Category: keyt-local-news

John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – The City of Santa Barbara is taking out the older “hitching post” bike racks and a newer and more secure plan is about to be rolled out.

A citywide bike rack inventory recently took place. Some of the existing bike racks are old and problematic if multiple bikes are locked up on the posts. 

They can also be damaging to the bike frames.

The city also says they are prone to bike theft. 

New compliant and secure bike racks will be purchased with both grant money and matching city funds. 

The new racks will be the Huntco Rambler Wide bicycle racks with a color of green. 

The design and color meet the standards of the city’s strict guidelines for the El Pueblo Viejo Landmark District which is mainly in downtown.

They can be a single rack installation on sidewalks and are designed to minimize scratching to bikes, better security and are built to last without rusting or having other issues for bike riders.

Bike owner Steve Carlton said, “you need a lock that you can get around both wheels and through the frame and on to something that is going to be solid.”

Tyler Dobson was riding downtown and said, “there have actually been a number of times when all of these (racks) are occupied. You have to relegate to a tree or somewhere else and stack it up and you are conflicting with nature.”

The single post racks can be problematic. “These are a little bit tough. There are certain bikes where you can’t lock the u-lock to the frame,” said Logan Valencia. He has even seen the small circular metal ring on the current posts, cut off and presumably the bike locked there, taken away.

Some riders just stop, lock and walk. David Tufts said, “if there is more, it is probably good but usually if there is nothing to tie it to, I just lock it and leave it alone.”

Funding comes in part through the county in the Coastal Resource Mitigation Fund Grant for $56,772, with a City match of $13,928 from the City’s Sustainability and Resiliency Department Budget.

This grant will fund:

6 bike racks at Leadbetter Beach

6 bike racks at Stearns Wharf

6 bike racks at Skater’s Point

64 bike racks throughout the Waterfront in high demand areas. 

Depending on the final costs of the racks, there may be the opportunity to install more bike racks.

They will be installed by April of 2026.

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Jarrod Zinn

OCEANO, Calif. (KEYT) – The beginning of fall coincides with the beginning of flu season, and SLO county’s pop-up vaccine clinics will begin tomorrow.

County health officials urge early vaccination.

San Luis Obispo County Public Health is doing everything they can to protect residents from the ever-evolving influenza virus.

This includes mobile, free vaccine clinics, which will be stopping throughout October at places including the Oceano Community Center.

Flu vaccines are updated for the 2025-26 season and available for free through most insurance plans.

Many pharmacies accept walk-ins or appointments.

“The public health department is in line with CDC in recommending that all individuals six months and over receive their annual flu vaccine,” says Kristin Edler, spokesperson for the County Of San Luis Obispo’s Public Health Department.

The CDC says being vaccinated is the best way to both reduce the spread and protect yourself as well as others against complications, should you catch the virus.

“The community is welcome at any of those pop up events,” says Edler. “It’s not specific to any particular group.”

Recent health surveys from organizations such as CVS have revealed over 60% of American consumers say they intend to get their flu shot.

Nearly 50% say recent measles outbreaks make them more likely to make sure they’re vaccinated by the start of November for the 2025-26 season.

“We get the flu shot first, and then a couple of weeks later, we’ll get the COVID shots,” says Arroyo Grande resident Fred Strasser. “So we’re trying to stay as healthy as possible, especially at my age.”

The CDC recommends getting your flu shot by the end of October for best results.

The full calendar and list of locations for SLO County’s free pop-up vaccine clinics can be found by clicking here.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – The Game Seeker store is feeling like a new location is in the cards for its vast selection of board games in downtown Santa Barbara.

The store had been in the 500 block of State Street near Cota St, but closed in April, after 20 years, during the remodel of the Santa Barbara Hotel.

The owners have now worked out a new lease at 920 State St. in a vacant store site as part of a parking structure owned by the city. It is also where the new Santa Barbara International Film Festival Film Center is located.

