Author: KEYT

Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) — They climb cliffs, brave flash floods, and search deep into the backcountry — but Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue volunteers are doing it all with equipment that’s decades old.

The all-volunteer team responds to hundreds of emergencies each year, from lost hikers to car crashes along mountain roads. Many say they’re still relying on outdated radios and rescue gear from the early 2000s, sometimes in life-or-death conditions.

Despite the challenges, team members remain dedicated to their mission — saving lives across some of California’s toughest terrain.

Volunteers say community support and updated tools are crucial to keep their life-saving work strong for the future.

“We’ll always answer the call,” one rescuer said, “but better equipment means we can do it even safer.”

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Andrew Gillies

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) – Two people had major injuries and an unborn baby died after a two-vehicle collision at the intersection of State Route 1 and Santa Lucia Canyon Road Tuesday.

On Oct. 7, around 5:30 p.m., dispatchers received a call about two-vehicle collision on southbound State Route 1 at Santa Lucia Canyon Road stated a press release Thursday from the California Highway Patrol-Buellton Area (CHP).

A preliminary investigation revealed that the driver of a 2021 Lexus was southbound in the fast lane of State Route 1 when the driver of a 2018 Honda CR-V was northbound on State Route 1 waiting to make a left turn onto Santa Lucia Canyon Road detailed the CHP.

According to the CHP, the Honda turned left through southbound lanes and directly into the path of the southbound Lexus.

The Lexus struck the right side of the Honda, causing major injuries to both drivers shared the CHP.

The pregnant driver of the Honda was flown to Marian Regional Medical Center where her unborn child was declared dead due to injuries from the collision explained the CHP.

The investigation into this fatal collision remains open and anyone with more information is asked to contact the California Highway Patrol Office for the Buellton area at 805-691-6160.

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Jarrod Zinn

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) – One of the hallmark events that heralds the holidays and the approach of a new year has arrived, California Polytechnic State Universities‘ dual-campus design program for the Cal Poly Rose Float.

Providing groundbreaking floats since 1949 for the Rose Parade sponsored by Honda – an annual New Years’ Day tradition which sprung from the Tournament of Roses – the college’s two campuses in San Luis Obispo and Pomona work together on these student designed and built exhibitions.

The formal unveiling of this year’s design, Jungle Jumpstart, and load-up of the first half of the float took place on Thursday at the Cal Poly campus in San Luis Obispo, sending essential pieces off to Pomona to be joined with the south campus’s half.

Once the pieces are joined, the Pomona campus finishes the inner workings and applies the roses – an intricate and delicate process itself – finishing in time for the float’s 5-mile journey in Pasadena on New Years’ Day.

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Andie Lopez Bornet

SANTA BARBARA, Cali. – The central coast will wake up to a bit of cloud coverage to start Thursday, however, we can expect sunshine by midday and afternoon. Very similar conditions from Wednesday.

Tropical storm Priscilla has weakened and is now a tropical storm. Scattered showers are expected for the southern part of California and Los Angeles county, but will dwindle down to nothing as it reaches the region. The central coast has a very small chance to see precipitation from this system, if anything dry lightning may be seen in the interior Ventura county mountains.

Temperatures today will be in the 60s and 70s for the beaches and valleys and high 70s for the interior areas. You may need that light jacket to start the day, but by the afternoon, it will be warmer and pleasant.

It’s Friday eve! And conditions are looking great for the weekend with dry weather and seasonable temperatures.

Winds are expected to develop once again on Friday for the central coast. A wind advisory is currently not in place, however the National Weather Service says it may be issued on Saturday. Winds will be coming from the North Northwest.

Next week, a low pressure system will drop toward the region from Canada and rain chances are increasing every day. Currently rain chances sit between 40%-70% for Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo County. First Alert Weather Center will be monitoring the system closely.

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT). – Bishop Diego High School will face their toughest challenge of the season so far although you wouldn’t know it from the record of Oaks Christian.

The 6-0 Cardinals are on the road at 1-5 Oaks Christian but Bishop knows it will be a rough and tumble Marmonte League game.

The Lions just barely lost to undefeated Pacifica last week 17-13. The 6-0 Tritons were averaging 55 points per game but OC held them in check.

Bishop Diego head coach Tom Crawford is impressed with the Lions defense saying, “They are big and fast and strong, really impressed with them upfront.”

The Cardinals have a great set of skill position players this year led by senior quarterback Tua Rojas who has 16 touchdown passes and just one interception.

Game time is 7 p.m. from Westlake Village and Friday Football Focus will have the highlights starting at 11:10 on NewsChannel 3 and 12.

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Tracy Lehr

GOLETA, Calif. (KEYT) – The Wild and Free Film Festival served up movie popcorn and played some trailers in preparation for a number of events.

Festival organizers, sponsors and Goleta community leaders posed for a ceremonial ribbon cutting on Wednesday afternoon.

The main festival is on November 14-16 at the Camino Real Cinemas in Goleta, but a kick-off launch party will take place at Elings Park on October 18th with an outdoor screening of “The Goonies.”

Festival founder Gareth Kelly credited his wife for naming the festival.

One of the highlights of the festival will be the premier of a documentary produced by Leonardo Dicaprio.

The film is about saving animals in war-torn Ukraine.

The movie star couldn’t make the ribbon cutting but he was there in spirit.

For more information about the festival visit http://www.wildandfreefilm.org

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Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Santa Barbara libraries are highlighting the importance of reading freely during Banned Books Awareness Week.

