Author: KEYT

Christa Kurkjian

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Students at UC Santa Barbara marked the 110th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide with a peaceful on-campus protest Thursday, calling for greater public recognition and education about the mass killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire.

Organized by the Armenian Student Association, the demonstration included chants, handmade posters, and a symbolic march across campus. Participants began their protest at the Student Resource Building, made a stop at Storke Tower, and concluded at the UCSB Library.

“April 24 is a day that we mourn and remember the 1.5 million lives lost during the Armenian Genocide, which continues to be denied by the Turkish government,” said Hovan Boyajian, a second-year UCSB student. “We’re trying to spread the message that we won’t be silenced, and that Armenians in Santa Barbara are strong and passionate about our culture and our community.”

The genocide began on April 24, 1915, when Ottoman authorities arrested hundreds of Armenian intellectuals and community leaders in Constantinople, marking the start of a campaign that led to mass killings and forced deportations. Despite formal recognition by several nations, including the United States in 2021, Turkey continues to reject the term “genocide,” a stance that has fueled generations of activism.

Lilian Mkrtoumian, vice president of UCSB’s Armenian Student Association, emphasized the importance of education and visibility in their efforts.

“People don’t even know about the Armenian Genocide and that’s not necessarily their fault,” she said. “It’s a result of educational systems that have failed to teach this history.”

Beyond Thursday’s protest, student organizers have taken their message to university leadership. The group recently proposed legislation to the UCSB Associated Students Senate that would formally recognize the Armenian Genocide and designate April as Armenian Heritage Month on campus.

“If it passes, it will make our community feel more included,” Mkrtoumian said. “It will ensure that UCSB is actually acknowledging our people, which is very important for us.”

California Governor Gavin Newsom proclaimed April 24 as a Day of Remembrance, and U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff released a statement Thursday commemorating the genocide.

“Despite the trials the Armenian people have faced and continue to face, it has not broken their faith, determination, or their will to survive,” Schiff wrote. “Time and time again, the Armenian people have overcome enormous hardship and loss, and yet, still remain strong and unbowed.”

As students continue their campaign for recognition and remembrance, many say they are committed to ensuring the legacy of their ancestors is never forgotten.

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Ryder Christ

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — More than 200 protesters lined both sides of the street outside the Social Security Administration office in downtown Santa Barbara on Wednesday, joining a nationwide outcry over proposed federal changes they say threaten the future of Social Security services.

The rally, organized by Indivisible Santa Barbara and the Hands Off Our Social Security movement, was one of 58 demonstrations held across 23 states. Protesters gathered outside the SSA field office at 122 W. Figueroa St., where local residents, federal retirees and advocacy leaders voiced alarm over efforts by the Trump administration to downsize the agency.

“This is a collective resistance to the insanity that is going on in our country right now,” said Kristi King, a nurse practitioner and local activist affiliated with both Indivisible and Hands Off. “We’re standing up for the most vulnerable and the most needy population in our country.”

King, along with U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, delivered a 35-page letter to the SSA office. The letter, addressed to Acting Commissioner Leland Dudek and signed by more than 100 congressional Democrats, urged the agency to reverse course on office closures and staffing cuts.

“Social Security is your money. It’s our money,” said Carbajal. “Over 150 individuals on the Central Coast rely on their Social Security monthly checks for Medicaid.”

The demonstration followed recent announcements from the Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk, outlining plans to reduce the SSA workforce by 12%—approximately 7,000 employees—and shut down six of its 10 regional offices. While the administration said the moves are part of a broader effort to improve efficiency, critics warned of long-term consequences.

Jon “Bowzer” Bauman, president of Social Security Works PAC, delivered the letter alongside Carbajal and told demonstrators the administration’s actions were “the biggest assault on Social Security in the history of the program.”

“Donald Trump and his unelected co-president, Elon Musk, are doing the best they can to destroy the entire Social Security system. And we’re doing the best we can to stop them,” Bauman said.

Carbajal condemned the staffing cuts and praised constituents for speaking out.

“The Trump administration’s attacks on the Social Security Administration threaten the services millions of Americans depend on,” he said. “We must protect these lifelines—not dismantle them.”

Bauman pointed to protest efforts as already having an impact.

“They had 47 offices planned for closure. They have backed off that plan already because of demonstrations like this,” he said.

While the White House has denied any planned cuts to Social Security benefits, many protesters expressed skepticism. King cited concerns not only about payment reductions, but also about broader access to services and job security for federal workers.

“What sparked it today was part of the proposed cuts to people’s checks, the elderly, and the cutbacks in service,” she said. “We got together and just said no.”

Alongside the Santa Barbara protest, a similar demonstration was held outside the SSA office in Santa Maria, where local residents delivered the same letter of protest. Another rally is scheduled for Thursday, May 1, at the Sunken Garden at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse.

“It’s very grassroots,” King said. “But the message is clear: Hands off our Social Security.”

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Andie Lopez Bornet

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Friday will be very similar to Thursday with another round of clouds and cool temperatures. Low pressure will drop down from the Aleutian Islands and is headed straight to the Central Coast. Low cloud cover through out the region will possibly produce mist and drizzle during the early morning hours.

