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Senator talks about D.C., Trump Sen. Mike Lee addresses students at Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort
Local doctors discuss COVID-19 and flu Physicians address the coming months By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
As California waits for the official end of the COVID-19 state of emergency, the flu season is beginning. Gov. Gavin Newsom announced this week that the state of emergency will end Feb. 28. “The reason they have announced this early is so people can be prepared for provisional changes,” Paige Batson, deputy director for Community Health at the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department, told the News-Press. “They are expecting the ending of the state of emergency will have minimal impact on Caliifornians and are looking to codify provisions into legislation. “One provision is where nurses can dispense therapeutics,” she said. “Another example is COVID testing-exclusive labs are looking to be put into legislation so testing can continue more broadly. The intention is for some of these provisions to continue, and the state is working with the Legislature on this, looking into how to codify provisions and keep them.” “During the course of the
pandemic, we mounted 569 emergency provisions,” Ms. Batson said. “There are only 27 remaining. Early notice is to allow us to start working on local impacts. The numbers have declined significantly, and community spread of COVID is low. “The end of the state of emergency does not mean COVID is done,” Ms. Batson said. “COVID isn’t going away on Feb. 28.” With the state of emergency being phased out, California officials are promoting what they call the SMARTER Plan. “The plan is to be used as a resource to get ahead of future variants or surges,” Ms. Batson explained. “The ‘S’ (in SMARTER) stands for shots and vaccines. The M stands for masks. The ‘A’ stands for awareness (through surveillance and monitoring). The ‘R’ stands for readiness (speaks to using tools and resources to be ready to respond). ‘T’ stands for testing (getting the right tests to where they are needed to reduce spread). The ‘E’ stands for education (keeping schools open and children safe). “And the ‘R’ stands for treatment (Rx),” according to Ms. Please see DOCTORS on A4
ELECTION 2022
Lompoc mayor seeks third term Jenelle Osborne cites improvements in city’s parks and financial health KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, talks about the federal government, the Supreme Court and former President Donald Trump Friday at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort. The speech was part of the Young America’s Foundation’s Wendy P. McCaw Reagan Ranch Roundtable series.
By JARED DANIELS NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, took a break from his competitive Senate race to deliver an address to more than 130 high schoolers in which he discussed the historical growth of the federal government, warned against “tinkering” with the Supreme Court and shared anecdotes about former President Donald Trump. The address, which took place Friday afternoon at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort, was delivered to an audience that included students attending the Young America’s Foundation’s October High School Conference at Reagan Ranch. The event was part of the Wendy P. McCaw Reagan Ranch Roundtable Series. Ms. McCaw is co-publisher of the News-Press. Much of Sen. Lee’s address centered around his belief that the growth of the federal government has vastly expanded outside the scope that the founders intended in the U.S. Constitution. “For the first 150 years of our republic (the United States experienced) human flourishing on a scale we’ve never seen, the biggest period of peacetime economic expansion the world has ever known, more men, women and children being lifted out of poverty than any government program could ever have provided,” Sen. Lee said, praising the founder’s vision.
“All that started to change in the first half of the last century that I trace back to April 12, 1937 … when the Supreme Court decided National Labor Relations Board v. Jones and Laughlin Steel Co.” The decision, according to Sen. Lee, expanded the regulatory authority of Congress to a degree that essentially permitted it to regulate “anything,” which in his opinion left the congressional branch unable to “keep up with the legislative demands” that resulted from their expanded authority. Sen. Lee said that subsequently led to a trend in which Congress “outsources” its regulatory authority to federal bureaucracies. “About a year ago, OSHA came out with this rule that says if you’re an employer and you’ve got more than 99 workers, (OSHA is) going to fine you $15,000 per day for every employee that has not received the COVID-19 vaccine,” Sen. Lee said. “Congress never made that law. Congress could never have passed that law. Nonetheless, Congress empowered that by empowering these agencies.” According to Sen. Lee, this was all made possible by President Franklin Roosevelt’s threats to pack the Supreme Court, which he believed caused the court to adopt a more acquiescent stance towards the New Deal agenda. “When you tinker with what the federal government’s purpose is, problems arise,” Sen. Lee said. “When you tinker with what the purpose of the (Supreme Court)
