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HOLIDAY EDITION Our 167th Year
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W E D N E S DAY, N OV E M B E R 2 3 , 2 0 2 2
County sees rise in RSV
NEWS-PRESS EXCLUSIVE
Conflicts of interest alleged over Measure T
Officials report big increase in respiratory syncytial virus cases
Members of Vote Yes and Vote No sides accuse each other of having vested interests in Carpinteria measure’s outcome By NEIL HARTSTEIN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
The election is over. The votes are in. The ballot counting is all but complete. And a slim majority seems to have rejected Carpinteria’s controversial Measure T. But the finger-pointing and accusations keep on coming from both sides of the debate over the ballot measure. And this time the allegations, made in News-Press interviews at the end of the election campaign and afterward, go beyond trading charges of misleading the voters about the issues. This time, each side says the other withheld information that would have revealed conflicts of interests or inconsistencies between public statements and private actions. Vote Yes on Measure T supporters say measure opponents more than likely paid for their campaign mailers, ads and yard signs from money raised by a political action committee set up by the developers of the proposed Surfliner Inn — a boutique hotel that Measure T backers wanted to stop from being built downtown. But Jason Rodriguez, a spokesman for the Vote No side, said he has no knowledge of money coming from a PAC representing developers and stresses that the fundraising was done in a legal manner. And members of the Vote No side insisted they did not want to sway or influence voters but only to “educate” them by providing accurate information about the ballot measure. Meanwhile, Vote Yes spokeswoman Ann Sly said Mr. Rodriguez had a vested interest in defeating Measure T because if it is rejected and the city ends up approving the Surfliner Inn, Mr. Rodriguez, owner of The Food Liaison restaurant in Carpinteria, expects to receive the contract to provide food for hotel guests. Mr. Rodriguez countered he hasn’t been promised a contract. Mr. Rodriguez also said Marla Daily, one of the Vote Yes group’s founders, had a vested interest in passing Measure T in that she leases land from the city for a private garden — a parcel she would lose if the Surfliner Inn is approved because the developers want to use it for parking. But Ms. Sly of the Vote Yes side said she doesn’t see that as a major conflict of interest. To date, it looks like Measure T has been rejected by a slim
DAVE MASON/NEWS-PRESS
Dr. Henning Ansorg
By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Santa Barbara County health officials have reported seeing a rise in respiratory syncytial virus as the holiday season approaches. RSV is most dangerous to infants under 2, adults over 65, and those with a compromised immune system. Cottage Health is seeing a significant increase in RSV cases and urges the community to take precautions to protect those most at risk. The nonprofit, which operates hospitals in Santa Barbara, Goleta and Solvang as well as various KENNETH SONG/NEWS-PRESS
A slim majority in Carpinteria has rejected Measure T, which would prevent the construction of a boutique hotel on Parking Lot 3 in Carpinteria.
majority of voters. On Election Night, the margin was razor thin. The Vote No side was ahead by eight votes. The first post-election update increased their margin of victory to 72. The latest figures contained in the second postelection update added seven more votes so now they’re 79 votes ahead — 2,532 or 50.79 % to 2,453 or 49.21 %. The vote count remains unofficial until the county certifies the results, which is expected to happen Dec. 8 at the latest. A third post-election update could be posted before then. About 2,000 mail-in ballots still need to be counted or “cured” in case they’re damaged or lack a voter signature, an elections division staffer said Monday. Mr. Rodriguez said Monday he personally is unaware of any PAC being used to raise money for Vote No campaign costs. “Lots of people donated money, but I don’t know where the money came from.” He said the Vote Yes side has raised the PAC allegations a few times and has been asked to elaborate on them and they never do. “The money we raised has been done legally and in the ways the law allows for campaigns to be done,” he said. “It comes down to whether the information (provided by Vote
