Author: KEYT

Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – The Eternal Flame set the tone — a quiet moment of reflection at the heart of campus.

For many students, the message wasn’t about history alone — it was personal.

“I want to celebrate the legacies of my ancestors who have fought in the past. I hope to continue to fight on campus and when I go into the world to pursue my career,” said student Michiah Woods of UC Santa Barbara.

“The Ark of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice. Today we come together to celebrate a fight for freedom and moments that feel like the arc is being pulled back,” said a speaker at the event.

The gathering also recalled UCSB’s role in the civil rights movement, tied to a 1968 protest at North Hall.

“Realize that there is still hope and that hope can last eternally, and that the fight can continue to go on as long as we all stand together,” said Woods.

The Eternal Flame burns, a witness to the work that still remains.

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Alissa Orozco

OXNARD, Calif. (KEYT) – One of the largest murals on the Central Coast is getting some much needed TLC.

It is located in Oxnard’s Colonia Park.

Original artist Judy Suzuki and Horacio Martinez are hard at work restoring the beloved mural.

Civil rights icons Cesar Chavez, Robert F. Kennedy, and MLK Jr. are featured in the mural.

It also includes boxing champion Robert Garcia, Native Americans, farm workers, and locals.

The mural has been an important landmark in the community.

Most mornings Suzuki can be found in the park, carefully mixing paints to match the original colors.

“I really feel that it’s an honor and I just want to do the best I can because this mural lasted for what, almost 30 years or so, I think. And I would like it to continue carrying the message of what happened, how it was. And so yeah, I feel grateful to be part of this.”

Longtime locals came out to see the progress made and reminisce on the original creation, first painted in 1999. One local said the mural was community project, with everyone offering a helping hand.

“So all the young people in the neighborhood came out and helped, and it was such a joy to see everyone giving all their best and their effort,” said community member, Chuy Rocha. “And most important, Horacio Martinez working on it, he was one of the young people that contributed with the ideas.”

Horacio Martinez, owner of Downtown Tattoo in Oxnard, was one of the neighborhood children who helped bring the mural to life. Martinez overcame substance abuse and credits art with helping him find purpose.

“It means a lot to be to be here working on the mural, one because I was a part of it when it first started, but I never actually got to paint it,” said Martinez. “But now that I’m older and it needs help, I’m honored to be here working with Judy and restoring the mural.”

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Jarrod Zinn

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – The city of Santa Maria is streamlining their online community reporting platform called Neighborhood Connect.

The interface is devoted to communicating with locals about non-emergency issues.

First launched in 2023, Neighborhood Connect saw immediate, notable results, and locals who have used the platform have helped the interface improve via their feedback.

Last Friday, a newer version of the app and website was officially released, featuring faster processing times and new categories.

“We’ve added things like better aerial imagery so that people can pinpoint where the problems are,” says Dawn Scott, Geographic Information Systems manager at City of Santa Maria. “And then a lot more categories. So we’ve really doubled the number of categories of issue that people can report about. So all kinds of things like if you’re in a park now and there’s a broken water fountain or something like that.”

Locals can use the system in English or with Spanish translation.

People can report repair issues like potholes or broken sprinklers on city property.

“I think that it provides a better customer service experience and it helps the city staff help the public with addressing any concerns that they have,” says Erin Luton, a City Code Enforcement technician.

There are also links to city code enforcement for issues on private property.

And, there’s a new category — reporting a business selling alcohol or tobacco products to a minor.

“It’s anonymous, if they wish to be,” says Scott.

Users can also include new ideas for the city’s Public Art Master Plan.

“If you have general feedback about a particular issue in the city or maybe an idea or positive feedback, that’s always welcome. But any kind of issue that you’d like to be heard,” says Scott.

Locals who’ve used the platform say there’s a notable difference in response times to reports, and some issues are even handled on a same-day basis.

“The residents also get feedback,” says Scott. “That’s an important thing. They’ll get emails that describe the status of their report and what’s being done about it.”

Reports go directly to the most appropriate department and office, rather than being passed through the entire city administration team.

“I know that it’s been a game changer in a lot of ways,” says Luton. “People see things around the city, they see issues that need to be addressed, but sometimes they don’t know who exactly they need to report it to.”

Since its initial launch two years ago, an estimated 3,000 reports from the community have been processed.

You can even report a problem after hours.

