Category: keyt-local-news

Jarrod Zinn

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – The Santa Maria Public Airport has law enforcement support from the city’s police department once again.

This comes after a decade of support from Guadalupe’s police.

Since 2017, the Guadlaupe Police Department has been contracted for law enforcement and security at the Santa Maria Public Airport. 

“If there was an emergency at the airport, we would have had to call a Guadalupe officer here,” says Mike Flores, Finance And Administration Manager at the Santa Maria Airport.

The city council approved the return of the contract to Santa Maria Police at last week’s meeting.

“We’re happy to be back,” says Santa Maria Police Sgt. Shane Armstrong. “That contract formally started on August 6th.”

The Santa Maria Airport runs general aviation flights daily with two commercial flights every week.

“The Santa Maria Police Department’s primary responsibility will be providing law enforcement services, which are required during the TSA operations for commercial passenger flights that are leaving out of the Santa Maria airport,” says Sgt. Armstrong.

Santa Maria officers have already taken their new positions for those flights at the TSA PreCheck, as well as surrounding patrols.

“A lot of the officers that we have, have been with the force for a very long time, so much so that they’ve actually worked at the airport prior to our contract with Guadalupe,” says Flores.

Officials at the airport and police department agree it makes more sense, as the terminal is mere blocks from the Betteravia police station.

“It benefits both the district and the city, because we’re kind of offsetting some of the personnel costs that the city is bearing from their PD being here,” says Flores.

Airport directors say it’s been a very smooth transition, and travelers will notice little difference, if any, other than the badges the TSA agents are wearing.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – The former summertime Drive-In movie nights have shifted in modern times to outside parks and other settings, including the top of the Santa Barbara Zoo.

The summer three-film schedule concluded Wednesday night with the 2016 Walt Disney Animation film ‘Zootopia.’   

It was a twilight screening. Blankets and chairs could be set up at 3:30 p.m. and the event began at 5 p.m.

The zoo staff starts it off with a special talk by zookeepers before the movie begins or a skit with puppets takes place.

Snacks including fresh popcorn are available on site.

The grass lawn has a scenic view of the Pacific Ocean right over East Beach and Montecito.

It is in collaboration with the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF).

Santa Barbara Zoo President Charles Hopper said, “both presenting the silver screen to a new audience and also presenting the zoo’s conservation mission to a new audience.” 

This extra summertime event is included in the regular zoo admission or with a zoo membership.

Animal Care Supervisor Ariel Bailey said, “all the animals in the zoo are obviously ambassadors  for their wild counterparts and every day we are welcoming people to inspire them to conserve the natural world. When people come they are contributing to conservation  in their local habitats as well. “

The  film festival staff also has a fund to include as many demographics as possible.

SBIFF Director of Development Benjamin Goedert said, “to try and make sure that people who ordinarily would not have access to the zoo and these types of events have  priority access and free admission.”

With new technology everyone can see the screen from the field location even before the sun goes down. “We work with this company that makes big LED screens and  light projection so it is back lit so that allows you watch movies in full sun.” said Goedert. The daytime screens were also used in 2021 during the COVID crisis when movies were shown in the Santa Barbara City College Parking lot.

One of the parents here with her child,  also runs the California State Senate in her real day job. State Senator Monique Limon, the Senate pro Tempore, sees the value of these gatherings. “We’re looking for those moments to be able to come be with the kids be with the family at a great location like the zoo with great  weather.   That brings us together in our town in our community with our kids.”

The SBIFF anticipates the program returning in 2027. “Come to the zoo, have fun, enjoy the environment of the zoo, enjoy a movie your family, enjoy the beautiful Santa Barbara  sunset. It’s a great collaboration and good for the community,” said Hopper.

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Dave Alley

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – There are few people who represent Mission Hope Cancer Center than this year’s Day of Hope Santa Maria ambassador Gilbert Rea.

Born in Santa Maria, the soon-to-be 72-year-old Rea grew up in Nipomo and now lives in Orcutt.

In 2010, Rea began what would turn out to be a long-running battle with cancer two years before the opening of Mission Hope Cancer Center in Santa Maria.

