Fiscal cliff ahead?
Medical reforms
California may be headed for fiscal trouble despite projected budget surplus - A2
Book by retired Santa Barbara Physician looks at healing the medical system - B1
Our 166th Year
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W E DN E SDAY, M AY 18 , 2 02 2
UCSB’s living laboratory University celebrates grand opening of North Campus Open Space
Sheriff’s Office, AYSO sued in child abuse case Men accuse defendants of negligence By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Four men who were sexually abused as children by Terence Stevens, their former youth soccer coach convicted of the crime, have filed a lawsuit. The suit alleges that abuse was caused by negligence on the part of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office and the American Youth Soccer Organization. According to the lawsuit, four separate complaints of suspected child molestation were made to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office in the 1980s and early ’90s. However, the lawsuit states that those complaints were neither properly investigated nor cross-
reported to other child protective agencies as is required by law. The suit alleges that due to negligence by both the AYSO and the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, numerous children were sexually molested by Mr. Stevens from the 1980s to the 2000s from Lompoc to San Diego County, where Mr. Stevens coached youth soccer teams. In 2013, after being caught on video tape molesting a child, Mr. Stevens was criminally prosecuted and convicted. He was convicted of sexually abusing numerous children and is serving a 30-year prison sentence. The suit alleges that in response to the first complaint, which was filed in 1982, the Santa Barbara Please see LAWSUIT on A4
County board declines to make drastic changes in cannabis tax By KAITLYN SCHALLHORN A woman reads one of the informational signs at UCSB’s North Campus Open Space on Thursday.
By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
A ribbon cutting ceremony and a follow-up community event recently celebrated the grand opening of UCSB’s restored North Campus Open Space. The area has been described as a living laboratory to offer inspiration and a personal connection to nature. Supporters of the restoration project say it fulfills a vision of providing ecological function, a rare species habitat and public access to a gateway to the Ellwood-Devereux coast. There were two events last week that celebrated the opening. The first event on Thursday was the formal ribbon cutting
ceremony, which was geared toward the agencies that funded the project. Ernestine Ygnacio DeSoto, who’s an elder with the Cieneguitas Mission band of Chumash Indians, led a Barbareño blessing. Her mother was a fluent speaker of the Chumash language. The second event on Saturday was a fun celebration to introduce the community to the new trail section. “We had around 200 community members coming out to enjoy the Mesa portion of the trail system. It was a great event,” Darwin Richardson, project manager of the North Campus Open Space, told the News-Press. Please see OPEN SPACE on A6
UCSB Chancellor Henry Yang speaks during a ceremony celebrating the opening of the North Campus Open Space.
Santa Barbara City Council deems eminent domain necessary for De La Vina bridge By KAITLYN SCHALLHORN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Citing public safety issues, the Santa Barbara City Council deemed eminent domain necessary to acquire land near the De La Vina Street Bridge for a replacement project. In a somber 6-0 vote Tuesday, the council approved two resolutions deeming eminent domain to be within the public interest and necessary to acquire the land near the bridge over Mission Creek. The bridge, initially built in 1916, needs to be replaced with one meeting current seismic, safety and design standards, officials said. City officials said it needed to acquire a right-of-way certification by September in order to request reimbursement for the project through Caltrans and the Highway Bridge Program. The eminent domain — which gives the government the ability to acquire private property for public use — covers properties at
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2726, 2728, 2733 and 2735 De La Vina St. The former two properties are within inches of the bridge while the latter duo are built on the bridge. The properties include Marty’s Pizza, De La Vina Liquor Store, Mishay Salon and Yellowbird Music. “This is a public safety issue and timing is of the essence,” Mayor Randy Rowse said. Attorney Glenn Block of the California Eminent Domain Law Group, retained by the impacted property owners, asked the council to delay moving forward with the resolution until the owners and city had more time to negotiate. Mr. Block maintained neither he nor his clients had been given appropriate time for appraisals or to review staff’s designs for the bridge. “This is not a question of whether this project is required or necessary, but it’s a question of due process and observing the constitutional rights that are guaranteed,” Mr. Block said.
