Author: KEYT

Caleb Nguyen

GOLETA, Calif. (KEYT) – Three multi-car crashes sent nine people to the hospital with minor to moderate injuries around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.

The first crash involved five cars on the southbound 101 freeway between Fairview and Patterson, while the second came in the same location, involving two cars, according to the SBCFD.

The third crash involved four cars between Patterson and Turnpike and injured two people, according to the SBCFD.

The first two crashes sent seven people to the hospital and the California Highway Patrol reduced the southbound 101 to just one lane, according to the SBCFD.

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Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – At Tuesday’s meeting, Santa Barbara City Council Members passed a number of motions directing staff to create a rent stabilization ordinance.

The first motion passed 4-to-3 , limiting rent increases to one time in a 12-month period, based on 60 percent of the consumer percentage index with a maximum of 3 percent or whichever is lower.

Wendy Santamaria made the motion that is considered a low rent cap formula.

Another motion passed 4-to-3 applies exemptions only when mandated by state law.

During a majority of the motions Eric Friedman, Mayor Randy Rowse, and Mike Jordan abstained rather than voting ‘no’ because the initial ‘no’ vote prevented them from voting on other items linked to the first votes.

Another motion passed by council addresses capitol improvements – limiting them to habitability and tenant protections.

All of the motions were inspired by the consultants presentation of rent stabilization ordinance components.

Santamaria also made a motion that Kristen Sneddon seconded to have an independent officer involved in appeals.

Kristen Sneddon said it has taken nine years to get these votes.

The council chamber was packed for the 5:00pm meeting for comment.

They also heard consultants, hired by the city, update the council on more than a dozen rent stabilization options.

The marathon meeting happened one day after Santa Barbara landlords filed a lawsuit challenging a temporary rent freeze.

Attorney Barry Cappello of Cappello & Noel is representing property owners in the lawsuit.

During public comments, Cappello said he used to be the city’s attorney and suggested the city listen to their attorney and hire another to avoid more lawsuits.

Cappello said without an exception mechanism the temporary rent freeze is unconstitutional.

If the city of Santa Barbara sets the temporary rent freeze aside Cappello said they would happily drop the suit.

“If they don’t get it resolved,” said Capello, “take it off the law, they are going to wind up paying hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars.”

Before motions were made dozens of renters shared their experiences and pleaded with the county to address affordability.

Mom & Pop landlords spoke out, too.

Landlord Nick Gonzales said blanket ordinances can have unintended consequences.

“Lets focus where we need to focus and that is in the lower and moderate income households and not give a policy that may give people with very high incomes a subsidy from someone with a very low income because that is the reality with a lot of the mom and pops,” said Gonzales.

Tenant Rick Morse believes people can meet in the middle.

“I would like to see the city of Santa Barbara establish a registry that would create incentives for landlords to create long term tenancies, so they won’t raise the rent or raise it at a nominal rate and be compensated in some way,” said Morse.

The council meeting wrapped up around 10:30 p.m.

Mayor Rowse called it a very long meeting with a lot of public input.

“Clearly, I am not in favor of the result as was true of my colleagues Jordan and Friedman, I believe we have made things really complicated in town and I think we really doubled down on that tonight so we will see how it comes out,” said Rowse. “We had to abstain from a lot of votes because the first vote precluded us from participating in the rest of the item.”

The staff has plenty of work to do before bringing a plan back.

WendySanta Maria said the council will likely see the results of the votes in late June or July.

“Today, I am feeling great about seeing the community come together we saw tenants good faith property owners, faith leaders, service workers, we saw all sectors of the community come together to voice one clear message that we need rent stabilization now and we need decisive action now,” said Santamaria. “I am feeling encouraged by how the community has come together to get this done.”

Stanley Tzankov, the co-founder of Santa Barbara Tenants Union stayed until the last vote.

“This is huge to see the momentum finally building and what is broadley popular and painfully overdue, but we need a strong rent cap and rent board and rental registry because we need to see that the city cares for our people,” said Tzankov.

The city could have a comprehensive rent stabilization program in place by next year.

