Author: KEYT

Alissa Orozco

GOLETA, Calif. – A viewer sent your News Channel footage of a bear sighting in Goleta early Tuesday morning.

The doorbell footage captured the bear walking around a quiet neighborhood near Brandon School around 1:00 am. The viewer told your News Channel they believe the bear most likely came all the way down from the mountains, likely walked down Cathedral Oaks and into their neighborhood.

Viewer called the police at 1:15 am, and who advised them to contact the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

If you have experienced or witnessed a bear sighting in or around the Goleta-area recently, send your news tip, photo or video to your News Channel!

Mina Wahab

SANTA BARBARA, Calif.— Linda Krop says there are still unanswered questions after the Office Of The State Fire Marshal granted waivers to Sable Offshore back in December—waivers that will make it a lot easier for the Texas oil company to restart oil production off the Gaviota Coast.

The Environmental Defense Center filed a lawsuit against Sable and the Office of the State Fire Marshal Tuesday.

This comes after months of back-and-forth between environmentalists and state agencies about the legality of Sable offshore restarting the pipeline that ruptured back during the 2015 Refugio oil spill.

The lawsuit challenges the state waivers that the Office of the State Fire Marshall granted to Sable Offshore back in December. Those waivers allow the pipeline to operate without cathodic protection against corrosion, which was the exact cause of the 2015 spill.

“We have an expert that says the waivers aren’t safe. The county did a study that shows this pipeline can’t be operated safely, but the fire marshal didn’t consider any of that. And who knows what other information may have come forward. So what we’re asking for in this lawsuit is a public process,” said Chief Counsel of the Environmental Defense Center Linda Krop.

“This pipeline can affect major sources of water supply. It goes directly through a suburban neighborhood and built in the fire marshal’s office. Didn’t hear from any of those people that would be impacted by the possible restart of this pipeline,” said Staff Attorney Jeremy Frankel.

The Fire Marshal granted the waivers because Sable promised to implement robust safety measures, including 27 emergency shutoff devices, enhanced leak detection and increased inspections, among other measures.

But attorneys with the Environmental Defense Center say that these safety measures are not enough to prevent an oil spill. “ The pipeline, contrary to what the Fire Marshal says, will not be as safe or safer than if it had cathodic protection, this technology that prevents corrosion,” said Frankel.

In its lawsuit, the Environmental Defense Center says the State Fire Marshal has failed to comply with both federal and state law.  “Those laws require a public hearing. They require environmental review. They provide, you know, a meaningful opportunity for the public to comment, because if we had had that opportunity, we think it’s likely the fire marshal may not have approved the waivers,” said Krop.

Krop says the State Fire Marshal is the one agency that can authorize the corroded pipeline to operate without a system to prevent more corrosion.

We’ve reached out to sable and are waiting for a response. They’ve consistently maintained they are using state-of-the-art systems to prevent a potential spill.  The State Fire Marshal says it cannot comment on pending litigation, but they did send us a statement today that read in part “ Sable has recently completed several tests on a section of pipeline 325a as required by the state waiver and the Office Of The State Fire Marshal return to service requirements. Additional pipeline sections will be tested in the following weeks for pipeline integrity.” Both entities have 30 days to respond to the lawsuit. 

Jarrod Zinn

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – ‘America’s Battle of the Books’ was held in Santa Maria on Tuesday at the Souza Student Support Center.

This was a return to familiar turf for the competition.

The idea of reading competitions has been around in schools for well over a hundred years.

At 25 years old, ‘America’s Battle of the Books’ has been adopted into school curriculums all around the world.

‘It’s a national organization. And we get our questions from there, from Battle of the Books,” says Kelly Hargett, El Camino Jr. High School’s English and Language Development coach.

Students read books in groups and test their knowledge with a variety of games and competitions.

“They send out a list every year. They have an elementary, and then they have a six through eight middle school that we use every year,” says Hargett.

During the pandemic in 2020, the competition had to go virtual, and staff say it was clear the students weren’t engaged nearly as much.

“So last year, we decided to go back and do an in-person, and we held it at El Camino,” says Hargett.

This year’s competition has students returning to the Souza Center.

Staffers are thrilled to be hosting the competition once again.

“I love seeing the kids from the different schools intermingling and talking about books. It’s awesome,” says Hargett.

