Author: KEYT

John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Love is in the air around the Santa Barbara County Courthouse, not just for Valentine’s Day, but throughout the year.

The Santa Barbara County Clerk-Recorder’s Office says the request for marriage licenses continues to grow.  In 2025, the office issued 6,000 licenses and prior to the COVID crisis, it was about 4000.

Wedding ceremonies are also up. In 2025 4000 took place. That also exceeds and previous year.

Chief Deputy Clerk Recorder Melinda Greene says, “love is in the air. We are always busy right before Valentine’s Day whether it is getting your marriage license so you can have your marriage ceremony or the whole kit with the marriage license and ceremony. We have many ceremonies booked up. We are double booked.”

Some of them are a simple ceremony with vows restated in a designated area. Some are larger in a reserved area with chairs and a special use of the Sunken Gardens.

It is a sought after location.

“I think we are getting more and more popular with social media we have had coverage in different magazines and the courthouse just photographs so beautifully,” said Greene. About 17 ceremonies are set for Friday. She said, “It’s just a happy day.”

The office will not be open Saturday.

She points out the building recently had a new roof and outside improvements giving it one of the freshest looks in years.

Wedding ceremonies performed by Clerk-Recorder staff take place either directly outside the Hall of Records, overlooking the Sunken Gardens; or at an indoor balcony overlooking the Hall of Records lobby Express wedding services are performed at the public counter.

“There could be some waits. There is not much we can do to control the volume,” said Greene.

The courthouse is a public space and more than one wedding may be taking place at the same time.

The Hall of Records has specific rules:

Guest count is limited to fifteen (15) people including children and photographers, due to County Parks regulations. The indoor space is limited to ten (10) guests.

Please arrive promptly at your scheduled time. Late arrivals may result in cancellation.

Throwing petals, rice, confetti, or birdseed is considered littering and is strictly prohibited.

Photography is welcomed, but please be considerate of other ceremonies taking place.

Public restrooms are available in the Courthouse and the County Administration building.

Guests will be asked to wait outside while the couple completes their paperwork inside the office.

Afterwards Greene says, “we get thank you notes and post cards from our couples.”

For more information go to: Santa Barbara County Hall of Records

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Andie Lopez Bornet

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The Santa Barbara International Film Festival continues with great films and documentaries.

The Morning News was joined by Belle Casares to talk about her short documentary profile The Last Puestero, which made its U.S. premiere on February 11th.

The film tells the story of Adonai Jara, a gaucho who spends days alone in a remote Patagonian ranch outpost, protecting cattle from pumas and poachers. A painful reality hits and shows how times are changing.

Two encore screenings will be held at the Film Center on Thursday, Feb. 12 at 6 p.m. and again on Friday, Feb. 13 at 5:40 p.m.

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) –

Division 3:

Channel Islands 2, Long Beach Poly 1

Oxnard 4, Westminster 1

Calabasas 4, North Torrance 1

Division 4:

Santa Paula 3, Carpinteria 1

Pacifica 2, Saugus 1: Golden goal by Luis Avalos for the Tritons.

Baldwin 2, Oak Park 1

Division 5:

Crespi 2, Fillmore 1

Mountain View 4, Oaks Christian 1

San Marcos 4, Silverado 0: Luis Campos and Yael Solano each scored two goals for the Royals who host Golden Valley on Friday at 5 p.m.

Westlake 1, Wilson/HH 1 (Westlake advances on pk)

Ventura 3, Crean Lutheran 2

Camarillo 1, Lawndale 0

Division 6:

Cate 5, Colton 2: Teke Meisel scored two goals for the Rams who play at Viewpoint on Friday.

Division 7:

Laguna Blanca 2, Covina 0: Baylor Wilson scored a goal and had an assist for the Owls who play at Poly Technic on Friday.

Cerritos 2, St. Bonaventure 0

Division 8:

Foothill Tech 4, Beacon Hill 0

Bishop Diego 12, Grove 1

Thacher 1, Cornerstone Christian/W 0

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) –

CIF-Southern Section First Round:

Division 1: Crean Lutheran 87, Santa Barbara 61: Brent Sharpton scored 14 points as the 3-time Channel League champion Dons ended season 19-9.

Mira Costa 57, Oaks Christian 56: Brady Sullivan scored 24 points for the Lions who end their season at 23-6.

Division 2: San Marcos 69, Calabasas 51: The Royals jumped out to a 26-2 lead after the first quarter as they ran their win streak to 10 games. Senior Brody Green scored a team-high 21 points and had 14 assists along with 6 rebounds. The Royals host Rancho Verde on Friday at 7 p.m.

(Senior Koji Hefner had a double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds. Entenza Design).

(Junior Aidan Conlan added 15 points for the Royals. Entenza Design).

