Author: KEYT

Dave Alley

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) – A new homeless community that has been constructed with 3D-printed technology is set to open in San Luis Obispo.

Welcome Home Village is located at the corner of Johnson Avenue and Bishop Street on what was previously the Bishop Medical Plaza parking lot.

Now, after a year of construction, it’s been converted into a small collection of 54 housing units that have been created using 3D technology that has helped to reduce costs and accelerate delivery.

Gardena-based Azure Printed Homes said each home has been built through recycling approximately 150,000 recycled plastic bottles.

Welcome Home Village is a collaboration with the City of San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo County, along with project partners DignityMoves, Azure Printed Homes, and Good Samaritan Shelter.

The site includes 14 interim support units and 40 permanent supportive housing units and is specifically intended to house homeless individuals that have been living in the Bob Jones Trail area.

Residents will have access to a range of services that includes case management to medical coordination, substance use disorder counseling, mental health counseling.

Welcome Home Village rsidents will share facilities, such as laundry areas, landscaped open space, and other multiple community spaces, including work-study areas and private offices for meetings with case managers and other service professionals.

Earlier this month, an official ribbon-cutting was held, but the site isn’t quite yet ready to open.

Final construction work is still happening on the property and is expected to be completed in the near future.

According to Good Samaritan Shelter, they are targeting the opening and move-in for the new residents to happen around mid-July.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – A free Sunday show will take place at the Plaza Del Mar Band Shell in Santa Barbara as part of the new schedule of events in the iconic and refurbished location.

Coastal Sounds, a free and all-ages micro-festival featuring emerging bands, takes the stage Sunday, June 28. Coastal Sounds’ lineup features local rockers Green Room Paradise, Dylan Cunningham, Ladyfinger, Looking West and more.

The Plaza del Mar Band Shell, a designated City of Santa Barbara landmark, was constructed in 1919 to provide a venue for public concerts. Pictures from days gone by show the public out for shows on Sundays as part of their regular Santa Barbara outings, well before the invention of TV.

The event, co-organized by Genevieve Mack, a 2026 Santa Barbara High School Media Arts and Design (MAD) Academy graduate, brings together sounds of local acoustic folk, surf rock, indie, and blues to the stage from 3 pm until 8 pm.

The public is encouraged to use the site for picnics (BYO picnic), and bring their own seating, blankets, games and some concessions will be on-site. Chris Benedict, DJ of Ability, delivers full sound production for the concert. 

“As most Santa Barbara County music venues are 21+ and focus on selling alcohol, we wanted to offer local music for all ages in an beautiful, historic park ” said Genevieve Mack, Co-Founder of All the Above Productions, the event’s producer. “We’d love for June’s Coastal Sounds to be ‘Act I’ in a series making local music more accessible to all audiences in Santa Barbara.” 

Mack said it is exciting, “to see a lot of different age ranges because we don’t really get to see a lot of that when it comes music.”

Assistant Parks Director Jazmin LeBlanc said compared to past shows, they were looking forward to “be able to explore having a younger crowd than we typically get. “

Trey Murphy is with the band Ladyfinger that will be performing. He says, “I can tell this has been built for nice acoustics and a nice amphitheater for people to sit out here and hopefully catch a nice wave of music for the day. This is definitely different this is mixing a historic site with modern music and a modern crowd.  I think this is going to be a really special time for everyone.” 

They expect the audience to bring what they need to have an afternoon on the lawn for the music show. “This is a space no matter who you are you can enjoy live music  which everyone deserves,” said Mack.

Coastal Sounds is part of Arts in the Open, a series presented by the Parks and Recreation Department in partnership with the PARC Foundation, which celebrates a wide range of artistic experiences designed for all ages. 

For more information on the full lineup and volunteer opportunities, follow along on social media at @alltheabove.productions on Instagram. For further information on Arts in the Open visit https://www.parcsb.org/events. 

Saturday at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. there will also be The Bob Baker Marionette Theatre.

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Tracy Lehr

GOLETA, Calif. (KEYT) The “Meet Me in Old Town Goleta” block party” is back.

The block party off Hollister Ave. on Wednesday evening included live music by Equipo Elite.

Kids had a chance to make bubbles and play games and jump in bounce houses while parents checked out information booths.

Soccer fans of all ages wore their favorite team jerseys to cheer on FIFA matches on screens outside and inside La Hacienda Restaurant.

Councilmembers Luz Reyes-Martin and James Kyriaco watched Mexico vs. Czechia.

