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SANTA BARBARA NEWS-PRESS

NEWS

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2023

Classified documents found in Mike Pence’s residence By TOM GANTERT

THE CENTER SQUARE MANAGING EDITOR

(The Center Square) — Classified documents were discovered at the Carmel, Ind., home of former Vice President Mike Pence last week, according to CNN. Mr. Pence’s lawyer found about 12 classified documents last week and turned the records over to the FBI, anonymous sources told CNN. The FBI and Justice Department’s National Security Division are looking into the documents and how they ended up at Mr. Pence’s residence. CNN reported that Mr. Pence has said many times that he didn’t have any classified documents in his possession. It wasn’t clear what the contents of the documents were or how sensitive the information was, according to CNN. One of Mr. Pence’s lawyers told CNN that the FBI asked to retrieve the classified documents

that evening and Mr. Pence agreed. A Pence representative told CNN a small number of documents were inadvertently put in boxes and transported to Mr. Pence’s home. Former President Donald Trump had more than 300 classified documents at his Mar-aLago home when it was raided by the FBI last August, according to the New York Times. The FBI has also found classified documents in the Wilmington, Del., home of President Joe Biden. Some classified documents were found in Mr. Biden’s private office, and more documents were found in his garage, according to CNN. The FBI found more classified documents in a 13-hour search of President Biden’s home on Friday. Press Secretary Karine JeanPierre declined to comment on reports about classified documents found at Mr. Pence’s home during a news briefing Tuesday afternoon.

PU’U

Continued from Page A1

COURTESY PHOTO

Mike Pence

Abbott: Biden hasn’t responded to Texas’ border requests By BETHANY BLANKLEY THE CENTER SQUARE CONTRIBUTOR

COURTESY PHOTO

Gov. Greg Abbott

(The Center Square) — President Joe Biden hasn’t responded to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s numerous requests for help at the southern border, the Republican governor says. During President Biden’s first visit to the border in El Paso earlier this month, Gov. Abbott provided the president a list of five solutions he says will help secure the border. Gov. Abbott said he hasn’t received a response to what he considers a solvable problem that entails enforcing existing laws established by Congress.

In response to Biden administration policies instructing Border Patrol agents to release illegal foreign nationals into the U.S., the majority of whom are being released in Texas, Gov. Abbott launched Operation Lone Star in March 2021. Since then, law enforcement officers have apprehended more than 343,000 people from more than 150 countries and made more than 23,000 criminal arrests with over 21,000 felony charges reported, as of Jan. 20, 2023, the governor’s office reported. “Operation Lone Star continues to fill the dangerous gaps left by the Biden Administration’s refusal

to secure the border,” Gov. Abbott said. “Every individual who is apprehended or arrested and every ounce of drugs seized would have otherwise made their way into communities across Texas and the nation due to President Biden’s open border policies.” Apprehending human smugglers is a daily occurrence as sheriffs and Department of Public Safety troopers identify foreign nationals and U.S. citizens responding to lucrative ads on social media offering to pay them to pick up people at drop off points along major highways and back roads in rural Texas, law enforcement officers told The Center Square.

His business is not the only one to feel the effects of recent criminal activity on State Street. Earlier this month, someone smashed the front window of Paradise On State Street and stole guitars and other merchandise from the music and vinyl records store. Police did not arrest anyone at that time. A week before that, it was Tillys’ turn. Someone broke the front window at the clothing store at 917 State St. A burglary occurred, but Santa Barbara police caught the suspect. And before that, on Christmas Eve, someone threw a rock that shattered the front window of Rudy’s restaurant at 3613 1/2 State St. A transient was arrested afterward but only for attacking a witness to the window being broken and stealing her phone. She’s facing criminal charges of robbery and theft. But the situation faced by Mr. Pu’u goes way beyond simple vandalism and theft to straight out threats, intimidation and violence. And, he says, it’s not just his business that was targeted. “Had another man walking past our business and throwing glass at our windows after stealing from CVS. Cops no show. “Had another crackhead smash tourists wine glasses off their table at the restaurant next door and proceed to violate a person in a wheelchair and run him around on State Street against his will. Cops came but the guy was on State street the next day.” It’s not like Mr. Pu’u hasn’t tried to help people hooked on hard drugs, he said, noting, “We’ve saved two fentanyl overdoses on our business back steps.” He said he’s counting on police to clean up the situation, but doesn’t hold out much hope given that, according to him, they’ve shown up hours after various

