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T U E SDAY, O C TOBE R 4 , 2 02 2
SB to celebrate Stearns Wharf’s 150th anniversary
Council to consider CDBG issues By NEIL HARTSTEIN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
The City Council today will consider staff’s recommendation to establish a fiscal year 2024 funding commitment of $726,150 for the Community Development Department’s Human Services/ Community Development Block Grant Program. Staff also is recommending that councilmembers approve a proposed review process for applications from those seeking a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), provide direction to the Community Development and Human Services Committee (CDHSC) on funding criteria and priorities and approve an allocation method for approved applications. They’re recommending two other things as well: that the council approve 5 percent of the Community Development Block Grant capital project grant awards be charged to
cover staff’s time in delivering the projects; and authorize staff to solicit proposals for Human Services and CDBG grants for fiscal year 2024. The council will meet at 2 p.m. at City Hall, 735 Anacapa St. Staff noted in its report that this is an annual process in which the council reviews the priorities, criteria and process for allocation of Human Services and CDBG grant funds. Pending council approval, a notice of funding availability will be disseminated, and applications for FY 2024 grants will be accepted Nov. 9 through Dec. 7. Funding recommendations will be presented to the council by the CDHSC in late March. Per the Finance Committee’s request on Aug. 23, the staff report outlines examples of alternatives to current Human Services funding allocation methods and highlights the Please see COUNCIL on A2
California doctors could lose licenses for spreading false COVID-19 info By MADISON HIRNEISEN THE CENTER SQUARE KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS FILE
The yellow Lil’ Toot water taxi boat adds a splash of contrasting color to the (literal) sea of blue near Stearns Wharf off of Santa Barbara. Free rides for children accompanied by an adult on Lil’ Toot will be offered between 10:15 a.m. and 4:15 p.m during Saturday’s 150th anniversary celebration.
By JARED DANIELS NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Fireworks and cannon fire will grace the skies over Stearns Wharf this Saturday as Santa Barbara celebrates the 150th anniversary of the landmark that reshaped the city, and continues to draw both locals and tourists to its scenic vistas and local seafood. Every thirty minutes between 11 a.m. and noon, the Mystic Whaler — a 1967 recreation of a 19th-century schooner — will pass by the wharf and use its cannons to perform ship-gun salutes to mark the occasion. Following the final gun salute, the event’s chowder tasting competition will begin, featuring entries from wharf restaurants including Char West, Moby Please see WHARF on A2
Schedule of Events: - 10:15 a.m. – 4:15 p.m.: Free rides for children 12 and under on Little Toot - 11 a.m., 11:30 a.m. & 12 p.m.: Ship-gun cannon salutes by the Mystic Whaler - 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.: Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Sea Center Scavenger Hunt - 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.: Face Painting by Santa Barbara Face Painting and Henna - 11 a.m. – 11:45 p.m.: Opera Santa Barbara Concert - 12 – 4 p.m.: Chowder Tasting Competition - 1 p.m.: Santa Barbara Yacht Club Parade of Fleet - 2 – 3:30 p.m.: Tequila Mockingbird Concert - 4:30 – 7 p.m.: Double Wide Kings Concert - 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.: Celebratory Convocation with Local Officials - 7 p.m.: Fireworks Show
COURTESY PHOTO
The Mystic Whaler, a recreation of a 19th-century schooner that has graced the waves of the East Coast for decades, will perform three gun-salutes between 11 a.m. and noon during the Oct. 8 anniversary celebrations.
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(The Center Square) – California doctors who spread misinformation about COVID19 could be subject to discipline by state medical boards, even risk losing their licenses, under a new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Assembly Bill 2098, sponsored by Assemblymember Evan Low, labels the spread of COVID-19 misinformation or disinformation as “unprofessional conduct” – a term used in the Medical Practice Act to describe conduct where disciplinary action is warranted. The new law would punish doctors who spread false information to their patients about COVID-19 by allowing the Medical Board of California and the Osteopathic Medical Board of California to take “enforcement action” against these practitioners. In certain cases, a doctor could possibly lose their license to practice in California. In a signing letter, Gov. Newsom wrote that he approved the bill because “it is narrowly tailored to apply only to those egregious instances in which a licensee is acting with malicious intent or clearly deviating from the required standard of care.” He did, however, raise concerns about the “chilling effect” similar laws could have on physicians who need to be able to talk with patients about the risks and benefits of treatments developed in recent years. “However, I am confident that discussing emerging ideas or treatments including the subsequent risks and benefits does not constitute misinformation or disinformation under this bill’s criteria,” he wrote. The bill was authored in response to reports of doctors disseminating inaccurate information about the COVID-
19 vaccine, according to the bill’s text. The Federation of State Medical Boards released a statement warning physicians who participate in disseminating false information that they could “risk losing their license,” the legislation states. “The COVID-19 pandemic has unfortunately led to increasing amounts of misinformation and disinformation related to the disease including how the virus is transmitted, promoting untested treatments and cures, and calling into question public health efforts such as masking and vaccinations,” the California Medical Association wrote in support of the bill. “Many health professionals, including physicians, have been the culprits of this misinformation and disinformation effort.” The bill faced pushback from physicians groups and health coalitions across the state who feared the language in the bill was “overly broad.” Californians for Good Governance stated opposition to the bill “based on concerns about its unconstitutional restrictions on free speech.” The bill was among several measures introduced by members of a Legislative Vaccine Work Group, who authored measures to bolster the state’s response to the pandemic and combat misinformation. AB 2098 was one of just a handful of bills introduced by the group that made it to the governor’s desk. Measures that would have allowed teens 15 and older to get vaccines without parental consent, required California workers to be vaccinated, and mandated the COVID-19 vaccine for school children were all shelved during the legislative session. Gov. Newsom did sign a bill last month that requires schools to have a COVID-19 testing plan. The bill, introduced by Sen. Richard Pan, was one of the bills backed by the Legislative Vaccine Work Group.
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Saturday’s SUPER LOTTO: 3-22-23-31-44 Mega: 8
Monday’s DAILY 4: 0-4-4-1
Friday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 16-26-37-40-51 Mega: 6
Monday’s FANTASY 5: 1-2-3-14-35
Monday’s DAILY DERBY: 04-01-08 Time: 1:48.24
Monday’s POWERBALL: 2-16-22-55-63 Meganumber: 22
Monday’s DAILY 3: 0-0-1 / Midday 1-1-2