Local Politics · Santa Barbara County
The U.S. Department of Justice sent letters to 57 of California's 58 elected elections officers, including Santa Barbara County Registrar Joe Holland, demanding they purge allegedly noncitizen voters within 48 hours. Holland, who has been absent from the county Elections offices for over two years due to health challenges, did not respond to contact attempts by county supervisors or CEO Jana Petersen before the deadline passed. A Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals panel rejected the DOJ's emergency filing, with judges questioning both the reliability of the alleged noncitizen-voter numbers and federal authority over state election jurisdiction. The letter listed 180 specific names for Santa Barbara County, though those figures remain unverified.
Local Politics · Santa Barbara County
Santa Barbara County has selected Maria Gardner as the next director of its Department of Social Services, with a start date of Nov. 10 pending formal approval by the Board of Supervisors. Gardner brings approximately 30 years of experience with the department, having advanced from a frontline Child Welfare Services social worker to assistant director and most recently chief financial and administrative officer. She succeeds Daniel Nielson, who announced his retirement earlier this year after 13 years leading the county's largest public service agency through events including the Montecito Debris Flow and the COVID-19 response.
Community brief · Santa Barbara, CA
The Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office is hosting a Día de los Muertos celebration on Friday, Oct. 30, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 1112 Santa Barbara St., Santa Barbara. An altar honoring loved ones who have passed away will be on display in the office lobby starting Monday, Oct. 26, during regular business hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. District Attorney John T. Savrnoch invited the community to attend and view…
Community brief · Santa Barbara, CA
Evan Kleiman, host of the "Good Food" podcast, will join food-policy scholar Marion Nestle for a talk titled "Food and the Body: The Politics of What We Eat." The event launches the Interdisciplinary Humanities Center's Bodies Politic speaker series at UC Santa Barbara. It is scheduled for 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, in the McCune Conference Room on the sixth floor of the Humanities and Social Sciences Building. Admission is free and open to the…
