Author: KEYT

Jarrod Zinn

SANTA MARIA, Calif. — The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday urging Congress to protect federal food assistance programs as local food banks prepare for major funding cuts that could significantly impact low-income families and small farmers.

The resolution affirms the county’s commitment to the social safety net, including programs such as SNAP and CalFresh, amid rising food insecurity and the loss of key federal support.

Erik Talkin, CEO of the Santa Barbara County Foodbank, accepted the resolution during the meeting and detailed the financial toll of the funding cuts.

The Santa Barbara County Foodbank expects to lose close to $5 million in direct support. That includes more than 1.5 million pounds of food, a $24,000 FEMA emergency food grant, and $500,000 from the now-canceled Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program.

“That represents a quarter of all of the food that we distribute in the county,” Talkin said.

The San Luis Obispo County Food Bank is facing a $600,000 annual loss. A proposed 20 percent cut to federal food assistance could double demand at local food banks, officials said, placing additional strain on already stretched resources.

Talkin added that food banks are increasing partnerships with local farmers by paying them to grow food for distribution, supporting both growers and families in need. This comes however following the cancellation of the federal program that allowed small farms to sell produce directly to food banks.

In Carpinteria, farmer Juan Osorio said he feels overwhelmed following this cancellation.

“What’s going to happen is I won’t be able to provide for my family,” Osorio said.

Second District Supervisor Laura Capps called on the community to step up support.

“If there was ever a time to support our local food bank, it is now, and with private dollars,” Capps said. “What is happening is devastating. This is a bipartisan program that has received support from both parties for a generation.”

While the resolution does not directly challenge federal or state authorities, it reinforces the county’s support for local solutions that maintain access to food for vulnerable residents.

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Alissa Orozco

OXNARD, Calif. – A local advocacy group reports a father was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at an Oxnard gas station, leaving behind his two children still in the vehicle at the gas pump.

805 UndocuFund says on May 4th, around 9:30am, a man stopped at a Sinclar gas station at the intersection of Ventura Rd. and Wooley Blvd. in Oxnard. A witness says as the man got out of his truck to pump his gas, a group of vehicles pulled up and surrounded him.

Fox 11 details the man was taken into custody quickly, leaving one minor child and their older 19-year-old sibling in their father’s truck. The group says the children were “old enough to be left alone but unable to drive, stranded, and powerless to leave.”

The witness told 805 UndocuFund he helped the children move the truck away from the pump, they then called their sister to come pick them up.

The identity of the man was not released, and why he was detained is unknown.

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Dave Alley

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – Central Coast firefighting agencies are taking the time during Wildfire Preparedness Month to warn the public it expects a busy fire season during the upcoming summer months.

“As we approach summer, we’re getting closer to announcing fire season here within the county,” said Scott Safechuck, Santa Barbara County Fire Department public information officer. “You can tell that with the warmer weather, you can see on the hillsides that our vegetation is starting to turn brown, and the grass is that first indicator of that, especially in the North County, and it will transition to the South County as things warm up here.”

Late winter rains, combined springtime precipitation, was a welcome sight over the past couple of months.

The recent storms helped bring much-needed rainfall to the Central Coast, but it also helped fuel significant vegetation growth hillsides and other open spaces throughout Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.

With vegetation beginning to dry out, especially after enduring warmer than usual temperatures over the past few days, firefighting agencies predict increased chances of wildfires.

“We can expect to see an above average increase of significant wildfires starting in and around July,” said Fleming Bertelsen, Los Padres National Forest public information officer. “We’re still kind of in a drying trend. You look around and we’re seeing the light, flashy fuels transition from green to brown and it’s happening very abruptly. This last weekend it was kind of a dramatic change, so it’s something giving us a heads up.”

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Caleb Nguyen

SANTA MARGARITA, Calif. – Fire crews mopped up a 15-acre grass fire in Santa Margarita that first broke out just before 12:30 p.m. on Highway 58 Monday, according to CAL Fire SLO.

The fire started at an acre near Energy Place and the highway and crews gave updated acreage numbers just before 2:00 p.m, detailed CAL Fire SLO.

