Author: KEYT

Ryder Christ

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Universities across the country are grappling with the loss of millions of dollars in research funding due to cuts by the Trump administration.

At UC Santa Barbara, hundreds of students and researchers held a “Kill the Cuts, Save Science” protest on campus earlier this month, rallying against the funding reductions.

An estimated $10 billion to $12 billion in research funding has been slashed across various federal agencies, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and through direct cuts to institutions such as Harvard University for noncompliance with federal directives.

The cuts have disrupted research in areas such as cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, HIV, and, locally, mental health care for transgender youth.

Among those affected is Dr. Miya Barnett, associate professor of clinical psychology at UCSB’s Gevirtz Graduate School of Education. She received a $416,299 grant from the NIH in late 2024 to develop a mental health training program for lay health workers supporting racially diverse transgender youth and their families. The grant was abruptly terminated in March 2025.

“I can’t say I was surprised because we’d seen what was happening,” Barnett said. “I was devastated.”

After nearly two years of preparation, the project was halted just as it was about to launch focus groups and begin collecting data.

“We were doing a lot of work to get the project up and running,” she said. “We were right at the point where we were going to start bringing participants in and conducting focus groups with them.”

Barnett, who has transgender family members, said her motivation was both personal and professional.

“I’ve seen the impact of discrimination and the need for access to mental health services—and really the need to treat the whole family,” she said.

Only $26,629 of the grant had been spent when the NIH withdrew its support.

“So the amount that was spent is just lost to us and to the government,” she said. “It wasn’t very efficient to take the money away.”

Describing the sudden end of her project, Barnett offered a metaphor: “This pizza was prepared. It had all of the employees working on it, and then it was just ripped out of the oven. It can’t be made for delivery.”

NIH grants are highly competitive and subject to a rigorous, peer-reviewed selection process. Although her project was small compared to other NIH-funded research, Barnett said it marked a crucial step toward improving mental health access for a deeply underserved population.

Her project is one of several at UCSB affected by the cuts. Another project, focused on the link between trauma and substance use within LGBTQ communities, particularly among minorities, also lost its $416,567 NIH grant recently.

“People are very worried about what this means for science in general, for research, and for all of the American people who would benefit from health research,” Barnett said.

She emphasized that the impact goes beyond the loss of data. Graduate students who were involved in the project now face a lack of vital training opportunities, and more than two years of work could go to waste.

Despite the setback, Barnett remains committed to her mission.

“Even though we lost this NIH funding, I join researchers across the country who are doubling down in our commitment to making sure that the next generation of scientists is trained and that families are still being served,” she said. “If that means finding foundation grants or figuring out other ways to do it, that’s where we’re at.”

Reaction From Local Politicians

Former state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson criticized the Trump administration’s decision to cut federal research grants, calling the move ‘shortsighted’ and ‘mean-spirited,’ with serious consequences for public health and the local economy.

“There was nothing really obscure about these grants. They all get serious vetting,” Jackson said. “This is so shortsighted. Frankly, I think it’s mean-spirited. UCSB alone is responsible for about $2 billion toward our county’s economy through research, startups and academic programs.”

Sari Dominguez, who ran for State Assembly against Democratic incumbent Gregg Hart, defended the administration’s review of federally funded projects. She cited cost concerns and ideological differences and said President Trump is responding to public calls for greater scrutiny.

“I think this is just a way to really look at things again,” Dominguez said. “They are cutting back, but that doesn’t mean grants won’t be re-reviewed or reissued at a later time.”

Jackson said some of the affected research, including studies on Alzheimer’s disease, artificial pancreas development and climate innovation, are vital to U.S. leadership in science and technology.

“These are the kinds of things that keep America at the cutting edge,” she said. “To take a chainsaw to a hangnail is really going to cost our economy.”

The grant cancellations have also sparked debate over whether the cuts are part of a broader rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion — or DEI — initiatives.

“I think this is an attempt to take over control of our universities,” Jackson said. “Leveling the playing field through DEI isn’t giving people an unfair advantage — it’s making sure everyone can compete.”

Dominguez disagreed, arguing that DEI programs have led to more division than progress.

“I think DEI and all these other terms are causing more divisiveness than they are really leveling the playing field,” she said. “We did vote Trump in, and we knew what this was about.”

