Author: KEYT

Mina Wahab

VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) —Locals are filling up sandbags in preparation for upcoming storms. “We’re just going to sandbag the front door. And I don’t think that the rains going to the water are going to get there, but who knows? If it rains that hard, it might,” said Barry O’Donnell, who lives in Camarillo.

Beyond sandbags the Ventura County Fire Department wants people to build an emergency kit. “Having a spare pair of glasses or knowing where your glasses are to put in that kit. Things like extra medications and spare batteries, a flashlight, maybe even water and food for a day or two,” said Ventura County Fire Spokesman Andrew Dowd.

Dowd says the rainfall estimates range between 1 and 6 inches, and he wants to make sure residents stay informed and have a plan. “With my family, we have a plan. Preset of two different locations that we will meet. If our phones don’t work and there’s an evacuation order given and one of us is home or one of us is not,” said Dowd. The fire department is increasing its staff with 40 additional members, they have also up-staffed their Type 6 fire engines. These are smaller more agile fire engines that can more easily get to flooding or debris flow emergencies. “If there are significant winds and downed trees, we can use that bolt cutters if we need to get through and force entry. We have shovels that we can use if we need to burn up areas or help move debris out of the way or clear out a drainage areas.” The fire department is encouraging people to fill up sandbags at stations throughout the county. 

Click here for evacuation warnings and advisories.

Click here for the National Weather Service Forecast.

Click here for current rainfall totals

Click here for river flow forecast.

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT). –

CIF-State Girls Volleyball Championships Round II

Division 2: Liberty 3, Arroyo Grande 0; La Canada 3, Ventura 2

Division 4: Nipomo 3, Grant 1 (Nipomo hosts Capistrano Valley on Saturday in Regional Semifinal).

Division 5: Morro Bay 3, South El Monte 0 (Morro Bay hosts Nogales on Saturday in Regional Semifinal).

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Mike Klan

UC SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Freshman Gabi Martinez had 19 kills including the match-winner on a finesse shot down the line that gave UCSB a five-set victory over Cal Poly in a match-up of two of the top teams in Big West women’s volleyball.

(Gabi Martinez catches fire in the second set and had 13 kills by the end of set two. Entenza Design).

The marathon match took over two and half hours to play with UCSB gaining a regular season split with Cal Poly winning (26-28, 25-17, 25-22, 22-25, 15-13).

The loss snaps the Mustangs 10-game win streak and leaves them 12-3 and in second place in league behind UC Davis. The Gauchos are in third at 11-4.

UCSB sophomore Eva Travis also had 19 kills to share team-high honors with Martinez.

Michelle Zhao and Ayva Ostovar both had career-best performances with 34 and 31 assists respectively.

Emma Frederick had a match-high 21 kills for the Mustangs.

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Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Calls are coming in from Montecito residents wondering why they couldn’t find sandbags at Lower Manning Park.

The Montecito Fire Department says construction at the site is preventing a sandbag station from opening there until Friday afternoon.

Self-serve sandbag stations are open today and tomorrow from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at several locations in Santa Barbara.

Residents can pick up free sandbags at the City Annex Yard on East Yanonali Street and at Fire Station 7 on Stanwood Drive.

People are reminded to bring gloves and shovels and fill bags only halfway, with a limit of 20 bags per household.

In Montecito, sandbags are available at the Fire Protection District Headquarters on San Ysidro Road.

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Alissa Orozco

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Anyone can be a victim of a financial scam, but the development of artificial intelligence (AI) has made scammers even smarter, and victims even more vulnerable. The ability to create convincing videos and photos – and even mimicing voices is exactly what makes AI scams hard to catch.

Santa Barbara County DA Chief Investigator, Kristina Perkins, sat down with your News Channel to discuss how one can be on the lookout for scams and how to protect yourself from becoming the victim of a fraud.

Perkins says scams using artificial intelligence are on the rise, with scammers using fake videos and/or videos to convince you to send them money. Scammers can intimidate celebrities, family members, members of law enforcement, and even political figures as part of the hoax – creating a story so good, it’s hard to detect what’s real or not.

