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Guilty verdicts delivered in MS-13 murders trial By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
A Santa Maria jury has found five men guilty of a majority of charges in crimes linked to the violent MS-13 gang. The verdicts on the charges, which included murder, were announced Thursday in Santa Barbara County Superior Court in Santa Maria. Each man was charged with at least 40 violent felony crimes. Among the charges were firstdegree murder and criminal street gang conspiracy. The men are Juan Carlos
Urbina Serrano, Marcos Manuel Sanchez Torres, Luis Mejia Orellana, Tranquilino Robles Morales and Juan Carlos Lozano Membreno. They are five of the 10 men who are being tried for 10 alleged murders that occurred between 2013 and 2016 in Santa Maria. KEYT-TV reported the jury found Mr. Serrano guilty on all charges. A guilty verdict was rendered for Mr. Torres on all but three charges. The jury found Mr. Orellana guilty on all but two charges. Please see MS-13 on A4
Pierre Haobsh sentenced to life in prison There’s no possibility of parole for man convicted of killing the Han family
La Cumbre Peak offers a grand view of Santa Barbara, and it’s just a short hike to reach its picnic area. And there are interesting things to see on the peak, such as an abandoned tower. The peak is known for its Coulter pines, maple trees, manzanita, bay trees and chaparral. No reservations are needed at this Los Padres National Forest day-use site on top of the Santa Ynez Mountains. And the price is right: It’s free.
By DAVE MASON NEWS-PRESS MANAGING EDITOR
KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
Goleta launches search for new city manager By KAITLYN SCHALLHORN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Goleta is on the hunt for a new city manager. Michelle Greene, who has served the city for about 18 years, is retiring from the position at the end of June. Ms. Greene is relocating to Vermont with her family. “We have been fortunate to have her calm demeanor and experience to get us through the challenges of the past two years as well as her counsel and leadership during 18 years with the city, including eight years as our city manager,” Goleta Mayor Paula Perotte said during her State of the City address earlier this week. “We have some big shoes to fill.” Ms. Greene will transition to the role of special adviser so she can continue to assist Goleta with ongoing projects. She was Goleta’s first female city manager. “It has been an incredible honor and privilege to serve the Goleta community for the last 18 years, particularly during the last eight years in the role of city manager,” Ms. Greene said. “It is with great sadness that I must now look to ending the successful partnership with the City Council, as a need to
support elderly family in Vermont requires that I relocate for an indefinite period of time. “But my heart will always be in Goleta. It is an incredibly special place, with an amazing city staff that it has been an honor to work alongside, so I know that I will leave the city in very good hands when the time comes. I wish the Goleta community all the best as the city enters the next phase of its evolution.” Ms. Greene is credited with overseeing Goleta’s response to COVID-19, effecting the purchase of City Hall on Cremona Drive, obtaining nearly $4 million in state funding for the monarch butterfly habitat on Ellwood Mesa and creating a municipal library during her tenure as city manager, among many other things. The city manager will work with the city council to support environmental vitality, ensure economic vitality and stability, strengthen infrastructure, enhance the efficiency and transparency of city operations and return Old Town to a vital center of Goleta, according to a job description. The city manager is responsible for overseeing all departments
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SpaceX to launch Sunday from Vandenberg By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
COURTESY PHOTO
City Manager Michelle Greene
Those interested in the job must apply by May 2 by sending a cover letter and comprehensive resume to apply@ralphandersen.com. Confidential inquiries can also be made by contacting Heather Renschler at 916-630-4900 or heather@ralphandersen.com. email: kschallhorn@newspress.com
email: dmason@newspress.com
Team Vandenberg is set to launch a National Reconnaissance Office mission Sunday aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex-4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base. The launch is scheduled for 6:13 a.m. It’s the second delay for the launch, which was originally scheduled for Friday. Then it was postponed to this morning, then delayed again to Sunday. “NROL-85 is the first NRO mission to reuse a SpaceX rocket booster. NROL-87, launched only two months earlier, was the first NRO launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket intended to be reused for a future mission,” according to a news release from Vandenberg. NROL-85 is the second Falcon 9 Launch procured through the National Security Space Launch contract that will launch
from the Western Range. The mission’s first stage will return to land on Landing Zone 4 at Vandenberg Space Force Base. As the vehicle re-enters, spectators and local residents of Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo counties can expect to hear multiple sonic booms when the vehicle breaks the sound barrier. “A sonic boom is the sound associated with the shock waves from an aircraft or launch vehicle traveling faster than the speed of sound,” Vandenberg explained in its news release. “Sonic booms generate a sound similar to an explosion or a clap of thunder and the degree experienced will depend on weather conditions and other factors.” You can watch the launch live at spacex.com or watch a video of it there later. The live webcast will start 15 minutes before the launch. email: kzehnder@newspress.com
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and staff, reviewing city council agenda material, economic development and capital investment and monitoring Goleta’s financial needs. “The city council seeks a collaborative leader to be able to assume the helm of this organization with the skills and finesse that can only be attributed to an experienced public sector manager complemented with an engaging personal style and a commitment to outstanding customer service,” the job description said. An ideal candidate for the job is someone who is apolitical but politically astute, has strong budget and financial management skills and can establish trust with a diverse group of people, according to the listing. Candidates must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, and a master’s degree in public or business administration or a related field is preferred, the job posting said. Ralph Andersen & Associates, a consulting firm based in Placer County, has been retained for recruitment and evaluation. The goal is to have a new city manager in place by July.
Pierre Haobsh, who was convicted of the 2016 Han family murders, was sentenced Friday to three consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. Each life sentence is for each of the murders that Mr. Haobsh, 32, of Oceanside, committed in 2016. He killed Dr. Weldong “Henry” Han, 57; his wife Huijie “Jennie” Yu, 29, and Emily, their 5-year-old daughter, in their Goleta Valley home and wrapped them in plastic. Judge Brian Hill announced the sentencing Friday in Santa Barbara County Superior Court in Santa Barbara as Mr. Haobsh, who represented himself, listened. Besides the three life sentences, Mr. Haobsh was
sentenced to additional time because of special allegations. During the bench trial last fall, Judge Hill found Mr. Haobsh guilty on all three counts of murder, saying the evidence proved his guilt “beyond a shadow of a doubt.” The guilty verdict included the special circumstances of murder for financial gain and personal discharge of firearm causing great bodily harm. The case was the first time Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce Dudley’s office sought the death penalty, but the penalty was removed during a deal reached between the defense and prosecution. Under the arrangement, Mr. Haobsh was required to waive his right to trial by a jury and leave the verdict up to the judge.
Sudoku................. B3 Sports ................... A3 Weather................ A4
Wednesday’s SUPER LOTTO: 8-10-14-17-40 Mega: 19
Friday’s DAILY 4: 8-9-9-5
Friday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 4-17-20-46-64 Mega: 23
Friday’s FANTASY 5: 2-8-12-19-39
Friday’s DAILY DERBY: 08-11-02 Time: 1:41.10
Wednesday’s POWERBALL: 14-16-41-63-68 Meganumber: 26
Friday’s DAILY 3: 3-5-8 / Midday 9-3-2