Author: KEYT

John Palminteri

ISLA VISTA, Calif. (KEYT) – The Santa Barbara County plan to have a 72-hour ban on amplified music during Deltopia 2026 has been met with strong resistance by the Isla Vista Community Services District (IVCSD.)

Community leaders have been urging alternatives and solutions rather than a tougher law on top of the existing noise rules.

Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Lt. Joe Schmidt has been presenting the case for the changes for weeks, including at a town hall meeting that drew a full house in the Isla Vista Theatre.

Monday night the IVCSD had meeting to take a position in a letter to the County Board of Supervisors, prior to the January 13 agenda item.

Public comments were also taken. They included student residents, long term residents and families, and the County Sheriff’s Department.

The presentation included pictures of thousands of people cramming Del Playa Drive during the unpermitted event on the first weekend after Spring Break.

Over the past ten years there have been multiple issues including deaths, injuries, a balcony collapse and parking issues on and off the I.V. streets. There was also a high profile conflict or moving riot when law enforcement attempted to clear the streets at night with extra deputies, outside police and tear gas.

Costs to deal with Deltopia for the Santa Barbara County Fire Department and the Sheriff’s Office exceeded $430,000 earlier this year.

There’s also regional costs to the UC Police, the City of Goleta, the City of Santa Barbara at the airport and area shopping malls where crowds have gathered.

The IVCSD wants to work on alternatives that include an on campus concert to draw the crowds off of Del Playa and calm the area down, and also other activities in the parks as they demonstrated earlier this year. It included music, free food and water, well ness areas and rest locations that were not near the crowds.

The county is facing the costs and unpredictable nature of Deltopia at a time when it is facing financial struggles, layoffs and hiring freezes due to funding shortfalls.

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

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Jarrod Zinn

LOMPOC, Calif. (KEYT) – Lompoc’s city council met tonight, just two weeks after councilman Steve Bridge was charged with multiple felonies.

“I will be appearing in court on December 4th, 2025, and entering a not guilty plea to all charges because I have not committed any crime,” says Bridge.

The councilman addressed the city at Tuesday’s council meeting, the first after he was charged with multiple felonies, including forgery, grand theft by embezzlement, and identity theft.

An alleged fraudulent use of a contractor’s license number is listed among the charges, as well.

“I’m kind of embarrassed to be from Lompoc right now,” said one local during public comment.

The criminal complaint alleges that Bridge stole roughly $10,000 from the city of Lompoc, and also sent fraudulent invoices to several businesses.

Three of the charges are dated prior to November 2024, when Bridge won the election to represent District 1 on the northern side of the city.

“We have an integrity problem,” said another local resident during public comment. “My first impression of council member Bridge at the beginning of the year was that something was off.”

Bridge’s fellow city councilman Jeremy Ball has already called for Bridge to step down in the face of these charges, and Tuesday night’s public comments largely agreed.

“Why should anyone trust someone who behaves like the laws only apply to anyone else?” asked another concerned resident.

With his arraignment on Thursday, Bridge is legally allowed to appear and serve as city council member.

“I believe in the American justice system and I’m confident that through the court process, I will be found not guilty,” said Bridge. “Therefore, I’ll continue to support to represent every member of the community and District one and will continue to ask the hard questions of the city.”

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Dave Alley

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) – San Luis Obispo County Parks and Recreation is currently in the early stages of updating its Master Plan for the first time in two decades and is seeking public input during the nearly one year-long process.

The county operates more than 30 individual facilities, including parks, open space, campgrounds, golf courses, plus community and regional parks.

“The parks are very important,” said Emily Moody, a mother of our who lives in Nipomo. “It’s a good getaway from when you’re stuck in the house with kids, you can bring them here and let them run around burn off energy.” 

Starting this week, the Parks and Recreation Department has began a public outreach effort to encourage park users to provide comments, suggestions, concerns and other ideas on what they would like to see in the future.

“Right now, the process for the Master Plan update is collecting information, looking at all of our existing facilities, looking at our existing documents, any past needs assessment or strategic plans gathering public information through community surveys or having focus groups to look at different aspects of parks and recreation in this county and gather community input from special interest groups and organizations and non-profits,” said Shaun Cooper, San Luis Obispo County Parks and Recreation Assistant Director.

A mailed survey was recently delivered to 5,000 households randomly selected throughout the county.

On Monday, an online survey opened up through the Parks and Recreation Department website that allows anyone in the county to answer questions.

“We are looking for information from the public on the types of recreation facilities they like, the types of facilities that they use, the types of facilities that they like to see what’s lacking,” said Cooper. “What are the activities they’re interested in? How often they use our park facilities? We are looking at all aspects of parks and recreation in the county and what types of programs or activities they like to do.” 

