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Our 166th Year
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T H U R S DAY, J A N UA RY 6 , 2 0 2 2
SB gets $7.3 million from sales tax City’s fall figures up 23% from same period in 2020 By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
The city of Santa Barbara received $7.3 million in sales tax revenue for the quarter that ended Sept. 30. This is 23% higher than for the same quarter in 2020. The city attributed the increase in large part due to increased activity since last year when the pandemic was still in its peak. Other contributing factors are the effects of higher inflation, continued growth in online sales and the
collection of deferred sales taxes, according to a news release. The deferred sales tax was instituted by Gov. Gavin Newsom as an early COVID-19 relief measure for businesses. Due to the new COVID-19 omicron variant, the following quarters could reflect a negative impact on economic activity, according to the city. The September quarter is the first quarter of the city’s fiscal year, and the sales tax revenue budget for the entire fiscal year is $23.2 million.
Transient Occupancy Taxes amounted to $2.2 million in November. This is approximately $990,000 higher than TOT collections in 2020 for the same month, when stricter COVID-19 restrictions and travel advisories were in place. This is also 39% higher than November 2019, but this is largely due to increased daily average rates, which are also 39% higher than in 2019. The increase in TOT money comes with the recent improvement in the local travel industry. There has been steady improvement in the demand for rooms throughout the fall with the lifting of travel advisories
and the broad availability of vaccinations, according to the city of Santa Barbara. The city has collected $14.8 million through November, the fifth month in the city’s fiscal year. The city’s budgeted funds from TOT is $23.4 million, of which $19.5 million is slated for the General Fund. The city’s TOT tax rate is 12%. Ten percent goes to the city’s general fund, and the remaining 2% goes to the Creeks/Clean Water Fund. email: kzehnder@newspress.com
50 more COVID cases at SB jail By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
KENNETH SONG/NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
Volunteers are scheduled to gather Saturday to prune the flowers at the A.C. Postel Memorial Rose Garden, which is located across from the Santa Barbara Mission.
Rose Pruning Day returns
Fifty additional COVID-19 cases related to the Main Jail outbreak, which began Dec. 8, have been identified. Fifty-four COVID-positive cases have recovered since the last update, and there are now 83 active cases at the Santa Barbara jail, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office. There has been a total of 169 cases in this outbreak, which includes 82 recovered cases and four inmates who were released. All COVID-positive inmates are continuously monitored by custody staff and the county’s Wellpath partners. None of the COVID positive inmates in this outbreak have required hospitalization, Thirty inmates have reported being symptomatic, 138 are asymptomatic and one inmate declined to discuss the presence or absence of symptoms. The sheriff’s office said COVID-positive inmates are moved to an area of the facility with negative pressure cells. The rest are placed in small groups and isolated from the other inmates. Inmates who have been exposed but not tested positive
are also isolated. Inmates with severe symptoms or who have underlying health conditions are transported to a hospital for evaluation and treatment, although none of the inmates in this outbreak have necessitated hospital transport. At the request of the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department, the California Department of Public Health has assisted with testing at the Main Jail and has provided a team of medical professionals who will remain in the facility for the duration of this outbreak. Inmates are tested when they arrive in the jail’s custody and are housed separately from the general population during the initial 10 days of their stay, according to the sheriff’s office. They are tested again before they are moved out of the quarantine area into other areas of the facility. Inmates are tested whenever they exhibit symptoms and whenever they might have been exposed to someone who has tested positive. The sheriff’s office continues to offer all three of the COVID vaccines to all inmates in its care. email: kzehnder@newspress.com
Special day planned at A.C. Postel Memorial Rose Garden By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
The iconic garden contains more than 1,500 rose bushes.
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Rose Pruning Day will return Saturday at the iconic rose garden near the Santa Barbara Mission. The Rose Society and the Santa Barbara Department of Parks and Recreation invites the community to attend the annual A. C. Postel Memorial Rose Garden pruning event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. “The timeless beauty of the roses is nothing without the care and dedication from all of our volunteers,” Parks Supervisor Ramiro Arroyo said. “Every year, there are comments made about how magnificent the roses look when they bloom after each pruning, and every year we think they look better than the year before.” The iconic garden is located in Mission Historical Park across
from the Santa Barbara Mission and contains more than 1,500 rose bushes. The Parks and Recreation department staff and Rose Society members care for the rose bushes throughout the year. “The mission rose garden is a special place that is enjoyed by so many people from many different places. Without question, visitors and locals take in the magnificence of the garden that has been tended to by our volunteers and city parks staff,” Mr. Arroyo told the News-Press Wednesday in an email. “The garden would be nothing without their hard work and commitment especially during the annual pruning that takes place every January. There isn’t a year that goes by that people aren’t in awe of the beauty of the garden in its Please see ROSES on A2
RAFAEL MALDONADO/NEWS-PRESS FILE PHOTO
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office reports there are now 83 active COVID-19 cases at the Main Jail, the Santa Barbara site where an outbreak started Dec. 8.
INSIDE
L O T T E RY RESULTS
Classified...............B4 Life..................... B1-3 Obituaries...............A4
Wednesday’s SUPER LOTTO: 2-9-17-20-25 Meganumber: 7
Wednesday’s DAILY 4: 8-7-1-2
Tuesday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 4-6-16-21-22 Meganumber: 1
Wednesday’s FANTASY 5: 1-6-8-18-38
Wednesday’s DAILY DERBY: 10-06-02 Time: 1:45.23
Wednesday’s POWERBALL: 6-14-25-33-46
Sudoku...................B3 Sports ...................A2 Weather.................A4
Wednesday’s DAILY 3: 6-7-5 / Wednesday’s Midday 8-0-3