Month: August 2026

Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) — Teachers across the Hope School District are putting the finishing touches on their classrooms as they prepare to welcome students back Thursday.

Desks are being arranged, supplies unpacked and classroom walls decorated as educators get ready for a new group of students.

For teachers, the final preparations go beyond getting the room organized. They are creating spaces where students can feel comfortable, connected and ready to learn from the moment they walk through the door.

The work marks the final stretch of summer preparation before classrooms fill up again for the start of a new school year.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – The Santa Barbara County Chief Executive Officer has retired from the position she has held since 2013.

Mona Miyasato has been instrumental in changing the way Santa Barbara County manages its departments, finances and responds to emergencies.

During the time she held the post, she helped the county through budget hearings with severe financial issues. Miyasato also had to declared numerous emergencies due to weather and other related issues that opened the door to state and federal aid.

She has been a watchdog over county departments and the Board of Supervisors through some of the biggest events in history.

That included the COVID crisis.

Funding problems have never full gone away and each year she had to prepare a balanced budget.

She says the county is in much better shape today with the work the staff has done.

Miyasato said, “as I leave I have great confidence in this county, this county organization. There will always be difficult choices. There will never be enough resources there will always be issues but remember the public’s trust has to be continually earned. This organization will do what it has to do, and what it has always done, which is respond, adjust, and renew.”

Miyasato received two standing ovations during her farewell appearance to the county.

She ended by removing her special county badge and leaving it on the podium where she was speaking.

She is not completely stepping out of the work force.

She will be a professional coach for public sector executives.

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

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Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – The Santa Barbara City Council received a two-year progress report on climate.

The city’s Energy and Climate Division Manager Jefferson Litten gave the presentation.

“Today was a great opportunity for council to hear a two-year progress update on what our department and what all the city departments are doing to achieve our climate action plan goal and I think it was really well received by council and we also talked about what we are ready to do in the next three years,” said Litten.

Litten said his department is working with other departments to achieve the city of Santa Barbara’s goals.

“The city has really ambitious climate action plan goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2035. So that is going to be a combination of adding EV charging, converting our buildings to electric buildings and adding solar storage where ever we can.”

He said the council responded with encouraging words.

The Climate Action Plan adopted in July of 2024 serves as a roadmap for the city to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The report says greenhouse gas emission primarily comes from on road passenger transportation and building energy use.

Clean energy programs include street and community trees, residential and city EV charging, and home electrification.

Members of the public can watch a recording of the council meeting on YouTube.

“The presentation was really well received by council, it was great to see praise for the department and our other departmental partners for all the work we have been trying to do to advance our climate goals,” said Litten.

In the next few years the city will focus on municipal building electrification and solar.

The city will incentivize residential solar and storage offering and shifts to use electricity during off peaks hours.

The city will replace vehicles with EVS.

It will continue building bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure and improvements.

The city will also create a student climate innovation grant competition and explore partnerships with UC Santa Barbara and Santa Barbara City College.

The current climate has been a topic of conversation.

People visiting Tuesday’s farmers market on State Street felt the afternoon heat.

It was about 86 degrees before 5.p.m.

Jenna Davis wanted to make sure her children didn’t get overheated.

“It is always changing, it is definitely getting warmer and I feel like summer is just shifting to be later and later now, so kids are going back to school, but it is going to be hot at their school, and in the classroom, so I am glad to hear the city is doing things though and trying to move positive change forward and trying to adjust to this warming climate, we’ve got,” said Davis.

The Library On The Go on State Street during the market had staff on hand to recommend books about the climate.

One librarian recommended a book that includes climate inspired poetry entitled “You A Here, Poetry in the Natural World.”

The city is gearing up for a EV Charging Station ribbon cutting at the Eastside Library on Aug. 26th.

For a link to the report visit https://SantaBarbaraCA.gov

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Caleb Nguyen

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – The Santa Barbara Zoo sadly euthanized Poppy, an 8-year-old capybara, Friday after finding an inoperable mass on her throat that made eating and breathing difficult.

Poppy lived past the normal life expectancy for capybaras in the wild as many capybaras live up to seven years, according to the SB Zoo.

The SB Zoo’s other capybara, Antonio, is four years old and is suffering from a rare blood cancer diagnosis.

Antonio is receiving chemotherapy for treatment alongside special care and testing over the last two months, according to SB Zoo officials.

Antonio’s successful diagnosis of multiple myeloma marks the first in a living capybara at an Association of Zoos and Aquariums facility, according to SB Zoo officials.

Poppy’s passing marks a string of recent tragedies at the SB Zoo after beloved red panda Ruby and her two cubs died in July.

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News Channel 3-12

CHANNEL ISLANDS, Calif. (KEYT) – The Channel Islands National Park will open its new Prisoners Harbor Campground on Santa Cruz Island on August 27th.

Below is a press release from the National Park Service on the upcoming opening:

Beginning Aug. 27, Channel Islands National Park will open the new Prisoners Harbor Campground on Santa Cruz Island, introducing overnight visitors to a new way to experience the park’s largest island.

Reservations will open on August 18. Each of the six campsites accommodates up to four people; the nightly rate is $15 per site. Reservations can be made at www.recreation.gov.

This is the first new campground added to Santa Cruz Island in decades and fulfills the park’s goal of expanding visitor opportunities while protecting the island’s extraordinary natural resources. Located a short walk from the Prisoners Harbor Pier, it offers a quieter camping experience than Scorpion Campground while remaining easily accessible.

“For our park rangers, Prisoners Harbor Campground is one of those rare opportunities to create a new inspirational experience that will be here for generations to come,” said Channel Islands National Park Superintendent Ethan McKinley. “It’s a small, thoughtfully designed campground that’s in tune with nature. Visitors will fall asleep listening to the gentle rhythm of cobblestones rolling in the surf.”

The campground also expands recreation opportunities on Santa Cruz Island. Visitors can now hike between Scorpion Anchorage and Prisoners Harbor, creating new point-to-point backpacking trips. Experienced kayakers can also paddle between the two harbors for a multi-day coastal adventure.

“We’re really excited about the new Prisoner’s Harbor campground on Santa Cruz Island,” said Channel Islands National Park Foundation board member Michael Delaney. “It’s set in a beautiful oak woodland nestled below Eagle Ridge, and it’s easily accessible with just a short walk from the pier where visitors arrive. Our heartfelt thanks to Toad & Co, Fund for People in Parks, and Aera Energy of Kern for providing the funding to build a campground that generations of campers will enjoy.”

Santa Cruz Island now offers three distinct camping experiences: 

Scorpion Campground, the park’s largest campground, provides easy access and is ideal for families and first-time campers. Del Norte Campground offers a remote backcountry experience for backpackers willing to carry all of their food and water. Prisoners Harbor Campground bridges those two experiences, combining convenient access with a quieter, more secluded setting.

Additional information about camping at Channel Islands National Park is available at www.nps.gov/chis/camping.htm.

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News Channel 3-12

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – In a special segment Wednesday, your News Channel will invite guests former Santa Barbara City Councilman Dale Francisco and former State Representative Hannah Beth Jackson for a LIVE conversation.

But we want to hear from you! How is your cost of living? Can you afford your groceries? Or to fill your tank? What on your latest thoughts on Santa Barbara’s State Street? And should e-bikes be banned entirely from it?

Vote in this week’s poll, and drop your questions, comments, opinions in the chat box below.

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