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NEWS-PRESS EXCLUSIVE
Alleged murder accomplice identified District attorney’s office reveals that Angel Rafael Barajas Flores Jr., 35, is being charged By NEIL HARTSTEIN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
When former District Attorney Joyce Dudley announced last December that defendant Igor Ortiz had pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of a Santa Barbara restaurant worker, she said he committed the crime with the help of an accomplice. The identity of that accomplice was not revealed at that time. But the News-Press has learned
that Mr. Ortiz’s alleged accomplice is Angel Rafael Barajas Flores Jr., 35. Like Mr. Ortiz, Mr. Flores was charged with murder for allegedly killing Alberto Torres on June 1, 2019 just yards from the victim’s home on the 1300 block of Cacique Street after he walked there following his shift at a downtown Santa Barbara restaurant. Like his co-defendant, Mr. Flores pleaded not guilty, but unlike Mr. Ortiz, he hasn’t changed his mind and now faces a
murder trial. “He is set for a trial readiness conference on March 15,” Senior Deputy District Attorney Tate McAllister told the News-Press. Mr. Ortiz, 22, was sentenced Feb. 8 to 25 years to life in state prison for the murder. As part of his agreement to plead guilty, he admitted he committed the murder as part of his association with a street gang. According to the District Attorney’s Office, Mr. Ortiz also admitted that he used a knife in
the commission of the murder and committed the premeditated murder in association with members of the Westside criminal street gang for the benefit of the Westside gang. Prosecutors said the homicide occurred during the early morning hours of June 1, 2019. “Just yards from his home, Mr. Torres was attacked by Mr. Ortiz and an accomplice,” prosecutors said in their Dec. 28 news release. “During the attack, Mr. Ortiz and his accomplice repeatedly stabbed
Mr. Torres, killing him.” The murder charge against both defendants includes a special circumstance that they intentionally killed Mr. Torres “while the defendant was an active participant in Westside (Santa Barbara), a criminal street gang, and that the murder was carried out to further the activities of the criminal street gang.” A second special circumstance alleges the two defendants intentionally killed him “while
lying in wait.” Special allegations against both defendants contend they “personally used a deadly and dangerous weapon(s), to wit: a knife.” and that they engaged in “street terrorism,” prosecutors said. Two additional felony counts charge both defendants with criminal street gang activity and street terrorism. email: nhartsteinnewspress@ gmail.com
Passionate about water UCSB graduate tells about Holocaust survivors’ contribution to conservation in ‘Who Are the Marcuses?’
SB City Council members respond positively to design plans
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS/U.S. SENATE
Sen. Dianne Feinstein
Feinstein won’t seek re-election
By NEIL HARTSTEIN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
of survival. Mr. Marcus realized sharing water conservation knowledge could contribute to world peace. Mr. Mishory explained water conservation is a stool with three legs. “One leg is education, conservation, recognizing scarcity and the importance of weather,” he said. “The second component is reused water,” Mr. Mishory said. “In the United States, we use 5% of our waste water. Israel reuses 95%. Reuse is something we could be doing right away.” “The third leg of the stool is various technological advancements,” he continued.
