Author: KEYT

Alissa Orozco

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – For its 101st year, El Desfile Histórico celebrated Santa Barbara with the most popular event of the city for many residents.

This parade made its way down Cabrillo Boulevard at noon under warm summertime conditions with a back drop of the ocean and palm trees.

It is one of the nation’s largest equestrian parades with over 400 horses.

There were 58 entries and 27 historic carriages.

It captivated the eyes of thousands of spectators, many that came hours in advance and secured their best viewing spots.

Every few moments, starting with the flower girls, you could hear the cheer “Viva la Fiesta!”

Fiesta began in 1924.

Drew Wakefield, one of the most vocal participants shouted from a carriage, “a great, a magnificent, incredible day. Viva la Fiesta! Fiesta Friday, Old Spanish Days.”

Generations have enjoyed this blend of the Spanish, Mexican, Religious, Indigenous and Ranchero history.

Steve Golis, a local commercial realtor and lifelong horse back rider, said, “it is my 30th year, it is the best.”

Gary Simpson the owner of the ACE Home Improvement Center and sponsor rode in a carriage and said, “Viva la Fiesta Capture the Spirit !” That was this year’s theme. “This is the most incredible thing ever. What a crowd, What a day.”

Teresa Kuskey, a former Saint Barbara for the parade, said, “this is the way to show love and joy and the spirit of Santa Barbara and community, like these types of events.”

Riders came from hundreds of miles away to showcase their skills. There were horses most spectators have never seen up close.

Many of those who grew up in Santa Barbara or left and came back say this parade and the Fiesta spirit runs deep in their family.

 Renee Vargas was in a Fiesta dress saying, “I used to be in the children’s parade, and my parents, grandparents were born from here. It is something I undertake every year.”

Within its presentation of historic carriages and traditions it is a storyline of Santa Barbara.

Jean Michel Cousteau was a former Grand Marshal. He said, “it is an emotional experience that everybody needs to experience because it goes to your heart. It never goes away!”

There’s no shortage of fun at this event with cheering, waving, some horns, and flying confetti.

Angelica Martin let loose a secret. “Don’t tell my husband, but some of our city fire department, when they come out, they spray everybody (with a hose). It’s so fun and interactive. And I get to see the kids get out there. That’s the best part.”

About that time, firefighters came down with a splash of water towards the crowd with small extinguishers. They also hooked up a big hose for a tall shot in the air that send a spray across the crowd.

Keith Strauss was sitting on the edge of the parade route. He said, “it was great. I mean, what else could you imagine besides the confetti?” And handfuls of confetti were being tossed.

For someone who is here from halfway around the world it was a visit she will never forget.

Jo-ann Roots is from South Africa and said, “we do not have Old Spanish Days in South Africa, so I’m enjoying this very much. The tradition, the outfits, the culture, it’s amazing.”

News Channel’s Beth Farnsworth, John Palminteri, CJ Ward, Ivania Montes, Evan Vega, Mike Klan, and Scott Hennessee were all live from the parade as part of the televised broadcast.

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Dave Alley

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif.- A Tsunami Advisory that had been placed across the California coastline for several hours was lifted early Wednesday afternoon for San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties, as well as the rest of Southern California.

Also on Wednesday afternoon, San Luis Obispo County also cancelled an Evacuation Warning for areas near the bay in Los Osos.

The wide scale Tsunami Advisory was made by the National Tsunami Warning Center on Tuesday following a massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake that struck near the far eastern Russia coastline.

In San Luis Obispo County, the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) was quickly put into action once the Tsunami Advisory went into effect.

“Once we got the notification from the state that they were upgrading the Tsunami Watch to a Tsnuami Advisory, the County EOC was activated,” said Anita Konopa, San Luis Obispo County Emergency Services Coordinator. “It was activated at a fairly low level, but County OES staff was in there, as well as, law enforcement, fire, Public Works and EMS, just watch the situation and ensure that we were up to date on what was going on. The state was holding hourly conference calls with all of the operational partners on the coast, and providing us information on what they were receiving from the National Tsunami Warning Center, as well as the information they were getting from their tsunami playbooks. The tsunami playbooks are basically information that the state has that provides us detailed information based on the size of the tsunami, what the coastal threat might be and areas that need to be evacuated.”

Konopa added the EOC remained in operation until 3 a.m. Wednesday morning and then went into what is referred as “Level Four” or a virtual activation.