While both commentators acknowledged the issue is far from settled, Jackson said she worries about long-term damage to research and education, while Dominguez called the cuts a necessary course correction in federal priorities.

Andie Lopez Bornet

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Cloud coverage returns for your Friday forecast and will build for northern communities as well. Partly to mostly cloudy skies will remain for Friday morning. Depending on wind speed and direction, it is expected to clear as we head into our Friday afternoon. The foothills may see light drizzle from time to time into Friday, as a low continues to move through, however the Central Coast is looking to remain dry through the weekend.

Temperatures on Friday will be in the 60s through the region with the interior getting up to the low 70s. As we head into the weekend, onshore flow begins to weaken and a weak ridge of high pressure builds in for the Central Coast. The weekend will be warmer with temperatures increasing 3-5 degrees for the beaches and 5-8 degrees for the valleys and interior areas. Although a minor warmup is in the forecast, temperatures will still be below average for this time of year. Easter weekend will be warm and gorgeous outside, so make those outdoor Easter plans! Sunny skies will be consistent, however at the coasts, morning marine layer may linger during the morning hours. Headed into next week, onshore flow increases and cloudy conditions return with temperatures cooling. So enjoy the sunshine for your Saturday and Sunday.

John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The annual Environmental Stewardship Awards lunch is honoring citizens, as young as eight years old, for their efforts to improve the environment.

This is part of the Earth Month events taking place in many communities.

Explore Ecology says the honorees will be local students, teachers, and community leaders who care for nature and lead impactful changes.

Their actions are both at their schools and in their communities.

Environmental Stewardship honors are being handed out in Santa Barbara

One honoree is a Coastal Cleanup Day Site Captain Bodhi Crawford who is just eight years old, another is a K/1st grade class who turned an empty patch of ground into a native plant sanctuary, and a high schooler who wanted to supply his cafeteria with fresh produce, so he grew some on campus.

Among the speakers will be Dr. Mary Khan, Superintendent of the Goleta Union School District, who will share insights about the importance of environmental education.

Danielle Wiehll from Montecito Union School said, “each year students choose a different topic and they learn about it and then they learn how they can actually make a difference.”

The Sustainable Future Club at San Marcos High school is turning a worn out section of a creek nearby into a much cleaner waterway. A sophomore student, Ava Jane Damery said, “it was kind of lots of concrete slabs of concrete, very dried out, a lot of invasive ice plant, and just really sad. We aim to revegetation the creek that runs through campus and it connects to the freeway. So a lot of pollutants go to the creek. And we want it to be that shaded with native plants to help filter it before it goes off into the ocean and create a flourishing habitat for future species to thrive.”

Many of these programs.  were not known by Explore ecology they found out about them when they made a call out through nominations.

Explore Ecology Executive Director Lindsay Johnson said, “it gives me so much hope and inspiration. I’m just so proud to see that these projects are happening in our community.

She said the role is to inspire the teachers, and “get the kids engaged and out there and then see what they come up on their own. That  is what the environmental stewardship awards do for our community and it is really fun to see it come together.”

Jackson Simmons-Furlati is a student at Dos Pueblos High who is working with tower gardens. “It shows people how to care for the environment  how it’s sustainable. You don’t use any plastic or any stuff that isn’t good for the environment .”

Meet the 2025 Explore Ecology Award Winners:

Bodhi Crawford: An ocean steward who became a Coastal Cleanup Day Site Captain at just 8 years old, helping to organize volunteers and keep Jalama Beach clean.

Liz Loeza: Founder of Plant the Next Tree, Liz has organized tree plantings and led a community cleanup at Santa Barbara Community Academy.

Jackson Simmons-Furlati: Jackson and the Dos Pueblos Environmental Club installed hydroponic towers for fresh cafeteria produce and will present at the UN Ocean Conference 2025.

Rowan Smith: A dedicated advocate for the environment and a key member of the Santa Barbara Middle School Enviro Action Club, inspiring action among her peers.

Nancy Morris: A Monroe Elementary teacher for over 25 years, Nancy is passionate about protecting the environment and educating children about their responsibility and stewardship of our planet.

Kim Berman and Danielle Weill: Montecito Union School teachers whose Climate Change and Student Activism Unit empowers students to take meaningful environmental action.

