Author: KEYT

Caleb Nguyen

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) – Three Santa Maria gang members will stand trial following a violent assault in San Luis Obispo near Hotel Cerro on Oct. 6, 2024.

Alex Brian Lopez-Ramirez, Miguel Angel Mendez, Brian Ramirez Lopez will answer for charges and allegations alleged in a formal complaint, according to the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office.

Evidence showed that all three men repeatedly stomped, kicked and punched a victim in the middle of the road and continued doing so after the victim went unconscious, according to the SLOCDAO.

Paramedics later treated the victim for severe injuries at a local hospital, and video footage of the attack, including by the defendants themselves, was included as evidence, according to the SLOCDAO.

Investigators later identified the three defendants as gang members and the victim as a rival gang member from Santa Maria, according to the SLOCDAO.

All three defendants were held to answer for assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury charges alongside special allegations that the assault benefited a criminal street gang, according to the SLOCDAO.

The SLOPD, SLOCDAO Bureau of Investigators and Santa Maria Police all helped investigate the case and all three defendants are currently out of custody, according to the SLOCDAO.

Arraignment for all three men is set for September 17, 2026, according to the SLOCDAO.

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Dave Alley

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) – The San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder Office is currently seeking poll workers for the upcoming General Election this coming November.

The call to the public comes on Tuesday, Aug, 11 during “National Poll Worker Recruitment Day,” an annual initiative to inspire civic engagement and encourage people to sign up to become a poll worker.

“National Poll Worker Day is to just get the word out and encourage people that if they are interested in seeing what the behind the scenes looks like to sign up,” said San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder Alaina Cano. “We always need poll workers and this is just the kickoff to the November election.”

According to Clerk-Recorder Office, poll workers are the face of the election, performing a number of important tasks such as setting up polling places, greet voters, verifying registrations, issuing ballots, explaining voting equipment, and helping voters understand their options throughout the voting process. T

The office also pointed out poll workers play a critical role in ensuring every polling place is welcoming and accessible for all voters, including those who need language assistance or accommodations for disabilities.

“Poll workers are incredibly important and crucial to Election Day,” said Cano. “They are the ones that are out there from six in the morning till 9 or 10:00 at night, making sure that voters have an opportunity to vote in person. Without them, we don’t have the staffing to staff polling locations. We wouldn’t have folks there to assist the voters in determining where their polling location was at, getting them to register, casting their ballots, explaining to them new electronics or technology that’s out there at the polls. They are really an extension of our office, and we honestly could not do it without them.”

Cano indicated there were 732 poll workers countywide during the Primary Election that was held in June.

However, for the General Election that is set for Nov. 3, 2026, the Clerk-Recorder Office will be seeking an even greater amount of poll workers.

“The reason why we need more is because there will be more contests, more ballot types,” said Cano. “There will be a little bit more confusion for the voters most of the time as to which precinct they need to go to,so the more people that we have to assist our voters, the easier that it is for them to have an enjoyable experience out of the polls.”

Cano added poll workers will receive a financial stipend and they can range in age beginning with teenagers and all the way up, as long as they can perform the required duties.

“We have opportunities for even high school students to be student poll workers,” said Cano. “There is no age limit. So you can be anywhere from 16-to-17-years-old from high school and then up to 120 years old. It doesn’t matter. There is no absolute age limit. It is a long day. If you wanted to serve the entire day, it’s normally 6 a.m. to at least 9 p.m. There are also opportunities to work half days, so from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. or from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. and then the pay there is really minimal. It’s more about doing your civic duty and assisting our voters.”

With the recruitment now open, San Luis Obispo County is welcoming applicants from all backgrounds and also encourages bilingual community members, college students, and first-time poll workers to apply.

To learn more about becoming a poll worker in San Luis Obispo County or to apply, visit SloVote.com/pollworkers.

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Jarrod Zinn

ARROYO GRANDE, Calif. (KEYT) – We are learning more about the lawsuits against Planet Fitness in Arroyo Grande.

A total of 14 women have now filed 4 separate formal civil complaints through law firms against Planet Fitness and a former member.

Nearly fifty women are alleged to have been secretly filmed and photographed fully or partially nude while using the tanning booth and red light therapy rooms here at the Arroyo Grande Planet Fitness during 2025.

In April of this year, a college student attending from Arizona filed the first civil complaint.

Local police say their investigation identified a suspect and recovered photos and videos obtained by his phone of nearly fifty women.

“We’re not privy to what the police department is doing, but we do know that the police has been reaching out to different women, that they’ve been coming in and they’ve been confirming that they were victims in this case,” says Ilya Frangos, an attorney at Galine, Frye, Fitting & Frangos.

In May, 2 additional women choosing to remain anonymous came forward, filing their own civil complaints.