Oxnard 45, North Torrance: Mikey Duran-Morales scored 19 points for the Yellowjackets who host Canyon(Anaheim) on Friday.

Westlake 65, Burbank 39:

Division 3: Temecula Valley 66, Oak Park 54 Easton Holmes scored 17 points for the Eagles.

Warren 66, Camarillo 44

Division 4: Moorpark 101, Godinez 75: Logan Stotts filled the box score with 32 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists for the Musketeers.

Corona 95, Santa Paula 91

Division 5: Rancho Mirage 54, Bishop Diego 53 (overtime): Crew Sjovold scored 12 points and Damien Krautman added 11 points for the Cardinals who finish the season 20-5 and Tri-Valley League champions.

(Rudy Blue scored 10 points for Bishop Diego. Entenza Design).

Rio Mesa 63, Arrowhead Christian Academy 56: John Kaleb Moreno scored 22 points and grabbed 8 rebounds for the Spartans.

Division 6: St. Bonaventure 58, Western 42: Walter Moore scored 25 points and had 10 rebounds while Adam Ayla tallied 12 points with 14 rebounds for the Seraphs.

Pasadena Poly 63, Grace 32

Ramona 91, Fillmore 58

Carter 72, Foothill Tech 56

Eisenhower 80, Santa Clara 73

Division 7: YULA (Yeshiva) 64, Channel Islands 41

Webb 44, Thacher 38

Division 8: Dunn 77, Animo Leadership 23

Division 9 : SM Valley Christian 88, Glendale Advent. 47

Providence SB 54, Nova Academy Early College 31

Bassett 53, Coast Union 9

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Mike Klan

GOLETA, Calif. (KEYT) – Charlotte Raisin was at her very best as she outscored Long Beach Wilson on her own to lead San Marcos past Long Beach Wilson 15-9 to finish up pool play in the CIF-Southern Section Open Division.

The Royals advance out of Pool A by going 2-1 and will host Corona del Mar on Saturday at noon at Santa Barbara High School. The winner moves into the semifinals against top seed Mater Dei.

The USC-bound superstar Raisin tallied a game-high 10 goals and also came up with 4 steals in a dominant performance.

She scored 4 first quarter goals as the Royals jumped out to a 6-1 lead.

The visiting Bruins pulled within 7-4 but Raisin added three more goals in the second quarter as San Marcos led 10-6 at the half.

Long Beach never got closer and there were eliminated from the playoffs.

San Marcos got a huge game from Harvard-bound senior Bethany King who set the defensive tone early.

The field player turned goalie made several first quarter saves to help the Royals take control of the game from the jump.

King ended up with 12 blocks in the game.

Sophomore Jade Pattison scored two goals while Scarlett Akin, Lily Bordofsky and Michigan-bound senior Sophie Yonker all added a goal.

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Alissa Orozco

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (KEYT) – The soccer coach accused of murdering 13-year-old Oscar Omar Hernandez last April is now facing additional sex-related charges involving another two separate minors.

Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman accused 44-year-old Mario Edgardo Garcia-Aquino of killing Hernandez and dumping his body days later near McGrath State Beach in Oxnard last year. The murder charge is accompanied by special circumstances, occurring “during the commission or attempted commission of lewd acts with a child.”

Now Garcia-Aquino is now being charged with an additional nine sex-related crimes against another victim. Public information from Los Angeles Superior Court shows eight counts of sodomy of a person under 16 and one new count of oral copulation of a person under 16.

Initial charges against Garcia-Aquino included one count of assault with the intent to commit a sexual offense and lewd act on a child 14 or 15-year-old for the December 2022 sexual assault of a minor at his Sylmar home.

Another felony count of assault with the intent to commit a lewd act was filed against the soccer coach from a separate 16-year-old minor in February 2024. The nine new charges stem from this same victim for alleged crimes that occurred between September 2022 and July 2023.

Garcia-Aquino is facing at least 13 total charges including the murder charge in the Oscar Omar Hernandez case.

Garcia-Aquino has reported pled not guilty to his newest charges and remains in the jail without bail. A four-day hearing begins March 27th, 2026 to determine if there is enough evidence for a trial.

District Attorney Hochman has said the death penalty could be on the table.

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Jarrod Zinn

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – The Santa Barbara County Supervisors are going to take a closer look at overtime costs in the sheriff’s department.

Overtime costs are consistently exceeding the budget of $10 million… with overtime rising from $11 million in 2018 up to over $20 million in the last fiscal year.

The auditors’ representative began Tuesday’s presentation by acknowledging challenges beyond the sheriff’s department’s control, and clarified that this study was simply observing the department’s budget.

The report also showed 29 employees were so-called “high earners”… receiving more compensation in overtime than their base salaries.

Sheriff Bill Brown cited staffing shortages as a primary problem, and reported successful experimental efforts at avoiding overtime miscalculations.

