Author: KEYT

John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) -A Santa Barbara business that closed earlier this year has moved and will reopen Saturday in a new downtown location.

With a message “Let the Games Begin!” and a ribbon cutting, the Game Seeker has plans to officially open on Saturday.The previous location was on State Street by Cota Street in the 500 block.The new location is at 920 State Street just up from Canon Perdido Street.It is next to the Santa Barbara International Film Festival Film Center.

The address is part of the parking structure owned by city and the lease was negotiated and approved by the City Council earlier this year.

The owner says she encourages customers to shop locally not just for the holidays but year-round.

Ingrid Estrella, her husband and child were all smiles at keeping the local vibe going. She said, “these are our neighbors, our friends our community. Every dollar that gets spent comes back into our community whether it is taxes or going to a local restaurant or going to another shop employing local youth, for a lot of local youth, these retail jobs are a stepping stone to stepping into a career for later in their life.”

The Game Seeker will have classic games, the newest games and many puzzles.

There will also be games in Spanish and games for theme parties.All traditionally are very popular for get togethers with family and friends at home.There will also be an area to play some games in the store in the future.

At the celebration of the new site, Councilmember Oscar Gutierrez said the city is supporting this new business location and other local businesses. He offered his support to make the move a success.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – A symbol of the holiday season has arrived in Santa Barbara in the form of a 39-foot White Fir tree.

State Street was closed off for the special event, with city crews using chain saws to trim up some limbs off the 30-year-old tree.

Then the Big Red Crane company gave it a lift into a special metal sleeve in a delicate operation with City of Santa Barbara crews.

It will be covered with lights and have a special new top on it this year where it stands near the Arlington Theatre on Victoria Street.

The tree has been sponsored by a local company, Consumer Fire Products since 2014.

It was grown in a sustainable farm in Oregon.

Irene Rhodes, the CEO of Consumer Fire Products, says, “for every tree they cut, they plant ten more on their farm, so they bring in a helicopter, and they cut them and load them with the helicopter over the back of the truck and bring them down. And here we are, our company is very much interested in getting back to Santa Barbara.” The Rhodes family also donates annually to the Unity Shoppe fundraising efforts to help families in need.

Chief of Staff at Consumer Fire Products Kristin Rhodes said she has seen the tree come in with her family’s donation for the last 11 years. It’s a special time each year.

“The tree lighting ceremony, the fact that, even though we don’t do the parade as of yet anymore, we can still have people come down here”. She says families gather with friends and many pictures will be taken that will show the tree to others via social media.

The Santa Barbara Downtown Improvement Association says the tree will be lit up in a special ceremony on Friday evening, December 5th at 6 p.m.

That night, the street will be closed off and there will be live performances, choirs, dancers and DJ Darla Bea.

Children will make holiday wreaths from some of the tree limbs that were cut off to make sure the tree fit into its spot securely through the holidays.

For more information go to: Santa Barbara Downtown Improvement Association

NOTE: This story has two videos. Click each dot at the bottom of the picture.

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Caleb Nguyen

VENTURA, Calif. (KEYT) – {UPDATE} The City of Ventura lifted its water advisory notice for the Pierpont neighborhood on Wednesday, Nov. 26 just after noon. The original article covering the notice is below.

The City of Ventura and its Water Department issued a water advisory for the Pierpont neighborhood just after 2:00 p.m. Tuesday.

The City’s water could be contaminated with gasoline close to Harbor Boulevard and Monmouth Way, according to the City’s official Instagram page.

In the post, the City asked people to avoid tap water for drinking, cooking, handwashing, and bathing as use could cause illness.

The City also advised using bottled water for drinking (including baby formula and juice), brushing teeth, washing dishes, ice-making, food prep and bathing.

The City’s post also mentioned not trying to treat the water yourself via boiling, freezing, filtering or adding disinfectants, as these methods will not make the water safe.

Portable water will be available at Marina Park or the City Maintenance Yard limited to five gallons per family per day from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., according to the City’s post.

For updates, visit the city’s website or call the following number.

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Alissa Orozco

OXNARD, Calif. (KEYT) – The community is asked to be on the look out for a missing teen last seen in the city of Oxnard on November 21st.

13-year-old Emiliana “Emi” Casarez was last seen wearing a black jacket, black tank top, blue jeans, and black Vans brand shoes in the River Park area of Oxnard around 7:21am on Nov. 21st.

The California Department of Justice describes Emiliana as a hispanic female, weighing roughly 100-110 lbs, 5’1, with brown eyes and pink hair.

