Author: KEYT

Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table handed out it’s yearly awards for the top student-athlete in each sport.

The coaches of the year were also announced and Greg Zuffelato wins for high school and Jo Evans claims the honor for college.

Zuffelato led the Santa Barbara High School boys basketball team to two high profile wins over SoCal giants Sierra Canyon and Mater Dei.

The Dons also advanced all the way to the CIF-Southern Section Division 1 semifinals and won a CIF-State SoCal Regional Division 1 game as well.

Evans guided the UCSB softball team to a thrilling postseason run.

(Jo Evans was proud of her resilient Gauchos).

The Gauchos claimed the first-ever Big West Tournament softball title by winning six consecutive elimination games.

UCSB also won two more elimination games at the NCAA Regionals.

The ‘Evening with the Athletes’ was held at the Marjorie Luke Theater in Santa Barbara and the event honored over 50 student-athletes in high school and college.

(Santa Barbara High School senior Carter Battle receives the Phil Womble Scholarship award).

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Mike Klan

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – Another trophy and more history for Orcutt Academy High School in girls softball.

The Spartans defeated #1 seed Rancho Mirage 6-1 to win the CIF-State SoCal Regional Division V title.

Junior Lylah Garcia threw four scoreless innings for Orcutt Academy and struck out 8 batters.

Senior Valarie Gonzales closed out the next three innings allowing just an unearned run.

It was only the second time in seven playoff games that an opponent scored on the Spartans.

On May 29th Orcutt Academy won their first ever CIF-Central Section Division 5 championship, a 3-0 shutout over Dos Palos.

Now they add a second CIF plaque to the school’s trophy case.

They outscored their three CIF-State SoCal Regional opponents 33-1.

The Spartans start six freshman and they produced in Saturday’s title game

Freshman Lily Gonzales had two hits and drove in 2 runs while fellow classmate Marissa Martinez also had 2 hits with an RBI.

Orcutt Academy is led by head coach Chris Duncan and the Spartans finish up their historic season 18-11-1.

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Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The recent protests in Los Angeles are on the minds of community activists, leaders and candidates.

Images sparking debate include a photo of man holding the flag of Mexico on top of a burning Google self-driving Waymo car taken and shown with the permission of Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Nick Ut.

Jacqui Inda, who works with the La Casa de la Raza community center and the local Hispanic Chamber of Commerce said the image reminded her that anger is a secondary emotion to fear.

“Anger is what is explosive and visible,” said Inda, “We are not at war, but our people are living in feat. Although it is inappropriate to hurt other,s it is still true that fear is the underbelly of this reactive 4 day protest.”

Inda said she has already helped a dozen local families impacted by deportations.

“Santa Barbara has been targeted for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and our deportations are larger here than they are in Oxnard or Ventura or even San Luis Obispo, so that kind of climate is only brewing in this area. and once that federal budget comes through our target area will only increase that kind activity here it is only a matter,” said Inda.

Retired U.S. Navy Officer Bob Smith called the Nick Ut image “horrible.”

The Republican, from Carpinteria, recently announced he is running for Congress in the 24th District.

Smith blames sanctuary cities and the California Values Act, known as SB 54 or the “Sanctuary State” law that does not allow local resources to be used to assigned federal Immigration enforcement.

‘If we have local and state law enforcement not working with our federal official as they go it creates this issue where there is not communication and ICE agents are saying that they are not being protected and they are under attack and then if the state officials can’t work with the ICE agents then you have left the President with no other choice than I have to go in and send federal back up,” said Smith.

Rep. Salud Carbajal issued a statement saying in part: “Deploying Marines into a major American city sets an extremely dangerous precedent.”

The Santa Barbara Democrat served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve.

“As a Marine myself, I won’t stay silent as Trump tries to politicize our servicemembers and use them to create more chaos because he wants to distract the country as he works to cut Americans’ health care, veterans’ benefits, food assistance, and more.” 

Elected leaders, candidates and activists expect more protests on Saturday when President Trump will be celebrating his 79th birthday with a military parade.

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Mike Klan

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – Cal Poly Director of Athletics Don Oberhelman today informed the university that he will retire at the end of the summer or when a new athletic director is appointed (whichever comes first). A national search for Don’s replacement will begin immediately.

Oberhelman is in his 15th year leading the Mustangs after coming to San Luis Obispo in 2011. During this time, Cal Poly Athletics has experienced an era of unprecedented growth, and competitive and academic success. The Mustangs have captured 54 team conference championships, including 51 in Cal Poly’s 16 Big West sponsored sports—more than any other Big West university in those sports over this span.

Beyond athletics, Oberhelman prioritized academic achievement, as demonstrated by a rise in the Graduation Success Rate by Cal Poly student-athletes from 71% in 2011 to 93% in the most recent year—among the highest in the nation.

