Category: keyt-local-news

Jarrod Zinn

LOMPOC, Calif. (KEYT) – The Lompoc Chamber of Commerce is highlighting two new options for dining out during this year’s Restaurant Week.

There are plenty of cozy indoor options.

New leaders at the Lompoc Valley Chamber of Commerce say locals eagerly anticipate Restaurant Week every year, and this year there are two new options.

“Hangar 7” is doing well under new ownership, and the Village Inn is housing newcomer restaurant “Dave’s Place.”

“One of our most popular events,” says Melanie Lindley, executive director for Lompoc Valley Chamber Of Commerce. “People are really excited about Restaurant Week. We get a lot of interest. They look forward to the menus coming out and, I think our phone ringing off the hook Monday on a holiday with the interest for that.”

Restaurants both locally owned and franchisees participate in Lompoc Restaurant Week, serving culinarily creative meal and libation options.

“We going to be offering one of our newest items, which is our steak frites,” says Juan Magana, Hangar 7’s new owner. “That is a terrace major, which is similar to a filet mignon that, is, grilled up, served over french fries, and then we put a chimichurri on it. The other one is we have what we call our Garden State pizza for vegetarians. And then we also do our Tamarindo wings. They’re very unique. They’re very different. Those wings are jumbo wings. They are, lightly fried and then tossed in our Tamarindo sauce and then topped off with a little bit of Tajin.”

At participating locations, $20.26 can buy options including a meal for one, two-for-one, a special event, or wine (or beer) flights with pairings.

“Our menu has changed,” says Magana. “We’ve added quite a few more items, we do live music on Saturdays, I’ve incorporated some more seating.”

Restaurants serve these specials for the whole week, and the event lasts through sunday.

And families can escape this week’s rainstorms with indoor spaces available at all locations.

“The rain has been a lot,” says Lindley. “But I think people still really are excited about it. The menu options are exciting, and I think that people are willing to hopefully weather the storm and get out there and support our local restaurants.”

Restaurant owners say this week’s rainstorms may have played a part in boosting business so far this week, as much as the specials offered.

There are five days left for Lompoc Restaurant Week, and everyone is invited out to try something new or revisit a favorite.

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Dave Alley

ARROYO GRANDE, Calif. (KEYT) – San Luis Obispo County District 4 Supervisor Jimmy Paulding has accused opponent Adam Verdin of violating campaign finance rules.

Paulding announced this week he has submitted a formal complaint to the California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC), with a copy provided to the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office, requesting an investigation into the alleged violation of local campaign finance law.

“The complaint, essentially, says that there is a local contribution limit how much somebody can donate to a local political campaign, and that is $5,900, and in this particular case, my opponent, Adam Verdin, has taken twice that limit from a local developer,” Paulding said in an interview with News Channel 3-12 on Wednesday. “I think that that’s problematic and I think the voters of District 4 deserve transparency.”

In question by Paulding is a pair of $5,900 donations to the Verdin campaign from Covelop, Inc., a San Luis Obispo-based real estate development company.

“When I joined the Board of Supervisors, I voted to reduce the limit from $25,000 per individual business or political action committee down to $5,900,” said Paulding. In this particular case, my opponent has taken, $11,800 from (Covelop, Inc.). 

Paulding, who is seeking a second term as District 4 Supervisor after first winning the seat in 2022 state in a statement this week, he is asking for “a thorough and impartial investigation into whether Verdin’s campaign knowingly violated contribution limits and whether any additional enforcement action is warranted.”

“What is important is that we see any local candidate play by the rules, play by our local rules,” said Paulding. “The complaint to the Fair Political Practices Commission simply asks is this legal? Is this ethical? Can you look into this? The Fair Political Practices Commission will undertake an investigation. It could result if there is a violation in either civil penalties or criminal penalties. The matter has been referred to the District Attorney as well. It’s his job to determine what authority he has over the matter and I did get a response from him saying that he would have his Public Integrity Unit look into this.”

In response, Verdin has denied wrongdoing and also spoke to News Channel 3-12 on Wednesday regarding the allegations.

“We followed the law,” said Verdin. “We’ve properly allocated $5,900 towards the Primary Election and towards the General Election. “Right now, from now until March 6th, somebody else can join the race, in which case it would likely get pushed to a General Election. We can’t touch that money allocated for a General Election if there’s if there’s no General Election, then we return that money to the donor. It’s pretty black and white, and frankly, there’s no controversy here.” 

The South County businessman and pilot is participating in his first political race. He expressed disappointment he is needing to defend him even though he states he followed the election law that Paulding supported earlier in his term. 

