Author: KEYT

Jarrod Zinn

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – ‘America’s Battle of the Books’ was held in Santa Maria on Tuesday at the Souza Student Support Center.

This was a return to familiar turf for the competition.

The idea of reading competitions has been around in schools for well over a hundred years.

At 25 years old, ‘America’s Battle of the Books’ has been adopted into school curriculums all around the world.

‘It’s a national organization. And we get our questions from there, from Battle of the Books,” says Kelly Hargett, El Camino Jr. High School’s English and Language Development coach.

Students read books in groups and test their knowledge with a variety of games and competitions.

“They send out a list every year. They have an elementary, and then they have a six through eight middle school that we use every year,” says Hargett.

During the pandemic in 2020, the competition had to go virtual, and staff say it was clear the students weren’t engaged nearly as much.

“So last year, we decided to go back and do an in-person, and we held it at El Camino,” says Hargett.

This year’s competition has students returning to the Souza Center.

Staffers are thrilled to be hosting the competition once again.

“I love seeing the kids from the different schools intermingling and talking about books. It’s awesome,” says Hargett.

The list chosen by Battle of the Books contains 28 titles; this year, the junior highs challenged themselves by choosing an additional two books.

“My favorite book that I’ve read this year was A Long Way from Chicago. And I liked that book because it was filled with a lot of funny stories. I’d say my favorite genre is like mysteries because I like detective stories,” says Royal Augustt, an eighth-grade student at Fesler Junior High.

The three junior highs that competed this year hope to see other schools around the Santa Maria Valley return to the competition in the coming years.

Your news team was notified this afternoon that El Camino Jr. High beat defending champion Fesler Junior High.

John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The City of Santa Barbara is hoping to get its parking operations in the right financial lane soon after many challenges in recent years.

The Finance Committee heard the latest plan today.

The proposed Downtown Parking Budget for Fiscal Year 2026 is being prepared and, as the committee requested, there are updates along the way after warning signs of finances going in reverse in recent years.

There are proposed operational changes including discounted passes and a shift in the priorities for future projects. Some will be paused to save money.

Rates will not be going up and the free time for parking will not be reduced.

In the past both of those options got some push back.

Santa Barbara City Councilmember Meagan Harmon is on the Finance Committee said, “both prioritizing affordability for users and to encourage more use of our existing lots  through lowering prices while also balancing the budget, which I thought  a few years ago wasn’t going to be possible.”

The slump in downtown business is also being called a factor in the drop in downtown parking funds.

The proposals being presented would increase Downtown Parking revenue by approximately $350,000 to $890,000.

The city operates 12 parking lots from the train station to Victoria Street. A small lot on Helena Avenue in the Funk Zone is also expected to be included soon.

One worker in the downtown area, Paul Chiha said discounting the monthly passes and adding more technology will help, “I think having a pass and a program that allows more access as well as a guide to the best places to park would definitely be a benefit.”

Another worker says some employees leave every 75 minutes to move their cars and beat the possibility of a ticket or a fee depending on where they parked. Sally Gilmour says, “they set their timer and they just go move the car a few blocks, but yes it can take time for them  to come back.”

The city is also considering using the Ortega Street parking lot for nearby residents to park for up to two weeks to ease the parking burden on neighborhood streets.

Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Santa Barbara High School senior Carter Battle soared to great heights to capture the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Athlete of the Week honors.

He broke a 44-year school record in the high jump set by former NFL great Randall Cunningham.

Battle cleared 6-8.25 and finished first place at the prestigious Arcadia Invitational.

The Female Athlete of the Week is San Marcos High School swimmer Taylor Steelman.

She led the Royals to first place at the inaugural Tri-County Invitational.

Steelman won the 100 butterfly and 100 breaststroke plus was part of three winning relay teams.

Selma Jensen was named the Santa Barbara City College Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

She carries a 3.98 GPA and continues to pole vault for the Vaqueros despite numerous injuries in her collegiate career.

Jarrod Zinn

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – Tuesday is the national deadline for filing your taxes.

This year has been a slow tax year.

Even though local tax preparers were busy on Monday, there is still a reported downward trend in tax filings.

Local tax preparers have been hard at work with full lobby waiting rooms and long online queues.

“In the Hispanic community, it’s been a different year from previous years. In the beginning of the year, we started seeing a little bit of delays on their tax refunds, but that has changed. People are getting the refunds and everything, but, I think these changes are impacting more in our Hispanic community, you know, like for example here in Santa Maria,” says Jorge Jimenez at Semilla Finances.

