Author: KEYT

John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Soaked and sidelined, many businesses are coming back after five days of rainy and windy weather.

For workers at the Santa Barbara waterfront, it was a time to pick up debris, clear walkways and open up areas that had barricades.

The maintenance staff pulled out all the holiday decorations and started putting them up now, while the sun was out.

They said, however, in a moment’s notice they would pivot. “At certain points of the day, we’re in the middle of an intense preparedness ‘Okay. Stop what you’re doing. All hands on deck. Get some brooms, shovels and hit the parking lots,'” said Waterfront Maintenance crew leader Nathan Badiggo. “And make sure everything’s flowing and roadways are opened up and stay opened up.”

They are also watching the weather forecasts very closely.

“100% prepping for tomorrow, we know we’re going to get a large downfall tomorrow. So we’re just trying to get as much as we can in the little time that we have available,” said Badiggo.

In the Harbor West Parking lot, “the first row of parking spots are closed off because of some tidal overflowing. It will likely be cleaned up after the next round of rain. That’s when crews will be out with their shovels and heavy equipment.

There is also a sand berm about to be built in front of the historic Yacht Club and its adjacent parking lot. Both have been impacted by bad storms in the past.

For tourist oriented businesses, like the Lil’ Toot harbor touring boat, getting off the docks and back in motion was so important, free rides were offered all day.

Captain Milo Wolf was on the microphone going by the bait barge calling out the birds taking a rest.

“Oh, there’s a big blue heron, a great egret, some cormorants, pelicans and some western  gulls, ” said Wolf.

He went out to a buoy to show off a sea lion or two hanging out there.

Along the way he told stories about historic boats in the harbor and some notes about the City of Santa Barbara, Stearns Wharf and the U.S. Coast Guard.

He said the yellow boat with a perky whistle is especially popular with kids. “It’s like a living cartoon boat. So, you know, kids expected to talk honestly. They really do! “

Like other nearby operators ranging from boats to kayaks, “we were anxious to get back to work.”

One passenger, Dani Sternhagen, said the free tour got her to make plans to come back. “We’ll probably come back here with family again, take the Lil’ Toot around this place. Especially our older grandparents and such. We go kayaking in the harbor. There’s a million things to do out there.” 

Wolf said, “Yeah. We’re going to be, ready for all the guests coming from here in town and people from all around the world. “

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Alissa Orozco

PORT HUENEME, Calif. (KEYT) – An Oxnard man was arrested in Port Hueneme Tuesday night after leading officers on vehicle pursuit and colliding with other vehicle, injuring himself and other passengers.

On November 18th at 8:25pm, Port Hueneme officers attempted to stop a gray Infiniti for a traffic violation on Bard Road at 5th Street. The vehicle did not stop and instead fled the scene, leading officers on a pursuit that began to enter into neighboring streets.

Officers decided to terminated to the chase while the driver drove off. The Port Hueneme Police Department details how just moments later the gray Infiniti was involved in a traffic collision at J Street and Redwood in the City of Oxnard.

At the scene, the suspect was recovered along with his female passenger. Both were left with non life- threatening injuries. Two adult passengers in the other vehicle were also injured, but also non life- threatening.

27-year-old Jose Rodriguez of Oxnard was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury, evading a peace officer, and resisting/obstructing a peace officer. Further investigation found that Rodriguez was the subject of a criminal protective order to stay away from the passenger in his car. He faces additional charges for violation of that court order.

Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact Detective Sergeant Mike Hamrick at mhamrick@cityofporthueneme.org or 805-986-6541.

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Alissa Orozco

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Leadership for Fiesta 2026 has been solidified for yet another year of celebrating Santa Barbara’s community, heritage, and history.

As announced today by Old Spanish Days, festivities will be spearheaded by El Presidente 2026 Colin Hayward – an active member of the board since 2018 who officially received the board chairman’s gavel at Fiesta’s Annual Meeting back in October.

Hayward has over 10 years of involvement in Fiesta’s El Desfile Histórico, as both a parade marshal and a member of the Parade Committee. He also served as Chair for the Safety & Security and Parade Marshals committees in 2021, and been a member of the committees for Fiesta Pequeña and Horseman’s Rendezvous.

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“I feel a deep sense of anticipation and hope as we look to the year ahead. It is a time filled with fresh possibilities for growth, creativity, and meaningful connections. With the dedication of our Board of Directors, the support of our volunteers, the passion of the dance community, and the generosity of our sponsors and neighbors, we will come together to celebrate our heritage while lighting the way toward an inspiring future,” reads a statement from Hayward.

Other members of leadership will include: Tony Miller as El Primer Vicepresidente, Casie Kilgore as La Segunda Vicepresidenta, Christopher Gusman will served as El Secretario, David Bolton as El Tesorero, and Division Chiefs: Elva Cosio (Celebrations), Missy Robledo Pulido (Dance and Entertainment), David Bolton (External Relations and History), Sean Malis (Mercados), and Sarah Brewer (Pageantry).

