Author: KEYT

Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – (KEYT). – Laguna Blanca High School in Santa Barbara announced a new head boys basketball coach with the following press release.

Darnell Campbell has been appointed the Head Varsity Basketball Coach at Laguna Blanca School. Campbell brings with him a wealth of experience in the sport of basketball.  

Campbell was a standout interscholastic basketball player for Lake Erie College, a NCAA DIV II school located in Painesville, Ohio, where he received All Conference recognition for several years.  Darnell was a key contributor of the 2006-07 team that went 25-3—a team that was inducted into the Storm Hall of Fame in September of this year.   

Darnell brings to Laguna Blanca over ten years experience providing skill development training for elite basketball players on various NBA teams, including the Cleveland Cavaliers, Utah Jazz, and Los Angeles Clippers.

Campbell also has significant experience in the skill development of younger players, with twenty years of experience coaching youth camps and clinics for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and serving as director of youth basketball for the Los Angeles Clippers.  

Coach Campbell continues to serve as a full-time faculty member and coach at The Riviera Ridge School, where he has worked for the past 11 years. Additionally, he is also the Director of Basketball at LevelUp basketball club and the Director of Basketball for Oakland Soldiers in the Central Coast Region. 

Athletic Director Dan Peeters has this to say about Campbell, “I am thrilled that Darnell is joining our community; he will revitalize the program and I am confident the boys in the basketball program will thrive and reach their fullest potential under his leadership.”

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Jarrod Zinn

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – A symposium on conflict resolution was held in Santa Maria at Boyd Concert Hall on the campus of Allan Hancock College, courtesy of California’s non-profit public benefit corporation, Fighting Back Santa Maria Valley.

“Today’s event is all about how to teach mediation,” says Edwin Weaver, Fighting Back Santa Maria Valley’s executive director. “Lots of us find ourselves in conflict. And so there’s many ways to resolve that conflict using a facilitative mediator. We do that for free for people who are in small claims court.”

A line-up of expert speakers started with a presentation that only scratched the surface of conflict resolution strategies, and was followed by a panel discussion just before a few break-out sessions.

“We also teach people to help participate in the mediation with young people through our restorative justice programs and our District Attorney’s Neighborhood Restorative Justice panel, where community members can volunteer and be panelists, helping people through a difficult situation where they’ve committed a crime,” says Weaver.

City leaders, students, and local advocates joined the crowd in the Boyd Concert Hall, participating in an interactive program designed to reduce violence, prevent substance abuse, and foster healthy environments for youth and families in the Santa Maria valley.

“This is a community that’s ready for change,” says Braedon Ervin, Freedom 4 Youth’s co-president. “And all these faces are here for it. And they’re going to learn a little bit more about it. I’m learning myself, and so it’s great to build these roots and really grow from there.”

Advocates say the symposium was ideally timed as the holidays approach a divided culture struggling with the balance between being true to oneself and honoring friends and loved ones.

“We’re not all going to agree,” says Weaver. “We probably shouldn’t agree. It wouldn’t make us challenge each other or try new things. But we do need to learn to listen to each other.”

Participants say many factors contribute to the need of youth support in today’s society, including our technological culture, varying worldviews, and divisive political climate.

Fighting Back Santa Maria Valley welcomes volunteers to learn the art of mediation, and you can visit the organization’s website  by clicking here.

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Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – At the checkout counter, kindness is ringing up fast this holiday season. Customers at one of the city’s most beloved family-owned stores are rounding up their purchases to support Hospice of Santa Barbara, helping provide grief counseling and comfort to families in need.

For decades, the Home Improvement Center has been a cornerstone of the community – now, the store is proving that even spare change can make a big difference.

“We’ve been here for decades, and our customers are like family. Helping hospice just comes from the heart,” said a longtime employee.

Shoppers say giving back is easy and rewarding. “It’s so simple to round up a few cents — and it feels good knowing it’s helping someone,” one customer said.

“It’s incredible to watch people open their hearts — one checkout at a time,” added another customer.

Hospice of Santa Barbara reports that all funds raised through the initiative go directly to supporting those in need, especially during the holiday season when grief can feel especially heavy. “This generosity helps us reach people who might otherwise face loss alone,” said a hospice representative.

From the bustling aisles of the Home Improvement Center to families across Santa Barbara, every small contribution is turning spare change into hope.