The Game Seeker was popular for its classic and new games that kept traditions alive and brought family and friends back together in a way that didn’t rely on modern electronics. The store was very popular during the holidays, and also with visitors who wanted these games for their hotel rooms and camping trips.

The agreement for the new location is expected to be approved Tuesday by the Santa Barbara City Council.

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT). – High school football and girls volleyball produced all of the Athlete of the Week awards at both of the local luncheons.

The Male Athlete of the Week for the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table is Bishop Diego High School senior Gabe Villa.

He rushed for 183 yards with two touchdowns and also made a one-handed touchdown catch as the Cardinals won at Bishop Alemany 43-18.

The Female Athlete of the Week is Santa Barbara High School junior volleyball player Blake Saunders.

She totaled 53 kills and 45 digs over four matches to lead the Dons to the consolation final at the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions.

The Northern Santa Barbara County Athletic Round Table luncheon took place at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria.

The Female Athlete of the Week is Righetti High School volleyball player Riley Roinestad who had 10 service aces in wins against Orcutt Academy and Pioneer Valley.

The Male Athlete of the Week is Santa Ynez High School football player Jaxon Glover who had 10 tackles and forced a fumble in the Pirates 41-0 win against Santa Maria.

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Caleb Nguyen

VENTURA, Calif. (KEYT) – Ventura Police arrested a Ventura man for homicide after an altercation at Del Norte Street just after 4:30 p.m. Monday.

VPD officers received a call about a fight between two Ventura men and found one of them unconscious when they arrived.

Crews later pronounced the victim dead at the scene after life-saving measures, according to the VPD.

VPD officers found out that the two men were related and took the second man in the fight into custody without incident.

There is no threat to the community, and this investigation remains ongoing. Those with more information are encouraged to contact the VPD Major Crimes Unit.

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Caleb Nguyen

OJAI, Calif. (KEYT) – A woman reported missing since June 24, 2024 was found dead in the Ventura Riverbed on Sept. 24, according to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.

A local conservancy group cleared invasive plants in the riverbed when they noticed skeletal remains, south of the Baldwin Road Bridge, according to the VCSO.

Zyanna Valora, a 21-year-old from Ojai, could not be immediately identified, but members of the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed the remains were human, according to the VCSO.

Several other emergency crews helped recover Valora’s body, and the VCMEO confirmed her identity on Sept. 26., according to the VCSO.

The VCMEO said there was no obvious lethal trauma to Valora, and both the cause and manner of death are under investigation, according to the VCSO.

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Mina Wahab

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) — On Sunday evening, a rollover crash off Highway 101 in Los Alamos injured a woman and a 4-year-old child. 

The child was restrained by a seat belt, but not an age-appropriate car seat or booster seat. 

“Even though they were restrained by a lap belt and a shoulder belt when they were at that size. A four-year-old tiny bodies are not meant to be restrained by those. Restraint systems are meant for adults. So very lucky that that child was not thrown from the vehicle and in and did not slide out of the restraint system,” said Santa Barbara County Fire Spokesman Scott Safechuck.

Safechuck says roughly half of all accidents in Santa Barbara county lead to injuries. 

He says car seats are one of the first things they inspect when going to a vehicle accident. 

But even those who use car seats need to be wary. 

“People actually install the wrong the wrong car seat. It’s not meant to fit their child size or their weight,” said paramedic-turned-fire inspector Melanie Dennon. 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says nearly half of car seats are misused. 

“I’ve seen car seats go from one side of the car to the other in an accident with the child still in it. I’ve seen car seats ejected from the car with the child in it,” said Dennon. 

California law requires all children under the age of 2 to ride in a rear-facing car seat, unless the child is 40 or more pounds or is 40 or more inches tall. 

“People turn their children around too fast and that increases the risk of a spinal injury and a head injury,” said Dennon.

Once a child reaches these milestones, all children under the age of 8-years-old are still required to be secured in a car seat or booster seat, in the back seat. 

Children 8 and older, or who are at least 4 feet 9 inches tall, may be secured by a booster seat, but at a minimum must be secured by a safety belt. 