In June, the complaints were updated identifying the suspected voyeur as 40-year-old Kyle L. Combs of Grover Beach.

“And it’s, as you can imagine, really challenging,” says Frangos. “This is life changing for these women. So for them to be able to come forward and reach out to an attorney and to pursue any kind of civil case is really challenging.”

In July, SLO County District Attorney Dan Dow filed 12 misdemeanor counts of peeping in private rooms against combs, making it a criminal case.

“The criminal case is meant to punish the individual defendant criminally, and the civil case is an opportunity for the victims not only to pursue a case against Kyle Combs, but also to pursue a case against Planet Fitness for their own harms and losses that they suffered,” says Frangos.

And just last week, a fourth civil complaint was filed bringing the total number of plaintiffs to 14.

Officials say combs has not yet been formally served, and they believe more affected people will come forward.

“Planet Fitness was complicit in victimizing these women along with Kyle Combs,” says Frangos. “We have evidence that Planet Fitness knew that these rooms were not secure and did nothing about it.”

If anyone used the tanning or red light therapy booths at the Arroyo Grande Planet Fitness during 2025 and think they may have been affected, they are encouraged to contact Detective Brandon Earnest at the Arroyo Grande Police Department.

“Like many of our clients, they didn’t know what to do when this happened and they were just in the state of shock,” says Frangos.

The website for Galine, Frye, Fitting & Frangos offers a timeline of the case, detailed implications, and a link to be connected if someone feels they’ve been affected.

The law firms that have filed complaints on behalf of the plaintiffs are Galine, Frye, Fitting & Frangos LLP, Hadsell Stormer Renick & Dai LLP (HSRD), Binder Law Group PLC, and the Law Offices of Tristan Verburgt.

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Alissa Orozco

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) – A growing budget deficit and shrinking financial funds has caused Santa Barbara MTD is make some tough decisions. Starting August 17th, the community will see less frequent bus line trips and some trips will be eliminated all together.

In a public service annoucment, Santa Barbara MTD said its lost $3 million in annual operating assistance due to changes from the 2020 Census – and while they’re still enough funds to cover that cap – the financial deficit continues to grow with every coming year.

Santa Barbara MTD has announced reductions or elimations for the following lines:

Lines 1 (West Santa Barbara) and 2 (East Santa Barbara) “MTD is reducing weekday headways on Lines 1 and 2 to 20-minute frequency. The span of service would remain the same. While Lines 1 and 2 are still popular routes with an average of 22 passengers per hour year-to-date, they have seen drops in ridership of 17.3% and 18%, respectively, in the period of July 2025 to January 2026 as compared to the prior year. While it is hoped that this downward trend on these routes will turn around, we believe that with 20-minute service, there will be enough capacity to satisfy current demand.” Lines 3 (Oak Park), 4 (Mesa/SBCC), 5 (Mesa/La Cumbre), and 17 (Lower West SB/SBCC) “On Lines 3, 4, 5, and 17 currently, there is slightly more service on Saturdays than Sundays. We will be matching Saturday’s schedules on these routes to Sunday’s current schedule. This means all weekend days on Lines 3, 4, 5, and 17 will have the same schedules. Headways would not change on these routes; the span of service would shrink.” “Line 3 will go from 13 round trips to 11 round trips (losing 2 morning trips and 1 evening trip).” “On the weekends, Lines 4, 5, and 17 are interlined for much of the day. Line 4 will go from 11 outbound trips to 8, and from 12 inbound trips to 9. Line 17 will go from 12 outbound trips to 9, and from 11 inbound trips to 8. Both Line 4 and 17 will lose 2 morning trips and 1 evening trip.” “Line 5 will go from 14 outbound trips to 11 trips and 13 inbound trips to 10 trips (losing 1 morning and 2 evening trips).” Line 7 (Goleta Old Town) “On weekdays, Line 7 runs on 30-minute headways for most of the day and becomes less frequent in the evenings. MTD will be eliminating the last outbound Line 7 trip on weekdays. The last two outbound trips from the Transit Center depart at 7:10 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. Upon reviewing ridership on the 9:45 p.m. trip, we believe that eliminating the trip will have minimal impact on riders. This means the latest trip outbound on the Line 7 will become the 7:10 p.m. departure.” “With the recent opening of the two “Project Connect” roundabouts at Hollister Avenue and Highway 217, MTD has changed the way that Line 7 turns around in Old Town Goleta. The route has traditionally had to go through the neighborhood at the end of the line in Old Town, with a left on Kinman Avenue, right on Armitos Avenue, right on Kellogg Avenue, and right on Hollister to pull into the Hollister and Kellogg westbound stop to begin the return trip. With the addition of the roundabouts, the bus is able to simply go straight eastbound, make a u-turn at the roundabout and pull straight into the Hollister and Kellogg stop. This change is an operational improvement but does not affect any stops as there are none located back in the neighborhood.” Line 14 (Montecito) “On weekdays and Saturdays Line 14 runs on hour headways except for one additional round trip in the morning on these days, which gives the service 30-minute headways for one hour. MTD will be eliminating one morning roundtrip on weekdays and Saturdays. When this round trip is removed, Line 14 will have one-hour headways all day on weekdays, and one less round trip on Saturdays.” Lines 11 (UCSB), 23 (El Encanto Heights), and 25 (Ellwood/Winchester Canyon) “Lines 11, 23, and 25 are interlined with each other and Line 6 (Goleta). MTD will be eliminating the following three weekday trips: the last outbound Line 23 trip, which becomes the last inbound Line 25 trip, and then turns into the last inbound Line 11 trip.” “The last outbound Line 23 trip currently departs Storke and Hollister (Rusty’s) at 11:00 p.m. and arrives at Calle Real and Winchester Place at 11:18 p.m. When this trip is eliminated, the latest weekday outbound Line 23 trip will leave Storke and Hollister at 9:40 p.m.” “The last inbound Line 25 trip currently departs Calle Real and Winchester Place at 11:18 p.m. and arrives at Storke and Hollister stop (McDonald’s) at 11:30 p.m. When this trip is eliminated, the latest weekday inbound Line 25 trip will leave Calle Real and Winchester Place at 9:58 p.m.” “The last inbound Line 11 trip currently departs Storke and Hollister (McDonald’s) at 11:30 p.m. and arrives at the Transit Center at 12:23 a.m. When this trip is eliminated, the latest weekday inbound Line 11 trip will leave Storke and Hollister at 10:30 p.m.”

