Month: July 2025

Dave Alley

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – As the Santa Barbara County Fair Junior Livestock Auction begins its Friday, a Central Coast non-profit organization is ready to help out local agriculture students during the two-long sale.

Since its formation in 2023, the 37th District Buyers Coalition has been financially supporting some of the exhibitors during the all-important auction that ends the week-long event at the fair.

“We are a nonprofit 501(c)(3),” said Renli Pope, 37th District Buyers Coalition President. “We raise money throughout the year to purchase animals from kids at auction. We require that they apply to our program and send five buyers letters out into the community, hopefully to encourage new buyer participation at the auction, and if the the exhibitor doesn’t have support from a buyer at the auction, and our funds allow, we are able to purchase that animal and process the meat and donate it to local charities here in the community.”

Through community donations, funds will be directed towards the purchase of animal projects during the fair auction, helping ensure that students who apply for coalition help will potentially have their animal bought.

“That’s the goal,” said Pope. “We want these kids to be able to make a profit and we want these kids to be able to continue participating. A lot of these exhibitors had to take out a loan to buy their animal, and since Covid, prices and participation have been very low at auction. A lot of people think that there’s not a need for support and there is a tremendous need, so part of our program is we’re trying to build back that option and that support and get people to come in and fill the seats (in the auction barn) and help these kids out.”

Over the first two years, the 37th District Buyers Coalition purchased 181 animals, helping out local agriculture students.

“These kids are the hardest working kids out there,” said Pope. “Some of these kids who have cattle have had their cattle for almost a year, and there’s a lot of times that are tough, and it’s just very hard for them to make a profit, and any type of support that they can get, whether it’s somebody that comes in from a business that their mom and dad goes, to or whether it’s somebody like us that can come in, it’s important.”

Another important component of the Buyers Coalition takes place once the animals are purchased. The animals are later than processed and then donated to local charitable organizations, which will distribute the meat to people in need throughout the community.

“The kids often times will come and help us hand out the meat,” said Pope. “We have to pick up the meat from the butcher and take it and deliver it to churches and food pantries and feeding organizations. Everybody really tells us what good, high quality meat is and how, they’re not able to get that from from other sources. This is a huge, a huge thing for the community, to be able to see these kids that are working really hard on their projects, and to support them and support their neighbors in need.”

The Junior Livestock Auction began Friday at 9 a.m. with smaller animals up for bid and will start on Saturday at 8 a.m. with larger livestock on the block.

The Santa Barbara County Fair runs through Sunday, July 13.

For more information about the 37th District Buyers Coalition, click here to visit the official website.

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Jarrod Zinn

GUADALUPE, Calif. – Guadalupe has a new affordable housing complex.

The complex is named after a prominent local family.

The Housing Authority of Santa Barbara County (HASBARCO) has been working on this site for no less than eight years and this morning, a young member of the Escalante family got to cut the ribbon.

It was a proud moment for the city of Guadalupe at the Escalante Meadows ribbon cutting on Friday.

“The US Department of Housing and Urban Development or HUD has a Rental Assistance Demonstration program, or RAD for short,” says Bob Havlicek, HASBARCO’s executive director. “And it allows agencies like ours to convert what used to be public housing into affordable housing.”

The site has undergone dramatic changes over the course of 8 years.

The new complex is named after World War II veteran Augustin Escalante, rooting this project in history, family, and quality of life for the future.

“We had to redevelop or tear down everything that was existing here and then rebuild in its place units for affordable housing,” says Havlicek. “There’s a very rigorous process that agencies like ours have to go through to get permission to redevelop a property.”

High efficiency, climate-smart features such as e.v. charging, a community center open for use by non-profits, and a children’s center specializing in early childhood development are the crown jewels of Escalante Meadows.

“I was a field worker for many years,” Escalante Meadows resident Anita Avilez said in Spanish. “I feel very peaceful, secure in these apartments. And, well, my life is very happy.”

Additionally, 15 units are reserved for qualified individuals with increased health needs under H.H.C., or Housing for a Healthy California.

