Our 167th Year
Advocating for students
New orchestra for local musicians
New Goleta school board member wants to help students be their best - A3
Santa Barbara Chamber Players to launch inaugural series of concerts - B1
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W E D N E S DAY, D E C E M B E R 2 8 , 2 0 2 2
Supreme Court allows Title 42 to remain in effect Split decision permits Trump-era border policy to continue temporarily By TOM GANTERT CENTER SQUARE MANAGING EDITOR
(The Center Square) — In a split decision, the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed a Trump-era border enforcement policy to temporarily remain in effect. The nation’s highest court said it will hear arguments on the case in February 2023. The Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling allows the Title 42 public health policy to remain in effect after President Joe Biden planned to rescind it earlier this month. At the beginning of the pandemic, President Donald Trump allowed the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to suspend entry
DAVE MASON/NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
Umbrellas grace State Street on a rainy Tuesday in Santa Barbara.
Rain hits SB County Moderate to heavy rainfall expected on New Year’s Eve By DAVE MASON NEWS-PRESS MANAGING EDITOR
More than an inch of rain fell before nightfall Tuesday in North County, and the rest of Santa Barbara County saw its share as well. The National Weather Service reported 1.16 inch of rain fell in Santa Maria and 1.28 inch in Lompoc. Elsewhere, 0.68 inch fell in Goleta, and a similar amount was experienced in Santa Barbara, where umbrellas dominated State Street. New Cuyama experienced .33 inch of rain, but no measurable amount of rain was reported in Santa Ynez, according to the weather service. The National Weather Service said skies today will be mostly
Please see TITLE 42 on A4
NEWS-PRESS EXCLUSIVE
Restaurateur wants to bring State Street back to former glory By NEIL HARTSTEIN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Restaurateur Warren Butler is suing the city again — only this time he’s suing for peace. Mr. Butler spent years trying to convince the city of Santa Barbara to reassign a lease granted to the High Sierra Grill, where he worked as manager, to his own Flightline Restaurant and Lounge, located at Santa Barbara Airport where the Elephant Bar once stood. It didn’t happen. Instead, High Sierra Grill ended up closing in 2019. Thwarted in his quest for a lease of his own, Mr. Butler spent years in court trying to get a lawsuit he filed against the city for damages in front of a jury. That didn’t happen, either. Instead, both sides agreed to
sunny throughout the county, but added there’s a chance of showers on Thursday and Friday. The weather service said there could be moderate to heavy rainfall on New Year’s Eve. The new year is expected to start with cloudy conditions on Sunday and Monday, followed by showers on Tuesday. Rain or no rain, you’ll need your jacket. Throughout Santa Barbara County, highs are expected to land in the upper 50s to the low 60s. The lows will be in the lower to upper 40s. Meanwhile, the improvements in downtown Santa Barbara parklets came just in time for the rain. Water was seen flowing down State Street and under a parklet.
of immigrants from certain countries to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The public health authority, known as Title 42, allowed Border Patrol agents to quickly expel foreign nationals, including asylum seekers. After the Biden administration announced Title 42 enforcement would end, more than a dozen states with Republican attorneys general filed suit, hoping to overturn the decision. A lower district court ruled that Title 42 was invalid, “arbitrary and capricious” and ruled against the states that wanted to keep Title 42 in place. The state of Arizona led an appeal that included 18 other
settle the case last month for a $225,000 payout by the city. Now Mr. Butler says he just wants to get along and fight alongside his former adversaries to bring State Street back to its former glory. “The vitality of State Street is indeed a priority of the utmost urgency,” he told the NewsPress. “And it must be restored through a new commitment by the current governing administration and locals coming together. “I include myself in this, as well as those interested in investing in exciting new establishments that serve our wonderful community and, very importantly, and perhaps most significantly, the irreplaceable support and Please see BUTLER on A4
email: dmason@newspress.com
KENNETH SONG/NEWS-PRESS
Rain flows under a State Street parklet. At left, some people bundle up for the rain on State Street, while others felt fine with lighter clothing.
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Warren Butler and the city of Santa Barbara recently settled a suit over the city’s decision not to reassign a lease to Mr. Butler for this Santa Barbara Airport site for his Flightline Restaurant and Bar. Now Mr. Butler wants to turn his attention to State Street.
INSIDE
L O T T E RY RESULTS
Classified................. B4 Life...................... B1-2 Obituaries............... A4
Saturday’s SUPER LOTTO: 2-30-34-42-43 Meganumber: 6
Tuesday’s DAILY 4: 7-2-1-9
Tuesday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 9-13-36-59-61 Meganumber: 11
Tuesday’s FANTASY 5: 1-11-30-34-35
Tuesday’s DAILY DERBY: 10-05-11 Time: 1:49.37
Monday’s POWERBALL: 17-41-47-60-61 Meganumber: 17
Sudoku................... B3 Weather................. A4
Tuesday’s DAILY 3: 0-8-2/ Tuesday’s Midday 7-9-6