A redesigned De La Guerra Plaza will include a bubbler water fountain for children, a stage, informal seating, selfcleaning bathrooms, cooling trees, and a more open and inviting entrance to City Hall. And no traffic. Brad Hess, the city’s principal project manager, and Leif McCay, principal at RRM Design Group, presented an update on the De La Guerra Revitalization Project to the Santa Barbara City Council on Tuesday, and the council responded with a positive thumbs-up to how design plans are proceeding. Under the proposal, the plaza’s current lawn would be replaced with a hardscape. Council members ended the presentation by authorizing Public Works Director Clifford M. Maurer to execute an agreement to pay $865,088 to RRM Design Group for continued architectural and design services. The council also amended an agreement with Ann Kale Associates in the amount of $65,599 for lighting design. Councilmember Kristen Sneddon voiced the most enthusiasm for the plaza design plans, especially the responsiveness of RRM to community and business input, and the respect shown for Santa Barbara’s history by including Chumash representation on the Plaza Advisory Committee while giving a nod to Old Spanish Days. “We’re honing the historic
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By TOM JOYCE
THE CENTER SQUARE CONTRIBUTOR
(The Center Square) — U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, will not seek reelection next year. Sen. Feinstein, 89, announced the news on Twitter on Tuesday afternoon. “I am announcing today I will not run for reelection in 2024 but intend to accomplish as much for California as I can through the end of next year when my term ends,” Sen. Feinstein tweeted. “Even with a divided Congress, we can still pass bills that will improve lives.” Had Sen. Feinstein sought reelection, she would have been challenged by multiple Democrats. U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, D-Orange County, and U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, have both announced runs for the position. Under California’s jungle primary system, Sen. Feinstein could have faced another Democratic candidate in the general election had she run for re-election. Every candidate runs in a single jungle primary, and the top two vote-getters, regardless of party affiliation, advance to the general election. Sen. Feinstein defeated thenState Sen. Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, in her 2018 re-election bid. Sen. Feinstein got 54.2% of the vote, while Sen. de Leon got 45.8%. Progressives in the Democratic Party have also expressed frustration with her opposition to the Green New Deal and for not embracing Medicare-for-All. Sen. Feinstein was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1992 and is currently the Senate’s oldest active member.
COURTESY PHOTO
Wearing the Brown Films cap, Matthew Mishory directs filming of “Who Are the Marcuses?” in Haifa, Israel.
By DAVE MASON NEWS-PRESS MANAGING EDITOR
UCSB graduate Matthew Mishory is telling the story of two Holocaust survivors’ contribution to global water conservation efforts in “Who Are the Marcuses?” Mr. Mishory wrote and directed the documentary, which had its world premiere Monday as part of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. The film, which includes footage from Israel and its Negev Desert and city of Haifa, will screen again at 3 p.m. today at Metro 4, 618 State St. A reception will follow, and editor Marc Cohen and cinematographer Michael Marius Pessah will join
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De La Guerra Plaza update given
Mr. Mishory at the screening. The movie is about Holocaust refugees Lottie and Howard Marcus, a Long Island couple who gave a half-billion-dollar gift to Ben-Gurion University in Israel for its water conservation work. Mr. and Mrs. Marcus died in the mid-2010s at the ages of 104 and 95, respectively. But Mr. Mishory talked to Ellen Marcus, their daughter, about them as well as various experts including sources in Israel. “Water scarcity technology and research — that was Howard and Lottie’s passion,” Mr. Mishory told the News-Press Tuesday. He said the couple first learned about water scarcity issues in the 1990s. “Howard became quite convinced that the next world
war could be fought over water if something wasn’t done about this crisis.” Mr. Mishory, who earned his bachelor’s in film in 2004 at UCSB, said Mr. Marcus was impressed with the progress Israel had made in dealing with water scarcity. “At some point, he became convinced that Israel had solutions to water problems, not only in its region but all around the world,” said Mr. Mishory, a Jewish filmmaker and West Hollywood resident born in Santa Monica, where he operates his office. Mr. Mishory, who has dual U.S. and Israeli citizenship, said Mr. Marcus recognized that water conservation isn’t just a matter
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L O T T E RY RESULTS
Classified................. B4 Life...................... B1-2 Obituaries............... A4
Saturday’s SUPER LOTTO: 2-12-19-20-34 Meganumber: 22
Tuesday’s DAILY 4: 4-2-1-7
Tuesday’s MEGA MILLIONS: N/A Meganumber: N/A
Tuesday’s FANTASY 5: 11-12-34-37-38
Tuesday’s DAILY DERBY: 03-02-08 Time:1:44.20
Monday’s POWERBALL: 17-26-37-61-65 Meganumber: 2
Sudoku................... B3 Weather................. A4
Tuesday’s DAILY 3: 2-8-3 / Wednesday’s Midday 7-6-7