Author: KEYT

Jarrod Zinn

PISMO BEACH, Calif. (KEYT) – A legal dispute is forcing one of Pismo Beach’s most well-known shoreline restaurants, the Ventana Grill, to shutdown.

The restaurant has been booking weddings there for 16 years, and the closure is impacting some couples who booked the beachside location.

A 2023 merger between the former Pismo Lighthouse and Shore Cliff hotels created the Pacific Point Resort, but the long-term lease for the Ventana Grill restaurant extended until 2045.

“Considering the legal issues, it’s hard to know if it could stay open,” says Gale Damery, who lives in San Luis Obispo.

As the new land owners began inspections — which includes the land underneath Ventana Grill — they discovered serious structural safety issues, ordering the restaurant last year to shut down for a refit.

“You know, I can see some erosion around the cliffs, but know I’m not sure,” says Damery. “It seems to be two different viewpoints.”

The restaurant’s owner and operator filed a civil complaint against the new land owner in August of last year, claiming this was a breach of the lease.

Last month, a SLO County judge issued a ruling in favor of the new landowner, ordering Ventana Grill to shut down.

“My son’s wedding reception was held here at the Ventana, which I think at the time was called Shore Cliff,” says Kim Sawyer, who lives in Avila Beach.

For couples who recently booked their weddings at Ventana Grill in the next few weeks and months, this could potentially be a significant loss if they weren’t insured for cancellation.

“This is a prime example of something happening against your will that you didn’t have a secondary plan for, where we would be able to cover the cost of any nonrefundable or loss deposits, any extra expenses that needed to be incurred in order to accommodate a last minute event reorganization,” says Brian Kelly, a wedding and event insurance lead for BriteCo.

The restaurant’s last day of business will be Saturday, September 12th.

All invested parties have declined multiple requests for public comment due to pending litigation.

“I’m glad we chose today and here to celebrate a birthday,” says Sawyer. “It will be missed.”

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Dave Alley

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – Volunteers are needed to help out this weekend during the annual “Serve Santa Maria” cleanup and beautification work day.

On Saturday, Sept. 12, Serve Santa Maria will hold its 31st edition of the event with a number of projects slated to be completed.

“This is a wonderful way to reach out to others and help your community grow,” said Serve Santa Maria organizer Carl Nielsen. “We are all in this together and it’s really cool!”

Created in 2010, Serve Santa Maria is an event that brings community members together for a day to work on a number of repair and improvements programs around the Santa Maria area.

According to Nielsen, there are 15 projects slated for Saturday, including helping litter removal, park landscaping, painting and cleanup, fence repair, seniors move items from their yards, helping a family clear a backyard of fire-damaged material and helping seniors at Casa Del Rio Mobile Home Park.

“If we can get two-and-a-half, three hours out of a volunteer, we can do an awful lot,” said Nielsen. “Nobody gets paid monetarily, but I do think we get paid in another way. We get this feeling inside that we’ve helped another person. It makes our community a better place, a more beautiful place.”

Workers will also paint a United States map and the world map on the asphalt playgrounds at two schools, Battles Elementary School and Ontiveros Elementary School.

To help make sure all of the projects are completed and finished in a timely manner, Neilsen added he is looking for about 100 volunteers.

“I think we may have close to 200 signed up,” said Nielsen. “Now I want to hit that 300 mark, but if we could hit 400, we’d really knock it out in the community.”

Anyone interested in taking part can sign up for a project at www.servesantamaria.com and show up on Saturday at 8:30 a.m. at the Abel Maldonado Community Youth Center in Santa Maria.

Coffee, juice, donuts and fruit will be available for volunteers before they head out to their project site.

For more information about Serve Santa Maria, click here to visit the official website.

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John Palminteri

GOLETA, Calif. (KEYT) – A fill up in Goleta with a newly approved ethanol based gas could save you up to $3.00 a gallon.

The fuel is 85% ethanol, which is an alcohol derived from corn and 15% gasoline. It is known as E85, which is available at gas stations across the country.

In Goleta, it is at the pumps at Fairview Ave. and Highway 101 as part of the Shell service station. This particular fuel comes from Pearson fuels in San Diego. It has about 450 stations using the E85.

Drivers need to check their manual or if they have a yellow gas cap they will know their car can take E85.

