Author: KEYT

Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. –

CIF-SS Second Round:

Division 2:

Mater Dei 6, Simi Valley 4

Torrance 3, Oaks Christian 2

Division 4:

Dos Pueblos 5, Valencia 4

Pacifica 9, Monrovia 8 (8 innings)

Thousand Oaks 10, Claremont 3

Division 5:

Camarillo 6, Moreno Valley2

Division 6:

Montebello 1, St. Bonaventure 0

Estancia 11, Foothill Tech 1

Division 7:

Channel Islands 15, Chaffey 1

Grace 14, Silverado 8

Division 8:

La Quinta/W 3, Cate 2

Fillmore 15, San Jacinto Valley 4

Division 9:

Nuview Bridge 16, Ojai Valley 0

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors held a moment of silence for three teens who were killed in a head-on car crash Sunday evening.

The county says the teens were employees in the junior lifeguard program and had spent the day at Jalama Beach. The crash occurred on Highway 1, the road that connects back to Highway 101 and Goleta.

All three were students at Dos Pueblos High School.

They have been identified as 18-year-old Jake Curtis of Goleta, 17-year-old Michael Ochsner, and 15-year-old Alexander Wood, both of Santa Barbara.

According to the California Highway Patrol, the crash happened when the teens, driving a 2007 Toyota Yaris southbound, veered into oncoming traffic and hit a 2024 Tesla Model 3 head-on. The impact was so strong, it pushed the Tesla into two other cars traveling south — a 2012 Audi Q5 and a 2002 Honda Accord.

Tragically, all three teens inside the Toyota were pronounced dead at the scene. The two people in the Tesla — a 54-year-old driver and a 53-year-old passenger from Lompoc — were rushed to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital with major injuries. CHP says the drivers of the Audi and the Honda had only minor injuries.

Supervisor Joan Hartmann said, “This tragedy has shaken our entire community, and our hearts go out to the families, friends, and co-workers. The whole county mourns with you.”

Dos Pueblos High School has encouraged any students or staff in need of support to visit the Wellness Center at any time throughout the week for counseling services.

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – With the first pitch of The Big West Baseball Championship less than 24 hours away, the conference has announced its 2025 award winners and All-Big West honorees. Seven UC Santa Barbara student-athletes have received acclaim, with LeTrey McCollum, Tyler Bremner and Jackson Flora all earning first team honors. Jonathan Mendez was named to the second team, while first-year Gauchos Nate Vargas, Xavier Esquer and Rowan Kelly all earned honorable mention.

McCollum, Santa Barbara’s senior captain, ended his Gaucho career with a bang, putting together an historic season at the plate. McCollum finished the 2025 regular season with a career-best .365 batting average — 5th in The Big West — as well as 10 doubles, four triples, six home runs, 40 RBIs and 17 stolen bases, all career highs. He was held hitless in just seven of his 53 games and failed to reach base in just one game, finishing the regular season on a 49-game hitting streak, the longest in Santa Barbara Baseball history. On March 9, he hit a walk-off home run to complete the first cycle by a Gaucho since Michael Young in 1997.

Bremner, the ace of Santa Barbara’s pitching staff, likewise had an historic season in what is likely his final year as a Gaucho. One of the top pitching prospects in the 2025 Major League Baseball Draft, Bremner spent this spring striking out just about anybody and everybody who stepped in the box to face him, including a world-beating stretch run that saw him tally double-digit strikeouts in six of his last seven starts. The righty won back-to-back Big West Pitcher of the Week awards to finish the regular season as he ran away with the conference’s strikeout crown. Bremner has 111 punchouts on the season, eighth most in the country and 27 more than the next-closest Big West pitcher. On May 9, he became UC Santa Barbara’s all-time strikeout leader, recording the 275th of his career.

The man in second place in The Big West strikeout standings behind Bremner is his teammate, Flora, who racked up 84 K’s in his first season in Santa Barbara’s starting rotation. The sophomore came flying out of the gates, pitching back-to-back scoreless outings to start the season, but then hit a rough patch in March. A move to the bullpen, where he pitched long relief outings behind an opener, revitalized his season. On April 19, he delivered a signature moment, pitching a complete game, one-hit shutout in The Blue-Green Rivalry against Cal Poly, earning both Big West and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Pitcher of the Week honors. Since then, he has posted double-digit strikeouts in each of his last two outings, 12 at Cal State Fullerton on May 4 and 11 against Cal State Bakersfield on May 15.

