Our 167th Year
Ice cream business expands
‘Politics of Beauty’
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Film celebrates life and legacy of Stewart Udall - B1
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AG Bonta urges recall of theft-prone Hyundai, Kia vehicles By TOM JOYCE THE CENTER SQUARE CONTRIBUTOR
(The Center Square) - California Attorney General Rob Bonta is leading a coalition of 18 states calling for a federal recall of Hyundai and Kia vehicles. The attorneys general say the company has failed to take steps to combat the large number of their vehicles being stolen. The attorneys general sent a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) demanding the organization recall unsafe Hyundai and Kia vehicles manufactured between 2011
and 2022. They say these vehicles have easily bypassed ignition switches and lack engine immobilizers, making them vulnerable to theft. Last month, a coalition of attorneys general told the companies they must take more actions to address these safety concerns. The new letter tells the federal government to fight to ensure that these companies make vehicles in compliance with federal standards and do not put public safety at risk. “The bottom line is, Kia’s and Hyundai’s failure to install standard safety features on many of their vehicles have put vehicle
owners and the public at risk,” Mr. Bonta said in a press release. “Instead of taking responsibility with appropriate corrective action, these carmakers have chosen instead to pass this risk onto consumers and our communities. It is unacceptable that families and communities should be forced to shoulder the cost of Kia’s and Hyundai’s failures. Kia and Hyundai have failed to appropriately address these safety issues, ignoring urgent requests from states, law enforcement, and car buyers. We now ask the federal government to require these companies to correct their mistake through a nationwide recall and help us in our
continued efforts to protect the public from these unsafe vehicles.” The companies opted against including anti-theft devices on their vehicles from 2011 to 2022 that were standard on virtually all other new cars sold in the United States at the time, according to the release. Additionally, the attorneys general said that Kia and Hyundai included these safety measures on the same car models sold in Canada and Europe but not in the United States. “These vehicles have been stolen at high rates since approximately 2021, harming consumers and contributing to an erosion of public safety,” the release
County budget workshops Board of supervisors concludes week of reviews; coming up next are revisions
from Mr. Bonta’s office said. “The thefts have frequently been accompanied by reckless driving and further criminal activity, causing injuries and deaths. The thefts have even gone viral, with videos on social media showing how to hotwire these vehicles and challenging others to steal them. Following these videos, thefts began surging across the country.” In Los Angeles, thefts of Hyundai and Kia cars increased by approximately 85% in 2022, according to the release. They now comprise about 20% of stolen cars in Los Angeles in 2022; that figure was 13% in 2021. Please see VEHICLES on A2
News-Press to move offices to Goleta
KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS
The Santa Barbara News-Press building, which faces De la Guerra Plaza in Santa Barbara, was built in 1922 and designed by architect George Washington Smith. Starting next week, departments at the newspaper will move to the publication’s Goleta offices.
The Santa Barbara News-Press — the oldest daily newspaper in Southern California — is starting the next chapter of its proud history at a new home. The News-Press is moving all of its administrative operations — including its newsroom and advertising and circulation services — to 725 S. Kellogg Ave, Goleta. That’s the address for deliveries and overnight mail such as Federal Express. The Goleta site has long been the News-Press printing plant, and moving our operations there will allow for greater efficiency in
serving our readers. The advertising department and receptionist will move from our current historic building, 715 Anacapa St., Santa Barbara, to the Goleta site, on Monday, April 24. The pre-press department will move to Goleta on Tuesday, April 25, followed by the newsroom on May 1. Our phone numbers will remain the same, and you can find them in each edition of the News-Press on Page A2. We look forward to continuing to serve Santa Barbara County from our new headquarters.
KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS FILE PHOTO
The third and final day of the budget workshops with the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors took place Friday at the County Administration Building in Santa Barbara.
By ANNIKA BAHNSEN NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
The third and final day of the Santa Barbara County budget workshops took place Friday with the board of supervisors. One of the first items on the agenda was the Cannabis Review Update. After reviewing the cannabis tax revenue from the 2022-2023 year and comparing it to the current costs to uphold the cannabis programing, Paul Clementi, the Santa Barbara budget director, shared some of the budget switches in other departments to fund the rest of the costs. This includes switching minor library fundings and long-term planners. A portion of the meeting discussed the Flood Control Assessment for Montecito. The area was hit hard this past rainy season,
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causing flooding on the streets and streams throughout the neighborhoods. This assessment, titled the “The Montecito Flood Mitigation” plan, shared that there would be two phases that would be conducted in response to the flooding. The first phase would consist of determining the existing conditions from the impacts of the flood, and the second phase would be “the master plan,” which would focus on the improvements and mitigate flood impacts. Various tax measures were also a main portion of the agenda. Much of this was discussion based on the different departments’ recent propositions and entailed the Cannabis Review Update and tax efforts. To evaluate tax revenues about the Cannabis Review, other county’s cannabis
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email: abahnsen@newspress.com
NEWS-PRESS FILE PHOTO
The News-Press facilities in Goleta will serve as the new home for the newspaper’s news, advertising, accounting and pre-press departments.
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reviews were used. Additionally, there were proposed area taxes for the cannabis production given. Overall, various presentations shared an increase in taxes. This meeting finished with a conclusion given by Mona Miyasato, the county executive officer. Ms. Miyasato explained what happens now that this workshop is over: Ms. Miyasato and the auditor-controller will review the budget and revise if necessary. Then Ms. Miyasato will finalize the expenditure recommendations. Then finally, both Ms. Miyasato and the Auditor-Controller’s office will finalize the budget in May. The final hearings are scheduled for late June.
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Wednesday’s SUPER LOTTO: 3-9-11-17-18 Mega: 12
Friday’s DAILY 4: 3-3-4-4
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Friday’s DAILY 3: 9-5-8 / Midday 1-5-8