By Friday midday, mild winds will pick up and will come from the North Northwest, therefore they will be cold winds. No wind alerts are currently in place. If winds pick up enough, the sunshine will peak through just in time for the afternoon.

As we head into the weekend, you definitely want to keep the umbrellas and jackets out as we are tracking a chance of rain Friday night until Saturday evening. They will be scattered showers, but models are showing close to half an inch of rain but Saturday evening. Ventura County may not see much of this rain, possible drizzle through the day as the system moves through. Chance of rain currently is about 60%-80% from north county to Santa Barbara County.

By Sunday, we can expect quick clearing. High pressure begins to move in and temperatures begin to rise slightly. Some areas will be back into the 70s! For those who enjoy the gloomy weather, enjoy the next couple of days, before more sunshine returns on Sunday!

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The use of electric vehicles (EV) may be common now but when the idea came out years ago it was not easily embraced. The strength of the industry will rev up this weekend when EVs from multiple manufacturers will be on display during the 55th Earth Day weekend in Santa Barbara.

The Community Environmental Council is presenting the free event at Alameda Park on April 26th-27th.

The electric vehicle display is always among the most popular stops for the thousands of visitors. It’s also near the display for electric bikes. Test drives on the spot take place throughout the event.

The include products from Chevrolet, Clean Air Express, Crown Dodge, E-Bike Warehouse, E-Bikery, Electric Bikes, Gold Coast Toyota Dealers, Santa Barbara County (Bike Valet)and RAD Power Bikes.

The event will feature nearly 200 booths, vendors, entertainment stages and awards.

It will take place Saturday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The Community Environmental Council has been a leader in earth friendly solutions for 50 years, following the 1969 offshore oil platform in the Santa Barbara Channel.

The festival will showcase numerous vendors in forward thinking projects and products that will save the landfills from plastics or tons of excess waste.

There will also be a focused area for kids projects and education.

Honors to environmental stewards will also be handed out. In the past winners have included Suzi Amis Cameron presented by her husband filmmaker James Cameron and also Actress-activist Jane Fonda.

Besides the green car show and exhibits there will be live music with fan favorites Spencer the Gardener, the Doublewide Kings, the Caverns and False Puppet appearing.

For more information go to: The Community Environmental Council

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Jarrod Zinn

LOMPOC, Calif. – Lompoc leaders gave an update on the city’s progress today.

By the numbers Lompoc appears to be doing quite well.

Lompoc city leaders, the chamber of commerce, and members of the public gathered for 2025’s “State of the City” address.

Attendees ate a catered lunch Thursday then heard from Lompoc city administrators, law enforcement, educators, and representatives of Lompoc Valley Medical Center.

“It’s great that the Chamber of Commerce was able to put this event on and it helps us to better educate our community of where our city currently is,” says Lompoc police chief Kevin Martin. 

Lompoc Valley Medical Center presented how much they’ve grown in the last ten years, showcasing their locations that allow residents to obtain treatment within city limits.

“We provide a number of services. We have our general acute care hospital, primary and specialty care clinics, along with a skilled 110 bed skilled nursing facility,” says Lindsey Arevalos-Velasco at Lompoc Valley Medical Center.

Lompoc Unified School District showed an improvement in test scores at elementary schools from the previous year.

Police chief Kevin Martin was pleased to share statistics that show Lompoc is one of the safest communities in Santa Barbara county, despite its reputation.

“If you look at the statistics for this county of the police agencies, Lompoc has some of the better numbers when it comes to crime. And that’s not meant to take away from my partner departments in the different cities. It’s just we have somehow earned a reputation that we’re a rough community. And it’s the numbers say something completely different,” says Chief Martin. 

Additionally, the upgrade to a new digital radio system for city police is proceeding as scheduled, and is expected to be up and running by the end of the year.

For those who missed a chance to hear the updates in person, it was recorded by TAP TV.

By the end of the day, the full presentation will be available for viewing on the City of Lompoc’s website.

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The Royals had the finishing touch.

San Marcos High School edged Oaks Christian 3-2 in a CIF-Southern Section Division 1 first round playoff match.

Tied at 2 the Royals #3 team of Charlotte Hastings and Paige Hoadley won the decisive match 21-16, 24-22.

The San Marcos #1 duo of Josie Gamberdella and Cora Loomer won their match in straight sets 22-20 and 21-18 against a team of Jade Mape and Hailey Wilson.

The Royals first win of the day came from the #4 pairing of Lila Westmacott and Isla McClintock.

They outlasted the Lions team of Paige Hansen and Ellie Hallinan 23-21, 19-21, 15-8.

The Royals move into the quarterfinals on April 29th against either Redondo Union/Newport Harbor.

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Andie Lopez Bornet

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – “I’m very excited to have found my prom dress. it’s so pretty!” said Senior Jasmine Odair, as she held the dress she will be wearing to her senior prom.

High school students throughout Santa Barbara smiled ear to ear as they picked out a prom dress and accessories for their big night.

