On July 23, Santa Barbara County Health Officer Dr. Henning Ansorg issued a health order that requires individuals in the county to wear face coverings “when in high-risk situations that may contribute to the spread of COVID-19,” a Public Health Department press release announced. All individuals must wear a face covering in business settings—both customers […]
MALEA MARTIN
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Overall COVID-19 rate keeps county on watchlist though positivity rate, hospitalization trends improve
Santa Barbara County saw an improvement in a couple of the metrics that have kept it on the state’s COVID-19 monitoring list. However, the county still falls short in getting down its overall case rate. To get off the state’s watchlist, a county has to meet a number of public health requirements. First, it needs […]
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Santa Maria high schools to begin year with students at home, teachers in classrooms
The day after Santa Maria-Bonita School District’s board of education approved a reopening plan that starts the year with distance learning, Santa Maria Joint Union High School District’s (SMJUHSD) board followed suit by voting in a similar plan during a July 23 special meeting. The unanimously approved plan will have students begin at-home instruction on […]
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So far, two candidates have announced their run for Santa Maria’s District 1 seat
With the Santa Maria City Council now elected on a district-based voting system rather than at-large, the District 1 seat won’t have the incumbent on the ballot this November. Thus far, two candidates have tossed their hats into the ring. Osvaldo Sotelo is endorsed by the Democratic Party of Santa Barbara County, and Carlos Escobedo […]
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Settlement reached in county jail conditions lawsuit
Parties in the Murray v. County of Santa Barbara jail conditions case reached a “groundbreaking settlement” on July 17, a press release from Disability Rights California, Prison Law Office, and King & Spalding LLP announced. These legal firms represented hundreds of incarcerated people at the Santa Barbara County Jail in a class action lawsuit that […]
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H-2A guest workers infected in COVID-19 outbreak rises to 50
After reports that Leo Begario Chavez-Alvarado, a 51-year-old agricultural worker from Salinas temporarily living in local H-2A housing, died on July 7 after contracting COVID-19, the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department confirmed the death was connected to an outbreak at the congregate housing setting where he lived in Santa Maria. As of July 20, […]
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Building trades unions provide specialized training, negotiate living wages, and create local opportunity, but the community, they say, is unsupportive
Initially, the pressure to go to college overshadowed Santa Maria High School 2016 graduate Lizbeth Hernandez’s true passion. She attended Fresno State University after high school, but, “It didn’t work out,” she said. “I knew college wasn’t going to be great for me. It just didn’t seem that I wanted it.” Now, she’s an apprentice […]
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Santa Maria, Lompoc to reopen aquatic centers
The cities of Santa Maria and Lompoc each recently announced plans to reopen their respective aquatic centers, with modifications. Santa Maria’s Paul Nelson Aquatic Center is slated to open on July 20, though only partially and in accordance with county public health guidelines. “The rescheduling is going to look completely different than we’ve had in […]
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Public health, agricultural officials discuss COVID-19 mitigation
At the Santa Maria City Council’s July 7 meeting, County Public Health Director Dr. Van Do-Reynoso presented findings from a demographic study conducted by the county that compares Santa Maria COVID-19 cases to those outside of Santa Maria. “We were able to denote that, countywide, 18 percent of our cases as of June 11 represent […]
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County shifts COVID-19 testing recommendations, asks cities for help
At a Santa Barbara County Public Health Department press conference held on July 10, county officials asked only certain county residents to seek COVID-19 testing at community based testing sites. “In order to ensure the community has access to testing, we have heavily promoted the broad use of these sites,” Nick Clay, Santa Barbara Emergency […]
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New Lompoc medical practice aims to restore the doctor-patient relationship
In his three decades of Central Coast medical experience, Dr. Dale Ekstrum noticed a shift in the patient-doctor relationship at traditional medical practices. “Patients as well as doctors have experienced increasing demands, having to do more regulatory work or more electronic records work,” Ekstrum said. “Spending 10 minutes with a patient involves another 20 or […]
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Local organizations call for action over farmworker conditions during COVID-19
With about 20 percent of Santa Maria’s COVID-19 cases being among farmworkers, Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE) and Mixteco Indigena Community Organizing Project (MICOP) released a joint statement calling on Santa Barbara County elected officials and public health to take action. CAUSE and MICOP are asking the Board of Supervisors to […]