Author: KEYT

Michael Yu

Santa Barbara, Calif.- A southbound semi-truck caught fire late Wednesday evening on Highway 101 near the Bailard offramp south of Carpinteria and was successfully extinguished early Thursday morning with no injuries.

The semi-truck’s driver pulled over to the right shoulder of southbound Highway 101 when they noticed smoke coming from the vehicle and he was busy fighting the fire when first responders arrived on the scene at 11:52 p.m. shared the California Highway Patrol.

The fire was successfully extinguished without any injuries and two lanes were shut down as part of the overhaul of the scene until they reopened at 10:43 a.m. Thursday detailed the California Highway Patrol.

For the latest on road conditions across the state, visit Caltrans’ Quickmap.

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Jarrod Zinn

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – The city of Santa Maria will be issuing a record number of citations this year for the use of illegal fireworks on the 4th of July.

More than 100 citations for illegal fireworks are expected to be issued this year in Santa Maria, compared to 63 from last year and just over 20 the year before.

“The three years that I’ve been here, there’s been a prevalent use of illegal fireworks here within city limits,” says Brad Dandridge, Santa Maria’s fire chief. “Once again, this year was no exception.”

Officials say the spike in citations indicates better vigilance on the part of fire prevention efforts, not necessarily an increase in use of fireworks.

“Every year we’re increasing the numbers,” says Chief Dandridge. “It just means that we’re identifying more and more. Hopefully, there comes a time where the numbers reduce, which means that there aren’t as many illegal fireworks use within the city.”

Just a few days before the holiday, 100 pounds of illegal fireworks to be sold were confiscated and an arrest was made, a case currently in litigation.

Since 2022, the City of Santa Maria and its Fire Prevention personnel have partnered with a third party team whose aircraft are equipped with high resolution video and GPS technology.

“The company that we contract, they have the capability of using multiple aerial devices from drones to actual fixed wing airplanes,” says Chief Dandridge.

In order to avoid duplicate citations, fire prevention personnel are reviewing multiple angles of video footage from that night provided from sources both in the air and on the ground.

“We want to leave the aerial fireworks to the professionals,” says Chief Dandridge. “Although it may be fun, there’s hazards, not only safety but also a danger to our community. Luckily, this year we didn’t have any fires that were initiated by the illegal firework use. However, there were communities around this immediate area that weren’t as fortunate.”

Property owners deemed responsible for launching illegal fireworks will be issued a citation and fined $1,000 per violation.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Considered by many residents for years as one of the most dangerous streets in Santa Barbara, Cliff Drive is expected to get a facelift that will slow down the pace for everyone.

The history is littered with crashes, fatalities, near misses and incidents that many long time residents say could have been avoided with slower speeds and more careful driving.   

Not everything is the street’s fault or outdated designs, lack of signals and inadequate crosswalks for the population. 

There have been crashes linked to excessive speeding, drinking and medical conditions.

One of the most recent incidents was in front of Santa Barbara City College on May 5.   

A speeding driver lost control, ripped out a section of fencing and plowed into a car going the other direction.

Another crash involved a driver and a bus after a crash against the brick wall at Santa Barbara City College during a medical incident.

Santa Barbara Police are routinely dispatching traffic control officers to patrol and use radar on Cliff Drive and when they are present, tickets are written at a strong pace.

In addition to SBCC there are also elementary schools in the area including Monroe and McKinley.

Nick Svensson a longtime resident says, “Cliff drive is so wide. So that blinking light is going to take some time. So in some facet, I don’t think lights, permanent lights are the right idea. I think we test it with, you know, crosswalks.”

Coming out of the Vons shopping center, e-bike rider Richard Nieves said, ” I think if they have the blinking lights to give the caution for people to walk across, if that’s the least they can do, I think that’s a vast improvement.”

Watching cars and pedestrians share space, Andi Garcia a born and raised resident said, “is definitely dicey. And, you know, imagine if there’s, if there’s an e-bike coming by or the bus or someone trying to, you know, dodge across the street. It’s hairy.” She also says the afternoon sun can be directly in your eyes.

