By Noozhawk Editors
| 9:00 p.m.
Regarding Noozhawk’s Feb. 2 story, “With Council Approval, Santa Barbara Ready to Power Up Electric Bike Program at Waterfront,” if it were not for the Shazam password “bike,” the program to install commercial for-profit, intrusive infrastructure on public streets and places in this town would be laughed off stage.
The fact that the Ebike vendor, BCycle, has managed to convince our managers and City Council that their opportunity to make a buck is a sign of a healthy city is more than odd. One assumes that other communities have resisted this co-option. Why are we not?
The Santa Barbara Unified School District announced its COVID Safety Plan has been approved by Public Health, allowing schools to reopen for in-person learning when it is safe to do so.
| 8:30 a.m.
As I’ve said before, our team at Noozhawk has been overwhelmed by the volume of reader response after managing editor Giana Magnoli asked for your questions about the coronavirus vaccine and its chaotic rollout.
But it’s been the subsequent heartfelt thanks from those same readers that has been the most gratifying for us.
A handwritten note from Hawks Club members Fermina and Steve Ferry of Goleta is representative of the kind of feedback we’ve been receiving.
“Your coverage of the confusing and anxiety-making process of getting a COVID vaccination has been spectacular for its thoroughness and clarity,” they wrote. “We have come to rely on it as our best source of guidance and background.”
By Giana Magnoli, Noozhawk Managing Editor | @magnoli
February 2, 2021
| 7:50 p.m.
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution Tuesday recognizing February as Black History Month and this year’s national theme of The Black Family: Representation, Identity and Diversity.
“We know that Black history is American history,” said Lawanda Lyons-Pruitt, president of the Santa Maria-Lompoc NAACP.
“Black History is not just about the struggles Black families have been through, but rather it is a time of rejoicing, celebrating the accomplishments, integrity, leadership and determination and showing true character,” the resolution states. “We honor history and celebrate progress that we have made. We are resilient and resolute in creating new opportunities for future generations.”
Hilda Maldonado (Santa Barbara Unified School District photo)
Kate Ford (Santa Barbara Unified School District photo)
The COVID-19 pandemic has only worsened the disparity between the haves and have nots, and this has been painfully evident in the schools that are open in Santa Barbara County.
Our district has followed every mandate and shifting rules, and we have been ready to open for weeks. Then came Gov. Gavin Newsom’s stay-at-home order in early December, and we were not allowed to reopen.
In December, we wrote a letter to Gov. Newsom demanding an explanation for the disparate treatment of school districts that were ready to reopen. We received a response from Dr. Mark Ghaly, secretary of the California Health & Human Services Agency, that they would look into our request, but have not received a further response. Now, it has been almost two months.