Category: keyt-local-news

Tracy Lehr

VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. – A U.S. citizen and Army veteran caught up in a recent Camarillo ICE raid is now suing the federal government.

When ICE agents raided Glass House cannabis farms in Carpinteria and Camarillo on Thursday, July 10, they arrested more than 360 people, including George Retes, a 25-year-old U.S. citizen, Army veteran, and father of two from Ventura.

Retes had been working for Securitas at the guard gate. He said he figured ICE had a job to do—and he had a job to get to.

Retes is suing the government for damages under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) for unconstitutional detention.

“My goal now is to get accountability for what has happened, not only for me, but for what has continued to happen to everyone else,” said Retes. “Unfortunately it hasn’t stopped, so it’s mainly about getting accountability and bringing attention to what ICE is doing, what the government is doing—just holding those people accountable, because no one is above the law.”

He said it isn’t about the money, although he has lost wages, had to repair his car window, and missed his daughter’s third birthday while in custody.

“The entire training process taught me to stay calm under pressure, and so the entire time I knew not to fight back,” said Retes.

Despite his compliance, Retes said agents pepper sprayed him, broke his car window, and dragged him out of his vehicle. He was detained for three days without explanation or apology.

His attorney, Anya Bidwell, senior attorney at the nonprofit Institute for Justice, said this case is about principle, not payout.

“The only remedy that George can seek for a person in his position, for violation of constitutional rights, is damages,” said Bidwell. “It’s not like George is choosing to sue for damages.”

Retes said it was supposed to be his first day on the 4 p.m. shift rather than the night shift at the Glass House front gate. He intended to show up early, and when he saw the rally while driving up, he still thought he should get to work.

“I still have bills to pay, I still have kids to feed, I still need to make money, I still have a job,” Retes said. “I didn’t think it would be a problem. I didn’t do anything wrong, I wasn’t aggressive. I was just trying to let them know that I was trying to get to work. I am not here protesting, I am not trying to get in your face.”

Retes said he is not involved in partisan politics but feels wronged. He has not returned to work since the incident.

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Michael Yu

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – An apartment fire broke out early Thursday morning in San Luis Obispo, but it resulted in minimal damage and no injuries.

San Luis Obispo City firefighters were dispatched to a two-story condominium on Exposition Drive around 7:00 a.m. The first crews on scene found smoke coming from both floors, but all occupants had safely evacuated without injuries.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, though lithium-ion batteries were found near the origin.

“We have investigators on site that are looking at the origin of the fire and trying to determine the cause,” said John Macdonald with San Luis Obispo City Fire. “And we have a hazmat team that is going to assess the ability to dispose of the battery. Be very careful with lithium-ion batteries in your home. Make sure that you’re not keeping those plugged into walls and charging when you’re not around them.”

The fire was quickly contained with only minimal damage to the property. Fire crews remain on scene as the investigation continues.

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Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif.-Andy Caldwell of The Coalition of Labor, Agriculture and Business known as COLAB is urging Santa Barbara County Supervisors to revoke Glass House Farms license.

Caldwell spoke during public comments at the Board of Supervisors meeting on Wednesday.

He reminded Supervisor Laura Capps and Supervisor Roy Lee that they campaigned on holding the marijuana industry accountable.

Caldwell thinks the issue has been ignored following the ICE raid at Glass House Farms in Carpinteria.

He said a warrant served in Carpinteria listed criminals including child predators, rapists and people guilty of indecent exposure, and child cruelty.

A similar raid occurred at Glass House in Camarillo.

The raids led to more than 360 arrests.

Caldwell said 14 of the people taken into custody in Carpinteria were children who may have been victims of labor and sexual trafficking.

He said state law requires background checks and prohibits minors on those farms.

Caldwell asked the board when they would hold a hearing to revoke the company’s permits.

He referred to a column he wrote about another grower suing Glass House claiming the company is a drug cartel.