incidents or not at all. He said police keep telling him not to take action to defend himself or protect his business but that he doesn’t know how long he can keep it up. “I’ve been told not to defend myself by SBPD, but at this point, that’s an unreasonable request,” he said. He made the same point in a second social media posting. “Most recent event was yesterday and today,” he said. “Another crackhead came in yelling and harassing inside our business. He left and that was last night. He came in again this morning, and SBPD said to ‘not defend yourself’ as I could ‘get in trouble.’ At what point is this no longer OK?” Sgt. Ethan Ragsdale, the SBPD public information officer, told the News-Press on Tuesday that he spoke to Mr. Pu’u directly over the phone. “Mr. Puu mentioned that some of the posts he made date back to 2021, with his most recent being three weeks ago,” Sgt. Ragsdale said. “Mr. Puu and I had a very productive, positive conversation. I was able to offer him suggestions on how the Santa Barbara Police Department can assist him and provided my direct contact information. He was very thankful for the information and my personal phone call.” Nevertheless, Mr. Pu’u is more than capable of defending himself and his business if it comes down to it. He doesn’t serve food. Nor does he sell guitars or clothing. Mr. Pu’u owns a martial arts studio, Pu’u Muay Thai Santa Barbara, which teaches Jiu Jitsu, kickboxing and Muay Thai, a martial art that was developed on the battlefields of Thailand during a time of warfare in Southeast Asia and is practiced now for fitness, self-defense and combat sports. email: nhartsteinnewspress@ gmail.com

LOCAL FIVE-DAY FORECAST TODAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

Plenty of sun

Plenty of sunshine

Mostly sunny

Partly sunny

Showers possible

INLAND

65 34

66 34

68 35

60 40

53 38

64 40

62 39

62 41

61 42

COASTAL

Pismo Beach 66/39

COASTAL

Shown is today's weather. Temperatures are today's highs and tonight's lows. Maricopa 59/39

Guadalupe 65/35

Santa Maria 65/36

Vandenberg 61/43

New Cuyama 61/34 Ventucopa 61/33

Los Alamos 66/37

Buellton 65/34

Solvang 65/34

Gaviota 59/45

SANTA BARBARA 64/40 Goleta 65/39

Carpinteria 60/40 Ventura 67/49

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

65/35 64/42 79 in 1951 30 in 2002

PRECIPITATION 24 hours through 6 p.m. yest. Month to date (normal) Season to date (normal) DAVE MASON/NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS

At left, Rebecca Brand tells the city council that a transient woman hit her. At right, Tracey Singh talks to the Santa Barbara City Council about the public safety issues posed by homeless individuals.

COUNCIL

Continued from Page A1 State Street. In addition to design workshops and community forums, a survey was conducted in which more than 6,000 people participated, she said. Nearly 90%, she said, cited eating and drinking as the main reason why they visit downtown, in addition to the opportunity to see and mingle with other people. And 79% said they wanted to see lower State Street continue to be closed to traffic.

BRIGADE

Continued from Page A1 Direct Relief and The Santa Barbara Foundation. Volunteers 14 and older are welcome. “We are especially reaching out to the youth of Orcutt and Santa

“They’re thrilled just to be in this space,” she said, adding that people want to live, work and play in the heart of downtown. “The community cares about what we do,” she said. “They already feel the excitement, and this can continue to be enhanced.” Ms. Harris said the design of the Master Plan should be completed by the end of the year or in early 2024, which then would be followed through implementation of the plan in phases. She said she would return to the council in April for an update on the initial design plans. Maria,” said Mr. Powell. “This is a chance to step up and help your community in a time of need. Young, service-minded individuals are encouraged to come out and learn about leadership and community resilience in the face of ongoing climate-related disasters.” The Bucket Brigade was formed in 2018 in the aftermath of the

Dave Davis, chair of the State Street Advisory Committee that is guiding the Master Plan process, said the plan needs to focus on “flat (no curbs), flexibility and fun.” He especially was pleased with the level of community engagement achieved thus far, saying it falls within the top 1% of all projects he’s been involved with in 45 years. Several council members praised the efforts made to date. “This is not just informational,” Councilmember Mike Jordan said. “It is truly more of a transformational validation.” Councilmember Sneddon called debris flows in Montecito to help neighbors in a time of need. Volunteers may register by visiting www.sbbucketbrigade.org and clicking on the button “I Want To Help.” Registration is encouraged but not required for Saturday’s event. email: kzehnder@newspress.com

the presentation “very impressive.” “Just keep it up and way to go,” she said. She asked about how best to deal with the increasing numbers of bicyclists speeding down State Street and endangering pedestrians. She was told this is an issue to be dealt with now as part of the interim plans for State Street and not covered by the State Street Master Plan. She withdrew her question, but vowed it would be dealt with at a later date. email: nhartsteinnewspress@gmail. com

FYI If you or someone you know needs help clearing their property of mud or debris as a result of the January storms, visit www.sbbucketbrigade. org and click on the button “I Need Help.”