For more detailed information visit https://santabarbaraca.gov

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Caleb Nguyen

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office detectives arrested Jorge Luis Jijon-Lagara connected to an attempted murder and stalking investigation.

SBCSO deputies followed a 911 call to the 1100 block of Via Regina on March 25 and found an adult male victim who had been stabbed multiple times after Jijon-Lagara fled.

First responders immediately helped the stabbing victim until medical personnel took him to the hospital for serious injuries, according to the SBCSO.

SBCSO deputies then identified Jijon-Lagara from Goleta and conducted an extensive search of the surrounding neighborhoods on March 25 but could not find him.

Investigators determined that Jijon-Lagara stalked his ex-girlfriend who was in a relationship with the person he later stabbed, according to the SBCSO.

Detectives served both a search and an arrest warrant at the 200-block of Hillview Road in Goleta.

There, they took Jijon-Lagara into custody without incident and booked him into the Santa Barbara County Main Jail on felony charges, including attempted murder and stalking.

Jijon-Lagara is being held without bail and the stabbing victim is expected to recover, according to the SBCSO.

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Caleb Nguyen

WASHINGTON D.C. (KEYT) – Local political leaders reacted to President Donald Trump’s recent threat that “a whole civilization will die tonight,” regarding the United States’ ongoing conflict with Iran.

Salud Carbajal issued a statement to Your News Channel addressing the President’s recent comments:

The President’s comments are deranged, dangerous, and if carried out — illegal. I call on Republican leadership in Congress to stop being bystanders and take action to stop Trump. We cannot have an unstable man acting with zero guardrails or accountability.

Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24)

Declared candidate for California’s 24th District, Bob Smith, also commented on the President’s recent comments:

Today’s deadline highlights the seriousness of the situation with Iran. I have spent many years of my life operating in the Middle East and the Straight of Hormuz. Leadership consensus from both parties has always agreed that Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon or continue advanced ballistic missile production.

For decades, Iran has targeted the United States and our allies both directly and through proxy forces. In just the past few years, we have seen sustained missile and drone attacks that have required repeated U.S. defensive responses, including the use of high-cost interceptor systems to protect our forces and partners.

When we are dealing with conflict at this scale, presidential language must be precise, disciplined, and grounded in strategy. Language that suggests large-scale destruction or civilian impact is serious. The United States should lead with our values, and always remember that many Iranian people are supporting the U.S. in stopping the brutal IRGC that has terrorized their lives for 47 years.

Americans are tired of endless foreign wars. I am as well, having spent much of my career serving in them. That also doesn’t imply that the President shouldn’t take immediate military action when deemed necessary. But any action we take must have a clear objective and a defined end state.

The priority now should be protecting American lives, deterring further aggression, reopening the Straight of Hormuz, and ensuring we have a clear path forward that avoids unnecessary escalation while maintaining our strength. We should also keep innocent civilians on all sides, and our men and women in uniform, in our thoughts and prayers.

That is exactly the kind of oversight I would bring to Congress, grounded in my senior military leadership and experience in the Middle East, ensuring we have a clear strategy, strong deterrence, and accountability to the American people.

Bob Smith

Jimmy Panetta, California’s 19th Congressional District representative, also added commentary on the President’s recent threats:

The President’s threat to wipe out a ‘whole civilization’ in Iran is not just dangerous, it reeks of desperation and depravity. But this is the very real danger of an individual like Donald Trump having free rein over a war, something our Founders knew could happen and tried to prevent with our Constitution.

That is why I call on Speaker Mike Johnson to immediately call back Congress into session so that we can properly debate a war powers resolution and exercise our Constitutional authority over the Iran War.

Unfortunately, Speaker Johnson has yet to stand up to this President and his Secretary of Defense who continue to impose the power of the U.S. military selfishly and capriciously without a coherent or consistent strategy.

The President’s war is not just a danger to the Iranian people, but also to our U.S. military men and women in uniform. As we continue our efforts to stand up to the President and stop his war of choice, we must always stand for America’s credibility and the sanctity of our democratic values.

Jimmy Panetta, California’s 19th Congressional District

Your News Channel will provide additional local leader comments if and when available.

