Escape from California
A crowning achievement
U-Haul reports it couldn’t meet demand of people leaving the state - A3
‘The King’s Man’ blends WWI history with fiction - B1
Our 166th Year
75¢
W E DN E SDAY, JA N UA RY 5, 2 02 2
Santa Barbara Arts to close Owner saw change after State Street became promenade
Trips canceled as SB MTD experiences driver shortage By ANNELISE HANSHAW NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
KENNETH SONG/NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
Santa Barbara Arts, located in La Arcada Plaza, will close at the end of the month.
By ANNELISE HANSHAW NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Santa Barbara Arts, located beside La Arcada Plaza’s iconic turtle fountain, will close at the end of the month, owner Lynn Adams told the News-Press. She didn’t intend to close the store, but business changed when the
pandemic hit and State Street closed to vehicular traffic. Since then, she has struggled to get the foot traffic that made her store a hub for almost two decades. “Every year we were just going up in numbers and everything was so positive. Then it just crashed,” she said. Santa Barbara Arts was crafted out of the seasonal Yes Store. As a
manager, she noticed customers’ disappointment as the store closed after the holidays. She wanted to offer local goods year round — which proved profitable while tourism was up. The pandemic barred her from the profitable summers she was accustomed to — though she said this holiday season was the best yet. She may run a holiday pop-up shop once
again, but she is undecided. Ms. Adams knew customers were in Santa Barbara and saw them on State Street’s main corridor, but not even the bronze statues in La Arcada Plaza could pull window shoppers into the side streets. “The La Arcada businesses that are not on State Street are feeling the same Please see STORE on A4
A sign inside of Santa Barbara Arts displays the store’s commitment to local goods.
NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors is set to return from their winter recess on Jan. 11 for their first meeting of 2022. In their final meeting of 2021, the Board ended the year as they started it—discussing COVID-19 with public health officials. Throughout last year, the Board tackled many COVID-19 related issues including indoor mask mandates, vaccine distribution and bilingual public health campaigns. The County government prioritized providing safety net services for those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Board of Supervisors redirected tens of millions of dollars to assist households, businesses and nonprofits. Through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, Santa Barbara County received $86.7 million for community recovery needs and COVID-19 response costs. This money was primarily allocated to underserved or at-risk communities, under the Board’s guidance. Of this funding, $29.8 million was directed toward health and human services with a focus on homelessness initiatives. According to the County, addressing homelessness will be important in 2022, starting with the Community Service Department’s 2022 homeless point-in-time count on Jan. 26. The County received nearly $60 million in federal and state support for rental assistance in 2021 and requested an additional $37 in allocated federal funding for rental assistance in Please see BOARD on A2
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LOTTERY
i n s i de Classified.............. B4 Life..................... B1-4 Obituaries............. A4
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Board of Supervisors returns for first meeting of 2022 By FORREST MCFARLAND
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Santa Barbara Metro Transit District is canceling trips as it faces a shortage of bus operators. The cause of MTD’s problem is multifaceted and is rooted in years of industry-wide gaps. MTD addressed the issue on Twitter on Tuesday, promising continued action to improve service, including aggressive recruitment of new drivers. Hillary Blackerby, MTD’s planning and marketing manager, told the News-Press that it was difficult to write the social-media posts, but she felt called to transparency. She said staffing was “tight” before the pandemic. The pandemic reduced service and cut lines. Now with a wave of COVID-19 cases, MTD’s staffing varies day to day. This week became more daunting with the return of students to some K-12 schools — which MTD provides bus service for, Ms. Blackerby said. The National Association for Pupil Transportation, the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services and the National School Transportation Association released survey results at the end of August showing school-bus driver shortages nationwide. Only 1% of respondents said that a bus driver shortage was not a problem for them. Headlines throughout the country tell the stories of districts who’ve canceled school during a shortage of bus drivers in recent weeks. Ms. Blackerby said MTD takes health and safety precautions seriously. Drivers who have been exposed to COVID-19 are not able to work until their quarantine is complete. Dispatchers work to fill the empty routes, hoping to find an available driver until the time of service. MTD is hesitant to share that the route Please see MTD on A2
Sudoku................. B3 Weather................ A4
Saturday’s SUPER LOTTO: 1-5-22-29-42 Mega: 2
Tuesday’s DAILY 4: 8-8-4-6
Tuesday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 4-6-16-21-22 Mega: 1
Tuesday’s FANTASY 5: 16-17-30-31-39
Tuesday’s DAILY DERBY: 01-04-05 Time: 1:49.97
Saturday’s POWERBALL: 6-12-39-48-50 Meganumber: 7
Tuesday’s DAILY 3: 6-6-9 / Midday 3-6-5