“I went into the hospital September 2010,” said Rea. “I was having what I thought was heart problems. I was having trouble breathing chest pains, dizziness. I had told my wife and my daughter a few months before that I wasn’t feeling quite right, that something was wrong, and they both kept telling me he was just your age or getting older and I knew it wasn’t that. The doctor came out after checking me out and he says, you may have leukemia. He said, we’ll know in about 20 minutes, so 20 minutes go by, and sure enough, he comes out and says, you have leukemia.”

After staying in the hospital that night, Rea was introduced to Dignity Health oncologist Dr. April Kennedy, who has remained his physician ever since.

“It was onne of the best things that could have happened to me,” said Rea. “She is great. She had come to her office and. We talked about what was going on and stuff.”

Rea, who had spent more than 30 years working in the local oil business around Northern Santa Barbara County, soon began treatment under the care of Dr. Kennedy.

Two years later in 2012, Mission Hope Cancer Center opened its doors, bringing state-of-the-art comprehensive cancer care to Santa Maria, something new and much-needed to the Central Coast.

“Our mission here at Mission Hope Cancer Center is to serve the people of Santa Maria,” said Dr. Kennedy. “We actually take care of people from Lompoc all the way up to King City. We have locations in Santa Maria and Arroyo Grande. Our mission is to make sure that patients have excellent care right here in town so they don’t have to go to UCLA or some far off place. When they’re not feeling well, they can get all their treatment right here. Top notch radiation oncology. Medical oncology. We have our infusion services and then supportive care, which you just simply don’t see anywhere in local cancer centers. It makes it last less a lot less stressful for patients to be able to come to one location and to receive all the care that they need.”

Since his original leukemia diagnosis in 2010 , Rae has received gone through years of treatment, and later in 2024, he suffered another setback when he was diagnosed with stomach cancer.

“I had to have that stomach removed,” said Rea. “I’ll never forget that day, on Halloween day, they took my stomach out. Dr. Kennedy was going to try and give me a little more chemo. My numbers on my blood wouldn’t level out. She took me off my, my leukemia medicine to try and get the blood levels to come down and they just they just wouldn’t.”

However, with a positive attitude and continued optimism, Rea continued his treatment and has shown encouraging and hopeful results.

“Since then, my leukemia is not showing up,” said Rea. “But we know it’s there. It’s just in remission with no medication. Right now, I get a monthly infusion for an immune system. My body doesn’t make an immune system anymore, but other than that, it’s all in remission.”

Over the many years since Mission Hope opened up, Rea has been a very familiar face in the cancer cancer.

Through his many treatments and various appointments, there have been few patients, perhaps no one else, that has spent more time and received as much treatment at Mission Hope than Rea.

“For a long time, I was here, it was like my second home,” said Rea. “I was here so often that I knew every nurses name. They’re wonderful. All of them. I was here a lot, a lot of times. I don’t know that if Mission Hope wasn’t here, that I’d be here 16 years later.” 

After 16 years of battling cancer, Rae is doing well and is active as he’s ever been.

He continues to work, spending a few days each week at V. Lopez Jr. and Sons, a general engineering contractor in Santa Maria.

He also spends time with his family, which includes is wife of 53 years, plus two children, five grandchildren, one great grandchild and another great grandchild due next month.

For Day of Hope, he is serving as this year’s Santa Maria ambassador, a position allows him to promote the upcoming fundraiser for Mission Hope Cancer Center.

“It is very important,” said Rea. “I think the community feels the same way. I’ve seen people come up and give $100 bill for a newspaper and more than once. Everybody, I think everyone is touched with this cancer one way shape or another. Whether it be a family member, a friend or a friend of a friend. We need this place. We need Mission Hope and we need Day of Hope, so come out and give on the Day of Hope.”

The Day of Hope was created in 2014 and specifically raises funds for patients at Mission Hope Cancer Center in Santa Maria and Arroyo Grande.

On Wednesday, Aug. 26, starting at 7 a.m., hundreds of volunteers will be located throughout the Santa Maria Valley and in South San Luis Obispo County at dozens street corners, intersections, parking lots, schools, churches and other highly visible locations.

Participating teams members will once again be selling special edition $1 Santa Maria Times newspapers.

Proceeds specifically helps the cancer center provide patients with a myriad of complimentary programs and services.

