Author: KEYT

John Palminteri

GOLETA, Calif. – With the population over 65 growing nationwide, services for seniors are vital. A special Goleta Senior Expo is bringing many of those necessary services together in one place.

The event at the community center was widely publicized with senior groups, senior housing facilities and on social media.

It the third year for this event.

The expo connects seniors with local organizations and resources they also attended informative presentations.

The event not only helps seniors with services but gets them involved as volunteers. One is with NatureTrack where they can go on trail hikes with children’s groups.

Sue Eisaguirre with NatureTrack says, “they’re pretty amazed. An event like this where we can talk to seniors and tell them about how they can be involved and be outdoors.”

One person getting both information and looking at ways to be involved, Liz Badillo said, “you know, I’m kind of more in the thinking of volunteering type of thing. I haven’t done it yet, but I hope to. “

Having a personal conversation also explains programs that you might not have considered before.  Like aquatic fitness. Rene Van Hoorn works with aquatics at the Cottage Rehabilitation Hospital. She said, “you can get a full workout, but in warm water you can also relax. And that’s a thing, that on land you got to go right. And it’s hard to just stop in the water you can relax, you can float, I can stretch. And so it’s much kinder to our joints in our bodies.”

For those who need a health care directive, Maritza Torres-Benitez with Get it Done SB! said, “you’re making decisions in the know. Essentially, these questions, are if surgery is needed to save your life, CPR purposes, life sustaining treatments. We provide a notary, and our workshops free of charge to the public, and we assist with submitting this your medical records with Sansom and Cottage Hospital as well.”

They are also exploring the new Senior Lounge that re-opened in April 2025. The Senior Lounge is part of the Goleta Community Center’s Senior Program (ages 55+). The lounge offers members a comfortable place to socialize and engage in activities. The Senior Program also includes classes and activities, community resources and information, and access to a free healthy lunch daily.

For more information go to: City of Goleta Senior Program

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Jarrod Zinn

LOS OLIVOS, Calif. – Los Olivos residents are speaking out after CALTRANS removed a temporary traffic signal on Highway 154. 

A crash happened the day after it was taken down.

Highway 154 is a major commuter route connecting north and south Santa Barbara county.

Several small communities, including Los Olivos, connect directly to the highway.

“This is a small town, and many of us living on the other side of the highway have small children. So having to cross such a dangerous intersection and having to worry about them going out and having to cross it during busy times, it adds a lot of stress,” says Santa Ynez resident Zach Brown.

Drivers at intersections like Foxen Canyon must wait at stop signs and hope for a break in traffic.

When patience runs out, crashes can happen.

“The accidents here range from fatalities to major injuries to sometimes non injuries. But the problem is, is that they’re frequent during the construction process, we saw sometimes multiple traffic collisions a day,” says Los Olivos resident Ryan Smith.

During the recent nearby Edison roundabout project, about a mile away, CALTRANS installed a temporary signal that residents say improved safety and traffic flow.

But after the project finished, CALTRANS removed the light.

“That was never intended to be a permanent traffic safety device. It is very different, a permanent signal than one that is a temporary signal. They look different. The process of installation is different. The traffic safety studies are more enhanced and the funding mechanisms are different,” says Jim Shivers, CALTRANS District 5 spokesperson.

On the first day without it, two cars collided in a crash that left people seriously injured.

“This has always been a problem for people. It’s a very difficult if you’re just going on 154, it’s not a big deal, but when you’re coming in from the sides, it’s hard to get over there. And so it’s been an area of concern for people who live here and have to get back and forth,” says Joan Hartmann, Santa Barbara county Supervisor for District 3.

Locals quickly raised concerns to community leaders and online, saying a traffic light could have prevented what they believe was a near-fatal accident.

“I think we’re in a challenging situation,” says Brown. “CALTRANS seems to have their hands tied a little bit on this. I know they have their the federal regulations and processes as long as that as well as their own protocols. My suggestion or my hope would be that our county supervisors could pass a special resolution and maybe send it up to our state representatives to work with CALTRANS and figure out a way to get this done faster.”

CALTRANS has studied the intersection at Foxen Canyon and plans to build a roundabout.

They’re now monitoring the Edison roundabout’s performance before deciding whether to build another at Roblar.

CALTRANS says it’s weighing several options but wants to avoid slowing traffic along the corridor.