“Double check your car seat, make sure they’re the right size to be, to move from a car seat to a booster and then from a booster to a regular seatbelt. And then go get your car seats checked,” said Dennon. 

Properly installed car seats have been shown to reduce fatal injury crashes by 71% for infants under a year old and by 54% for toddlers ages 1 through 4. 

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Andrew Gillies

LOMPOC, Calif. (KEYT) – On Thursday of last week, the Director of the Bureau of Prisons announced the immediate termination of the federal agency’s collective bargaining agreement with its employees.

The cancellation of the American Federation of Government Employees Council of Prison Locals contract will immediately impact around 35,000 employees at federal correctional facilities nationwide.

“For too long, the Federal Bureau of Prisons has been ranked among the worst places to work in the federal government,” explained Director of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons William K. Marshall III in his announcement Thursday. “[W]hen a union becomes an obstacle to progress instead of a partner in it, it’s time for change. And today, thanks to President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Pamela Bondi, we’re making that change. Today, I’m announcing the termination of our contract with CPL-33 [Council of Prison Locals C-33] effective immediately.”

Director Marshall shared in Thursday’s announcement that the purpose of ending the nearly 50 years of union representation was to improve the lives of employees and efficiency at the federal agency.

“Don’t be fooled, this is not about efficiency or accountability — this is about silencing our voice,” argued Council of Prison Locals Brandy Moore White the Monday after the announcement. “We will not stand by while the rights of our members are stripped away. We are prepared to take every legal and legislative action necessary to protect our contract and the employees who put their lives on the line every day.”

Thursday’s announcement specified that Bureau of Prisons employees still had their jobs and some rights protected by current civil service laws and that their pay and benefits would still be guaranteed by federal law.

“In the coming days, we will spell out exactly how we move forward from here but the bottom line is CPL-33 didn’t give you your protections, the law did,” added Director Marshall. “[S]afeguards aren’t going anywhere. This isn’t about taking things away, it’s about giving you more.”

According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, there are about 155,096 inmates incarcerated at federal correctional facilities nationwide with 12,543 inmates in federal installations in California.

“Correctional officers face some of the harshest and most dangerous conditions in American workplaces,” noted Jon Zumkehr, President of American Federation of Government Employees Local 4070. “[C]orrectional officers are seven times more likely to die by suicide than the general population, and their suicide rate exceeds even that of police officers. Instead of supporting us, the Bureau [of Prisons] is stripping away the rights that keep us safe.”

Altogether, the federal correctional complexes in Lompoc, which includes Lompoc FCI, Lompoc II FCI-Camp, Lompoc FCI-Camp N, and Lompoc II FCI, houses 3,078 inmates, second only to Victorville’s federal correctional facility complex.

In response to the decision, Congressman Salud Carbajal, whose Congressional District includes Federal Correctional Complex Lompoc, stated, “Stripping correctional officers of their collective bargaining rights will only undermine morale, recruitment, and retention at a time when staff stability and safety are critical…I stand firmly with the correctional workers at FCC Lompoc and will push for the restoration of their bargaining rights.”

The Federal Bureau of Prisons shared that it does not comment on pending litigation nor ongoing legal proceedings in response to Your News Channel’s inquiries about the cancellation.

“President Trump is leading an unprecedented assault on the collective bargaining rights of more than a million American citizens who have devoted their careers to public service. His administration has terminated collective bargaining agreements covering the doctors and nurses who care for our veterans, the USDA inspectors who ensure our food is safe to eat, the FEMA specialists who are first on the ground when a natural disaster strikes, the journalists who provide independent reporting to citizens living in oppressive nations, and now the law enforcement officers and staff who oversee federal inmates,” stated American Federation of Government Employees President Everett Kelley in a press release Monday. “Stripping federal correctional officers and other BOP employees of their union contract will make it that much harder for them to highlight and address the staffing shortages, workplace dangers, and other issues that they face on a daily basis.”

