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California senators question Judge Jackson at hearing
‘Nobody wants Putin here’ Ukrainian woman describes devastation in her hometown
Supreme Court nominee answers inquiries from Sens. Padilla, Feinstein By: KAITLYN SCHALLHORN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
When it came time for his turn to question Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson during her U.S. Supreme Court confirmation hearing, U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla gleaned from his time as California’s secretary of state to ask her about elections. The junior senator from California, specifically, asked Judge Jackson what she perceived the role of the U.S. Supreme Court to be in protecting the right to vote. “The right to vote is protected by our Constitution. The Constitution makes clear that no one is to be discriminated against in terms of their exercise of voting, and the Congress has used its constitutional authority to enact many statutes that are aimed at voting protection,” Judge Jackson responded. “There are also laws that relate to ensuring that there is not only voting access but ensuring that there isn’t fraud in terms of voting.” Judge Jackson recognized voting-related concerns can come before the nation’s highest court, and the court will then interpret the applicable laws while already
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Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson
having “acknowledged (voting) is a fundamental right.” Sens. Padilla and Dianne Feinstein, both Democrats from California, sit on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is considering Judge Jackson’s Supreme Court nomination this week. Sen. Padilla also asked Judge Jackson about her opinion on the federal government’s responsibility with tribal governments and sovereignty, noting California is home Please see HEARING on A2
Newsom unveils gas tax relief proposal By KAITLYN SCHALLHORN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
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Tatyana Taruta called for even stricter sanctions to be placed on Russia and Vladimir Putin and advocated for all trade with Russia to be halted. “But what’s most important right now is to stop this war,” she said.
By KAITLYN SCHALLHORN NEWS-PRESS STAFF-WRITER
A Russian-language speaker from Mariupol, Tatyana Taruta is exactly who Russian President Vladimir Putin has said needs to be “liberated” from Ukraine. Instead, Ms. Taruta said from Santa Barbara this week, Mr. Putin needs to be stopped. Ms. Taruta, who was born and raised in Ukraine, spoke to Santa Barbara’s chapter of the United Nations Association of the United States of America Tuesday afternoon, describing how her hometown has been decimated by Russia’s war and how she believes the U.S. and other countries can help. Ms. Taruta was actually supposed to be in Ukraine by now. She said she was visiting California with her husband, who is from Santa Barbara, and was
expected to return to Ukraine on March 6. But the war has prevented her from going home. “She has a 2-year-old and was still desperate to go back, desperate to help her family, desperate to help her country,” Santa Barbara County Supervisor Das Williams said when introducing Ms. Taruta to the UNA-USA group. “She has a desperate need to make a difference during this crisis.” Ms. Taruta described the “hell” that is now her home of Mariupol where her friends and family remain trapped without access to food, water or medication. People are praying for rain just to have water, she said. And nowhere is safe. Apartment buildings are bombed, there are constant gunfights in the streets, and bomb shelters are specifically targeted,
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she said. Civilians, including women and children, aren’t able to flee. She hasn’t heard from many of her closest friends in weeks and has no idea if they are still alive. News reports have shown the absolute devastation and havoc the war has wreaked on Mariupol, a city of more than 400,000 people, in recent weeks. Last week, a theater where estimated hundreds of citizens were sheltering was bombed, despite the word “children” written on the outside walls. The city is completely destroyed, Ms. Taruta said. “Ukraine is a young democracy, and it’s the last democracy in the area,” Ms. Taruta said. “If this democracy falls, then the whole region is reigned by tyrants. This is one of the reasons why it should be important to the world that Putin is stopped.” She emphatically added:
“Nobody wants Putin there. Everybody hates Putin. They hated him before, but now it’s beyond hate. Nobody wants Russia to be in Mariupol.” Ms. Taruta called for even stricter sanctions to be placed on Russia and Mr. Putin and advocated for all trade with Russia to be halted. “But what’s most important right now is to stop this war,” she said. During the recent Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Ms. Taruta stood sentry outside State Street theaters, hoping to raise awareness about what her family and her friends are having to endure. And she’s nowhere near ready to give up advocating for her home yet. email: kschallhorn@newspress. com
Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed sending California drivers as much as $800 in an effort to provide relief amid skyrocketing gas prices. The governor’s plan, unveiled two weeks after he teased relief in his State of the State address, would provide $400 per vehicle in tax refunds to Californians with a cap of two vehicles per person. The refund would be issued in debit cards to registered vehicle owners. Gov. Newsom’s plan would also unlock $750 million in incentive grants for transit and rail agencies to provide free rides for Californians for three months and $600 million to pause part of the sales tax rate on diesel for one year. Additionally, his plan called for $523 million to pause the inflationary adjustment to gas and diesel excise tax rates. “We’re taking immediate action to get money directly into the pockets of Californians who are facing higher gas prices as a direct result of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine,” Gov. Newsom said in a statement. “But this package is also focused on protecting people from volatile gas prices and advancing clean transportation — providing three months of free public transportation, fast-tracking electric vehicle incentives and
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Gov. Gavin Newsom
charging stations and new funding for local biking and walking projects.” On Wednesday, California’s average gas price climbed to $5.88, above the national average of $4.24. The average for regular gas in the Santa Barbara area, in comparison, was about $5.93, and for diesel, it was $6.20. California Democrats have proposed a bevy of relief ideas, from $400 rebates to refunds based on dependents. Republicans have called for a pause on the gas tax. Sen. Monique Limón, D-Santa Barbara, previously told the Please see PROPOSAL on B4
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