Category: keyt-local-news

Dave Alley

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) – The historic Fremont Theater in downtown San Luis Obispo will remain closed until further notice due to public safety concerns.

The City of San Luis Obispo said it has suspended the building’s Certificate of Occupancy, effective immediately so that an engineer can determine if the theater’s marquee sign is not a hazard and a risk to public safety.

A powerful storm last month damaged the theater’s iconic sign, causing a portion of the structure to fall onto the ground.

“After some of the larger storms in mid-February, it came to our attention that a portion of the exterior of the Fremont’s large, iconic tower sign had fallen into the street,” said Timothea Tway, San Luis Obispo Community Development Director. “So the city took the immediate action to close Monterey Street and close the sidewalk to ensure public safety. Since then, we’ve been working with the property owner as they get engineers out to the site to further assess the structure.”

San Luis Obispo officials said its staff “met with the property owner, who conveyed new information based on additional limited observation indicating that the structural integrity of the sign structure cannot be confirmed at this time.”

“The city continues to work with the property owner as they assess the damage to the tower sign above the marquee, and we will continue to work with them to make sure that we’re ensuring public safety, which is our number one priority as well as the rehabilitation of this iconic historic structure,” said Tway. “We continue to learn more about the structural integrity of the sign, so that’s why, out of an abundance of caution, the city has suspended the certificate of occupancy for that building. Until there’s further evidence from a licensed engineer and agreement from the building official that the building safe to open it will remain closed to the public.”

When contacted by News Channel 3-12 on Monday, Fremont Theater owner Rob Rossi indicated a structural investigation is set to begin Tuesday to determine the extent of the damge.

Rossi added the 35-foot fin sign goes back to the very construction of the historic theater that dates back to 1942.

He is hoping to reopen the theater as quickly as possible, targeting a goal of two weeks.

The closure has forced the popular venue to already postpone two scheduled events, Carlos Mencia on Friday night, and Emo World Tour on Saturday night.

Rossi added theater management is working with other local venues to serve as a new site for scheduled events that have been impacted, as well as attempt to book new dates when the theater eventually does reopen.

With the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival set to be held on April 23 through April 28, Rossi is optimistic the longtime venue for the popular event will be ready to go.

“I’m ust really looking forward to seeing how they were able to reconstruct this and hopefully bring it back to what it used to be,” said Linda Mayer on Monday while walking past the theater. “Maybe even better, but certainly retaining the historic structure of what it was. I live in Cambria now, but I’ve been coming here since I was in my teens, so it has a lot of significance in history. Just to know all the movies and things that have gone on there, and the the plays and things that are the concerts that are still going on. It’s really sad to see it in its current state, but really hopeful that it’ll be back to normal soon.”

While the Fremont Theater remained closed, nearby businesses, including Buona Tavola, Shin’s Sushi and The Bridge Café are open to the public.

“We encourage the public to patronize them,” said Tway. “There’s signage out on the street reminding everyone that they can access the businesses near the Fremont Theater.”

In addition, the San Luis Obispo County Courthouse, which is located across the street, and San Luis Obispo County Government Center next door will also remain open during normal business hours. 

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Jarrod Zinn

LOMPOC, Calif. (KEYT) – The owners of a small winery in lompoc are pushing back against what they say is an unconstitutional mandate coming from the county.

a year ago, the santa barbara county board of supervisors approved an ordinance creating the “Wine Business Improvement District”, or “Wine BID.”

“This issue has been going on for almost six years,” says Norm Yost, Founder Of Flying Goat Cellars. “It went through different councils, but then finally in 2025, it was approved.”

Under this ordinance, wineries are required to pay a 1% fee of their revenue on sales to consumers, including transactions in tasting rooms, wine clubs, and at events.

“This is not a tax,” says Adam Shelton, senior staff attorney at the Goldwater Institute. “It is a 1% fee. And both the county and the Vintners Association has made it very clear that this fee, if passed on to customers, is actually taxable.”

The Vintners Association is tasked with managing these funds for regional wine industry marketing.

“We’re just noticing across the board, a downturn in the business,” says Yost. “So right now to incur a 1% assessment above our tax on our wines being sold in the tasting room has been just very, very difficult for us to absorb and to, disseminate the information.”

Founder of Flying Goat Cellars in Lompoc Norm Yost says he’s not opposed to partnerships, associations or regional marketing, but he is opposed to the county mandating which organizations to partner with. 

“Associations like this are supposed to be voluntary,” says Shelton. “The Vintners Association existed prior to the establishment of the BID, and at that time it was a voluntary association.”

In a letter written to the Santa Barbara County Board Of Supervisors, Adam Shelton, Flying Goat’s attorney at the Goldwater Institute, says compelling an independent company to join a private association violates the constitution.

