Author: KEYT

Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Santa Barbara is kicking off a major effort to revitalize its downtown, with the official launch of the Downtown Improvement Association set for Thursday.

Crews are already pressure-washing sidewalks and refreshing landscaping along State Street to make the corridor more welcoming. A storefront beautification program will transform empty windows into showcases for local artists, while a pilot project lead by the city will reimagine outdoor dining with elevated “pedlets.”

City leaders say the improvements aim to boost foot traffic, support businesses, and create a more vibrant experience for visitors and residents alike.

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Tracy Lehr

MONTECITO, Calif. (KEYT) – Los Padres National Forest ordered the opening of the entire San Ysidro Trail, plus the first couple of miles along Old Romero Road.

The area was recently restored with public access in mind.

The multi-agency year-long collaboration involved Los Padres National Forest, Southern California Edison, Montecito Fire, and Montecito Trails Foundation.

The professional trail crew from Los Padres Forest Association restored the trail with funding from the Montecito Trails Foundation.

Private landowners allowed crews access as well.

A Fall BBQ fundraiser last year was supported by the Ann Jackson Family Foundation, Mark C. Lemons Family Foundation, and Montecito Community Foundation.

A photo op ribbon cutting ceremony took place on Monday afternoon at the trailhead.

Trail crews and search and rescue teams are completing final preparations and safety assessments before public access is restored.

Another Fall BBQ takes place this Saturday, Sept. 27th at the Carriage Museum.

Board member Jane Murray will be honored and money raised will fund the restoration of the remaining 5 miles of Old Romero Road in the spring of 2026.

Ashlee Mayfield of the Montecito Trails Foundation took part in the reopening celebration.

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT). –

San Marcos 14, Oxnard 0: The Royals ‘zeroed-in’ on another opponent as they blanked Oxnard 14-0 for the fourth straight shutout in girls flag football.

(Royals scored all of their points in the first half. Entenza Design).

Peyton Sperling had a key interception to lead the Royals to their fifth consecutive win overall as they improved to 16-3 on the season and 7-1 in the Channel League.

Victoria Aldana threw two touchdown passes in the first half, one to Mia Richmond and the other to Rio Chesluk.

(Rio Chesluk snagged her 10th interception on the season. Entenza Design).

Dos Pueblos 45, Rio Mesa 6: Kacey Hurley threw six touchdown passes as Dos Pueblos moved to 8-0 in the Channel League with a 45-6 win at Rio Mesa.

Ruby Streatfeild caught three touchdowns and rushed for another score as the Chargers improved to 17-1 on the season.

Carly Letendre had two receiving touchdowns and Taylor Grant had the other one for DP.

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Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – The Santa Barbara City Council voted to deny an appeal, filed on behalf of UNITE HERE Local 11, of the Planning Commission’s approval to the Hilton Hotel Expansion Project at 633 East Cabrillo Blvd.

The vote, taken without Councilmember Oscar Gutierrez in attendance, was unanimous.

Hospitality workers with the union, and their supporters in red shirts, used their public comment time to talk about the lack of affordable accommodations at the Moxy that was originally a hostel built by the Parker family.

The Moxy Santa Barbara, owned by Marriott on E. Montecito St. in the Funk Zone, has no relation to the MOXI (The Wolf Museum of Exploration + Innovation) children’s museum on State Street.

They also talked about the lack of affordable rooms citywide.

Their attorney Jordan Sisson said they are looking their options moving forward.

“The city is not getting their low cost accommodations, but we will live to fight another day and we will leave it at that,” said Sisson

City staff told the council the sale of the Moxy property and agreements made decades ago allowed Santa Barbara’s largest hotel to expand.

One councilmember described the hostel as a glamping hostel when it opened. It was described as nicer than most youth hotels.

The Moxy hotel is pet-friendly hotel with rooms rates between $270-630 a night.