Mendez started every game in the Gauchos’ middle infield behind Flora and Bremner, turning 31 double plays but his inclusion in the All-Big West Second Team is thanks largely to his bat. The sophomore leads the team in both home runs (11) and doubles (17), with the latter figure leading the conference as well. He started the year scorching hot, finishing the month of March with more extra-base hits than singles. He has been hot down the stretch too, ending the regular season on a 12-game hitting streak including four straight multi-hit games to end the year. All told, 44 percent of his 68 hits have been at least a double, giving him a team-high .565 slugging percentage and 122 total bases.

Vargas was another every-game starter for Santa Barbara who made big contributions to the Gaucho offense in 2025, with the junior college transfer earning all-conference honorable mention in his first year of Division I baseball. He has a Big West-leading 17 doubles like Mendez and his just one homer behind him for the team lead there, with 10 long balls. The junior catcher also leads the Gauchos with 49 RBIs, eight of which have come from sacrifice flies, the sixth-most of any player in the country. A workhorse behind the plate, Vargas has caught every game since April 17 for Santa Barbara, and he has stayed red-hot at the dish down the stretch, hitting in all but two of the Gauchos’ final 19 games.

Ninety feet down the line from Vargas, Esquer made himself Santa Barbara’s first choice at third base with both the bat and the glove this season, starting every game in 2025. Defensively, Esquer had more assists than anyone but Mendez this season, frequently showcasing his arm strength with Manny Machado-like throws across the diamond. At the plate, he hit .286 with plenty of pop in his bat, tallying 15 doubles and eight home runs on the season, but what Esquer has done better than any Gaucho this season is get hit by pitches. After wearing four of them — the most in a single game since at least 2011 — in Saturday’s season finale, the redshirt sophomore is one HBP away from tying Andrew Calica’s single-season record of 24. More importantly, he broke out of a late-season slump with a 3-for-3 day at the dish on Friday, including both a home run and a double, re-igniting his bat as the Gauchos prepare for The Big West Championship.

But arguably the hottest bat down the stretch has been that of Kelly, a rookie who did not make his first start until March 22 but who has not left the lineup since the start of April, hitting his way to All-Big West Honorable Mention. The freshman is hitting .403 against conference opponents this season, making him The Big West’s second-best hitter in conference games. He has been great in any game though, hitting .355 overall to rank ninth in the conference. Like his all-conference teammates, Kelly has been great down the stretch, coming into Wednesday’s Big West Championship opener on a 14-game hitting streak, including back-to-back three-hit games against Cal State Bakersfield to help the Gauchos clinch their spot in the conference’s first tournament since 1998.

Kelly, Vargas, Esquer, Mendez, Flora, Bremner and McCollum will lead Santa Barbara into a do-or-die game against Hawai’i on Wednesday to open The Big West Championship at 12 noon from Goodwin Field on the campus of Cal State Fullerton. With a win, the Gauchos will advance into the tournament’s double elimination bracket and continue their defense of the conference title.

(Article courtesy of UCSB Athletics).

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Mike Klan

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – Four Mustangs earned All-Big West First Team honors this season, the highest amount of Cal Poly players since 2022, which includes a second consecutive nod for Alejandro Garza to put him one step closer to the revered Three-Time First Team list that has just nine total players in conference history.

Coming into the 2025 season, Cal Poly had a glaring hole at first base, previously filled by fan-favorite and four-year Mustang alumni “Big” Joe Yorke. Despite the question mark, Zach Daudet, a utility player known by teammates for being able to play almost anywhere on the field, stepped into the role and flourished. Through 322 fielding chances, he made just two errors and held a .994 fielding percentage. Despite missing the first half of April due to a blood infection, Daudet fought back into the lineup and finished the regular season with a .362 batting average, 55 hits, 14 doubles, seven home runs, and 22 RBIs.

Ryan Fenn, the team’s most tenured field player, earned an All-Big West honor for his third straight and final season as a Mustang after earning honorable mentions in 2023 and 2024. He currently has a 13-game hitting streak (26-for-53, .491) and racked up 22 multiple-hit games, including 13 three-hit contests. Fenn led the team with 17 doubles and 15 stolen bases, finishing the regular season with a .362 batting average, 76 hits, and 34 RBIs. This is his second consecutive season tallying 70+ hits, double-digit RBIs, and 30+ RBIs.