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Jarrod Zinn

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – The Santa Maria Police Department is participating in the “Blue Envelope” program, highlighting it for Autism Awareness Month.

Support organizations have been thrilled to hear it.

The nicknamed “Blue Envelope” program started in Connecticut during 2020 and it has spread across the country since then.

It’s aimed at improving communication between officers of law enforcement and people on the autism spectrum.

“We’ve had nothing but positive, feedback from community members from other departments, other entities,” says Santa Maria Police Department’s Sgt. Oscar Corral.

The blue envelope simply holds the driver’s license, registration, and insurance information, and is a visual cue for the officer to implement certain accommodations.

“April is Autism Awareness Month,” says Kiwanis Aktion Club Advisor Julie Posada. “And so this is perfect time to introduce the blue envelope.”

In addition to the envelopes, there are now car decals, bracelets, lanyards, and additional items that have the same purpose in public settings.

“The goal is to obviously make sure everybody has a positive contact with emergency services,” says Sgt. Corral.

Last year’s Senate Bill 664 aimed at making it a statewide mandate failed to pass, but many communities are implementing the program at local levels of their own accord.

“It goes to the resiliency and, the interest for it,” says Sgt. Corral.

Officials at the Central Coast Autism Awareness Center hope it will serve as impetus for neighboring communities to follow suit.

“This is actually been coming up a lot recently,” says Carly Spears, the Central Coast Autism Awareness Center’s executive director. “From what I understand, it’s a great tool for police officers, people with autism to better understand each other.”

Not limited to autism, drivers who are deaf or hard of hearing can qualify, as can those with epilepsy, cerebral palsy, and developmental disabilities.

“Someone who maybe is hearing impaired or completely deaf, and they walk away from a police officer because they don’t even know the police officers talking to them,” says Posada. “But if that person had a blue envelope, keychain on the back of their backpack, as they were walking away, the officer would say, oh, ‘Okay, there’s something that I need to think about before I jump to thinking that they’re taking off and maybe handle it a little bit differently.’”

The program is self-implemented, voluntary, and best of all, free of charge.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – The Santa Barbara Bowl is an attraction for thousands of fans each year, but it also draws in touring performers.

The bowl is starting its 2026 season with back-to-back shows from Disclosure this week prior to the band heading out to the Coachella Music Festival for two weekends.

That’s just an indicator of the way the bowl has found its way into the traveling schedules for performers coming through California.

The bowl was often a stop in between Los Angeles and San Francisco “back in the day.” Now its both a set day or a warm-up date for several acts depending on when they start their tour and what the venue can provide for their show logistics. With upgrades over the years it has proven to be a perfect fit.

This year the lineup has 28 shows with room for more.

It includes Jack Johnson, Carlos Santana, comedian Trevor Noah and Disclosure for two nights each along with comedian Gabriel Fluffy Iglesias plus a range of talent that brings in Bob Dylan, Train, Brandi Carlisle, Alabama Shakes, Young the Giant and the Black Keyes.

The fan base is expected to bring families, teens and lifelong concert-goers with flowing gray hair through the gates with enthusiasm and anticipation.

The seating is changed slightly between shows with a open area General Admission pit or one with chairs. Overall it is about 5,000 seats.

Last year, Beatles legend Paul McCartney surprised the late season music lovers when he booked a date to start off a small tour. The fan reaction, demand and in some cases, tearful emotion was as impactful as the landmark venue has ever seen.

In 2023, the Foo Fighters appeared as part of their smaller venue pop up shows with only a tight window for ticket purchases.

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Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – A simple paper crane folded in Santa Barbara is about to travel the world on a new international stamp from the United States Postal Service.

The crane is part of the Peace Crane Project, created to give students a voice through art and connection.

The effort began after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, offering a way for young people to share hope during a difficult time.

Since then, the project has grown into a global exchange, with more than two million students in over 150 countries folding cranes and sending messages of peace.

Now, with the stamp set to be released, local classrooms are joining in — continuing the mission one message at a time.

A full story will follow after the stamp’s release, focusing on the local connection and the impact reaching far beyond Santa Barbara.

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Spring break is over for many of our local high school student-athletes and three standout performers were busy picking up honors from the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table.

