Author: KEYT

Dave Alley

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – SLO Food Bank is preparing to handle significant reductions in state and federal funding just as the need for its services is reaching unprecedented levels.

“At the same time we’re facing historically high food prices, a historically high number of people are coming to the SLO Food Bank in need of nutritious support,” said SLO Food Bank CEO Molly Kern. “We’re experiencing cuts from our partners at the federal and state government for funding and food that we used to get to distribute.”

SLO Food Bank reports since fall 2024, it is serving on average 45,000 people monthly, which is a higher average than it experienced during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’re seeing need increase every month,” said Savannah Colevans, SLO Food Bank Communications Senior Manager. “More and more people are needing our services. Food is expensive, living is expensive, and so people more and more are turning to the Food Bank to create a little bit of extra room in their budget. It is really dire right now.”

Now, as the need for its services grows, SLO Food Bank is facing cuts and reductions to its government funding sources that it says will reach above seven figures.

“Historically, food banks have had a great partner in the federal government,” said Kern. “It’s been bipartisan, supported programs that have allowed us to make sure that American grown, raised and made food gets to our neighbors who are most in need, but that has been changing, and so as we look to the coming year, we are preparing to serve more people at a time when food is even more expensive, with less support from our federal partners.”

According to the SLO Food Bank, it is looking at an annual loss of $600,000 from the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA).

“The Local Food Purchase Assistance Program has really been a game changer,” said Kern. “It allows us to get beautiful locally grown fresh produce from some small farmers in the area, which is something that we’re not always able to do because usually we’re ordering on such a large scale in order to be able to get great prices. We’re just not able to purchase from small farms in smaller quantities, but this program has allowed us to do that, and it has been met with such incredible enthusiasm from the people we serve, but also from the farmers who are partnering with who are so proud to be able to be part of feeding their neighbors while also investing in their businesses, growing their economic impact for their local community at the same time.”

SLO Food Bank is also facing a $400,000 cut from CalFood Funding.

“CalFood is a program through the State of California that really does a similar thing to LFPA,” said Kern. “CalFood helps us buy California grown, raised, and produced products. It was one of our largest grants to be able to buy California made food. We often times used it to buy more locally or regionally sourced food. We get amazing tortillas from Santa Maria. We work with regional partners to get beautiful produce. It is the grant that allowed us for much of this year to be able to have things like milk and eggs, even when eggs were expensive. It allows us to get beautiful fresh produce, things like onions, chilies, potatoes, lettuce, lots of different kinds of fresh fruits and vegetables that each of us need to have a healthy, nourished life. We’re supported by this program, and the $400,000 a year cut is definitely going to be felt by our community in San Luis Obispo.”

Another financial hurdle to clear for SLO Food Bank is a potential 20% reduction in financial support from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and its Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP).

“All of the food that you see behind me right now is sourced through the USDA, through a program called the Emergency Food Assistance Program,” said Kern, while speaking inside the SLO Food Bank warehouse. “It is a phenomenal program that connects food producers with food banks throughout the country, and also provides us with additional funding to make sure that we’re reaching our most rural neighbors, and so in San Luis Obispo County, that is really to the east of our county that’s so important., and also north and south, where our drive time, and sometimes even the time away from any grocery store is more than 60 minutes. This program has really enabled us to make sure that we are serving the most vulnerable and most isolated community members.”

Despite the looming cuts, SLO Food Bank leadership is expressing confidence it can weather the financial storm due in large part to the fact that less than half of its operational budget, just 30 percent comes comes from the government.

“At the SLO Food Bank, we can turn every dollar into four nutritious meals for our neighbors facing hunger,” said Kern. “We can do that through a number of different ways and we do it because more than 70% of our operating budget comes from local people and businesses who want to be part of our mission, and that makes us incredibly resilient to changes in government leadership and different priorities. While we have so valued and would love to continue these partnerships, we have an amazing community that has already stepped up to make sure that we can continue to do the work we do, regardless of what happens.”

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. –  A draft strategic plan to reduce fuels in the Los Padres National Forest and help firefighting efforts has been prepared. The public can review it and comment starting later this week.

It is called the draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Wildfire Risk Reduction Project (WRRP). It covers a wide area including the Monterey, Mt. Pinos, Santa Lucia, and Santa Barbara Ranger Districts. That includes Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo Counties.

The draft evaluates the environmental effects of this proposed fuels reduction and forest health project.

It proposes vegetation treatments on approximately 90,796 acres of National Forest Service lands administered by Los Padres National Forest (LPNF). The LPNF says that includes mechanical thinning, hand thinning, chipping and grinding, piling and burning, mastication, mowing and weed-whipping, prescribed fire, targeted grazing, and planting and seeding which may limit public access while work is being done. 