“Luckily we did not get the impacts that were forecast to happen,” said Konopa. “We were looking at potential wave heights in Port San Luis, up to 3.2 feet. We only hit about two feet. It did correlate with high tide, but luckily there wasn’t a lot of damage that happened.”

On Wednesday, Port San Luis was business as usual with beachgoers, boaters, fisherman and other visitors all going about their day under normal circumstances.

“Fortunately, we had minimal impacts,” said Matt Ashton, Port San Luis Harbor District Acting Director and Chief Harbor Patrol Officer. “We did see, a 2.7 foot surge come in around 2:14 a.m. and that was the brunt of it. We didn’t see any significant energy coming pushing damaging any of our infrastructure that we found yet. We still are assessing the damage, but so far haven’t found any and aren’t expecting to find a whole lot. We’ve been in coordination with the EOC for the county, the sheriff’s department, the Army Corps of Engineers for damage assessments, and so far, we’ve been able to report that we haven’t found much, so I think we got on this one pretty clean.”

The story was the same in nearby Pismo Beach, which looked like another summer day in July featuring pleasant weather conditions once the morning overcast lifted late in the morning. 

“We did see some additional waves come through,” said Pismo Beach City Manager Jorge Garcia. “We saw the tide rising a little faster than normal conditions would be, but nothing that couldn’t be managed or mitigated, so we’re back to normal operations today.”

Despite have little to no impacts from the waves, Garcia pointed out a Red Flag Warning was in effect on its beaches as a result of the Tsunami Warning.

“We have released a red flag warning here for our ocean conditions,” said Garcia. “That’s just because of the potential of additional surges or currents, so if you’re not anticipating them, it’s something to just be aware of. Our lifeguards are ready. We are staffed here on the beach and ready for the public to enjoy the community. We’ll continue to monitor the situation. We may need to have a red flag going into tomorrow into Thursday, July 31st, but we anticipate hopefully by tomorrow and this weekend to return back to normal operations.”

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The way to get a good view of Fiesta Pequena at the Old Mission in Santa Barbara is to be up at dawn.

Blankets and chairs went up starting with the mission bells ringing at 6 a.m., although the hard and fast time had a little flexibility this year.

When the time came, those who were already up and on-site were quick to secure their spot. That is 14 hours ahead of the annual show that will be a featured event during Old Spanish Days.

One resident Sue Kwasnick said, “I rarely get up early but for this. I am psyched because this is going to be one of the most amazing shows tonight and one of the most special moments of the weekend. This is my first time here.”

Thousands will come out to view the beautifully presented show with the mission steps serving as the dance floor and colored lights set up for a spectacular back drop to the show.

The asphalt area at the mission will have chairs for VIP’s and specially ticketed guests. The lawn on the mission property is open for viewing from blankets and small chairs. Beyond that there is a viewing area on the grass at the Rose Garden Park.

Thousands are expected for the show. It will also be broadcast on NewsChannel 3-12.

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Jarrod Zinn

SOLVANG, Calif. – The Fund for Santa Barbara held a milestone grant awards ceremony in Solvang this evening.

A cocktail hour in the outdoor reception area of the Corque Hotel in Solvang Wednesday evening was followed by a presentation of various stories reflecting The Fund for Santa Barbara’s mission.

“The Fund for Santa Barbara is a community foundation providing Movement Building Grants to organizations within Santa Barbara County, those organizations working at the grassroots level, seeking to make social justice change within the county,” says Eder Gaona-Macedo, The Fund for Santa Barbara’s executive director.

Representatives of the Fund for Santa Barbara say that though this event happens every year, this one is a significant milestone because it’s their largest grant cycle in their 45 years of operation.

“I think it’s essential that we all act together as a community,” says Ian Paige, on behalf of Indivisible of Santa Barbara. “What’s happened in the past historically, is one third of the population will be involved, one third of all the community will pull in the other direction. And that last third, the third that we’re trying to reach out to kind of sit by the sidelines and we’re trying to I think all of us are trying to get the people, not just the ones who are active, but the ones who are sitting on the sidelines.”

Some attribute the swell in grassroots support to the Trump administration’s federal funding cuts.

“This year has been really difficult for a lot of people given the immigration raids, federal cuts and just the ongoing change,” says Gaona-Macedo.

Recipients are awarded The Fund’s ‘Movement Building Grants,’ ‘Racial Equity Grants,’ and more.