For over 20 years the Assistance League of Santa Barbara has been helping girls prepare for prom night, from different styles of dresses to accessories to volunteers ready to help style them. All free of charge.

“We also have a selection of shoes that they can keep, we ask them to return the dresses and the jewelry and wraps,” said Kathryn Dinkin, Prom Co-Chair Assistance League. 

“I was just really surprised there were so many options and this was actually the first one i saw and it was hanging on the wall so i felt like it was just mean’t to be,” said senior at Santa Barbara High School, Jasmine Odair.

Once the girls try on the dresses they can come and pick out a pair of shoes and they can pick out a clutch or a purse to go with the dress.

The assistance league decorated the boutique this year, giving it a Wicked theme because “Everyone deserves a prom dress.”

“Their faces just light up when they find the dress they say ‘oh my gosh this is so pretty’ and they come in with their girlfriends and their moms,” said Dinkin.

Students in northern Santa Barbara county are also able to borrow a dress.

“We’ve had girls from Orcutt and north county show up as well as girls from Santa Barbara high school, Dos Pueblos, and we are expecting a whole lot more,” said Dinkin.

The prom boutique is open Wednesdays from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.

The last day to pick out prom attire is May 21.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – The Clean Air Express bus connecting northern and southern Santa Barbara county has added a new mid-day schedule and it’s starting off free.

Lauren Bianchi Klemann with the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments says, “our riders were looking for a mid-day option and we were excited to offer this mid day route as a test to see what the demand is.”

The mid-day bus runs the route twice. It has two stops in Santa Maria, one in Buellton, two in Goleta and three in Santa Barbara. It’s mainly been a morning and evening service until now.

One of the riders on board for free is a regular user from Santa Maria to Santa Barbara with a monthly pass at $160 dollars. Chris Smith is a downtown Santa Barbara worker who lives in Orcutt. He saves 126 miles of driving, gas costs, and wear-and-tear on his vehicle every day.

“I love it. It’s convenient. It saves gas and money,” he said after getting off from his trip Wednesday morning.

Some employers have offered incentives to cut the costs even more and reduce the number of cars  overall on the road.

Smith said for his day-to-day use, “in the morning – if I start early – I start at about 7:00 am. I get here about 6:40 am. In the afternoon, I get off about 4:00 pm so I catch the bus at 4:10 pm.”

The Clean Air Express also has another level of convenience with all the major locations it connects to at the transit centers, for those who need to go somewhere else on their route.

It’s not just for workers, anyone can ride. 

Bianchi Klemann said, “this mid-day connector route gives you more flexibility to travel on your own schedule instead of just the early morning options.”

Information on the Clean Air Express and other transit options can be found on the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments web page with a link to the Clean Air Express.

That agency is coordinating these transit systems with the help of taxpayer money specifically for this purpose.

Bianchi Klemann said, “the launch is made possible by state dollars but also measure A which funds Clean Air Express in general. That’s the half cent sales tax measure that we passed in 2008 with over 80% of the voters.”

The free rides are only through the end of the month.

For more information go to : The Clean Air Express or SBCAG

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Jarrod Zinn

GROVER BEACH, Calif. – Grover Beach city leaders say wastewater rate increases are coming for local residents.

Much of the public has seen this coming.

The city has been indicating a need to raise rates for quite some time now.

And right now, there’s an opportunity for residents opposed to a rate increase to make their voices heard.

Demands are growing on the aging wastewater system.  

It was first built in 1965, and it’s last overhaul was in the mid-80s.

“This system was put in 85, 86, I believe. It’s pretty antiquated. This lift station basically collects all the sewage via gravity being that we’re in a hilly area, everything runs downhill to this point and then it gets pumped back the other direction to get to another gravity point. It’s all analog,” says Billy Haas, Public Works superintendent.

Grant funding has had to be allocated to several other important community projects recently.

But city leaders say even with full grant funding, they would still need to raise rates to fully fund operations and upgrades.

A series of rate increases are being proposed over the next 5 years.

“We’re proposing to increase sewer rates by about $2.28 per month for year one, rising up to about $16 more a month by year five in order to make sure our sewer system works for our community today and for tomorrow,” says Matthew Bronson, Grover Beach city manager.

Additionally, some crucial street repairs are ready to start, but the city wants to fully update the wastewater system beneath them first so they’re not cutting into the fresh pavement for the sewage upgrades.

“Last year they told us they were going to repave the streets and they never did. And they’re repaving Grand and fixing it up. But the homeowners that live here, some have million dollar plus homes, and yet our streets are like third world country streets. So it’s like who has mismanaged the money that’s supposed to go to take care of our streets?” says Valerie McGill, who lives in Grover Beach.

Under Proposition 218, a grace period is underway, during which city administration will send letters and make announcements that residents’ rates will be increasing July first.

If 50% or more of the population have one valid reason per property why they cannot meet the higher rates, the city will not be authorized to adopt the change in rates.

Community members have until the public hearing on June 9th to submit any protests—in writing only.

Informational sessions are scheduled for May 8th and May 28th.

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