Sophomore and 2024 Big West Freshman Field Player of the Year, Alejandro Garza earned first team honors for the second consecutive season, following up on his dazzling debut campaign with an even more impressive 2025. Garza’s 83 regular season hits are currently 21st in Division I baseball, and his 31 multi-hit games are tied for third-most in the program’s D1 history. He also finished the regular season second-best on the team for batting average (.366), RBIs (48), and doubles (16) while leading for runs (52). After finishing in 2024 as the second toughest batter to strike out in college baseball, he once again sat near the top of the list in 11th.

Griffin Naess, 2024 Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year honoree alongside Garza’s field player award, made the first team list this season after being an honorable mention in 2024. As a freshman, he posted a perfect 7-0 record, the most by a Cal Poly freshman since 1996, and went 6-2 in 2025 for a career 13-2 record. Naess started all 14 game-one contests this season and led the team with 81.1 innings pitched and led starters with a 3.65 ERA. He posted seven quality starts (at least 6.0 IP and three or fewer earned runs) and in six of those allowed one run or less.

Two newcomers earned All-Big West Second Team honors, while reliable setup man Jake Torres finally got the recognition he deserves as an elite reliever in the conference. Collins (mentioned above for Buster Posey semifinals) found a true home at his third Big West team and thrived not only as one of the conference’s top sluggers but as one of the country’s best catchers entirely.

True freshman Nate Castellon won the starting shortstop job from day one and has not looked back since. Arguably the conference’s best debut player behind Freshman Field Player of the Year winner Cal State Fullerton’s Carter Johnstone, Castellon earned one Big West Player of the Week honor and finished just ahead of teammate Alejandro Garza with the second-best batting average in the conference (.368). Aiding Cal Poly’s small-ball game, Castellon was also second in the Big West and 11th in Division I baseball for sacrifice bunts (12). The Woodland Hills native ended the regular season with 71 hits, 11 doubles, 46 RBIs, and a team-high 125 fielding assists (.945 fielding percentage).

Lefty reliever Jake Torres was undoubtably Cal Poly’s best and most consistent arm out of the bullpen this season, holding a 2.62 ERA and team-leading 1.03 WHIP while holding opposing batters to a paltry .198 average. In his second season as a Mustang after being the team’s co-leader for appearances in 2024, Torres went on an astonishing run from March 29 to April 22 (eight appearances) without allowing a single run through 18 straight innings. Of his 22 relief appearances this season, 17 of them ended with Cal Poly getting the win.

The most improved player on the team from 2024 to 2025 was Casey Murray Jr., and the senior was rewarded for it with an All-Big West Honorable Mention. He went from a .175 batting average through 27 games just one season ago to ending the 2025 regular season with a .298 clip. One of three Mustangs to play all 53 regular season games, every contest in center field, Murray Jr. had a perfect fielding percentage (1.000) through 136 chances and has not made a single error through his Cal Poly career thus far. “Boogie,” as he is affectionately known, had hits in 45 of Cal Poly’s 53 games and totaled 64 hits, nine doubles, and six home runs.

 Junior catcher Jack Collins who made the 13-player semifinal list for the Wichita Sports Commission’s 2025 Buster Posey Award. Following Ryan Stafford’s finalist standing in last season’s voting, Collins is the second consecutive Mustang to make it this far and hopes to join Stafford as the only Cal Poly finalist nominees in program history.

Collins, a junior transfer by way of CSUN, Saddleback College, and Long Beach State, had major shoes to fill stepping into the role of catcher at Cal Poly. Not only was he replacing Ryan Stafford, a 2024 MLB Draft 5th Round Pick and Buster Posey Award finalist, but some of the program’s best players in its Division I history have sat behind the plate.

The backstop has done all the right things since becoming Cal Poly’s opening day catcher, finishing the regular season second in the Big West for RBIs (56) and runners caught stealing (18) and fourthin home runs (12) and doubles (16). Notably, Collins is responsible for winning home runs in upset results over ranked opponents Texas A&M and Oregon State.

Collins opened his Mustang career on a blazing pace with a 14-game hitting streak (23-for-57, .404), three home runs, and 19 RBIs.

Alongside fellow All-Big West honorees and teammates Alejandro Garza and Casey Murray Jr., Collins is just one of three Mustangs to play all 53 games of the regular season.