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.

0.00” 7.95” (3.12”) 14.97” (8.03”)

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

60/39/s 60/33/s 41/19/s 54/26/s 63/50/s 63/38/s 70/43/s 59/37/pc 61/37/pc 68/46/s 37/11/s 59/34/s 64/42/s 67/44/s 64/45/s 64/40/s 63/45/s 71/50/s 67/45/s 62/30/s 62/37/s 66/47/s 64/48/s 64/40/s 69/37/s 68/51/s 40/16/s

Thu. Hi/Lo/W 59/31/s 63/38/s 65/35/s 67/41/s 65/36/s 66/34/s 63/41/s 64/42/s

63/38/r 37/34/sn 35/28/sn 49/32/c 28/15/sf 55/36/pc 84/71/pc 29/10/sf 42/41/sn 44/43/r 61/40/s 52/37/c 38/25/sn 35/24/c 49/37/c 48/41/r

POINT ARENA TO POINT PINOS

Wind north-northwest at 6-12 knots today. Wind waves 2 feet or less with a west swell 2-4 feet at 16-second intervals. Visibility clear.

POINT CONCEPTION TO MEXICO

Wind north-northwest at 6-12 knots today. Wind waves 2 feet or less with a west swell 2-4 feet at 16-second intervals. Visibility clear.

SANTA BARBARA HARBOR TIDES Date Time High Time Jan. 25 Jan. 26 Jan. 27

12:24 a.m. 11:45 a.m. 1:09 a.m. 12:46 p.m. 1:57 a.m. 2:04 p.m.

4.5’ 5.1’ 4.6’ 4.1’ 4.8’ 3.2’

LAKE LEVELS

Low

5:50 a.m. 6:31 p.m. 7:02 a.m. 7:09 p.m. 8:32 a.m. 7:50 p.m.

1.6’ -0.3’ 1.5’ 0.4’ 1.4’ 1.1’

AT BRADBURY DAM, LAKE CACHUMA 63/38/s 58/34/s 34/15/s 54/26/s 63/51/s 63/37/s 67/35/s 57/39/s 62/38/pc 69/46/s 37/17/s 59/34/pc 69/43/s 67/35/s 64/43/s 66/43/s 66/43/s 68/45/s 68/45/s 64/29/s 63/35/s 68/43/s 65/44/s 64/41/s 72/40/s 67/44/s 41/20/s

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 west 4-8 knots today. Wind waves 1-3 feet with a west-southwest swell 3-5 feet at 16-second intervals. Visibility clear.

TIDES

LOCAL TEMPS Today Hi/Lo/W 61/34/s 65/39/s 65/38/s 66/39/s 65/36/s 65/34/s 61/43/s 67/49/s

MARINE FORECAST

SANTA BARBARA CHANNEL

48/30/pc 48/28/r 31/21/c 53/32/s 33/22/c 56/36/s 80/60/sh 17/11/c 45/31/c 47/32/c 62/37/s 47/41/pc 32/22/c 35/24/c 47/40/pc 48/33/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 186,508 acre-ft. Elevation 750.79 ft. Evaporation (past 24 hours) 9.9 acre-ft. Inflow 1351.0 acre-ft. State inflow 0.0 acre-ft. Storage change from yest. +0 acre-ft. Report from U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

SUN AND MOON Sunrise Sunset Moonrise Moonset

First

Full

Jan 28

Feb 5

Today 7:02 a.m. 5:22 p.m. 9:53 a.m. 10:07 p.m.

WORLD CITIES

Last

Feb 13

Thu. 7:01 a.m. 5:23 p.m. 10:21 a.m. 11:12 p.m.

New

Feb 19

Today Thu. City Hi/Lo/W Hi/Lo/W Beijing 26/9/pc 33/13/pc Berlin 36/31/c 35/33/c Cairo 71/52/pc 75/58/s Cancun 84/70/sh 78/72/sh London 44/35/r 46/36/pc Mexico City 78/42/s 75/44/s Montreal 18/16/sn 25/9/sn New Delhi 69/54/t 70/47/pc Paris 38/31/c 41/36/sn Rio de Janeiro 84/75/pc 84/76/pc Rome 55/38/c 54/36/c Sydney 82/73/pc 88/71/t Tokyo 40/30/pc 46/37/s W-weather, s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice.