Category: keyt-local-news

Dave Alley

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – The City of Santa Maria is increasing public access to one of its most popular recreation destinations.

On Saturday, the Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department will hold a 16th anniversary celebration for Los Flores Ranch Park.

Located eight miles south of the city limits in the Solomon Hills, the 1,778 facility is owned and operation by the City of Santa Maria.

From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., the community event will include family-friendly games, local food vendors, and a solar viewing experience with the Los Flores Ranch Mobile Observatory that features a telescope safely focused on the sun.

During the celebration, the city will also officially announce the trail system located within the park will have increased access beginning immediately.

Starting on Saturday, June 27th, the public will be able use the 24-mile trail system seven days a week.

Previously, the trails were only open from Thursday through Sunday.

“We’re going from four days a week now to seven days a week,” said Dennis Smitherman, Santa Maria Recreation Services Manager. “We surveyed the residents here of Santa Maria during our leisure needs assessment and trails were a top priority for our community,” said Smitherman. “By allowing more space, more time for people to come out and utilize the park, we’re really meeting the needs of the community.”

The city describes the park as a facility that offers the public a rare mix of environmental education, land preservation and recreation, giving residents of a city that exceeds more than 100,000 people in population, a place to get away from the hustle and bustle, but remain close to home.

“It’s a whole different environment out there,” said Smitherman. “It’s interesting dichotomy of the two environments, so we encourage people to get out, enjoy nature, nice quiet atmosphere, have a little exercise and enjoy what’s all of Santa Maria Valley. It’s a beautiful setting. We have this great open space, natural oaks in the environment. You’ll see a variety of wildlife. We encourage people to sunscreen up, take a bottle of water, wear comfortable clothing and really just get out there and enjoy the hike.”

“We surveyed the residents here of Santa Maria during our leisure needs assessment and trails were a top priority for our community,” said Smitherman. “By allowing more space, more time for people to come out and utilize the park, we’re really meeting the needs of the community.”

In addition to hiking, the trails may also be used for mountain biking and horseback riding.

Los Flores Ranch Park summer operating hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, with the last entry permitted at 6 p.m.

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Caleb Nguyen

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) – The San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office filed charges and issued an arrest warrant for Kyle L. Combs after he secretly recorded nude women at a local gym.

Combs, 40, from Grover Beach, has 12 misdemeanor counts of invasion of privacy after a criminal complaint for recording women while they were nude inside tanning booths at an Arroyo Grande gym.

All 12 counts happened between Jul. 12 and Dec. 29 of 2025, involving 12 separate “Jane Doe” victims after an investigation by the Arroyo Grande Police Department.

AGPD officers reviewed secret recordings at the Planet Fitness in Arroyo Grande, and investigators continue working to determine if additional victims were targeted similarly.

State law prohibits using a device to look into an otherwise private area, including tanning booths or dressing rooms, with intent to invade another’s privacy.

Combs’ bail is set at $50,000 and women who used the tanning or red-light rooms at the Arroyo Grande Planet Fitness in 2025 are encouraged to contact the AGPD if they have not yet spoken to investigators.

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Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – ShelterBox is preparing to respond after powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela, leaving families in urgent need of assistance.

Relief supplies have already been positioned nearby to help speed the response.

Teams are working with partners in the region to assess damage and identify the most pressing needs.

Emergency shelter and other essential aid are expected to be priorities as recovery begins.

The organization aims to support survivors as communities begin rebuilding.

For more information, visit: https://shelterboxusa.org/

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Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Direct Relief just delivered pediatric dental kits to the Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinic to help improve children’s oral health.

The kits provide basic dental care supplies for young patients and their families.

The effort is part of a community partnership focused on expanding access to preventive care.

Volunteers helped assemble the kits before they were delivered to the clinic.

The donation supports local children by encouraging healthy dental habits and improving access to essential resources.

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Alissa Orozco

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) – Over a dozen people were injured and one person has died after a vehicle collided head-on with a passenger bus on Hwy 101 north of Los Alamos early Friday morning.

According to Santa Barbara County Fire, at approximately 3:15am a vehicle was traveling northbound on Hwy 101 in the southbound lane when it struck a passenger bus.

Vehicle accident – SB Highway 101 north of Los Alamos. At approximately 3:17 AM, a passenger vehicle traveling northbound in the southbound lanes was involved in a head-on collision with a passenger bus. The passenger vehicle became fully engulfed in fire upon impact. The fire… pic.twitter.com/RlbkxugxW6

— Santa Barbara County Fire Department (@SBCFireInfo) June 26, 2026

The department says 14 passengers from the bus were able to get off before both the vehicle and bus became fully engulfed in fire. The number of people inside the vehicle is unknown.

Santa Barbara County Fire confirmed with Your News Channel that one person was killed in the collision, and all fourteen passengers were transported to the local hospital to treat their injuries.

California Highway Patrol is investigating the death.

More information will be added to this article as it becomes available.

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Alissa Orozco

GOLETA, Calif. (KEYT) – Santa Barbara County and City firefighters had to assist approximately 13 people after a structure fire broke out in the early morning Friday at 120 Tecolote Avenue in Goleta.

Santa Barbara County Fire says the fire started with a detached backyard shed. The fire was quickly contained before it spread too much to a back home and a nearby tree.