(Article courtesy of Cal Poly Athletics).

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Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — A growing sidewalk memorial on State Street, near Pedregosa Street, marks the site where 29-year-old Joel Gonzalez was fatally struck by a suspected drunk driver Sunday night.

Santa Barbara police say Gonzalez was riding his e-bike just after 9:30 p.m. when he was hit by a black SUV while heading home from work at the restaurant Santo Mezcal on lower State Street. He lived near the Old Mission and often spent time in the Mission Rose Garden. He was just blocks from home when the crash occurred.

According to the Santa Barbara Police Department, the initial investigation suggests that Gonzalez may have veered or turned in front of the vehicle while traveling southbound on State Street. Officers observed that the driver, 36-year-old Santa Barbara resident Christina Almada, was displaying signs of alcohol intoxication. A DUI investigation followed, and Almada was arrested at the scene.

She was booked into Santa Barbara County Jail on several charges: gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, driving under the influence causing injury, and driving without a license. Her bail was set at $100,000. Almada has since posted bail.

The memorial in Gonzalez’s honor includes flowers, candles, Dodgers memorabilia, and some of his favorite drinks. Family and friends have been gathering throughout the week to remember the Santa Barbara native, who graduated from Dos Pueblos High School in 2013. He would have turned 30 next month.

Gonzalez leaves behind a 9-year-old daughter, Sophia, who spoke at the memorial.

“He was kind, he was really, like, just a hard worker, and he really just got his real estate license and he was excited to do it,” said Sophia.

Family members wore Dodgers shirts to the memorial, reflecting their shared love for the team.

Christina Mendoza, a family friend, said Gonzalez previously worked security at 7 Bar on Montecito and Bath Streets before becoming a bar manager at Santo Mezcal by Los Agaves.

“I want everyone to know about Joel,” said Mendoza. “He was an amazing human, a great heart, beautiful smile — el guapo. Loved him to death.”

Mendoza has organized a GoFundMe campaign to assist the family and posted a QR code at the memorial for easy access. 7 Bar will host a fundraiser on Wednesday, May 21, with 50 percent of the proceeds going to Gonzalez’s family. Friends and staff plan to wear memorial T-shirts in his honor.

Many of Gonzalez’s former classmates have also visited the memorial to offer support to his family.

To assist the family, visit the GoFundMe link below.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/assist-joels-family-during-this-time?lang=en_US

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Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara made a big announcement to help almost a dozen nonprofits in the community.

The organization awarded a record $1.25 million in grants to 11 local nonprofits.

The funding was made possible through the contributions of 1,426 local women members who pooled their charitable donations.

Over 500 Women’s Fund members, guests, sponsors, and community supporters gathered at the iconic Lobero Theatre to celebrate and learn about the funded projects.

From the Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara:

Board Chair Carolyn Jabs emphasized the mission: “Together, when we pool our resources, we can achieve far more than we ever could alone.”

Since its inception, the Women’s Fund has awarded over $12.8 million to 163 programs at 73 nonprofits, positively impacting more than 100,000 women, children, and families.

Critical Community Needs Addressed:

·      Support for homeless individuals·      Mental health care initiatives·      Nutritional assistance for seniors·      Educational opportunities for low-income children·      Vision care services·      Reliable transportation for youth·      Hygiene facilities for those in need

The 2024-2025 grant recipients listed below will tackle some of the most critical needs facing ourcommunity, including the following:

Support for homeless individuals

Mental health care initiatives

Nutritional assistance for seniors

Educational opportunities for low-income children

Vision care services

Reliable transportation for youth

Hygiene facilities for those in need

Carpinteria Children’s Project – $100,000 to provide scholarships for 20-40 low-income studentsin CCP’s Dual Language Immersion Program, enhancing kindergarten readiness and supportingfamilies with access to additional resources and services.

Court Appointed Special Advocates of Santa Barbara County – $75,000 for upgrading CASA’sdata management system and hiring a full-time data management specialist to improveadvocacy for children in foster care.

Channel Islands YMCA – $100,000 to establish the county’s first fully licensed transitional housingprogram for youth exiting foster care, providing intensive case management and support for nineyoung adults.

Children’s Resource & Referral of Santa Barbara County – $200,000 over two years to expandtheir child-care licensing program, guiding 60 women through the licensing process to create upto 480 new licensed child-care spaces in underserved communities.