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Dave Alley

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – Two of Santa Maria’s biggest annual events are all set to take place over the next several days.

This coming weekend, the West Coast Kustoms Cruisin’ Nationals car show will roll into town, brining with it hundreds of one-of-a-kind customized cars as well as thousands of participants and spectators.

Next week, the city’s showcase event, the Santa Maria Elks Rodeo and Parade will be held over an unprecedented five days beginning, Wednesday, May 28.

Similar to the West Coast Kustoms, the Elks Rodeo will also attract a large of amount of participants and visitors to the Santa Maria area.

With so many visitors in the city for the two events, local businesses, such as hotels, restaurants, shops and other places of commerce, stand to receive a significant financial boost.

“This will be probably our biggest influx of traffic in the next two weeks,” said Scott Shute, Historic Santa Maria Inn General Manager. “Being the West Coast Kustoms for this weekend and for Elks Rodeo next week, we are the hub for them as well, and that’s across the board in Santa Maria. This is huge for the whole city and everybody benefits. Everybody has a great time. Summer is officially kicked off. It’s a time of the year that the hotels and the city, we all look forward to.”

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Mike Klan

CIF-CS Softball Quarterfinals:

Division 1:

Stockdale 5, St. Joseph 1

Division 2:

Garces Memorial 6, Lompoc 2

Division 3:

Wasco 3, Templeton 1

Liberty 1, Mission Prep 0

Pioneer Valley 10, Fowler 3 (PV at Kerman in semi on Thur).

Division 5:

Orcutt Academy 14, California City 0 (OA hosts Hoover in semi on Thur).

McLane 7, San Luis Obispo 0

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UCSB men’s basketball team added 6’6 shooting guard Marvin McGhee IV as he announced on social media that he is transferring to the Gauchos.

He played his sophomore season at fellow Big West school Cal State Bakersfield where he averaged 5.4 points per game and shot over 47 percent from three-point distance as a reserve.

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. –

CIF-SS Second Round:

Division 2:

Mater Dei 6, Simi Valley 4

Torrance 3, Oaks Christian 2

Division 4:

Dos Pueblos 5, Valencia 4

Pacifica 9, Monrovia 8 (8 innings)

Thousand Oaks 10, Claremont 3

Division 5:

Camarillo 6, Moreno Valley2

Division 6:

Montebello 1, St. Bonaventure 0

Estancia 11, Foothill Tech 1

Division 7:

Channel Islands 15, Chaffey 1

Grace 14, Silverado 8

Division 8:

La Quinta/W 3, Cate 2

Fillmore 15, San Jacinto Valley 4

Division 9:

Nuview Bridge 16, Ojai Valley 0

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – With the first pitch of The Big West Baseball Championship less than 24 hours away, the conference has announced its 2025 award winners and All-Big West honorees. Seven UC Santa Barbara student-athletes have received acclaim, with LeTrey McCollum, Tyler Bremner and Jackson Flora all earning first team honors. Jonathan Mendez was named to the second team, while first-year Gauchos Nate Vargas, Xavier Esquer and Rowan Kelly all earned honorable mention.

McCollum, Santa Barbara’s senior captain, ended his Gaucho career with a bang, putting together an historic season at the plate. McCollum finished the 2025 regular season with a career-best .365 batting average — 5th in The Big West — as well as 10 doubles, four triples, six home runs, 40 RBIs and 17 stolen bases, all career highs. He was held hitless in just seven of his 53 games and failed to reach base in just one game, finishing the regular season on a 49-game hitting streak, the longest in Santa Barbara Baseball history. On March 9, he hit a walk-off home run to complete the first cycle by a Gaucho since Michael Young in 1997.

Bremner, the ace of Santa Barbara’s pitching staff, likewise had an historic season in what is likely his final year as a Gaucho. One of the top pitching prospects in the 2025 Major League Baseball Draft, Bremner spent this spring striking out just about anybody and everybody who stepped in the box to face him, including a world-beating stretch run that saw him tally double-digit strikeouts in six of his last seven starts. The righty won back-to-back Big West Pitcher of the Week awards to finish the regular season as he ran away with the conference’s strikeout crown. Bremner has 111 punchouts on the season, eighth most in the country and 27 more than the next-closest Big West pitcher. On May 9, he became UC Santa Barbara’s all-time strikeout leader, recording the 275th of his career.