The online survey will remain active and open to the public through Dec. 15.

“The public input will help guide our plan for the future, which will help us make decisions, prioritize projects, prioritize funding for projects, and help us guide, a sustainable system into the future for parks and recreation in the county,” said Cooper. “Anybody is welcome to get online and take the survey. Share the link with your friends. We want as many people as possible to complete the survey online. It’ll be considered along with the statistically valid survey for the community input.”

The county pointed out the survey will take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete and is available in both English and Spanish.

“I think it’s important to know what the town wants or the things that draw them in,” said Moody. “I think it’s important for (the county) to be involved with the people. I think it’s important to listen to the people of the county to see where funding should go.”

For anyone who would like more information about the County of San Luis Obispo Parks and Recreation Master Plan, or to provide online input, visit www.slocountyparksplan.com.

The Parks and Recreation Department expects the Master Plan to be updated and completed by fall 2026.

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Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – The Santa Barbara Public Library is teaming up with the Grace Fisher Foundation and a youth makers market to celebrate disability awareness through art and storytelling on Saturday.

Attendees can enjoy a short film, an information session with Grace Fisher, hands-on craft activities, and holiday shopping — an all-in-one experience. The event is designed for all ages and encourages creativity, empathy, and understanding.

The collaboration highlights inclusion and youth leadership while making the arts accessible to the entire community, showing how partnerships can bring people together around important social causes.

The event will be held at the Michael Towbes Library Plaza on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

For more information, visit here.

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Alissa Orozco

FRAZIER PARK, Calif. (KEYT) – A local animal sanctuary is facing a hefty fine after being found in possession of multiple restricted animals earlier in this year.

On March 3rd, 2025, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) received multiple reports of restricted animals being housed at the site of Born to Be Free, Inc., an animal sanctuary operating in Frazier Park, without proper permits or authorization.

A consent inspection conducted days later on March 18th found Born to Be Free was indeed in illegal possession of 15 different restricted species including African lions, leopards, a leopard–tiger hybrid, a lion–tiger hybrid, warthogs, a serval, a fishing cat, a European brown bear, and a wolf–dog hybrid.

According to a press release from the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office, the sanctuary did not possess the correct permits to house any of the animals. Sanctuary owner, Rhea Gardner, had accepted the transfer of exotic animals from another organization prior to incorporating her business on March 3rd.

Gardner told investigators she did not apply for a permit of her own because she believed she could house the animals under a permit formally held by the property’s former owner.

Under California Law, a Restricted Species permit must be obtained before importing, possessing, or caring for any restricted species – ensuring keepers have the proper experience, facilities meet safety standards, and that exotic animals do not endanger public safety, native wildlife, or agricultural interests. Restricted Species Permits are non-transferable.

“California’s restricted species laws exist for a reason – these animals require specialized care, secure facilities, and experienced handlers,” said Nathaniel Arnold, CDFW Deputy Director and Chief of Law Enforcement. “Meeting permit requirements is essential to protect the public, safeguard native wildlife, and ensure these animals receive proper care.”

Ventura County Superior Court condemned the violations, imposing a permanent injunction, civil penalties, and reimbursement of investigative costs to CDFW.

Born to Be Free, Inc. is required to:

Comply with a permanent injunction prohibiting the possession of restricted species without a valid RSP.

Pay a civil penalty of $10,000.

Reimburse CDFW $40,000 for investigative costs and relocation of the animals.

Pay the $435 court filing fee

A total financial obligation of $50,435.

The Ventura County DA’s Office says all restricted animals were removed from the site on May 21st and 22nd, 2025, and relocated to multiple licensed sanctuaries across the country that hold the proper permits. Several of which are accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries.

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Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) The City of Santa Barbara is preparing to update its massage ordinance.

Before changes are made, a longtime massage therapist is sharing her concerns.

Kathy Gruver is worried the effort to crack down on criminal activity will harm legitimate businesses.

“It is really unfair, I mean we are healers, we are helping people in the community. I’ve got cancer patients, I’ve got motorcycle accident [survivors] I have pregnant women, and to be put into a category of people doing really illicit and illegal things that is harmful to he community. I want to see those gone, too, but this is not the way to go about it,” said Gruver.

Gruver owns Healing Circle and has a doctorate in natural health with an emphasis on mind-body medicine.

The proposal calls for random inspections, raising the current $25 fee by hundreds of dollars, and doubling the 250-hour licensing requirement.

“They are targeting us who are doing healing work. It is offensive and it is demeaning to the industry to those us that are really working hard to help the community be better.”

The city hasn’t updated its ordinance since the mid 1970s and the police department sent a letter about the updates proposed to massage therapist professionals last month.