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Ryder Christ

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — On Wednesday, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) rescinded all designated federal Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf, rolling back more than 3.5 million acres previously set aside for offshore wind development, including areas off the California coast.

Despite the sweeping rollback, the decision will not impact existing leases, including those tied to California’s offshore wind projects like the one near Morro Bay.

“This order, which the administration previewed through its action in January to end leasing of offshore wind in federal waters, does not affect existing leases, including those off California’s coast,” said American Clean Power-California spokesperson Wes Venteicher.

“The proposed federal interference with private economic activity is unprecedented and creates a troubling challenge for critical energy infrastructure investment of any kind — especially at a time of increasing energy demand. Offshore wind energy promises stable electricity pricing, good-paying jobs and grid reliability for California.”

Three global companies—Equinor (Atlas Offshore Wind), Golden State Wind, and Invenergy California Offshore—invested $425 million to develop floating wind farms across 376 square miles off the San Luis Obispo County coast. They also pledged an additional $27 million in community benefits and $66 million toward workforce training.

The region underwent extensive review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), culminating in a Final Environmental Assessment and a “Finding of No Significant Impact” in October 2022. In December 2022, BOEM held its first-ever offshore wind lease auction on the West Coast, awarding three leases within the Morro Bay Wind Energy Area—along with others off Humboldt Bay—covering roughly 373,000 acres with an estimated generation capacity of 3 to 4.5 gigawatts.

The Morro Bay wind project and the newly established Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary were designed to coexist through a carefully negotiated compromise. In October 2024, NOAA finalized the sanctuary’s boundaries, intentionally excluding the federally leased wind energy zones off Morro Bay to allow for the installation of subsea transmission cables.

Earlier that year, the Northern Chumash Tribal Council reached an agreement with the offshore wind developers expressing support for the sanctuary’s creation while allowing necessary infrastructure for floating wind energy. The adjusted boundary ensures that both cultural and environmental protections, as well as renewable energy development, can proceed without conflict.

When asked whether Trump’s latest rollback on offshore wind farms will disrupt development of the Morro Bay Wind Farm project, Venteich declined to comment.

The revocation does not affect existing leases, but it ensures that already suspended lease sales will not go forward according to The Maritime Executive.

The CADEMO Floating Wind Demonstration Project remains unaffected. Located 2.5 to 2.8 nautical miles offshore from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, the project lies entirely within California jurisdiction.

CADEMO plans to install four floating wind turbines, each capable of generating 12 to 15 megawatts, for a total output of around 60 megawatts. Developers have finalized a mitigation agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense to ensure compatibility with Space Force operations. The project is expected to begin delivering power by late 2027.

Because CADEMO bypasses BOEM’s leasing process and is regulated under California’s permitting framework through the California State Lands Commission and CEQA, it is not impacted by the federal WEA rollback.

Meanwhile, actor Samuel L. Jackson is voicing support for offshore wind in a cheeky new marketing campaign by European energy company Vattenfall.

“Motherf—ing wind farms: Loud, ugly, harmful to nature. Who says that?” Jackson asks in the video.

The campaign promotes snacks made with seaweed grown near offshore wind installations.

Former President Donald Trump has long criticized wind energy.

“We’re not going to let windmills get built because we’re not going to destroy our country any further than it’s already been destroyed,” Trump said last month.

Rep. Salud Carbajal said the decision will hurt the nation’s wind energy sector and threaten thousands of jobs tied to the industry.

“Wind power is no longer theoretical—it’s vital to our economy and energy security. Undermining renewables not only hurts American workers and businesses, it hands the future of clean energy to global competitors like China. This is an America Last policy approach.”

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Alissa Orozco

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The start of Old Spanish Days 2025 officially kicks off tonight with Fiesta Pequeña!

Hosted from 8:00pm – 10:00pm, the “Little Fiesta” will mark the official opening of Old Spanish Days with traditional dances and songs from Californios Spirit. All are welcome to attend.

News Channel’s Beth Farnsworth, CJ Ward, and Ivania Montes will be LIVE from the “Queen of the Missions” starting at 8pm.

News Channel reporter and anchor Tracy Lehr will have more coverage on tonights festivities later on today.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – In the center of all the citywide festivities for Old Spanish Days is Santa Barbara’s downtown De la Guerra Plaza, which becomes the very popular Fiesta mercado.