“Supervisor Paulding has run for office, this would be his fourth campaign,” said Verdin. “He has a very strong campaign team that are very experienced. I would say that they are very knowledgeable about these set of rules. As a matter of fact, Supervisor Paulding voted on this, so I just think it’s an opportunity for him to make a headline and I think these kind of allegations distract us from the important issues of our county.”

Verdin added he is optimistic that any forthcoming investigation would clear him of any unfair or illegal financial

“The allegations simply are incorrect in the interpretation of the law and it’s well-established law,” said Verdin. “I really look at it like it’s behind me. We have significant issues in this county, that myself as a candidate, and my opponent as the incumbent, should be focused on and I don’t think this is one of them.”

District 4 in San Luis Obispo County represents Nipomo, Arroyo Grande, Oceano, Huasna, Edna Valley, California Valley and other unincorporated portions of the South County.

Voting for the seat will be held during the Primary Election on Tuesday, June 2, 2026.

A candidate will need to capture a majority of votes in June to win the election. If not, a runoff will take place during the General Election on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026.

Whoever wins the race will be sworn in early January 2027.

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) –

CIF-Southern Section Quarterfinals:

Division 6: Valencia/P 56,St. Bonaventure 39

Division 8: Edgewood 58, Dunn 56

Division 9: Valley Christian Academy Santa Maria 53, Loma Linda Academy 51: Lions play Colton in semifinals on Friday

CIF-Central Section Quarterfinals:

Division 1: St. Joseph 100, Centennial 45: Knights host Bakersfield Christian in semifinals on Thursday at 6 p.m.

Division 2: Atascadero 82, Sanger 41: Greyhounds host Hoover in semifinals on Thursday at 6 p.m.

Hoover 54, Arroyo Grande 51

Bakersfield 65, San Luis Obispo 50

Clovis 63, Mission Prep 55

Division 5: Santa Maria 85, Highland 72: Saints host California City in semifinals on Thursday at 6 p.m.

Division 6: Orcutt Academy 47, Dos Palos 43: Spartans at Orosi in semifinals on Thursday at 6 p.m.

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Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) An Ash Wednesday Drive-Thru returned to Holy Cross Catholic Church in Santa Barbara.

Fr. Egren Gomez and others offered ashes through car windows in the the driveway and parking lot of the church located at 1740 Cliff Drive.

The event took place from 3-4 p.m.

“It is a special day because today begins the 40 day Lenten journey and everyone is receiving a sign of that, it is a cross an what we say is repent and believe in the gospel which means we have a chance of mind, ” said Fr. Egren, “Really is a time to reset to start fresh,look at life the way that God wants it to be for you which is always a good thing, the best way and it is a reminder that we are given 40 days to make the chance, that transformation.”

Volunteers welcomed the sunshine as they recalled hosting the drive-thru in the rain last year.

For more information visit https://holycrosssantabarbara.org

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Caleb Nguyen

NIPOMO, Calif. (KEYT) – A driver in a box truck suffered minor injuries after his car went through a fence and into a garage just after 8:30 p.m. at 116 Hazel Lane in Nipomo, according to CAL FIRE SLO.

No one else besides an adult male driver was in the truck and the building is being tagged for inspection after the car went into the structure, according to CAL FIRE SLO.

CAL FIRE SLO crews cleaned up the accident for about two hours before wrapping up the operation.

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) –

Division 5: San Marcos 2, Mountain View 1 (OT): Luis Campos scored the Golden Goal as the Royals advance to the semifinals and will host Santa Ana on Saturday.

(Video courtesy of Aaron Solis)

Camarillo 2, Westlake 1: Jack Slocum scored winning goal with five minutes in regulation

Division 3: Channel Islands 2, Littlerock 1

Calabasas 3, Knight 1: Coyotes and Raiders will meet in semifinals.

Division 4: Pacifica 2, Lakewood 0

Irvine-University 2, Santa Paula 0 (Pacifica vs Irvine in semifinals)

Division 8: Pacifica Christian/OC 2, Bishop Diego 1

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Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) Mardi Gras celebrations got underway on Fat Tuesday.

The Michael Gutin Band entertained a rowdy crowd at The Palace Grill in Santa Barbara.

Some people canceled due to rain, but others including Father Larry and John Palminteri and friends sang along to the band.

 it is their tradition.

 The Palace Grill had two seatings with a menu that included Cajun Martinis and Creole Cuisine.

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Mike Klan

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) – Kobe Sanders received a huge ovation when he was introduced during the rivalry game over the weekend between Cal Poly and UCSB.

