Category: keyt-local-news

Dave Alley

PISMO BEACH, Calif. (KEYT) – Visitors to one of the most popular and scenic hiking trails on the Central Coast will soon need to pay for parking.

Starting next week, a small fee will be required to park a vehicle at the Pismo Preserve, a 888-acre coastal trail located along Highway 101 in Pismo Beach.

The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County, which owns the property, said it made the decision to charge for parking to help offset operational costs that rise above $200,000 annually.

The non-profit organization does not receive any tax revenue for either local, state or federal agencies to support the Pismo Preserve and indicated fees would will assist with the ongoing maintenance and operations of the property, as well help conserve additional natural habitat and productive farmlands in San Luis Obispo County.

Paid parking will begin on Thursday, Oct. 16 and will cost daily visitors a fee of $5. An annual pass is also available for $50.

Visitors will be able to purchase parking passes through a mobile app or with cash or credit card at a pay station located by the restrooms and kiosk.

Daily parking fees will fund the ongoing maintenance and operations of this incredible property and fuel our mission to conserve even more natural habitat and productive farmlands in SLO County.

The Pismo Preserve opened to the public in 2020 and provides hikers, mountain bikers and equestrian riders 11 miles of trails that travel through oak woodland and coastal ridgeways which offer some of the most picturesque views in the entire state.

Depending on weather conditions, visitors are able to look out to the Pacific Ocean and view panoramic scenery from the Irish Hills to the north to the Point Sal to the south.

For more information, click here to visit the Pismo Preserve webpage on the official website for The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County.

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Jarrod Zinn

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – Amid National Fire Prevention Week, local fire authorities are sounding the alarm about lithium-ion batteries.

The National Fire Protection Association is helping the public “Charge Into Safety.”

Lithium-ion batteries are found in our laptops, smartphones, iPads, electric vehicles, and they store our solar and wind power.

But they come with risks.

“Fires rapidly expand with ion lithium batteries,” says Santa Barbara County Fire Department spokesman Scott Safechuck. “So if you’re charging your, let’s say, an e-bike and it’s a cheap knockoff brand or you’re not using the approved charger, it can cause a short in the electrical system there and cause almost like a rapid explosion of the fire.”

Lithium-ion batteries are a fire hazard, and an increasingly common question is how to properly dispose of them.

As long as the battery is not giving off heat, swollen, or what’s called ‘off-gassing,’ they can be brought to your city’s household hazardous waste facility.

“Any time we want to recycle those batteries, we want to take them to an approved recycling center,” says Safechuck.

For Santa Maria, that’s the landfill out here on East Main Street.

They accept hazardous household waste every Wednesday and Saturday.

“It’s free to do that and you can get the hours on our website,” says Santa Maria’s City Manager Mark van de Kamp.

Until then, always keep them in a bucket, not in your trash.

“If you’d like to get a free bucket just for this purpose, you can come out on Saturday, to Cops and Cars, it’s a car show,” says Van de Kamp. “There will be a booth with the Utilities Department and they’ll be giving away these free buckets.”

If the battery is giving off excess heat or off-gassing, do not dunk it in a bucket of water, but set it outdoors on flat open concrete, and call the fire department for removal.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – The status quo or the current norm in downtown Santa Barbara is not working and changes are in the air.

The Santa Barbara City Council is working with staff on short and long term plans that will be presented October 21.

The newly formed and funded Downtown Santa Barbara Improvement Association (DSBIA) is calling for a “balanced, flexible design for a thriving State Street.”

A TV commercial with business and tourism leaders is airing on Newschannel 3-11-12.

The community has also been asked to sign a petition before the council meeting.   

At issue is a plan to add renewed vitality to the area that has been in a sluggish mode.  

The DSBIA says the decline in visitation directly impacts downtown small businesses, property owners, and employees, it “limits potential investment, and affects the overall vitality of the area.”

The group recently funded cleaning services, which was one of the main start up goals for forming. That means more power washing general cleaning of trash cans, news racks, benches and liter removal.

Looking forward the group wants to see a multi-use plan for the street and the return of popular events.  This will be included in the Master Plan discussion coming up with the city that has been in the works for the past few years.

