Author: KEYT

Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) — The scent of hay and pumpkins is filling the air again as Lane Farms officially kicks off another fall season in Santa Barbara.

Families began arriving early to explore the popular pumpkin patch, petting zoo, and corn maze — a longtime local favorite that draws visitors from across the Central Coast.

Many say they came early to beat the growing weekend crowds and capture seasonal photos among the sprawling fields of orange.

From wagon rides to handpicked gourds, Lane Farms continues to offer a timeless autumn escape celebrating family, tradition, and community spirit.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – The new look to downtown Santa Barbara will come with several different projects in the coming years including the possibility of a large housing addition where a portion of the Paseo Nuevo Mall is located.

The Santa Barbara City Planning Commission will get a close up look at the project today with its many moving parts. Those include some land rights and future profit equations, some that don’t immediately pencil out. Tax adjustments or other financial moves between the city and the developers have been discussed.

At the center of the remodel is the The Georgetown Co. and AB Commercial.     

The target area is a wrapped project from State St. at Ortega going west to Chapala street.

Planners are looking at the latest drawings. They are calling for 233 market-rate units and 80 affordable housing units – the exact prices are still not known.  

Normally, there is a building height limit of about 48 feet for this project.

With the state density bonus law that comes with affordable housing considerations, the height proposed here could be up to 75 feet.

That would take a separate action to approve the height limit over the current city standards.

Affordable units are also proposed on the top of Parking Lot 2 at Chapala and Canon Perdido St. The sizes range from a 435-square foot studio to 980-square foot three-bedroom unit.

Next week there will be two open houses for the public to visit and comment on the project.

October 15 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., and 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 16. These will be held at 707 Paseo Nuevo which is near the vacant Nordstrom building.

On that note, the Nordstrom building is not part of this project but it may also become housing and retail.

(More details, video and photos will be added here later today.)

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Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) — They climb cliffs, brave flash floods, and search deep into the backcountry — but Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue volunteers are doing it all with equipment that’s decades old.

The all-volunteer team responds to hundreds of emergencies each year, from lost hikers to car crashes along mountain roads. Many say they’re still relying on outdated radios and rescue gear from the early 2000s, sometimes in life-or-death conditions.

Despite the challenges, team members remain dedicated to their mission — saving lives across some of California’s toughest terrain.

Volunteers say community support and updated tools are crucial to keep their life-saving work strong for the future.

“We’ll always answer the call,” one rescuer said, “but better equipment means we can do it even safer.”

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Andrew Gillies

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) – Two people had major injuries and an unborn baby died after a two-vehicle collision at the intersection of State Route 1 and Santa Lucia Canyon Road Tuesday.

On Oct. 7, around 5:30 p.m., dispatchers received a call about two-vehicle collision on southbound State Route 1 at Santa Lucia Canyon Road stated a press release Thursday from the California Highway Patrol-Buellton Area (CHP).

A preliminary investigation revealed that the driver of a 2021 Lexus was southbound in the fast lane of State Route 1 when the driver of a 2018 Honda CR-V was northbound on State Route 1 waiting to make a left turn onto Santa Lucia Canyon Road detailed the CHP.

According to the CHP, the Honda turned left through southbound lanes and directly into the path of the southbound Lexus.

The Lexus struck the right side of the Honda, causing major injuries to both drivers shared the CHP.

The pregnant driver of the Honda was flown to Marian Regional Medical Center where her unborn child was declared dead due to injuries from the collision explained the CHP.

The investigation into this fatal collision remains open and anyone with more information is asked to contact the California Highway Patrol Office for the Buellton area at 805-691-6160.

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Jarrod Zinn

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) – One of the hallmark events that heralds the holidays and the approach of a new year has arrived, California Polytechnic State Universities‘ dual-campus design program for the Cal Poly Rose Float.

Providing groundbreaking floats since 1949 for the Rose Parade sponsored by Honda – an annual New Years’ Day tradition which sprung from the Tournament of Roses – the college’s two campuses in San Luis Obispo and Pomona work together on these student designed and built exhibitions.

The formal unveiling of this year’s design, Jungle Jumpstart, and load-up of the first half of the float took place on Thursday at the Cal Poly campus in San Luis Obispo, sending essential pieces off to Pomona to be joined with the south campus’s half.

Once the pieces are joined, the Pomona campus finishes the inner workings and applies the roses – an intricate and delicate process itself – finishing in time for the float’s 5-mile journey in Pasadena on New Years’ Day.

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Andie Lopez Bornet

SANTA BARBARA, Cali. – The central coast will wake up to a bit of cloud coverage to start Thursday, however, we can expect sunshine by midday and afternoon. Very similar conditions from Wednesday.