To find more information on the upcoming service changes, visit Santa Barbara MTD

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) – The impact of smoke from wildfires can often be deceiving.   

Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District (APCD) is encouraging the public to have a clean air plan prior to the next big fire either here or nearby.

Smoke and ash contain very small particles known as particulate matter, which can travel from wildfires even hundreds of miles away.

These particles harm the lungs and heart, and can cause coughing, wheezing, difficulty breathing, chest pain, and nausea.

The most vulnerable are kids, seniors, pregnant women, and people with heart or lung conditions.

The APCD Information Officer, Lyz Bantilan says, ” wildfire season is  now. We are in the thick of it. We are no stranger to wildfires here in Santa Barbara County. The smoke in recent years as we have seen can be transported from  hundreds of miles away and we can  have the impacts.”

The best protection is to find a location with clean air, or create a clean room yourself.

That can be with a do it yourself system using a box fan and a filter or with a HEPA purifier. The HEPA filter should be checked to be the right size for your room, such as a normal sized bedroom to be able to work efficiently.

“You do want to make sure all your windows are closed so you’re not letting in more smoke. Give the device all the tools it needs to do it’s job well, ” said Bantilan.

Santa Barbara County has had many wildfires that have turned the skies into a rusty color, an indicator of the bad air swirling around. Often you can also see smoke coming in from other areas depending on the wind patterns. Another example would be if your car is covered in ash, which means it is present in the air flow.

There is also a special offer for residents in Old Town Goleta. “Right now we have a program,  this is for residents  for Old Town Goleta only, we are giving away free air purifiers. First come, First served,” said Bantilan. The area is identified as a location that needs more clean air systems and it is densely populated.

Old Town is generally bordered by Highway 217 to Fairview Ave. and by Highway 101 down to a few blocks south of Hollister Ave. Your address on the application form will determine your eligibility.

The APCD has more information and videos here.   

Here is a step by step plan to build your own filer.

Use strong tape to attach a 20×20 MERV-rated air filter — like you would use for your HVAC system — to a 20×20 box fan. Attach it to the back of the fan for a better seal. Use a filter with a MERV rating of 13. Check the filter for the direction of the air flow, marked on the side of the filter. As needed, disassemble the box fan to wipe away any accumulated dirt. For safety, follow these precautions: Use a box fan that is from 2012 or newer, due to added safety features. Don’t leave the device unattended, and turn it off while sleeping. When the fan is modified like this, use the device as an air cleaner, not as fan to cool your home.

For links and video, here are some suggestions:

Series of instructional videos on how to create a “clean air room” at home (using a store-bought air purifier, making your own, other indoor air quality tips, and information about wildfire smoke and health): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLejjCxk3dncBa5f-CmNRyieIISJ-hiX1q Websites to check air quality conditions 24/7: https://www.ourair.org/todays-air-quality/ (APCD’s permanent monitoring stations throughout the county) and the AirNow Fire & Smoke map: https://fire.airnow.gov/#7.34/35.026/-118.731 (combines data from APCD’s permanent monitors and air quality sensors) APCD’s webpage to sign up for Air Quality Alerts – sent via email and/or text, in English and Spanish: https://www.ourair.org/subscribe/

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Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Santa Barbara-based Direct Relief is mobilizing emergency medical aid after a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia.