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The amount of money the city could award per parcel was not before the council Tuesday, and the adoption of the resolutions does not preclude additional negotiations with property owners, city staff said. And council members instructed staff to work closely and collaboratively with those impacted. “None of us want to be in this position today, but it really is a public safety issue, and it’s in the public interest and necessary that we move forward to repair this bridge as expeditiously as possible,” Mayor Pro Tempore Meagan Harmon said. Construction is slated to begin in 2023. The resolutions were approved unanimously by the council with Councilmember Alejandra Gutierrez absent. Additionally Tuesday, the council adopted the revised 2022-2023 Santa Barbara South Coast Tourism Business Improvement District management plan. email: kschallhorn@newspress.com
Instead of completely changing the cannabis tax structure, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors decided to tighten up the existing ordinance — for now. In a split decision, the board chose Tuesday to work on potential changes to Chapters 50 and 50A — such as implementing a requirement for cultivators holding acreage in the cap to grow and strengthening existing language requiring all transfers between licensed activities to be reportable and taxable — and maintain the extant percentagebased tax rate. The board instructed staff to work on those options and report back in about six months. Supervisors Joan Hartmann, Gregg Hart and Steve Lavagnino voted for this option. Supervisors Das Williams and Bob Nelson did not. “I think we’re not doing enough to catch the scofflaws, and we’re missing an opportunity,” Supervisor Williams said. He had floated a hybrid tax structure that would impose a penalty for those claiming not to be growing but keep the current taxation method predominantly the same. Supervisor Nelson said he supported a square foot or unit tax. “I think right now our tax system is too complex,” he said. “I think even when we get through audits, we’re going to end up in litigation with some of these growers, and I think it’s frustrating. … I think the public should have a reasonable understanding of what’s going on out there, and we don’t, and we’re the people that should.” Ahead of the vote, Supervisor Lavagnino expressed how much of a kerfuffle the taxation process has caused, noting there was “no perfect solution,” in his opinion. “I think the idea of going after people who aren’t paying their taxes is the reason we’re doing the auditing,” he said. “I think the best thing is to take a step
back, continue the enforcement, continue the auditing.” Staff, in its presentation to the board Tuesday morning, recommended maintaining the current taxation method while allowing Chapters 50 and 50A to potentially be amended for further compliance and clarification. Santa Barbara County is in the midst of working with a consultant on cannabis financial monitoring and audit services while the Treasurer-Tax Collector’s Office will review the audit’s findings, according to an agenda report. In addition to the staff recommendation, the board was presented with two alternate options: Develop a tax structure based on cultivation area by square foot or create a hybrid model with a minimum tax on cultivation by square foot. There were concerns expressed about how a flat tax rate based on cultivation area could be financially straining for companies due to market fluctuations, potentially resulting in more taxes being owed than revenue brought in during some years. However, that option could provide more certainty for annual revenue projections and be more easily monitored for tax compliance, according to an agenda report. “I suspect that the tax is not the biggest impediment to processing,” said Supervisor Hart. “It is the building permit that is required for the new structures, which is a long-standing, very difficult challenge we have, and I don’t know if we have an easy path or solution to that either.” Additionally Tuesday, the board adopted a resolution proclaiming May as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in Santa Barbara County. The proclamation was particularly poignant as it underscored the recent church shooting in Orange County carried out by a Las Vegas resident police said was motivated by his hatred of Taiwanese people. email: kschallhorn@newspress.com
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i n s i de Classified.............. B4 Life..................... B1-2 Obituaries............. A6
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
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Sudoku................. B3 Weather................ A6
Saturday’s SUPER LOTTO: 6-25-30-34-36 Mega: 3
Tuesday’s DAILY 4: 6-6-6-6
Tuesday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 7-21-24-41-65 Mega: 24
Tuesday’s FANTASY 5: 5-22-24-32-35
Tuesday’s DAILY DERBY: 12-05-04 Time: 1:41.87
Monday’s POWERBALL: 7-15-22-36-64 Meganumber: 13
Tuesday’s DAILY 3: 5-6-0 / Midday 7-0-3