“Speeding is a big thing. And we do see the police here, during school time, which is really great. Kind of slowing people down. It’s just necessary to because of the lack of crosswalks, you have people kind of jumping over, back and forth.    It’s dangerous,” said neighbor Andi Garcia.

Work is scheduled to begin in 2027.

For more information go to: Cliff Drive renovations     

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Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – It’s heating up at the Santa Barbara Zoo.

But not because of the weather.

A brand-new exhibit called Tropical Wonders is about to open, bringing guests face-to-face with some of the world’s most exotic species, including one very slithery superstar.

The new Tropical Wonders exhibit transports visitors into a lush rainforest environment.

It’s home to vibrant birds, colorful frogs, and one seriously impressive resident: a 12-foot Burmese python.

Zoo staff say the exhibit is designed to educate the public on biodiversity and the importance of rainforest conservation.

But it’s the python that’s stealing the spotlight, and he’s projected to fascinate guests with its size, strength, and slow, mesmerizing movements.

Tropical Wonders will be open to the public on Friday, and zoo officials say it’s just the beginning of even more immersive wildlife experiences to come.

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Andrew Gillies

SANTA BARBARA AND SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTIES, Calif. – Emergency communications systems, including 911 and air traffic control towers, across Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties are back online after a fiber line was cut during construction work on Tuesday.

According to the City of Santa Barbara, between 9:30 a.m. and 10 a.m., a fiber optic line was cut which caused disruption that impacted emergency communications, a rocket launch, and air traffic control across two counties.

While the exact circumstances of the outage are under investigation, the City of Santa Barbara shared that the Frontier fiber line was severed by contracted workers at the De La Vina bridge replacement project.

“The incident is still under investigation so I can’t provide a lot of specific details,” said City Administrator Kelly McAdoo in response to Your News Channel’s inquiries about Tuesday’s communications outage. “I have already been in conversation with [Santa Barbara County Executive Officer] Mona Miyasato at the County about bringing cities throughout the County together to develop more redundancy in our fiber connections to these critical systems.”

Your News Channel has reached out to Lash Construction which confirmed they are the company conducting the De La Vina bridge replacement and its response provided Friday, July 25 is below:

“As a member of this community, Lash Construction understands the importance of transparency and accountability. The fiber optic communication line that was damaged on Tuesday July 22nd, 2025 at approximately 10am PST, WAS NOT marked and or identified by the Dig Alert system responsible for identifying existing utilities in Southern California. Multiple parties, including our company, are actively conducting a thorough investigation into this matter. Until the investigation is complete, we believe it would be irresponsible to speculate or draw conclusions. Our initial “no comment” response was made out of respect for the ongoing process and to avoid sharing incomplete or potentially misleading information. We remain fully committed to cooperation and will provide further updates when appropriate.”

Orange traffic cones are set up by a hole in the ground near Vernon and De La Vina that appears to be where the line was cut.

Sheriff’s Offices in both counties confirmed Wednesday morning that 911 lines are back in operation after service was restored Tuesday evening.

Anyone still having problems reaching 911 in Santa Barbara County can still text the number during an emergency or use one of the alternate numbers listed here shared the County of Santa Barbara.

The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office detailed that landline and cellular service for Frontier, Verizon, and AT&T customers was interrupted and if anyone is still experiencing issues reaching emergency dispatchers, they can call the Sheriff’s non-emergency line at 805-781-4550, option 3.

“A third-party doing construction work cut fiber lines, disrupting service in the area,” explained a Frontier spokesperson when contacted by Your News Channel.

The Santa Barbara Airport was busier than usual today with people coming and going a day later than planned due to disruptions impacts on Air Traffic Control communications.

Dennis Rose was flying home a visit with his mother when his flight was redirected.

“I was 40 minutes into the flight and I woke up to the pilot asking, kind of mentioning, I think that you all felt the big u-turn back to Salt Lake City, ” said Rose.

He said he hopes technology can be improved to prevent something similar from happening again.

Santa Barbara County’s Office of Emergency Management Director Kelly Hubbard said is showed how agencies can work together.