Domestic Violence Solutions – $100,000 to upgrade security measures at their emergencyshelter and long-term housing facility, enhancing safety for 162 clients annually through newfencing, security systems, and training for staff.

Good Samaritan Shelter – $150,000 to purchase a fully equipped food truck, the Good Samwich,providing culinary training program graduates with paid employment while serving 14,000 mealsannually to the community.

Mothers’ Helpers – $80,000 over two years to hire a part-time bilingual support centercoordinator, enhancing operations to serve over 600 low-income families annually whileimproving volunteer management and reducing response times for parent requests.

New Beginnings Counseling Center – $150,000 over two years to increase mental health carestaffing by hiring a full-time front desk staff member and expanding intake coordinator hours,improving client intake, and reducing wait times for approximately 860 clients annually.

PATH Santa Barbara – People Assisting the Homeless – $110,000 to purchase and install privacypartitions in the women’s dormitory, improving the living conditions for an average of 114 womenannually and enhancing their well-being within the shelter.

SEE International – $110,000 to expand the SEE Vision Care Program by hiring additional staffand increasing service days at their Goleta clinic, enabling the organization to serve an additional1,126 patients and reduce appointment wait times.

Showers of Blessing – $75,000 to purchase a new gas-powered truck base, ensuring reliabletransportation for their mobile shower services and enabling continued access to hygienefacilities for 800 clients, providing a total of 7,000 showers each year.

More information about each of these grantees can be found here:https://womensfundsb.org/gifts.html

Membership in the Women’s Fund is open to all women passionate about making a collectiveimpact.

To join or learn more, visit www.womensfundsb.org

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif.-  The annual Safe Boating Week brings with it a high awareness for water safety in Central Coast harbors and near shore waters that often become a risky blend of many water crafts operators.

On a busy summer weekend, you could easily see the Santa Barbara Harbor entrance full of various sized boats and operators who at all levels of experience.

On board a Santa Barbara Harbor Patrol boat, officer Jan Martinez said, “I think the harbor has gained a lot of popularity over the years and with different companies renting water craft. We have definitely seen an increase in the population as far as people on the water.”

Martinez and the other officers are constantly looking at ways to keep the area safe.  They to spot operator errors or dangerous behavior before a negative incident occurs.

“It’s really just a presence for us out there and guiding people to where  they need to go,”  he said.

They also make sure the vessels have property certifications and licensing each year.  Even those that are docked need to be operational and have annual registrations.

Martinez said, “it is just like a vehicle have to have your stickers on the boat that are current with the year or the years that they give you and if that is not up to date that could be a citable offense.”

The requirement for life vests is strictly enforced.  Either on board and stored in an accessible area or, for example, on a paddle boarder to have one around their waist.  The same for kayakers.

A new addition to the harbor is a life vest station with vests available on an “honor system” loan program.  It is by the boat launch ramp.

Nationally water deaths in the ocean or around harbors there is ” a high percentage of those boating fatalities, people weren’t wearing life jackets,” said Martinez.

For the fist time the harbor has a free loaner site. It is near the boat launch ramp.

Instructions are in English and Spanish, and it has weather and water information with a QR code.

The life jackets are for kids and adults.

Martinez said, “you’re more than welcomed to borrow one. It is part of our  lending program,  just return it at the end of the day.”

National Safe Boating Week in Santa Barbara is observed from May 17-23, 2025.

It emphasizes responsible boating practices and water safety.

In recent years, the Santa Barbara harbor has become extremely popular with local residents and tourists on the water.

The harbor entrance has a “no wake” zone or a limit of five knots.   That keeps all the vessels slowed down and able to respond if there is another vessel crossing their path.

Coming and going, the green buoys are for the vessels going out, and the red are to guide those coming in. “The bigger boats have the right of way and they need to stay out of the main channel. We are constantly  always trying to move them (smaller vessels) off to the side and keep them safe from any type of collisions,” said Martinez.

 This week aims to promote boating safety and ensure a positive experience on the waterways, including the implementation of the California Boater Card for motorized vessel operators. 

The California Boater Card keeps boaters current with rules and regulations. It is now required for all motorized vessel operators, emphasizing the need for boating safety courses and certifications.  

