Author: KEYT

Dave Alley

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) – A San Luis Obispo golf course will remain open after being recently discussed as a potential site for new housing.

This week, the San Luis Obispo City Council reviewed the operations at Laguna Lake Municipal Golf Course, which the city has operated for many years.

First opened in 1964, the city acquired the 206-acre executive golf course, which is located along Los Osos Valley Road across the street from Laguna Middle School, in 1978.

With the golf course operating at significant annual loss, plus several major capital repair projects needed, the site has been seen as location which could be repurposed into other potential other uses, including affordable housing.

Another option that has been proposed was turning the golf course into a new community park, which could include the creation of a disc-golf course.

Last year, the course operated with a loss totalling more than $400,000 for the city, continuing a worrisome financial trend.

In a city report, records show expenses at Laguna Lake Golf Course consistently exceeded revenues, reflecting the ongoing need for General Fund support to maintain operations.

In addition, the course requires two major capital improvement projects, including $250,000 repair project for the pro shop that has been closed since 2021 due to flooding, as well a bridge replacement on the second hole with a cost of $600,000.

The cart/walking bridge connects both sides of the course over Prefumo Creek, but was damaged in 2023 due winter storm damage.

During the council meeting, council members heard from several community members who spoke in favor of keeping the course open.

Afterwards, the council voted to move forward with planned repairs that total more than $800,000, as well as explore new programming to increase community use and revenue.

The city said in a release the possibility of future housing at the site will be assessed in future updates to the Housing Element of the City’s General Plan.

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Alissa Orozco

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – In a new documentary debuting at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, actor and activist Jane Fonda travels throughout the country, seeing the effects fossil fuel companies are having on a variety of people and businesses.

Gaslit exposes the pollution and detrimental health issues fossil fuels are causing in people and the environment. Chemicals such as ammonia, hydrogen, and methane are pumped into the atmosphere every day from these power plants, shortening the life expectancy by 15 to 20 years, according to a documentary subject.

Fonda made an appearance at the Film Festival on February 5th following U.S. premiere of the documentary film.

The film will feature true stories of shrimpers, cattle ranchers, former oil workers, families, faith leaders, and organizers who are standing up against fossil fuels.

“You know, it’s like one fight. And the thing of it is, there are so many fights out there, and we need to get them together and make a fist,” says documentary subject, Diane Wilson.

You can catch a screening of Gaslit during the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on February 8th and 10th.

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Dave Alley

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) – The San Luis Obispo County Airport (SBP) will soon increase the number of parking spaces on its property with the opening of its brand new premium parking lot.

On Monday, Feb. 9, the new lot is scheduled to open and will boost the overall number of parking spots throughout the airport property to just under 700.

The new premium site is located right next to the terminal and is just a few steps away from the entrance near the rental car counters and baggage claim.

Previously used as lot for rental car return, the new premium parking lot will add 60 spaces to the airport’s parking availability inventory.

“With continued growth in passenger activity, we’re being thoughtful about how we expand access and convenience at the airport,” said Courtney Johnson, SLO County Airport Director. “The Premium Parking Lot provides an additional option for travelers who value proximity to the terminal, while allowing us to continue offering a range of parking choices for the broader community.”

Two weeks ago, the airport announced a record-breaking amount of passengers traveled through the airport in 2025.

According to the county, the airport saw 811,905 passengers use the county-operated facility last year, marking a 8.7% increase from the previous year.

Premium parking will cost travelers $35 a day, while parking in the four other lots will continue to cost $25 for each day.

“Travel looks different for everyone,” said San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Dawn Ortiz-Legg, who represents the district where the airport is located. “The Premium Parking Lot offers added convenience for people who value close access to the terminal, alongside the airport’s existing parking options.”

The opening of new premium lot also follows the recent installation of new solar canopies to the airport’s main parking lot.

Several canopy structures are now in place over many of the lot’s parking stalls, which represents 65% of the airport’s overall total of guest parking.

Construction was a two-part process that began last June. Worked finished up right before Thanksgiving and the airport has been waiting to receive its Permission to Operate, which finally arrived about one month ago.

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Caleb Nguyen

CENTRAL COAST, Calif. (KEYT) – The San Luis Obispo County Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force arrested six people as part of its annual Operation Reclaim and Rebuild participation.

The task force rescued three women, including a victim under the age of 18, during the operation, according to the SLO County DA’s Office.

Police arrested Esteban Ceja for numerous felony crimes related to sexual trafficking, using force and fear for the commercial sexual exploitation of the victim, according to the SLOCDAO

Ceja, 30, also received two felony counts of pimping, two felony counts of pandering and another count of providing false identifying information to law enforcement, according to the SLOCDAO.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security also removed Ceja twice in 2018 and 2020, whose trafficking is believed to span from San Diego, the California inland empire up to northern California, according to the SLOCDAO.