For more information about the 13th Annual Day of Hope, click here to visit the official webpage.

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Patricia Martellotti

CARPINTERIA, Calif. (KEYT) — A community art installation is growing throughout the summer as people add their hopes for the future.

Artist Allison Gobbell created “Trees of Hope” to celebrate the Carpinteria Arts Center’s 25th anniversary.

Visitors are invited to write down their hopes and add them to trees in the center’s courtyard.

The installation continues to change as more people participate, turning individual hopes into a shared community creation.

“Trees of Hope” will continue growing throughout the summer as the Arts Center celebrates 25 years in Carpinteria.

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – San Marcos High School star quarterback Victoria Aldana looked in mid-season form as she threw four touchdown passes in a 33-0 season-opening home win over Lompoc.

The junior Aldana connected twice for scores with freshman Bella Bazylewicz who also intercepted a pass in her varsity debut.

Royals sophomore Piper Kittle caught a touchdown on 4th and goal on the 20 in the second quarter and she also had an interception. As a team San Marcos picked off four Braves passes.

San Marcos led 20-0 at the half after Kalina Estrada scored on a double-reverse late in the second quarter.

The Royals host Palos Verdes on Wednesday at 1 p.m.

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Caleb Nguyen

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) – Three Santa Maria gang members will stand trial following a violent assault in San Luis Obispo near Hotel Cerro on Oct. 6, 2024.

Alex Brian Lopez-Ramirez, Miguel Angel Mendez, Brian Ramirez Lopez will answer for charges and allegations alleged in a formal complaint, according to the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office.

Evidence showed that all three men repeatedly stomped, kicked and punched a victim in the middle of the road and continued doing so after the victim went unconscious, according to the SLOCDAO.

Paramedics later treated the victim for severe injuries at a local hospital, and video footage of the attack, including by the defendants themselves, was included as evidence, according to the SLOCDAO.

Investigators later identified the three defendants as gang members and the victim as a rival gang member from Santa Maria, according to the SLOCDAO.

All three defendants were held to answer for assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury charges alongside special allegations that the assault benefited a criminal street gang, according to the SLOCDAO.

The SLOPD, SLOCDAO Bureau of Investigators and Santa Maria Police all helped investigate the case and all three defendants are currently out of custody, according to the SLOCDAO.

Arraignment for all three men is set for September 17, 2026, according to the SLOCDAO.

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Dave Alley

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) – The San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder Office is currently seeking poll workers for the upcoming General Election this coming November.

The call to the public comes on Tuesday, Aug, 11 during “National Poll Worker Recruitment Day,” an annual initiative to inspire civic engagement and encourage people to sign up to become a poll worker.

“National Poll Worker Day is to just get the word out and encourage people that if they are interested in seeing what the behind the scenes looks like to sign up,” said San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder Alaina Cano. “We always need poll workers and this is just the kickoff to the November election.”

According to Clerk-Recorder Office, poll workers are the face of the election, performing a number of important tasks such as setting up polling places, greet voters, verifying registrations, issuing ballots, explaining voting equipment, and helping voters understand their options throughout the voting process. T

The office also pointed out poll workers play a critical role in ensuring every polling place is welcoming and accessible for all voters, including those who need language assistance or accommodations for disabilities.

“Poll workers are incredibly important and crucial to Election Day,” said Cano. “They are the ones that are out there from six in the morning till 9 or 10:00 at night, making sure that voters have an opportunity to vote in person. Without them, we don’t have the staffing to staff polling locations. We wouldn’t have folks there to assist the voters in determining where their polling location was at, getting them to register, casting their ballots, explaining to them new electronics or technology that’s out there at the polls. They are really an extension of our office, and we honestly could not do it without them.”

Cano indicated there were 732 poll workers countywide during the Primary Election that was held in June.

However, for the General Election that is set for Nov. 3, 2026, the Clerk-Recorder Office will be seeking an even greater amount of poll workers.

“The reason why we need more is because there will be more contests, more ballot types,” said Cano. “There will be a little bit more confusion for the voters most of the time as to which precinct they need to go to,so the more people that we have to assist our voters, the easier that it is for them to have an enjoyable experience out of the polls.”