Last weekend was a special Safe Boating Awareness Day.   It included a U.S. Coast Guard demonstration offshore in conjunction with the harbor patrol.  A host was used with a rescue diver to bring up a simulated victim from the water.   A basket was also used with the hoist.   At one point the helicopter was flying in the same pattern as the boat to lower the cable down accurately.

The Coast Guard has an air station at Pt. Mugu in Ventura County. The chopper was a MH-60T Jayhawk all-weather medium-range recovery helicopter. It was delivered to the base in 2024.

For more information go to: Santa Barbara Waterfront Department

The Jayhawk Helicopter data:

The MH-60T Jayhawk has an overall length of approximately 64 feet (19.5 meters) and a wingspan of approximately 53 feet (16 meters).

It is powered by twin gas turbines with about 1,890 horsepower each for a top speed of 180 knots (333 kilometers/207 miles per hour), a service ceiling of 5,000 feet (1,524 meters),  and a range of 700 nautical miles (1,296 kilometers/805.5 miles).

The Jayhawk can be armed with medium machine guns or semi-automatic rifles.

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Dave Alley

AVILA BEACH, Calif. – A popular San Luis Obispo County beach area has made a “top 10 list” released by a national environmental group for having one of highest levels of bacteria in the country.

On Tuesday, Surfrider Foundation released its Clean Water Annual Report, which indicates what locations have tested for bacteria levels that exceed government standards.

The testing is conducted through Surfrider’s “Blue Water Task Force,” which is says is the largest volunteer-run beach water testing program in the United States.

Surfrider describes the Blue Water Task Force as a national network of chapter-led labs that measure bacteria levels at more than 600 locations across the country.

“There are 60 Blue Water Task force programs in the United States, including Puerto Rico,” said Niel Dilworth, San Luis Obispo Chapter Surfrider Foundation Chair and Blue Task Force Coordinator. “This report is based on the data that’s posted by all 60 of those programs.”

Among the dozens of locations Surfrider tested and was determined to having a nationally high level of bacteria is the mouth of San Luis Obispo Creek as it enters the Pacific Ocean in Avila Beach.

According to testing performed by Surfrider volunteers, water in the creek was found to have bacteria exceeding California safety standards 38% of the time.

“Our program tests local beaches and creeks for water quality,” said Dilworth. “We do it weekly. We test for a bacteria that the EPA has identified as a lead indicator for the possible presence of human bacteria. The creek mouth here at Avila Beach tests positive for that bacteria and exceeds the state standards for that bacteria about a third to half of the tests we take weekly, so that means either one in three or one out of every two times you go in the water there, there’s a good chance the water exceeds the state standards for a hazardous bacteria.”

That amount has placed the San Luis Obispo Creek mouth on Surfrider’s “2024 Beach Bacteria Hot Spots.”

“Avila Beach is one of the locations that has the ten most frequent exceedances, so it’s not at the top of the list, but that’s something to be concerned about,” said Dilworth. “Two years in a row now, we’ve been on the list as one of the top ten or bottom ten, I guess, depending on how you want to think about it, for having one of the dirtiest beaches as far as bacteria is concerned.”

As for what is the causing the high levels of bacteria, both Surfrider, as well as local agencies are still trying to determine the source.

“We appreciate the Surfrider Foundation’s dedication to protecting coastal water quality,” Tom Cuddy, San Luis Obispo County Health Agency Public Information Officer, said in a statement. “In San Luis Obispo County, Public Health’s role focuses on conducting weekly, state-guided water quality monitoring and ensuring timely public notification. We are currently reviewing the 2025 Clean Water Report and will be engaging directly with Surfrider to provide our perspective and support a constructive, informed dialogue.”

The Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board, which provides oversight of pollution sources and regulatory enforcement provided News Channel 3-12 with the following statement in response to the Surfrider Foundation Clean Water Report.

“The Surfrider data indicate elevated bacteria levels in San Luis Obispo (SLO) creek and Avila Beach. There a many potential sources of bacteria in this area, including birds and bats, livestock, urban stormwater, human sources, leaking septic systems, or wastewater effluent. The Central Coast Water Board regulates wastewater treatment facilities near Avila Beach and based on the most recent receiving water monitoring data, the results do not indicate that these regulated facilities are a source of bacteria in SLO Creek or Avila Beach. The specific source or sources of elevated bacteria in the creek and at the beach are unknown at this time. San Luis Obispo County’s Health Agency collects ocean water samples on a weekly basis. If bacterial levels exceed water quality advisory levels, advisory signs are posted. To avoid potential risks, beachgoers should be aware of posted warnings.”

