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NEWS-PRESS EXCLUSIVE
25 years at Reagan Ranch Young America’s Foundation celebrates anniversary at gala attended by hundreds
Rowse touts SB’s resilience in State of the City speech By NEIL HARTSTEIN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
The impact of the winter rainstorms, in particular January’s “once-in-a-generation weather event,” tested Santa Barbara like never before – and the city came through them with flying colors, according to Mayor Randy Rowse. “There’s nothing like disaster to test the mettle of a community, and we’ve experienced a few in recent years,” Mayor Rowse said in a speech at last week’s annual State of the City luncheon hosted by the Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce. “I can state with confidence
MORE INSIDE For Carpinteria Mayor Al Clark’s remarks at the State of the City luncheon, see page A2.
KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
Young America’s Foundation president and former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker speaks during the YAF’s Reagan Ranch 25th Anniversary Gala at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort on Friday.
By KIRA LOGAN
Audit of SBPD notes low use of force rate, makes recommendations
NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
By NEIL HARTSTEIN
Hundreds of dedicated supporters of President Ronald Reagan traversed many miles to celebrate Mr. Reagan’s legacy and the 25th anniversary of the preservation of the Reagan Ranch by the Young America’s Foundation. On Friday night, a large crowd of passionate conservatives gathered for a gala at the Hilton Beachfront Resort Santa Barbara, packed with speakers and slideshows, all focused on Mr. Reagan, his ranch and the YAF’s preservation of the ranch. The Young America’s Foundation is a nonprofit that focuses on introducing conservative ideals to students through speakers, conferences and events. The organization wants to increase the number of young Americans who support the values of individual freedom and liberty. Twenty-five years ago, the YAF purchased the ranch from former first lady Nancy Reagan as part of its efforts to preserve President Reagan’s legacy. The YAF utilizes Mr. Reagan’s ranch, which is near Santa Barbara, by giving tours for future generations and inspiring them through the late president’s beloved property. Scott Walker — the president of YAF and the former governor of Wisconsin — attended the gala and addressed the enthusiastic audience. “We have the truth on our side,” he said. “We need to scale up our outreach to schools and start reaching children younger and younger.” Mr. Walker spoke to the audience regarding future plans for YAF. “Twenty-five years from now, it’s my hope that everyone in this room can say I was a part of the patriots who said, ‘We will
STAFF WRITER
Mark Levin, host of “The Mark Levin Show,” speaks at the event.
save America.’” Mr. Walker continued to speak intermittently throughout the event. A myriad of guest speakers relevant to Mr. Reagan and the YAF, including Ron Robinson, Ashley Reagan, Frank Donatelli, Katie Pavlich and Mark Levin, gave their remarks during the event as well. Mr. Robinson, the former president of the YAF, focused on the reason everyone gathered together: the Reagan Ranch. “Saving the ranch, or rather a part of history, was a reward in and of itself,” Mr. Robinson said. “(The YAF) had a greater sense of what we could accomplish and
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back to: freedom, patriotism, strength and dedication. “(The YAF) provides a roadmap for instilling in young people the values upon which our great nation was founded ... It means persisting for the cause of freedom.” Mr. Walker said via the program given to attendees. The News-Press got an exclusive interview with former Gov. Walker, and had the chance to ask him about his personal experience with the Reagan Ranch and his plans to move forward with the Young America’s Foundation. “One of the cool things about Please see YAF on A4
An audit of the Santa Barbara Police Department highlights strong leadership and community engagement, as well as a low use of force rate. The audit was directed by Mayor Randy Rowse and the City Council as part of the creation and implementation of the new civilian oversight system, and was a proactive effort to ensure transparency and demonstrate accountability to the highest of standards and best practices, officials said. The independent audit included a review of the Police Department’s complaint process; the need for executive development and leadership training; employee retention and recruiting; use of force training and review; and general policy compliance. It includes 31 recommendations. “I am pleased that the audit aligned with many of the improvements and refinements that I was already in the process of implementing,” Chief Kelly Gordon said. “It also affirms that our department fundamentals are strong, and that our team excels in regards to how we engage with the community, investigate both internal and external complaints, and conduct use-of-force investigations.” The audit highlighted the low number of complaints received by the Police Department, as well as the extraordinarily limited number of use-of-force incidents. In 2022, there were only 147 use of force incidents out of 45,111 contacts, which means that approximately 99.67% of contacts did not result in force used. The majority of these
incidents are “takedowns,” where officers take resistant subjects to the ground to better control and detain them. The independent auditor specifically noted that the last officer-involved shooting in the city was in 2019, and that there is a culture that supports restraints and de-escalation of conflict rather than a reliance on physically aggressive policing, officials said. “The audit supports the direction the Mayor and City Council took in creating the new civilian oversight system for law enforcement,” City Administrator Rebecca Bjork said. “This offers the community more insight into our Police Department, and provides the opportunity for us to work closely together as we evolve our policies and practices to meet new standards and expectations.” A cross-cutting theme throughout the report is the impact of low staffing levels on the ability of the department to support and promote professional development opportunities for officers. Chief Gordon will speak to the prioritization of executive development and training throughout the budget process that begins in May. The Fire and Police Commission will receive a presentation on the audit at its meeting Friday. The audit is available as part of the Fire and Police Commission agenda packet at https://santabarbaraca.gov/firepolice-commission. The audit will also be presented to the City Council on May 2. email: nhartsteinnewspress@ gmail.com
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really helped us jumpstart our career.” The night continued, and the passion grew. Mr. Levin, the host of the radio program “The Mark Levin Show,” gave his commentary on the gala and announced a large donation of $10,000 to the Young America’s Foundation. “I got on the Reagan bandwagon before there was a bandwagon,” Mr. Levin said. “I want to make a donation of $10,000 to the Young America’s Foundation in support of the future of our country.” Throughout the night, and as the speakers gave their commentaries, there were a few core values that everything circled
that our public safety personnel, general staff and citizens performed admirably as a cohesive unit in facing these challenges.” The mayor spent much of his speech touting the city’s continued strides toward making Santa Barbara a great place to live, including efforts to improve State Street, public library and airport, implementation of innovative police department policies and civilian oversight, and moves to create more housing. But the unprecedented rainstorms, and the city’s coordinated response, clearly left more than a lasting impression on him. He spent nearly half his speech on the subject. “We were successful coming through that challenge because of our focus on community first,” he said. “Citywide, our staff showed flexibility and Please see SPEECH on A4
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Saturday’s SUPER LOTTO: 12-22-41-42-43 Mega: 18
Sunday’s DAILY 4: 0-5-7-7
Friday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 3-21-29-46-63 Mega: 9
Sunday’s FANTASY 5: 7-11-13-14-38
Sunday’s DAILY DERBY: 04-10-07 Time: 1:40.62
Saturday’s POWERBALL: 17-36-47-63-68 Meganumber: 25
Sunday’s DAILY 3: 6-1-1 / Midday 9-4-0