“It is evidently apparent that Glass House wasn’t following the laws regarding background checks on employee and the presence of minors on the property, said Caldwell, “Upon confirmation of these allegations they should no longer be able to operate their farm or dispensaries.”

He questions how unsavory people end up working at local pot farms.

The board took a break following his comments.

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Andrew Gillies

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – Cal Poly’s Digital Democracy, an artificial intelligence reporting tool working with nonprofit newsroom CalMatters, was awarded an Emmy Award for political reporting.

The award was presented by the Northern California chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and recognized the AI-powered investigative reporting in, “Power is never having to say ‘no.’ How California Democrats kill bills without voting against them” coauthored by CBS correspondent Julie Watts and CalMatters reporter Ryan Sabalow.

The piece examined how state legislators operating under the umbrella of a supermajority avoid directly voting down legislation and instead merely decline to cast a vote, allowing bills to die during a legislative session without a decision being made.

Digital Democracy was created at Cal Poly’s Institute for Advanced Technology and Public Policy and was relaunched with new AI tools last year.

“I’m humbled and excited to see this recognition and thrilled by the attention it brings to our students and to the future of Digital Democracy,” beamed Foaad Khosmood, a Cal Poly computer science professor and research director at the Institute for Advanced Technology and Public Policy. “I never expected to put ‘Emmy’ on my resume.”

Cal Poly Professor Foaad Khosmood. Image courtesy of Joe Johnston/University Photographer/Cal Poly

The Cal Poly creation isn’t stopping at investigative journalism in the golden state.

“In May I presented in Baltimore, and we’ve heard from states that want to build the same kind of system,” said Thomas Gerrity, a graduate of Cal Poly’s computer science master’s program and engineering manager for Digital Democracy. “It brings transparency by making it possible to pick out a quote from a hearing without interns combing through hours of video.”

According to Cal Poly, Digital Democracy will expand to Hawaii in a partnership with nonprofit newsroom Honolulu Civil Beat and the team behind the tool intend to launch a newsletter summarizing weekly legislative activity by district.

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News Channel 3-12

Below is a press release from the Central Coast Zoo regarding the arrival of their newest resident, Koba, the baby mongoose lemur!

ATASCADERO, Calif. – The City of Atascadero and the Central Coast Zoo are thrilled to announce the arrival of a special new resident, Koba, a baby mongoose lemur born on July 4th!

Koba, named after a traditional peanut dessert in Madagascar, is now starting to explore the habitat and can be seen by Zoo visitors. The baby’s sex is not yet known, but Zookeepers will be able to tell in the coming weeks as mongoose lemurs develop distinct beard colors – males have reddish-orange beards, while females remain white.  At around five weeks, young lemurs begin tasting solid foods, mimicking their parents’ fruit-rich diet, which also includes flowers, leaves, and the occasional insect. Koba is expected to be fully weaned by 5 to 6 months of age, and the zoo team will continue to monitor development closely, stepping in only when necessary to ensure natural growth and behavior.

Koba joins older brother Ravi who was born at the zoo last year—one of just three mongoose lemurs born in the country at the time. Their parents, Ernesto, and Camilla are part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Mongoose Lemur Species Survival Plan (SSP). Native to the island of Madagascar, mongoose lemurs are listed as “Critically Endangered,” with fewer than 2,000 individuals estimated to remain in the wild due to habitat loss and hunting.

Mongoose lemurs are native to one of the world’s most unique ecosystems. Madagascar is considered a biodiversity hotspot, home to thousands of species found nowhere else on Earth. Unfortunately, more than 90% of Madagascar’s original forests have been lost, putting many species at risk. The Central Coast Zoo specializes in animals from biodiversity hotspots—regions that cover only 2.5% of Earth’s land surface but support nearly half of all known species of birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. Through education and conservation, the Zoo works to raise awareness of the vital importance of protecting these fragile ecosystems.

The Central Coast Zoo is announcing new hours following Labor Day weekend!  Beginning Tuesday, September 2, the Central Coast Zoo will adjust its hours of operation. The Zoo will be open Thursday through Monday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during non-holiday weeks. The Zoo will remain open on most school holidays throughout the fall and winter. While this change may affect some weekday visits, it allows the Zoo to enhance the visitor experience through improved maintenance, enrichment projects, and habitat upgrades without disrupting guests during open hours. To plan your visit, check our updated calendar here: www.centralcoastzoo.org/zoo-hours.

Close to 100 animal species representing 300 animals call the Central Coast Zoo home, including red pandas, monkeys, fossa, meerkats, parrots, a variety of reptiles and more. The Central Coast Zoo is located at Atascadero Lake Park on Hwy 41/Morro Road, one mile west of Hwy 101. For information, go to www.centralcoastzoo.org or call (805) 461-5080.

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News Channel 3-12

Below is a press release from Santa Barbara Public Library regarding their annual Raíces y Sueños (Roots and Dreams) event from September through mid-October

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Santa Barbara Public Library (SBPL) is proud to present the second annual Raíces y Sueños (Roots and Dreams): Raising Awareness and Unity Around Hispanic Immigrant Culture. Taking place from September through mid-October, this vibrant series of free, family-friendly events celebrates the strength, resilience, and contributions of the Hispanic immigrant community.

Following the overwhelming response to last year’s events, this year’s series returns with an even stronger focus on cultural awareness, inclusion, and community connection through music, storytelling, visual art, and workshops.

The series offers a variety of engaging activities designed for community members of all ages. Here are some program highlights to pique your interest:

First Thursday at Central Library: an inspiring art reception with Los Angeles-based Chicana artist Jacqueline Valenzuela.

Library on the Go…at the Airport!: a special Raíces y Sueños stop where we’ll bring a selection of books, community passes, and all the information you need about our upcoming events and library resources.

Día de los Abuelos: a joyful celebration with crafts and storytelling.

Somos Xicanas y Lowriders: a unique event featuring lowrider culture and live readings from SOMOS XICANAS.

Free admission at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art: attendees can participate in hands-on STEAM activities inspired by Latin American culture.

Sabores Saludables Workshop: learn healthy eating habits with dietitian Mary Galindo in an interactive workshop.

Alebrije Workshops: led by Oaxacan artisan Jesús Sosa Calvo, participants can paint hand-carved wooden figures while learning about this rich tradition.

Bilingual Storytimes: enjoy family-focused events at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.

To close out the celebration, the Raíces y Sueños Market will bring the community together for a lively day of crafts, performances, and a Young Makers Market showcasing creativity and cultural pride.

We invite the entire community to take part in this meaningful celebration of culture, connection, and unity. All events are free and open to the public, with some requiring registration. Programs will be conducted in English or Spanish as noted.

For more information about program dates and times, visit Raíces y Sueños.

About Raíces y Sueños

Raíces y Sueños (Roots and Dreams) is an annual SBPL series dedicated to celebrating and raising awareness of Hispanic immigrant culture through art, storytelling, workshops, and educational opportunities. The program fosters community pride and encourages meaningful connections among residents through shared cultural experiences.

Traducción al Español:

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – La Biblioteca Pública de Santa Bárbara (SBPL, por sus siglas en inglés) se enorgullece en presentar la segunda edición anual de Raíces y Sueños: Concientizando y fomentando la unidad en torno a la cultura hispana. Esta vibrante serie de eventos familiares y totalmente gratuitos se llevarán a cabo desde septiembre a mediados de octubre y celebra la fortaleza, la resiliencia y las contribuciones de la comunidad inmigrante hispana.

Tras la gran respuesta a los eventos del año pasado, esta edición regresa con un enfoque aún más fuerte en la conciencia cultural, la inclusión y la conexión comunitaria, a través de la música, la narración, el arte visual y talleres.

La serie ofrece una variedad de actividades atractivas diseñadas para miembros de la comunidad de todas las edades. Algunos de los programas destacados incluyen:

Primer Jueves en la Biblioteca Central: una inspiradora recepción de arte con la artista chicana radicada en Los Ángeles, Jacqueline Valenzuela.

La Biblioteca Móvil… en el aeropuerto: una parada especial de Raíces y Sueños con una selección de libros, pases comunitarios e información sobre nuestros próximos eventos y recursos de la biblioteca.

Día de los Abuelos: una celebración alegre con manualidades y narración de cuentos.

Somos Xicanas y Lowriders: un evento único que destaca la cultura lowrider con lecturas en vivo de SOMOS XICANAS.

Admisión gratuita al Museo de Arte de Santa Bárbara: los asistentes podrán participar en actividades prácticas de STEM (ciencia, tecnología, ingeniería y matemáticas) inspiradas en la cultura latinoamericana.

Taller Sabores Saludables: aprende hábitos de alimentación saludable con la dietista Mary Galindo en un taller interactivo.

Talleres de Alebrijes: dirigidos por el artesano oaxaqueño Jesús Sosa Calvo, donde los participantes podrán pintar figuras de madera talladas a mano y aprender sobre esta tradición.

Hora de cuentos bilingües: eventos familiares en el Museo de Arte de Santa Bárbara

Para cerrar la celebración, tendremos el Mercado Raíces y Sueños, el cual reunirá a la comunidad en un día lleno de artesanías, presentaciones y el Young Makers Market, mostrando creatividad y orgullo cultural.

Invitamos a toda la comunidad a ser parte de esta significativa celebración de cultura, conexión y unidad.

Todos los eventos son gratuitos y abiertos al público en general, aunque algunos requieren inscripción previa. Los programas se llevarán a cabo en español o inglés, según se indique.

Para obtener más información sobre las fechas y horarios de los programas, visita Raíces y Sueños.

Acerca de Raíces y Sueños

Raíces y Sueños es una serie anual de la Biblioteca Pública de Santa Bárbara dedicada a celebrar y generar conciencia sobre la cultura inmigrante hispana a través del arte, la narración, talleres y oportunidades educativas. El programa fomenta el orgullo comunitario y fortalece las conexiones cruciales entre los residentes a través de experiencias culturales compartidas.

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John Palminteri

MONTECITO,  Calif. – After a boat came apart on the Montecito coast, a two-day clean up effort appears to be successful.

An emergency response crew from TowBoatUS – Ventura was activated to finish off the project at Butterfly Beach.

Captain Carson Shevitz said he found, “hundreds of pieces with some debris submerged, off in the surf.”

The 27-foot boat came ashore Sunday, and looked to be in good condition to be saved on Monday. It broke apart Tuesday before than removal plan could take place.

Then everything in and out of the water had to be found.

“We have our vessel recovery team out on the beach, picking up the pieces, cutting the pieces down into a recoverable size,” said Shevitz.

That includes many items that are harmful to the environment. “We’ll try to find the fuel tank batteries. A boat like this, we’ll find out if it has an inboard engine or an outward engine,” Shevitz said. The team had many ropes and cables that were in big knotted balls.

Tuesday evening the environmental group, Heal the Ocean, worked until sundown removing debris from the beach and cutting up parts of the boat that could be a dangerous and deadly entanglement issue for marine life. That group funded the first part of the clean up, and has been responsive to boat wrecks in the past regardless of the cause or available finances from the owner.

With waves hitting them, this was a choppy endeavor but it was necessary prior to the word that TowBoatUS was activated to come in with just-approved insurance funding.

The clean up crews said they concentrate their efforts not only in this crash zone, but worked the entire beach to make sure that everything that was on the sand was picked up.

Shevitz said, we found the mast, so we try to find the large items and make sure we have everything.”

The owner Luke Wallace was told the only chance to save the vessel would have been early on.

Shevitz said, “We can get up here in 45 minutes, or hour and a half, whatever it is, depending on the time to get people where they need to go. But at that point, the boat was on the beach.”