The Santa Barbara Public Library is joining a nationwide effort to call attention to challenges and bans on books.

Library staff have set up displays and events to celebrate diverse voices and stories.

Visitors are invited to join discussions about the value of intellectual freedom.

Organizers hope the week encourages readers to explore books without restrictions.

“It’s about celebrating reading … it’s about celebrating the freedom to read … and the library has participated this year by passing out free copies of Fahrenheit 451 … and working with students to host a book club … and have a discussion about books,” said executive director Lauren Trujillo of the Santa Barbara Public Library Foundation.

Events run through the end of the week at Santa Barbara Library locations.

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Dave Alley

PISMO BEACH, Calif. (KEYT) – Visitors to one of the most popular and scenic hiking trails on the Central Coast will soon need to pay for parking.

Starting next week, a small fee will be required to park a vehicle at the Pismo Preserve, a 888-acre coastal trail located along Highway 101 in Pismo Beach.

The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County, which owns the property, said it made the decision to charge for parking to help offset operational costs that rise above $200,000 annually.

The non-profit organization does not receive any tax revenue for either local, state or federal agencies to support the Pismo Preserve and indicated fees would will assist with the ongoing maintenance and operations of the property, as well help conserve additional natural habitat and productive farmlands in San Luis Obispo County.

Paid parking will begin on Thursday, Oct. 16 and will cost daily visitors a fee of $5. An annual pass is also available for $50.

Visitors will be able to purchase parking passes through a mobile app or with cash or credit card at a pay station located by the restrooms and kiosk.

Daily parking fees will fund the ongoing maintenance and operations of this incredible property and fuel our mission to conserve even more natural habitat and productive farmlands in SLO County.

The Pismo Preserve opened to the public in 2020 and provides hikers, mountain bikers and equestrian riders 11 miles of trails that travel through oak woodland and coastal ridgeways which offer some of the most picturesque views in the entire state.

Depending on weather conditions, visitors are able to look out to the Pacific Ocean and view panoramic scenery from the Irish Hills to the north to the Point Sal to the south.

For more information, click here to visit the Pismo Preserve webpage on the official website for The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County.

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Jarrod Zinn

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – Amid National Fire Prevention Week, local fire authorities are sounding the alarm about lithium-ion batteries.

The National Fire Protection Association is helping the public “Charge Into Safety.”

Lithium-ion batteries are found in our laptops, smartphones, iPads, electric vehicles, and they store our solar and wind power.

But they come with risks.

“Fires rapidly expand with ion lithium batteries,” says Santa Barbara County Fire Department spokesman Scott Safechuck. “So if you’re charging your, let’s say, an e-bike and it’s a cheap knockoff brand or you’re not using the approved charger, it can cause a short in the electrical system there and cause almost like a rapid explosion of the fire.”

Lithium-ion batteries are a fire hazard, and an increasingly common question is how to properly dispose of them.

As long as the battery is not giving off heat, swollen, or what’s called ‘off-gassing,’ they can be brought to your city’s household hazardous waste facility.

“Any time we want to recycle those batteries, we want to take them to an approved recycling center,” says Safechuck.

For Santa Maria, that’s the landfill out here on East Main Street.

They accept hazardous household waste every Wednesday and Saturday.

“It’s free to do that and you can get the hours on our website,” says Santa Maria’s City Manager Mark van de Kamp.

Until then, always keep them in a bucket, not in your trash.

“If you’d like to get a free bucket just for this purpose, you can come out on Saturday, to Cops and Cars, it’s a car show,” says Van de Kamp. “There will be a booth with the Utilities Department and they’ll be giving away these free buckets.”

If the battery is giving off excess heat or off-gassing, do not dunk it in a bucket of water, but set it outdoors on flat open concrete, and call the fire department for removal.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – The status quo or the current norm in downtown Santa Barbara is not working and changes are in the air.

The Santa Barbara City Council is working with staff on short and long term plans that will be presented October 21.

The newly formed and funded Downtown Santa Barbara Improvement Association (DSBIA) is calling for a “balanced, flexible design for a thriving State Street.”

A TV commercial with business and tourism leaders is airing on Newschannel 3-11-12.

The community has also been asked to sign a petition before the council meeting.   

At issue is a plan to add renewed vitality to the area that has been in a sluggish mode.  

The DSBIA says the decline in visitation directly impacts downtown small businesses, property owners, and employees, it “limits potential investment, and affects the overall vitality of the area.”

The group recently funded cleaning services, which was one of the main start up goals for forming. That means more power washing general cleaning of trash cans, news racks, benches and liter removal.

Looking forward the group wants to see a multi-use plan for the street and the return of popular events.  This will be included in the Master Plan discussion coming up with the city that has been in the works for the past few years.

Suggestions will be made with an urgency to act soon.

A news release says the message will be to adopt a new State Street design configuration that:

Installs retractable bollards so the street can be easily opened or closed to vehicles for farmers’ markets, parades, concerts, and other special events.

Allows for one-way configuration of vehicle traffic and shuttles.

Creates safe, organized, separate spaces for pedestrians and cyclists.

Expands sidewalks to continue supporting outdoor dining.

This area is being referred to as the “Grand Paseo.”

The DSBIA says the plan will:

Increase downtown circulation and accessibility.

Attract more diverse customers.

Improve visibility and opportunities for businesses.

Reinvigorate downtown’s economic vitality.

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

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