Campus
UCSB basketball Coach Joe Pasternack was named in the testimony from a father of a college basketball player concerning corruption in college basketball. According to The LA Times, Brian Bowen Sr. testified in a trial in New York that his son Brian Bowen Jr. would be paid $50,000 to attend the University of Arizona, and that would-be agent, Christian Dawkins, said that the $50,000 dollars would be paid through Pasternack. UCSB has issued an official response to the allegations: “UC Santa Barbara has not been contacted by any of the federal investigators involved in the college basketball trial in New York City. At this time, we are focused on and excited about the upcoming season.”
County
This past week, Dr. Cherylynn Lee, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff Office’s Behavioral Sciences Manager, attended the Crisis Intervention Training Association Conference in Sacramento as part of the Sheriff Office’s ongoing effort to provide a crisis intervention training (CIT) program for all county law enforcement. The program was established in November 2017 in response to the “drastic increase in the number of calls for services involving persons in mental health crisis,” according to Dr. Lee, who is responsible for overseeing the training. Taking after the Memphis model, the Sheriff’s Offices CIT classes come in 8 hour and 40 hour courses, with the former mandated by the State of California for Field Training Officers.
The Housing Authority of Santa Barbara hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the Johnson Court apartments on Monday. The property is located in the 800 block East Carrillo Street and will become a new housing option for local low-income veterans with disabilities, special needs, or who are senior citizens, according to a report by Noozhawk. Construction is expected to be completed within the year.
Isla Vista
At approximately 12:15 a.m. last Wednesday, a 22 year old SBCC student was the victim of assault and attempted rape, reported the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s office. The attack took place near the southwest corner of Camino Pescadero at Picasso Road. The suspect is described as male in his twenties, around 5’9’’ with a thin build, dark skin and dark facial hair. The Sheriff’s office is actively investigating this case and asks that anyone with information to please contact the Sheriff’s Criminal Investigation Division at (805) 681-4150, or leave an anonymous tip at (805) 681-4171 or on their website at https://www.sbsheriff.org/home/anonymous-tip/. The UCSB Police Department’s CSO Safety Escort Program is a free service and safe alternative to walking alone at night. Call (805) 893-2000 to request a CSO escort.
State
According to the Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE), the housing crisis has led to a decline in Santa Barbara’s Latino population. In its press release, CAUSE cites the 2017 US Census Bureau data as key evidence of the declining Latino population in Santa Barbara, which since its peak in 2011 has lost “over 9,000 Latino residents or over 20 percent of its peak Latino populations.” CAUSE lays the blame for the decline at the feet of gentrification, arguing that stronger protections must be put in place for tenants in order to prevent unfair evictions and stop the decline of Santa Barbara’s Latino population.