Forward progress of the incident stopped just past 1:30 p.m and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

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Andrew Gillies

GOLETA, Calif. — A Goleta pastor who also coached high school students has been arrested on felony sex crime charges involving minors.

Shaun Donald Hertlein, 42, was taken into custody Friday, May 9, after Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s detectives served him with a warrant. Detectives began investigating Hertlein in April.

He faces charges including sending sexual images to a minor, communicating with a minor with the intent to commit specific crimes, and possession of obscene images of a child. His bail is set at $500,000.

Sheriff’s officials said Hertlein worked with children at a church in the 5800 block of Cathedral Oaks Road. Online videos list him as a pastor at South Coast Church at that same address. Social media posts also show his affiliation with the Santa Barbara Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Superintendent Hilda Maldonado confirmed Hertlein is an assistant coach at Dos Pueblos High School in Goleta on Monday.

Detectives believe there may be additional survivors and are asking anyone with information to contact Detective F. Arnoldi at 805-681-4150. Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling 805-681-4171 or visiting the Sheriff’s Office website.

This is at least the third arrest in Goleta this year by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office involving alleged sex crimes against minors. In March, 51-year-old Martin Efrain Barajas was arrested on charges related to lewd acts with a child under the age of 10 dating back to 2002. That same month, 34-year-old Adam Escarcega, affiliated with Adams Elementary School in Santa Barbara, was detained after a vigilante group posing as a juvenile online arranged a meeting with him.

Support services for survivors are available through the Santa Barbara County Victim-Witness Assistance Program at 805-568-2400 or toll-free at 805-840-3232. Additional confidential resources, including a 24-hour hotline, legal and medical advocacy, and counseling, are available through Standing Together to End Sexual Assault at 805-564-3696.

The Sheriff’s Office is urging parents and guardians to stay involved in their children’s online activity, use parental controls, maintain open communication about digital safety, and report any suspicious behavior to law enforcement.

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. –

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

Division 1

Camarillo at Oaks Christian

Division 2 First Round

Capistrano Valley at Thousand Oaks

Ganesha at Agoura

Millikan at Moorpark

Simi Valley at Murrieta Valley

Division 3 First Round

Oxnard at San Clemente

Royal at Citrus Valley

Rio Mesa at Aquinas

Schurr at Westlake

Division 4:

Dos Pueblos at Viewpoint

Quartz Hill at Ventura

Division 5:

Riverside Prep at St. Bonaventure

University Prep at Grace

Division 6:

Santa Clara at San Jacinto

Santa Paula at Katella

Division 7:

Santa Ana at Fillmore

Division 8:

Valley Christian Santa Maria at Lennox Academy

Pomona Catholic at Hueneme

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Caleb Nguyen

SOLVANG, Calif. – Fire crews helped a woman via helicopter and two others via ambulance to Cottage Hospital after a two-car crash on Highway 246 in Santa Ynez just before 1:00 p.m. Monday.

The woman needed extrication for her major injuries and was airlifted as the solo driver in one car to Cottage for treatment, according to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.

The second car involved had two adults, a man and a woman, with moderate injuries and an ambulance helped the pair to Cottage for their treatment, according to the SBCFD.

Highway 246 remained open after the crash and the accident’s cause is under investigation.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) has turned off the lights at its downtown Film Center for now and upgrades are underway.

SBIFF brought the former Fiesta Five theatre alive after Metropolitan Theatres vacated the property last year. The theatre complex reopened with a variety of movies, from international films to family favorites, while a bigger plan was being pulled together.

Now it is renovating with state-of-the-art equipment and a fresh look.

The drawings shown on Newschannel 3-12 last week feature a bright new look to the marquee and a red carpet designed tile entrance into the complex in the 900 block of State Street.

The box office will move to the left side and a ADA ramp will be on the right side. New technology for online or preordered tickets will also be in place.

The theatre will have top of the line projectors and sound, and news seats.

The opening will take place by the holiday movie season later this year.

Next year the Film Center will also the main hub of activity for the 2026 SBIFF showcase event in February.

Executive Director Roger Durling says the Film Center will have a classic “movie palace” look when it is done.

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival has been voted one of the top ten festivals of its kind in the country.

