Our 167th Year
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‘Plane’ talk
Columnist Robert Eringer takes a look at recent headlines - A2
Review: New film is a good, but not great, action movie - B1
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T U E S DAY, J A N UA RY 31, 2 02 3
This bird has something to say
NEWS-PRESS EXCLUSIVE
SB City Council panel backs home repair program By NEIL HARTSTEIN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS
A yellow-billed magpie calls out into the wild atop a barbed wire fence recently on Alisal Road in Solvang.
More cold than wet
SB City Council expected to officially end emergency By NEIL HARTSTEIN
Santa Barbara County sees chilly conditions and sprinkles
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
By DAVE MASON NEWS-PRESS MANAGING EDITOR
Brrrr! Santa Barbara County was colder than usual Monday, with the highs no warmer than the 50s. The lows were in the mid- or low 40s and upper 30s. There were also some scattered sprinkles on a partly cloudy (sometimes mostly cloudy) day when you clearly didn’t need an umbrella. According to the National Weather Service, the total rainfall was just 0.02 inch in Goleta and Santa Barbara, 0.01 inch in Lompoc and just a trace in Santa Maria. The highest amount of the rain in the county fell in New Cuyama, with 0.08 inch. The bigger story is the chill. Highs were just 58 in Santa Barbara and Goleta, 54 in Santa Ynez, 53 in Santa Maria and 52 in New Cuyama. The lows were 37 in Santa Maria and New Cuyama, 41 in Santa Ynez, 46 in Goleta and 47 in Santa Barbara. Today’s forecast calls for sunny skies and, for the most part, warmer temperatures. The National Weather Service predicts highs of 62 in Santa Barbara, 61
DAVE MASON / NEWS-PRESS
Patches of blue sky break through the clouds Monday morning in Santa Barbara, which saw a trace of precipitation.
in Santa Maria and at UCSB, 60 in Lompoc, 59 in Santa Ynez and 54 in Cuyama. Expected lows are 43 in Santa Barbara, 34 in Santa Maria, 33 in Santa Ynez and 32 in Lompoc. The low will go below freezing today in Cuyama to a chilling 29 degrees, according to the weather service. Similar highs and lows are expected for the rest of this week. There’s a 10% chance of rain
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today in the Santa Barbara area, Santa Ynez and Cuyama, but the weather service said there’s no chance of the wet stuff in Lompoc or Santa Maria. For the rest of the week, conditions will vary from sunny to partly cloudy in the county, with a 20% chance of rain Friday in Santa Maria and Lompoc. The chance of rain will vary from 10% to 20% in those two cities through Monday.
The National Weather Service doesn’t see much of a chance for rain this weekend for Santa Barbara until Sunday night and during the day on Monday. Even then, it will only be a 10% chance of precipitation. A 10% chance of rain is also expected throughout the day and night on Sunday and Monday in Santa Ynez. email: dmason@newspress.com
The Santa Barbara City Council today is expected to terminate the state of local emergency issued earlier this month when a massive winter storm pounded the city, dumping more than 5 inches of rain in just two days. The meeting starts at 2 p.m. at the council’s chambers, 735 Anacapa St. Staff is recommending the council adopt a resolution ending the local emergency declared by City Administrator Rebecca Bjork on Jan. 9, and ratified by the council three days later. City Administrator Bjork, acting in the capacity of director of emergency services, proclaimed the local emergency so city departments could prepare for the storm’s inevitable outcome, which included debris flows that blocked city roads and flooded streets that trapped residents inside their vehicles who had to be rescued by police and firefighters. “Conditions of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property arose within the City of Santa Barbara caused by storms and floods commencing on or about Jan. 9,” reads the resolution. The law requires the Santa Barbara City Council to periodically review the need for
continuing the local emergency and to proclaim the termination of the local emergency at the earliest possible date that the conditions warrant, staff said. “The Director of Emergency Services has reported that the conditions of extreme peril necessitating the declaration of local emergency no longer exist and that the declaration of local emergency may be terminated,” reads the resolution. The city, however, will continue to seek to recover costs and may continue to exercise authority under any federal, state or county emergency or disaster declaration arising from or related to the storms and floods that gave rise to the city’s declaration of local emergency, staff said. If, as expected, the council approves the resolution, its decision will be the polar opposite of last week’s decision by the Carpinteria City Council to extend its state of local emergency for at least another 30 days. In other business, the Santa Barbara City Council will be asked to approve an ordinance amending the city’s Municipal Code regarding zoning regulations for accessory dwelling units. New state legislation intended to increase production of Accessory Dwelling Units necessitates updating the city’s zoning regulations, staff said. Assembly Bill 2221 and Senate Please see COUNCIL on A3
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Low-income Santa Barbara residents could soon get assistance to make essential repairs to their homes. The Santa Barbara City Council’s Finance Committee last week unanimously endorsed the establishment of a rehabilitation pilot program for low-income homeowners to work with contractors vetted by Habitat for Humanity of Southern Santa Barbara County. Under the pilot program, up to $50,000 in grant funding from city Inclusionary Housing Reserve Funds would be allocated to Habitat for Humanity to operate the program. “This is an exciting opportunity to assist some of our city’s most vulnerable residents, many of whom are seniors on fixed incomes, make necessary repairs to their homes,” Councilmember Eric Friedman, the committee’s chair, told the
News-Press. “This funding will be an important tool to assist lowincome homeowners remain in their homes by providing assistance for essential repairs to ensure habitability,” he said. “Even with homeownership, there are many households that don’t have the financial means to address critical home improvements such as new roofs, plumbing or electric upgrades (and) bathroom remodels to address physical constraints, or other standard repairs. “The funding for the program comes from development in-lieu fees, which is an effective use of those funds as it will help keep residents in homes that are safe.” The pilot program now heads to the full council for its approval. It will appear on the council’s consent agenda for consideration on Feb. 7, according to Laura Dubbels, the city’s housing and human services manager. The pilot program would assist low-income individuals, Please see HABITAT on A3
Sudoku................. B3 Weather................ A4
Saturday’s SUPER LOTTO: 8-29-31-33-36 Mega: 4
Monday’s DAILY 4: 1-6-2-0
Friday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 4-43-46-47-61 Mega: 22
Monday’s FANTASY 5: 2-13-25-32-37
Monday’s DAILY DERBY: 10-07-05 Time: 1:49.33
Monday’s POWERBALL: 1-4-12-26-49 Meganumber: 5
Monday’s DAILY 3: 6-2-7 / Midday 9-9-6