“It’s funded by the state of California, and it’s for residents who were formerly high occupancy of medical facilities like emergency rooms and are now in stable housing,” says Havlicek.

Congressman Salud Carbajal spoke with pride about the achievement, and many of the speakers commended the Escalante family and HASBARCO for the collaborative and unified effort to meet the needs of residents.

HASBARCO hopes this complex will act as a hub for the community to come together for mutual services for a long time to come.

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Alissa Orozco

GOLETA, Calif. – Approximately 60 people from 20 condominium units have been evacuated Friday morning following a gas leak in a Goleta neighborhood.

Santa Barbara County Fire’s Capt. Scott Safechuck posted on X saying a backhoe ruptured an exterior gas line between two condominium buildings at 7260 Davenport Rd., despite proper notification from construction personnel before digging.

Gas Leak: 7260 Davenport Rd., Goleta. A backhoe uncovered and ruptured an exterior gas line between two condominium buildings. Two buildings (20 units total, approximately 60 people) have been evacuated as a precaution. SoCal Gas representatives are on scene and a repair crew has… pic.twitter.com/f2tKANfnkr

— Scott Safechuck (@SBCFireInfo) July 11, 2025

Safechuck says inaccurate gas pipe mapping may have played a factor into the accidental rupture.

The two buildings have been evacuated as a precaution. No injuries have been reported.

SoCal Gas representatives and a repair crew has been called to the scene. SBC Fire Truck 11 will remain on scene according to Safechuck, as repairs are expected to take several hours.

Your News Channel will update this article with new information as it becomes available.

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John Palminteri

CARPINTERIA, Calif. – The small coastal town of Carpinteria relies on its summer tourism and loyal local residents to keep its economy bolstered, but that could be threatened.

This week there have been at least three high profile immigration actions and the fall out is already being felt.

Some business owners say they are already seeing a drop in customers about the same time as the raids began. One owner said she is getting calls before customers come in to make sure the area is safe.

Sue LaBadie is a host at the Carpinteria Visitor Center table. She said by the middle of the day Friday she had over 50 people stop by. The message has been positive with those coming to the site looking for information on shopping, food and historical locations. “You have to be safe to do that. You know, you don’t feel happy if you’re not safe,” she said. LaBadie has watched the immigration coverage from a cannabis farm located just outside of the Carpinteria city limits and wants to make sure it doesn’t represent the city overall.

“The last time the town was really under any kind of stress was fires and floods. And there wasn’t this kind of stress, ” she said.

Jill Castro was enjoying lunch on Linden Ave. and said, “I’ve lived here 44 years and having so many friends in this community and seeing the fear that’s actually happening at this point is it’s painful.”

She does not want the local economy to suffer. “These small businesses and you have the arts center, we thrive on tourists coming into town to bank us to be able to get through the winter. “

This weekend is the 68th St. Joseph’s Carnival at a Catholic Church in the city with a large field that is annually one of the summer highlights. Thousands usually attend for the rides, homemade food and entertainment for three days. It is also a significant fundraiser. Claudia Meza is the festival coordinator. She said, “this is a safe, private, area to come together with family once again, for this year.”

Castro doesn’t go to festivals much anymore but, “absolutely I’m going to go. I’m going to go out tomorrow and Sunday supports Saint Joseph’s.”

The organizers have 18 rides, games including Lotteria, live entertainment, an electric bike raffle and many on site homemade food items. It has been called heartwarming and welcoming to families in a protected environment.

It is still to be seen if the area will be impacted by the Homeland Security raids, two that targeted individuals in private vehicles, one downtown and one in a neighborhood.

Thursday at a confrontation with immigration agents residents who were legally in the U.S. said they were becoming afraid based on the unpredictable nature of the raids.

There are residents who are in favor of the actions to remove someone in the country who is here illegally and has committed a crime. Those voices have not been in the forefront of the rallies which have been highly emotional, and at times violent. They are speaking out with that side of the community reaction, mainly on social media.

(More details, video and photos will be out later today.)

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