“Don has embraced the Cal Poly hallmark of continued improvement and leaves our Athletics program significantly enhanced from the day he arrived,” said Cal Poly President Jeffrey D. Armstrong. “On behalf of our entire university community, I offer our sincere thanks to Don for his commitment to athletic and academic excellence and his unwavering support for our student-athletes over the years.”

Facility development has been a hallmark of Oberhelman’s tenure. Every athletic program has benefited from new construction projects or renovations totaling $100 million, helping to shape a modern and competitive athletic environment for student-athletes and fans alike. Signature projects include:

·      New Facilities: Mustang Golf Academy at Dairy Creek, Dignity Health Baseball Clubhouse, Comerford Tennis Pavilion at the Ronca Tennis Center, Swanson Beach Volleyball Complex, Alumni Softball Hitting Facility, Doerr Family Field, Cal Poly Partners Plaza at Spanos Stadium, Swanson Nutrition Athletic Center, and the John Madden Football Center.

·      Upgrades & Renovations: Eight upgraded locker rooms, the Mott Athletic Center lobby and Hall of Fame, Baggett Stadium seating, Slover Sports Medicine Center, two updated weight rooms, seven video boards, the Hoffman Press Box, the Miller-Capriotti Track Complex, and a state-of-the-art video production studio.

Oberhelman has served in a number of national leadership roles during his tenure, including being appointed to the first NCAA Division I Council (the decision-making body for the association) and serving as chair of the NCAA Division I Legislative Committee. 

“I want to thank President Armstrong for his support and partnership over the years,” Oberhelman said. “I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to serve our amazing university. To our incredible staff and student-athletes, I have enjoyed my time with you greatly and look forward to celebrating your future success. For D.D. and I, this is our forever home, and we are excited to support Cal Poly as fans and donors in the future.”

The native of rural Kansas holds degrees from Kansas State and Florida State, and previously served in athletics roles at San Diego State, Southern Miss, Texas A&M and Florida State.

(Article courtesy of Cal Poly Athletics)

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Dave Alley

SHELL BEACH, Calif. – San Luis Obispo County Fire Department/CAL FIRE crews worked fast Monday afternoon to put out a vegetation fire that started just before 4 p.m.

The six-acre fire burned in the hillside just above several homes located along the 2700 block of Barcelona Road, which runs just off Mattie Road and Highway 101.

Soon after the fire began, evacuation orders were placed for homes located closest to the flames, while an evacuation warning went into effect for other homes located further away.

Firefighters with the San Luis Obispo County Fire Department were quickly joined by crews from neighboring agencies, along with aerial assistance.

“We had multiple aircraft, engines, crews, dozers responding to the fire,” said Ryan Grebe, San Luis Obispo County Fire Department/CAL FIRE public information officier. “We had a very aggressive attack from the air, and due to the great conditions in the air, we were able to fly multiple tankers and helicopters, get drops in the right spots, and put this fire up.”

Interestingly, the fire took place on the exact same hillside the burned during the Avila Fire that happened nearly five years ago to the day on June 15, 2020.

“This is in the burn scar of the Avila Fire,” said Grebe. “That does help in that there’s not as much dead vegetation in that area, but there’s still a lot of growth here, so we have to be aggressive and just treat it as if it’s a new fire.”

The Avila Fire burned 445 acres and at one point jumped Highway 101, but the Barcelona Fire never reached the freeway that was full of commuter traffic when it began.

No structures were destroyed or damaged and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

More information will be provided as it becomes available.

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Dave Alley

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – During a recent presentation of the annual Santa Maria Police Department, statistics indicated violent crimes in the city were nearly identical the past two years.

Santa Maria City Council received the report during its last meeting and heard from Commander Dan Cohen list many of the department’s most significant accomplishments and milestones during the year 2024.

One of the most important elements of the report is the annual tally of the most violent crimes committed, which are called “Part 1 Crimes.”

Part 1 crimes include murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, theft, motor vehicle theft and arson.

In 2024, the amount of Part 1 crimes committed in Santa Maria totaled 2,773, which was only ten more than the amount of 2,763 committed in 2023.

While most of the crime types rose slightly, Cohen noted the amount of vehicle motor thefts dropped significantly, from 751 in 2023 to 474 in 2024.

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Jarrod Zinn

ARROYO GRANDE, Calif. – A vital construction project has shut down the Traffic Way bridge in Arroyo Grande.

The city and chamber of commerce are helping local businesses through the project.

The Traffic Way bridge normally serves as a major traffic artery for the city of Arroyo Grande for both commuters and out-of-town visitors.

“We’ve noticed structural issues like falling of the concrete, breaking away of the concrete, things like that. So in addition to the scour, it just becomes even more needed to maintain the bridge itself,” says Matthew Downing, Arroyo Grande city manager.