The earthquake damaged buildings and triggered a national emergency, leaving communities facing an urgent need for medical care and supplies.

Direct Relief is working with health partners in Colombia to determine where help is needed most and prepare emergency medical supplies for affected areas.

The response builds on years of work in the country. Since 2015, Direct Relief has provided more than $27 million in medical aid to Colombia.

The organization works with local health providers during disasters to help move medicines and other critical supplies quickly to communities in need.

Direct Relief is continuing to assess the situation as the full extent of the damage becomes clearer.

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Caleb Nguyen

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – The Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office announced a 30-year-to-life sentence for Arian Eteghaei after he sexually assaulted multiple victims as a UCSB student.

A jury convicted Eteghaei on a misdemeanor domestic violence charge, two felony sexual assault offenses of forcible rape and forcible sexual penetration, and the special allegation of multiple victims.

Eteghaei also received another felony charge on Jan. 16, 2026, after he attempted to escape law enforcement custody at the Santa Barbara Courthouse in a felony complaint filed on March 11.

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Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) — Young missionaries from across the country are joining local volunteers to help provide weekend food for people experiencing homelessness in Santa Barbara.

The Father Virgil Cordano Center has launched what organizers describe as Santa Barbara’s first weekend takeaway food bag program for people experiencing homelessness.

Volunteers pack the bags each Friday, giving people food to take with them for the weekend.

Sister Maria Hoa organized the program and secured funding to keep it running for a year. She also worked directly with people at the Cordano Center to learn what foods they actually want and would use.

The volunteer effort is also bringing together people from different faith communities.

Young missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are working alongside members of the Ladies of Charity, a Catholic charitable organization with roots dating back more than 400 years.

The Ladies of Charity began in France in 1617 through St. Vincent de Paul and is dedicated to directly serving people in need. The Santa Barbara chapter has been active since the 1970s.

Missionaries helping locally include Elder Henderson and Elder Barker from the Goleta Ward, along with Sister Allred and Sister Weaver from the Los Olivos Branch. The young missionaries come from outside the area and are currently serving in the Santa Barbara region.

Volunteers are being connected through JustServe, a free platform that matches people with service projects in their communities. The platform is now active in Santa Barbara, allowing people to enter their ZIP code and find nearby volunteer opportunities.

Since its introduction in 2012, more than one million volunteers have signed up through JustServe and more than 184,000 projects have been posted. The platform is available in 17 countries and six languages.

Organizers hope projects like the Cordano Center food program can meet an immediate need while also bringing people from different backgrounds together through service.

To find out about how you can volunteer for this and other projects, visit JUSTSERVE (justserve.org) a free online platform harnessing the power of volunteerism to build unity in the community.

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Caleb Nguyen

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – Santa Maria Police officers are investigating a fatal car crash that killed a pedestrian just after 8:30 p.m. Sunday night.

The crash happened near the 100 block of West Battles Road and SMPD officers arrived after receiving multiple reports about a car hitting a woman.

Santa Maria Fire crews alongside AMR personnel started life saving measures before taking the woman to the hospital in critical condition.

The woman passed away from her injuries hours later and her identity is being withheld pending notification of next of kin, according to the SMPD.

DUI is not a suspected factor in the crash and SMPD officers closed down West Battles Road at Broadway during their investigation.

The investigation remains ongoing and those with additional information on the crash are asked to contact the SMPD Traffic Unit.

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Alissa Orozco

OJAI, Calif. (KEYT) – Its a sad day for the Friends of Big Bear Valley, as Jackie the bald eagle has died.

Over the last three weeks, Jackie had been receiving care and treatment at the Ojai Raptor Center after she was attacked by two juvenile bald eagles back in July. The center had been providing updates on the bird’s condition, including her battle with anemia and another unknown illness.

Despite around the clock care, the center announced Jackie’s death early Monday morning.

“Over the past several days, her condition continued to deteriorate despite intensive treatment and the combined efforts of our veterinary team and consulting specialists. She remained critically ill, receiving oxygen therapy, supportive treatment, and around-the-clock monitoring in our intensive care unit.”

Referred to by the center as Patient 26-519, Jackie became one of Big Bear Valley’s most famous residents – birthing and nursing multiple eaglets over the years with her partner Shadow.

Jackie’s remains have been transferred into the care of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, according to the Ojai Raptor Center.

“To everyone who cared about Patient 26-519, thank you. Thank you for your messages, your prayers, your encouragement, and for standing beside our team throughout these past weeks. We are deeply grateful for the way Patient 26-519 brought people together through a shared love of wildlife.”

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