Those who have more information on Ceja are asked to contact the SLO Crime Stoppers, according to the SLOCDAO.

Police arrested five more men for communicating with minors or arranging a meeting with minors for purposes of committing sexual offenses with children or teenagers, according to the SLOCDAO.

The following three men sought underage sex in San Luis Obispo County:

Gael Pitaabarca (aged 18)

Stephan Mueller (aged 62)

Singh Ashvir (aged 22)

Two other men also sought underage sex in Santa Barbara County:

Gonzalo Luna-Penafort (aged 22)

Arturo Delon (aged 39)

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Caleb Nguyen

CARPINTERIA, Calif. (KEYT) – Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s deputies released new information Friday about suspects involved in a Carpinteria burglary investigation.

Police arrested Abraham Bustos, 21, after a blue BMW SUB rolled during the incident and booked him on felony charges including the following:

burglary

conspiracy

grand theft

felon in possession of a firearm

carrying a loaded handgun

child endangerment

Police later released Bustos on $100,000 bail and booked the two 17-year-olds at the Santa Maria Juvenile Hall for misdemeanor obstruction and felony charges, including the following:

burglary

conspiracy

possession of an unregistered firearm

The investigation remains ongoing, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.

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Alissa Orozco

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) – Portions of Highway 101 will be closed for a short time next week near the Gaviota Tunnel and State Route 1.

Alternating lane closures will happen along the highway for a rock scaling and rock clearing operation. Road crews will dislodge loose rocks from the slopes and clear any debris adjacent to the lanes.

A northbound lane closure will happen north of the Gaviota Tunnel on Tuesday, February 10th. A southbound lane closure will happen south of the State Route 1 junction on Wednesday, February 11th from 9:00 am until 3:00 pm.

Caltrans say delays should not exceed more than 15 minutes, and electronic message boards will be activated.

Travelers can find more information here.

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Jarrod Zinn

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) – Two teens from San Luis Obispo county were arrested in Scottsdale Arizona, accused of a home invasion in a plot to steal millions in cryptocurrency.

Investigators say these teens were recruited for this shocking crime online.

One of the teens lives in SLO and attended San Luis Obispo High School, the other lives in Morro Bay.

The teens told Arizona authorities after their arrest that the two had only just met.

Ari Parker lives in Scottsdale Arizona. 

At first, he didn’t think much of a blue car in the background of his ring camera footage from Saturday. 

“I had no idea they were connected to the crime that happened here,” says the Arizona resident.

Just down the street, SLO county teens Jackson Sullivan and Skylar Lapeille, disguised as delivery drivers, allegedly forced their way into a home.

Investigators say they violently restrained two adults, and demanded 66 million dollars in cryptocurrency.

A third resident managed to call police.

“The police work was really impressive,” says Parker. “They were pounding the pavement doing old school gumshoe police detective work, knocking on doors, letting neighbors know what was happening.”

The teens fled and, after a pursuit, hit a dead end and were arrested. 

Once in custody, the teens told Arizona authorities they had only just met each other.

“Many of them [neighbors] have lived here for 15, 20 years, and they mentioned that this is the first time they could remember something like this happening,” says Parker.

Unidentified characters known as “Red” and “8” allegedly sent Sullivan and Lapeille  messages on the app “Signal,” telling them to go to Arizona with funds to purchase supplies so they could pose as delivery drivers.

“It’s certainly eye opening, and it’s also incredible the way that different pieces of evidence will be pieced together,” says Parker.

Officials at San Luis Obispo High School have confirmed that Jackson Sullivan was a student.

From what we can gather online, he played sports and wrote articles for the student newspaper.

The teens are being held in Arizona and will be charged as adults on multiple felony charges including kidnapping, burglary, criminal impersonation, and felony flight.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif.  (KEYT) – A morning bus ride from their classrooms brought hundreds of kids to the Arlington Theatre in Santa Barbara for “Mike’s Field Trip to the Movies.”

It is an educational outreach program for the Santa Barbara International Film Festival that takes place in two parts . Trip one is today, trip two is next Thursday.

The children saw the movie “Zootopia 2” and then heard a talk from the filmmakers.

Between the two dates it will bring in about 3-4,000 students.

Some of them are from school districts that do not usually have these types of field trips or educational programs. The children are coming from throughout Santa Barbara County.

Many children have never been to a movie theatre, or have never been inside of an iconic movie landmark like the Arlington Theatre, which has been in Santa Barbara since 1931.

The program is part of their classroom instruction to learn about movies and the arts prior to coming to the event.

