Santa Barbara News-Press: April 27, 2022

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‘Remain in Mexico’ case heard

Local restaurateurs honored Santa Ynez couple Kathie and Mike Gordon named honorary chairs for California WInemakers event - B1

Oral arguments made in U.S. Supreme Court - A4

Our 166th Year

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W E D N E S DA Y, A P R I L 2 7, 2 0 2 2

Bills protecting children online gain momentum Assemblymember Jordan Cunningham talks to News-Press about legislation

DAVE MASON/NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS

Santa Barbara City Council member Kristen Sneddon and Mayor Randy Rowse listen to speakers Tuesday during the public comment period. Later in the meeting, they and the rest of the council heard a presentation about the challenges of childcare access and affordability.

Childcare access, affordability United Way expresses concerns during presentation before Santa Barbara City Council By KAITLYN SCHALLHORN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

City Council members Alejandra Gutierrez and Eric Friedman listen to speakers during the public comment period.

Childcare access and affordability were already reaching unattainable levels before COVID-19, but the pandemic has exacerbated those issues even further, the United Way of Santa Barbara County told the Santa Barbara City Council Tuesday. The city council heard a report from the UWSBC about the barriers to childcare that have impacted families throughout the community. The United Way’s work found the average monthly cost fulltime for an infant is $1,481 and for a preschooler $1,194. The group’s research also found a significant gap between the need for care and capacity as well as staffing issues.

In Santa Barbara County, families with kids aged 0-5 can be expected to spend an estimated 37% of their monthly income on childcare costs, according to the UWSBC. As a comparison, the median gross rent was estimated to be $1,893 in Santa Barbara and Goleta, according to data from the 2020 Census, the UWSBC said. So a family of four with an infant and pre-school child could spend about $2,675 per month on childcare — and yearly costs for both rent and childcare would be more than $56,000. That is 12% more than the annual salary for two full-time jobs at minimum wage in Santa Barbara County, according to the UWSBC. UWSBC representatives, citing the Bipartisan Policy Center, said a lack of childcare accessibility Please see PRESENTATION on A2

Harris tests positive for COVID-19 By KAITLYN SCHALLHORN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

Vice President Kamala Harris has tested positive for COVID-19, her office announced Tuesday. The vice president has not been in close contact with President Joe Biden or the first lady in recent days because of travel schedules, according to press secretary Kirsten Allen. Vice President Harris recently visited Vandenberg Space Force Base. The vice president is asymptomatic and will isolate and work from her residence, her office said. She will return to the White House once she tests negative. In the meantime, Vice President

Harris will follow guidance from her physicians and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The vice president is fully vaccinated and received a booster shot last year. Second gentleman Doug Emhoff revealed he tested positive for COVID in March, but Vice President Harris did not catch it at the time. Additionally, White House press secretary Jen Psaki and Attorney General Merrick Garland tested positive for COVID recently. Former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also tested positive for COVID in recent weeks. email: kschallhorn@newspress.com

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Vice President Kamala Harris recently addressed troops, elected officials and media at Vandenberg Space Force Base. Her office announced Tuesday that she has tested positive for COVID-19 but is asymptomatic.

Assemblymember Jordan Cunningham

NEWS-PRESS FILE PHOTOS

Assemblymember Buffy Wicks

By KAITLYN SCHALLHORN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

Assemblymember Jordan Cunningham is confident the momentum and sense of urgency exist to enact protections for young people from potentially harmful impacts of social media. A bipartisan bill from Assemblymember Cunningham, R-San Luis Obispo, and Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland, requiring companies to enact greater protections for minors unanimously passed out of the Privacy and Consumer

Protection Committee earlier this month. The legislation is meant to protect children from harmful content or experiences online, the sponsors have said. And then there’s another bill from the duo that would allow parents to hold large social media companies liable for knowingly allowing a platform to become addictive to children and causing harm. This legislation is before the Judiciary Committee next week. Both bills are before Please see BILLS on A3

Santa Barbara Fair and Expo opens today By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITERS

The Santa Barbara Fair and Expo opens at 4 p.m. today at the Earl Warren Showgrounds and runs through May 1. The theme this year is “Meet Me at the Fair.” The Earl Warren Showgrounds management said it’s excited to present this year’s full fair experience including: carnival rides and games, children’s carnival rides and games section, farm animals, exhibits, food contests, entertainment such as live music and popular fair food. “We are so excited to have the full fair back this year. The fair is an iconic and important event for the community as evidence that hosting a fair is the only state mandate for the showgrounds,” the showgrounds told the NewsPress in an email. This year’s theme is intended to bring back nostalgia. The family fun includes more than 30 carnival rides that twist, twirl and spin. The fair also will feature entertainment such as live music, adorable farm animals, a petting zoo and delicious fair food. You can see all the creative projects made by youth and adults of all ages and skill levels in the exhibit halls. In addition to music, entertainment during the expo

will include dancing and magic. The livestock area will include goats, alpacas, chickens, bunnies and other animals. There will also be interactive displays highlighting livestock and agriculture. The Earl Warren Showgrounds is a self-funded state agricultural district whose revenue comes from event rentals by third parties as well as the Santa Barbara Fair and Expo, The Haunt and the Santa Barbara National Show, according to Ben Sprague, the Earl Warren Showgrounds CEO. He said the district is in its best financial condition in decades. Adult entry for today’s fair is $8. The cost for children 6 and up is $4. Entry for children 5 and under is free. A one-day unlimited ride wristband is $30. The event is open today and Thursday from 4-10 p.m., Friday from 4 p.m. to midnight, Saturday from 11 a.m. to midnight and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. (On each day, the exhibit halls are closing before the carnival.) Attendees can park at La Cumbre Middle School or Bishop Diego High School and ride a free trolley. For more information, visit www.earlwarren.com/fair-andexpo or call 805-687-0766. email: kzehnder@newspress.com

INSIDE

L O T T E RY RESULTS

Classified................. B4 Life...................... B1-2 Obituaries............... A4

Saturday’s SUPER LOTTO: 13-19-21-22-39 Meganumber: 9

Tuesday’s DAILY 4: 4-5-5-0

Tuesday’s MEGA MILLIONS: N/A Meganumber: N/A

Tuesday’s FANTASY 5: 3-18-21-24-35

Tuesday’s DAILY DERBY: 10-06-03 Time: 1:49.00

Monday’s POWERBALL: 12-18-20-39-61 Meganumber: 10

Sudoku................... B3 Weather................. A4

Tuesday’s DAILY 3: 2-0-5 / Wednesday’s Midday 7-0-7


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