You can check out the platform and even report a problem after hours by clicking this link to visit the site.

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Dave Alley

SANTA MARIA, Cailf. (KEYT) – The Santa Maria Valley Chamber will unveiled plans Thursday afternoon that are currently being developed to help in boost tourism in the region in the coming years.

The plans were announced during a two-hour Chamber event that was held at the recently renovated Homewood Suites by Hilton Santa Maria.

“This is our Santa Maria Valley Tourism Celebration,” said Jennifer Harrison, Santa Maria Valley Chamber Vice President of Marketing and Communications. “It was at the request of our Tourism Marketing District Advisory Committee. We are about ten years into the formation of our district and thought it’d be a great time to reflect on our big wins, as well as any accomplishments we have in a look ahead.”

During her presentation, Harrison spoke about current state of tourism in the valley, revealed key market insights and performance data, as well as showcase future plans and strategic initiatives that are currently being designed and implemented.

“We’re excited about what there is ahead,” said Harrison. “We have launched new campaigns that we think are very family centric, which I think speaks to the community as a whole. We’re excited to see where it’s going. We have seen the impacts of the work that we’re doing.  I think what makes us really special and unique is that we’ve always been affordable, which is intriguing to families. They can visit destinations outside of the valley, and really have fun in a regional sense, but stay here at our affordable hotels and lodging, so we’re able to offer that.”

A key element of the presentation was to share the amount of Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT), also known as “bed tax” that was generated in 2025 through overnight stays.

“TOT revenue is coming in at about $3.5 million,” said Harrison. “Our highest year ever recorded was about $4 million, and so we’re seeing a little bit of a leveling out, but we’re certainly 30% up since the formation of the district. What we have seen across an industry is a little bit of a leveling out. We fared fairly well during Covid, and then we had a couple of really high years in terms of revenue and receipts, and then it’s has started to level out a little, which is what we’re seeing industrywide, but we’re still seeing unprecedented numbers in terms of life span of program.”

There’s optimism numbers will increase in the years to come, especially since the city has a number of new attractions, businesses, events and other changes on the way.

“A lot of great things are happening in this community,” said Harrison. “We’re currently at the Homewood Suites now, which is recently renovated and rebranded. We have another hotel just across the street that’s going to be breaking ground soon. We have the Radisson that is currently in the works of renovations and getting their property rebranded. We have the Planes of Fame (museum) that’s coming and who we’ve been working with. We we’re going to have somebody here from the (Santa Maria) Fairpark, discussing some of the things they have coming up, as well as the (Santa Maria) airport, talking about their new flights and possibility of expansion there and how well that service has been doing. In addition to that, we are going to announce some added value to the Santa Maria BBQ Festival this year. We have been working with the event promoter there to expand it to a three-day event with multiple facets in there.”

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) –

High School Boys Soccer:

San Marcos 2, Santa Barbara 1

Oxnard 2, Buena 1

Pacifica 1, Dos Pueblos 0

High School Girls Soccer:

San Marcos 2, Santa Barbara 1

Dos Pueblos 1, Pacifica 1

Rio Mesa 1, Ventura 1

Oxnard 0, Buena 0

Channel Islands 4, Santa Paula 2

Boys High School Basketball:

Santa Barbara 77, Rio Mesa 49

San Marcos 59, Pacifica 54

Dos Pueblos 76, Buena 37

Oxnard 56, Ventura 33

Bishop Diego 56, Foothill Tech 45

Calabasas 64, Oaks Christian 62

Westlake 71, Newbury Park 42

Laguna Blanca 72, Midland 24

Dunn 60, Villanova Prep 54

Grace 57, Santa Clara 54

High School Girls Basketball:

Oaks Christian 85, Calabasas 31

Santa Paula 72, Channel Islands 24

Thousand Oaks 82, Agoura 25

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Alissa Orozco

SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) – The man convicted of murder in the 1996 Kristin Smart case had his petition for review formally denied by the California Supreme Court on Wednesday.

Paul Ruben Flores is currently serving a 25-years-to-life prison sentence for the murder of 19-year-old Kristin Smart, the Cal Poly freshmen who disappeared from a house party back in 1996. Flores was reportedly the last person seen with the young woman, and nearly three decades later, a Monterey County jury convicted him of murder – a crime Flores denies.

On Wednesday, San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow announced that the California Supreme Court has denied Flores’ petition for review of his conviction.