The program is named after the late filmmaker Mike DeGruy, who passed away in 2012 while on an assignment for a James Cameron film. 

One of the producers was Yvett Merino, a UC Santa Barbara graduate and an Academy Award winner.

 She talked about the four year timeline to finish the film. “We try things and  they don’t always work and sometimes we fail  and we start over again. It helps us get to where we need to be.” 

Another message to the kids was  about collaboration.

Byron Howard, the film director said, “it is amazing that we all get together, there are about 800 people that work with us on these films. Some of the best stories that we find in these films comes from real issues in our world and movies help to talk about them”

They also explained the far reaching range of these films. Merino said, “we translate this into 47 different languages.”

The trip is designed to expose students to careers in the film industry and spark creativity, with some attendees expressing interest in writing, sound, animation and editing.

“As the school started to depart, the students and teachers told us coming here to the Arlington Theater and hearing from experts in the film business inspired them to consider a career either on or off the screen.”

Quinn Friggione

Vieja Valley Student

 “…  I am a dancer. so maybe some part that has to do with dancing.”

Finley McGinness

Vieja Valley Student

“Uhhhh……….  the lead ….the lead role  probably”

Stella Roy

Cold Springs Student

I would like to help make the movie.  But I’m not sure about being in the movie”

track five

.       Questions submitted in advance from the students …were  answered as part of the program.

Byron Howard

Director

“…..It’s a great business.  super fun it’s a really great way uh to make a living”

Nathan Evans

Vieja Valley Student

“…I think in giving the kids a chance to ask direct questions of these directors and these community members   what a powerful opportunity for our Vieja Valley students.     we are so grateful for the Santa Barbara International Film Festival”

Nathan Evans

Vieja Valley Student

“…..we’ve got some actors  we’ve got  directors. we’ve got some magical kids in room 11 at Vieja Valley.”

track six

.      The goal was to educate and inspire the kids in all aspects of the arts.

Finley McGinness

Vieja Valley Student

” I thought it was just a really great movie to watch. It was, it was like an an inspiring movie. “

In Santa Barbara I’m Newschannel reporter John Palminteri

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Patricia Martellotti

CAMARILLO, Calif. (KEYT) – It’s a big day for several search dogs in Camarillo.

They’re learning to board an aircraft and deploy by air when disaster strikes.

“Making sure we make the right match … and part of that is getting off campus and making sure they get to experience different things … which may include someday on deployment … for instance going up in an aircraft,” said senior director Denise Sanders of the Search Dog Foundation.

The National Disaster Search Dog Foundation rescues shelter dogs and transforms them into elite search teams — trained to find survivors buried in rubble.

“We make sure no one gets left behind and can come home … training like this allows them to be even better at their job and be even faster,” said Sanders.

Inside the aircraft, dogs press close to their handlers — adjusting to engine noise, vibration, and tight cabin space.

That’s because when they land, there’s no warmup. They go straight to work.

“Any of the animals are prohibited from boarding commercial airlines to get to FEMA deployment because of that limitation there is a critical need for these dogs to get to where they need to go,” said chief pilot Michael Kennedy of Fetch Air.

The Search Dog Foundation hopes to expand this training here in our community, so more teams can be ready to fly.”

That expansion could mean faster deployment for emergencies impacting Ventura County, Santa Barbara, and beyond.

Camarillo-based Fetch Air provides the aircraft — helping simulate real-world disaster response.

From shelter kennels to the skies above California, these dogs are preparing for their next call — wherever disaster strikes.

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Alissa Orozco

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – The 41st Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival is set to display over 200 films in the next weeks on across multiple screens in the city. Among the screenings are short films created by local filmmakers such Ralph Torrefranca and his new film Fil-Am.

At just 14 minutes, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival describes the film as the story of “a 16-year-old Filipino kid is forced to leave his old life behind for the terrifying new world of Santa Barbara.”

Based on his experience moving from the Bay area to the city of Santa Barbara, Torrefranca wrote and directed Fil-Am over the course of three days in areas up north and here in Santa Barbara. Torrefranca joined your Morning News to talk about the experience.

“I started falling in love with film here in Santa Barbara, taking my first film class during the summer, and then eventually like figuring out that I actually did want to pursue this seriously,” said Torrefranca.

Along with being a film maker, Torrefranca is also a celebrated musician and DJ.

“I feel like storytelling’s always been just a big part of my life, so being able to have this avenue of a visual medium where I could like write the script and develop the script with with the actors and the characters opposed to just like writing a song in my room by myself, I feel like it’s a real collaborative effort.”

You can see Fil-Am at the McHurley Film Center on February 7th and 9th during the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

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