The list chosen by Battle of the Books contains 28 titles; this year, the junior highs challenged themselves by choosing an additional two books.

“My favorite book that I’ve read this year was A Long Way from Chicago. And I liked that book because it was filled with a lot of funny stories. I’d say my favorite genre is like mysteries because I like detective stories,” says Royal Augustt, an eighth-grade student at Fesler Junior High.

The three junior highs that competed this year hope to see other schools around the Santa Maria Valley return to the competition in the coming years.

Your news team was notified this afternoon that El Camino Jr. High beat defending champion Fesler Junior High.

Dave Alley

TEMPLETON, Calif. – San Luis Obispo County is drawing closer to finally open its brand new Public Safety Communications Center in Templeton.

When completed, the $39 million, 19,000 square foot, two-story facility will house dispatching services for both the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office and San Luis Obispo County Fire Department/CAL FIRE.

“With every week, the anticipation builds as this building gets more complete,” said Chief Deputy Nate Paul, San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office. “It is getting very exciting and we’re really looking forward to be able to commission it and bring it online to transfer our operations up here.”

The project broke ground in October 2023 and is now moving into the its final stages over the next few months.

At the same time work continues this week, construction is now taking place during National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, an annual celebration held during the second week of April to honor public safety telecommunicators for their commitment, service and sacrifice.

“We’re super thankful for the community and the way that the county has kind of shown us support,” said San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Supervisor, Becky Watson. “We’re often the faceless voices in this profession, so it’s awesome to get kind of a week where we’re people say thank you.”

This marks the final year Sheriff’s Office and San Luis Obispo County Fire Department dispatchers will celebrate the National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week in their current facilities.

Both sites are located within about five miles of each other along Highway 1.

The Sheriff’s Office dispatch center is located the the agency’s headquarters on Kansas Avenue close to Cuesta College, while County Fire is just down the highway at the CAL FIRE/San Luis Obispo County facility close to the Santa Rosa Street entrance to Cal Poly.

Both dispatch centers are antiquated, cramped and inefficient for current demands and needs.

“We’re going to move from 1980s technology in terms of a 1980 type building to a 21st century building that will be able to serve us for at least the next 50 years,” said Paul. “The building is going to be significantly bigger, both the dispatch floor, as well as the administrative and support offices, that help dispatch and help manage it.”

According to San Luis Obispo County, the new telecommunications center will provide the public with a number of key features and benefits:

Faster and better coordinated 911 and emergency response for a safer community

Better able to manage and communicate with emergency personnel during major fire events, earthquakes, flooding or other natural disasters

Co-locating dispatching services saves on operational and maintenance costs in lieu of two separate 24-hour facilities for Fire and Law Enforcement

Ability to add dispatching capacity and staff as service levels grow

San Luis Obispo County Public Works Department has projected completion of the new Public Safety Communications Center to take place in mid-August.

It’s expected dispatch operations will be moved into the new center sometime later on in the fall.

John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The City of Santa Barbara is hoping to get its parking operations in the right financial lane soon after many challenges in recent years.

The Finance Committee heard the latest plan today.

The proposed Downtown Parking Budget for Fiscal Year 2026 is being prepared and, as the committee requested, there are updates along the way after warning signs of finances going in reverse in recent years.

There are proposed operational changes including discounted passes and a shift in the priorities for future projects. Some will be paused to save money.

Rates will not be going up and the free time for parking will not be reduced.

In the past both of those options got some push back.

Santa Barbara City Councilmember Meagan Harmon is on the Finance Committee said, “both prioritizing affordability for users and to encourage more use of our existing lots  through lowering prices while also balancing the budget, which I thought  a few years ago wasn’t going to be possible.”

The slump in downtown business is also being called a factor in the drop in downtown parking funds.

The proposals being presented would increase Downtown Parking revenue by approximately $350,000 to $890,000.

The city operates 12 parking lots from the train station to Victoria Street. A small lot on Helena Avenue in the Funk Zone is also expected to be included soon.

One worker in the downtown area, Paul Chiha said discounting the monthly passes and adding more technology will help, “I think having a pass and a program that allows more access as well as a guide to the best places to park would definitely be a benefit.”

