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T H U R S DAY, O C T O B E R 6 , 2 0 2 2
Falcon 9 soars from Vandenberg
NEWS-PRESS EXCLUSIVE
Despite the fog, it was a picture-perfect launch By DAVE MASON NEWS-PRESS MANAGING EDITOR
KENNETH SONG/NEWS-PRESS FILE PHOTO
Beached boats have long been a problem in Santa Barbara. In this 2020 News-Press photo, a jogger runs past a beached sailboat at East Beach.
Dealing with boat wrecks
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket rose through the dense fog late Wednesday afternoon at Vandenberg Space Force Base and soared above the fog — first into the vast blue sky, then into the darkness of space. Liftoff was at 4:10 p.m. from Space Launch Complex 4E. A minute or so later, the first stage separated, and the second stage carried 52 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit. They’re intended to help bring the internet to 40 countries, and that includes remote locations. After the launch, the first stage booster landed, right on target, on the drone ship called Of Course, I Still Love You. It was parked 100 miles off the California coast. This was the booster’s fifth launch and landing. It was used to launch NROL-87, NROL85, SARah-1 and two Starlink missions. Before the launch Wednesday, fog blanketed the Vandenberg launch pad. The rocket was barely visible on the live
webcast at spacex.com. But white gas could be seen as some of the liquid oxygen vaporized as it made contact with the air. A minute after liftoff, the Falcon 9 was traveling faster than the speed of sound, according to SpaceX commentator Kate Tice, who narrated the live webcast from the company’s headquarters in Hawthorne. At 2 minutes, 36 seconds, separation of the first stage was confirmed. “We can now see the Starlink satellites are being deployed,” said Ms. Tice, the quality systems engineering manager. SpaceX showed a split screen. On one side was the first stage returning to Earth, and on the other was the glow behind the second stage with a dramatic backdrop that got Ms. Tice’s attention. “I love that view of Earth in the background,” she said. To slow the first stage for its descent toward the drone ship, Falcon 9 ignited three Merlin engines as it re-entered the Please see SPACEX on A4
ELECTION 2022
Heal the Ocean field supervisor points to problems with unmanned boats washing ashore in Santa Barbara
Goleta planning commissioner seeks city council seat
Sam Ramirez says he would like to address affordable housing and homelessness Editor’s note: This is part of a series on local candidates in advance of the Nov. 8 general election. By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
PHOTOS COURTESY HEAL THE OCEAN
At left, after washing ashore in Santa Barbara, an unmanned boat is placed into a MarBorg dumpster. Harry Rabin said a single Danforth fluke anchor held the boat to a sandy bottom at Fools Anchorage off coast near the Santa Barbara pier. At right, Heal the Ocean held the owner of this second boat responsible during its cleanup effort, field supervisor Harry Rabin said, adding that the owner and his friends helped with the cleanup.
By NEIL HARTSTEIN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Some people might consider two recent boat wrecks washing up on East Beach as separate, isolated incidents with nothing in common. Others might dismiss them as nothing more than a bizarre coincidence, given that they happened just one week apart. Both would be wrong. According to Harry Rabin, field supervisor for Heal the Ocean, they are simply the latest examples of a long pattern of unmanned boats washing ashore city and county beaches, each posing an environmental hazard by threatening to spill their fuel, oil, batteries and other toxic materials into ocean waters. “It has happened pretty consistently over the last three
years,” Mr. Rabin told the NewsPress in an exclusive interview. “It used to be a seasonal thing like fires. However, with climate change weather has become unpredictable. So these landings are now happening at different times during the year. “It’s bad.” The vast majority of these boats that wind up in the surf and on Santa Barbara shores are anchored rather than attached to a secure mooring, Mr. Rabin said. “Anchorage is free vs. mooring. Storm surges and a sandy ocean floor are a bad combination. Such is the case with the boats that anchor east of the harbor in city waters and county waters.” And the problem could get a whole lot worse, Mr. Rabin said. “There are several derelict semi-abandoned boats” anchored
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off shore, he said. “Several of them are inoperable, just another disaster waiting to happen. For some reason the definition of ‘vessel’ is being ignored if these unshipworthy boats were moored prior to December of 2015 — sort of ‘grandfathered’ on the books that they do not need to be operable. This is the definition, and the rest of a ‘vessel’ can be overlooked. A bit ridiculous …” “We live in different times since the old maritime laws from the 1800s, and (there’s an) earlier need to come off the books in my opinion,” he added. “A good example of that is when the Conception went, the insurance company did not have to worry about covering costs more than the actual value of the boat to the victims of what was clearly a lapse in the NTSB (National
Transportation Safety Board) staying on top of modernizing ship worthiness and regulations.” “That was 1851 Maritime Law, one that was applied to the victims of the Titanic!” Mr. Rabin noted. “Changes are needed in this backward dependence on old maritime laws that need changing. These are my opinions … not necessarily those of Heal the Ocean, for whom I am an adviser and researcher.” To address these issues and more, a new committee made up of city of Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara County and federal officials — announced last month by Heal The Ocean Executive Director Hillary Hauser — will meet Monday, the first time they’ve met since six months ago, Mr. Please see BOATS on B4
Goleta Planning Commissioner Sam Ramirez wants to take his next step in shaping the city’s future. Mr. Ramirez, who cited the need to address affordable housing and homelessness, is running for the District 2 seat on the Goleta City Council, He will face incumbent James Kyriaco in the Nov. 8 general election. “Goleta is my home. My wife and I chose to raise our kids here, and I want to play a role in shaping the future of Goleta. I have 20 years of government experience, and I think I have a lot to offer,” Mr. Ramirez, who announced his candidacy on June 20, told the News-Press. “COVID highlighted a need for leadership, especially at the local level reimagining what it could be,” Mr. Ramirez said. “I have said through the whole campaign that all politics is local and people care about the pothole in the middle of the street. These things impact quality of life and day-to-day living. “We are at a point in Goleta’s
COURTESY PHOTO
Sam Ramirez
history where we can take on some of the tough issues, and I don’t think Goleta has done enough,” Mr. Ramirez said. Mr. Ramirez said Goleta can improve in the areas of housing, parking and more. In addition to his role on the Goleta Planning Commission, Mr. Ramirez serves on the board of directors for his homeowners’ association. He has a bachelor’s degree in government from Cal State Sacramento and attended the Executive Education for State Please see CANDIDATE on A4
INSIDE
L O T T E RY RESULTS
Classified................. B4 Life...................... B1-2 Obituaries............... A4
Wednesday’s SUPER LOTTO: 2-8-9-28-43 Meganumber: 14
Wednesday’s DAILY 4: 4-6-4-0
Tuesday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 15-18-2533-38 Meganumber: 25
Wednesday’s FANTASY 5: 6-15-27-35-37
Wednesday’s DAILY DERBY: 11-09-04 Time: 1:48.54
Wednesday’s POWERBALL: 26-30-33-37-62 Meganumber: 6
Sudoku................... B3 Weather................. A4
Wednesday’s DAILY 3: 2-8-7 / Wednesday’s Midday 8-9-7