Up to 10,000 acres of treatments on average would be implemented annually over multiple years. The plan is to give firefighters fuelbreaks and defense zones while improving conditions for vegetation resilience.

“We’re trying to be prepared so that when a fire happens in an area we can give firefighters and communities a change to be effective and be able to quickly and effectively put out the fire and reduce the risk of catastrophic effects,” said the Deputy Director of the Los Padres National Forest Jeanne Dawson.

Forest officials say it will also  and protect the health of forest.

The Los Padres Forestwatch Group has been studying the plan and will have a detailed comment. Monday Benjamin Pitterle with the organization said, “reducing wildfire risk is a laudable goal, but this proposal puts roadless areas, endangered species habitat, and sacred tribal sites at risk. It distracts from real solutions by relying on outdated strategies that are ineffective at protecting forests and communities when it matters most—during wind-driven wildfires.” The group wants more funding and attention towards home hardening, fire prevention efforts and fire education for the public.

There have been informational meetings and the comment period is taking place between May 2th – June 2th.”We’ve taken a lot of the best available science out there and taken a lot of stakeholder input  and pulled it together  to have a pretty comprehensive project and we just want to get input from the public,” said Dawson.    

More information can be found at the project website:  https://www.fs.usda.gov/projects/lpnf/landmanagement/projects.

A press statement from the National Forest Service reads:

Los Padres National Forest releases draft WildfireRisk Reduction Project Environmental Assessment

SOLVANG, Calif., April 17, 2025 — Los Padres National Forest officials released the draft EnvironmentalAssessment (EA) for the Wildfire Risk Reduction Project (WRRP) on the Forest’s Monterey, Mt. Pinos, SantaLucia and Santa Barbara Ranger Districts. The draft EA evaluates the environmental effects of this proposedfuels reduction and forest health project.The Forest is proposing a series of vegetation treatments on approximately 90,796 acres of National ForestService lands administered by the LPNF within Kern, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and VenturaCounties. Treatments will include mechanical thinning, hand thinning, chipping and grinding, piling andburning, mastication, mowing and weed-whipping, prescribed fire, targeted grazing, and planting and seedingwhich may limit public access while work is being done. The LPNF anticipates up to 10,000 acres of treatmentson average would be implemented annually over multiple years.The purpose for the WRRP is to increase community protection and enhance wildfire suppression opportunitiesby establishing fuelbreaks and defense zones while improving conditions for vegetation resilience andprotecting the health of forested areas from environmental stressors.The draft EA, supporting analysis, and other information is available for review online at the project website:https://www.fs.usda.gov/projects/lpnf/landmanagement/projects. The LPNF will host four informationalmeetings prior to the 30-day public comment period. The meetings will be held in Santa Maria (April 21), BigSur (April 23) and Frazier Park (April 24). In addition, a virtual meeting will occur April 22.The Forest Service will accept comments on this proposal prior to the 30-day public comment period (projectedMay 2 to June 2) following publication of the legal notice in the Santa Barbara Independent. Comments will beaccepted electronically through the project website and can also be mailed to the LPNF Supervisor’s Office,Attention Kyle Kinports, 1980 Old Mission Drive, Solvang, CA 93464, or hand delivered to that address.For questions concerning this proposal, please contact Mr. Kinports at (805) 961-5710.

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Mina Wahab

VENTURA, Calif.—Fred Gray says he was heartbroken to see a baby whale wash ashore during his visit to Morro Bay last year. “I was hoping, you know, that the baby whale had a good life, you know, and it didn’t suffer,” said the Ventura native. This year many visitors to California beaches are having similar experiences. Sky5 footage from KTLA shows a dead humpback whale on a Ventura County beach Friday. Dead whales were also spotted in LA and Orange counties., and even as far north as San Francisco. Marine mammal rescue groups and scientists say that high levels of Domoic acid, a naturally occurring toxin produce by algae blooms are causing the deaths. “The fish eat the red algae and then the birds, the seals, dolphins, things like that. They eat the fish and it has a neurotoxin that causes them to become disoriented. And then they have seizures,” said Steven Dishman, who lives in Oxnard.

And it’s not just whales. The surfers we spoke to have seen dolphins, seal lions, and even pelicans getting sick. “I was just walking to go surfing and somebody comes up to and he’s like, my friend got bit by a seal. He’s like, Be careful, there’s one out there…What really surprised me is at Rincon Point, I saw a couple of dead dolphins and I was really surprised. That’s rare,” said Ventura surfer Bart Williams.

