Month: September 2025

Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – The famous steps of Old Mission Santa Barbara takes you to one of the most breathtaking views in the city.

For most visitors, it’s a climb they hardly think about.

“It’s a little hard … not too bad,” said visitor Mike Risch.

But for Fiesta dancer Gilda Sahagún, who performs here every year on this celebrated stage, each step feels like a risk.

“This is a challenge for me … especially at my age. Balance is an issue, and I can’t see each step. I take it slowly, one at a time, until I reach the top safely,” said Sahagún.

And for some, reaching the top is impossible.

“People with disabilities … and even some dancers with injuries … simply can’t make it up,” said Sahagún.

After years of visitors struggling with the steep stone steps, the Mission is planning something historic: They’re building a ramp.

“It will be the first time everyone—no matter their mobility—can enter through the front doors of the church,” said Father Dan Lackie of Old Mission Santa Barbara.

But this is no ordinary construction project.

“This mission design hasn’t been altered in 150 years. Even in 1952, the front was rebuilt only as a replica of what had been here before. This is very historic,” said project architect Fred Sweeney.

So historic, regular cement won’t do.

“The idea is to blend the stone of the ramp with the stone on the mission walls today,” said Sweeny.

That meant going back to the source where the original stones were cut centuries ago.

“All that rock was quarried from Tepusquet Canyon in the Santa Maria Valley,” said Sweeney.

Church leaders believe the ramp is essential. But to finish it, they need the community’s help to raise enough funds.

$1 million to be exact.

The price tag is steep, but the project is one most believe is long overdue.

“We want everyone to be welcomed. We want them to enter with dignity and safety,” said Lackie.

And in the spirit of giving back, Sweeney is donating his work.

“This is pro bono. This has been my home for nearly 50 years, and this is my gift to the community,” said Sweeney.

And while the Mission gains something new, it will still look timeless, as if the ramp had always been there.

To date, approximately $760,000 has been raised through individual donations. St. Barbara Parish has pledged $150,000 from its reserve fund as a matching grant to encourage community support.

“This is a vital improvement for parishioners and visitors,” said Maria Cabrera, a Mission docent, parishioner, and former Fiesta Presidente. “It allows everyone to share in the life of the Mission.”

The Old Mission, a Santa Barbara landmark and hub for community events, is asking for continued donations to help finish the project. Contributions can be made at SantaBarbaraMission.org.

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Jarrod Zinn

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – Community leaders came together on the Allan Hancock College campus in Santa Maria this morning to launch an exciting new economic initiative.

This state funding will go toward jobs and education related to space technology.

The governor’s business development office has awarded a grant of $9.5 million to an organization known as REACH.

Networking with Central Coast government offices, educational leaders, and community organizations, REACH looks to create pathways into new and fledgling industries.

“REACH is an economic impact organization,” says founder and CEO of REACH Melissa James. “We serve the counties of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara, and we are laser focused on creating economic opportunity for many more people across that two county region.”

Friday morning on the campus of Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria, a formal presentation brought Central Coast leaders together to celebrate the launch of Space Vandenberg.

“We continue to rapidly expand our launch rate,” says Col. James T. Horne III, commander of Space Launch Delta 30. “That drives a lot of critical demands on our infrastructure. And so these partnerships are critical to our ability to continue to unlock capacity and access to space, which is vital for the economy and for our national security.”

This is an example of advanced collaboration across a large number of community organizations and entities to, quite literally, “reach” for the stars.

“The philosophy behind Reach is that we build a coalition across sectors to form an all-of-community approach to chasing down and creating more opportunity,” says James.

The grant will accelerate the development of infrastructure to bolster growth and help deploy funds for the Spaceport of the Future at Vandenberg.

“We’re excited for the partnership,” says Col. Horne. “Launch is a team sport, and we are super excited for the opportunities that lie ahead. Semper supra.”

New aerospace training and education programs in partnership with Allan Hancock College and the Santa Barbara County Education Office, as well as innovation programs through UCSB and Cal Poly, will unfold over the next few years to expand space career pathways.

Similar to the aviation pathways recently announced at Arroyo Grande High School, the launch of Space Vandenberg will create new cutting-edge jobs, and the school programs to train for them.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Out to test a concept, the City of Santa Barbara has snapped together a pedlet walking path in one block of downtown as a trial to see if it is a good fit for the rest of the street.

The pedlets are prefabricated pieces that were delivered on a truck Monday and off loaded for use on State St, between Cota St. and Haley St.    

The project required the parklets to be removed Monday. Those structures were taken down by the owners or torn down by the city to clean the street.

It was power washed from side to side prior to the pedlet work.

Thursday the final touches were going in. The pedlets all have ramps for wheelchairs and are ADA compliant. The ramps had to be modified by the city to meet California standards and that took extra work, metal sheets, welding and time. The work was finished late Friday. The city says the ramps that arrived met federal standards, but California’s requirements are wider.

Some benches have been added for seating. They are in the street near the pedlets.

Dining on the sidewalk that is already in place will be enhanced by more tables and chairs in front of restaurants that choose to use that space.

Joe’s Cafe was one of them. Five tables were set up on the sidewalk surrounded by flowers and dividers the restaurant had when they used the street for seating. The restaurant did not add or lose any tables. Spacing was also in place for wheelchairs.

This comes at no charge now. The city is normally charging for tables and chairs on sidewalk space, which is city property.

Nearby Old Kings Road has some chairs and tables out but the full layout was still being designed.

Restaurants that are next to businesses that are not using the outside space, have been told they can not use the adjacent space, only what is in front of their address.

Santa Barbara Resident Alexadra Cole said, ” I think that’s a good idea. It’s not the most attractive, but at least if all the pedestrians  are walking on it, that is free range for the people (businesses) to be able to spread their tables and get their table crowd back again.”

A visitor from Texas, Debra Boyle was in Santa Barbara with a large group of friends who were planning their day and checking out the changes. “Yes, I actually look for that when I’m researching cities. I look for sidewalk dining or piazza, anything like that that can bring me outdoors.”

She says at home in Texas it is often too hot or uncomfortable to sit outside for dining.

An Old Kings Road bartender Joe Crosby said the plan can be viewed two ways. “Absolutely it would make serving easier. But it also takes the foot traffic further away from our front door, where there would be potentially entering.” He says passersby who see their bar, the decor, the other elements that would draw them in, may not see it from the street.

No awnings can go up. Only umbrellas.The outside of the pedlets do not have a rail. They are elevated a few inches above the street.

It took extra work to make sure they were level and adjusted evenly since the older street is irregular in many area. The pedlets also do not go the full length of the block on both sides.

Signs indicating the walkways are open are mounted on some orange construction stanchions.

By early evening the public was using the new walkway, along with some portions of the street and some open areas of the sidewalk.

The downtown Loop shuttle is still able to use the center area of the street to transport its riders from Stearns Wharf to the Arlington Theatre area and back.

This project is a trial for one block. A full master plan for the downtown area is still in the works.

It has a cost of $580,000. The pedlets were purchased from Modstreet, which has set these up in other communities and has examples on its website.

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