A preventable fifth wave of Covid infections rose in Santa Barbara County this week, as public health officials decried a "pandemic of the unvaccinated," driven by the high transmission rate of the Delta variant of the virus -- and the stubborn refusal of many to get a shot.
At a time when only a little over half of the county's population has been fully vaccinated, a collection of about 100 whack job, anti-vaxxer protesters concurrently showed up in SB to inveigh against the life-saving shots -- while Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a mandate ordering all state government employees to get a vaccine - and city and county officials sat on their hands.
With less than 100 days before Election Day on Nov. 3, meanwhile, Nina Johnson, a longtime inside player at City Hall, jolted the local election season by announcing her candidacy for city council in District 6, in a bold challenge to appointed incumbent Meagan Harmon, whose support from the Democratic Party may be matched by backing for her rival from the downtown business community.
Ryan P. Cruz, Jade Martinez-Pogue and Josh Molina join the host for a lively half-hour of inside analysis and behind-the-scenes commentary on this week's virtual roundtable edition.
If it's Friday, it's Newsmakers TV -- all here right now.
JR
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Cartoon of the Week
Credit: The New Yorker