Month: April 2025

Patricia Martellotti

GOLETA, Calif. – Since the devastating Los Angeles Wildfires three months ago, Direct Relief has delivered life-saving resources including more than 400 shipments of medical aid.

“We were driving down to Los Angeles to the incident command, post every day, delivering medical backpacks, masks, PPE supplies for certain and Rescue teams,” said emergency response manager Staci Richard of Direct Relief.

The medical aid went to 77 health and community organizations across the region.

“At times it was chaotic with Los Angeles being on our backyard we were able to be nimble to be quick to really assess and hear what the needs were for the supplies whether they were P100 or N95,” said Richard.

So far, the agency has provided over $6 million in emergency operating grants to 56 organizations.

These organizations include support for health centers and free clinics, rental assistance funds, and more.

“We’ve also branched out into other social determinants of health like education, summer enrichment programs,” said Richard.

Right now, Direct Relief is working with community organizations to continue supporting those who have been impacted by the fires.

“The need for mental health really spikes … we’re at three months … that gives us three months  to bolster providers that are going to be focusing on mental health when they see that uptick three months from now so that’s one of our big focuses,” said spokesperson Brea Burkholz of Direct Relief.

Direct Relief is now moving into long-term recovery to help rebuild essential health services.

In the three months since the Los Angeles wildfires, Direct Relief has coordinated with local agencies and healthcare providers to deliver life-saving resources.

This includes more than 400 shipments of medical aid totaling over 54 tons.

The medical aid went to 77 health and community organizations across the region.

In order to help protect residents and responders during re-entry and recovery, Direct Relief distributed more than 130,000 N95 masks and nearly 16,000 burn zone re-entry kits through partners like the L.A. Fire Department and public health agencies.

In terms of funding and local recovery, Direct Relief has provided over $6 million in emergency operating grants to 56 organizations.

These organizations include support for health centers and free clinics, rental assistance funds, and community-based groups delivering direct services to those most affected.

While recognizing ongoing threats like post-fire flooding, Direct Relief awarded $255,000 in grants to regional search-and-rescue teams, helping them maintain readiness and deploy specialized resources where needed most.

In partnership with grassroots organizations such as the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, Direct Relief ensured that support reached historically marginalized and medically underserved communities, including low-income families and outdoor workers.

With a focus on building resilience, Direct Relief continues to support the recovery and capacity-building efforts of local healthcare providers, ensuring communities are better prepared for future climate-driven disasters.

As impacted communities move into the next phase of long-term recovery, Direct Relief will continue its work to support local health providers and community organizations with resources, funding, and infrastructure to help rebuild and strengthen essential health services.

John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – A 250-room hotel project approved by the City of Santa Barbara is going forward after an appeal was rejected in front of the California Coastal Commission.

The commission is meeting in Santa Barbara at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort this week.

The hotel is a project by the Wright Family H. Limited partnership. The appeal was filed by the group Keep the Funk and citizen Steven Johnson.

Among the issues are concerns about onsite soil and groundwater contamination that could be “exacerbated by project activities and the site’s vulnerability to flooding and sea level rise,” according to the report in front of the commissioners.

The City reviewed showed it “had sufficient evidence to conclude that the project conformed with the flood and coastal hazard policies.”

The City and the Wright Family confirmed that all of the hotel units met the definition of moderate-cost, visitor-serving accommodations.

The project will also have a 238 space underground parking structure, 29 parking spaces above ground, six affordable housing units, a 208 square-foot market, meeting rooms, a fitness center, a swimming pool, two spas, a courtyard, and a roof deck. The project also includes restoration of an on-site drainage area. 

Jarrod Zinn

VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif. – A local high school student received national recognition for her contributions to her community.

Seven kids were recognized at a formal gala in Washington D.C. Thursday night as ‘Military Child of the Year,’ courtesy of national non-profit ‘Operation Homefront.’

“At least for around here, maybe football would be a little bit higher because a lot of people in this community are into like our sports teams and all that stuff,” says this year’s local honoree.