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Joey Vergilis

VENTURA, Calif. (KEYT) – For this week’s Walkthrough with Joey, we caught up with Ventura senior quarterback Derek Garcia, a player redefining his game and supplying defenses fits for the Cougars in 2025.

With a prototypical pocket-passer frame at 6’3”, 190 pounds, the UNLV commit has no trouble delivering the ball downfield.

But this fall, the Channel League’s leading passer with over 1,500 yards and 14 touchdowns has added a whole new dimension to his game: his legs.

“I’ve always just been a throwing guy, the one who hands it off when needed,” Garcia said. “But this year, I’ve been able to put that extra factor on defenses and score eight rushing touchdowns.”

That “extra factor” has made him one of the most dangerous offensive weapons in the area. 

Garcia is averaging nearly 10 yards per carry and leads his team in rushing.

“I didn’t really plan to run the ball that much going into the season,” he admitted. 

“But as the games went on, I saw I could make plays with my feet. Now we’ve got some designed runs in there and it just forces defenses to respect me as a runner, too.”

It’s a role he’s fully embraced as Ventura sits in pole position to win the Channel League.

This season carries extra meaning – Garcia’s head coach, Tim Garcia, is also the player’s dad.

“We try to keep football at school and family time at home,” Garcia said with a smile. 

“But there’s always going to be some football talk. He’s always bouncing ideas off me, and I’m doing the same. It’s really cool because I get to see him put together the practice plans and game scripts.”

That father-son bond has clearly carried onto the field. 

The Cougars have hit their stride 5-2 overall and unbeaten in league play.

“We’re rolling, and we’re hungry,” Garcia said. 

“The expectation was to win league. Now the goal is to make a run in the playoffs.”

Given the seamless way Derek Garcia has evolved from passer to playmaker, that goal might be well within reach.

Ventura looks to extend its winning streak to three when it travels to Royal High School tonight to take on the Highlanders, kicking off at 7:00 p.m.

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Andie Lopez Bornet

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – This Fall season is the perfect time to spice up your home with orchids and pumpkins.

Westerlay Orchids joins your Morning News to talk about upcoming workshops and ways to decorate your home for Fall using both pumpkins and orchids to create beautiful arrangements.

Indoor Plant Pro and retail showroom manager Virginia says there are still tickets available and walk-ins are welcome.

The expert-led Fall Inspired Orchid Arrangement Workshop and Guided Greenhouse Tour is on Saturday, October 18th from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. at Westerlay Orchids Showroom. To get tickets you can call their phone number at 805-684-5411 to reserve a spot.

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT). –

Girls Golf: Dos Pueblos 224, Santa Barbara 258.

DP finishes regular season 13-0 and Channel League champs at 7-0.

Celeste Alcaraz 40 (Medalist)Dani Hickman 42Angelia Pagliaro 47Sophia Fuste 47Bella Sebastian 48Ursula Solodkin 50

SBSage Malmsten 44Cecilia Duarte 47Kaya Ziets 52Jazmin Mislang 54Dani Wise 61Charly Crane 63

Girls Tennis:

Dos Pueblos 11, San Marcos 7

DP went 8-0 in league to win Channel League title

Mel Mayo and Isla Herrera each went 3-0 in singles vs Royals.

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Andrew Gillies

OXNARD, Calif. (KEYT) – A man was taken into custody after his vehicle was rammed by a SUV driven by federal personnel in Oxnard Thursday morning.

According to VC Defensa, an immigrant assistance group based in Ventura County, the man – identified as Leo – is a volunteer with their organization and a U.S. Citizen who lives in the county.

While it is not clear what happened before the vehicle was rammed, VC Defensa shared a video on social media showing an SUV deliberately colliding with a truck being driven by the volunteer multiple times.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by VC Defensa (@vcdefensa)

At one point in the video, it appears as though the vehicle being driven by federal personnel attempted a pit manuveur on the truck, damaging both vehicles.

Oxnard Police Department shared with CNN Thursday morning that officers were called around 7:59 a.m. to assist ICE agents who reported to local police that they had been run into.

“At this point, we’re still trying to sort through right now, we’re just assisting them with maintaining peace at the scene,” stated the Oxnard Police Department. “The DHS [Department of Homeland Security] officials will be conducting the investigation. We don’t have any further information We’re not taking an active role in this incident. It’s going to be investigated by DHS.”