The man in second place in The Big West strikeout standings behind Bremner is his teammate, Flora, who racked up 84 K’s in his first season in Santa Barbara’s starting rotation. The sophomore came flying out of the gates, pitching back-to-back scoreless outings to start the season, but then hit a rough patch in March. A move to the bullpen, where he pitched long relief outings behind an opener, revitalized his season. On April 19, he delivered a signature moment, pitching a complete game, one-hit shutout in The Blue-Green Rivalry against Cal Poly, earning both Big West and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Pitcher of the Week honors. Since then, he has posted double-digit strikeouts in each of his last two outings, 12 at Cal State Fullerton on May 4 and 11 against Cal State Bakersfield on May 15.

Mendez started every game in the Gauchos’ middle infield behind Flora and Bremner, turning 31 double plays but his inclusion in the All-Big West Second Team is thanks largely to his bat. The sophomore leads the team in both home runs (11) and doubles (17), with the latter figure leading the conference as well. He started the year scorching hot, finishing the month of March with more extra-base hits than singles. He has been hot down the stretch too, ending the regular season on a 12-game hitting streak including four straight multi-hit games to end the year. All told, 44 percent of his 68 hits have been at least a double, giving him a team-high .565 slugging percentage and 122 total bases.

Vargas was another every-game starter for Santa Barbara who made big contributions to the Gaucho offense in 2025, with the junior college transfer earning all-conference honorable mention in his first year of Division I baseball. He has a Big West-leading 17 doubles like Mendez and his just one homer behind him for the team lead there, with 10 long balls. The junior catcher also leads the Gauchos with 49 RBIs, eight of which have come from sacrifice flies, the sixth-most of any player in the country. A workhorse behind the plate, Vargas has caught every game since April 17 for Santa Barbara, and he has stayed red-hot at the dish down the stretch, hitting in all but two of the Gauchos’ final 19 games.

Ninety feet down the line from Vargas, Esquer made himself Santa Barbara’s first choice at third base with both the bat and the glove this season, starting every game in 2025. Defensively, Esquer had more assists than anyone but Mendez this season, frequently showcasing his arm strength with Manny Machado-like throws across the diamond. At the plate, he hit .286 with plenty of pop in his bat, tallying 15 doubles and eight home runs on the season, but what Esquer has done better than any Gaucho this season is get hit by pitches. After wearing four of them — the most in a single game since at least 2011 — in Saturday’s season finale, the redshirt sophomore is one HBP away from tying Andrew Calica’s single-season record of 24. More importantly, he broke out of a late-season slump with a 3-for-3 day at the dish on Friday, including both a home run and a double, re-igniting his bat as the Gauchos prepare for The Big West Championship.

But arguably the hottest bat down the stretch has been that of Kelly, a rookie who did not make his first start until March 22 but who has not left the lineup since the start of April, hitting his way to All-Big West Honorable Mention. The freshman is hitting .403 against conference opponents this season, making him The Big West’s second-best hitter in conference games. He has been great in any game though, hitting .355 overall to rank ninth in the conference. Like his all-conference teammates, Kelly has been great down the stretch, coming into Wednesday’s Big West Championship opener on a 14-game hitting streak, including back-to-back three-hit games against Cal State Bakersfield to help the Gauchos clinch their spot in the conference’s first tournament since 1998.

Kelly, Vargas, Esquer, Mendez, Flora, Bremner and McCollum will lead Santa Barbara into a do-or-die game against Hawai’i on Wednesday to open The Big West Championship at 12 noon from Goodwin Field on the campus of Cal State Fullerton. With a win, the Gauchos will advance into the tournament’s double elimination bracket and continue their defense of the conference title.

(Article courtesy of UCSB Athletics).

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors held a moment of silence for three teens who were killed in a head-on car crash Sunday evening.

The county says the teens were employees in the junior lifeguard program and had spent the day at Jalama Beach. The crash occurred on Highway 1, the road that connects back to Highway 101 and Goleta.

All three were students at Dos Pueblos High School.

They have been identified as 18-year-old Jake Curtis of Goleta, 17-year-old Michael Ochsner, and 15-year-old Alexander Wood, both of Santa Barbara.

According to the California Highway Patrol, the crash happened when the teens, driving a 2007 Toyota Yaris southbound, veered into oncoming traffic and hit a 2024 Tesla Model 3 head-on. The impact was so strong, it pushed the Tesla into two other cars traveling south — a 2012 Audi Q5 and a 2002 Honda Accord.

