Author: KEYT

John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Fire agencies along the Central Coast are preparing for what is expected to be a busy wildfire season, with crews in Santa Barbara already working to reduce vegetation in high-risk areas before flames can start and spread.

In partnership with the Santa Barbara Parks and Recreation Department, the city’s Fire Department is targeting 18 open space areas near neighborhoods where fires could threaten lives and property. Locations include Arroyo Burro Open Space, Douglas Family Preserve, Franceschi Park, Hale Park, and Parma Park.

Crews funded through a state grant are thinning brush, cutting grass, and reducing overgrown vegetation in parks and along trails. The effort is designed to slow the spread of wildfires and create defensible space for firefighters.

“This work allows us to get in and fight fires more aggressively,” said Mark von Tillow, a wildland specialist. “Flame lengths might not be as high, and the rate of spread may not be as fast. There are a lot of advantages.”

City officials said reducing fuel loads in high-risk zones also helps preserve native vegetation while removing invasive, highly flammable species.

The vegetation management project is supported in part by grant funding, which city officials say is critical.

“Vegetation management is an ongoing project,” said Monique O’Conner, an associate park planner. “We cut it one year, and it’s going to keep growing back.”

Work is currently underway at Hale Park, a city-owned open space along the Santa Barbara-Montecito border. The area is known for strong sundowner winds and thick vegetation—conditions that can quickly escalate a small fire into a fast-moving threat.

“This is a heavily populated area all the way down to the ocean,” von Tillow said. “This open space gives us a place to fight fires from or stage equipment if needed.”

The team performing the work includes individuals training to become firefighters. They work alongside a biologist to ensure environmental protections are in place, including buffers around active bird nests and sensitive plant species.

“If we find a nest, we either stop work in that area or assign a monitor to make sure the nest isn’t disturbed,” O’Conner said.

In one case, crews moved up a canyon to avoid disturbing a nesting hawk.

The city outlined five priorities for the project:

Public outreach and education about fire safety,

Creation and maintenance of defensible space near homes,

Improved access and fire breaks in high-hazard zones,

Strategic vegetation management, and

Reduction of fuel loads in open space areas.

Crews say many residents have expressed gratitude for the fire prevention efforts. Officials also reminded property owners they are responsible for maintaining defensible space around their homes.

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The CIF-Southern Section released it’s playoff brackets for high school baseball.

Ventura was placed in rugged Division 2 and will open on the road at Simi Valley.

Also in D2, Oaks Christian hosts Redlands East Valley, Royal is home to Sultana Valley while Westlake is at San Clemente.

First round D2 games are scheduled for Friday, May 16.

Santa Barbara, which shared the Channel League title with Ventura, is in Division 3 and will play Thursday, May 15 at Crescenta Valley.

In Division 4 Dos Pueblos is at Katella while Pacifica is home to California.

Thousand Oaks hosts La Quinta.

All first round D4 games are scheduled for Friday, May 16.

Santa Paula has a Division 5 road game at Liberty while Camarillo is home to Orange Vista.

Hueneme is at Poly of Riverside.

D5 first round games are scheduled for Thursday, May 15.

Division 6 first round games are on Friday, May 16 and a couple of Ventura schools will be home.

St. Bonaventure hosts Pasadena while Foothill Tech welcomes South El Monte.

In D7 Channel Islands hosts Coachella Valley, Thacher is at Notre Dame of Riverside, and Grace plays at Vasquez in first round games on Thursday.

Cate hosts Azusa on Friday in D8 that also sees Fillmore home to Valley Christian of Santa Maria and Dunn at Duarte.

For all the playoff brackets please visit cifss.org

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Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Sanctuary Centers of Santa Barbara is getting closer to making its latest initiative a reality. 

“This is the first time I’m getting to see the basement for the clinic as we finally put stairs in … and now we’ll start building it with doctors offices and dentist offices,” said president and CEO Barry Schoer of Sanctuary Centers.

Located on the 100 block Anapamu Street, this transformative community project will bring 34 units of affordable, supportive housing.

The units are being built along with a state-of-the-art 4-thousand 500 square foot integrated health clinic.

The best part? 

It’s all being built under one roof. 

“There is no other integrative clinic in Santa Barbara that specifically focuses on the physical health needs of individuals with mental illness and substance abuse. That is what we specialize in and what we’ve been doing for ten years,” said Schoer.

The next step is crews will be installing the fourth floor of housing with one more floor to go after that.