“It is a good reminder that Ready SBC alerts can be used for concepts other than just fire and floods,” said Hubbard, “We were able to use our registrations and those people who registered with Ready SBC alerts to notify them and let them know critical information.”

For more information visit https://www.readysbc.org/

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – A murder case from 2022 is now moving forward in a Santa Barbara County Superior Court trial.

The victim was a Camarillo man taking a walk with his wife. He was not involved in what was said to be a gang conflict.

Robert Gutierrez of Camarillo, was hit by a shot fired on December 9th, 2022 during his anniversary walk.

He was rushed to Cottage Hospital. Gutierrez died on December 20th.

The suspect in court this week left the scene with three others.

The weapon used in the shooting was recovered and was said to be a 9 millimeter unregistered handgun.

Multiple arrests were made, including one in a high profile swat team incident on the Santa Barbara Westside, in January of 2023.

Your News Channel was on the scene and police used a SWAT team and Bearcat vehicle to make the arrest.

The case involves the prime suspect, Jiram Tenoria- Ramon.

The prosecutor says the shooting was in a gang related incident.

In his defense, the public defender says Tenoria-Ramon was just on a night out with others and not intending to get into a dangerous conflict where a gun would be used.

He faces charges including murder, personal and intentional discharge of a handgun causing great bodily injury or death, and committing the offense while on felony probation.

The other three involved had lesser charges and pleaded guilty.

There were also three juveniles from Ventura County who were involved in this case.

Among those to testify included the wife of the victim and officers that responded to the scene.

The court is not in session on this case on Thursday and Friday.

The case will resume Monday morning.

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Alissa Orozco

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The family of heavy metal legend and former Black Sabbath singer, Ozzy Osbourne, announced his passing on Tuesday after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. Known as The Prince of Darkness, his agressive and dark persona left an unerasable mark on the world of rock and roll.

Remembered by millions of fans, Osbourne’s legacy continues to inspire current and future musicians to come.

Longtime KTYD DJ and music expert Brad Jay joined your News Channel as the world mourns the music legend.

Osbourne was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease back in 2003, but that didn’t stop the singer from continuing to perform. Osbourne continued to tour, but ultimately lost his ability to walk due to the disease. Osbourne died July 22, 2025 in his home in Buckinghamshire, surrounded by family.

“It was something you expected to come down, but then, you know, when it happens, it’s like when any sort of musical legend passes, it just gives you time to reflect and what he meant, you know, to, to rock and roll,” Jay said.

Osbourne sold over 100 million records with Black Sabbath and as a solo artist. Following the height of his musical career, Osbourne further touched audiences with the creation of a reality TV show featuring his family with Sharon Osbourne named, “The Osbournes.”

The show gave fans a look into the rock star’s personal life as a father and husband, creating a deeper connection with those already fans of the singer.

Jay reminisced on his own experience meeting Osbourne at the 2004 ESPN Action Sports and Music Awards.

“Being able to meet Ozzy’s son Jack and Ozzy and Evel Knievel is so priceless in my life. I will never ever forget the opportunity that I had that night, and Ozzy got up stage and they sung Paranoid, one of his top songs with Sabbath,” Jay recounted.

“He operated to his own different beat, and I just think that the throwback to those rock stars, we just don’t see him like that anymore. But I hope that his long lasting effect on the music industry, we see more of Ozzy, just not, you know, biting heads off at small reptiles. We don’t want to see that.”

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Alissa Orozco

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The Addams Family is coming to a local stage for a set of ghoul-tastic performances this weekend in Santa Barbara!

The theatre group, Stage Left, is a 4-week summer camp that teaches kiddos how to audition, dance, sing and create a musical. Throughout the weeks during the program, they rehearse and practice to prepare for their big performance.

Students from Stage Left will be performing in “The Addams Family,” the beloved classic about America’s darkest family!

Two of the play’s stars, Hailey Elizabeth and Chance Challen, joined your News Channel to give viewers a sneak peak at this weekend’s shows.

“It’s definitely exciting and nerve wracking because it’s like the show is almost here it’s definitely coming together very fast and quickly and I’m very excited to get to perform it,” said Elizabeth, who plays Pugsley.