“I extend my heartfelt congratulations to our El Presidente 2026 Colin Hayward, and to the newly elected Board of Directors. I look forward to supporting them in every way I can as I continue to serve on the board as a Past President Director,” reads a statement from El Presidente 2025 Fritz Olenberger.

Fiesta 2026 is scheduled to take place from August 5th – 9th, 2026.

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Jarrod Zinn

LOMPOC, Calif. (KEYT) – Ashlee Buzzard appeared in court in Lompoc this morning on her felony charge of false imprisonment.

Ashlee is the mother of 9-year-old Melodee buzzard, who was reported missing in early October.

The charge stems from a conversation with a man named Tyler Brewer at her Vandenberg Village home.

Ashlee became agitated when Brewer mentioned a location along a three-day drive Ashlee took with Melodee across several states — the last time Melodee was seen.

She’s accused of preventing Brewer from leaving the home.

Ashlee was arrested the following day and has since pleaded not guilty.

This morning, Ashlee and her attorney said they are ready to move forward with court proceedings, which will continue tomorrow morning.

A small number of locals who have been following Melodee’s disappearance were in attendance.

“I think this what she came here for today was nonsense,” says Khristiana Valrie, who lives In Vandenberg Village. “They should be bringing her to court about where her daughter is. I believe Melodee is somewhere in the area. And like I said, I don’t believe she is alive, but I’m willing to do whatever I can, even if it’s a bunch of us searching around for her.”

Law enforcement affirms this remains a missing person case, and they continue to ask for the public’s help finding Melodee.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Sheriff’s criminal investigations division.

The Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s office is also assisting in the investigation.

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Jarrod Zinn

BUELLTON, Calif. (KEYT) – Bookworms in the Santa Ynez and Goleta valleys have a chance to add more books to the libraries through a unique collaboration.

The California State Library awarded over $15,000 in Zip Book Grants to the Goleta and Santa Ynez Valley libraries for the 2025-26 cycle.

The program kicked off today, and the Buellton library is excited to add books to their new location, which opened in February.

The program allows patrons to help expand the library’s inventory by ordering books on Amazon not currently on the shelves.

The books get sent to the reader first, then added to the shelves upon return to the local branch.

“So you come into the library, or you can give us a call,” says Erin Herzog, Solvang Library branch manager. “You just need to be an active member of the Goleta Valley Library System, and then the book needs to be available on Amazon and needs to be something that’s not in our collection. So if we already have it then we want to get something new, and it needs to be under $50 in value.”

The Solvang branch manager says the 15-year program has seen plenty of success over the years.

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Alissa Orozco

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Announced just before the busy holiday season, employees at Santa Cruz Markets in Goleta and Santa Barbara are standing up against unfair labor practices by threatening to go on strike.

Announced through their union, United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 770, employees at the West Montecito Street and the Hollister Avenue locations say the decision was made through a unanimous membership vote to protest Santa Cruz Market’s labor violations.

These violations include “coercion, surveillance, unilateral changes, and bad faith that have prevented essential grocery workers from getting the fair contract they deserve.”

Local 770 represents Santa Cruz Markets clerks and meat department workers in Goleta and Santa Barbara; their bargaining committee says workers will continue to fight for a fair contact that will both reward and protect their hard work.

“We’ve had enough of their union-busting tactics that undermine workers and silence our voices. And if they thought Santa Cruz Markets members could be scared away from standing up for our rights, they just found out that they are very wrong.”

“An Unfair Labor Practice strike is always a last resort, and we will continue to push Santa Cruz Markets to do the right thing and come back to the table to bargain in good faith.”

Both sides are heading back to the bargaining table tomorrow.

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Dave Alley

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – PCPA is bringing Disney’s Frozen to life this holiday season with a much-anticipated six-week long run inside the Marian Theatre on the Allan Hancock College campus.

“Frozen is just a wonderful, family-friendly show,” said Lesley McKinnell, who plays Elsa in the show. “Honestly, it’s so great for everyone of all ages, but I would say especially the littles. They really do love Frozen, and just the pieces in it, the songs in it. They just really are wonderful tunes that people seem to enjoy year after year.”

The show is based on the iconic 2013 Disney Academy Award-winning animated film, along with the subsequent Tony Awards-nominated Broadway musical that followed.

“There’s a lot of additions, a musical additions to the show, songs that they have heard before that are from the movie, but that they also have not heard,” said McKinnell. “There’s a couple like Anna and Elsa, both have song new songs, additions and Kristoff as well. He doesn’t really sing in the movie or the first staged musical of it. He didn’t really have a song, but he has a whole song now. Hans has a whole song now, and so it’ll be fun to be experiencing the old numbers that everyone’s used to, but also see the new ones that it’s like, ‘oh, that’s fun to have a little fresh new song in there.'”