Last month, the IRS had observed a 15% decrease on a national scale of pre-filed taxes compared to the same time last year, and the downward trend appears to be consistent.

“I could tell you that everybody that I’m working with is filing or wanting to file or worried about filing. Like I would say that people are slower on getting the information but wanting to file on time,” says Paul Miller, managing partner of Miller and Co.

One of the biggest concerns identified was taxes being paid on capital gains that have taken a hit in recent weeks. 

“The market had the uncertainty. So we lost all that money about two weeks ago. And everybody who had this large capital gain. I have a—I think he’s a doctor. He’s got a $2 million capital gain, he said, ‘But I don’t have it anymore.’ I said, ‘I can’t help you,’” says Miller.

Experts agree getting something filed by the deadline, whether it’s a valid extension, partial payment, or completion, is better than waiting and risking penalties.

“Regardless of their immigration status, I highly recommend them to file their taxes because at the end of the day, we do owe money to the IRS and we have to pay that off,” says Jimenez.

The best piece of advice i’ve heard today when it comes to your personal taxes is to not worry about cuts to the IRS and simply get your taxes filed.

John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – A small fire was contained behind some Santa Barbara Eastside businesses Monday morning by the Santa Barbara City Fire Department.

A fire crew doused it quickly at 21 N. Milpas in a gated location.

The fire was burning in the area of a trash can, some stored paints, and other random items. All were next to a white van.

A witness said he saw what he thought was a trespasser leaving the area right after the fire began.

Firefighters had to use an absorbent on some of the runoff mixture of water and paints.

The structures were not impacted.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Alissa Orozco

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – Sandy’s Deli-Liquor in San Luis Obispo is where millionaires are made.

Last week, the liquor store at 586 Higuera Street sold a Triple Red 777 scratcher with a winning jackpot of $1 million.

According the San Luis Obispo Tribune, the unnamed winner purchased two Triple Red 777 scratchers and another smaller ticket on the evening of April 6th, but didn’t check the winning ticket until the next morning.

Sandy’s Deli-Liquor Co-Owner, Wilson Samaan, says the winner has been a longtime customer who has been living on the streets.

“I was very happy for him for winning that much money. He deserved every penny of it. It is a big life changer for him. It is, he’s gonna be up on his feet again, living off the street,” Samaan says. The store will receive a $5,000 prize for selling the winning scratcher.

An Instagram post from Thrifty Beaches says the lottery winner and his wife have lived on the streets for a long time.

The winner of the million dollar jackpot has yet to be named and the California Lottery needs to confirm the win, which can take around 6-8 weeks.

Customers have visited the San Luis Obispo location to see and take photos of the winning ticket, proudly displayed in the store.

John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Thousands of small creatures washing ashore on the Central Coast beaches, called the velalla, have been seen on many beaches in the last few days.

They are also called By-the-Wind sailors, a type of jellyfish.

They have been seen along the Ventura coast, Leadbetter Beach in Santa Barbara, Butterfly Beach in Montecito and on the sands of Cayocos in San Luis Obispo County.

“I never seen that  before, this is the first time I’ve seen it. I thought it was rocks and I touched them and they weren’t rocks and they were like plastic,” said resident Salvador Arraiga while walking on Leadbetter beach.  “”Yea they look like mussels but touching them I thought that was what it was but it’s not.”

In the harbor, they were in the water and by the docks.  Cyrus Salahub said, “I didn’t know what I was seeing at first.  I thought it was some oyster chips floating in the water but they were blueish.”  It caught the eye of passersby.   “People were kind of circling around pointing checking them out.”

They sometimes arrive during windy conditions after an upwelling in the ocean.

You should not touch them because they can cause a minor irritation according to marine biologists. Velella toxins are harmless to humans.

In nearshore waters,  ocean swimmers tried to avoid them but the Velella were shifting with the wind and currents.

Jan Von Yurt came out and said, “we swam out,  we tried to find a spot where there weren’t that many on the beach they have sails.  They move really  quickly.”

If you have an inquisitive dog you are advised to keep them away as consuming the velella will likely make them sick.

Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – On July 28th, 1980, Anthony Rodriguez’ life changed forever.

It was the day he became the victim of abuse at the hands of his uncle in Santa Barbara.

“It started when I was 5 years old until about 16 years old. Everybody says it was all my fault … well not everybody, my abuser said it was all my fault,” said Rodriguez.

Rodriguez grew silent.

After all, he was just a kid, and his abuser convinced him that if he spoke out, no one would believe him.