“It is great, it is wonderful to see so many people out enjoying the summer night and seeing neighbors and kids and families from all over Goleta just having a good time, ” said Reyes-Martin.

The block party was the second of the month.

The city of Goleta partnered with the Santa Barbara south coast chamber of Commerce to host the event.

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Alissa Orozco

GOLETA, Calif. (KEYT) – New housing will soon available for Santa Barbara Unified School District employees as the Board of Education moves forward with the development of 106 affordable apartments in the Eastern Goleta Valley.

The housing development, known as the Tatum Project, was recently approved by the district to use a 3.65-acre portion of land off Hollister Avenue to combat the high cost of living for local teachers and school staff.

The land was once owned by Disney executive, Donn B Tatum, hence the name the Tatum Project.

The designated land wedged between El Camino Elementary and San Marcos High School was previously sold to a private developer, but was repurchased by the district for roughly $7.4 million. A 99-year lease was signed with housing developer, FLT San Simeon Oaks – The Housing Authority of the County of Santa Barbara will be managing the property now owned by the district.

The district says 106 units are set to be constructed, 97 of which will be reserved specifically for Santa Barbara Unified employees, the remaining units will be offered to employees from other local districts and non-profits.

These units will be “income-restricted, with rent geared toward households earning around 60% of the area median income.”

Longtime Alta Vista teacher and Santa Barbara Teachers Association representative Joel Block said he was lucky to buy and home decades ago.

He said even recent raises are not enough for young teachers to live in the district.

“When they give us a $1500 raise that is well below inflation and the cost of living even by state standards, you know, you’ve got to wonder what is going on,” said Block,””If we were paid a proper salary for the area they wouldn’t have to do this, they could use the land for tech of knowledge I mean they are building a who tech center they could do it for all kinds of things again I don’t want to sound ungrateful it will help but you know we have to fight for every dollar health care costs everything.”

Neighbors of the project said they are concerned about a road going through and multiple projects going up at the same time.

School District Superintendent Hilda Maldonado said they committed to helping educators and staff.

“Great schools are built by people and people need stable, affordable places to call home,” said Dr. Hilda Maldonado, Superintendent of Santa Barbara Unified School District in a press release. “We are committed to making that possible. This project reflects a simple conviction: the educators who dedicate their careers to the children of Santa Barbara deserve to live here, too. “

Constuction is expected to take a couple of years.

A ground breaking celebration is slated to take place in July.

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Dave Alley

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – According to the 2025 Santa Barbara County agriculture report, strawberries remain by far and away the county’s the top crop.

This week, Santa Barbara County has released the annual report, which shows in 2025 strawberries had a combined gross value of $941,012,000, marking an increase of 9% from 2024.

Overall, the entire agricultural crop a gross production value of $2,240,877,000, an amount that represents an 11.5% increase compared to 2024.

In 2024, Santa Barbara County agriculture surpassed the $2 billion mark for the first time ever.

The county said in a statement those numbers do not represent gross values and do not account for production costs such as labor, planting, irrigation, harvesting, packaging, distribution, as well as other production activities.

“The significant increases we’re seeing in production value highlight both improved growing conditions and the continued demand for Santa Barbara County’s agricultural products,” said said Jose Chang Santa Barbara County Agricultural Commissioner/Director of Weights & Measures. “These numbers represent the hard work and dedication of every person involved in bringing food to our tables.”

Behind strawberries in the second spot in the county’s top 10 commodities list was nursery products, which posted a production value of $126,501,000.

In the third position was broccoli and its gross value of $124,521,000. The amount represented a 33% increase from last year, a number the county attributed to higher yields and stronger market prices.

Other commodities on the top 10 list included head lettuce in the fourth position, followed by leaf lettuce in fifth, wine grapes at number six, cauliflower was seventh, celery in the eighth spot, with blackberries and livestock in ninth and tenth.

The wine industry, which has long played a vital role in the county’s economy, trended upwards from 2024, moving up two sports from eighth to sixth.

Wine grapes represented had a value last year of $87,793,000, and amount that represented 4% of the county’s gross agriculture production value. 

In terms of varieties, Pinot Noir had the highest value, followed by Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. 

The county pointed out the rise came that despite a decline in harvested acreage, significantly higher yields per acre drove an increase in total production. Other factors included strong market demand for high-quality grapes that resulted in a substantial rise in overall production value.

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John Palminteri

CARPINTERIA, Calif. (KEYT) – Whether they are home or on vacation, Junior Lifeguards are cleaning their environment after a presentation on the Carpinteria shores Wednesday morning.