“We’re almost at capacity now in the small building so we are bursting at the seams right now and it’s just gonna get busier,” said physician’s assistant Mark Cohoon of Sanctuary Centers. “My hope is that this will be a home for 34 more clients. This will be a hub for outpatient mental health services.”

“The prevalence is very high in Santa Barbara and this facility will help a lot in need,” said Schoer.

Sanctuary Centers’ new building is expected to be complete by 2026.

This transformative community project brings 34 units of affordable, supportive housing together with a state-of-the-art 4,500 square foot integrated health clinic, all under one roof. 

This project directly addresses the critical shortage of affordable housing and the urgent need for timely, accessible behavioral health care.

The center’s team says the timing couldn’t be more urgent, as Santa Barbara’s rates of serious mental illness are nearly triple the national average.

Sanctuary Centers, which has served the region since 1976, has seen these challenges up close for decades.

This project is their answer.

They believe this isn’t about quick fixes. It’s about removing barriers for people who’ve been turned away too many times. 

Once open, the building will become a living example of what happens when health care, housing, and human connection work together, side-by-side.

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Andie Lopez Bornet

VENTURA, Calif. – It was a busy and beautiful Mother’s Day up and down the coast.

Ventura Harbor Cove at the Ventura Harbor saw steady crowds throughout the day. State Street in Santa Barbara was also reported to be busy. Families and friends gathered at the Harbor Cove Café in Ventura to celebrate mothers and loved ones. Many enjoyed live music under picture-perfect weather and shared fond memories of their moms.

One visitor talked about meaningful trips with her mother.

“I remember that after my dad died, I was working at a medical school in North Carolina, and every year I would travel to a conference that alternated between locations in the United States and Canada,” said Lauren Whetstone, who flew into Santa Barbara Airport on Saturday night. “My mom would fly out to join me, and we got to explore amazing places like Montreal, Quebec, and Nova Scotia. One of my favorite things about my mom is that she’s always up for anything—any adventure.”

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Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Members of the grassroots organization “Run For Their Lives” meet every Sunday at Shoreline Park to call for the release of hostages held by Hamas.

On Mother’s Day, they received news that Edan Alexander would be released as part of the latest ceasefire talks.

Alexander, an Israeli-American soldier from New Jersey, was captured at his base during the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, which ignited the war. He is the last known American hostage still being held, along with others, inside Gaza.

It remains unclear how many of the hostages are still alive.

With that in mind, “Run For Their Lives” created their weekly video message to send to mothers, fathers, and families in Israel on Sunday afternoon.

On day 583 of their campaign, the group read the names of 59 hostages and shared a sermon written by Rabbi Debi Lewis, delivered Friday at the Santa Ynez Valley Jewish Community’s Shabbat service.

They then carried their banner on an 18-minute run or walk in solidarity — a number symbolizing good luck in Jewish tradition.

Itzik Ben-Sasson, Executive Director of the Community Shul of Montecito and Santa Barbara, said the group is demanding that Alexander and the remaining hostages be released immediately.

“We hope and demand that all the other 58 hostages will be released as well. This is the time for everything to be done and over with,” said Ben-Sasson. “We want them back home and for this war to be over.”

The group is participating in a global initiative that invites people of all faiths and backgrounds who want peace to get involved.

For more information visit https://run4lives.org

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Mike Klan

MONTECITO, Calif. – The Westmont College baseball team will begin the NCAA Division II Tournament at home as they host a 3-team regional from May 15-17.

The PacWest champion Warriors will play at 2 p.m. on Thursday against the game 1 winner at 11 a.m. between Cal State Monterey Bay and San Francisco State.

This is a double-elimination format.

The Warriors went 4-0 this year against SF State and did not play CS Monterey Bay.

Westmont enters the tournament with a 41-12 record including 22-4 at Russ Carr Field.

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Mike Klan

NORTHRIDGE, Calif. -Casey Murray Jr. belted a two-run home run to give Cal Poly the lead for good in the third inning and Christopher Downs pitched 4 1/3 innings of one-run two-hit baseball as Cal Poly held on for a 10-9 Big West baseball victory over CSUN on Sunday at Robert J. Hiegert Field.

Murray’s blast, his fifth of the year, wiped out a 4-3 CSUN lead and Downs improved to 5-0 with two strikeouts and no walks for Coach Larry Lee’s Mustangs, who won the series, two games to one, improved to 34-16 overall and 20-7 in Big West games and fell five spots in the RPI to 45.

CSUN fell to 14-32 and 9-18.