“At the end of the day, you do control my budget,” said Sheriff Brown at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting. “And so if you decide that you want to cut my budget by $10 million or $15 million, we will work within that budget to the extent that we can. I could do it. But it’s going to result in things that neither you nor your constituents will be happy with.”

The Board Of Supervisors approved a new plan demanding that the Sheriff’s Office conduct a thorough review of its time card policies, and will now look at the sheriff’s overtime every month.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – If you are hoping to find love through food and gifts, there will be no shortage of choices or price ranges for the special day.

One of the most popular surprises does not necessarily come in a small box with a diamond, but instead in a large cardboard box. That’s where heart-shaped pizzas are served up.

Many locations are already making the special cut including Valentino’s Take ‘n Bake on Hollister Ave. near Modoc Road. For Valentino’s, they have been serving for 40 years and have had orders all week from hungry heart-shaped lovers who are ready to pick them up Saturday on Valentine’s Day.

That is when they will get the pink crust. Prior to that, the heart-shaped pizzas are available in the traditional crust.

The Santa Barbara Pizza House downtown, Rusty’s and several other locations are also crafting the pizza with a heart shape.

The owner of Valentino’s Take ‘n Bake Pizza Shayre Olive-Jones said, “I think Valentino’s has been doing pink heart shaped pizza’s for about 30  years. It is a family tradition in Santa Barbara.  Many people have made their memories with it and and we look forward to it every year.”

That’s because the pizza’s will be made fresh and with cooking instructions, it will be a  pay, grab and go flow. They are being set up in 15 minute slots to keep up with the demand.

Many families often include the kids in the Valentine’s day, heart-shaped love in the center of the table.

Olive-Jones said, “a lot of families do it together and then a lot of parents are still going out for that nice dinner in the evening and they get that pizza for their kids and have it special for them  so they feel just as special for Valentine’s Day.”

They will do it all. Any size they make it will be shaped with love.

“All sizes, small, medium, or large or the extra large and we call it the mega. Any toppings or our combination pizza’s,” said Olive-Jones.

It’s a day they prepare for with extra help and a full eight hours of orders. “It is all hands on deck  everyone who works here  and all family comes in and helps.   We want to make everyone’s Valentine’s Day special.”

If take and bake is not your choice you can go the traditional way with a pizza right out of the oven at the Santa Barbara Pizza House in downtown where they also have heart-shaped pizzas.

The owner Erin Khodabandehlou, says they are “hot,  ready to go and at your table or pick up.”

It gets an immediate reaction when the customers see it coming out of the kitchen.

Khodabandehlou says, “they are excited!” The reaction is, ” oh so cute ! They are overwhelmed. That is what brings us pleasure.”

This is also an option for those who are living in a tighter budget and a larger sit down fancy restaurant dinner isn’t going to work this year.

She said, “it’s just like spreading love ,  spreading love with food.  That’s the main thing. Something good for families, for a date night. You don’t have to spend $200. on a date night meal.”

Many restaurants are already getting booked for several seatings. Some are filling up early, on Friday night.

If pizza is not what you are craving, gift buyers are also seeking out shelves of clever cards, beauty products, and clothing lines, such as the Dylan Star boutique in the Funk Zone. There is a clearance sale underway that could be an added value. A pop-up with Zoe Magee of Zoe Bikini will take place Friday featuring the one-of-a-kind giant trucker hats with a large heart in the center.

The Farmer’s Market on Thursday in Carpinteria, Friday along Coast Village Road and Saturday in downtown Santa Barbara are expected to be among the busiest of the year for flowers. Some growers are coming in with extra trucks to meet the demand.

Restaurants offering heart-shaped menu items:

Rusty’s Pizza

Bettina’s

Topper’s Pizza

Ojai Pizza Company

California Pizza Kitchen

(partial list)

Rudy’s Mexican Restaurant – heart shaped taco trays with four tacos, rice, beans, choice of protein or Fajita Veggies.

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Jarrod Zinn

LOMPOC, Calif. (KEYT) – Ashlee Buzzard, accused of murdering her 9-year-old daughter Melodee was scheduled for a status update hearing this morning.

Judge Stephen Dunkle announced that Buzzard was sick, and was unable to appear in court.

Public defender Erica Sutherland told the judge she has only just received the discovery of the case’s warrants and forensic evidence records.

The defense stated she thinks at next court date, they will have had the opportunity to go through the materials and that they’ll finally have what they need to set a preliminary hearing.

Sutherland also made a motion for Judge Dunkle to admonish spectators because at the last hearing, an audience member burst out and shouted something derogatory at Buzzard.

Judge Dunkle approved the motion, agreeing that court proceedings must be a safe place to conduct matters in a civil way, adhering to the Constitution’s protection of innocence until guilt is proven.

Dunkle set the next status update hearing for March 4th.

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