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State of the Union
‘A Pilot’s Story’
Biden makes strong statement against Russian aggression, calls for unity at home - A3
Massive memoir details life of man who flew in WWII - B1
Our 166th Year
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Standing with Ukraine Direct Relief sends medical aid; ShelterBox to send team
SB City Council grapples with Chick-fil-A issue Traffic mitigation efforts allowed to continue, draft public nuisance designation approved By KAITLYN SCHALLHORN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
After hours-long back-andforth among lawyers for the city, Chick-fil-A and State Street property owners, the Santa Barbara City Council continued its public hearing on whether the fast-food restaurant is a public nuisance, allowing mitigation efforts to continue. However, the council unanimously still moved toward
a potential public nuisance designation. During its Tuesday agenda meeting, the council directed the city attorney to prepare a draft ordinance with nuisance findings. However, it continued the public hearing until June 7 and directed staff to work with Chick-fil-A and property on remedy recommendations — the latter dubbed a “menu of Please see COUNCIL on A3
KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS
Cars extend into State Street while waiting in the Chick-fil-A drivethru.
A Direct Relief worker helps with the preparation of a shipment of medical aid from the Goleta nonprofit to Ukraine.
By DAVE MASON NEWS-PRESS MANAGING EDITOR
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has prompted two local nonprofits to send aid or people to Europe. Direct Relief has sent its first shipment of medical aid to Ukraine since the invasion, Tony Morain, the Goleta-based nonprofit’s vice president of communications, told the NewsPress on Tuesday.
“The first shipment should arrive in Poland by the end of the week, then brought over into Ukraine by the Ukranian Ministry of Health,” Mr. Morain said. The ministry sent Direct Relief a comprehensive list of needed medications, which the nonprofit assembled. The requested items varied from blood pressure support to intubation/ventilation, IV antibiotics, fluids, Mr. Morain said. He added that Direct Relief
has received requests for combat application tourniquets and bandages. The health ministry also asked Direct Relief for at least 500 medical outreach packs, and Mr. Morain said needs vary from tranexamic acid, used to control severe bleeding, to oxygen supplies. Certainly Direct Relief is sending a lot of aid to Ukraine. “Everyone here feels this is an achievement, but it’s not enough,”
LARA COOPER / DIRECT RELIEF
Mr. Morain said. “That feeling drives us to continue to do more.” On Tuesday, Santa Barbarabased ShelterBox USA told the News-Press that it was sending a team to Eastern Europe to assess needs and see if its aid would be suitable. “ShelterBox is deploying a response team to the region to begin assessing the humanitarian needs related to the displacement Please see RELIEF on A4
Newsom calls to block Russian access to California capital By MADISON HIRNEISEN THE CENTER SQUARE
(The Center Square) – As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues, Gov. Gavin Newsom called on several state entities Tuesday to use its global investment portfolio to sanction the Russian government. Gov. Newsom penned a letter to the leaders of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS), the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) and the University of California retirement system, asking them to “immediately restrict Russian access to California’s capital and investments.” “Russia’s brazen and lawless military assault on Ukraine demands our support for the Ukrainian people and exacting
an immediate and severe cost upon the Russian government in response to its continuing aggression,” the governor wrote. According to the governor’s letter, CalPERS, CalSTRS and the UC retirement system hold a combined $970 billion in assets – equivalent to 60% of Russia’s entire gross domestic product last year. Of those investments, about $1.5 billion is a range of financial instruments, including stock of multinational corporations and real asset investments, “that have some nexus or relation to Russia’s financial markets,” the letter states. Given the “fiduciary duties” the state has to thousands of Californians who have invested in the retirement systems, Gov. Newsom called for the entities to restrict Russian access to the
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Gov. Gavin Newsom
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state agencies and departments to terminate existing state contracts and agreements that benefit Russia.
By DAVE MASON NEWS-PRESS MANAGING EDITOR
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival is back with in-person awards and panels — for the first time since 2020. And that means everyone from director Steven Spielberg to actress Kristen Stewart is scheduled to walk down the red carpet as the world increasingly gets back to normal. Last year the festival relied on virtual programming for panels and awards, and movies were shown both virtually and on drive-in screens. This year, the stars will again receive their accolades before a live audience. And movies are being shown indoors at the festival’s usual sites: the Arlington Theatre, 1317 State St.; Metro 4, 618 State St.; and Fiesta 5, 916 State St. The festival begins at 8 p.m. tonight at The Arlington Theatre with the U.S. premiere of “The Phantom of the Open.” It’s the story of optimist Maurice Flitcroft, who never played a round of golf but managed to get into the qualifying round of the British Open Championship. Craig Roberts directed the film, which stars Mark Rylance, Sally Hawkins and Rhys Ifans. At 2 p.m. Thursday, the festival’s special events will continue with a free screening for “The Power of the Dog” at the
Arlington Theatre. Nominated for 12 Oscars, including Best Picture, the movie tells the story of rancher Phil Burbank, who inspires fear in those around them until he sees the possibility of love. Directed by Jane Campion, the film stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons and Kodi SmithMcPhee. The Outstanding Directors of the Year Award will be presented at 8 p.m. Thursday at the Arlington Theatre. Recipients are Paul Thomas Anderson (“Licorice Pizza”), Kenneth Branagh (“Belfast”), Jane Campion (“The Power of the Dog”), Ryusuke Hamguchi (“Drive My Car”) and Mr. Spielberg (“West Side Story”). In addition to the special events, a variety of movies will screen at the Metro 4 and Fiesta 5. Proof of vaccination is required for people attending the films and events. Although the state’s and Santa Barbara County’s mask mandates were lifted, the film festival is still requiring masks inside buildings and in lines. Festival organizers urge people to wear N95 or KN95 masks. The festival runs through March 12. For a complete schedule and other information, go to sbiff.org. email: dmason@newspress.com
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state’s capital and investments. “Given heightened financial risks, no fund shall purchase Russian debt and no money shall flow from the state of California to Russia,” Gov. Newsom wrote. “Furthermore, the funds should immediately assess risk to the retirees of our state and ensure that the actions you take protect the interests of your current and future retirees.” Gov. Newsom’s call for state pension systems to sell their investments in Russia comes as several states are making similar moves. In Colorado, the state’s public employee pension fund is withdrawing more than $7.2 million held in a Russian bank. Additionally, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper issued an executive order on Monday that called for all
SBIFF rolls out red carpet tonight
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Saturday’s SUPER LOTTO: 2-4-6-30-41 Mega: 26
Tuesday’s DAILY 4: 4-3-8-3
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