Month: June 2026

Tracy Lehr

CARPINTERIA, Calif. (KEYT) – Local cat lovers may have seen viral videos of Juno The Klepto Kat.

Juno’s social media fame stems from finding things and bringing them home for her two-legged friends.

She has followers around the world and international media outlets have done stories about Juno, too.

Now’s the time for an update.

Juno The Klepto Kat is celebrating her 7th “Kleptoversary” in June.

Juno started collected at age 4 and she is now 11 years young.

Connie Brocato-Geston has a special place in her Carpinteria backyard for all the items Juno has collected over the years.

She has found toys, hats, gloves and a safety vest that had been tossed in a neighbor’s trash bin.

She has even created a work of art out of some of the most colorful items.

Brocato-Geston track her comings and goings with cameras near the patio pet door.

“As of today, with what she brought home today we are at 2,562 things since 2019, and so far, for this year she has collected 218, so, she is a keeper,” said Brocato-Geston

The neighbors know where to go if they are missing something.

She returned gardening gloves to a neighbor who saw Juno carry them away.

And speaking of gardening, the family has an amazing garden grown from cuttings Juno has brought home.

“Recently, I have taken a wagon around the neighborhood and asked if it belongs to them.”

Juno is now teaching a new kitten named Tilly her “Klepto” ways.

“She has brought me a lot of joy, she has brought me a lot of gifts, she has brought so much stuff home, I don’t know what to do with it,” said Brocato-Geston.

They have given some items away to Santa Barbara Humane and they have made donations on Juno’s behalf.

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Tracy Lehr

OXNARD, Calif. (KEYT) – The Channel Islands Yacht Club (CIYC) hosted its 14th annual ‘Disabled Veterans Sail’ Day.

More than 20 skippers in Oxnard’s Channel Islands Harbor volunteered to take veterans out on their sailboats and motorboats.

“We are out here for our 14th year and it is funny because I get emotional, I love our vets and this is a great community outreach to put these guys out on the water because they served for our country and they deserve to be recognized,” said Disabled Veterans Sail Day founder, Bill Brayton.

Army Veteran Nelson Juaneza of San Diego said he was excited to see the Channel Islands from a boat.

“Very thankful to have an opportunity to go and meet other fellow vets and enjoy the beautiful weather,” said Juaneza.

The sun came out during the day.

Some of the veterans set sail on the Mystic Whaler Tall Ship.

After their return CIYC treated them to steak dinners.

For more information visit https://ciyc.com

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Drivers going south on Highway 101 are now traveling on the newest sections of the freeway through Montecito.

Construction came to a completion as new traffic patterns were opened up over the weekend after months of work. It came with advanced notice, signage and on site markings with cones.

New southbound lanes and ramps opened, the southbound off-ramp at Cabrillo Blvd closed, the traffic signal on Cabrillo Blvd at the southbound off-ramp at Hot Springs Rd/Cabrillo Blvd will be removed, and there is a temporary stop sign at the intersection of Olive Mill and Spring Rds.

Drivers can use the newly opened southbound off-ramp at Spring/Olive Mill Roads as the detour for the southbound off-ramp closure at Cabrillo Blvd. 

This work is part of the overall Carpinteria to Santa Barbara widening project to add an additional lane in each direction. It will create a peak hours High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane for drivers with one or more passengers.

The improvements will eventually be over a 10.9 mile stretch of the highway in both directions. The work costs about $700 million. It includes many changes beyond the additional lanes. Those include new bridges, ramps, creek crossing alterations, sound walls and signage.

The project is expected to help with congestion but it will not solve the issue at the busiest times, as was seen over the weekend. The combination of summer travel, and UC Santa Barbara graduation, along with normal commuting on the freeway, filled all the lanes bumper to bumper most of the weekend.

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

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Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo are putting growing pressure on already fragile health systems.

Humanitarian aid groups are working to prevent that strain from disrupting everyday medical care.

Health officials report that the surge in Ebola cases is limiting access for patients with chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension.

Direct Relief is expanding support to frontline clinics with essential medicines and protective equipment to help maintain basic services.

The ongoing response is also forcing some facilities to divert staff and resources away from routine patient care.

Efforts continue as relief organizations work to stabilize supply chains and support clinics trying to treat both Ebola patients and those with long-term medical needs.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – A call for the community to prepare for the next big fire, or fires, comes with a meeting for fire leaders to explain the conditions, risks and response plans ahead.