The Hilton Beachfront Santa Barbara plan calls for 73 rooms, a pool, spa, lounge and bar, intended for a different demographic than the original portion of the hotel built by the late actor and developer Fess Parker.

The Mayor said there is still hope for affordable accommodations at other locations down the road.

“These hotels produce a lot of revenue in terms of T.O.T. sales tax and property tax, so on the balance, when you talk about things like affordable housing, affordable accommodations these are going to add into those funds and help us do those things,” said Rowse.

T.O.T. stands for the Transient Occupancy Tax imposed on guests staying at hotels.

Some of the young members of Local 11 said they did know the history of the hotel or Fess Parkers Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone fame.

The Fess Parker changed its name to Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort 8 years ago.

Longtime locals said Fess Parker left his mark on the community and they fondly remember special occasions held at the hotel.

“I remember when Fess was still alive and he was the one that cut this deal with the city to build this youth hostel they did that, then they sold it,” said Rowse.

The Parker family and their representatives chose not to comment following the vote.

They did not say when work would begin, but the extension is slated for the portion of the property that is currently used to play pickleball.

For more information visit https://www.SantaBarbaraCA.gov

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Alissa Orozco

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – On Saturday, music lovers from near and far rocked out at the One805 benefit concert on Kevin Costner’s “Field of Dreams” estate in Summerland.

Since the devastating Montecito mudslides, the organization hosts their annual fundraisering concert to help support first responders throughout Santa Barbara County. The event hosted epic musical acts such as The Fray, Good Charlotte, Steppenwolf’s John Kay, Trisha Yearwood, and more!

Although the event is now in the past, individuals who did not the get the chance to attend can still participate in supporting first responders by bidding through the One805 auction.

The auction originally opened weeks before the event on September 2nd, and will remain open until Saturday, September 27th at 8:00pm PDT.

One805 says every bid goes to funding mental health programs, lifesaving equipment, and vital support for first responders.

The items up for bid range from one-in-a-lifetime trips to shopping sprees to unique art pieces to VIP experiences!

For more auction information and to place your bid, visit One805’s official website.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – The debut of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) Film Center is on track to completion by the beginning of the year.

Crews have been tearing out the inside of the building in the 900 block of State Street and creating what Executive Director Roger Durling has said would be one-of-a-kind ‘movie palace.’

The goal was to have it finished by the 2026 International Film Festival where it will serve as the main site for the 200 films. The Arlington Theatre up the street will remain the location for the tributes than can draw 2000 movie fans.

The former Fiesta Five theatre will still have its five screens and seating will remain in line with what was there before. Three theatres will have more than 200 seats and two will have 100 seats.

The theater, which opened in November of 2024, is in an existing building for a Santa Barbara parking lot.

The festival staff ran it until May then work began on a brand new state-of-the-art five-screen theatre in the heart of Downtown Santa Barbara.

It was previously run by Metropolitan Theatres.

The new theatre will have a new entrance with a “red carpet” feel from the tile design. It will also have a fully accessible inside ramp for those who are mobility challenged.

The lobby will have state of the art ticketing in person or with phone apps.

The bathrooms will have more stalls and multiple entrances and exits.

One of the changes will be a substantial increase in insulation. That will keep the sound from each theatre from getting into another film showing. It will also help muffle and sound from the parking structure above the ceiling.

The work is being done by Consolidated Contractors.

The project costs is $20-million dollars. Fundraising is ongoing but more than half of it has been secured.

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

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News Channel 3-12

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – On Monday it was announced the Jimmy Kimmel late-night show would be returning after a temporary suspension by ABC amid criticism of the host’s comments on the assassination of the late Charlie Kirk.

Broadcasting companies Sinclair and Nexstar have decided to keep Jimmy Kimmel off the air at their ABC affiliated stations across the country, “to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country.”

Your News Channel 3-12 (KEYT) is owned by News-Press & Gazette Company, and as an ABC affiliated station, Jimmy Kimmel will run tonight on News Channel 3.