The teen has one stud nose piercing, and may have been carrying a Jansport brand backpack, unknown color blanket, and stuffed animal when she was last seen.

Anyone with information Emiliana’s whereabouts can contact the Oxnard Police Department at (805) 385-7600.

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Jarrod Zinn

OCEANO, Calif. (KEYT) – A U.S. district court judge in Los Angeles issued a ruling that adds another chapter to the battle over off-road vehicles at the Oceano Dunes.

Off-roading at Oceano Dunes goes back decades.

And some local businesses benefit from those riders, people like Anthony Malmo from Fresno.

“We can go four wheeling closer to our house,” he says. “There’s a place 45 minutes away that we drive trails in the mountains. But on the beach, it’s a lot more fun.”

In 1993, a shorebird called the Snowy plover was added to the endangered species list. Since then, environmentalists and nonprofits have been on a mission to reduce off-roading at Oceano Dunes, a natural habitat for the snowy plover and other shorebirds.

“Oceano Dunes started becoming an important breeding area and almost immediately, you know, conflicts,” says Jeff Miller, spokesperson for the Center For Biological Diversity. “Turns out off road vehicles and cryptically colored nesting shorebirds in the dunes don’t really mix that well.”

This month, a federal judge found California parks violated the Endangered Species Act by allowing off-roaders to stay on the dunes, and cited instances where some of the birds were killed.

But this spring a state appeals court ruled in favor of off-roaders, saying the coastal commission did not have the authority to ban off-road vehicles.

“There is places that are set up for the endangered species that, nobody bothers with and nobody messes with,” says Malmo. “And we’re still able to do our thing.”

The federal judge ruled that state parks and environmental groups must work together to find a solution.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – The Santa Barbara Farmers Market annually anticipates one of its busiest days of the year on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, and this year it is slightly more challenging after historic rains recently.

Many growers have spent extra time washing and prepping their produce including lettuce, spinach, kale, broccoli, carrots  and cauliflower.

The demand is high for the ingredients that make up holiday side dishes and stuffing recipes.

On Saturday, the crowds were loading up in downtown Santa Barbara, and adding bunches of fresh flowers that were selling briskly.

The Tuesday market covers several blocks and many farmers added extra boxes of produce from their farms.

Tom Sheppard with Sheppard Farms says he hit the mark by bringing 300 pounds of green beans for sale on Saturday and Tuesday. He saked them and strung them up this month to keep them from falling in the mud during the rain.

Onr shopper, Emma Cantu who is also a personal chef said, “everything at the Farmer’s Market is fresh. Everything. Yeah, everything. You buy it at the store. You don’t know how long it’s been there. “

One farmers made it through the rainy weather and harvested several hundred pounds of green beans. The owner of Sheppard Farms, Tom Sheppard said, “they talk casseroles. They talk steaming. Yeah.  It’s got to be on the table , you have to have green beans.”

 As for the powerful weather that came through recently he said, “the rain was beautiful, actually. And I was really smart this year. I staked and strung the beans. And there’s so many beams on the plants that the rain or the rain would have knocked the beams over into the mud. But because there’s stacked and strong, they’re beautiful. “

One shopper knew exactly the ingredients she needed for the holiday stuffing. Emma Cantu said, “the stuffing is onions, celery, butter. Chicken broth or, you know, turkey broth. You can get any nuts, you know, you can use pecans, walnuts, chestnuts are beautiful right now. And we have chestnuts here in Santa Barbara. It’s rare.”

Mike Iniguez at Mike’s Organic Produce said, he had a freshly washed and pick lineup. “Kale for salad, persimmons, squash, cabbage and  beets. “

Surrounded by avocados, lemons, cheramoyas and popular plant cuttings, Mikayla Marquez said, “you should be bringing your Carpinteria locally grown avocados. You can never go wrong with a little side of guac or a little slice of avocado with your turkey, with your mashed potatoes. You can’t go wrong. Guacamole is year round around here.”

She also had freshly made wreaths hanging around the booths.

Erik Van Wingerden with Myriad Flowers was surrounded by fresh cut stems. “Flowers are great. Put them on the table, people love to have fresh flowers in the house.   I always love the multi colored spray roses as a nice gift for people.” He suggested flowers if you are having a get together and you don’t make a dish. Some of the buckets had lillies, marigolds and sunflowers.

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Alissa Orozco

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – A tentative agreement has been reached between Santa Cruz Markets and its employees, preventing an unfair labor strike just ahead of the busy Thanksgiving holiday.