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Ryder Christ

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Artificial intelligence is no longer just the realm of labs and start-ups. In Santa Barbara, it’s reshaping how artists, architects, and scientists think about creation itself. Not as a replacement for human imagination, but as an expansion of it.

A Tool for Artists and Scientists

Dr. JoAnn Kuchera-Morin, director of the AlloSphere Research Laboratory at UC Santa Barbara, said she sees AI as an essential interface rather than a creative substitute.

“Don’t use the AI to create for us, but use the AI as an interface to help us do things that typically are too tedious. It can really find patterns and information very quickly. So let’s use AI for what AI is. It’s not to make or create,” she said.

Inside the AlloSphere, which she calls a “concert hall for science,” Kuchera-Morin helps researchers step into their equations by turning vast datasets into sights and sounds. “One of the most important things that happens to me as an artist is I’m able to understand very complex data that I could never understand unless I saw it and heard it,” she explained.

Kuchera-Morin, who helped inspire the team behind Las Vegas’ $2 billion Sphere, sees computation as today’s creative instrument. “I believe that the computer is going to be intertwined with every aspect of life, from making beautiful art, to understanding very complex science,” she said.

Architecture That Adapts

For Iason Paterakis, a California-based architect-engineer and Ph.D. candidate in UCSB’s Media Arts and Technology program, the question is not whether AI belongs in creative spaces, but how.

“It’s not a replacement, it’s an augmentation of the workflow of creative people,” he explained.

In his work, projection mapping turns city buildings into responsive canvases that can shift with human emotion, history, or culture. “Projecting on a building, you can change the outcome of how the building is perceived. This is called transformable architecture,” Paterakis said.

Exploration, Not Shortcuts

Fellow Ph.D. student Nefeli Manoudaki said AI should be used as a partner in exploration rather than a shortcut.

“If you put it to do your homework, then you might be cheating. But if you use it to help you dream or explore further, then I don’t say it feels like cheating,” she said.

She emphasized Santa Barbara’s unique position in the global art-tech landscape: “In Santa Barbara we tend to integrate more of the science and the technology behind it. So we’re literally between San Francisco and L.A., it’s a very good verdict of all of the fields.”

Art Inside Google Quantum AI Lab

Forest Stearns, artist-in-residence at Google’s Quantum AI Lab in Goleta, has helped embed art into the very architecture of the facility, noting the many benefits of bringing art and technology together.

“If you get art, you get creativity, innovation, inspiration,” he said. “When you align art direction and make sure that the envelope really speaks to the team, you make giant epic pieces, really create a temple for the best creativity to happen.”

Stearns said Santa Barbara’s natural and academic environment fuels this creative-scientific fusion. “Luckily, Santa Barbara is absolutely just fruitful with nature, from the ocean to the mountains. There’s amazing industry that has happened there and amazing academics. We have a team of really amazing architects, scientists, and artists that work together, and it really flourishes because Santa Barbara has all of those elements that have come together,” he said.

On AI, Stearns remains pragmatic: “I see AI as a tool to use as a lever, but like most tools, if you rely upon your tools and not your human creativity, it doesn’t really help you grow. It doesn’t really help you innovate. So it’s up to us to be humans as we develop that AI,” he said.

Stearns added he would “love for AI to help me do my laundry and my dishes so I have more time to do artwork.”

A New Era of Art and Technology

Santa Barbara’s role as an art-tech incubator is underscored by its research university, its proximity to major cultural hubs, and the presence of Google’s Quantum AI campus. Together, these factors have positioned the region as a testing ground for how AI can expand rather than replace human imagination. As several of the researchers noted, we are entering a “super evolutionary era” where art, science, and technology can no longer be separated.

All of these voices will converge at Brave New Work: Art and Tech in the Hands of Artists, a three-day symposium and contemporary art exhibition running October 7–9, 2025, across Santa Barbara. The event will showcase installations, public projections, and discussions with internationally recognized artists and scientists exploring how AI, quantum computing, and emerging technologies are shaping a new era of art and human experience

AI Behind the Story

News Channel’s News Director, Ryder Christ, used AI throughout the reporting process to help curate this story. AI assisted with researching the voices interviewed, generating potential questions, transcribing the interviews, and identifying common themes among the participants. Christ also used AI to draft an outline of the broadcast script, which he then rewrote in his own style. He said the point was to demonstrate that AI can be used as a tool, just as the people interviewed in this story described.