Kimmel is planning to address the controversy in his monologue on Tuesday night, a source familiar with Kimmel’s plans told CNN. His show airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m.

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Jarrod Zinn

ORCUTT, Calif. (KEYT) – A Righetti High School student was arrested Monday afternoon in possession of marijuana vapes and a loaded handgun.

Local parents are expressing their concerns largely on social media.

The arrest is reported to have taken place at 1:30pm Monday, after the student was uncooperative and a school resource deputy had to get involved.

Some local parents took to social media to express their alarm.

“The school resource deputy for Righetti High School was alerted by school administrators that they were contacting somebody that was using a vape in a restroom,” says Raquel Zick, spokeswoman for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office. “When the deputy responded, which took him less than a minute because he was already on campus, he attempted to contact the student. The student failed to comply and the deputy had to physically take him into custody.”

Some of the online comments are concerned the school’s announcement in response did not make it clear the weapon that was found was a loaded firearm.

The sheriff’s office says right now this appears to be an isolated incident.

“We do want people to know that there’s no additional charge that goes with that possession of the revolver,” says Zick. “There’s no indication that this was furtherance of an additional crime. So right now it’s just the possession of the revolver, the vape on campus, and the resisting arrest charge.”

The school deputy sustained minor injuries but is already back on the job.

A few parents say they have let their kids stay home from school following the arrest.

On Monday, the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District released the following statement.

“Earlier this afternoon, members of the RHS admin and security team initiated a search of a student based on concerns regarding possible drug activity. The student did not cooperate, prompting the involvement of the School Resource Deputy (SRD). During the search, a weapon was discovered and immediately secured. The student was taken into custody by the SRD without incident.

The RHS Administration would like to reassure our school community that the safety of our students and staff is our highest priority. The Administration is treating this matter with the utmost seriousness and is working closely with law enforcement to ensure appropriate action is taken.”

On Tuesday, Santa Maria Joint Union High School District spokesman Kenny Klein told us quote,

“We are continuing to cooperate with an active law enforcement investigation so there’s not much I can say at this time. counseling services have been made available for those that request it. lastly, I’d like to re-emphasize that the safety of our students and staff is our highest priority.’’

Some folks online say incidents like these are why some parents are opting for home-schooling.

According to the pew research center, a post-pandemic surge in homeschooling is fueled by the recent rise in violence-related incidents at public schools.

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Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – The sound of laughter, music, and painting fills the room offering comfort for those living with dementia.

“I’m happy … yeah .. I like get away and I like the idea of making new friends … yeah … it’s better than just being stuck at home,” said client Dorothy Kuhn of the Friendship Center.

Families caring for loved ones with dementia know how valuable every hour of support can be.

“It’s a chance for members to come and be with the community that we all feel together like a family … a time of friendship and fun and it gives the families also a time of respite,” said activity program coordinator Maria Porter of the Friendship Center.

The Friendship Center is adding that extra hour starting October 13 to give caregivers more flexibility.

Leaders say every extra hour of care will help families juggling work and caregiving.

“I love it people here are great and I’m meeting people close to my own age,” said Kuhn.

The expansion is possible thanks to a national grant from the Center for Dementia Respite Innovation.

For nearly 50 years, the non-profit has offered affordable adult day programs in Montecito and Carpinteria, supporting both participants and their families in maintaining health, social connection, and independence.

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Mike Klan

ORCUTT, Calif. (KEYT). – Cabrillo High School running back Andre Brisco was named Male Athlete of the Week at the Northern Santa Barbara County Athletic Round Table luncheon at Giovanni’s in Orcutt.

Brisco rushed for 235 yards with 4 touchdowns as Cabrillo routed Taft 62-7.

Cabrillo is at Pioneer Valley on Friday.

The Female Athlete of the Week goes to Orcutt Academy golfer Emalie Galaites who was not in attendance due to a match.

She fired a 44 to claim medalist in a win over Santa Maria.

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