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CEC’s new hub State Street facility to serve as base for people concerned about the environment
Retired SB County deputy probation officer sentenced to prison By LIAM HIBBERT NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
Retired Santa Barbara County Deputy Probation Officer Manuel Edward Torres, 67, has been sentenced to 11 years in state prison for theft of over $500,000 in public funds. Between 2009 and 2019 Mr. Torres stole roughly $635,000 dollars in union dues paid to the Santa Barbara County Probation Peace Officer Association (SBCPPOA). Mr. Torres, a county probation officer since 1986, had acted as president of the SBCPPOA for over 20 years before retiring in 2019. “The theft of public funds violates the trust that the people give their public officials and can not be tolerated,” said District Attorney John Savrnoch.
PHOTOS COURTESY CEC
Santa Barbara Mayor Randy Rowse cuts the ribbon Thursday evening for the Community Environmental Council’s new hub, across from The Granada on State Street. Left of Mayor Rowse is Sigrid Wright, chief executive officer of the CEC. NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
The Community Environmental Council has opened a new community-based hub on State Street. The new base for the Central Coast environmentally-focused group was officially unveiled Thursday during a ribbon cutting that included the CEC team and Santa Barbara officials such as Mayor Randy Rowse. The building will act as a center for the CEC and any members of the community who need a space to meet and strategize. “The environmental issues that we’re facing, like climate change, are far too complex for any one organization to solve. It requires an all-in approach,” Sigrid Wright, the chief executive officer of the CEC, told the News-Press Friday. “I think people sometimes don’t know where to go or what to do to get started. Some of that is just meeting — start where you’re at.” Ms. Wright said the issues presented by climate change are real and active, not just around the globe, but here along the Central Coast as well. She highlighted a local approach, stating the need for communitymade solutions to the issues that will emerge in this area. “We knew from years of doing this work that the community was really lacking in meeting space,” said Ms. Wright. “You can go to hotels, you can sit in the conference rooms in banks, but there really aren’t spaces that are dedicated to nonprofits and activists doing this type of work.”
The Environmental Hub is over 10,000 square feet of space at 1219 State St., right across the street from The Granada. The CEC has been in operation since 1970 and was one of the country’s first ecological centers. Over the decades the CEC — named California’s 2020 nonprofit of the year — has pushed the state for important legislation changes. The organization helped pass Please see CEC on A8
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The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and major trade centers across the state will employ projects that increase the capacity to move goods. awards are in zero-emission projects which bolsters a commitment made in March between California and Japan to cut planet-warming pollution at seaports and establish green shipping corridors. One of three major LA Ports projects of the Port and Freight Infrastructure Program (PFIP) is at the Port of Los AngelesPort of Long Beach. The Maritime Support Facility (MSF) Improvement and Expansion Project will reduce truckmiles-traveled inside container terminals by expanding the facility from 30 acres of container storage to 70 acres of storage at all 12 container terminals. This is expected to reduce truck-miles-traveled inside container terminals and the associated emissions to Please see CALSTA on A8
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By RIA ROEBUCK JOSEPH (The Center Square) - An estimated $1.5 billion to improve efficiency and build a more reliant supply chain for the movement of goods throughout the state’s local and global trade gateways, has been apportioned by California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA). The fund assigned $1.2 billion to 15 port/rail projects and $350 million to 13 transit/rail bridge projects. At the award event at the Port of Long Beach on July 6, Transportation Secretary Toks Omishakin identified how the projects awarded qualified for the funding. “CalSTA’s ‘Core Four’ priorities are safety, climate action, equity and economic prosperity, and the strategic investments announced today shine in all those areas,” he said. The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and major trade centers across the state will employ projects that increase the capacity to move goods. Other high-priority projects to build rail bridges will see improvements in safety and time at rail crossings, as freight trains at street-level are eliminated. “This investment in critical Port of Los Angeles projects, along with supporting regional projects, will accelerate our efforts to boost competitiveness, create jobs and enhance decarbonization efforts,” said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka. Almost 40% of the Port and Freight Infrastructure Program
Above, the community gathers at the official opening of the Environmental Hub. At right, Charles Newman, first vice president of the Community Environmental Council, meets with the council’s CEO, Sigrid Wright.
email: news@newspress.com
CalSTA announces $1.5 billion for rail bridges and ports THE CENTER SQUARE CONTRIBUTOR
By LIAM HIBBERT
“The hard-working people who make up the SBCPPOA deserved more from one of their own who was entrusted with their hard earned money.” On April 27 of this year Mr. Torres pleaded guilty to the felony charge of theft of public funds across the ten years. In addition to the prison sentence, Mr. Torres has been ordered to pay over $1 million in restitution to the SBCPPOA and $300,000 in restitution to the California Franchise Tax Board. There is an administrative action in place to have Mr. Torres’ retirement benefits taken back from 2009-2019 by the Santa Barbara County Employees’ Retirement System.
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