Marie Chavis: Founder of the El Camino Jr. High Ocean Club, leading students in ocean conservation efforts.

Chris Hamman: A La Colina Junior High science teacher who created an outdoor living laboratory where students conduct hands-on experiments.

Sustainable Future Club: Transformed an abandoned culvert into a lush, restored habitat with over 100 trees, shrubs, and perennials.

Ashley Griffin’s Class: Designed an outdoor learning area with native plants, rain barrels, and natural seating spaces.

Martha Rugg:  A garden educator who started an after-school gardening group, a composting program, and science lessons for young students.

Wendy Kanter: A beloved environmental steward for 32 years, teaching children about birds, plants, and sustainability through nature journaling and gardening.

Jarrod Zinn

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – A railway corporation has entered into its first partnership with a company that owns the Santa Maria Valley Railroad.

They want to revitalize and expand rail deliveries.

The Santa Maria Valley Railroad (S.M.V.R.R.) has been in operation for well over a century, and is a key component to the functioning of our local economy.

From fertilizers for our farmers to produce, rail transport can be significantly more cost effective than highway transport in diesel-powered trucks.

“We’re able to buy contracts as a savings to us and then as a savings to our, to our customers also,” says David Iliff, with Santa Maria Valley Crop Service.

Two companies, Omni-Trax and Coast Belle Rail Corporation, are now looking to get Santa Maria rail services back on track, with a new partnership.

“This is Omni-Trax’s 29th Railroad, and they own railroads across the country. Of the 29 railroads, we are the first to go in partnership. That’s usually an acquisition. And so this is their very first partnership,” says S.M.V.R.R. president Rob Himoto. 

Coast Belle is the local company, owned by the Himoto family.

Rob Himoto is the president of the Santa Maria Valley Railroad.

They hope to revitalize existing railways, and even reactivate a currently-inactive line.

“Locally owned, you still have the same staff, they won’t bring their staff in. They really like how we run the railroad. So we will continue to run the railroad as is, with just more resources,” says Himoto.

This abides by the wishes of the rail system’s founder, Captain George Allan Hancock, who purchased the railroad out of receivership one hundred years ago, and built industries based upon it.

“Been working with the railroad since the eighties. They’re really good to work with. Tanker cars are pretty expensive just to sit and not be moving. So the supplier, they want them emptied as quickly as possible and then shipped back to them. And Santa Maria Valley Railroad’s been very helpful in that regard,” says Iliff.

As gas prices remain high at this time, Himoto says rail delivery is a viable alternative, as one rail car can handle the equivalent of 3-5 truck loads, removing those trucks from the highways, in effect.

Andrew Gillies

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – On Thursday, a severe public censure and an irrevocable resignation was issued to Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Michael Carrozzo regarding ten acts of willful misconduct and nine acts of prejudicial misconduct.

Judge Carrozo will take approved leave from the bench beginning June 2, 2025, and formally resign from his position on the Santa Barbara County Superior Court effective Sep. 9, 2025, stated a press release Thursday from the California Commission on Judicial Performance.

According to the six-member Commission, the decision resolves the pending formal proceedings against Judge Carrozzo and includes an agreement that Carrozzo will not serve as a judicial officer anywhere in California after Sep. 9, 2025.

From 2017 to 2018, Judge Carrozzo served as the Assistant Presiding Judge and from 2019 to 2020, he served as the Presiding Judge for the Santa Barbara County Superior Court.

Over a two year period, Judge Carrozzo drafted correspondences with letterhead indicating that he was an attorney at law and stating he represented his judicial secretary in a variety of legal contestations including an insurance claim, a housing dispute, and a mattress purchase detailed the Commission.

For example, the Commission on Judicial Performance’s Notice of Formal Proceedings noted that on Aug. 15, 2019, then-Presiding Judge Carrozzo sent an email that had an attached document that was a letter from “attorney” Michael Carrozzo to an insurance company about subrogation of insurance claims and used the letterhead below:

The Commission on Judicial Performance explained that judges are technically not an active licensee of the California State Bar and are not permitted to practice law while serving as a judge.

Judge Carrozzo “misrepresented material and intentionally conveyed the false representation that he was entitled to practice law” stated the Commission’s press release.

Additionally, Judge Carrozzo was found to have made representations to the Commission about the correspondences that, “he knew or should have known were false” added the Commission.