“It’s half the price of gas right now so it is a real bargain,” said station owner Tom Price at the Shell on Fairview and Highway 101 which sells E85 from Pearson fuels out of San Diego. He says he just put in the brand new tank approved for this fuel and no one else has it in Santa Barbara or Goleta.

A fleet driver with Easy Lift that has vehicles in service seven days a week says he is paying less and getting an impressive return on his fill up.

Oscar Elizalde filled up and said, “this is the first time I have heard about. this one and we tried to see how it was going to be with performance. To me is the same I don’t see the difference, the difference is the price – half price!”

 Fuel economy is also slightly lower.

Even with that, Tony Velarde says the savings is worth it for his large SUV.. “I think it is a 30 gallon tank it is like it is $70-80 dollars to fill it. If I use regular gas it is $160. to $180. to fill it.”

Price also says the $2.99 can drop down to $2.74. “They can also take advantage of when they get a car wash they get a 25 cent a gallon discount on their purchase, so they can double dip.”

There is a station in Carpinteria, American Supreme Gas and in Santa Maria, Conserve Fuel on Betteravia Road, that also sells E85.

Some aspects of this fuel consumers should know include:

Cost: Usually 5 to 30 cents cheaper per gallon than regular 87-octane gas. Currently however, it is about $3.00 cheaper based on the rising cost of gas from the traditional sources. Vehicles: Safe for most cars, trucks, and SUVs built in 2001 or newer. Do not use in motorcycles, boats, lawnmowers, or other small engines. How to Check: Look at your owner’s manual or check your vehicle’s gas cap. Look for the blue border label on the fuel dispenser at the station.  Emissions: Burns cleaner and creates fewer greenhouse gas emissions than standard E10 fuel. 

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Mina Wahab

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) — A City of Santa Barbara app designed to help residents report problems around the city is getting a closer look after a recent Santa Barbara County Grand Jury report raised concerns about how those requests are tracked and resolved.

SB Connect allows residents to report non-emergency issues including potholes, graffiti, damaged signs and other problems directly to the City.

The Grand Jury examined whether the system provides residents with a clear and transparent way to follow their complaints from the time they are submitted through resolution.

Grand Jury raises concerns about tracking requests

The report found problems with transparency and accountability in the SB Connect process.

One concern was that residents were not always given meaningful information about what happened to their requests after they were submitted.

The Grand Jury also raised concerns about the process for closing service requests, including whether a request could be marked closed without clearly demonstrating to the resident that the underlying problem had been resolved.

The report also examined the usability of the system, including the number of steps required to submit certain types of requests.

The broader concern was whether SB Connect was providing residents with the level of tracking and follow-through they would reasonably expect from a system designed to connect them with city government.

City says it is making changes

The City says it has responded to the concerns by changing the way SB Connect requests are handled.

According to the City, new standardized workflows and additional oversight have been implemented to improve how requests are assigned, tracked and resolved.

The City also says it has put controls in place to prevent requests from being closed prematurely.

As part of the changes, the City is reviewing older SB Connect requests that went without responses.

Those requests are being sent to the appropriate City department to determine whether the reported issue is still active. Departments can then update the request, address the issue or close it if the problem has already been resolved.

What residents should expect

The goal of the changes is to make it easier for residents to understand what happens after they submit a request.

The City says SB Connect remains intended for non-emergency issues and is not a replacement for calling 911 or other emergency services.

For residents using the system, the Grand Jury report underscores the importance of being able to see whether a complaint has been received, who is responsible for addressing it and what ultimately happened.

The City says it will continue reviewing the system and making improvements based on the concerns raised in the Grand Jury report.

Your NewsChannel will continue following the City’s changes to SB Connect and whether they address the concerns raised by the Grand Jury.

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Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) The Conception dive boat tragedy happened on Labor Day seven years ago.

It took place in the early morning hours of Monday, Sept. 2, 2019.

Flowers left at the memorial plaque honor the 33 passengers and one crew member who died in the boat fire near Santa Cruz islands.

The memorial is at the end of the breakwater in the Santa Barbara Harbor.

The location isn’t far from the boat’s former dock.

The captain of the charter boat was convicted of seaman’s manslaughter.

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Tracy Lehr

GOLETA, Calif. (KEYT) – Southern California Edison set up a Community Resource Center at the Residence Inn on Hollister Avenue in Goleta.