VC Defensa shared Leo was taken to Las Robles Medical Center in Thousand Oaks following his detention with unknown injuries.

He was then transported from the hospital to a federal detention facility in Los Angeles where he was eventually released just after 3:00 p.m. Thursday shared VC Defensa via the social media post below.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by PSL – Los Angeles (@psl_losangeles)

Leo stated after his release that he was informed that he has pending charges.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California -the primary federal prosecutorial authority in the area- confirmed it has not received any recommendations for any charges in connection with this incident.

At 1:50 p.m., the Oxnard Police Department posted on its Facebook page stating that prior public statements by the local law enforcement agency were based on information available at the time and provided by federal agents on at least two separate occasions.

“After the post was published [regarding Thursday’s detention by federal personnel], we were made aware of additional details, including video evidence, and we have shared them with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS),” explained the Oxnard Police Department on its Facebook page. “The investigation continues to be led by DHS. The Oxnard Police Department is monitoring the situation but has no jurisdiction over the ongoing investigation.”

On Thursday, Oxnard Chief of Police Jason Benites shared, “At about 11 AM, a video surfaced on social media. The video depicts a silver Jeep Grand Cherokee, driven by ICE agents, broadsiding a grey Nissan Frontier. The person who was arrested by the agents is driving the Nissan. Though the video does not tell the entire story, such as what may have preceded the video, it calls to question what may have transpired. All of what was in the video was prior to the Police Department’s involvement, and PD was not aware of this video until well after the incident on ‘A’ Street had concluded.”

Chief Benites explained that officers with the Oxnard Police Department were initially responding to a reported road rage incident when self-identified ICE agents called dispatchers and stated that they were in pursuit of a grey Nissan Frontier that had collided with their Jeep Grand Cherokee and that the driver was a, “major safety issue”.

The driver of the Frontier -later identified as the VC Defensa volunteer- was cooperative with Oxnard Police officers who made the traffic stop in the area of 8th Street and A Street before turning over the investigation to federal authorities at the insistence of federal personnel at the scene detailed Chief Benites.

According to Chief Benites, federal personnel informed Oxnard Police officers at the scene that they intended to arrest Leo for assault and that the earlier collision was intentional.

“I have received deeply concerning reports about an aggressive ICE activity that escalated into a vehicle collision in an Oxnard neighborhood. This situation raises serious alarm given the troubling pattern of misconduct and abuse by immigration enforcement officials across the country,” stated Congresswoman Julia Brownley, whose Congressional District includes Oxnard. “The lack of transparency and accountability from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and ICE only further undermines public trust and makes our communities unsafe. The public deserves clear answers about what occurred. The continued silence from the responsible agencies only deepens concern and erodes confidence in their ability to operate safely and legally in our communities.”

“No agency, including ICE, is above the law and the use of excessive force should never be tolerated,” added Congresswoman Brownley.

In response to Your News Channel’s multiple inquiries since the incident, the Department of Homeland Security issued the following statement on Saturday from Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin:

“On Oct. 16, 2025, ICE officers were conducting a targeted enforcement operation in Oxnard, California, to locate and apprehend an illegal alien from Mexico who is a registered sex offender. During the operation, officers were confronted an agitator group, who engaged in recording and verbal harassment of the officers on scene. During the confrontation with ICE officers, two vehicles were involved in a collision. No injuries were reported. This is an ongoing investigation.”

When asked if the involved agents are facing any type of disciplinary action or internal investigation, Acting Communications Director for ICE Tanya J. Roman resent the above statement in response while highlighting the phrase “registered sex offender”.

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Jarrod Zinn

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – California’s special election is on November 4th, and some Santa Maria voters are wondering why the local election office is closed.

It boils down to how much time election offices had to prepare.

County officials say this office’s closure is not connected with the government shutdown, nor with the Trump administration’s funding cuts.

And the office still exists, it just isn’t staffed right now.

It’s all about the timing.

The vote to give the state legislature authority to draw or re-draw congressional voting district lines for California until 2030 is being called a “special” statewide election.

“Every registered voter did receive a mail in ballot,” says Kelsey Buttitta, public information officer for the County Of Santa Barbara. “So you receive that ballot in the mail. And there are several ways to return that mail in ballot.”