One military child from each branch—Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, National Guard, Navy, and Space Force—received $10,000, a laptop, and other donated prizes.

Representing the Space Force is Vandenberg local, 17-year-old Natalia Serna.

“The first time I received the news, I honestly didn’t believe my dad. I thought he was joking or like pranking me. And then he showed me the email and I was like, my God. Like, it was so surreal,” says Serna.

Daughter to Maria Tapia and Chief Master Sgt. Jay Harris, she’s an honor student at Cabrillo high school.

“I just want to say that my wife and I are extremely proud of Natalia. She’s doing great things, so we expect her to even continue that. She has big goals, big aspirations, and we’re going to support her to do whatever she wants to do in life,” says Chief Master Sgt. Jay Harris, Space Launch Delta 30.

Having had to move seven times and attend twelve different schools, she managed to excel academically, volunteer in every community, and has taken leadership roles among her peers.

“I’m truly humbled and honored for this award. It means so much that Operation Homefront annually recognizes the contributions that most military children have made, and it’s truly an awesome opportunity. So I’m thankful,” says Serna.

Natalia will be pursuing a career in law, public service, and says she even has her eye on the U.S. Presidency one day.

Dave Alley

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – The City of Santa Maria has announced several more colorful murals on utility boxes located along Broadway have recently been completed.

“It’s exciting to see new public art going up in the city of Santa Maria featuring local artists,” said Hannah Rubalcava, Santa Maria Arts Council President. “It really helps to liven up the street as you’re driving down Broadway and it gives a great opportunity for people to see the local talent here in town.”

The 15 repainted boxes are part of the city’s ongoing efforts to increase public art displays throughout Santa Maria.

“The City Council made a decision back in 2019 to adopt the Santa Maria Public Art Master pPan,” said Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Director Alex Posada. “That plan calls for several angles of public art being addressed. The goal is ultimately to improve the appearance of the city, but then also to build a sense of community around public art.”

The mini-murals depict scenes inspired by the community that were hand-painted by local artists and were chosen by a panel of multiple judges.

The newly painted traffic signal utility boxes can now been seen along Broadway from Carmen Lane to Preisker Lane.

“I feel that having all this artwork, especially done by local artists, is a really great, positive message to our youth,” said Santa Maria-based artist Riko Rivera, who painted two of the recent remade utility boxes. “Seeing our little town just become more and more colorful with time. I feel it’s a it’s a great message for our community to stay positive and to stay happy. It just a message of happiness.”

These repainted utility boxes are the latest phase in a project that kicked off in 2017

With the latest round of artwork completed, Santa Maria now has approximately 28 utility boxes that have been painted by local artists.

“Our goal is really to see more art throughout the city,” said Rubalcava. “It brings people out. It actually helps boost the economy too because you get more people out and around walking, talking and visiting businesses, so we’re hoping through public art installations for murals, utility boxes, that it really gets people out and talking.”

John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The three cities on the South Coast of Santa Barbara County had a joint session to talk about their current status and the future as they see it.

It was the State of the City meeting presented by the South Coast Chamber of Commerce.

Mayor Paula Perotte from Goleta, Mayor Randy Rowse from Santa Barbara, and Mayor Natalia Alarcon from Carpinteria made presentations along with their city managers.

Each had a list of accomplishments detailed in their areaa but also some tough talk about the impacts coming down the line from the federal and state levels due to uncertain budget conditions.

The audience was made up of business and community leaders along with developers and property owners especially in the retail, restaurant and hospitality areas.

Finding housing locations and adding more homes is a main theme across the board with a guarantee that some of the projects have affordable units as part of the plans.

Employee housing or housing assistance was said to be a priority to attract employees or retain current employees.

Mayor Paula Perotte said crime is down in the city and many safety improvements have been made on roads and bikeways. The city has also upgraded many parks. Currently the Old Town is going through changes with new angle parking and two roundabouts under construction.