“So scams have been around for a very, very long time. And whenever there’s a new technology that emerges, the scammers will always try and find a way to take advantage of that. But with AI, what is different is that AI allows the scammers to reach a lot more people and it’s a lot more difficult to detect,” Perkins says.

Everyone is at risk, but Perkins says the elderly and those not so familiar with the latest technology are especially vulnerable. Known as the “Grandparent Scam,” scammers will target the elderly by posing a grandchild, spouse, or another family member in need of help – use computer-generated phone calls to steal thousands of dollars out of victims. Scammers get that information from social media accounts.

So how does one avoid this? Perkins says to always be cautious, and always be skeptical.

“If someone’s asking you for money, verify that information. And if it doesn’t feel right, just bounce it off a friend or family member and ask them for advice.”

Perkins says while catching scammers on a local level can be difficult, there is a federal task force dedicated to stopping fraudsters all around the world.

If you suspect you or someone you know may the be victim of a scam, or for more information contact the Santa Barbara County’s Scam Hotline at (805) 568- 2442.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) – An urgent drive has begun to make sure the unhoused and others in need have warm clothing and bedding this winter in Santa Barbara County.

The County Public Defender’s office is collecting new and lightly used sleeping bags, gloves, jackets, shoes, scarves and backpacks. They are also stocking up on socks and underwear.

This will all be distributed on December 12th in front of the Public Defenders offices in Santa Barbara and Santa Maria.

The county says there are 2,400 people currently experiencing homelessness in Santa Barbara County.This year, there is a collaboration with the non-profit Adam’s Angels with a place to make a financial donation on their website that will go towards the purchases of these items for winter protection.

Donation information:

Tax-deductible financial donations may be made through the Public Defender’s partnership with Adam’s Angels.

Visit the Adam’s Angels donation portal and click “Donate.” Select “Sleeping Bag Drive” from the drop-down menu to direct your gift to this effort. Funds will be used to purchase new sleeping bags and undergarments.

Items may also be donated virtually through the event’s Amazon Wishlist.

Distribution Events:

To receive donated goods, individuals must attend one of the following events on Friday, December 12, 12-2 p.m.:

Outside the Santa Barbara Courthouse at 1100 Anacapa Street

At the Santa Maria Public Defender’s Office at 312-P East Cook Street, Building A

County Public Defender’s Office:

Santa Barbara: (805) 568-3470

Santa Maria: (805) 346-7500

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – It’s Wynter time for Pepperdine Beach Volleyball.

Bishop Diego High School senior Wynter Thorne-Thomsen signs to play for the Waves who have won two sand volleyball national titles in their program history.

“They like how I am a physical blocker,” began Thorne-Thomsen. “I’m tall, but I also play big, I use my height. I think that’s what drew them towards me, and then also being a good partner, it takes a lot to be with you and your teammate throughout everything, good and bad, you have to still look like you’re winning out there.”

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Dave Alley

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – Local county and city officials say preparations are in place ahead of this week’s upcoming storm.

In Santa Maria, the Public Works Department has been getting set for the precipitation that is expected to fall over the next few days.

“We’re looking at two to three inches coming into Santa Maria,” said Brett Fulgoni, Santa Maria Public Works Director. “Luckily, it’s going to be spread out, but nonetheless a good a good rain event, so our crews, when this happens, we go out and pre-stage different equipment around town, get ready to close roads if needed, make sure storm drains are cleared and, make sure that any road hazards are highlighted.”

Fulgoni added drivers will need to be especially careful in many of the newly repaved streets that have been worked on over the past several weeks.

“We’ve certainly had a lot of construction around town,” said Fulgoni. “There’s new traffic patterns on on various roadways and there’s new chip seal on roads, so the way the road has reacted in the past may not be the way the road is going to react in the storm, so just take it easy and be careful. We do expect Black Road to flood. That will likely be closed, but otherwise there’s just so much construction happening around the city that it’s important for people to just take care and and be careful around those construction zones.”

In San Luis Obispo County, officials there are also keeping a close eye on the forecast and are ready to react should any weather-related situations warrant a response.