Organized by the non-profit Tidy Seas and the City of Carpinteria, the kids were out with gloves on their hands and carrying paint-style buckets to find even the smallest pieces of trash and microplastics.

This effort is before 4th of July celebrations, and additional cleans up are planned afterwards.

Volunteers are taught to take these projects on the road when they are on vacation and carry the message forward from the Central Coast where environmental stewardship is in the forefront.

Ryan Wong with Tidy Seas said, “they don’t really notice until they do. and then they start living a life  that is far more sustainable.”

Carpinteria City Councilmember Wade Nomura said, “I’ve been  to beaches like this where you can’t even walk on the beach because of all the debris, the trash and dangers of health T.his place here is pristine.  It has a lot has to do with the culture of the young ones.

The kids walked from the west end of the beach all the way down to the State park area.

Hugo Goodfield, a Junior Lifeguard had trash including plastics, which could be small containers from food places. He said, “people come out and have their chips and salsa and they just leave it because  don’t care and that’s not OK.”

Some clothing was in the bucket carried by Finley Barr who said, “I didn’t expect to find the pants but chips, bags and stuff.”

With one of the loaded buckets, to the top, Kermit Seefeld said, “I expected it to be about half full   but not like this, it’s amazing.I got so much trash. “

Many of these junior lifeguards.said what they are learning on the Carpinteria beaches  they will be taking it on the road on their summer vacations as well.

“When I go to their home (other areas) where they live, I do the same for their beaches,” said Goodfield.

After hearing some good advice, “I always see these things leave it better than you found it  so that’s what I try to do every time,” said Eugene Nimmons.

In the big picture, Wong said the effort on the beach carries over and parents notice. “Now their kids won’t stop picking up trash and they call people out on their trash because kids don’t have filters  which great . It is a great problem to have that kids won’t stop picking up trash and educating others.”

Nomura said seeing the kids was encouraging and “a lot of pride here and that why we have them helping out so much.”

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Andie Lopez Bornet

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. –  Local entrepreneur Autumn Shelton just launched a new functional drink brand called TruBond. 

It’s rooted in the power of adaptogens, nootropics, and the gut-brain connection to help people think clearly and connect more deeply.

TruBond is a passion product that combines her personal story with her background in business and finance, created to help people think clearly, connect deeply, and show up fully in their lives and relationships.

Shelton joins your Morning News to talk about the new product launch.

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Mike Klan

UC SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Two years ago Ajay Mitchell was at the Montecito Country Club waiting to hear his name called in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Surrounded by family, friends and UCSB teammates, he was naturally emotional when he was selected in the second round, 38th overall.

Fast forward to today and the former Gauchos standout Mitchell is grateful, thankful but not surprised by how well his first two years in the NBA have gone so far.

“I am really happy about the way I have been playing but I don’t think there is any surprise,” said Mitchell who was a guest speaker at the UCSB youth basketball camp this week. “Obviously I knew I was going to put the work in and I knew I had great people around me to help me get to where I want to be at so no surprise but definitely grateful for what has happened.”

Mitchell won an NBA title as a rookie two seasons ago on the Oklahoma City Thunder and this past season the guard was one of the league’s most improved players. He averaged 13.6 points per game while shooting 48.5 percent from the field.

He was the best player on the floor during a 4-game sweep by OKC over the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Western Conference semifinals. Mitchell averaged 22.5 points, 6.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game in that series as he took on a bigger role with teammate Jalen Williams injured.

“That was always the goal is the help my team win and show what I can do and yeah it was a great series,” smiled Mitchell.

Ajay Mitchell played three seasons at UCSB leading the Gauchos to two NCAA Tournament appearances. He was the Big West Player of the Year in 2023.

Mitchell, who was born in Belgium, spends a good portion of his summers now in Santa Barbara working out and enjoying some down time.

“This is kind of home for me,” said Mitchell. “I got welcomed just like I was part of the family so it’s a special place.”

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Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) A special Santa Barbara City Council meeting took place on Tuesday to iron out budget issues.

Councilmembers voted unanimously on staff recommendations that include not adding new positions.

The council intends to protect and restore emergency reserves that have been used to cover deficits.

The city is set to vote on its 2027 budget next Tuesday, June 30.

The council is not scheduled to meet in July,

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Tracy Lehr

OJAI, Calif. (KEYT) – People are already setting out chair’s for Ojai’s Fourth of July Parade.

The chairs line Ojai Ave. where the parade will start at 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 4th.

There are reminders not to block public walkways.

The Ojai City Council is now considering a policy to prevent chairs from being set up more than two weeks before next year’s parade.

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