Researchers at Scripps Oceanography say this is the fourth year in a row we’ve seen a toxic algae bloom off California’s coast. This year’s might be the worst one yet. “This is the worst overcast bloom we have ever seen in Southern California. The amount of animals suffering and strandings that we’re seeing related to this bloom is absolutely heartbreaking,” said Pacific Marine Mammal Center Veterinarian Dr. Alissa Deming.

Now that the cause of these deaths is known, locals are hopeful that organizations will be able to step in and help reverse this new trend.

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Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — The Community Environmental Council’s Earth Day Festival wrapped up Sunday after showcasing a popular electric vehicle display around Alameda Park.

The streets surrounding the park were lined with electric cars during the festival’s opening day. Visitors had the opportunity to sit behind the wheel, explore the features, and even sign up for test drives. Electric bikes were also on display, offering another clean transportation option.

Sponsors of the electric vehicle show included Chevrolet, Crown Dodge, and Gold Coast Toyota. Several booths shared information about rebates and incentives available for electric vehicle purchases.

The car show was one of the festival’s highlights and continued through Sunday.

For more information visit https://sbearthday.org

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Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Hospice of Santa Barbara’s Children and Family Services program is seeing a rise in anxiety and depression among elementary school students in Santa Barbara County.

“And now we are seeing more and more service request that are coming from elementary schools. Kids are facing something and it’s really creating a whole sort of different challenges,” said director of strategic advancement Charles Caldwell of Hospice of Santa Barbara.

The organization’s Children and Family Services program is currently active at local campuses.

The on-campus counseling service provides a vital space for open communication, support and the development of coping skills.

“We know in today’s world, there are significant stressors for our youth … we have social media … increased screen time … more isolation,” said superintendent Diana Rigby of the Carpinteria Unified School District.

For children and teens, grief from the loss of a loved one is closely linked to depression, PTSD and anxiety.

“We’re seeing … that the mental health challenges that kids face continue to grow … and what we’re trying to be able to do is find ways to support them … if you add a death that the child is struggling with a dear loved one, the challenge the child faces are almost insurmountable,” said Caldwell.

So the program is providing professional weekly support groups from elementary to college age students.

“For our most vulnerable students … they are connecting with their professional grief counselors, and they realize that there’s some hope working through that process,” said Rigby.

“Hospice of Santa Barbara also provides services in the event of a crisis at a local school.

“Because a child who died, it might be a child who committed suicide … it might be because of a beloved teacher has passed away,” said Caldwell.

Due to the growing need, Hospice of Santa Barbara is ready to respond to calls across 65 schools from Carpinteria to Goleta, in case a traumatic death occurs within the campus.

“My hope is we will always have access to the professional grief counselors with their compassionate care,” said Rigby.

Learn more about the growing needs and services from Diana Rigby Superintendent of Carpinteria Unified School District and Charles Caldwell director of strategic advancement at Hospice of Santa Barbara.

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Shawn Quien

Our late season storm continues to spin moisture toward our region with showers still possible through the late night and early morning hours. We don’t expect widespread rainfall and anyone who does see a shower develop should not expect much more than about a tenth of an inch at best. Overnight lows will be very chilly with most areas dipping in to the 40’s and even upper 30’s for the coldest locations. Sunday will start out with the threat for showers, especially inland along north facing foothills and mountains. A Winter Weather Advisory will stay in effect through mid Saturday evening for the mountains of Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. Most areas should stay dry on Sunday with just slight chances for sprinkles through the day and again, additional rainfall should be very light at best.

Looking ahead, We quickly turn the weather story back the other way as we head in to next week. Warming will be felt across the region with 70’s and 80’s returning for our warmest areas. Coastal areas will see more 60’s and low 70’s with night and morning fog returning. A gradual cool down will take place as we move toward next weekend as more Pacific storms move in to areas well to our north. At this time, we don’t really see any solid threats for more late season rain, but we will need to keep an eye systems that will get close to Northern and Central California. This means we expect to be dry for the first weekend of May, but as this last storm system has shown, Spring storms can behave erratically and our weather team will keep on top of it all week.

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Tracy Lehr

PORT HUENEME, Calif. – In the midst of President Trump’s new trade policies, Sen. Adam Schiff visited the deep-sea Port of Hueneme.

It is the largest port between the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and San Francisco.

The port is known for importing autos, bananas, and blueberries, and for exporting U.S. goods.

Autos make up half the port’s revenue. The port also handles refrigerated goods.

Sen. Schiff and his wife, Eve, took a boat tour aboard the Island Fox with port officials to learn more about the port’s operations.

“It is fascinating to be out here and see just the magnitude of the cargo that goes through this port, what an important driver it is to the regional economy, but also all the steps they are taking toward electrification, all the steps they are taking to reduce emissions. It is a model, I think, for ports all around the country — and one I hope others will follow,” said Schiff.

Schiff, who was elected to the Senate last year, did not shy away from talking tariffs.

