesting time to be a prosecutor: The laws are changing fast and furious, and I would love to support the people doing this work, support the victims and help the community.” Originally from Wisconsin, Mr. Savrnoch joined McCormick Barstow in Fresno shortly after law school in 1990 but soon made the jump to the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office where he worked as an attorney for nearly 23 years. There, Mr. Savrnoch served as the chief assistant district attorney, supervised the financial crimes and consumer protection unit and prosecuted serious financial crimes. Mr. Savrnoch joined the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office in 2015, originally assigned to the Lompoc Division. He was appointed to serve as the chief deputy district attorney by Ms. Dudley in 2016. “I deeply care about people. There is no way to do this job and not be overwhelmed by how deeply lives can be impacted by Please see CANDIDATE on A6
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