What’s still to be found is the keel. Wallace said, “that’s heavy lead it’s made out of lead it is somewhere under the sand most likely. I don’t think anyone took the keel.” It weights 800 to 1,200 pounds.

In this case, the boat owner who had been in the offshore anchorage in Santa Barbara waters was helped by that insurance policy. 

Many of the boat owners in the East Beach anchorage do not have coverage.

“Playing by the rules. Everyone should have insurance. It definitely helped. I mean, as you can see, the beach is clean. Probably cleaner than it was,” said Wallace.

The crew did a clean sweep of the beach and got a full load, but they have plans to come back and double check.

“We are locals, just like you. This is our backyard, and we want to do everything we can to make sure that we’re doing as well of the job as as we can,” said Shevitz.

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

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Jarrod Zinn

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – Some local residents are pushing for stricter rent control for senior mobile home parks in Santa Barbara county.

Last month, the Santa Barbara county board of supervisors adopted the senior mobile home park overlay, to protect senior parks from being converted to all-age parks.

“The senior mobile home Park ordinance really gives seniors peace of mind and locking in protections for the 11 senior parks that that overlay is for across the county,” says Santa Barbara county board of supervisors’ representative Kelsey Buttitta.

While most properties in the county have begun following this new ordinance, locals are now ready to talk about rent control.

I’m a long term leaseholder in Sunny Hills Mobile home Park, and my rent started in November 2016, 735,” said Orcutt resident Judy Birch at Tuesday’s board of supervisors’ meeting in Santa Maria. “And now it’s 1057 and it’s going up another 4% in October. So I hope something can be done.”

At Tuesday’s board of supervisors meeting, local residents questioned the lease exemption clause within the new ordinance, saying it only protects affordability for properties who run on month-to-month rent payments.

According to the county’s representative, rent control is a separate issue from the overlay ordinance.

“While the overlay does not establish rent control or set lease rates, it does protect seniors by preventing the conversion of these parks to all ages occupancy, maintaining these communities as a unique and affordable housing option for older adults,” says Buttitta. “Now, any changes to rent or lease protections would require separate action by the board.”

Residents and advocates say anyone with a lease on their mobile home instead of a monthly rental agreement is in danger of being priced out of their homes.

“Last year, the consumer Price index rose three 4.4%,” said another Orcutt resident, Cheryl Fredrickson. “Under rent control, my rent would have increased 2.55%, which would have been covered by the Social Security cost of living adjustment of 2.5%. Unfortunately, my rent in Sunny Hill’s mobile home community went up 4%. My renting neighbors in Knollwood Village went up 7%.”

Locals hope the county’s rent control ordinances can be updated.

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Andrew Gillies

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The City of Santa Barbara shared Wednesday that sales tax revenue for the fourth quarter of the city’s fiscal year came in at 8.4 percent below budget and sales tax revenues across all of Fiscal Year 2025 are 6.1 percent below projected revenues.

In total, the city collected $29,301,467 in sales tax revenue for Fiscal Year 2025 and none of Fiscal Year 2025’s quarterly sales tax reports have met budget projections noted the City of Santa Barbara.

The City of Santa Barbara also shared Transient Occupancy Tax Results through July, the first month of the City’s fiscal year, in a press release Wednesday.

The Transient Occupancy Tax is a tax on guests staying in any hotel, inn, motel, or other commercial lodging business for less than 30 days.

Year to date, the city has collected $3.9 million of which $3.5 million came from local hotels and $400,000 came from short-term rentals detailed the City of Santa Barbara.

That brings current Transient Occupancy Tax revenues for July at 2.6 percent below budget added the City of Santa Barbara.

Santa Barbara’s Transient Occupancy Tax rate is 12 percent, of which ten percent goes to the City’s General Fund and the remaining two percent goes to the Creeks/Clean Water Fund.

The city collected $32.2 million total from the lodging-specific tax in Fiscal Year 2024.

For more information about current and historical financial data for the City of Santa Barbara, click here.

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