Structure Fire: 120th Tecolote Ave, Goleta. SBC Fire and Santa Barbara City Fire responded to a structure fire involving a detached backyard shed. The fire extended to a back home and nearby tree but was quickly contained. Approximately 13 residents were displaced in the area. No… pic.twitter.com/PtgzeMVb1H

— PIO (@PIOSBCFireInfo) June 26, 2026

The department says the cause is still under investigation, and The American Red Cross has been notified to help the displaced residents.

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News Channel 3-12

Below is a press release from the Santa Barbara Police Department regarding an upcoming DUI checkpoint

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – On June 28th 2026, the Santa Barbara Police Department will conduct a driving under the influence (DUI) Checkpoint from 5:00p.m. to 1:00a.m. at an undisclosed location.  

DUI checkpoint locations are determined based on data showing incidents of impaired driving related crashes. The primary purpose of DUI checkpoints are to promote public safety by taking suspected impaired drivers off the road.

“Impaired drivers put others on the road at significant risk,” Officer C. Garcia said. “Any prevention measures that reduce the number of impaired drivers on our roads significantly improve traffic safety.”

The Santa Barbara Police Department reminds the public that impaired driving is not just from alcohol. Some prescription medications and over-the-counter drugs may interfere with driving. While medicinal and recreational marijuana are legal, driving under the influence of marijuana is illegal.

Drivers charged with a first-time DUI face an average of $13,500 in fines and penalties, as well as a suspended license.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Traducción al español:

SANTA BÁRBARA, Calif. – El 28 de Junio de 2026, el Departamento de Policía de Santa Bárbara llevará a cabo un punto de control de conducción bajo la influencia (DUI) desde las 5:00 p.m. hasta las 1:00 a.m. en un lugar no revelado.

Las ubicaciones de los puntos de control DUI se determinan con base en datos que muestran incidentes de accidentes relacionados con conductores bajo la influencia. El objetivo principal de estos puntos de control es promover la seguridad pública retirando de las calles a los conductores sospechosos de estar manejando bajo la influencia.

“Los conductores bajo la influencia ponen a otras personas en la carretera en un riesgo significativo,” dijo el Oficial C. Garcia. “Cualquier medida de prevención que reduzca el número de conductores bajo la influencia en nuestras calles mejora significativamente la seguridad vial.”

El Departamento de Policía de Santa Bárbara recuerda al público que conducir bajo la influencia no se limita únicamente al alcohol. Algunos medicamentos recetados o medicamentos sin receta medica pueden interferir con la capacidad de conducir. Aunque la marihuana medicinal y recreativa es legal, conducir bajo la influencia de la marihuana es ilegal.

Los conductores acusados de un DUI por primera vez enfrentan un promedio de $13,500 en multas y sanciones, además de la suspensión de su licencia.

El financiamiento para este programa fue proporcionado por una subvención de la Oficina de Seguridad Vial de California, a través de la Administración Nacional de Seguridad del Tráfico en las Carreteras.

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Dave Alley

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) – The San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder Office has officially certified the June 2, 2026 Statewide Direct Primary Election.

With the counting completed, results showed Jimmy Paulding and Jim Dantona won the two supervisor races that were contested during this year’s election.

Paulding, the District 4 incumbent, beat challenger Adam Verdin by a margin of 1,487 votes.

Paulding received 11,398 votes (53.49%), while Verdin collected 9,911 votes (46.51%).

In District 2, Dantona won the race to replace longtime supervisor Bruce Gibson, who has served in the seat for the past 20 years, but did not seek re-election.

Dantona, who currently serves as Gibson’s chief of staff, rallied after trailing on election night and wound up winning by 1,204 votes.

Dantona received 9,375 votes (53.43%), while Michael Erin Woody captured 8,171 votes (46.57%).

Incumbent Elaina Cano easily won re-election in a three-person for San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder.

Cano avoided a runoff in November by earning 53,455 votes (63.53%), while challengers Vanessa Rozo finished in second place with 22,482 votes (26.72% ) and Gaea Powell finished third with 8,210 votes (9.76%).

In a release, the Elections Office said over the last 10 days, staff conducted the required 1% Manual Tally, a hand count that serves to confirm the accuracy of the machine tabulators.

The office also said staff researched and confirmed the eligibility of ballots cast provisionally and remade ballots that needed to be duplicated because of damage or characteristics like red ink or stray marks that would interfere with a tabulator’s ability to scan and record the votes.

“This election was different in that we had the new legally required 13-day deadline for countingmost of the ballots,” said Cano. “At the same time, we saw a change in the flow of ballots coming in because so many people waited to vote just before or on Election Day. That meant a compressed timeline for processing and scanning many, manythousands of mail ballots.”

The voter turnover countywide was 55%, a number six percentage points higher than the last gubernatorial primary, in June 2022.

“SLO County continues to rank among the highest in overall turnout, which I think speaks to theengagement of our voters as well as the faith they have in our local elections processes,” saidCano. “I’m proud of our voters, our staff, and all of the community members who stepped upand came together to ensure a successful election.”

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Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – A local celebration is set to share a message of peace inspired by the Dalai Lama in Santa Barbara.

The Santa Barbara Tibetan community will gather to honor the Dalai Lama’s lifelong message of compassion and kindness this weekend.

The event will include prayers, cultural performances, and a celebration open to the community.

Organizers hope the gathering inspires peace and understanding across cultures.

“This week is this very special. We’re celebrating Dalai Lama’s 91st birthday. We are putting together all the religious leaders and community members altogether to celebrate oneness,” said Thepo Tulku of the Tibetan Lama.

The celebration will be held at the Trinity Episcopal Church on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. in Santa Barbara.

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