It is the place for food, entertainment, and retail vendors.

The mercado opened with a ribbon cutting and a cheer at 11 a.m. Wednesday, led by this year’s El Presidente Fritz Olenberger and Mayor Randy Rowse.

The ribbon cutting was followed by dancers, including this year’s Spirit of Fiesta and Junior Spirit of Fiesta.

For those coming in with an appetite, there are many food choices in all directions.  It’s all prepared on the spot in mini kitchens.

The mercado is often visited more than once by local residents and guests in Santa Barbara looking for a vibrant gathering space.

The mercado will be open until Saturday evening and cleaned up on Sunday.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif.- The traditional fiesta downtown mercado opens for four days today in downtown Santa Barbara as part of Old Spanish Days.

Thousands of people are expected to come and go for food, entertainment and shopping.

This mercado is in the heart of town and at least 15 vendors are set up with food that will be prepared on site.

This includes tortas, tacos, taquitos, churros, papusas, hot dogs and corn on the cob.

There will be a large stage of entertainment over the run of Fiesta. It will feature performers from local dance studios and at night, bands until 10 p.m.

Non profit groups running some of the booths say it is one of their biggest fundraisers of the year to bolster their budgets.

Local businessman Guy Riviera says, “this is the locals day. This is when our community finds its unity. And we are just gathered here. I was born and raised here and this is what we do.”

So many choices were in front of the hungry visitors.

Mike Haynes held up a tri tip sandwich and said, “It was really good. Look at all the other stuff. You have to try that later.”

It’s all prepared on the spot in mini kitchens that will be operating for the next four days.

Tom Kelstrump said, “I always choose the burrito. Usually pork tastes great. Price is not too bad. “

 For some of the visitors to the plaza, the bites are something they have waited for since last year.

Former Radio host, Baron Ron Heron  ate a taquito and said, “that is pretty damn good.” 

Don Risdon from Carpinteria said,  “we have some, tacos. Some street tacos. Carne asada, carnitas. And then I’m going to finish with a couple of corn on the cobs. Beautiful. Viva la fiesta! “

One of the new additions to downtown  is across from the De la Guerra mercado in the Casa de la Guerra.  It has its own stage and a number of retail vendors as well.

“I was really worried that there wouldn’t be a crowd here today. It’s good. There is a crowd bigger than usual.,” said Heron.

Dana Mensies did a food review and said after trying her dish,  “I thought the meat was really moist. I got the plate combo with the beans and the rice. I highly recommend getting both the green and the red salsa. It just was the perfect place.”

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Mike Klan

UC SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Brian Shaw is the best basketball player to ever come out of UCSB.

Freshman C.J. Shaw is not related to the former NBA player but he certainly has the talent to make a nice impact for the Gauchos as a true freshman.

The 6’4 guard was named the Gatorade Boys Basketball Player of the Year in Nevada after another terrific season at Mojave High School in Las Vegas.

He averaged 21.6 points with more than 5 rebounds and 5 assists per game.

Shaw is a two-way player as he averaged almost 4 steals per game on defense.

But all of that is in the past according to Shaw.

“Obviously high school stuff is left in high school, so college starting a new career,” stated Shaw.

“For a college athlete you have to be able to shoot the ball, play defense and be able to push the ball up any position you are playing. Hard work and defense, defense is a big thing in college.”

UCSB head coach Joe Pasternack likes what he sees so far from his top 100 ESPN recruit.

“C.J. was the Gatorade Player of the Year,” began Pasternack. “I mean he is one of the big surprises for us, he has been doing an unbelievable job.”

The Gauchos are just about at the midway point of their eight-week summer practice session.

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Mike Klan

WICHITA, Kansas. – The record-setting 10-time National Baseball Congress World Series champion Santa Barbara Foresters steamrolled their way into the 2025 quarterfinals with another dominant pitching performance.

Six pitchers (Noah Waldeck, Jaden Barfield, J.D. Goodcase, Tag Andrews, Andrew Guardino and Steele Eaves) combined on a 3-hit shutout over Lone Star Collegiate of Texas.

The Foresters went 3-0 in pool play and outscored their three opponents 26-1.

Santa Barbara will play in the elimination round starting Thursday at 10 a.m. Pacific Time.

The hitting star against Lone Star was Sawyer Farr.

The Texas A&M outfielder hit his first home run of the season, added two doubles and had 2 RBI.

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