Gruver said there is a problem, but she is concerned about the way the city wants to address it.

“I’d love to see some new things adopted, but I read what they want to update and the first paragraph is just offensive to us, it is like I’m sure there are some nice people doing this, but they are talking about staph infections and trafficking, destroying the fabric of the community.”

Her business on upper State Street is booked until the New Year.

“You are looking at my office, I am not destroying the fabric of anything, we are really doing the best we can, we are just trying to run our businesses as legit as possible and it is hard when we are having regulations thrown at us that are going to undermine what we are doing.”

Even so, she knows the problem exists.

“In the city of Santa Barbara there’s tons, I can point to 5 within a 2 block radius of here, it is obvious where they are, they are listed on websites, I want to get rid of these places, it is not good for our business, not good for our community, the families in our community,” said Gruver,” I’d love to see them go away. I can help you, put me in the car and I will drive down the street and go that one, that one and that one. It is really hard to get rid of, It is going to take a lot of time, a lot of money, that is why they have upped our fees, because they expect us to pay for the inspections, there has got to be a different way for them to do that.”

She is worried clients will be traumatized by inspections.

“I can’t be in the middle of massage or someone who has had trauma and have the police banging on the door to be let in, It just can’t work that way,” said Gruver.

She believes the city will listen when they take up the issue again at an ordinance committee meeting on Dec. 16 at 1 p.m.

“There has to be some kind of compromise and they seem to be open to a compromise so we will see what happens,” said Gruver.

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Dave Alley

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – A new furniture store has at last filled the long-vacant building that was the former home of Costco in Santa Maria.

Furniture Land officially opened for business inside the highly-visible building that is located along South Bradley Road, right off of Highway 101.

“It’s big for us and a big finally we’re open,” said co-owner Wail Ibrahim. “It’s big for the community because everybody’s been patiently waiting for our doors to open up here. It took a lot of planning, took a lot of time, but with everybody’s help, we finally did it.”

The opening completed a long renovation process inside the building that began last year.

Furniture Land, which also owns four other sites, all located in the Central Valley – two in Bakersfield, one each in Fresno and Visalia, has completed transformed the 100,000 square foot building into a modern showroom that ownership said is unlike any other in the immediate area.

“We brought the biggest, furniture showroom and all of Santa Barbara County and San Luis Obispo County,” said Ibrahim. “When somebody walks in the door, they’re going to see the best priced furniture in all of Santa Barbara County and San Luis Obispo County. We offer appliances. We actually have a huge mattress section as well. With the amount of manufacturers that we have that we carry, and with all the appliances, all the top brand appliances, and all the top brand mattresses, our goal is to make this place a one-stop shop place for your home.”

Situated between Stowell Road and Betteravia Road, the shopping area where Furniture Land is located has suffered over the past several years since Costco left.

The old Costco building has been closed since 2017 when the businesses moved a few blocks south down Bradley Road.

Now that its occupied once again, Ibrahim believes Furniture Land, which features a 70,000 square foot showroom, will benefit all of the nearby businesses located in the busy commercial corridor that runs adjacent to the freeway.

“It brings new energy to the city and new energy to the to the plaza and new life to this empty parking lot here that was vacant for for many years,” said Ibrahim. “We’ll help to actually bring in extra traffic to the plaza. It’s going to help out our neighboring businesses and is something new, something that the city does not have already, which is a massive showroom for furniture, and just bringing in new energy and a new life to this empty parking lot here that was actually pretty dark for many years.” 

While the business is now open, Furniture Land will hold an official grand opening and ribbon cutting sometime in the near future.

“We’re very happy to be here in San Maria,” said Ibrahim. “We couldn’t have done it without the support from the city and the whole community. We just want to say thank you. Thank you, Santa Maria.”

Ibrahim added the new business will employ at least 25 people and likely will add more in the future.

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Dave Alley

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – The City of Santa Maria is reaching out to the community in an effort to help improve its public transportation system.

This week, a pair of public meetings will be held where community members can offer their input on ways the city can enhance services provided by Santa Maria Regional Transit (SMRT).

“This is our annual unmet needs process,” said Gamaliel Anguiano, SMRT Transit Services Manager. “This is an opportunity for the public to meet with us personally and share their thoughts and opinions on how public transit is working or not working for them, how we can improve it to better their lives.”

Anguiano pointed out a number of changes implemented by SMRT, including several recently, have been a direct result of previous public meetings.

“The unmet needs process and the feedback we get from the public, it ranges – quite a spectrum,’ said Anguiano. “Everything from where we might need to place a new bus stop, to where we need to create new routes or increase service windows, or just a service in any way, shape or form. Unmet needs has led to the consolidation of the Guadalupe service, the launching of our route to San Luis Obispo. It has adjusted service to Tanglewood, our service windows, our operating hours, where we place bus stops. The tremendous amount of feedback that we’re receiving ultimately delivers a service services seen today.”