Tropical storm Priscilla has weakened and is now a tropical storm. Scattered showers are expected for the southern part of California and Los Angeles county, but will dwindle down to nothing as it reaches the region. The central coast has a very small chance to see precipitation from this system, if anything dry lightning may be seen in the interior Ventura county mountains.

Temperatures today will be in the 60s and 70s for the beaches and valleys and high 70s for the interior areas. You may need that light jacket to start the day, but by the afternoon, it will be warmer and pleasant.

It’s Friday eve! And conditions are looking great for the weekend with dry weather and seasonable temperatures.

Winds are expected to develop once again on Friday for the central coast. A wind advisory is currently not in place, however the National Weather Service says it may be issued on Saturday. Winds will be coming from the North Northwest.

Next week, a low pressure system will drop toward the region from Canada and rain chances are increasing every day. Currently rain chances sit between 40%-70% for Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo County. First Alert Weather Center will be monitoring the system closely.

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT). – Bishop Diego High School will face their toughest challenge of the season so far although you wouldn’t know it from the record of Oaks Christian.

The 6-0 Cardinals are on the road at 1-5 Oaks Christian but Bishop knows it will be a rough and tumble Marmonte League game.

The Lions just barely lost to undefeated Pacifica last week 17-13. The 6-0 Tritons were averaging 55 points per game but OC held them in check.

Bishop Diego head coach Tom Crawford is impressed with the Lions defense saying, “They are big and fast and strong, really impressed with them upfront.”

The Cardinals have a great set of skill position players this year led by senior quarterback Tua Rojas who has 16 touchdown passes and just one interception.

Game time is 7 p.m. from Westlake Village and Friday Football Focus will have the highlights starting at 11:10 on NewsChannel 3 and 12.

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Tracy Lehr

GOLETA, Calif. (KEYT) – The Wild and Free Film Festival served up movie popcorn and played some trailers in preparation for a number of events.

Festival organizers, sponsors and Goleta community leaders posed for a ceremonial ribbon cutting on Wednesday afternoon.

The main festival is on November 14-16 at the Camino Real Cinemas in Goleta, but a kick-off launch party will take place at Elings Park on October 18th with an outdoor screening of “The Goonies.”

Festival founder Gareth Kelly credited his wife for naming the festival.

One of the highlights of the festival will be the premier of a documentary produced by Leonardo Dicaprio.

The film is about saving animals in war-torn Ukraine.

The movie star couldn’t make the ribbon cutting but he was there in spirit.

For more information about the festival visit http://www.wildandfreefilm.org

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Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Santa Barbara libraries are highlighting the importance of reading freely during Banned Books Awareness Week.

The Santa Barbara Public Library is joining a nationwide effort to call attention to challenges and bans on books.

Library staff have set up displays and events to celebrate diverse voices and stories.

Visitors are invited to join discussions about the value of intellectual freedom.

Organizers hope the week encourages readers to explore books without restrictions.

“It’s about celebrating reading … it’s about celebrating the freedom to read … and the library has participated this year by passing out free copies of Fahrenheit 451 … and working with students to host a book club … and have a discussion about books,” said executive director Lauren Trujillo of the Santa Barbara Public Library Foundation.

Events run through the end of the week at Santa Barbara Library locations.

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Dave Alley

PISMO BEACH, Calif. (KEYT) – Visitors to one of the most popular and scenic hiking trails on the Central Coast will soon need to pay for parking.

Starting next week, a small fee will be required to park a vehicle at the Pismo Preserve, a 888-acre coastal trail located along Highway 101 in Pismo Beach.

The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County, which owns the property, said it made the decision to charge for parking to help offset operational costs that rise above $200,000 annually.

The non-profit organization does not receive any tax revenue for either local, state or federal agencies to support the Pismo Preserve and indicated fees would will assist with the ongoing maintenance and operations of the property, as well help conserve additional natural habitat and productive farmlands in San Luis Obispo County.

Paid parking will begin on Thursday, Oct. 16 and will cost daily visitors a fee of $5. An annual pass is also available for $50.

Visitors will be able to purchase parking passes through a mobile app or with cash or credit card at a pay station located by the restrooms and kiosk.

Daily parking fees will fund the ongoing maintenance and operations of this incredible property and fuel our mission to conserve even more natural habitat and productive farmlands in SLO County.

The Pismo Preserve opened to the public in 2020 and provides hikers, mountain bikers and equestrian riders 11 miles of trails that travel through oak woodland and coastal ridgeways which offer some of the most picturesque views in the entire state.

Depending on weather conditions, visitors are able to look out to the Pacific Ocean and view panoramic scenery from the Irish Hills to the north to the Point Sal to the south.

For more information, click here to visit the Pismo Preserve webpage on the official website for The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County.

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