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News Channel 3-12

Below is a press release from Santa Barbara County regarding voter information for the upcoming Statewide election on Nov. 4th.

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Registered voters throughout Santa Barbara County are now receiving their official Voter Information Guides in the mail, with delivery expected by the end of September. Each voter will receive two guides: one issued by the State of California and one from the County of Santa Barbara.

The State Voter Information Guide includes impartial analyses of statewide ballot measures, potential costs to taxpayers prepared by the Legislative Analyst’s Office, arguments for and against each measure, and the full text and summaries prepared by the Attorney General or Legislature.

The County Voter Information Guide provides a sample of the voter’s ballot, instructions for completing it, and information on polling place locations and hours.

Santa Barbara County Registrar of Voters Joe Holland reminds voters that the arrival of these guides is also a timely opportunity to ensure their voter registration is current.

“Voting should be simple, but with all the conflicting information out there, it can sometimes be confusing. Registering to vote or verifying that your voter registration is valid helps ensure a smooth voting experience,” Holland said.

California’s Statewide Special Election is Tuesday, November 4, 2025. To be eligible to vote, a person must be a U.S. citizen and at least 18 years of age on election day.

Voters can verify their registration status, including residence and mailing addresses, at:

voterstatus.sos.ca.gov or www.sos.ca.gov/elections/registration-status

sbcvote.com (Santa Barbara County Elections Office)

To register or update voter registration, eligible citizens can visit registertovote.ca.gov. Applications are also available at most post offices and can be returned postage free, to the Santa Barbara County Elections Office.

Santa Barbara County Elections can be reached at sbcvote.com or by calling 800-722-8683.

Traducción al español:

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Los votantes registrados en todo el Condado de Santa Bárbara ahora están recibiendo sus Guías de información para votantes oficiales por correo, con entrega prevista para fines de septiembre. Cada votante recibirá dos guías: una emitida por el estado de California y otra del Condado de Santa Bárbara.

La Guía de información para votantes del estado incluye análisis imparciales de las medidas electorales a nivel estatal, costos potenciales para los contribuyentes preparados por la Oficina del Analista Legislativo, argumentos a favor y en contra de cada medida, el texto completo y resúmenes preparados por el Procurador General o la Legislatura.

La Guía de información para votantes del condado proporciona una muestra de la boleta electoral, instrucciones para completarla e información sobre las ubicaciones y los horarios de los lugares de votación.

El Registrador de Votantes del Condado de Santa Bárbara, Joe Holland, les recuerda a los votantes que la llegada de estas guías también es una oportunidad para asegurar que el registro de votantes esté actualizado.

“Votar debe ser simple, pero con toda la información conflictiva que hay, a veces puede ser confuso. Registrarse para votar o verificar que su registro de votante sea válido ayuda a garantizar una experiencia de votación sin problemas”, dijo Holland.

La elección especial estatal de California es el martes 4 de noviembre de 2025. Para poder votar, una persona debe ser ciudadana de los Estados Unidos y tener al menos 18 años el día de las elecciones.

Los votantes pueden verificar su estado de registro, incluyendo domicilio y dirección postal, en:

voterstatus.sos.ca.gov o sos.ca.gov/elections/registration-status

sbcvote.com (Oficina Electoral del Condado de Santa Bárbara)

Para registrarse o actualizar el registro de votante, los ciudadanos elegibles pueden visitar registertovote.ca.gov. Las solicitudes también están disponibles en la mayoría de las oficinas de correos y se pueden entregar, sin franqueo, a la Oficina de Elecciones del Condado de Santa Bárbara.

Se puede contactar con la Oficina Electoral del Condado de Santa Bárbara mediante sbcvote.com o llamando al 800-722-8683.

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