Some Santa Maria voters who have attempted to cast their vote in person early have found the local election office at the Joseph Centeno government building “closed until further notice.”

“There is only one measure that is on this,” says Buttitta. “There’s no candidates. It is not our normal election process.”

Officials say this is primarily because this was not a planned election and the time it takes to fully staff these offices like they do for any other election simply wasn’t available.

“It really just comes down to this being a special statewide election that we did not have the lead up time that we normally do for a normal election cycle,” says Buttitta. “When it comes to Election Day on November 4th, our Santa Maria office and our Santa Barbara office are going to be polling places, along with 50 additional polling places throughout the county.”

County officials say ballots can be returned early by mail or at a drop box which includes the ones in Santa Maria and Lompoc, as they’ve been open since October 6th and will be collected from on November 4th.

You can find your nearest polling location by visiting the County of Santa Barbara’s Elections website.

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Dave Alley

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – The ongoing federal government shutdown will ground all military performances and displays at this weekend’s airshow in Santa Maria.

The Central Coast AirFest is scheduled for this upcoming Saturday and Sunday on Oct. 18-19 at the Santa Maria Public Airport.

Due to the current government shutdown, organizers are having to make adjustments to the schedule of participants at this year’s event.

“Unfortunately, our main line act, which was the F-35 Demo Team has been cancelled,” said Jim Bray, AirFest spokesman. “We just got officially the word on that just yesterday because of the government shutdown. The F-18, also a military aircraft, has had to back out, as well as the KC-135 tanker, which is a very impressive aircraft. It also had to back out.”

While the military aircraft will no longer be a part of the show, organizers point out there will still be an impressive array of planes on hand, plus replacements are being lined up as well.

“I think it’s important that that folks know out of the 75 aircraft that are scheduled to be here for the event, probably ten were military, so that the airshow will definitely go on and it’ll be definitely, just as fun with all the aerobatics and all the static displays,” said Bray. “We’ve got some aircraft coming in and and we’ll be posting out on the website pretty shortly.”

Now in its fifth year, the AirFest has become a popular annual event for aviation enthusiasts. Last year’s show was attended by 20,000 spectators.

For those who come out to the show this weekend, organizers say they will see an impressive show that will be full of high-adrenaline and heart-pounding action.

“We got a full schedule,” said Steven Hinton, Planes of Fame Air Museum President. “We have a lot of warbird flying and a lot of aerobatic. We brought a, team in from Florida with three P-51’s going to do an airshow. They’re called the Jack Aces formation aerobatics. We’ve got MiG-17, B-25’s and Mustangs. We got a P-40, P-47, 233, Ace Maker Airshow. We got a lot of a lot of things planned. It’s going to be a great show.”

Gates open each day at 9 a.m. and close at 5 p.m.

Flying performances will last from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. both days.

The Central Coast AirFest will also include sevearl commercial vendors selling merchandise, as well as food and drink.

Parking is free and children 11-years-old and under will be admitted without charge.

General admission is $35 and includes standing room access (no reserved seats/spots), access to event restrooms, kids zone and static aircraft displays.

For more information, click here to visit the Central Coast AirFest official website.

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Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Excitement is in the air as students meet Salva Dut — the real-life hero behind A Long Walk to Water.

“They were literally jumping out of their chairs … they could not process the fact they the many they read about was coming her … were just so excited to meet this really inspiring man,” said teacher Amanda Olson of Vieja Valley Elementary School.

The sixth graders raised money to bring clean water to families in South Sudan — the same mission Salva started years ago.

“In the other part of the world they don’t have clean drinking water and it’s very important for children like this to understand that water is very important and they should take care of the water,” said founder Salva Dut of Water for South Sudan.

For the students, it’s the moment the story came to life — meeting the man whose courage inspired their classroom project.

“And even though they’re children that they can put their voices together, and they can put their energy together to create real change in our world,” said teacher Alexa Mannion of Vieja Elementary School.

Teachers hope their students will cherish all they’ve learned from this book for years to come.

“I’m very excited to see these children step out of their comfort zone and reach out to the world to support others. It’s total responsibility for this children to be able to see the humanity to help others,” said Salva.

For Salva, it’s proof the next generation is already creating change one drop at a time.

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