Afterwards the 2024 Cal Poly graduate Sanders was applauding the current Mustangs after they snapped a 17-game losing streak to UC Santa Barbara with an 89-79 victory. Sanders never beat the Gauchos in his four seasons at Cal Poly(2020-2024) as the Mustangs notched their first win in this series since January of 2018.

“Feels like home, I mean everyone brought great energy when they saw me,” began the 23-year old Sanders. “Just to see the guys go out and compete tonight, beat our rivals Santa Barbara, meant everything to me. Everyone is playing together, playing great basketball soyou love to see that.”

Sanders earned All-Big West honors as a senior at Cal Poly leading the team in scoring at 19.6 points per game.

After graduating Cal Poly with a degree in kinesiology in 2024, Sanders went to the University of Nevada as a graduate transfer.

He was named third team All-Mountain West scoring close to 16 points per game during the 2024-’25 season.

Sanders was selected in the second round (50th overall) of the 2025 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks who traded his rights to the Los Angeles Clippers.

He has made an impact during his rookie season for the Clippers, averaging 7 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. The 6’8 shooting guard has also been a solid defender and is playing over 21 minutes per game.

“A lot of people counted me out, a lot of people didn’t see me getting many minutes and I have been blessed with the opportunity so just trying to put on for smaller schools and you know smaller cities,” smiles Sanders.

Sanders has been so effective for the Clippers that earlier this month they gave him a new contract. He is no longer on a two-way deal but rather a standard 2-year NBA contract worth 2.3 million dollars.

The longshot from Cal Poly is certainly making the most of his shot in the NBA.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – With more rain starting to cover the Central Coast, the short break between storms is over.

For most of the day,  those who needed to dry off and clean up from Monday’s rain got a chance. But now rain is back for round number two.

One of the weekly events that takes place rain or shine is the farmers market on State street downtown.

Farmers were able to set up before the rain moved in, but it picked up just after the afternoon market began.

This is a challenging week with the wet weather keeping many people inside.

The farmers say their fields are muddy but they did their best to bring the cleanest fruits and vegetables out for their displays for this week’s market, although some of the product was not easy to harvest with the wet roads on their property.

Ana Pliego with Mike’s Organic Farm says to get the vegetables ready after a muddy rain they take, “lots and lots of time. Put it in a big bucket and spray and spray and spray (with water) and you’ve got to take the leaves apart. It’s not perfect. It’s patience.”    

As for a slower turnout in the rain, “thankfully we have some regulars that are pretty consistent. They show up no matter what. This is where they get their groceries,” she said.

A few booths away, Kyle Eckert with Riviera Mushrooms says with the weather shifting, he “just hopes the rain holds off and people are going to brave the rain.”

He expects to see weekly customers even with some rain.

“People will definitely still come out. This is a slower market, people are still coming out. Vendors are still here.”

In other areas, the clean up has been taking place all day where trees went down on Monday.

Most of the crews got the branches cut and picked up but there’s still work to do.

One tree down by the East Beach volleyball courts in Santa Barbara snapped in several places and will need some careful trimming to make it safe.

In the Santa Barbara harbor, the entrance has been filling with sand and that’s made it difficult for some vessels to come and go.

The harbor patrol has been checking the levels, especially at low tide and moving the buoys to give boat captains the lanes they need to avoid the sand closing in on the entrance.

We are still waiting for word on when the next dredging operation will take place.

The last time the harbor was dredged was early last year.

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Tracy Lehr

CARPINTERIA, Calif. (KEYT) Tuesday’s storm will be remembered for its thunder and lightning, wind and rain.

People could hear the storm after dark.

Earlier in the day people tried to go about their business.

They came prepared with umbrellas.

The weather also brought out the wildlife in the park where flooding created a pond on the grass by Carpinteria State Beach.

A Great Blue Heron, on the hunt, caught dinner across from The Spot hamburger restaurant.

That’s where a couple from Colorado commented on the weather.

“We always say California is great because we love it here but it is actually warmer in Colorado this year laughs so yeah,but it is all good we love it here, we walk n the beach whether it is raining or sunny,” said Heidi Brookers.

They even packed an umbrella.

“We thought it would keep away the rain but it didn’t,” said Denny Brookers.

The rain didn’t cancel Carpinteria Aquatics Club’s swim or water polo practice.

Frankie Stewart is preparing to compete in the 500 freestyle in the next swim meet.

Melody Lopez will be swimming freestyle in that meet, too.

The coach says the athletes with the most grit won’t let a little rain stop their training.

They would cancel is thunder was in the area during their workout.

In Lower Manning Park in Montecito sand for sandbags got soaked from the on and off downpour.

The forecast called for the heaviest rain on Tuesday night.

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