Flores has previously submitted two separate appeals of his conviction to the Second District Court of Appeal back in October 2024 and July 2025, both of which were denied.

“While we are very pleased that this decision brings a stronger sense of finality for all involved, we will always remember Kristin Smart and will continue to do all we can to honor the memory of her vibrant life,” said District Attorney Dan Dow. “Our hearts go out to Mr. and Mrs. Smart and their entire family for all that they have endured for the last 30 years.”  

Kristin Smart’s body has still never been recovered.

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Beth Farnsworth

SANTA BARBARA, Calif (KEYT) – It’s the next best thing to the famously popular Antiques Roadshow, only this traveling group of buyers does not televise.

“We buy jewelry, coins, paper money, wristwatches, pocket watches, art and, rare documents,” said Michael Merritt, owner of Place Vendôme. “We have to look at a lot of things to see something really unusual.”

Merritt said each expert buyer linked to his Pasadena-based business has their own speciality and they’re on hand — free of charge — for four days at the Santa Barbara Woman’s Club.

“I really like the people that are here and they’re very honest about their appraisals,” said Nancy Van Gelder, a Santa Barbara resident. “I think it’s worth checking out if you have some things that you would like to sell.”

Many of the people who come through the doors end up as repeat customers, including Van Gelder.

“What I brought in (this time) was sterling silver flatware and various jewelry pieces including some gemstones. In fact, I did sell several pieces so I’m very happy with what the offer was, particularly with silver. It’s a great time now to sell.”

Merritt agreed.

“Silver and gold are right now at the highest price that they’ve ever been in the history of metal so it’s a very good time to sell,” said Merritt. “What are those prices?” I asked. “Gold, last I looked, was $4,600 and something. And silver is at $92 an ounce. So, very high.”

“I brought flatware, watches and jewelry,” said Alexandra King, a Santa Barbara resident. “I sold most of it, it was really easy to sell.”

King said she made about $1,000 and will put the money toward legal support for her screenplay.

Merritt said over the past six years since the group’s dealings in Santa Barbara, one item really stood out.

“Very interesting paper currencies, some old banknotes that were really wonderful.”

Appointments are recommended for those wanting items assessed and appraised. If both parties agree on the value, the piece or pieces are purchased on the spot.

“If it doesn’t, then we never pressure anybody to sell anything and there’s still no charge, no risk to anybody who comes to see us,” said Merritt.

He added that the vast majority of people coming through the doors have “stuff” and it’s time for them to get rid of it. Most don’t come because they need the money.

“We’re relieving the burden of stuff,” Merritt said. “Gemstones, pieces of jewelry — we love to get signed pieces of jewelry from houses of luxury — but we buy tons of sterling silver flatware and tea sets and that kind of thing, too.”

The group will be at the Santa Barbara Woman’s Club starting Wednesday through Saturday, January 17, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day.

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Jarrod Zinn

VANDENBERG / LOMPOC, Calif. (KEYT) – As vandenberg space force base pursues more launch capacity, they have issued a proposal—or, what they call a Request For Information (RFI) for heavy launch capacity at the base.

Congressman Salud Carbajal has written a letter to both the Air Force and U.S. Space Force urging thorough evaluation of potential impacts to surrounding environments and communities before proceeding with the proposed Space Launch Complex 14, or “Slick-14.”

As the congressman says, “They have been extremely receptive.”

The conversation isn’t necessarily a new one, but the RFI from December 29th for Slick-14 would break ground.

It’s essentially asking private companies if they want to help build out a new launch complex capable of handling larger rockets.

“When you’re launching a heavy or super heavy capability, you want it to be in a place that’s advantageous so that you’re not impacting neighboring operations, it’s further away from areas that it might overfly,” says Col. James Horne Iii, commander of Space Launch Delta 30.

Congressman Carbajal acknowledges the environmental stewardship the base has demonstrated in the past, as well as the benefits heavy commercial launch would bring to the economy, both locally and globally.

“Vandenberg Space Force Base provides a critical installation for not only our national security, but all those functions that we take for granted on a daily basis,” says congressman Carbajal.

Members of the congressman’s district have been vocal about the impacts of the base’s launches to date, and these impacts involve noise factors from sonic booms, as well as physical effects from the vibrations, including some cracked windows and similar environmental disturbances.

