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Report: Inaccurate projection made for local housing needs Auditor says state department’s errors led to lower, inaccurate number for Santa Barbara By KAITLYN SCHALLHORN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Data entry issues resulted in a lower and inaccurate number of needed housing units in the Santa Barbara area, a recent state evaluation found. The report from the state auditor examined how the Department of Housing and Community Development conducted its regional housing
needs assessments, which communities can then rely on for planning purposes, with a specific focus on the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments, Sacramento Area Council of Governments and Amador County. Overall, the audit found HCD did not appropriately review and assess housing needs assessment, making errors through not sufficiently verifying data used
One dead in early morning car crash By KAITLYN SCHALLHORN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
One person died as a result of an early morning car collision Friday in Carpinteria, where intoxication was believed to be a factor in the accident, law enforcement said. Around 2:18 a.m., a driver of a silver Nissan sedan traveling southbound on Highway 101 collided with the back of an asphalt dump truck before veering off the road and crashing into two trees, according to Jonathan Gutierrez, a spokesperson for California Highway Patrol in Santa Barbara. The crash occurred south of North Padaro Lane. The driver of the Nissan suffered major injuries and remains hospitalized, Mr. Gutierrez told the News-Press. The passenger of the car was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the dump truck was not injured in the
and failing to demonstrate it properly considered certain factors state law requires for housing needs assessments, among other issues. “This insufficient oversight and lack of support for its considerations risks eroding public confidence that HCD is informing local governments of the appropriate amount of housing they will need,” Michael Tilden, acting state auditor, said in a letter
to the governor and legislature accompanying the audit. The report recommended HCD implement a formal process to document consideration of all factors required by state law in assessments and ensure all staff review often the data used. The audit also suggested HCD perform an analysis of healthy housing vacancy rates and historical trends to supplement its adjustments.
With Santa Barbara, one such data entry error resulted in about 1,338 fewer houses (or about 5%) included in HCD’s assessment provided to SBCAG. The audit found HCD didn’t properly consider housing lost during a state of emergency, such as the Thomas Fire, which destroyed more than 1,000 housing units in 2017 in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, the report said.
This led to more of an understated housing needs assessment in Santa Barbara, according to the report. “We acknowledge the audit uncovered that some process improvements are needed, and we are already addressing those by adding staff to the (assessments) team and implementing the suggested changes,” Megan Kirkeby, deputy director of Please see HOUSING on A4
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accident, according to officials. It was not immediately clear what speed the Nissan was traveling at the time of the accident, but officials said the crash is still under investigation. The driver of the Nissan — Jonathan Jair Montoya, 21, of Oxnard — was arrested on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. Bail was set at $100,000, according to the CHP report. The California Highway Patrol, the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office and American Medical Response responded to the crash. Anyone with additional information about the accident is encouraged to contact Officer Buenrostro at CHP at 805-9671234 from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. email: kschallhorn@newspress.com KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS
A driver of a silver Nissan sedan traveling southbound on Highway 101 collided with the back of an asphalt dump truck before veering off the road and crashing into two trees.
A bicyclist readies herself to resume her ride after a brief stop this week at the Chromatic Gate in Santa Barbara. The gate is at 721 E. Cabrillo Blvd.
