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Our 166th Year
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T U E S DAY, J A N UA RY 11, 2 0 2 2
New year, new mayor Swearing-in ceremony takes place today; Santa Barbara City Council to meet for first time in 2022
COVID-19 hospitalizations double in the U.S. SB County Public Health operates testing sites; new jury trials suspended By FORREST MCFARLAND NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
Hospitalizations in the U.S. reached a record high Monday as the omicron variant spreads rapidly across the nation. More than 132,646 people were in the hospital Monday. This surpassed the record of 132,051 set in January of last year. According to data from the Department of Health and Human Services, this number currently is more than 141,000. It is unclear whether all of these hospitalizations are due
to COVID-19-related symptoms or if people tested positive for COVID-19 after being admitted for other reasons. Hospitalizations have increased since December when omicron overtook delta as the dominant variant. In the past two weeks, hospitalizations have doubled. According to a Reuters analysis, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin Please see COVID on A2
SB Neighborhood Clinics CEO is retiring this year Dr. Charles Fenzi is known for his local accomplishments By FORREST MCFARLAND NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS
Randy Rowse, who will be sworn in today as the Santa Barbara mayor, smiles during his election-night party, shortly after seeing his lead.
By ANNELISE HANSHAW NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
The Santa Barbara City Council will meet today for a consent agenda and ceremonial items — including the installment of a new mayor. Former council member Randy Rowse was elected mayor with over an 11% margin between him and business owner James Joyce. Outgoing mayor Cathy Murillo will speak, and the city will recognize her for her service with a plaque. Then Mr. Rowse and re-elected
councilmembers Eric Friedman, Meagan Harmon and Kristen Sneddon will be sworn into their roles. Each will have an opportunity to give comments. The ceremony will be held in front of Santa Barbara City Hall. The public may attend, but anyone who wants to make a public comment must do so via Zoom. After the ceremony, the council will adjourn to council chambers, where the public can watch via Zoom, City TV, the city’s website and YouTube. The meeting begins with a 12-item consent agenda, which is usually passed
without discussion. Included on the agenda is a resolution, which will update the way teleconferencing is conducted. The Brown Act, a California law that ensures access to governmental bodies, was amended in the fall. Consequently, the Santa Barbara City Council could no longer create overarching public-comment time limits, such as 30 minutes per agenda item, unless it was committed to the limit whether or not people showed up to speak. The resolution also re-establishes the Please see COUNCIL on A2
Newsom hints at future taxpayer rebates By MADISON HIRNEISEN THE CENTER SQUARE STAFF REPORTER
(The Center Square) — With California anticipated to exceed its appropriations limit in the upcoming budget year, Gov. Gavin Newsom hinted on Monday that California taxpayers would likely see some form of rebate. On Monday, Gov. Newsom unveiled his $286 billion budget proposal, including a projected $45.7 billion surplus. With this surplus, the state is anticipated to exceed the State Appropriations Limit, also known as the Gann Limit — a 1979 voter initiative that caps state and local government spending at 1978-1979 levels adjusted for inflation. If the state exceeds the Gann Limit, state lawmakers must allocate the money very specifically – increase spending
on education and allocate money back to the taxpayers. Lawmakers also have the ability to spend money on projects excluded from the limit, including infrastructure. When faced with a nearly $80 billion surplus last year, Gov. Newsom allocated about $12 billion in tax rebates to California taxpayers through the Golden State Stimulus program. Millions of Californians below certain income levels received $1,100 payments, some of which are still being delivered. Gov. Newsom said Monday that the state is expecting to exceed the Gann Limit by about $2.6 billion but noted that this number could “substantially change” in the coming months. Of that $2.6 billion, roughly half will go to education, while the remaining half will go back to the taxpayers, Gov. Newsom said.
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Gov. Gavin Newsom
budget in May. Madison Hirneisen covers California for The Center Square.
Dr. Charles Fenzi
COURTESY PHOTO
The CMO attributes the success of his time with SBNC to his team and owes these accomplishments to his Executive Core Team. “Whatever success SBNC has enjoyed over the last ten years, it is due to the sacrifice and devotion of every member of our staff who wants to deliver the best possible healthcare to every one of our patients,” Dr. Fenzi said. “I cannot thank them enough.” The SBNC board formed a search committee composed of board members and community leaders to begin the process of selecting a new CEO. “Although it will be difficult to find a leader as well loved as Dr. Fenzi, our goal will be to choose someone who will build on our success to date, lead and motivate our Core Team, work seamlessly with our partners and relate well to our supporters and donors,” said Board Chair Brian Gough. email: fmcfarland@newspress.com
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“There likely will be substantial contributions back to the taxpayers,” Gov. Newsom said during a press conference Monday. While the governor did not specifically address what form the rebates would come in this time around, he said he would work with the legislature and have a better idea of the total amount allocated back to taxpayers when the budget is updated in May. Within Gov. Newsom’s budget proposal unveiled Monday, the governor outlined several new investments, including $22 billion to fight the climate crisis, $2.7 billion to bolster the state’s COVID-19 response and $2 billion to address homelessness on top of last year’s $12 billion package. The proposal will now go before the state Legislature, and the governor will unveil a revised
An era of leadership is ending for the Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics with Dr. Charles Fenzi’s announcement that he’s retiring. Dr. Fenzi has served as CEO since 2015 and as CMO for nearly 10 years. He is planning to step down this year once a suitable replacement is chosen. “I am humbled that the community had entrusted me to lead these amazing clinics and this talented team for the last ten years,” Dr. Fenzi said in a news release. “Now it’s time to pass the torch, so I can spend this next chapter with my supportive and understanding family.” Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics offer affordable healthcare for low-income individuals and their families. Throughout his time with SBNC, Dr. Fenzi established new full-service medical and dental clinics in Goleta. He additionally collaborated with Sanctuary Centers Inc. and Cottage Heath to create two new behavioral health clinics. Dr. Fenzi helped to launch several mental health initiatives with other Santa Barbara community nonprofits. SBNC initiated a research study pilot project in 2016 with collaboration with UCSB and CALM to screen every child seen at the clinics for potential Adverse Childhood Experiences. With Dr. Fenzi’s leadership, SBNC reinforced dental programs, growing the number of residents that are a part of their dentistry clinics. Dr. Fenzi was also integral to distributing COVID-19 vaccines to the Santa Barbara community. SBNC set up vaccination clinics with the help of staff and volunteers.
Sudoku................. B3 Weather................ A4
Saturday’s SUPER LOTTO: 2-13-25-41-42 Mega: 27
Monday’s DAILY 4: 9-8-5-7
Friday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 7-29-43-56-57 Mega: 6
Monday’s FANTASY 5: 5-11-15-31-38
Monday’s DAILY DERBY: 11-04-05 Time: 1:43.53
Saturday’s POWERBALL: 20-21-36-60-65 Meganumber: 13
Monday’s DAILY 3: 9-0-4 / Midday 5-2-7