Dilworth indicated Surfriders is now meeting quarterly with several San Luis Obispo County departments, including Public Health, Environmental Health, Public Works, as well as the Regional Water Quality Control Board in a new team effort to find a permanent solution.

“It’s the start of an attempt to come up with a coordinated approach to finally nailing down what the sources are of the bacteria here in the estuary of San Luis Obispo Creek and what might be done to be able to remediate them so that we can have a safer place to swim,” said Dilworth. “It’s the next step. Nobody knows how soon we might come to what kind of a conclusion, but the good news is that we’re making progress. It is being looked at and we’re trying to get closer to doing something about this.”

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Mike Klan

UC SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – UC Santa Barbara Baseball’s Tyler Bremner was named The Big West Pitcher of the Week for a second week in a row on Monday after the Gauchos’ ace turned in another career performance to earn his squad a spot in The Big West Championship. Bremner matched his career high with 13 K’s over seven shutout innings against Cal State Bakersfield on Friday, powering Santa Barbara to the 10-1 win that confirmed their place in the conference tournament.

Friday’s game was the sixth time in the last seven weeks that Bremner recorded double-digit strikeouts, as the San Diegan has run away with The Big West’s strikeout crown, claiming the conference punchout title for a second year in a row. After striking out 104 batters in 2024, Bremner has punched out 111 this season — 27 more than the next-closest Big West pitcher (which happens to be his teammate, Jackson Flora). He ranks eighth nationally and leads all pitchers west of Oklahoma in the category.

Friday’s action was all strikeouts early, as Bremner struck out the side in the first and third innings, with two more in the second. Through the first nine batters, the only non-K out that Bremner recorded was picking a runner off of first base as he faced the minimum through three. In both the fourth and fifth innings, Bremner fired back-to-back punchouts to escape second-and-third, one-out jams and preserve his scoreless outing. It also made for five consecutive innings with at least two strikeouts to start his day.

Thanks to Bremner’s work, the Gauchos qualified for The Big West Championship — the first since 1998 — which they will open on Wednesday, May 21 in a win-or-go-home game against Hawai’i at 12 noon from Goodwin Field in Fullerton. Defeat the Rainbow Warriors, and Santa Barbara will enter the tournament’s double-elimination bracket against UC Irvine. Bremner, already UC Santa Barbara Baseball’s career strikeouts leader, has the chance to become the first Gaucho to ever strike out 300 batters in his career, just five away from that mark. If he can rack up 18 more strikeouts, he will break Rodney Boone’s single-season program record.

(Article courtesy of UCSB Athletics).

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Caleb Nguyen

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – A 26-year-old Oceano man was arrested for robbery, assault with a deadly weapon and criminal threats after stealing from a San Luis Obispo business Friday night, according to the San Luis Obispo Police Department.

The 26-year-old laid shirtless in the hallway of the business at the 500 block of Higuera Street when an employee told him he had to leave at 10:24 p.m. on Friday, according to the SLOPD.

The Oceano man left but later returned, charging his cellphone in a bathroom within the business before an argument between him and the employee broke out, according to the SLOPD.

The employee told the 26-year-old he would call the police and began filming the encounter before the Oceano man knocked the phone out of the employee’s hand, according to the SLOPD.

The Oceano man then pulled a knife on the employee and threatened to kill him before the employee put up a trash can to defend himself from the attack, according to the SLOPD.

The 26-year-old then continued to threaten the employee, ran out of the restroom with the employee’s phone in hand, and later destroyed the employee’s phone in a nearby parking lot.

SLOPD officers could not initially find the Oceano man but later identified him thanks to surveillance footage.

SLOPD officers recognized the 26-year-old near Santa Rosa Park before arresting him in the park’s parking lot May 17.

The Oceano man was booked into the San Luis Obispo County Jail and is currently being held without bail under the following charges:

PC 211 – Felony Robbery 

PC 245(a)(1) – Felony Assault with a Deadly Weapon 

PC 422(1) – Felony Criminal Threats 

PC 136.1(b)(1) – Felony Preventing Victim from Calling Law Enforcement 

PC 594(b)(2)(A) – Misdemeanor Vandalism under $400 but with Priors  

PC 3455(A) – Misdemeanor Probation Violation 

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