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Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Business owners, industry leaders, and students cut their work and school days short to attend the 2025 South County Economic Summit at the Granada Theatre on State Street in Santa Barbara.

Ticket holders received an Economic Outlook Publication, a program, and access to a reception featuring California wine, specifically, wine not impacted by tariffs.

This year’s summit featured a lineup of experts speaking on the economic and policy outlook for California and Santa Barbara County.

The Santa Barbara County Economic Report was delivered by Peter Rupert, Director of the UCSB Economic Forecast Project.

Former Federal Reserve President Jim Bullard shared insights from the perspective of a central banker, while UCLA economics professor Lee Ohanian addressed housing issues and potential strategies to reduce homelessness.

University of Rochester economics professor George Alessandria delivered a presentation titled “Trade Policy and the Economy: Past, Present and Future.”

UCSB students volunteered at the event, and some received discounted admission.

Rupert, who quipped that he had “dressed up” for the summit, made a point with his casual attire: Hoka shoes, Ace Rivington jeans, and a Nomad watch—all purchased from local companies.

“These local companies get their products from overseas,” Rupert said, emphasizing how tariffs can impact regional businesses.

Rupert, a critic of tariffs, noted he woke up to news of a temporary deal between the United States and China that boosted the stock market.

“Most economists would say the best tariffs are zero,” he said.

Speakers addressed a record turnout, discussing trade policy, housing, and artificial intelligence. To connect with the audience, they referenced the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930, Forrest Gump, Jerry Maguire, and the Laffer Curve as mentioned in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

“I think being able to put it in common terms and circumstances we understand puts it into a better light,” said UCSB student and Radius Commercial realtor Jack Gilbert.

Kristen Miller, CEO of the Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce, said she gained valuable insight.

“We have been watching tariffs very closely because they do affect local businesses,” said Miller. “So I did learn a lot today about how to maybe try to predict this evening out over time.”

Miller also sits on the board that helped organize the event at the Granada.

Students who volunteered said they were excited to be studying economics.

“I think it’s really important to learn economics and be well-informed,” said UCSB senior Kendall Warner.

“I feel like things are changing so fast, at such a quick pace, that I’m able to learn more,” said UCSB student and intern Aakash Sriram.

Rupert closed his presentation with what he called “the most beautiful picture of all time”—a graph of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

“This is our real GDP, our real income, our real purchasing power—the amount of stuff we’re able to buy,” he said.

The chart, which resembled a straight line, showed long-term growth.

“This growth number is about 2 percent, something like that,” said Rupert. “Every year, on average, we get 2 percent richer. And what I tell people is, look for what stands out: the Great Depression and World War II—that’s what stands out.”

He said the “little wiggles” in the graph represent different presidential terms and mentioned the recent fluctuations in tariff rates.

“As you can see, they’ve already backed down on a lot of them because we understand what happened during the Great Depression.”

He closed on an encouraging note.

“The beautiful thing is, if we’re left alone, we are a very productive country. We’ve done really well over history. We’re growing faster than Europe right now. So when it comes to tariffs—we’ll be drinking California wine.”

For more information visit https://efp.ucsb.edu

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Closing time for the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table luncheon at Harry’s for the 2024-’25 school year.

Three awards were handed out to student-athletes.

The UCSB Scholar of the Year went to UCSB senior guard Cole Anderson.

He carried over a 3.5 GPA in the classroom and he shot almost 48 percent from three-point distance this past season for UCSB.

The Female Athlete of the week is San Marcos High School lacrosse player Linnea Clapinski while the Male Athlete of the Week is Laguna Blanca swimmer Bennett Sullivan.

Clapinski scored 5 goals including the game-winner in overtime as Dos Pueblos won a CIF-SS Division 3 quarterfinal game. She added 6 more goals in a semifinal loss.

Sullivan and three teammates helped Laguna Blanca place third out of 52 schools in the CIF-Division 3 finals.

(Bennett Sullivan accounted for 121 of the 170.5 team points for Laguna Blanca).

They won the 50 and 100 freestyle relays and Sullivan turned in top 5 individual finishes in the 100 breaststroke and 200 IM.

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