Set in the fictional wintery kingdom of Arendelle, Frozen is an ideal production for PCPA to hold as its annual holiday show, which typically draws its biggest audiences of the year.

“It’s nice because here, we don’t get white Christmases,” said Molly Dobbs, who plays Anna in the show. “So it’s a moment to kind of feel into that space of blisteringly cold, and you want a cup of hot chocolate, and you want to be with your family and wrap up in a warm coat and go and see some real life snow on stage, so it fits perfectly with the season, and I think the Christmas show is a big tradition for a lot of families. They come in, they see it, and that’s one of their Christmas traditions, so to have it be so on theme feels nice. This one really is a Christmas show. It feels nice to be able to to bring exactly what we know families are wanting.”

PCPA describes Frozen as a show that features incredible characters on a magical adventure through snowstorms, sisterhood, and self-discovery that includes magnificent music, heart, as well as a flurry of fun.

“The heart of the story I think is just even better in this stage version because you just really see the relationship between Elsa and Anna and their struggle to connect with each other and the secrets that they have to keep to keep each other safe or love one another,” said McKinnell. “I just think it’s a really beautiful picture of sacrificial love to one another and just really loving others as yourself.” 

The show premiered earlier this month on Nov. 6, and through the first several performances, the actors describe the reaction has been extremely positive.

“It’s been so much fun,” said Dobbs. “I’ve already met a lot of kids. I’ll go out and I’ll meet the princesses in the lobby, and they’re like, ‘this is my first time I’ve ever gone to the theater,’ so that’s really, really special because everybody up here remembers their first time going to the theater. It’s lovely to see families. It’s really nice and heartwarming and you walk away feeling exhausted and so gratified and so fulfilled.”

Disney’s Frozen runs in the Marian Theatre through Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 and will actually return to the stage for PCPA next summer outside in the Solvang Festival Theater from July 5, 2026 through Aug. 2, 2026.

For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit pcpa.org.

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Dos Pueblos raced out to a 10-1 halftime lead and cruised to a 15-6 season-opening win over Santa Barbara.

Kyra Jones and Dev Wigo led a balanced Chargers attack with three goals apiece.

Cierra Furneaux added two goals while seven other DP players each registered one goal.

Sophomore standout goalie Reagan Mack made it difficult on the Dons attack with 14 saves.

Santa Barbara is young but has a talented core of sophomores and freshman so the team should really improve throughout the season with more game experience.

Sophomore star Jules Horton and freshman Violette Bailey each had two goals for Santa Barbara.

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Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) People in favor of rent stabilization rallied in front of the Santa Barbara City Hall before Tuesday’s council meeting.

They want to keep the issue on the minds of city leaders even when it is not on their agenda.

Supporters including Ana Arce of the nonprofit CAUSE shared their opinions during public comments.

“Every single month people are getting displaced, they are getting priced out and some jobs, because of all the federal cuts, they are forcing people to take mandatory vacation time or furlough time, which is also going to impact them further on being able to afford the rents,” said Arce.

Arce believes a compromise can be made with mom and pop landlords who have to cover their mortgages.

Tenant Organizer Stanley Tzankov said they plan to return in December, too.

“The city staff is working on a work plan that they will present in December and right now we are urging the council and staff to not just pass any Rent Stabilization Ordinance, but to do one that is meaningful and common sense and applicable to all tenants, as much as the law applies, because we are in an affordability crisis, we have been in an affordability crisis, so we need something that is very meaningful,” said Tzankov.

There won’t be another Santa Barbara City Council meeting in November, but the council is expected to take up the topic again by the end of the year.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – If you are on the hunt for that unique item made by a local artist, 46 of them have their holiday gifts on display in one location this shopping season.

On one special night this week they will also help people in need.

The artists are all in. This is a annual tradition for the The Crimson Holiday store, located in the La Cumbre Plaza, as well as for many shoppers. The store is full of newly crafted items from clothing to jewelry.

Shoppers will also find candles named after local areas, such as Montecito, Ojai, and the Mesa. It has custom created scrabble boards – including one with all Santa Barbara locations. Potholders with the World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers logo on them. There’s leather products, handmade items at every turn, gift cards and chocolate.

The store can be a casual pop in, but many shoppers tend to browse for awhile then buy.

Store owner, Marilyn Dannehower, says it is a bright and inviting location.

“We have people that spend an hour just to see everything. We try to keep it no more than three of any genre. I spend a lot of time talking to people to make sure their item fits in here, so we have the best-of-the-best and we are also looking at people who can make something where someone would walk in and say ‘this is the perfect Christmas present for somebody on my list.'”

Some of the artists and crafters plan to sell during the Sunday art walk at the beach.

Some are only out a few times a year at events or special sales, including this one in the Crimson Holiday store.

On Thursday, the store is having a special holiday cookie sale from 5:00 to 7:00 pm with the proceeds going to the Food Bank of Santa Barbara County.

For more information, visit A Crimson Holiday Store

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