San Marcos High School senior Mason Crang is the boys Athlete of the Week, Elina Stump of Santa Barbara High School is the girls Athlete of the Week while Cate High School senior Jae Wykoff is the school’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Crang led the Royals to two big wins over rival Dos Pueblos with his bat and his arm. Crang went 3-for-4 with an RBI in a 6-5 win and then he pitched a complete game with seven strikeouts in a 6-3 victory.

Stump, a junior, is a track and field standout for the Dons competing in jumps, hurdles and sprints.

She won the 100 hurdles, the long jump and the 4×400 relay in a meet against Oxnard. Stump also had an outstanding meet at the Simi Invite which included a personal best time in the 300 hurdles.

Wykoff excels in the classroom at Cate with a 4.85 GPA as well as in the pool in both swimming and water polo.

(Wykoff is supported by Rams athletic director Wade Ransom on the left and his water polo coach Jesse Morrison on the right).

He will play water polo in the fall at MIT.

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Andrew Gillies

OXNARD, Calif. (KEYT) – Over ten years after the murder of Labh Nigah in Sierra Linda Park, investigators announced the arrest of 32-year-old Jose Antonio Jimenez in connection Monday.

Labh Nigah. Image courtesy of the Oxnard Police Department.

On the morning of Nov. 13, 2014, the 55-year-old father and local convenience store clerk was fatally stabbed at Sierra Linda Park after dropping his son off at school.

According to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office, police responded to a call of a battery at the park and officers located Nigah with stab wounds alongside a walking path.

Location of the fatal stabbing in Sierra Linda Park nearby Sierra Linda Elementary courtesy of the Oxnard Police Department.

Despite lifesaving attempts at the scene, the 55-year-old was declared dead at the scene and his death was eventually ruled a homicide shared the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.

New DNA technology used by the Federal Bureau of Investigation helped to develop new leads years after the attack.

On April 2 of this year, detectives served a search warrant at an Oxnard residence and on Monday, April 6, 2026, Oxnard Police shared that the advancements in DNA testing led them to arrest 32-year-old Jose Antonio Jimenez who lived nearby to the Nigah family at the time of the murder.

Mr. Nigah’s daughters Harleen and Arshneel also met with local members of the media regarding the announcement of the arrest.

They explained that their father embodied the American dream and his loss happed when both of the now-adult women were still in high school.

Dealing with the loss of her father, “hasn’t gotten any easier” despite the years since his death shared Arshneel Kaur Monday.

She explained that his memory still drives her as a personal mantra, “How can I make him prouder than I already have.”

His eldest daughter Harleen noted the her father taught her, “Be modest, humble and hardworking” and she has carried this message while growing up without him.

Police stated Monday that the killing was a random act of violence and Jimenez, who was 20 at the time of the murder, has now been arraigned on a felony charge of murder.

Jose Antonio Jimenez. Image courtesy of the Oxnard Police Department.

“This was an ambush and a brutal crime committed in broad daylight against a completely unsuspecting victim,” said Ventura County District Attorney Nasarenko. “While nothing can undo the harm caused to Mr. Nigah’s family, the arrest and filing of charges represents an important step toward accountability. This case is a testament to the unwavering commitment of our law enforcement partners and the power of advancing forensic technology to deliver justice, no matter how much time has passed.”

Jimenez is next due in court on April 28 and he remains in custody on a $1 million bail shared the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Students at Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) had an on-campus Pride Festival today.With live entertainment and a wide selection of outreach organizations, the festival took place on the west campus.Those attending were able to learn about the new campus Pride Center and its services, along with what is offered in many other departments and clubs.Organizers say City College is committed to an all inclusive campus environment.This festival is part of the activities during the month of April which they are calling gay-pril..

Selena Martinez is the Pride Student Program Advisor at SBCC. She says, “Queer folk have always been around and now we are noting it and we are here and the students have that space and ability to be themselves even in the new Pride Center that opened last September. We are really excited to outside to be out, be out and be in community.”

In addition to the music, there were other entertainers including a drag dancer and the Bubble Guy.Some free food and refreshments were also served up along with a back drop for Pride Day photos.

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