United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 770 announced the agreement Tuesday morning and says this will deliver better work conditions and benefits by providing higher wages, improvements in sick and bereavement leave, protection of health and welfare benefits, and more.

Market employees at both the Santa Barbara and Goleta locations threatened to strike last week, claiming unfair labor practices including “coercion, surveillance, unilateral changes, and bad faith that have prevented essential grocery workers from getting the fair contract they deserve.”

Both parties met at the bargaining table that resulted in success for employees.

“This new contract delivers $3 an hour top rate increases over three years, improved sick and bereavement leave, increased scheduling notice, protection of hourly guarantee in the event of force majeure, and protection of health and welfare benefits. And by sticking together in solidarity, we defeated the company’s attempt to roll back the time-and-a-half Sunday premium.”

Local 770 emphasizes the agreement does not finalize anything, a vote still needs to be held to accept it.

“This victory was only possible because of our hard work and solidarity with our co-workers. Every action we took, from signing petitions, to engaging with our customers, wearing our t-shirts, to speaking out publicly about our issues, helped get us to this point. Our victory sends a powerful message to workers everywhere – when we band together in solidarity, we win.” 

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Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – The Santa Barbara Public Library has relaunched its “Food for Fines” program.

The program allows patrons to erase up to $35 in lost or damaged item fees with one bag of at least three non-perishable food items.

Donations are accepted at the Central Library, Eastside Library, or Library on the Go — no card required — through January 16, 2026.

The drive helps clear blocked accounts while restocking local food banks for those in need.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Nearly 700 bike riders are on the road with more safety than they had a few weeks ago.

Earlier this month the group known as “MOVE Santa Barbara County” which supports bike riding safety and safe routes handed out free rechargeable LED bike lights.It was just after we changed the clocks and it was getting darker earlier..They set up in Santa Barbara on the Eastside and downtown, also in Carpinteria, Isla Vista and Goleta as part of a week-long distribution.A total of 670 lights were installed on bikes.

The event was sponsored by The Shoemaker Family Fund and LEAP Central Coast and carried the name, Iluminando La Noche or Light Up the Night.They also shared information about a do-it-yourself bike repair shop on Olive street known as Bici Centro.

In addition to bike riders, MOVE Santa Barbara County educates and advocatesfor people who walk and take public transit.

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Mike Klan

FLAGSTAFF, Arizona. (KEYT) – Guard Peter Bandelj led three Cal Poly men’s basketball players in double-digit scoring figures with 20 points Monday evening, but the Mustangs opened a two-game stretch at Northern Arizona’s MTE with a 93-87 setback to the host Lumberjacks inside the Rolle Activity Center.

Fellow sophomore Hamad Mousa added 17 points for Cal Poly (3-4), which led by double digits early before trailing by six at the break. Junior guard Jake Davis, who matched his Division I scoring high with 14 points, sank a third and final three-pointer with 11-and-a-half minutes remaining to hand Cal Poly a 67-66 lead.

With Northern Arizona (3-2) shooting 60.0 (15-for-25) percent during the second half, however, the one-point advantage was Cal Poly’s last of the night.

Freshman Ali Assran and Mousa co-led Cal Poly with eight rebounds apiece as the Mustangs sank 13 three-pointers.

Down 5-4 after two minutes, Cal Poly received a Davis three-pointer to kickstart a 9-0 run. A Mousa three-pointer – one of three he drained in the first half – then handed Cal Poly an 18-7 lead six minutes into action.

The Mustangs still led 27-18 with 11-and-a-half minutes to play before Northern Arizona – backboned by two three-pointers and a layup from guard Ryan Abelman – produced a 14-5 run to tie the matchup.

The Mustangs, who shot 50.0 (17-for-34) percent from the floor during the first half and knocked down nine three-pointers, saw Bandelj complete a three-point play four minutes before the break to regain a 44-40 lead. Cal Poly, however, produced just one bucket the remainder of the half and trailed heading into the locker room, 52-46.

Cal Poly faced a nine-point deficit early in the second half before Davis hit a second three-pointer and Bandelj finalized another three-point play. Freshman Austin Goode added a layup before Bandelj followed with another to place the Mustangs back in front at 60-59 with 15 minutes to go.

Cal Poly led once more behind the Davis three-pointer at 67-66 and tied the scoreline five times down the stretch without overcoming the Lumberjacks.

(Article courtesy of Cal Poly Athletics)

Image courtesy of Zach Melendez / NAU Athletics

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