Gov. Gavin Newsom visits Montecito ahead of weekend storms
Gov. Gavin Newsom visited Montecito on Friday afternoon to highlight efforts to secure additional federal aid for storm-damaged counties around California, including Ventura County.
Newsom and other area officials, including state Sen. Monique Limón and Rep. Salud Carbajal along with Santa Barbara County leaders, gathered at a large catch basin above East Valley Road. The basin, built after the January 2018 mud slide that killed 23 when heavy rain hit slopes burned by the Thomas Fire, had a team of California National Guard members clearing out debris before the next set of incoming storms.
In Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, a strong storm system closed highways and damaged roads, homes, farm fields and other sites on Jan. 9 and 10. In Ventura, police officials said Friday an unhoused woman whose body was discovered Tuesday in the Santa Clara River bed likely drowned in the rising water Monday night.
Counties around California have been hit hard by stormy weather. The governor urged residents to remain cautious as more systems move ashore. In Ventura County, rain that started Saturday is forecast through Tuesday.
“I know how fatigued you all are,” Newsom said. “Just maintain a little more vigilance over the course of the next weekend.”
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Gov. Gavin Newsom stops in Montecito to highlight storm damage efforts