“If this law does stay in place and is allowed to continue collecting these assessments, this could be used as a format for other industries,” says Yost.

The County of Santa Barbara sent us the following statement:

“The County of Santa Barbara has received correspondence regarding the Santa Barbara County Wine Improvement District, which was formed in February 2025 pursuant to California law.  At this time, we are not aware that a lawsuit has been filed, but are reviewing the received correspondence.”

The Santa Barbara Vintners Association sent us their statement as well:

“The Santa Barbara County Wine Improvement District was formed by the County through a public process and approved by the Board of Supervisors, consistent with federal and California law and long-standing benefit assessment frameworks used statewide.”

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John Palminteri

GOLETA, Calif. (KEYT) – It rarely happens but two roundabouts are opening at the same time in Goleta.

They are on both sides of Highway 217 on Hollister Ave. This area has had congestion for years. This is east of Old Town and the Goleta Community Center.

The goal was to increase traffic safety along with a smoother flow in an area that has a crowded street, multiple highway ramps and is in a close proximity to the Santa Barbara Airport and UC Santa Barbara. It can, at times, be backed up in more than one direction.

Over the weekend, some of the upgraded work was done on paving and striping. More is scheduled in the weeks ahead along with landscaping.

Ramps were closed Friday evening until Monday morning before reopening for traffic. Additional work on the ramps to upgrade changes continues.

Steve Nicholson is a resident in the area. He says, ” hopefully this will help the afternoon because when this was being built up the Northbound was getting  bumper to bumper.”

A regular driver in the area, Benny Navarro says he has seen confused drivers already and advises people to be patient and get used to the flow. “Once the flow  gets pumping then I think it will work better than the double lights because the double lights would cause heavy heavy traffic,” he said.

The work is done as part of Goleta’s Project Connect . It began in March of 2024. This involves other nearby streets including Fowler, Ekwill and Kellogg Ave.

There is also work on the San Jose Creek taking place in the same area to reduce flood dangers.

Statistics show roundabouts have a strong safety record and can reduce both injury and fatal accidents.

For more roundabout driving information go to: Federal Highway Administration.

The city says some key tips from the video are:

Slow Down:

Slow down. Going slower gives you more time to make decisions.

Look around for anyone in the crosswalk and be ready to yield to them as you exit the roundabout.

Look Around:

For multi-lane roundabouts, choose the lane for where you want to go. Use the left lane to go left, right lane to go right, and either lane to go straight.

Take note of the signs and markings to help you select your lane.

Keep looking around and check the crosswalks to see if anyone is waiting to cross or already crossing. Be ready to stop to allow them to cross.

Look around for traffic already in the roundabout and be ready to yield.

Be Ready to Yield:

You must yield to traffic in ALL lanes of a roundabout.

Enter when there’s a comfortable gap.

Go slow and stay in your lane. Don’t turn left from the right lane and don’t turn right from the left lane.

Yield to large vehicles and give them space.

Follow the pavement markings to stay in the correct lane.

Additional work will continue on Project Connect with overall completion anticipated in Spring 2027.

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Caleb Nguyen

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (KEYT) – About 50 firefighters from Ventura County Fire and LA County Fire tackled a structure fire at the 900 block of Westcreek Lane in Thousand Oaks just before 11:00 a.m. Monday.

The two-story, multi-family apartment showed smoke and fire crews aggressively attacked the fire before searching for potential injuries and damages to the property, according to the VCFD.

Crews also worked to protect the potential exposure to surrounding homes and more information on the fire will be provided once available, according to the VCFD.

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Caleb Nguyen

ATASCADERO, Calif. (KEYT) – Atascadero Police officers locked down Monterey Elementary School from 8:15 a.m. to just before 10:00 a.m. after a reported potentially armed person on campus.

APD officers searched the campus after a student reported the incident, including help from a California Highway Patrol helicopter.

Officers remained in the area for a precautionary measure after no suspect or firearm were found in the search, according to the APD.

The APD reported no injuries from the incident and confirmed no unauthorized people on school grounds.

Those with additional information are encouraged to contact the APD.

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Andie Lopez Bornet

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – A weak trough of low pressure is bringing a minor cooldown for Monday. Temperatures will cool 5-10 degrees with morning clouds. Morning marine layer and clouds may produce drizzle and mist for the beach communities and areas north of Point Conception. It will start to clear by midday.

Temperatures Monday will stay within 60-70 degrees throughout the Central Coast.

Gusty winds will start to increase Monday afternoon, coming from the North West to North East. A wind advisory goes into place for portions of Santa Barbara and Ventura county at 3 p.m. Monday until 3 a.m. Tuesday for wind speeds of 25-45 mph. There is a chance the wind advisory could be extended for later Tuesday. The National Weather Service says the higher terrain areas will feel the gustiest conditions, so be sure to plan accordingly.