More are scheduled to be set up this week in other counties.

Community crew members have bags full of Public Safety Power Shut off information and emergency items people may need, including lanterns, fire blankets, and personal hygiene kits.

There are also Community Crew Vehicles dispatched to affected communities.

For more information visit https://sce.com

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Andrew Gillies

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) – Santa Barbara County’s Director of Emergency Management Kelly Hubbard resigned from the position Thursday of last week.

Associate Director Stacy Silva has been announced as the interim Director of the countywide emergency response agency shared the County of Santa Barbara in response to Your News Channel’s inquiries.

According to the County of Santa Barbara, there is no impact on emergency coverage and there was no additional information available regarding the personnel changes.

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Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) Some local Republican leaders are at the Republican Midterm Convention in Dallas.

Some people are calling it “Trump-a-Palooza”.

Greg Gandrud of Ventura and Bobbi McGinnis of Santa Barbara are at the convention.

Gandrud is a delegate and the California Republican Party’s Budget Chair.

McGinnis is the Chairwoman of the Santa Barbara County Republican Party.

They have been meeting with other California Republicans and are looking forward to hearing President Trump speak on the first night of the two-day event.

“I am just so very excited to be here in Dallas with president trump to be here with all of his hard working leaders celebrating all the great accomplishments of his presidency,” said Gandrud. “Being down here on the convention floor and serving as a delegate is such a huge honor. “

Gandrud has been to both Trump inaugurations and is also new dad.

He said this is his son’s first National Convention.

We will have more on their experience tonight on the news.

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Jarrod Zinn

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – Farmworkers and students in the Santa Maria Valley took different approaches to deal with the heat today.

Safety factors into those strategies to varying degrees.

Multiple schools moved lunch hours and P.E. classes indoors as a precaution.

“We’re always making sure that our kids health and safety and also our staff’s health and safety is our number one priority,” says Heather Paige, Principal At Fesler Junior High School.

School officials say heat advisories are rare for Santa Maria.

“This would be a normal thing on a rainy day,” says Paige. “But since we haven’t experienced that yet, they’re experiencing it today with the heat advisory.”

Meanwhile, farmworkers make up one of the highest risk populations for heat related dangers.

“We’ve had testimonies of folks passing out, heat exhaustion, dehydration, heat stroke in some very, very grave cases,” says Eric Ramirez, policy advocate for CAUSE of Santa Maria.

They must take extra steps to protect themselves while working in the sun.

“Oftentimes the biggest priority for a lot of growers is making sure that their crop gets off of the plant,” says Ramirez.

For farm workers, California state law mandates the provision of refrigerated water, an extra five minute break every two hours, and areas of shade for those breaks.

“It’s a pretty tough situation,” says Ramirez. “There’s different priorities on different ends. And oftentimes workers’ safety and workers’ health isn’t the top priority for folks.”

Agricultural workers are in the fields daily rain or shine to meet the demands of the county and beyond.

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Patricia Martellotti

CARPINTERIA, Calif. (KEYT) – The Carpinteria Arts Center is celebrating 25 years of bringing art and arts education to the community.

Thousands have visited the nonprofit over the years to take classes, attend events, display artwork and explore their creativity.

Last year alone, about 30,000 visitors came through the center. It also hosted more than 100 free events and provided hundreds of hours of arts education.

“It’s an incredible place to come and learn about art and display your art,” said David Powdrell, advisory chair for the Carpinteria Arts Center.

About 150 volunteers now help keep the center running.

Volunteer Kathleen Waltrip is helping highlight the center’s history through a special anniversary mural made up of pieces representing volunteers, donors and past events.

Local teenage artists are also contributing to the celebration.

They created a dayglow mural that transforms under black light, offering visitors a new way to experience the artwork.

“Every year we give the teenage artists in our town a chance to see the world through their eyes,” said Carpinteria Arts Center Director Kristina Calkins.

Calkins considers the center an important gathering place for the community.

“We don’t have a community center in Carpinteria, so we have risen to become the community center. This is the gathering spot,” she said.

The 25th anniversary celebration runs from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Carpinteria Arts Center.

Waltrip hopes the milestone also brings attention to the importance of supporting local arts and future generations of artists.

For a center built around creativity, the anniversary itself is now becoming part of its history.

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