The decision, coupled with UC Irvine’s 5-3 win at Cal State Bakersfield and Cal State Fullerton’s 10-2 loss to Hawai’i, locks Cal Poly into the second seed for the Big West Conference Championship, slated for May 21-25 at Goodwin Field.

All nine Cal Poly position starters collected hits as part of a 14-hit offensive attack, giving the Mustangs double-digit hits in 31 of their last 43 games. First baseman Zach Daudet led the way with his sixth three-hit game of the season, producing a single, an RBI double and his solo home run in the second inning.

Second baseman Ryan Fenn, designated hitter Cam Hoiland and right fielder Dylan Kordic each added a pair of hits — Fenn extending his hitting streak to 10 games and Kordic six. Alejandro Garza singled to extend his hitting streak to nine games and Murray has hit in seven straight games with his home run. Daudet has hit in five consecutive contests.

Daudet and Murray each produced a pair of RBIs.

Cal Poly held early 2-0, 3-1 and 6-4 leads and extended the advantage to 10-5 with a run in the fourth, two more in the sixth and one in the seventh. CSUN tallied four runs in the eighth — the key hit was a three-run home run by pinch hitter Xavier Rios — to cut the Mustang lead to a single run.

Senior southpaw Jake Torres restored order with a pair of infield groundouts to close out the eighth frame and allowed a one-out single but nothing else in the ninth for a three-inning save.

Freshman lefty Luke Kalfsbeek secured the first five outs of the game but allowed four runs and six hits before giving way to Downs, who retired the first 11 Matador batters he faced before giving up a run on two hits in the sixth inning. Downs finished the frame before handing the ball off to Torres.

CSUN outhit Cal Poly 15-14, led by third baseman Kyle Panganiban and shortstop Trent Abel, each with three hits. The Matadors, who did not commit an error in splitting the first two games of the series, committed three miscues Sunday.

The loss was charged to CSUN starter Dante Zamudio (1-1), who surrendered five runs on four hits, two walks, a pair of errors and a wild pitch in 2 2/3 frames. Five more Matador pitchers followed Zamudio to the mound.

Kordic earned his sixth outfield assist of the year, throwing out a Matador runner at the plate, ending the first inning. Thirteen of the 27 outs recorded by Mustang defenders were in the outfield.

With three more crooked numbers on the scoreboard Sunday, the Mustangs have assembled crooked-number rallies (two or more runs in an inning) 86 times in 50 games this season.

For the series, Daudet went 9-for-17 with two doubles, a pair of home runs and four RBIs while Fenn was 6-for-12 with a pair of doubles and three RBIs. Kordic, Garza and catcher Jack Collins all had five hits as the Mustangs hit .361 in the series.

Cal Poly wraps up regular season play next Thursday through Saturday with a three-game Big West series against UC Riverside inside Baggett Stadium. Game times are 6 p.m. both Thursday and Friday and 1 o’clock Saturday.

(Article courtesy Cal Poly Athletics).

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Mike Klan

UC SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – LeTrey McCollum wasted no time making history on Sunday, hitting a lead-off single to reach base safely in a 46th consecutive game, the longest on-base streak in UC Santa Barbara Baseball history. It was a sign of things to come for the Gauchos (34-16), who brought McCollum home before making an out and went on to rout LMU (24-27) in seven innings, 17-5. Santa Barbara’s offense scored in all six innings they came to the plate, with Nate Vargas collecting five RBIs and Rowan Kelly four more, both career highs. It was a staff day on the mound for the Gauchos, with Hudson Barrett opening things up and collecting his first win of the season. Raymond Olivas, Calvin Proskey and Reed Moring also featured.

HOW IT HAPPENEDBarrett allowed just two baserunners in his outing, with one of them being wiped out thanks to Vargas behind the plate. After hitting a batter and throwing a wild pitch that allowed the runner to take second, Barrett’s backstop got the better of the steal-happy Lions. Vargas caught the runner trying to steal third, then Barrett issued his first strikeout of the day to end the inning.

In the bottom of the first, Vargas got his battery-mate some runs to work with as well. The Gauchos started their day at the plate with five straight singles, with Vargas’ being the fourth in a row and — coming with bases loaded — scoring the first two runs of the game. Jonathan Mendez’s single tacked on another run to put the home side up, 3-0, after one.