“With the super heavy, it would increase the type of launches in the future,” says Carbajal.

Commander of Vandenberg, Col. James Horne III, refers to launch as a “team sport,” and says this proposal has just been made, and there’s a lot of work to be done before a single nail gets hammered.

“This first step is just to understand who’s interested,” says Col. Horne. “So then we can go through an objective process, determine what makes the most sense for a particular provider to start that process, to assess and analyze. And then from that, we’ll have a much better appreciation of potential impacts.”

The colonel says there is time to take the community’s questions and concerns into consideration.

“We want to be responsible stewards of the environment,” says Col. Horne. “We want to be responsible with our community partners while also maximizing our access to space to counter our adversaries activities there and ensure protection for everybody.”

More public input sessions will be taking place in the near future, and the base is making concerted efforts to be good neighbors as they charge boldly into the future.

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Dave Alley

GUADALUPE, Calif. (KEYT) – The Guadalupe Union School District (GUSD) officially opened its Early Learning Center (ELC) on Wednesday morning, welcoming about 100 students to a facility that’s been in the works for several years.

“It absolutely is a very significant day for the for the City of Guadalupe,” said GUSD Superintendent Emilio Handall. “They’ve never had a place like this. They’ve ever had a campus designed specifically for their three and four-year-olds. We have other federal programs in the area, but this school sponsored design space is something that they’ve never had before.”

The new campus is located to the new Guadalupe Junior High School, which just opened earlier at the beginning of the current school year in August.

Spread out over five acres in the Pasadera housing community, the ELC features eight classrooms created for both preschool and transitional kindergarten students.

“It gives them a space that’s specifically designed for them with a play area that’s age appropriate with classrooms that allows them to learn at their most optimal level,” said Handall. “It’s just a space where children will feel more comfortable and more engaged. Students will be learning how to play with each other. They’ll be learning how to communicate their needs. They’ll be learning how to collaborate with other students. They’ll be learning how to regulate their emotions along with the academic piece, learning their letters, numbers, colors and what have you.”

The cost of the new campus was about $10 million with funding coming to the district through a variety of sources.

“Without the tremendous support of the Guadalupe community, these much-needed and much-anticipated facilities would not have been possible,” said Handall. “The citizens of Guadalupe overwhelmingly approved four bond measures in the span of six years. First passing Measures M &N in 2016, and then Measure V &W in 2022. The schools represent incredible opportunities for the children of Guadalupe and the generosity of its citizens.”

On Wednesday afternoon, GUSD will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony at 3:30 p.m. to officially celebrate the opening of the new campus.

The event will be held at the ELC, which is located 375 Arroyo Seco Road in Guadalupe, and is open to the public.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – The poster reveal for the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) didn’t need a spotlight or a drum roll. The excitement for the 41st annual event was in the air.

Executive Director Roger Durling was beaming in the moment as he read off some of the highlights and turned to artist Baret Boisson. Each grabbed an end to a cloth and revealed the poster Boisson created in one original piece for this year’s event.

It featured many creative elements, several “eye view” images, a pathway and a quote from the late President John F. Kennedy that read, “If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him.”

“The quote about artistic freedom really spoke to me so I use that quote,” said Boisson.

She had artistic freedom and hoped the film fans will use their imagination when looking at the poster. Boisson said, “opening your eyes opening your mind and letting go and nothing should be super recognizable, it’s a just a play on going into a different realm.”

Durling said, “I love this poster the whole  the whole underwriting theme this year of this festival is supporting artists and supporting the arts in general.”

The festival continues to add different elements during tribute nights and educational engagement opportunities. Durling expects people from all over the world to be in town. “It is an international film festival so the fact that  50 countries are represented is vital I want to live up the name international film festival.”

Durling said there would be 200 films, including 46 World Premieres and 81 U.S. Premieres

He was also thrilled to announce the opening of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival McHurly Film Center in the 900 block of State Street on February 4.

“What a way to start a festival than with a brand new state of the art film center. We have the Arlington,  we have the Riviera, and now have the five screens at the new film center.”

Some of the tribute events are already sold out.

The festival will have several days with free films, educational opportunities for students and a young filmmaker competition called 10-10-10 that, for the first time, will include mentorships for movie music.

Over 600 volunteers also assist with film and tribute night logistics, poster distribution and information to guests.

For more information go to: SBIFF

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