This comes after Southern California witnessed what areas of Northern California saw in recent years Last year, an explosive wind-driven fire scene wiped out homes, businesses and nearly all of certain communities such as the Palisades and Alta Dena. In Ventura County the Mountain Fire was also destructive and moved faster than fire crews could get into position.

The Monday evening meeting will take place on the west campus of Santa Barbara City College from 6 p.m. to 7:30. p.m. in the BC Forum. Parking is free.

It will be hosted by all local fire agencies, the Santa Barbara Police Department, the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office and local public safety partners.

The key information will include wildfire risks, brush removal preparation, evacuation planning, and personal preparedness. It will not just focus on the traditional front country areas, but also dangerous spots including around Elings Park, Hidden Valley, the Douglas Family Preserve, Hope Ranch, Honda Valley Park and TV hill.

(More details will be posted in a follow up story by Tracy Lehr)

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Boats have to be removed from the seasonal anchorage area east of Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara starting today.

New moorings are going in – the seasonal anchorage used to secure boats from drifting winds, currents, and waves. The new moorings should be finished at the end of July.

This changes was widely discussed by the Santa Barbara Harbor Commission and letters have been sent out to the boaters involved.

At that time fees will be $30/per night, $200/per week, and $500/per month. Insurance will be required for all boats in the area, along with inspections. A permit application is available at the Harbormasters office.

The Santa Barbara Waterfront Department and non-profit groups including Heal the Ocean say this improved mooring area, along with the insurance requirement will create a safer zone and there will be fewer vessels breaking away. In the past some have crashed into the shoreline creating dangerous situations, environmental damage and maritime debris concerns.

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Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Wildfire preparedness is now a hot topic year-round and as recent fires have shown living near the ocean doesn’t protect homeowners from wind-driven embers.

That’s why Santa Barbara County’s Office of Emergency Management hosted a South Coast Wildfire Preparedness Community Meeting.

The meeting took place at Santa Barbara City College’s Business / Communication Forum on the West Campus.

First responders, including firefighters, and emergency management leaders, spoke with residents.

Montecito Fire Department Wildland Fire Specialist, Maeve Juarez, said now is the time to learn how to harden your home.

“This wind is a great reminder that there is not really a fire season in Santa Barbara County we are kind of always under that watch we have to kind of be prepared anytime of the year and this is the best time of year to really go back home and try to prepare your home,” said Juarez.

First responders say there is more to it than the old Ready-Set-Go saying.

“We need people to be responsible, to be able too help themselves and to be able know when to leave, we preach Ready-Set-Go but we are really starting to emphasize more of when you are set, maybe it is time to go, not to wait until somebody tells you to go, we saw that in the Palisades Fire and that is how we ended up with gridlock on Sunset Boulevard because it was just a massive exodus. If we can get some people to have their go bags and be ready to go sooner and perhaps leave earlier there is nothing wrong with that,” said Santa Barbara City Fire Dept. Chief Chris Mailes.

Mailes said the community is well prepared thanks to collaboration and experience.

“We have been through some horrific fires,” said Mailes.

Mailes said he has a go bag at home and at work.

The meeting emphasized the work of the National Weather Service, located in nearby Oxnard, that sends out watches and warnings.

Firefighters said a wet winter changes the fire behavior the following summer.

Hardening your home often depends on where you live.

People in fire prone areas need to get rid of combustible materials near their homes and that included wooden fences 

People with large animals need to practice their evacuations and call for help when needed.

The President of the Santa Barbara Equine Evac said they have volunteers ready to help.

“You want to get out early before it is dark be prepared dont hesiste to call us to get your animals to a safe place,” said Hathaway.

Thanks to the Regional Dispatch Center the closest resource from dozens of fire stations now respond regardless of jurisdiction.  

Santa Barbara City Fire Marshal Ryan DiGuilio said there is collaboration between departments .

There is also mutual aid with state and federal agencies including the Los Padres National Forest and Vandenberg Space Force Base.

“We want the community to know we want to partner with them, just like we partner with our other jurisdictions, so it’s going to take a whole community to tackle this wildfire problem,” said DiGuilio.

Now is the time for residents to do their part by signing up for emergency alerts.

First responders also suggests having a NOAA radio to listen to AM stations for alerts.

They also recommended downloading the Pulse Point App and even the unofficial Watch Duty App.

The meeting was recorded to be shared on social media by every department that took part.

It will also be transcribed into Spanish.

For more information visit https://countyofsb.org and https://readysbc.org

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Dave Alley

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) – NASA astronaut Victor Glover is scheduled to speak at Cal Poly Monday night about his recent record-breaking trip around the moon.