Mayor Natalia Alarcon from Carpinteria said the city is ready to open Linden Square in the heart of downtown with new businesses and restaurants. Recently an ocean front open space area was preserve through a donor and the Land Trust of Santa Barbara County.

From the City of Santa Barbara Mayor Randy Rowse said the city is in the process of building a new police station downtown and an all inclusive park at Dwight Murphy Field. It is also seeing new roundabouts in the area of Coast Village Road and Cabrillo Boulevard.

Both the Paseo Nuevo Mall and the La Cumbre Mall have projects under community scrutiny for over 1000 housing units.

Rowse said the last section of the Highway 101 improvement project through Santa Barbara should be funded in June.

He also talked about the opening of the new Michael Towbes Library Plaza, the new Santa Barbara International Film Center and the new Farmers Market location on Carrillo Street.

Each mayor also showed narrated videos to highlight their cities, its key areas, cultural sites, history and new sites for the upcoming years.

The mayors encouraged business owners in the room to consider their cities for expansion and growth along with homes for their workers.

Ryder Christ

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — The Lobero Theatre hosted all 20 Spirit and Junior Spirit Finalists and chose their winners for this year’s upcoming Fiesta celebration Saturday.

After a fierce competition, 2025 Fiesta El Presidente Fritz Olenberger announced that Victoria Plascencia earned Junior Spirit honors and Natalia Treviño received the Spirit nomination.

The search for the 2025 Spirit and Junior Spirit of Fiesta is underway, as Old Spanish Days partners with News Channel to showcase this year’s finalists and audition process.

A total of 20 finalists — 10 in each category — will audition Saturday, April 12, at 2 p.m. at the historic Lobero Theatre. The event is open to the public, and community members are encouraged to attend and support the young performers.

Old Spanish Days plans to livestream the event for those who can’t make it out to Lobero Theatre. You can watch the livestream here.

Each year, the Spirit and Junior Spirit of Fiesta serve as goodwill ambassadors for Old Spanish Days, Santa Barbara’s annual summer celebration. Through dance and public appearances, they bring to life the cultural heritage and joyful spirit of the festival, which honors the traditions of Spain, Mexico and early California.

Local dance schools across the region play a key role in preparing students in the rich multicultural dance traditions showcased during Fiesta. The finalists have spent months training and rehearsing for the honor of representing their community.

News Channel will feature a finalist for Spirit and Junior Spirit of Fiesta each day beginning Monday, March 31.

Spirit of Fiesta Finalists

Aracely Sagastume 16 years old, 11th grade San Marcos High School

Chloe Kossen 18 years old, Freshman Santa Barbara City College

Julia Medina 17 years old, 12th grade San Marcos High School

Natalie Rodriguez 16 years old, 11th grade Bishop Garcia Diego High School

Natalia Treviño 16 years old, 10th grade Bishop Garcia Diego High School

Paloma Valenzuela 16 years old, 10th grade Santa Barbara High School

Sarah Naretto 19 years old, Sophomore California State University, Chico

Selena Valencia 15 years old, 10th grade San Marcos High School

Tessa Shyrock 16 years old, 11th grade Santa Barbara High School

Zara Long 16 years old, 10th grade Dos Pueblos High School

Junior Spirit of Fiesta Finalists

Amarah Saenz 7 years old, 2nd grade Monte Vista Elementary

Bobbi Sanchez 8 years old, 3rd grade Monroe Elementary

Camila Papincak 9 years old, 3rd grade La Purisima Catholic School

Catalina Montepeque 8 years old, 2nd grade South Coast Montessori

Eliana Valdez 9 years old, 3rd grade Kellogg Elementary

Kaili Kauka 9 years old, 3rd grade Peabody Charter School

Lucia Ibarra 9 years old, 3rd grade Peabody Charter School

Penelope “Penny” Hernandez 9 years old, 3rd grade Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Valentina Vega 8 years old, 2nd grade Foothill Elementary

Victoria Plascencia 9 years old, 4th grade Oak Valley Elementary