The Santa Barbara County Elections office announced that Kate Smith has been disqualified as a candidate for Santa Barbara School Board because she resides beyond district boundaries. The disparity results from Smith having changed her voting address from a Montecito Street location to Gibraltar Road the same day she filed her candidacy papers. The mix-up will cost the elections office around $30,000 as it now must send mailers alerting voters. Smith, however, contends that her current home is and always has been in the Santa Barbara School District.
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On 10/23, 19 male juvenile offenders will graduate from the Los Prietos Boys Academy. It’s the largest graduating class in the 11-year history of the county-run youth detention and probation program. Located in Los Padres National Forest, the academy serves as an alternative high school for specially selected minors with conviction records and provides education, counseling and vocational training to its students.
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The University of California signed a new contract with the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) that will increase wages for 11,000 university patient-care workers a total of $127 million over the next five years. The agreement-reached 10/19-provides workers with healthcare and retirement benefits already given to most staff members. A separate, pending contract could provide university service workers with a nearly $2 boost in hourly wages as well as healthcare benefits.