Issuu

SANTA BARBARA NEWS-PRESS

NEWS

TUESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2023

The long and not-so-winding road Armour Ranch Road stands empty at this moment last week in Santa Ynez.

SANTA BARBARA NEWS-PRESS OBITUARIES FOSTER, Ruth

On Dec. 4, 2022 Ruth Foster passed away in the warm cozy home of her son in Morro Bay Ca. after 97 years. Beloved mother to Brenda Greene (Mik Lamming), Ellen Diamond d.2017 (Eliot Diamond), and son, Eric Foster; and proud grandmother to Adam Clammer (Kate), Benjamin Clammer (Cathy), Zachary Clammer (Bridget), and Jason Diamond. Also GiGi to Charles, Alexander, Caroline, Jack, Lila, Emma, Callie, and Maggie. Ruth Seidman was born in Baltimore MD Feb. 5, 1925, to Rebecca and Harry Seidman, the youngest of 4 sisters and 3 brothers; Jesse, Rita, Hannah, Bernie, Nathaniel and Leona. When she was one, her family moved to the Chesapeake Bay community of Churchton, operating a vital local general store and gas station during the Great Depression. The values she learned there served her very well the rest of her life. Coming of age in 1942, she moved to Washington '& ZKHUH VKH VRRQ PDUULHG KHU ÀUVW KXVEDQG 5D\PRQG )RVWHU G 7RJHWKHU WKH\ operated a suburban retail store until 1972; then traveled extensively and eventually moved to CA to be near her children. They moved to Morro Bay in 1978, where Ruth RZQHG DQG RSHUDWHG D UHDO HVWDWH EXVLQHVV ZLWK RIÀFHV 6KH ODWHU PRYHG WR 6DQWD Barbara, where she spent time with her daughter, Brenda, and eventually married Max .OHLQ G LQ 7KHLU WLPH WRJHWKHU ZDV YHU\ KDSS\ DQG IXOÀOOLQJ +HU LQWHUHVW in music led her to volunteer to the Assistance League where a Ukulele group formed, bringing cheer to wherever they played. Throughout her life her kindness, generosity, DQG FRPPRQ VHQVH DOZD\V OHG WR SHRSOH WR FRQÀGH LQ KHU IRU ZDUP FRPIRUW DQG VDJH advice. She will be missed greatly but her lovely glow will permeate forever to the people she loved and who loved her.

Obituary notices are published daily in the Santa Barbara News-Press and also appear on our website www.newspress.com To place an obituary, please email the text and photo(s) to obits@newspress.com or fax text only (no photos) to (805) 966-1421. Please include your name, address, contact phone number and the date(s) you would like the obituary to be published. Photos should be in jpeg format with at least 200 dpi. If a digital photo is not available, a picture may be brought into our office for scanning. We will lay out the obituary using our standard format. A formatted proof of the obituary and the cost will be emailed back for review and approval. The minimum obituary cost to print one time is $150.00 for up to 1.5” in length -- includes 1 photo and up to 12 lines of text, approximately 630 characters; up to approximately 930 characters without a photo. Add $60.00 for each additional inch or partial inch after the first 1.5”; up to approximately 700 characters per additional inch. All Obituaries must be reviewed, approved, and prepaid by deadline. We accept all major credit cards by phone; check or cash payments may be brought into our office located at 715 Anacapa Street. The deadline for Weekend and Monday’s editions is at 10a.m. on Thursdays; Tuesday’s edition deadlines at 10a.m. on Fridays; Wednesday’s edition deadlines at 10a.m. on Mondays; Thursday’s edition deadlines at 10a.m. on Tuesdays; Friday’s edition deadlines at 10a.m. on Wednesdays (Pacific Time). Free Death Notices must be directly emailed by the mortuary to our newsroom at news@newspress.com. The News-Press cannot accept Death Notices from individuals.

LOCAL FIVE-DAY FORECAST TODAY

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY

Mostly sunny

Mostly cloudy

Mostly sunny

INLAND

60 31

62 35

63 36

60 35

62 41

60 38

61 40

63 43

62 46

COASTAL

Pismo Beach 61/35

(The Center Square) – The government is the nation’s top problem, according to Gallup’s latest poll. The government (21%) beat out inflation (15%) and illegal immigration (11%). Mentions of the economy fell six points to 10%, the lowest reading in a year. The poll was conducted from Jan. 2-22 during Kevin McCarthy’s contentious Speaker of the House election. The period also included the discovery of classified government documents in President Joe Biden’s private office and home. Approval ratings for Biden (41%) and Congress (21%) remained unchanged, according to the poll. The government ranked

as the top problem for both Republicans and Republicanleaning independents (24%) and Democrats and Democraticleaning independents (18%), Gallup reported. Inflation and immigration were cited by 18% of Republicans, while mentions of inflation (11%), the economy in general and race relations (9% each) trailed the government among Democrats. Democrats were more likely than Republicans to view unifying the country and the environment as top problems, according to the Gallup poll. Those polled weren’t optimistic about the nation’s economy. The Economic Confidence Index, which summarizes responses to the existing and economic outlook items, stood at -