“What the county’s really doing at this point is just trying to get people prepared,” said Anita Konopa, San Luis Obispo County Emergency Services Coordinator. “It’s kind of our same messaging that we always give before a significant storm, but really hoping that people are listening to that message, so be aware of your surroundings. If you live in an area that’s prone to flooding, now’s the time to go get those sandbags and get them filled up and get them in place. If you’re going to have to travel during the weather, make sure that you have gas. Make sure that your windshield wipers are working. If you don’t need to be out on the road, maybe don’t travel this evening and through this weekend, so just some of those things that that we encourage people to do before every storm.”

As for any particular geographic area that could see more impacts than others, Konopa indicated the North Coast may receive more significant rainfall that other county locations.

“There are two different areas that we’re kind of looking at what National Weather Service is telling us is that, the highest intensity of rain and the most amount of rain could be in the Santa Lucia mountains, so kind of looking at the North Coast and Cambria, those areas tend to get more rain in general,” said Konopa. “That is supposed to prove true for this storm as well. Depending on which outlook you’re looking at from the National Weather Service, we could be looking at upwards of three inches in the Cambria area, so people in that area should definitely be prepared for potential flooding should that forecast come true.

“What National Weather Service is telling us is that, the highest intensity of rain and the most amount of rain is kind of be in the Santa Lucia mountains.”

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John Palminteri

ISLA VISTA, Calif. (KEYT) – A town hall meeting brought out many sides of life in Isla Vista Wednesday night where a proposed ban on amplified music was discussed.

It would go into place the week after the Spring Break during an unpermitted event known as Deltopia. It draws thousands of locals and out-of-towners every year to the densely packed community.

Many residents are UC Santa Barbara and Santa Barbara City College students, but there are year-round permanent residents and families who have built a life in the unincorporated area of Santa Barbara County. It is not a city.

The Isla Vista Community Services District, The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department, and UC Santa Barbara – both student leaders and staff realize Deltopia is a massive event with few barriers.

The 72-hour proposed ban on amplified music being advanced by the Sheriff’s Department is on a timeline to go to the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors in January to be on the books by the time the event takes place in the Spring.

Many of those commenting said it would have a negative effect and impact the “spirit of Isla Vista.”

One speaker said these events are organic and make the area special for the time they are living there.

Some long-time residents say it is hard to live with these massive events, for their families and just generally getting in and out of their homes.

There were also historic information listings on arrests, citations, thousands of dollars in costs every year, injuries, and deaths.

(More details, photos and videos will be added here later today.)

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Jarrod Zinn

LOS ALAMOS, Calif. (KEYT) – The small town of Los Alamos is gearing up to put itself on the map in bold!

After a successful Halloween event this year called “Boo On Bell,” the owner of Los Alamos Coffee And Tea is taking the lead to bolster local businesses through collaboration.

“We are in a small town of about 1200, give or take, and we have kind of been a sleepy town for quite some time and we are seeing some growth,” says Alison Height, Los Alamos Coffee And Tea’s owner. “We just had 58 homes built in the area. And so that’s kind of bringing in more families, more young kids, more young adults. And I just feel like we needed more collaboration with all the businesses.”

The Los Alamos Merchants Association is approved by the state of California as a nonprofit organization. While they await the IRS’ final stamp on their 501(c)(6) status, they’re open for at least five additional business owner members.

“We’re still working on the bylaws, so that’s something we’re currently talking about,” says Height. “But I’d like to have as many merchants as possible be on the board. I want to be all inclusive.”

Some of the association’s potential annual and seasonal events include Snow In Ferrini Park, Summer Movies In The Park, a pumpkin patch, and corn maze experience.

Not to mention concerts, beautification projects, and yearly ‘Santa’s Village’ holiday merchant fairs.

“When the merchants collaborate allows for cross promotion and that increases foot traffic,” says Brittney Vanderleigh, Old Orcutt Merchants Association’s President. “It also allows for coordinated hours, which is a huge thing for us here in Los Alamos because there is quite a bit of a dark time, dark windows in this town. We want to avoid that as much as possible, especially during the summer months.”

In late December an announcement will invite locals and tourists to January’s stamp card challenge, in preparation for a Valentine’s Day raffle prize.

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