Cano added poll workers will receive a financial stipend and they can range in age beginning with teenagers and all the way up, as long as they can perform the required duties.

“We have opportunities for even high school students to be student poll workers,” said Cano. “There is no age limit. So you can be anywhere from 16-to-17-years-old from high school and then up to 120 years old. It doesn’t matter. There is no absolute age limit. It is a long day. If you wanted to serve the entire day, it’s normally 6 a.m. to at least 9 p.m. There are also opportunities to work half days, so from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. or from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. and then the pay there is really minimal. It’s more about doing your civic duty and assisting our voters.”

With the recruitment now open, San Luis Obispo County is welcoming applicants from all backgrounds and also encourages bilingual community members, college students, and first-time poll workers to apply.

To learn more about becoming a poll worker in San Luis Obispo County or to apply, visit SloVote.com/pollworkers.

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Jarrod Zinn

ARROYO GRANDE, Calif. (KEYT) – We are learning more about the lawsuits against Planet Fitness in Arroyo Grande.

A total of 14 women have now filed 4 separate formal civil complaints through law firms against Planet Fitness and a former member.

Nearly fifty women are alleged to have been secretly filmed and photographed fully or partially nude while using the tanning booth and red light therapy rooms here at the Arroyo Grande Planet Fitness during 2025.

In April of this year, a college student attending from Arizona filed the first civil complaint.

Local police say their investigation identified a suspect and recovered photos and videos obtained by his phone of nearly fifty women.

“We’re not privy to what the police department is doing, but we do know that the police has been reaching out to different women, that they’ve been coming in and they’ve been confirming that they were victims in this case,” says Ilya Frangos, an attorney at Galine, Frye, Fitting & Frangos.

In May, 2 additional women choosing to remain anonymous came forward, filing their own civil complaints.

In June, the complaints were updated identifying the suspected voyeur as 40-year-old Kyle L. Combs of Grover Beach.

“And it’s, as you can imagine, really challenging,” says Frangos. “This is life changing for these women. So for them to be able to come forward and reach out to an attorney and to pursue any kind of civil case is really challenging.”

In July, SLO County District Attorney Dan Dow filed 12 misdemeanor counts of peeping in private rooms against combs, making it a criminal case.

“The criminal case is meant to punish the individual defendant criminally, and the civil case is an opportunity for the victims not only to pursue a case against Kyle Combs, but also to pursue a case against Planet Fitness for their own harms and losses that they suffered,” says Frangos.

And just last week, a fourth civil complaint was filed bringing the total number of plaintiffs to 14.

Officials say combs has not yet been formally served, and they believe more affected people will come forward.

“Planet Fitness was complicit in victimizing these women along with Kyle Combs,” says Frangos. “We have evidence that Planet Fitness knew that these rooms were not secure and did nothing about it.”

If anyone used the tanning or red light therapy booths at the Arroyo Grande Planet Fitness during 2025 and think they may have been affected, they are encouraged to contact Detective Brandon Earnest at the Arroyo Grande Police Department.

“Like many of our clients, they didn’t know what to do when this happened and they were just in the state of shock,” says Frangos.

The website for Galine, Frye, Fitting & Frangos offers a timeline of the case, detailed implications, and a link to be connected if someone feels they’ve been affected.

The law firms that have filed complaints on behalf of the plaintiffs are Galine, Frye, Fitting & Frangos LLP, Hadsell Stormer Renick & Dai LLP (HSRD), Binder Law Group PLC, and the Law Offices of Tristan Verburgt.

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Alissa Orozco

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) – A growing budget deficit and shrinking financial funds has caused Santa Barbara MTD is make some tough decisions. Starting August 17th, the community will see less frequent bus line trips and some trips will be eliminated all together.

In a public service annoucment, Santa Barbara MTD said its lost $3 million in annual operating assistance due to changes from the 2020 Census – and while they’re still enough funds to cover that cap – the financial deficit continues to grow with every coming year.