Both public meetings will be held this Thursday, Dec. 4 in Shepard Hall at the Santa Maria Public Library.

 The first meeting is scheduled for 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., with the second meeting scheduled from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

“We collect information and feedback from our riders and hear about their experience in ways that we can manage our system better for their benefit,” said Anguiano. “We want to hear more about those so that we can continue to improve our service moving forward.”

For anyone who will not be able to attend the meetings, but would still like to offer input, comments may be mailed to: City of Santa Maria, 110 South Pine Street, Room 221, Santa Maria, CA 93458.

Comments will also be received by email at: smrtcomments@cityofsantamaria.org.

Residents also may call (805) 925-0951 ext. 2170 for more information or to provide comment.

Comments will be accepted until Monday, Dec. 15.

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT). – Dos Pueblos High School celebrated their recent CIF-Southern Section Division 2 boys cross country championship at Harry’s.

The team showed off their championship plaque at the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table weekly luncheon.

A proud Chargers head coach David Jackson said, “The boys are everything worth celebrating from their character to their academics, it’s been a fun thing to be a part of.”

Four Athlete of the Week Awards were handed out since there was no luncheon during the Thanksgiving break.

Bishop Diego High School girls basketball player Jaymi Coronado: She averaged 15 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists as the Cardinals went 4-1 as the host of the Bird Cage Classic.

San Marcos High School girls cross country Sofi Hernandez: She helped the Royals to a 10th place finish at CIF-State in Division 3. Hernandez was 62nd overall with a time of 18:42.

San Marcos High School boys basketball Aidan Conlan: The junior led the Royals to two wins including a victory over previously undefeated Oaks Christian. Conlan scored 14 and 16 points respectively.

Cate High School 8-person football Josh Butler: Butler returned from a recent shoulder injury and he had a 121 total yards with two touchdowns as the Rams won a semifinal playoff game.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Whether it’s perception or reality, the number of traffic-related collisions and injuries on Santa Barbara streets could be going up.

One of the more common crashes this year has been a city street rollover – that involves a car hitting another vehicle, in the back left or right side and then ending up on it’s side or roof.

In the last few weeks, there have been rollovers on State St. at Pueblo, La Cumbre near Foothill, Mission St. at the underpass and De la Guerra Street near De la Vina.

A survey called “Safe Streets for All” lists several locations with traffic collision information on each page along with street data.

The “Safe Streets” survey aims to identify and address high-collision areas and inform the city’s safety action plan. 

You are asked to fill out the:  City-Identified Priority Street Input Survey by December 12, 2025.

You don’t need to respond to every area,  but for the routes you travel you are asked in  English and Spanish for participation.

The questions are : “Do you support the city designing a concept plan for this street?”

and “What personal challenges have you had when driving, biking or walking along this street?”

The city will get quite a bit of information from the public from the survey but the  public will see at every intersection on every page they go through some data about the number of accidents at each location.

Here are the ten areas in the focused survey:

1.    Bath Street | Alamar Avenue to Mission Street2.   Canon Perdido Street | State Street to East Street3.   Calle Real | Hitchcock Way to Pueblo Street4.   Castillo Street | Mission to Micheltorena Streets5.   Chapala Street  |Alamar Avenue to Mission Street6.   De La Vina Street | Mission to Micheltorena Streets7.    Las Positas Road  | State Street to Calle Real8.   Nopal Street | Cota to Quinientos Streets9.   Olive Street | Micheltorena to Carrillo Streets 10.  State Street | Highway 154 to Mission Street

Even if your street isn’t listed, your input is still valuable.

Sam Korkis is the owner of the Illusion Smoke Shop on State Street near Mission St. “This corner I have seen like ten accidents, bicycle, car, one day motorcycle. I see them all.”

TRACK ONE

Katie-Grace Gibson is a downtown worker nearby, and says she sees it is not just a driver issue or a bicyclist issue. “I think it’s both. I think it is sharing the road.  Understanding that everybody is trying to get where they are trying to be.”

Another worker, Ellie Moore says, “as a driver in Santa Barbara  I think that the bikes aren’t really an issue  watch them watch out for them.”

An ongoing concern is about the speed of e-bike riders and how drivers are having a harder time judging the speed.

Moore says, “they go so fast and a lot of kids don’t know how to navigate, signal if you are going to turn and keep your distance.”

Korkis says he agrees with efforts to make the roads safer and has helped a victim in the past.

“I helped one guy, like a year ago.The ambulance take him to the hospital,” he said.

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