Barrett collected two more strikeouts to put up another zero in the top of the second, and the offense tacked on another run in the bottom half. After Corey Nunez’s double and Liam Barrett’s single put Gauchos on the corner, McCollum plated Nunez with an RBI groundout. Hudson Barrett retired the first two Lions he faced in the top of the third to finish his one trip through the LMU order; Olivas relieved him and finished off the perfect inning.

The Gauchos got a hand from the Santa Barbara weather to score in the bottom of the third, with Mendez leading off with a double that landed mere feet behind the first base bag, as two LMU fielders lost the ball in the sun. A wild pitch got Mendez to third, then Kelly’s RBI groundout brought him home to make it 5-0. The Gauchos continued to grow their lead in the fourth, with a McCollum single and four-pitch walks to both Jack Holman and Isaac Kim loading the bases for Vargas. He walked as well to force home a run, then Kelly plated the second run of the inning with a sacrifice fly, making it 7-0.

A three-run homer got LMU on the board and cut the Santa Barbara lead to just four in the top of the fifth, ending Olivas’ day. Proskey came out of the bullpen and prevented the Lions from scoring any more runs, striking out a pair in the inning. The Gaucho offense then got those three runs back in the bottom of the fifth, capitalizing on LMU mistakes to do so. Liam Barrett reached on an error with one out, then a walk, wild pitch and hit batter loaded the bases for Kim. The Gaucho DH cracked a double down the right field line to score two runs, then Vargas picked up yet another RBI with a sacrifice fly, making it 10-3 Santa Barbara.

Proskey worked around a lead-off double to keep LMU off the board in the top of the sixth, then the Gauchos brought the run rule into play with a six-run bottom of the sixth. Barrett led off with a single but was nearly thrown out at second when McCollum’s high fly ball dropped in front of the right fielder; a bad throw to second kept Barrett on the basepaths. Kim’s one-out single loaded the bases, then Vargas hit his second sacrifice fly in as many innings for Santa Barbara’s 12th run of the afternoon. Four straight walks then re-loaded the bases and forced home three more rusn, putting the Gauchos up, 15-3. Barrett capitalized on his second at-bat of the inning with another single, this time scoring two more runs to make it 17-3.

With Santa Barbara leading by over 10 runs, the top of the seventh essentially became the top of the ninth for the Lions, their last chance to get back within single digits and continue the game. They threatened to do just that, hitting a two-run home run, but Moring bounced back to finish the game. Despite LMU loading the bases with two outs, Moring got a flyout to center to end the game via the run rule.

BY THE NUMBERSThe Gaucho offense may have only come to bat in six innings on Sunday, but they scored in each of them, the first time that Santa Barbara has scored in every inning of a game since Feb. 23, 2008 against Marist. That game also only lasted seven innings due to darkness, with the Gauchos winning, 13-4.With 37 runs scored across the three games, this weekend is Santa Barbara’s highest-scoring series of the season, surpassing their 36-run output over three games against UC Riverside in April. The last time the Gauchos scored more than 37 runs in a three-game series was when they scored 38 against the Highlanders in 2024.With four- and five-RBI days respectively, Kelly and Vargas each set new career highs in RBIs while combining to plate over half of their team’s runs.Also on the list of career highs from Sunday is Liam Barrett’s three hits in the game; Kim matched his season high with three hits as well.All nine Gauchos came to the plate five times on Sunday; in three of Vargas’ five trips to the dish, the bases were loaded for him. He drove in runs all three times, with a two-run single, a walk and a sacrifice fly.

UP NEXTSanta Barbara returns to Big West play for the final three games of the regular season, hosting Cal State Bakersfield, May 15-17 at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium. The Gauchos need to win two of the three games to earn a spot at The Big West Championship in Fullerton. First pitch times are set for 4:35 p.m. Thursday and Friday, with Senior Day at 1:05 p.m. on Saturday.

(Article courtesy UCSB Athletics).

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – UCSB was seeded No. 4 in the Los Angeles Regional and will play No. 1 seed and #9 overall national seed UCLA in the opening round at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, May 16.

The other two teams in the regional are #2 seed San Diego State and No. 3 seed Arizona State.

The Gauchos won six straight elimination games to capture the Big West Championship and secure an automatic NCAA Tournament berth.

(courtesy UCSB and Big West).

It will be the Gauchos fourth trip to the NCAA Tournament and first since 2007.

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Caleb Nguyen

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – CAL Fire SLO crews were on scene of a one-acre brush fire in the Santa Maria riverbed Sunday just after 6:30 p.m.

The fire had a slow rate of spread and CAL Fire SLO issued a warning to drive slowly near the river bridge on Highway 101.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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