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Yes) was truthful and honest. We felt our job was education on what was being written (versus) what was being said. My position was to show the community as a reputable name and trust my involvement in representing our side, which was to not let Vote Yes pull the wool over the city’s eyes.” But Ms. Sly said it’s obvious the developers were involved actively in working to stop Measure T. “If Measure T passed, then the zoning on Lot 3 would be changed, and that would preclude the Surfliner Inn from being built,” she said. The only reason a campaign forms a PAC is to raise money to help their side win, she said. “We’re all trying to influence people to vote the way we want them to vote. “Who contributed to it I don’t know, but the assumption is that the developers would have. That makes common sense to me. I’m sure they did everything legally they could to collect money. “Who else would have paid for three double-sided, multicolored glossy mailers? Each one of these mailings cost several thousands of dollars. Yard signs are expensive. The ads are expensive. All of that costs money. They formed the PAC so that they could fund the money.” Regarding Ms. Daily’s lease, Ms. Sly said she does not view
her colleague’s involvement in the Vote Yes campaign as a conflict of interest. “I don’t see it as a big deal,” she said. “If that was her motivation to get involved, so be it. It’s not a major conflict of interest. Jason will get the contract to do food at the hotel. If he stands to benefit financially, that’s a big conflict of interest. She’s not benefiting financially. She stands to benefit from keeping her garden plot. I don’t see those things as the same.” Mr. Rodriguez, however, flatly rejected Ms. Sly’s assertion that he has been promised the hotel’s food contract if the hotel project comes to fruition. “If there’s a promise or a contract for me to occupy the restaurant space, then I’m not aware of it,” he said. At this point, he noted, the hotel is strictly a concept on paper and nothing more. “Nothing exists legally right now,” he said. “I don’t bet on something that doesn’t exist. Today’s a long day, and getting through it can be quite difficult, let alone tomorrow. Why would I commit to something for a contract that might be five to 10 years from now? That makes no business sense at all.” The debate over Measure T wasn’t always about trading accusations. Please see MEASURE T on A6
COURTESY COTTAGE HEALTH
Dr. Jenna Holmen
clinics, note that holiday gatherings can increase the spread of infection and serious illness. RSV can be a serious problem for premature infants and young infants, young children, older children with asthma or chronic lung disease, and older adults. These groups may have more serious infections and trouble breathing. “So far in October and November, we have seen 259 cases, over four times as much as this time last year,” Dr. Jenna Holmen, pediatric infectious disease specialist at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital and Please see RSV on A2
Newsom to release $1 billion in homelessness funding By MADISON HIRNEISEN THE CENTER SQUARE STAFF REPORTER
(The Center Square) — California counties, cities and local agencies could start receiving a portion of $1 billion in funding to address homelessness as soon as this week following a meeting between local leaders and Gov. Gavin Newsom. The governor surprised local leaders just over two weeks ago when announcing he would pause state funding for homelessness and reject all local homelessness action plans until cities, counties and local agencies could develop more aggressive plans to move individuals off the streets and into housing.
Gov. Newsom’s office said the submitted plans would have only reduced California’s homelessness by 2% statewide over four years — a figure the governor called “simply unacceptable.” As of January 2020, more than 161,000 people were experiencing homelessness in California, though that number swelled by at least 22,500 in recent years, as reported by CalMatters. After convening with local leaders in Sacramento on Friday, Gov. Newsom said he has agreed to release the $1 billion in grant funding to address homelessness so long Please see FUNDING on A6
NOTE TO READERS No paper tomorrow, expanded paper today Today’s holiday edition of the News-Press features more pages than usual. And today’s stories cover everything from Black Friday prices (Page A5) to a victory by the UCSB men’s basketball team (Page A3). The News-Press will not
publish on Thanksgiving, and our office will be closed that day. But the paper will publish as usual on Friday and Saturday, and our office will be open Friday as usual. And we wish our readers a very happy Thanksgiving.
INSIDE
L O T T E RY RESULTS
Classified................. B6 Life...................... B1-2 Obituaries............... A6
Saturday’s SUPER LOTTO: 1-24-32-34-44 Meganumber: 25
Tuesday’s DAILY 4: 1-0-5-8
Tuesday’s MEGA MILLIONS: N/A Meganumber: N/A
Tuesday’s FANTASY 5: 8-10-24-38-39
Tuesday’s DAILY DERBY: 12-08-11 Time: 1:44.51
Monday’s POWERBALL: 1-6-40-51-67 Meganumber: 2
Sudoku................... B3 Weather................. A6
Tuesday’s DAILY 3: 6-3-5 / Wednesday’s Midday 2-0-7