For the next five months, it will be closed while crews make vital repairs to the 100-year-old bridge.

“We’re having to detour traffic,” says Downing. “We’re making certain roads one way instead of two way and just overall impacting traffic circulation, which can cause congestion and back up, which as we know can cause people to not want to visit that that area.”

Its closure is causing some impacts on local businesses, such as Luca’s Deli and Wine, which opened in January.

“Being in business for 35 years with eight restaurants. I’ve never seen a city actually reach out and do something to give back to the community, to help keep us sustained,” says Genuino Dalo, Luca’s Deli and Wine owner.

Many of these local businesses are located in and around the popular “Old Village” near the bridge now under construction.

“I feel like the timing is bad. I wish they would have done it in the wintertime. I keep hearing that it’s really busy in the village in the summertime,” says Dale.

In anticipation, city leaders have launched their first ever Buy Local incentive program designed to help ease these impacts on local businesses during the construction process.

Anyone who spends $100 at any one of arroyo grande’s locally owned businesses will receive a $20 gift card, while supplies last.

“The biggest things that we weren’t anticipating is just watching how people are getting around in the village,” says Downing. “We have particular ideas and like anything people find a way.”

Some businesses have already felt a pinch and they hope the ‘Buy Local‘ program will allow visitors to stretch their dollars further and continue to enjoy the local atmosphere.

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Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Since 2018, those experiencing homelessness have turned to the Father Virgil Cordano Center seeking meals, shelter and other services in Santa Barbara.

“I hang out or just come to get something to eat basically that means a lot you know,” said visitor David Hanson of the Father VIrgil Cordano Center.

But lately, the center, located on Calle Real is getting crowded.

“Well, the numbers are going up. We started with 10 people when we opened six years, seven years ago … now we’re up to 90 to 100 every day,” said senior development coordinator John Hardin of the new Father Virgil Center project.

In order to meet the growing demand for its services, a fundraising campaign has begun, to raise $10 million for a new site at 4085 State Street.

“This center will continue serving up to 100 individuals per day, providing meals case management help people to be connected to agencies in the city … to help them overcome the challenges of homelessness,” said development manager Sergey Salushchev of St. Vincent’s.

Managers at St. Vincent’s are hoping the community will show their support as this capital campaign gets under way.

“And help people be connected to agents in the city and the community and help them overcome the challenges of homelessness,” said Saluschev.

“A number of people coming because they’re sleeping outside and they can come to the center and sleep on a lounge chair and they know that they’re safe,” said Hardin.

This project is a collaborative effort of the Franciscan Friars at Old Mission Santa Barbara, and the Daughters of Charity at St. Vincent’s.

They hope the new site will ultimately offer hope, dignity and a better future for those in need.

The Center provides essential services, including safe daytime shelter, nutritious meals, case management, hygiene facilities, and community programs.

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Andie Lopez Bornet

SANTA BARBARA, Calif – Current and future home owners attended this weekend’s home and garden expo.

The expo took place this weekend at the Earl Warren Show grounds. That’s where visitors had a chance to get inspired by displays and talk to experts about the latest home trends.

Local and national exhibitors gave consultations and demonstrators to those wanting to decorate or change their homes or backyard.

“We welcome them with a tote bag, we give them flower seeds so they can go home and start their garden and they’re so excited to be here,” said show organizer Margo Browning. “And these local businesses they’re all getting together, they network with one another, I just feel like it’s one big family and it’s really exciting.”

For more than 30 years, the expo has drawn hundreds of people. The annual event is typically held during the month of June.

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Tracy Lehr

VENTURA, Calif. – Wedding dresses and love letters are just part of an annual display the Olivas Adobe Historical Park in Ventura.

The free event called Brides and Bell Towers took place at the park on June 8th.

Many couples have been married on the grounds that date back to 1837.

Locals lent wedding gowns and other items for the occasion.

Volunteers at one of the displays had antique weapons and joked about shotgun weddings back in the day.

But Olivas Adobe Historic Interpreter, Debra Milbourne, said the variety of wedding dresses tell other stories.

“These are gowns that were people’s hopes and dreams,” said Milbourne, “and as I was ironing some of them I was thinking about who could have worn these dresses and what their hopes and dreams were.”

Historian Glenda Jackson gave a talk about the items she has collected over the years including shoes dating back to the 1700s.

“For me it is a passion, I have been collecting, I got my first piece of vintage antique clothing when I was 13, many, many decades ago so it is fun for me to bring everything out form the dark and into the light and share the information,” said Jackson.

Volunteer docents dressed in period outfits showed people around the park that includes a Bell Tower, a rose garden and a gift shop.

For information about weddings at the Olivas Adobe visit https://www.cityofventura.ca.gov

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