Tragically, all three teens inside the Toyota were pronounced dead at the scene. The two people in the Tesla — a 54-year-old driver and a 53-year-old passenger from Lompoc — were rushed to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital with major injuries. CHP says the drivers of the Audi and the Honda had only minor injuries.

Supervisor Joan Hartmann said, “This tragedy has shaken our entire community, and our hearts go out to the families, friends, and co-workers. The whole county mourns with you.”

Dos Pueblos High School has encouraged any students or staff in need of support to visit the Wellness Center at any time throughout the week for counseling services.

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Mike Klan

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – Four Mustangs earned All-Big West First Team honors this season, the highest amount of Cal Poly players since 2022, which includes a second consecutive nod for Alejandro Garza to put him one step closer to the revered Three-Time First Team list that has just nine total players in conference history.

Coming into the 2025 season, Cal Poly had a glaring hole at first base, previously filled by fan-favorite and four-year Mustang alumni “Big” Joe Yorke. Despite the question mark, Zach Daudet, a utility player known by teammates for being able to play almost anywhere on the field, stepped into the role and flourished. Through 322 fielding chances, he made just two errors and held a .994 fielding percentage. Despite missing the first half of April due to a blood infection, Daudet fought back into the lineup and finished the regular season with a .362 batting average, 55 hits, 14 doubles, seven home runs, and 22 RBIs.

Ryan Fenn, the team’s most tenured field player, earned an All-Big West honor for his third straight and final season as a Mustang after earning honorable mentions in 2023 and 2024. He currently has a 13-game hitting streak (26-for-53, .491) and racked up 22 multiple-hit games, including 13 three-hit contests. Fenn led the team with 17 doubles and 15 stolen bases, finishing the regular season with a .362 batting average, 76 hits, and 34 RBIs. This is his second consecutive season tallying 70+ hits, double-digit RBIs, and 30+ RBIs.

Sophomore and 2024 Big West Freshman Field Player of the Year, Alejandro Garza earned first team honors for the second consecutive season, following up on his dazzling debut campaign with an even more impressive 2025. Garza’s 83 regular season hits are currently 21st in Division I baseball, and his 31 multi-hit games are tied for third-most in the program’s D1 history. He also finished the regular season second-best on the team for batting average (.366), RBIs (48), and doubles (16) while leading for runs (52). After finishing in 2024 as the second toughest batter to strike out in college baseball, he once again sat near the top of the list in 11th.

Griffin Naess, 2024 Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year honoree alongside Garza’s field player award, made the first team list this season after being an honorable mention in 2024. As a freshman, he posted a perfect 7-0 record, the most by a Cal Poly freshman since 1996, and went 6-2 in 2025 for a career 13-2 record. Naess started all 14 game-one contests this season and led the team with 81.1 innings pitched and led starters with a 3.65 ERA. He posted seven quality starts (at least 6.0 IP and three or fewer earned runs) and in six of those allowed one run or less.

Two newcomers earned All-Big West Second Team honors, while reliable setup man Jake Torres finally got the recognition he deserves as an elite reliever in the conference. Collins (mentioned above for Buster Posey semifinals) found a true home at his third Big West team and thrived not only as one of the conference’s top sluggers but as one of the country’s best catchers entirely.

True freshman Nate Castellon won the starting shortstop job from day one and has not looked back since. Arguably the conference’s best debut player behind Freshman Field Player of the Year winner Cal State Fullerton’s Carter Johnstone, Castellon earned one Big West Player of the Week honor and finished just ahead of teammate Alejandro Garza with the second-best batting average in the conference (.368). Aiding Cal Poly’s small-ball game, Castellon was also second in the Big West and 11th in Division I baseball for sacrifice bunts (12). The Woodland Hills native ended the regular season with 71 hits, 11 doubles, 46 RBIs, and a team-high 125 fielding assists (.945 fielding percentage).

Lefty reliever Jake Torres was undoubtably Cal Poly’s best and most consistent arm out of the bullpen this season, holding a 2.62 ERA and team-leading 1.03 WHIP while holding opposing batters to a paltry .198 average. In his second season as a Mustang after being the team’s co-leader for appearances in 2024, Torres went on an astonishing run from March 29 to April 22 (eight appearances) without allowing a single run through 18 straight innings. Of his 22 relief appearances this season, 17 of them ended with Cal Poly getting the win.