“I am really disturbed by the destructive nature of these tariffs, the on-and-off-again consistency of them. None of this makes any economic sense, and of course it has just been driving down our economy. None of it is doing anything to improve the cost of goods, which just continue to rise,” said Schiff.

The senator said lawmakers are trying to change that.

“In fact, the tariffs are pushing prices higher, so it is enormously counterproductive. I hope they will find some way to bring this to an end. It sounds like the president is trying to find some face-saving way to bring this to an end, but you can’t have a policy where they are on one day, off the next, doubled the following Tuesday. It just makes it impossible for businesses large and small to plan — and what’s more, we are needlessly alienating our allies.”

Schiff said Canada is beginning to boycott American goods by removing U.S.-made products from shelves and telling businesses not to send them products.He called it “economic self-destruction.”

Schiff said there is legislation to reclaim authority by nullifying tariffs unless Congress affirms the tariff policy.

“I do see a growing recognition — at least in the Senate — that these chaotic on-and-off-again tariffs are doing nothing but driving our economy into a ditch.”

Longtime Port Director and CEO Kristin Decas has been navigating the changing federal trade policy.

“We are really privileged to have him here,” said Decas. “It is ideal to have him here and get him educated in what we do in Hueneme.”

She said customers are trying to stay calm.

“The way our customers are looking at the new trade policy developments is sort of a wait-and-see mode — wait and see what is actually implemented so they don’t make knee-jerk reaction decisions but make very informed decisions based on what U.S. consumer demand will be once the policies are ironed out,” said Decas.

Ships made in China and from China are likely to be impacted the most.

Decas wants the senator and neighbors to know the port is doing extremely well financially without government funding.

“We are a debt-free port, and our numbers are very high. Our cargo has grown about 80 percent over the last decade, and so we are going to remain optimistic that the trade policy developments keep our business strong and keep our local residents employed,” said Decas.

Oxnard Harbor Commissioners, including Mary Anne Rooney, were glad to show Schiff how the port contributes and is working toward its goal of being a zero-emissions port operation by 2030.

“I am really thrilled to be out here to see what the port is doing,” said Schiff. “It really is an extraordinary economic force in the region, but also it has been fascinating to learn what they are doing to improve the quality of the air in the region — making sure we are looking after residents, not just the business that runs through this port.”

The senator and his wife saw a green barge that can capture emissions and docks equipped with charging stations for ships.He called it “phenomenal” and “the way of the future.”

But Schiff said ocean-going vessels still need to do their part to reduce pollution and tackle the climate crisis.

Schiff said he also visited the Channel Islands a few days ago and reflected on the 1969 oil spill that helped launch the environmental movement.

“We need to be able to move away from fossil fuels to address climate change. We need to be able to move away from further drilling along the coast. It is just too risky and doing too much damage to the planet,” said Schiff.

He said when it comes to oil, the Trump administration is moving in the wrong direction.

“While the administration claims to want to further energy independence, what they really mean by that is they want to advance the oil industry because they are trying to kill wind power and all different kinds of renewable energy.”

He said the administration seems intent on repealing what President Joe Biden put in place.

“We have that kind of petty, petulant president — but it goes well beyond that.”

Schiff also picked up some port lingo, learning that “RoRo” stands for “roll on, roll off” — a method of loading and unloading cargo using wheeled vehicles and trailers, as opposed to “lift on, lift off” with cranes.

The port shares dock space with Naval Base Ventura County. That portion of the port is off-limits to the public and photography.

Although the wharf was built by Thomas Bard in 1937, the military took control during World War II.Commercial business returned after the war.

Cars and tropical fruit became big business at the port starting in the late 1970s.

According to the port’s website, it handles $15 billion in annual trade value and has an annual economic impact of nearly $3 billion.

For more information visit https://www.porthueneme.org and https://www.schiff.senate.gov

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Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The first weekend of the Santa Barbara Fair & Expo attracted people who seemed to enjoy the 80s flashback theme.

Many people stayed after dark to see the fair rides at night.

The Earl Warren showgrounds seemed to glow before closing time.

Some UC Santa Barbara students in the area saw the lights and rides and decided to make a night of it.

“It is just really pretty and everyone is out here and everyone seems really happy and enjoying themselves on the rides,” said Ashton Laczkowski, “it is really wholesome.”

“We were just passing by and we saw it, might as well come check it out, super fun,” said Jared Olis.

They shared fried Oreos, drizzled in chocolate.

Fairgoers may want to make room for fair food.

They may also want to try their luck at games that line the carnival midway. Prizes include a variety of stuffed animals.

The Santa Barbara Fair & Expo returns for one more weekend on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

For more information visit https://earlwarren.com

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