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Debate on recession UCSB economics professor says he doesn’t think U.S. is in one
Assault weapons ban passes in House But legislation is expected to stall in the Senate By DAVE MASON NEWS-PRESS MANAGING EDITOR
KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
People go past the stores in the 900 block of State Street in downtown Santa Barbara. Despite a second consecutive quarter of decline in the Gross Domestic Product, Peter Rupert, executive director of the UCSB Economic Forecast Project, said he doesn’t believe the U.S. is in a recession.
Peter Rupert
COURTESY PHOTO
By KATHERINE ZEHNDER
The first federal ban on assault weapons since the 1990s passed Friday in the House. The vote was 217-213, with the Democratic majority supporting and all but two Republicans voting against it. Five Democrats opposed it. The measure moves on to the Senate, where the Democratic majority will face the usual question of whether it can muster the 10 Republican votes needed to avoid a filibuster. And that’s assuming all 50 senators who caucus with the Democratic Party vote for it. Political analysts predict the bill won’t pass in the Senate, where Republicans have opposed it as unconstitutional and see it as taking rights away from lawabiding citizens. Republicans also see the bill as an election-year strategy by Democrats trying to keep their majorities in the House and Senate. Traditionally the party in control of the White House loses its control of at least one chamber of Congress during the midterm after the start of a president’s first term. But Democrats say the legislation is essential to protect lives after the recent mass shootings across the U.S., including those in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, N.Y. The legislation bans the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession or importation of many kinds of semi-automatic weapons. The legislation was authored by U.S. Rep. David Cicilline, DRhode Island. Congress initially banned assault weapons in 1994, but the ban expired a decade later. During Friday’s vote, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the initial ban “saved lives.” But the National Rifle Association on Friday said the 1994 ban failed to significantly reduce crime and described the new House Resolution 1808, the
Assault Weapons Ban of 2022, as deceptive. “The promises made in HR 1808 are nothing short of a lie based on willful ignorance of the disastrous 1994 Clinton Gun Ban, which failed to produce any significant drop in crime,” the NRA-Institute for Legislative Action said in a statement on its website (nraila.org.) “With more than 24 million potentiallybanned firearms in common use, these draconian restrictions fall in blatant opposition to the Supreme Court’s rulings in Bruen, Caetano v. Massachusetts and DC v. Heller.” President Joe Biden, meanwhile, urged the Senate to quickly approve the legislation and send it to his desk. U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal, DSanta Barbara, praised the House’s action. “As a Marine Corps veteran, I’ve seen firsthand the destruction that assault rifles are capable of,” Rep. Carbajal said in a statement sent Friday to the News-Press. “They are weapons of war. They’re designed to do more harm, faster. And they have no place in our communities or on our streets. “But tragically, the vast majority of the deadliest mass shootings that we have seen in recent years have been carried out with one of these deadly weapons,” he said. “It was wrong of Congress to let the assault weapons ban expire in 2004, and I’ve been fighting to revive it since my first day in office,” Rep. Carbajal said. “If we want to end gun violence, we have to crack down on the weapons that mass shooters and criminals prefer.” The new law includes $750 million set aside for states to create and administer “red flag” laws and other measures that can keep guns out of the hands of those who are deemed to be a threat to themselves or others. That was something Rep. Carbajal originally proposed in his Extreme Risk Protection Order Act. email: dmason@newspress.com
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
The debate continues on whether the U.S. is in a recession, after Thursday’s report showing a second consecutive quarter of negative growth in the Gross Domestic Product. The report indicated a decrease at an annual rate of 0.9%. Despite the report, the White House denies there’s a recession, and Dr. Peter Rupert of UCSB agrees. “No, I would not consider us in recession,” said Dr. Rupert, a professor of economics and the executive director of the UCSB Economic Forecast Project. “There are many parts of the economy that are very strong, especially the housing market,” Dr. Rupert told the News-Press Friday, answering questions by email. “Yes, things have slowed down, but from a pretty high level. “We are always in ‘danger’ of entering a recession as many different things can and
Two passersby approach Brandy Melville women’s clothing store at 939 State St. The White House says consumer spending is one of the criteria in describing the economy.
do happen,” Dr. Rupert said, answering the News-Press’ questions by email. He noted unemployment remains very low. “There are more job openings than we have seen before, about two open jobs for every unemployed person,” he said. “So there are lots of opportunities to find a good job.” While recession is commonly defined as two consecutive quarters of negative growth, this is not an official definition. “There is no real definition of recession,” Dr. Rupert said. The private, nonpartisan organization that determines whether there’s a recession is the
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National Bureau of Economic Research. “They look at a general view of the economy using data from output as well as the labor market,” Dr. Rupert said. “The NBER is the group that announces whether we are in.a recession or not,” he said. “They merely look at various pieces of information that would describe the overall economy. Obviously there can be some sectors that are not doing well and others doing great. And if you are in an industry that is facing declining demand (whether in recession or not), then employment can fall leading to more unemployment. “A recession is one in which
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By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
The city of Goleta this week celebrated the unveiling and completion of Monarch 1, Goleta’s first solar array, at a green ribboncutting at Goleta City Hall. The event was attended Wednesday by approximately 60 people including the entire Goleta City Council, city staff, dignitaries, stakeholders, staff from neighboring jurisdictions, and community members. Peter Imhof, director of the Goleta Planning and Environmental Review and recently retired, former Sustainability Manager Cindy
Moore cut the green ribbon underneath the new installation, followed by cheers from the audience. The Monarch 1 Solar project will generate 210 kilowatts of solar power, which will power nearly 100% of city hall’s energy usage with clean, renewable energy produced on-site, according to the city of Goleta. It’s located behind Goleta City Hall, 130 Cremona Drive, Goleta. Monarch 1 is wired to be microgrid ready and includes prewiring for six electric vehicle charging stations to be installed in the future. Anticipated savings for the city over the 25-year lifespan Please see MONARCH 1 on A10
LOTTERY
in s i de Classified.............. A6 Life..................... A7-8 Obituaries........... A10
there are widespread declines,” said Dr. Rupert. According to the NBER: “A recession is the period between a peak of economic activity and its subsequent trough, or lowest point. Between trough and peak, the economy is in an expansion … “The NBER’s definition emphasizes that a recession involves a significant decline in economic activity that is spread across the economy and lasts more than a few months. In our interpretation of this definition, we treat the three criteria — depth, diffusion and duration— as somewhat interchangeable. That is, while each criterion Please see RECESSION on A10
City of Goleta unveils Monarch 1 solar array
Sudoku................. A9 Weather.............. A10
Wednesday’s SUPER LOTTO: 2-8-11-13-21 Mega: 21
Friday’s DAILY 4: 2-9-4-2
Friday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 13-36-45-57-67 Mega: 14
Friday’s FANTASY 5: 9-14-16-25-33
Friday’s DAILY DERBY: 12-05-11 Time: 1:47.61
Wednesday’s POWERBALL: 1-25-44-55-57 Meganumber: 26
Friday’s DAILY 3: 5-8-5 / Midday 0-0-0