39. That is the same as last month, but well above the -58 score last June amid high gas prices and the record low of -72 in October 2008, during the Great Recession. The ECI, which has a theoretical range of -100 to +100, has been negative since July 2021, when the U.S. inflation rate was on the rise, according to Gallup. “Americans’ mentions of the government as the nation’s most important problem have risen significantly in the past month, while inflation remains the next most-cited issue,” according to Gallup. “Fewer name the economy in general, yet when asked about the economy directly, Americans continue to lack confidence in its current and future health. Views of the job market remain largely positive, but they are diminished from

one year ago. While the U.S. unemployment rate remains relatively low, recent layoffs in the technology sector could affect opinions about the job market, and possibly the broader economy, in the coming months.” Last week, the latest survey from the National Association for Business Economics found that more than half of respondents put the possibility of a recession over the next year at 50% or higher. “The results ... indicate widespread concern about entering a recession this year,” NABE President Julia Coronado said. “For the first time since 2020, more respondents expect falling rather than increased employment at their firms in the next three months.”

SPN: Fewer government regulations could alleviate housing crisis By GLENN MINNIS THE CENTER SQUARE CONTRIBUTOR

(The Center Square) – Three out of every four voters agree that housing affordability is a problem, with many saying they would like to see the government take more direct action in easing the burden for residents, a new State Policy Network (SPN) poll finds. Pollsters found that 63% of those surveyed support establishing rent control rates as the most popular housing related policy that’s been tested, with pluralities also supporting placing limits on foreign citizen ownership (43%) and relaxing zoning laws (44%). While not surprised to see so many impacted by the housing bubble, SPN messaging strategist Erin Norman told The Center Square she doesn’t expect to see any measurable levels of relief coming any time soon. “We’ve seen the cost of housing skyrocket in recent years and that coupled with inflation is making housing a larger and larger part of household budgets, squeezing Americans,” Norman said. “The polling data we have reflects the pain of the tradeoffs people are

having to make because of that.” Overall, the SPN State Voices opinion poll of roughly 2,000 registered voters conducted in partnership with Morning Consult through online interviews found that 41% of the 75% of respondents who point to the issue as a problem think it is a significant one. Ms. Norman laments that government regulations add to the problem. “This is the natural result of increasing layers of regulation on buildings,” she said. “The regulations restrict what can be built and drive up the cost to builders of supplying housing. I’m actually surprised we aren’t seeing more people leave high-cost metro areas for lower cost ones given the trouble many companies have had filling positions in the last year and the increase we’ve seen and the number of jobs that don’t require you to be in the office. Prices in those markets are also going up but it is a way Americans can find some relief.” To see so many people supporting rent control speaks to the level of desperation many feel in their ongoing struggle to keep a roof over their head, Ms. Norman added. “A big part of it is that people need relief

now,” she said. “Many of the reforms that could ease the cost of housing are long-term solutions that will ultimately result in greater supply. It’s hard to favor those types of reforms over immediate subsidies when you aren’t sure how you are going to pay your rent.” Branding rent-control policies as shortterm fixes, Ms. Norman said there are more concrete steps officials can take in making housing more affordable for more people. “Reducing paternalistic regulations will make more types of housing available to more people,” she said. “Some localities have regulations on how many parking spaces residential construction must have, an outdated [policy] given how much easier it is to live even in the suburbs without owning a car. Other areas have effectively made dense housing illegal with minimum lot and square footage requirements, pricing people who might be happy with a home of 500 or 600 square feet completely out of the market. A lot of building codes are designed to encourage single-family homes, which is a housing model that doesn’t necessarily work for everyone.” The poll had a margin of error of 2%.

COASTAL

New Cuyama 54/28 Ventucopa 54/29

Los Alamos 61/32

Lompoc 59/36

THE CENTER SQUARE

COASTAL

Shown is today's weather. Temperatures are today's highs and tonight's lows.

Santa Maria 59/31

Vandenberg 58/39

By BRETT ROWLAND

COASTAL

Maricopa 54/35

Guadalupe 60/31

Poll: Americans not optimistic about government, economy

SATURDAY

Mostly sunny

COASTAL

KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS

FRIDAY

Buellton 60/30

Solvang 60/30

Gaviota 57/42

SANTA BARBARA 60/38 Goleta 60/38

Carpinteria 59/42 Ventura 60/44

AIR QUALITY KEY Good Moderate

Source: airnow.gov Unhealthy for SG Very Unhealthy Unhealthy Not Available

ALMANAC

Santa Barbara through 6 p.m. yesterday

TEMPERATURE High/low Normal high/low Record high Record low

59/46 64/42 81 in 1962 31 in 1968

PRECIPITATION 24 hours through 6 p.m. yest. Month to date (normal) Season to date (normal)

0.05” 8.00” (3.73”) 14.97” (8.64”)