By Wednesday another weak trough will drop through the region, keeping temperatures mild, however it will still be rather pleasant with mostly clear skies. The weekend will be another warm one, with temperatures reaching the 80s!

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Mike Klan

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) – Cal Poly staged a dramatic ninth-inning rally to force extra innings against No. 25 USC, but the Trojans snapped a 6-6 tie with two runs in the 11th and held on to beat the Mustangs 8-6 in the series finale at Baggett Stadium.

Trailing 6-1, Cal Poly parlayed a single, three doubles and a home run into a five-run ninth-inning uprising.

With one out, Dante Vachini and Braxton Thomas hit back-to-back doubles for the first run. Xander McLaurin then belted a two-run home run to left-center to trim USC’s lead to 6-4. After the second out was recorded, Cam Hoiland reached base on a USC fielding error and pinch-runner Owen Meli came home on Nate Castellon’s double. Alejandro Garza’s single through the right side of the Trojan infield capped the rally, knotting the score at 6-6.

Following a quick 10th inning in which both teams were retired in order, USC loaded the bases in the 11th with three singles. A wild pitch broke the tie before McLaurin kept it a one-run game by making a catch on the run in foul territory down the right-field line and throwing the ball to catcher Ryan Tayman for an extraordinary double play at the plate. Maddox Riske’s double to center field pushed across an insurance run for the Trojans.

Jake Downing drew a one-out walk in the bottom of the 11th, bringing the potential tying run to the plate, but Gavin Lauridsen induced pinch-hitter Dylan Kordic to bounce into a game-ending double play.

USC (11-0) completed a sweep of the series and maintained its perfect season-opening record. Cal Poly fell to 4-7 with its sixth straight loss since a 4-1 start to the season.

Adam Troy, who entered the game for USC in the eighth inning having allowed no runs over 6 1/3 innings this season, surrendered all five Cal Poly runs in the ninth on five hits and a Trojan error.

The win went to Gavin Lauridsen (1-0) as he tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings. Sean McGrath (0-2) suffered the loss, allowing two runs in both the ninth and 11th frames.

Castellon, Cal Poly’s leadoff hitter for the first time this season, finished with three hits to lead the Mustangs’ 10-hit offensive attack, lifting his batting average to .319 with his third three-hit game of the year. Thomas and McLaurin each added two hits.

Cal Poly wraps up an eight-game homestand Tuesday with a 5 p.m. midweek contest against Pepperdine (2-8). The Mustangs open defense of their 2025 Big West Championship next weekend at Hawai’i.

(Article courtesy of Cal Poly Athletics)

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Mike Klan

UC SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Cade Goldstein, Cole Kosciusko, and Nick Husovsky all drove in three runs as UCSB routed Utah 12-1 to complete a 3-game sweep.

Both Goldstein and Husovsky homered as the Gauchos extend their win streak to seven games to improve to 8-2 on the year.

Dos Pueblos High School alum Kellan Montgomery pitched six innings of 1-run ball, allowing 4 hits and striking out 4 as he moves to 2-0.

The Gauchos host Loyola Marymount on Tuesday with first pitch at 4:05 p.m.

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – St. Joseph High School received the 3rd seed in the Open Division of the CIF State Boys Basketball Championships and will host #6 Notre Dame on Wednesday, March 4th at 7 p.m.

The Knights beat Buchanan 62-34 to make it back-to-back CIF-Central Section Division 1 championships.

St. Joseph (30-2) is ranked 5th in California and Notre Dame (22-7) is #4.

Atascadero is the 13th seed in Division 3 and will play at #4 Warren on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

The Bishop Diego High School girls basketball team received the 14th seed in Division 3 and will play at #3 Carlsbad on Tuesday, March 3rd at 7 p.m.

The Cardinals won the CIF-Southern Section Division 5 title 42-41 over Burroughs of Burbank.

Oxnard is the #6 seed in D3 and will host #11 Canyon.

St. Joseph is the #2 seed in Division 2 and will host #15 Venice on Tuesday.

Also in D2 #8 Camarillo hosts #9 Cathedral Catholic.

The Oak Park Eagles are seeded #6 in Division 1 and will host #11 La Jolla Country Day.

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Caleb Nguyen

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) – Santa Barbara County Fire Department crews rescued a male hiker in his 20s via helicopter before 3:00 p.m. Sunday on the Tunnel Road Trail near Mission Canyon.

The hiker reported a medical complaint, and the SBCFD received assistance from Santa Barbara City Fire to rescue the hiker.

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