In October of 2018, Judge Carrozzo personally requested and received an unredacted copy of a California Highway Patrol (CHP) collision report for a 2018 traffic accident involving his judicial secretary for her “use and benefit” explained the Commission in its initial report.

The Commission noted that the CHP Officer’s first emailed response to Judge Carrozzo’s request referred to Judge Carrozzo as “your honor”.

“You had no legal authority to obtain or possess the confidential law enforcement report relating to Ms. Eklund’s October 2018 traffic accident,” stated the Commission. “You obtained a copy of the report without completing the required CHP form, signing the required declaration under penalty of perjury, or paying the statutorily mandated fee, as is required of members of the public. Your conduct constituted an abuse of authority and violated canons 2, 2A, 2B(1), and 2B(2) of the Code of Judicial Ethics.”

The Commission shared that in 2020, Judge Carrozzo attempted to secure future admission for the child he had fathered with his judicial secretary at a school thats name was redacted in the Commission’s Notice by sending the following email directly to the school’s Director:

As shown above, Judge Carrozzo sent the email from his official judicial email address and emailed the response from the school’s Director confirming that his unborn child was on the waitlist to Eklund’s court email address added the Commission.

The Commission concluded in its initial report that:

You took such actions when you and Ms. Eklund were “good friends,” when you were in a romantic dating relationship with Ms. Eklund, and when Ms. Eklund was pregnant with your child. As a superior court judge, and particularly while serving as Assistant Presiding Judge and Presiding Judge, you had a supervisory role over Ms. Eklund, and you exercised direction and control over her, while maintaining a close friendship with her and while engaging in an intimate personal relationship with her.

With respect to Ms. Eklund, your conduct in 2018, 2019, and 2020, reflected favoritism or created an appearance thereof. You did not avoid favoritism, or the appearance of favoritism, by initiating a reassignment, relocation, or transfer of yourself or Ms. Eklund. You also failed to take sufficient steps to minimize potential issues with supervision, court morale, and conflict(s) of interest.

Your conduct violated canons 2, 2A, 2B(1), 3C(1), 3C(5), and 4A of the Code of Judicial Ethics.

Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Two of the top athletes at Santa Barbara High School Luke Zuffelato and Kai Mault were part of nine student-athletes that were celebrated at signing ceremony at Peabody Stadium.

Zuffelato signs with UC Santa Barbara after setting the career scoring and rebounding records for the Dons boys basketball program.

Mault signs with UC Davis for baseball.

He was a game-breaker for the Dons football team and his speed is a major weapon on the bases for Santa Barbara baseball.

Here is a full list of the student-athletes that signed:

Kai Mault – Baseball – UC Davis

Eric Anthony – Baseball – University of Puget Sound

Zeke Adderley – Baseball – University of Maryland Eastern Shore

Luca Villano – Baseball – North Central University

Luke Zuffelato – Basketball – UC Santa Barbara

Jasper Larsson – Lacrosse – Dominican University of California

Matthias Everest – Cross Country & Track – Wheaton College

Belen Catalan Jaimes – Cross Country & Track – Cal Lutheran Universityy

Keenan Engebretson – Beach Volleyball – UNC Wilmington

Mike Klan

GOLETA, Calif. – Dos Pueblos slugged three home runs and scored runs in every inning as they routed San Marcos 12-2 in a Channel League softball game that was shortened to five innings due to the Mercy Rule.

Anna Gray, Kacey Hurley and Julianna Brunner all drilled home runs as the Chargers improve to 8-2 in the Channel League.

Kayla Aguilar homered for San Marcos who dropped to 2-7 in league.

Mike Klan

GOLETA, Calif. – Four girls water polo players headlined a group of 11 Dos Pueblos student-athletes that signed to play their chosen sport at 4-year colleges.

Kaleb Williams – University of Redlands (football)Addison Parrish- Stanford University (water polo)Hanalora Abel- UC Davis (Water polo)Megan Garner- UC Davis (water polo)Francesca Court- California Lutheran University (water polo)Dan Finneran – Northwood (lacrosse)Jack Finneran. – Concordia (lacrosse)Anna Gray- Smith College (softball)Ellie Triplett – Westmont (tennis)Arthur Bonifield – UCSD (fencing)Teddy Vigna – University of Oregon (golf)