New bill would expose Russian, Chinese Duffy returns to pitch funding of American nonprofit groups for Dodgers in 2022 By MATT SMOLENSKY NEWS-PRESS ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Goleta native and veteran Major League pitcher Danny Duffy has signed to play with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2022, with a club option for 2023. Duffy, a longtime member of the Kansas City Royals, was first acquired by the Dodgers during an injury-plagued 2021 season. Traded to L.A. in exchange for minor leaguer Zach Willeman and cash considerations at midseason, Duffy never threw a pitch for his new team due to ongoing forearm issues. He became a free agent after the 2021 season. Duffy will compete for a rotation spot with the Dodgers after posting a 2.51 ERA and 1.21 WHIP in 61 innings between IL stints in 2021. Although those numbers are promising and he appears healthy so far this spring, injuries and inconsistency
have plagued the lefty in recent seasons, with his last sub-4.00 ERA coming in 2017, when he went 9-10 with a 3.81 ERA and 1.26 WHIP. Duffy put up excellent numbers in 2014, when he was 9-12 with a 2.53 ERA and 1.11 WHIP, and 2016, when he was 12-3 with a 3.51 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. Born in Goleta, Duffy attended Cabrillo High School in Lompoc, where he was nearly unhittable during his senior year. He went 5-3 with a stellar .60 ERA, striking out an incredible 127 batters in only 58.2 innings. He was drafted out of high school by the Royals in the third round of the 2007 MLB draft, and made his Major League debut in 2011. Until last season’s trade, Duffy had played his entire career in Kansas City. email: msmolensky@newspress.com
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(The Center Square) – Newly introduced legislation would require think tanks and nonprofits to reveal whether they have significant funding from governments and political groups in Russia and China. U.S. Rep. Lance Gooden, R-Texas, introduced the “Think Tank and Nonprofit Foreign Influence Disclosure Act” Thursday, which would require nonprofits and think tanks to disclose foreign donations over $50,000. The bill would require the U.S. Treasury Department to create a “publicly available … searchable database (of) information relating to such gifts and contributions received from foreign governments and political parties…” “Foreign governments and foreign political parties attempt to influence the government and political system of the United States through donations to nonprofit charitable organizations especially think tanks and cultural organizations,” the bill reads. “While institutions of higher learning are required to disclose foreign gifts to the Department of Education pursuant to the Higher Education Act, no such requirement exists for think tanks.” Rep. Gooden sent a letter to U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen earlier this month
alleging that Russian-funded environmental groups are advocating against U.S. oil production in the name of climate change with the real motive of strengthening their own economy, which relies heavily on exporting oil. “Numerous reports have confirmed Russia’s extensive efforts to interfere in our government, perpetrated through environmental groups such as these, who take shelter behind their non-profit status and donor anonymity,” the letter said. “We are now experiencing the results of unchecked foreign interference to manipulate Americans’ opinions about pipelines, fossil fuels, fracking, and climate change. The Treasury Department has a responsibility to the American people to shed light on the growing role environmental nonprofit organizations have in undermining our national security and American energy independence.” The new legislation points to a 2019 report from the Center for a New American Security, which said: “A number of U.S. universities, academic departments, individual scholars, think tanks, and other civil society organizations receive substantial funding from Beijing that is often targeted at shaping views and discourse on China.” Funding for those academic institutions suggests it could be more widespread. “Higher degrees of transparency can help to ensure that this funding is not generating
hidden forms of foreign lobbying, selfcensorship, or other activities that undermine core U.S. democratic principles,” the report said. “To that end, the U.S. government should significantly lower the funding cap that triggers a requirement for U.S. institutions to disclose these foreign contributions. Concurrently, Congress should also expand the reach of the Foreign Agents Registration Act to require universities to set standards and limits for student organizations and cultural exchange institutions that rely on external, especially foreign government, sources of funding.” The Republican Study Committee released a report in June pointing out the same issue. “Although universities are required to report foreign gifts above $250,000 as part of the Higher Education Act, this requirement does not currently exist for think tanks and other nonprofit organizations that may operate under the pretext of educational activities,” the report said. “The Task Force therefore believes that think tanks and similar nonprofit institutions receiving significant funding, over $50,000 a year, from foreign governments, foreign political parties or foreign military entities, should be required to disclose that information for purposes of identifying conflicts of interest. However, such disclosures should not be mandated for funding below Please see LEGISLATION on A2
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i n s i de Classified.............. B4 Life..................... B1-2 Obituaries............. A4
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By CASEY HARPER
Sudoku................. B3 Sports ................... A3 Weather................ A4
Wednesday’s SUPER LOTTO: 21-28-33-45-46 Mega: 5
Friday’s DAILY 4: 9-7-4-4
Friday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 2-6-25-40-45 Mega: 5
Friday’s FANTASY 5: 6-16-19-29-35
Friday’s DAILY DERBY: 07-04-12 Time: 1:44.84
Wednesday’s POWERBALL: 3-28-34-35-58 Meganumber: 17
Friday’s DAILY 3: 8-2-6 / Midday 0-7-8