City Cuyama Goleta Lompoc Pismo Beach Santa Maria Santa Ynez Vandenberg Ventura

STATE CITIES Bakersfield Barstow Big Bear Bishop Catalina Concord Escondido Eureka Fresno Los Angeles Mammoth Lakes Modesto Monterey Napa Oakland Ojai Oxnard Palm Springs Pasadena Paso Robles Sacramento San Diego San Francisco San Jose San Luis Obispo Santa Monica Tahoe Valley

56/34/s 53/30/s 30/10/s 47/23/s 55/46/s 55/32/s 61/33/s 51/35/pc 56/34/s 65/41/s 31/9/s 53/30/s 58/38/s 56/32/s 57/35/s 61/39/s 62/41/s 65/44/s 63/40/s 57/28/s 54/30/s 61/42/s 57/41/s 58/35/s 62/33/s 64/41/s 36/15/s

Wed. Hi/Lo/W 60/32/s 61/40/s 60/37/s 60/40/s 59/36/s 62/35/s 57/39/s 62/44/s

63/47/c 38/20/s 13/5/s 30/28/i 23/12/s 43/41/sh 83/70/s 9/4/s 41/28/pc 41/30/pc 58/43/sh 45/32/c 24/18/c 23/16/s 41/35/c 45/35/c

POINT ARENA TO POINT PINOS

Wind north-northeast 7-14 knots today. Waves 2 feet or less with a south-southwest swell 1-3 feet at 13 seconds. Visibility clear.

POINT CONCEPTION TO MEXICO

Wind north-northeast 7-14 knots today. Waves 2 feet or less with a south-southwest swell 1-3 feet at 13 seconds. Visibility clear.

SANTA BARBARA HARBOR TIDES Date Time High Time

Low

Jan. 31

-0.3’

Feb. 1 Feb. 2

5:38 a.m. 8:31 p.m. 6:26 a.m. 9:02 p.m. 7:09 a.m. 9:26 p.m.

LAKE LEVELS

5.2’ 3.3’ 5.4’ 3.4’ 5.5’ 3.5’

1:29 p.m. none 12:08 a.m. 2:08 p.m. 12:58 a.m. 2:41 p.m.

2.7’ -0.5’ 2.6’ -0.7’

AT BRADBURY DAM, LAKE CACHUMA 59/37/s 58/35/s 39/11/s 53/24/s 58/48/s 55/33/pc 64/35/s 54/40/c 60/37/s 64/44/s 40/16/pc 58/34/pc 59/41/pc 57/34/pc 58/38/pc 64/40/s 61/43/s 72/46/s 63/44/s 61/29/pc 56/33/pc 62/44/s 58/41/pc 61/39/pc 63/37/s 64/40/s 46/26/pc

NATIONAL CITIES Atlanta Boston Chicago Dallas Denver Houston Miami Minneapolis New York City Philadelphia Phoenix Portland, Ore. St. Louis Salt Lake City Seattle Washington, D.C.

Wind northeast 6-12 knots becoming west today. Waves 1-2 feet; west-southwest swell 1-3 feet at 14 seconds. Visibility clear.

TIDES

LOCAL TEMPS Today Hi/Lo/W 54/28/s 60/38/s 60/35/s 61/35/s 59/31/s 60/31/s 58/39/s 60/44/s

MARINE FORECAST

SANTA BARBARA CHANNEL

54/47/sh 32/24/s 29/19/pc 35/34/i 36/18/s 45/43/sh 84/71/s 19/10/c 38/30/pc 39/27/pc 64/40/pc 50/31/c 34/26/c 32/18/pc 46/34/c 41/30/pc

At Lake Cachuma’s maximum level at the point at which water starts spilling over the dam holds 188,030 acre-feet. An acre-foot is 325,851 gallons, equivalent to the amount of water consumed annually by 10 people in an urban environment. Storage 190,578 acre-ft. Elevation 752.12 ft. Evaporation (past 24 hours) 8.3 acre-ft. Inflow 584.0 acre-ft. State inflow 0.0 acre-ft. Storage change from yest. +308 acre-ft. Report from U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

SUN AND MOON Sunrise Sunset Moonrise Moonset

Full

Last

Feb 5

Feb 13

WORLD CITIES

Today 6:58 a.m. 5:28 p.m. 1:07 p.m. 3:20 a.m.

New

Feb 19

Wed. 6:57 a.m. 5:29 p.m. 1:53 p.m. 4:18 a.m.

First

Feb 27

Today Wed. City Hi/Lo/W Hi/Lo/W Beijing 51/23/pc 40/16/pc Berlin 41/38/r 42/38/r Cairo 66/51/s 63/49/s Cancun 83/74/pc 84/74/s London 53/39/pc 52/42/c Mexico City 79/45/s 76/47/s Montreal 14/-2/pc 21/15/s New Delhi 70/47/pc 72/51/pc Paris 46/41/pc 48/40/c Rio de Janeiro 91/78/c 89/77/t Rome 56/39/s 56/40/pc Sydney 81/69/r 81/69/s Tokyo 47/35/pc 57/42/c W-weather, s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice.