Tracy Lehr
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) Murals by the Santa Barbara Arts Alliance are now on display at Santa Barbara City Hall.
“Scaling The Walls” is the name of the new exhibit.
Arts Alliance graduates Miguel Rodriguez and Denise Villanueva collaborated with program participants to create the 8 murals.
The work honors the indigenous community, farmworkers and higher education.
The free art show is open to the public.
Jarrod Zinn
LOMPOC, Calif. (KEYT) – Community members in Lompoc took advantage of Cinco de Mayo falling on Taco Tuesday.
A local teen who is campaigning for Flower Festival Queen came up with the idea.
Ke’yarah Martinez, a candidate for the upcoming flower festival crown partnered with local businesses to organize a community wide cinco de mayo party.
“Even though I’m half Mexican, I think doing this event is so important just because it brings the culture, the amazing food that comes in with it,” says Ke’yarah Martinez, Lompoc resident and Flower Festival Queen Candidate.
Historically a commemoration of the Mexican army’s victory over French forces in 1862, Cinco de Mayo has since become a traditional celebration of Mexican-American heritage.
“This is such an important experience for me, because the heritage that goes into this isn’t very welcomed in our country,” says Martinez.
It might be a convenient coincidence that the celebration fell on Taco Tuesday this year, but Martinez took advantage of it.
“One of my sponsors came up with this idea, I was like, that’s different, that’d be fun,” says Martinez.
In addition to a bounce houses for the kids, the music, and the festive beverages, a taco eating contest brought the event together over the culturally originated but internationally favorite finger food.
“Delicious, delicious,” says Joseph Morin, Lompoc resident and first-place winner of the contest. “Supergrill always has really good, yeah, yeah, yeah. Awesome tacos. So I was looking forward to it. Girlfriend starved me for about a week to do this, so I’m ready.”
The first place winner won a cash prize and 2nd & 3rd place winners brought home gift cards to local businesses.
“I’m still starving,” says Morin. “I wish I had another rack, truthfully, I can keep going. I’m ready.”
The Flower Festival Queen, who wins based on raffle ticket sales, will be coronated prior to the festival next month.
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John Palminteri
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – You may have noticed buildings around Santa Barbara County with green lights on at night.
It is part of an awareness campaign for the month of May which is Mental Health Month.
The department of Behavioral Wellness says it has many community partners joining in to light the county up with green lights.
This includes the District Attorney’s Office, the County Courthouse, the Police Department, the Office of Emergency Management, and the Food Bank of Santa Barbara County.
The county will be holding many events supporting mental wellness and offering outreach for mental health screenings.
There will also be training for psychological first aid.
Experts say no one is alone in facing mental health challenges. This year’s national theme, “More Good Days, Together” encourages us all to reflect on what a “good” day looks like, personally and for our communities.
Mental health is essential to overall health and well-being. Studies show, 20 percent of the population will experience a mental health condition in any given year.
For more information go to: Santa Barbara County Office of Behavioral Wellness
News Channel 3-12
Below is a press release from Old Spanish Days regarding their newest event, the Fiesta Dog Parade on May 16th.
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – A new event has been added to the 2026 Old Spanish Days event calendar placing our furry friends at the forefront of the inaugural Fiesta Dog Parade and Costume Contest in downtown Santa Barbara on Saturday, May 16. Inspired by Old Spanish Days Fiesta, this vibrant new tradition brings together locals, businesses, nonprofits, and pet lovers for a one-of-a-kind event filled with color, creativity, and connection.
The family-friendly parade is organized as a collaboration between Old Spanish Days, the City of Santa Barbara, the Santa Barbara Humane and Paseo Nuevo. The day will be a celebration of Santa Barbara’s culture, community spirit, and love of dogs, according to El Presidente 2026 Colin Hayward.
“The Fiesta Dog Parade for Old Spanish Days 2026 is really about bringing new parts of our community into the Fiesta family,” said El Presidente Hayward whose vision of a Fiesta Dog Parade is just around the corner. “Santa Barbara has an incredible community of dog lovers — people who enjoy costume contests — and folks who simply want to be downtown on State Street enjoying a fun, festive parade. This event brings all of that together.”
With festive costumes, Spanish-inspired flair, and plenty of wagging tails, participants will parade down the 700 and 800 blocks of State Street before making their way through the picturesque Paseo Nuevo Shopping Mall — capturing the warmth, pride, and playful spirit that make Fiesta so special. A fun post-parade gathering, including music, vendors and awards, will take place at the parade’s conclusion in Paseo Nuevo.
To help ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all participants and attendees, organizers said participation in the Dog Parade is limited and available by advance registration only. Every pre-registered pup will receive a special commemorative Fiesta bandana to celebrate the day. The winners of the 2026 Fiesta Dog Parade Costume Contest will receive prizes from Paseo Nuevo retailers.
“We want to give more people a reason to feel connected to Fiesta in 2026,” added El Presidente Hayward.
To register, and for more information, please visit https://www.sbfiesta.org/fiesta-dog-parade/
Fiesta 2026 runs August 5-9. Additional details at sbfiesta.org.
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Dave Alley
VANDENBERG VILLAGE, Calif. (KEYT) – State and local fire agencies held a special event on Tuesday morning at Cabrillo High School to spotlight how responders are gearing up for wildfire season.
The event was called a “Community Wildfire Resilience Showcase” and will include officials from CAL FIRE, Santa Barbara County Fire, as well as state and federal partners.
Aimed as an effort to showcase community wildfire resilience, the gathering was held during the statewide Wildfire Preparedness Week campaign that is currently running from May 3 to May 9.
During the event, those on-hand were able to see real-life examples of how residents can make their homes and communities more fire resilient.
Three other similar events are being held across California this week to discuss wildfire preparedness, including Calabasas, Santa Rosa, and Paradise.
To learn more about more about Wildfire Preparedness Week, as well as general wildfire safety and preparedness, visit www.ReadyForWildfire.org.
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Patricia Martellotti
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Southern California is seeing a growing demand for therapy dogs in schools, hospitals, and first responder support programs, and one local non-profit is preparing for its next wave of trained companions.
VIP Dog Teams is expecting a new litter of puppies in late May, part of its ongoing effort to expand services across Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. The organization is currently recruiting volunteer handlers, with formal training scheduled to begin in late July.
Once trained, the dogs will be placed in community settings including classrooms, medical facilities, and emergency response agencies, where they provide emotional support and stress relief.
Program leaders say the expansion reflects a steady increase in requests from local institutions seeking therapy animal visits, especially in high-stress environments.
This new litter represents the next generation of therapy dogs being prepared to meet those needs, with training focused on temperament, obedience, and adaptability in public settings.
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John Palminteri
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors has received an update on the elections process for this year to respond to questions from the public as the June 2 Primary is now underway.
The Chief Deputy Registrar of Voters Martin Cobos spoke to the board after questions were raised on April 21st regarding voter security. He went through the process to assure the board the elections were not only secure but available for inspection. “We are not partisan, we count the votes, we report the vote,” he said.
As far as fraud or tampering, Cobos said, “there have been several (claims) investigated by various agencies but I have not seen an instance that I can say was voter fraud.”
That included oversight to make sure the ballot distribution, voting process and counting is protected from start to finish.
The county works with the Sheriffs Department, District Attorney, and County Administrative office to ensure the ballots are secure and that the public is aware of the process.
Santa Barbara County Supervisor Laura Capps, was clearly concerned about any type of real or perceived actions that could keep a registered voter from the polls. “Counties run county elections, not the federal government, not even the state governments. Counties.” She stressed that the ballots are sent out locally and come back to the county elections office for processing until all area counted.
Ballots must be postmarked by election day, but can arrive seven days later.
All election ballot boxes are opened regularly by the staff, in two-person teams, for ballots to be retrieved. One election night when the polls close and the election ends at 8 p.m. all election ballot boxes are locked and the final ballots are taken out.
Anyone in a line when the polls close, will still be allowed to vote. No one else can get in that line.
There is also outreach and information coming out regularly through the County Communications Director Kelsey Gerckens Buttitta who is providing information for the public through news releases and videos.
The County Elections Division has a voter “Know Your Rights” information guide on line and in election materials that have been sent out to those who are also receiving a a vote by mail ballot.
Each ballot has a bar code and only one can be turned in per person. This prevents someone from voting by mail and also in person. The system will not allow more than one ballot per registered voter.
Ballots have to have a signature on the envelope that matches the one on file. A special scanning device does the verification. Ballots without a signature on the envelope are handled in person by election workers who will contact the voter to come in and resolve the issue.
Staff is available in-person or on the phone to answer any questions about the process, how to register and how to track their vote.
The board’s concerns about the safety of the voting process from Immigration Enforcement officers included questions for local law enforcement.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff, Bill Brown, spoke to the board and said he had a Lieutenant assigned to have oversight of this election and respond other resources as needed. This includes at the elections office and at polling places as needed.
He said federal agents are allowed, like other citizens, to vote but should not otherwise be near election polling places or the elections office.
Larry Behrendt is with Indivisible Santa Barbara. He said, “I personally like using the drop boxes. I feel the most confidence with that.” He said having more than 18 countywide would be better than the number available now, to make it more convenient to those living in rural areas. Behrendt said he would be discussing the most recent report with other concerned community leaders and meet with the elections office or Sheriff if they had unresolved concerns. “We want to make certain that people feel safe approaching a polling place,” he said.
Capps said the public will be getting the message, “if you see something that doesn’t seem right to you should just tell a poll worker they are trained in what to do.”
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Mike Klan
GOLETA, Calif. (KEYT) – Analia Lopez made sure Rio Mesa left Goleta with a share of the league crown.
The Cal State Fullerton-commit pitched a complete game with 11 strikeouts and at the plate she hit a go-ahead 2-run homer that sparked the Spartans offense in a 10-2 rout of Dos Pueblos.
Both teams end up 10-2 in the Channel League and co-champions.
Keira Barry homered for Rio Mesa in the fifth inning as they scored five times to lead 7-1.
DP also got a home run from Vereniki Maniadi in the seventh inning.
Both teams now get ready for the CIF-Southern Section playoffs next week. The postseason brackets are announced on Monday, May 11th at 9 a.m.
Mike Klan
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Dos Pueblos High School senior Eli Carnaghe and Carpinteria High School junior Izzy Scott were honored as the Athletes of the Week at the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table luncheon at Harry’s.
Carnaghe broke a 20-year DP school record with a winning time of 20.61 in the 50 freestyle at the Channel League Final. The blistering time was also a meet record.
The Santa Cruz-commit Carnaghe also won the 100 freestyle and was part of the Chargers winning 200 freestyle relay team.
Izzy Scott pulled double duty in a jaw-dropping one day performance in the water and on the track.
Scott won the Citrus Coast League 50 and 100 freestyle and was part of the Warriors winning 200 medley relay team that set a school record.
After she won those three swimming events at Nordhoff High School in Ojai, her parents drove her back to Carpinteria where Scott hit the track and defended her 300 hurdles league title.
Tracy Lehr
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Pascucci, a staple Italian Restaurant in Santa Barbara, will soon have a new name and a new concept.
After 33 years, owner Laura Knight said Pascucci will bid “Ciao” to Santa Barbara.
She says the process of moving her liquor license from the lower State Street location to the new 1230 State Street location near the Granada Theatre is slow going.
The new owner of her old location has new plans for the building.
Now Knight plans to change the name of her business and cater to the Theatre District.
“We are going to be open for another month plus we are in the process of transferring our liquor license to this location, it has been a challenging year and we just made the decision around the holidays to try something new,” said Knight.”
Customers can still count on Pascucci’s on this Mother’s Day.
“We are opening this weekend on Mother’s Day and I’ll be baking homemade cookies and we will have chocolate covered strawberries for all of our guest to celebrate the mom’s that we love”
Then they hope to reopen and serve up items customers may want after going to the theatre.
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