CAMPUS
The University of California, Santa Barbara Women’s Center hosted its third annual Love Your Body Week to promote campus-wide body positivity. The week began on Monday, Oct. 17 and included a contraception chat, pumpkin carving, Zumba, and henna and body art. Each activity emphasized the importance of male and female self-perceptions, and reflected ways in which students can embrace uniqueness and diversity.
The University of California, Santa Barbara will be flying the campus flag at half mast next Tuesday in honor of 34-year economics department veteran Emeritus Walter J. Mead who passed away on Sep. 29 this year. Before his retirement in 1991, Mead served as department chair and divisional chair of the academic senate. Mead and his wife donated two endowed economic chair positions to the department.
ISLA VISTA
Local organizers announced Tuesday that volunteers had registered over 13,000 new voters in Isla Vista since June 2016. Multiple groups such as the Office of the External Vice President for Statewide Affairs, CALPIRG, and UCSB Voter Registration Volunteer Coalition participated in a large nonpartisan movement to reach Isla Vista’s 10,000 registered voters goal. The window for voter registration ended officially on Monday evening.
Though alternative Halloween events have gained popularity in recent years on campus, Isla Vista’s non-student residents are mostly excluded from such festivities. La Escuelita, with over a dozen organizations, reached out to local families and hosted a Safe Halloween event for Isla Vista families and their children on Saturday afternoon. The event, held at Children’s Park in Isla Vista, offered children a Halloween-themed festival where participants learned about healthy eating from the IV Food Co-Op and played Jenga with campus organizations.
There was a physical confrontation on Saturday night on the 67 block of Sabado Tarde Road. Rumors of a gunman circulated through Isla Vista, however they proved to be false. According to eyewitness reports, two individuals allegedly escalated their verbal altercation with a knife in their physical confrontation. Authorities were contacted and two people were detained, but there is no confirmation on the identity of these individuals nor the charges brought upon their arrest.
COUNTY
UC Berkeley announced the suspension of all Greek affiliated parties indefinitely due to recent sexual assault reports near campus. All fraternities and sororities must conduct consent discussions as well as post a detailed consent sign on the front door of every Greek house. On Saturday, Interfraternity Council President Daniel Saedi and Panhellenic Council president Divya Thomas announced the suspension. “All social events until we can reevaluate our risk management practices and care for those who have been affected,” Saedi wrote in a Facebook post.
President Barack Obama endorsed Democratic Congressional candidate Salud Carbajal, who is running for California’s 24th district against Republican candidate Justin Fareed. President Obama recently endorsed 59 congressional candidates in this year’s election and 90 Democrats running for state positions in 20 states. Obama said in a press release, “Salud is a fighter for the Central Coast working families and will fight for a level playing field so that everyone has a shot at the American Dream.” According to the Montecito Journal, opponent Justin Fareed stated that “[Donald Trump is] an executive. We need somebody who is an executive in the executive office.” Fareed’s campaign has since confirmed to The Bottom Line that Fareed does not endorse Trump for president.
With Proposition 64, the statewide recreational marijuana initiative set to hit ballots this November, on the horizon, the Carpinteria City Council approved an ordinance Monday that clearly defines the spaces in which recreational marijuana can be grown and cultivated. Outdoor cultivation is now restricted to backyards, as long as no evidence can be seen from outside the home’s boundaries. No growing is allowed even in outdoor spaces of apartments and condominiums. The ordinance also explicitly banned growing within 600 feet of schools or centers that cater to youth.
Three environmental groups filed a notice of intent to sue a lengthy list of federal agencies, including the National Forest Service and the National Fish and Wildlife Service, to halt any further oil and gas development throughout the nearly 3,000-square mile Los Padres National Forest. The three groups — the Center for Biological Diversity, Los Padres Overwatch, and Defenders of Wildlife — are threatening to sue over a U.S. Forest Service Plan approved by the Endangered Species Act in 2005 that is no longer compliant with current ESA standards. Affected areas for proposed drilling and fracking include the northern foothills of the Sierra Madre Mountains and the Cuyama Valley Highlands, both in Santa Barbara County.
UPDATE
Oct. 26, 4:21 p.m.: Updated with comments from Fareed’s campaign.