“You’re embarrassed, you feel disgusted, you feel scared, and you don’t want to hurt anybody. You’d rather take the pain, and that’s kind of how it was,” said Rodriguez.

Rodriguez withdrew from others.

His grades went down.

His feelings of isolation became overwhelming, leading him to gangs, drugs and even attempted of suicide.

“Because he threatened me, he always threatened me, he said he would hit my aunts or he would do something to my little cousins. So I decided to take the burden on myself,” said Rodriguez.

One day, someone at school noticed Rodriguez’ demeanor changed.

“And that person told a school employee and that’s how it got out. At first I was very angry but if it wasn’t for that person I don’t think I would be here,” said Rodriguez.

When Rodriguez met friends at a local church with a similar experiences, he decided to break his silence.

“I told my story for the first time here at church and it made me feel good that they were free. They felt free and I felt free,” said Rodriguez.

Now, Rodriguez is helping survivors with father Pedro Lopez through the Safeguard the Children Committee at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Santa Barbara.

“And knowing how to protect and care for children and others, not only when they gather with us, but in their homes and their neighborhoods, in the schools so they would have a greater awareness know what to look out for … and how to respond to suspected abuse or if they should witness abuse,” said Father Pedro Lopez of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church.

Father Lopez wants the support of everyone to create a safe environment for the community.

“Child abuse and Neglect impacts the development of a child’s brain, their social, emotional well-being and it impacts their ability to thrive. But the good news is that early intervention and prevention can make a huge huge difference,” said PIO and chief of strategy and community engagement Suzanne Grimmesey of the Santa Barbara County Department of Behavioral Wellness.

It certainly did for Rodriguez who, with the help of his church community, learned how to break his silence.

“People that abuse others don’t stop until you stop them. They won’t stop. They think it’s easy.”

For all those who are suffering, this survivor wants them to know, you are not alone.

“I believe in you … you’re worth it. It’s not your fault. It’s never your fault,” said Rodriguez.

Organizations in our community that can help include: Calm, Behavior WellnessDepartment of Social Services, and Our Lady of Guadalupe Church.

From the County of Santa Barbara Department of Behavioral Wellness:

As we observe Child Abuse Prevention Month this April, the Santa Barbara County Department of Behavioral Wellness joins with its partners and community in reaffirming a shared commitment: to protect the mental, emotional, and physical well-being of every child.

The trauma of abuse and neglect can have lasting impacts on a child’s development, relationships, and overall mental health. However, with early support and safe, stable environments, healing is possible—and so is prevention.

Prevention begins with connection. Each of us can make a difference by checking in on families, lending a helping hand to overwhelmed caregivers, being present for the children in our lives, and reporting concerns when something doesn’t seem right. These simple acts help build a strong safety net around our most vulnerable. 

Every member of our community can be a part of the solution—learn the signs, support local organizations working with children and families, and speak up for those who may not have a voice. Together, we can foster a culture of care, where all children are safe, valued, and have the opportunity to thrive.

The Behavioral Wellness 24/7 Crisis and Access Line can be reached by calling 888-868-1649.

Suzanne Grimmesey, MFT

PIO/Chief of Strategy and Community Engagement

Santa Barbara County Department of Behavioral Wellness

Mina Wahab

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Santa Barbara County District Attorney John Savrnoch says violent crime has risen county-wide.

“Jails are expensive. I mean, the debt that is the reality. So our prosecutors, so our public defenders, everything is more expensive that we’re doing salaries go up, inflation goes up. The cost of everything from the whatever logistical supplies we need to do the job to salary, his continues to rise,” said Savrnoch.

The County says one of the biggest financial challenges when it comes to setting this year’s budget is the fact jail costs are outpacing revenue growth.

Public safety typically accounts for the largest portion of the budget.

But Defense Attorney Addison Steele says the way to address the growing need for public safety is by putting that money into social services.

“I firmly believe that money going into social services and by that I mean that are aiding addicts, that are aiding the mentally ill, that are aiding the poor, are going to save money on jail beds. You put that money into jail beds. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy because then that money is not used for those services. Those people end up cycling through the jail and now you fill the jail beds. It’s a misallocation of funds,” said Steele.

The County’s preliminary budget is $1.69 billion dollars, but the potential volatility in state and federal funds has many on edge.

Monday, different county departments, including the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department, gave presentations outlining their budget, emerging issues, accomplishments, and goals.

But, the county says the public has a critical role to play in the final decision. The next budget workshop is scheduled for Wednesday. Final budget decisions will be made in June. The fiscal year runs from July 1st through June 30th.