Both performers play the role of Pugsley, giving them a chance to practice and learn together.

“Me and Hailey get to watch each other and watch each other perform, so we get to sort of like see what we do differently and like sort of work on it together so it’s kind of fun,” said Challen, who also plays Pugsley!

You can watch Stage Left’s adaptation of “The Addams Family” this weekend, July 26th to July 27th. They have two performances daily at 2pm and 7pm at San Marcos High School in Santa Barbara.

Visit Stage Left’s website for more information.

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John Palminteri

CARPINTERIA, Calif. – A dramatic scene played out at Carpinteria State Beach Tuesday night when a sailboat crashed ashore.

There was one person on board, who witnesses say was able to get into a smaller “dingy.”

The emergency came after the boat reportedly lost power and drifted, eventually coming ashore east of Linden Avenue and west of the oil industry pier.

The man on board was assisted to shore with the help of the Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Department water rescue team. They arrived with jet skis.

TowBoatUS-Ventura inspected the vessel Wednesday morning and is preparing to take it back out at high tide. It is still sea worthy and does not have any major damage that would sink the vessel.

The incident was very loud when the chopper arrived from the  Coast Guard Forward Operating Base (FOB) from Ventura County. It hovered over the scene and provided a spotlight.

Many campers came out from the nearby campgrounds at the waterfront.

The area was cordonedoff bu t many people got a close up look.

(More details, photos and video will be added later today)

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Jarrod Zinn

ORCUTT, Calif. – The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on ordinances last week maintaining that certain mobile home communities in the county are designated senior communities.

This is a win for some and a loss for others.

There are thousands of low-income seniors looking for housing stability, and senior mobile home parks offer a safe haven for many. 

This ordinance was designed to help seniors, but not everyone is pleased.

Last week, Santa Barbara County Supervisors approved ordinances aimed at protecting mobile home parks, especially those designated as 55-and-older communities.

Despite championing the vote, Santa Barbara county supervisor Bob Nelson had to recuse himself because he recently inherited a mobile home property.

One of the parks that falls under these ordinances is Del Cielo Mobile Estates in Orcutt.

For the last two years, the property owners of Del Cielo, Harmony Communities, have been attempting to change the parameters at the estates to include residents of all ages.

“Harmony communities has deliberately ignored the moratorium that was put into place by this body. This board,” said Del Cielo resident Gary Halter at last week’s board of supervisor’s meeting. “In October of last year, all residents of Del Cielo received park rules and regulations effective May 24th of this year. They have contacted every real estate office in Santa Maria and surrounding areas, insisting they advertise Del Cielo as an all age park, then followed through with approving only non senior buyers.”

But long-time senior residents of Del Cielo since before Harmony Communities entered the picture have made efforts to maintain the community as it was established in 1963, for those over 55.

Another senior resident of Del Cielo, Beth Kaiser, listed several inconveniences residents are dealing with. “The pool has remained unheated and for the last month and a half, the pool shower, spa and bathrooms have been out of order,” says Kaiser. “They finally became available this past Sunday because of this meeting, and hopefully they will assume we are old and will therefore forget.”

Harmony Communities has maintained Del Cielo wasn’t officially a senior park and they have a right to make changes.

They sent us the following statement:

“Over a year ago, we formalized what had always been true, Del Cielo was never a senior park. We updated our rules to reflect that, so the county’s senior overlay doesn’t apply. That change has opened the door to affordable homeownership for families long shut out by redlining style policies. Our community is becoming more diverse, and that’s something to celebrate, not fear. We’re committed to providing affordable housing for people of all ages, races, and creeds. Unfortunately, the Board of Supervisors seems more focused on protecting a vocal, wealthier base and advancing outdated unfair policies.”

“To those seniors who live in these mobile home parks that I’m honored to represent you,” said board supervisor and chairperson Laura Capps at the meeting. “I have a few of them in my district. And you’re so organized. Everybody votes there. Everybody’s active, it’s amazing.”

Senior residents hope these new ordinances will strengthen their case at Del Cielo and other properties.

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