The most improved player on the team from 2024 to 2025 was Casey Murray Jr., and the senior was rewarded for it with an All-Big West Honorable Mention. He went from a .175 batting average through 27 games just one season ago to ending the 2025 regular season with a .298 clip. One of three Mustangs to play all 53 regular season games, every contest in center field, Murray Jr. had a perfect fielding percentage (1.000) through 136 chances and has not made a single error through his Cal Poly career thus far. “Boogie,” as he is affectionately known, had hits in 45 of Cal Poly’s 53 games and totaled 64 hits, nine doubles, and six home runs.

 Junior catcher Jack Collins who made the 13-player semifinal list for the Wichita Sports Commission’s 2025 Buster Posey Award. Following Ryan Stafford’s finalist standing in last season’s voting, Collins is the second consecutive Mustang to make it this far and hopes to join Stafford as the only Cal Poly finalist nominees in program history.

Collins, a junior transfer by way of CSUN, Saddleback College, and Long Beach State, had major shoes to fill stepping into the role of catcher at Cal Poly. Not only was he replacing Ryan Stafford, a 2024 MLB Draft 5th Round Pick and Buster Posey Award finalist, but some of the program’s best players in its Division I history have sat behind the plate.

The backstop has done all the right things since becoming Cal Poly’s opening day catcher, finishing the regular season second in the Big West for RBIs (56) and runners caught stealing (18) and fourthin home runs (12) and doubles (16). Notably, Collins is responsible for winning home runs in upset results over ranked opponents Texas A&M and Oregon State.

Collins opened his Mustang career on a blazing pace with a 14-game hitting streak (23-for-57, .404), three home runs, and 19 RBIs.

Alongside fellow All-Big West honorees and teammates Alejandro Garza and Casey Murray Jr., Collins is just one of three Mustangs to play all 53 games of the regular season.

(Article courtesy of Cal Poly Athletics).

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Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — A growing sidewalk memorial on State Street, near Pedregosa Street, marks the site where 29-year-old Joel Gonzalez was fatally struck by a suspected drunk driver Sunday night.

Santa Barbara police say Gonzalez was riding his e-bike just after 9:30 p.m. when he was hit by a black SUV while heading home from work at the restaurant Santo Mezcal on lower State Street. He lived near the Old Mission and often spent time in the Mission Rose Garden. He was just blocks from home when the crash occurred.

According to the Santa Barbara Police Department, the initial investigation suggests that Gonzalez may have veered or turned in front of the vehicle while traveling southbound on State Street. Officers observed that the driver, 36-year-old Santa Barbara resident Christina Almada, was displaying signs of alcohol intoxication. A DUI investigation followed, and Almada was arrested at the scene.

She was booked into Santa Barbara County Jail on several charges: gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, driving under the influence causing injury, and driving without a license. Her bail was set at $100,000. Almada has since posted bail.

The memorial in Gonzalez’s honor includes flowers, candles, Dodgers memorabilia, and some of his favorite drinks. Family and friends have been gathering throughout the week to remember the Santa Barbara native, who graduated from Dos Pueblos High School in 2013. He would have turned 30 next month.

Gonzalez leaves behind a 9-year-old daughter, Sophia, who spoke at the memorial.

“He was kind, he was really, like, just a hard worker, and he really just got his real estate license and he was excited to do it,” said Sophia.

Family members wore Dodgers shirts to the memorial, reflecting their shared love for the team.

Christina Mendoza, a family friend, said Gonzalez previously worked security at 7 Bar on Montecito and Bath Streets before becoming a bar manager at Santo Mezcal by Los Agaves.

“I want everyone to know about Joel,” said Mendoza. “He was an amazing human, a great heart, beautiful smile — el guapo. Loved him to death.”

Mendoza has organized a GoFundMe campaign to assist the family and posted a QR code at the memorial for easy access. 7 Bar will host a fundraiser on Wednesday, May 21, with 50 percent of the proceeds going to Gonzalez’s family. Friends and staff plan to wear memorial T-shirts in his honor.

Many of Gonzalez’s former classmates have also visited the memorial to offer support to his family.

To assist the family, visit the GoFundMe link below.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/assist-joels-family-during-this-time?lang=en_US

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