Santa Barbara MTD has announced reductions or elimations for the following lines:

Lines 1 (West Santa Barbara) and 2 (East Santa Barbara) “MTD is reducing weekday headways on Lines 1 and 2 to 20-minute frequency. The span of service would remain the same. While Lines 1 and 2 are still popular routes with an average of 22 passengers per hour year-to-date, they have seen drops in ridership of 17.3% and 18%, respectively, in the period of July 2025 to January 2026 as compared to the prior year. While it is hoped that this downward trend on these routes will turn around, we believe that with 20-minute service, there will be enough capacity to satisfy current demand.” Lines 3 (Oak Park), 4 (Mesa/SBCC), 5 (Mesa/La Cumbre), and 17 (Lower West SB/SBCC) “On Lines 3, 4, 5, and 17 currently, there is slightly more service on Saturdays than Sundays. We will be matching Saturday’s schedules on these routes to Sunday’s current schedule. This means all weekend days on Lines 3, 4, 5, and 17 will have the same schedules. Headways would not change on these routes; the span of service would shrink.” “Line 3 will go from 13 round trips to 11 round trips (losing 2 morning trips and 1 evening trip).” “On the weekends, Lines 4, 5, and 17 are interlined for much of the day. Line 4 will go from 11 outbound trips to 8, and from 12 inbound trips to 9. Line 17 will go from 12 outbound trips to 9, and from 11 inbound trips to 8. Both Line 4 and 17 will lose 2 morning trips and 1 evening trip.” “Line 5 will go from 14 outbound trips to 11 trips and 13 inbound trips to 10 trips (losing 1 morning and 2 evening trips).” Line 7 (Goleta Old Town) “On weekdays, Line 7 runs on 30-minute headways for most of the day and becomes less frequent in the evenings. MTD will be eliminating the last outbound Line 7 trip on weekdays. The last two outbound trips from the Transit Center depart at 7:10 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. Upon reviewing ridership on the 9:45 p.m. trip, we believe that eliminating the trip will have minimal impact on riders. This means the latest trip outbound on the Line 7 will become the 7:10 p.m. departure.” “With the recent opening of the two “Project Connect” roundabouts at Hollister Avenue and Highway 217, MTD has changed the way that Line 7 turns around in Old Town Goleta. The route has traditionally had to go through the neighborhood at the end of the line in Old Town, with a left on Kinman Avenue, right on Armitos Avenue, right on Kellogg Avenue, and right on Hollister to pull into the Hollister and Kellogg westbound stop to begin the return trip. With the addition of the roundabouts, the bus is able to simply go straight eastbound, make a u-turn at the roundabout and pull straight into the Hollister and Kellogg stop. This change is an operational improvement but does not affect any stops as there are none located back in the neighborhood.” Line 14 (Montecito) “On weekdays and Saturdays Line 14 runs on hour headways except for one additional round trip in the morning on these days, which gives the service 30-minute headways for one hour. MTD will be eliminating one morning roundtrip on weekdays and Saturdays. When this round trip is removed, Line 14 will have one-hour headways all day on weekdays, and one less round trip on Saturdays.” Lines 11 (UCSB), 23 (El Encanto Heights), and 25 (Ellwood/Winchester Canyon) “Lines 11, 23, and 25 are interlined with each other and Line 6 (Goleta). MTD will be eliminating the following three weekday trips: the last outbound Line 23 trip, which becomes the last inbound Line 25 trip, and then turns into the last inbound Line 11 trip.” “The last outbound Line 23 trip currently departs Storke and Hollister (Rusty’s) at 11:00 p.m. and arrives at Calle Real and Winchester Place at 11:18 p.m. When this trip is eliminated, the latest weekday outbound Line 23 trip will leave Storke and Hollister at 9:40 p.m.” “The last inbound Line 25 trip currently departs Calle Real and Winchester Place at 11:18 p.m. and arrives at Storke and Hollister stop (McDonald’s) at 11:30 p.m. When this trip is eliminated, the latest weekday inbound Line 25 trip will leave Calle Real and Winchester Place at 9:58 p.m.” “The last inbound Line 11 trip currently departs Storke and Hollister (McDonald’s) at 11:30 p.m. and arrives at the Transit Center at 12:23 a.m. When this trip is eliminated, the latest weekday inbound Line 11 trip will leave Storke and Hollister at 10:30 p.m.”

To find more information on the upcoming service changes, visit Santa Barbara MTD

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