The 1999 Cal Poly graduate will speak to students and community members inside the Performing Arts Center during an event called, “Mustangs to the Moon and Back.”

In April, Victor, along with three other Artemis II crew members, traveled more than 250,000 miles away from Earth during a 10-day research mission.

The flight was the first manned mission to outer space beyond low Earth orbit in more than 50 years, going back to Apollo 17 in 1972.

According to the university, Glover will offer insights into the Artemis mission during his presentation, as well as highlight the critical role of STEM education, leadership lessons learned under extreme conditions, and what the future may hold for space exploration and life on Earth.

“To see the Earth and these beautiful land masses and oceans without lines or words drawn on them heightens an awareness that the planet and human life needs protection,” Glover said in a Cal Poly release.

Cal Poly also said the engineering gradate will trace his remarkable journey — from his days as a student‑athlete in football and wrestling at Cal Poly, to service in the U.S. Navy, and ultimately to becoming a NASA astronaut helping to shape humanity’s return to the Moon. 

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John Palminteri

ISLA VISTA, Calif. (KEYT) – With the end of the UC Santa Barbara school year, the Isla Vista community nearby is clearing out.

Thousands of students who are residents in the area are packing up their belongings, stuffing their vehicles and filling up U-Haul trucks. Parents have arrived to help with the geometric calculations to make it all fit where it is supposed to go.

What can’t be moved is donated or left on the curbside. Some of the items are being collected for an upcoming community sale on June 19th and 20th. It is organized by the Isla Vista Community Services District (IVCSD) this year and not with the same structure that took place in the past at the Embarcadero Hall parking lot. That parking lot sale which was known as the GIVE sale will not be taking place, due to some space issues. Instead the 2026 sale will be in the IVCSD parking lot next to the Community Center.

Items arriving include desks, chairs, kitchen items, small appliances, clothing and beds. Not all will be sold, some will be immediately donated.

The goal is to keep items from the landfill. the IVCSD is working in coordination on some aspects of the donation center and sale with partnership help from UCSB. Viviana Marsano is the UCSB Assistant Dean of Student Engagement & Leadership. She said, “everything will have a purpose and everything will have a home.” They do not plan to send anything to the landfill if possible. “We’re still receiving everything that we used to receive in the past but in this case the sale will only be furniture, everything else goes to Goodwill so nothing  nothing goes to the landfill.”

The move out is intense with an estimated 10-15,000 residents leaving the area after the school year, and for seniors they may have several years of belongings to deal with.

Already some discarded items are on the streets or near the dumpster bins.

Marborg has added additional trucks and pickups to handle this waste flow and clean the area as fast as possible.

A graduate student, Kaia Emery is heading north and said, “we’ve  tried to donate a lot of stuff  it is unfortunately  not possible with everything.”

Bella Wagner brought in some of her belongings to move forward with the sale or donation plan. “This I think is way more accessible but also hopefully has a greater chance of (items) going to someone else in the community.”

One thing that won’t be sold are mattresses and bed springs and those that are stacked up outside of the community center. They will be picked up by a special truck from Marborg .

.     Some residents have been selling on line in addition to donating.

Emery said, “yea clothing furniture and kitchen items…just really anything.  I sold  on facebook marketplace too like a fridge and a table and all that.”

When you see what’s out there, this process can get emotional. Wagner said, “I saw this beautiful little table the other day and I watched the garbage  truck take it and it got dumped in and I went ooooh  I can’t take it  and that’s so sad.”

Unsold items will get a second chance.

Marsano said, “they will have a sale, a move in sale in September also, mainly  furniture, mini fridges, no clothes when the students come back. “

As part of the move out process, good food will go to a good cause.

“100 percent of the food that is not expired and closed goes to the Associated Students food bank  they already came and they took quite a few bins.,”said Marsano.

The sale is free to attnd. It will be Friday from noon until 8 p.m. and Saturday  9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

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Andie Lopez Bornet

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – After a seven month renovation, one of Santa Barbara’s most loved restaurants and night spots Sandbar Cocina Y Tequila is officially reopening on June 18th at 4 p.m.

The re-design will transport guests to Mexico’s Riviera Maya and Caribbean coastline that features incredible food and drinks. A must-try is the taquitos!

Owner and CEO of Baja Sharkeez Restaurant Group, Greg Newman joins your Morning News to talk about the renovated restaurant and the menu.

To make a reservation for opening week, email Sandbar at sbreservations@sandbar.net.

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