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is, problems arise,” said Sen. Lee, author of “Saving Nine,” a book about the court. “When you threaten the court with a political solution designed to make the court a political entity, the court will start behaving in a political manner.” Sen. Lee then went on to express his concern with what he views as moves by President Joe Biden to make expanding the Supreme Court a reality. The Utah senator pointed to the establishment of a presidential commission to study potential overhauls to the court as an example. “Anyone who increases (the size of the Supreme Court) at any moment will almost certainly have political motives as their purpose, rather than the effective administration of justice,” Sen. Lee cautioned. He also took some time to recount some of his experiences with President Trump, which included the retellings of a tense first meeting between the two and an early collaboration with the former president on health care legislation. “At the urging of some mutual acquaintances, I flew back to New York to sit down with the president-elect, Donald Trump, to break the ice and get to know him a little bit,” Sen. Lee said, noting the two’s relationship got off to a “rocky start” due to the senator’s initial skepticism of the former president. “Let’s just say it wasn’t a pleasant thing for the first 10 or 15 minutes.” Sen. Lee recounted that his
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email: jdaniels@newspress.com
By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Jenelle Osborne is running for her third term as Lompoc mayor against James Mosby. Just before becoming mayor, Mayor Osborne served as a Lompoc City Council member from 2016 to 2018. “After I was elected (mayor), the dynamics changed. We had really been struggling, and the prior majority had been making cuts and eliminating positions,” Mayor Jenelle Osborne told the NewsPress. She noted the city’s 1% sales tax increase measure passed in March 2020. The current council majority has made decisions to use the first $6 million of American Rescue Plan Act funds to make upgrades such as police radios and purchase a new fire truck. Beattie Park is now the first all-inclusive play-ground in the county, Mayor Osborne said. The park includes a general socializing area and the playground is much larger than in the past. Mayor Osborne said the playground facilities are now ADA-compliant. “The swing structure and slides are designed for those with mobility access issues.” Mayor Osborne said. “Swings allow families to get on together, and some slides are large enough to allow adults to go down with kids. There is also an outdoor gym including stations with QR codes which provide workouts. The park also includes a social area with
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Mayor Jenelle Osborne
FYI For more about Mayor Jenelle Osborne, visit www. vote4osborne.com. a gazebo which can be rented for parties. There is also a windwall with outdoor tables to play games such as table top tennis or ping pong. “There are also LED lights on a timer. The lights are also motion-sensitive so they will turn on if someone walks through the park when the lights are off. This will allow the cameras to pick up what is happening.” said Mayor Osborne. “Congressman (Salud) Carbajal approved $1.3 million for congressional funds in the next budget to help with Pioneer Park,” she noted. “Pioneer Park is one of our oldest parks and includes the Babe Ruth baseball field. This park is everyone’s backyard. The playground is limping along and past its prime. “We have over 200 acres of Please see OSBORNE on A4
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i n s i de Classified.............. B4 Life..................... B1-2 Obituaries............. A4
initial attempts to steer the conversation away from the subject of his early estimations of Mr. Trump were unsuccessful. That led him to take a more direct approach by telling the president-elect that “Insofar as you fight as president to restore federalism, separation of powers and constitutionally-limited government generally, you will have no better friend, no greater ally in the United States Senate.” “Insofar as you work to undercut, undermine and demean any of those constitutional interests, I will be a thorn in your side, a pain in your neck, your worst nightmare, and you will wish I was never born,” Sen. Lee continued. “And he said ‘all right,’ and from that moment forward we got along great because he understood me.” A few weeks after that, according to Mr. Lee, the senator received a phone call from Mr. Trump asking him to help gain the House Freedom Caucus’ support on a bill regarding the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. “The Freedom people don’t like the bill, and the Freedom people like you (and) respect you,” Sen. Lee recalled Mr. Trump telling him.“If you vote for it, (the Freedom Caucus will) vote for it. If you vote for it, it will pass the House, and if it passes the House, it will pass in the Senate. And when you pass this into law, I will have you stand at my right side in the Oval Office.”
Editor’s note: This is part of a series about local candidates in advance of the Nov. 8 general election.
Sudoku................. B3 Weather................ A4
Wednesday’s SUPER LOTTO: 8-12-14-26-37 Mega: 9
Friday’s DAILY 4: 8-9-6-4
Friday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 34-36-43-45-68 Mega: 22
Friday’s FANTASY 5: 6-8-12-19-21
Friday’s DAILY DERBY: 02-01-12 Time: 1:41.50
Wednesday’s POWERBALL: 6-8-15-27-42 Meganumber: 10
Friday’s DAILY 3: 0-3-7 / Midday 1-6-5