Another worker says some employees leave every 75 minutes to move their cars and beat the possibility of a ticket or a fee depending on where they parked. Sally Gilmour says, “they set their timer and they just go move the car a few blocks, but yes it can take time for them  to come back.”

The city is also considering using the Ortega Street parking lot for nearby residents to park for up to two weeks to ease the parking burden on neighborhood streets.

Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Santa Barbara High School senior Carter Battle soared to great heights to capture the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Athlete of the Week honors.

He broke a 44-year school record in the high jump set by former NFL great Randall Cunningham.

Battle cleared 6-8.25 and finished first place at the prestigious Arcadia Invitational.

The Female Athlete of the Week is San Marcos High School swimmer Taylor Steelman.

She led the Royals to first place at the inaugural Tri-County Invitational.

Steelman won the 100 butterfly and 100 breaststroke plus was part of three winning relay teams.

Selma Jensen was named the Santa Barbara City College Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

She carries a 3.98 GPA and continues to pole vault for the Vaqueros despite numerous injuries in her collegiate career.

Jarrod Zinn

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – Tuesday is the national deadline for filing your taxes.

This year has been a slow tax year.

Even though local tax preparers were busy on Monday, there is still a reported downward trend in tax filings.

Local tax preparers have been hard at work with full lobby waiting rooms and long online queues.

“In the Hispanic community, it’s been a different year from previous years. In the beginning of the year, we started seeing a little bit of delays on their tax refunds, but that has changed. People are getting the refunds and everything, but, I think these changes are impacting more in our Hispanic community, you know, like for example here in Santa Maria,” says Jorge Jimenez at Semilla Finances.

Last month, the IRS had observed a 15% decrease on a national scale of pre-filed taxes compared to the same time last year, and the downward trend appears to be consistent.

“I could tell you that everybody that I’m working with is filing or wanting to file or worried about filing. Like I would say that people are slower on getting the information but wanting to file on time,” says Paul Miller, managing partner of Miller and Co.

One of the biggest concerns identified was taxes being paid on capital gains that have taken a hit in recent weeks. 

“The market had the uncertainty. So we lost all that money about two weeks ago. And everybody who had this large capital gain. I have a—I think he’s a doctor. He’s got a $2 million capital gain, he said, ‘But I don’t have it anymore.’ I said, ‘I can’t help you,’” says Miller.

Experts agree getting something filed by the deadline, whether it’s a valid extension, partial payment, or completion, is better than waiting and risking penalties.

“Regardless of their immigration status, I highly recommend them to file their taxes because at the end of the day, we do owe money to the IRS and we have to pay that off,” says Jimenez.

The best piece of advice i’ve heard today when it comes to your personal taxes is to not worry about cuts to the IRS and simply get your taxes filed.

John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – A small fire was contained behind some Santa Barbara Eastside businesses Monday morning by the Santa Barbara City Fire Department.

A fire crew doused it quickly at 21 N. Milpas in a gated location.

The fire was burning in the area of a trash can, some stored paints, and other random items. All were next to a white van.

A witness said he saw what he thought was a trespasser leaving the area right after the fire began.

Firefighters had to use an absorbent on some of the runoff mixture of water and paints.

The structures were not impacted.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Alissa Orozco

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – Sandy’s Deli-Liquor in San Luis Obispo is where millionaires are made.

Last week, the liquor store at 586 Higuera Street sold a Triple Red 777 scratcher with a winning jackpot of $1 million.

According the San Luis Obispo Tribune, the unnamed winner purchased two Triple Red 777 scratchers and another smaller ticket on the evening of April 6th, but didn’t check the winning ticket until the next morning.

Sandy’s Deli-Liquor Co-Owner, Wilson Samaan, says the winner has been a longtime customer who has been living on the streets.

“I was very happy for him for winning that much money. He deserved every penny of it. It is a big life changer for him. It is, he’s gonna be up on his feet again, living off the street,” Samaan says. The store will receive a $5,000 prize for selling the winning scratcher.

An Instagram post from Thrifty Beaches says the lottery winner and his wife have lived on the streets for a long time.

The winner of the million dollar jackpot has yet to be named and the California Lottery needs to confirm the win, which can take around 6-8 weeks.

Customers have visited the San Luis Obispo location to see and take photos of the winning ticket, proudly displayed in the store.