Suggestions will be made with an urgency to act soon.

A news release says the message will be to adopt a new State Street design configuration that:

Installs retractable bollards so the street can be easily opened or closed to vehicles for farmers’ markets, parades, concerts, and other special events.

Allows for one-way configuration of vehicle traffic and shuttles.

Creates safe, organized, separate spaces for pedestrians and cyclists.

Expands sidewalks to continue supporting outdoor dining.

This area is being referred to as the “Grand Paseo.”

The DSBIA says the plan will:

Increase downtown circulation and accessibility.

Attract more diverse customers.

Improve visibility and opportunities for businesses.

Reinvigorate downtown’s economic vitality.

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

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Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – E-bikes are surging in popularity among Santa Barbara’s young riders, and police say safety can’t be left in the dust.

Students traded class for a crash-course in e-bike safety at la Colina Junior High School in Santa Barbara.

“In response to just concerns about E bike ridership that police department has started reaching out to schools and doing a brief E bike safety presentation to the kids,” said traffic ergeant Douglas Klug of the Santa Barbara Police Department.

Officers from Police Department led hands-on demonstrations in the school parking lot.

“To teach the kids to ride safely to “behave responsibly and not create problems in traffic,” said Klug.

During the presentation, officers gave demonstrations aimed at preventing injuries.

“I hope that people don’t crash on it and like they could be safe … It’s important because like lots of people get hurt on it and they’re kind of like helping people not getting hurt,” said student Peyton Collins of La Colina Junior High School.

Officers plan to bring similar sessions to other local campuses.

“I hope it is by starting with little kids with young kids we could teach them from the beginning to be more responsible riders as they grow up,” said Klug.

Small lessons, big payoff.

The presentation comes amid growing concern about speeding, helmet use, and risky riding habits among teens.

The department hopes the lessons will not only reduce violations under the city’s new e-bike safety ordinance but also save lives.

Police are urging parents to reinforce the message at home and make sure every rider wears a helmet before taking off.

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT). –

Girls Volleyball: San Marcos 3, Santa Barbara 0

There was no late drama this time between Channel League rivals Santa Barbara and San Marcos.

The first place Royals made short work of Santa Barbara in a sweep 25-16, 25-11, 25-20 to stay undefeated in league at 12-0.

Earlier in the season the Dons took the Royals to five sets before just falling short.

San Marcos was led by Charlotte Hastings who blasted a match-high 15 kills.

Other results: Ventura 3, Oxnard 0; Dos Pueblos 3, Buena 1; Cate 3, Carpinteria 0; St. Bonaventure 3, Bishop Diego 2; Laguna Blanca 3, Thacher 0

Girls Flag Football: San Marcos 48, Santa Barbara 8; Dos Pueblos 48, Buena 0; Oxnard 28, Ventura 25

Girls Golf: Dos Pueblos 11, San Marcos 7

Boys Water Polo: San Marcos 17, Ventura 6; Santa Barbara 13, Rio Mesa 10; Carpinteria 17, Channel Islands 1

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Caleb Nguyen

VANDENBERG VILLAGE, Calif. – Two people received medical care for their injuries after a car crash near Vandenberg Village just after 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.

One person received a helicopter airlift for major injuries and another person had minor injuries in the crash. Crews helped both patients to Marian Regional Medical Center, according to the SBCFD.

The SBCFD received help from Lompoc Fire, California Highway Patrol, CalStar, and AMR.

Updates on this emergency will be provided as they become available to Your News Channel.

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Dave Alley

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) – Central Coast airports are continuing to operate as normal during the ongoing government shutdown despite impacts now beginning to happen at other airports across the country.

On Monday, the Hollywood Burbank Airport operated without air traffic controllers for several hours due to a shortage of workers.

The Southern California airport joins a growing list of U.S. airports that are experiencing a shortage of federal workers.

According to CNN, personnel shortages at other airports such as Chicago, Washington DC, Phoenix, Denver, Newark, New Jersey, Jacksonville, Florida, and Indianapolis have been so short-staffed, it has caused some travel disruptions.

Meanwhile, on the Central Coast, all three commercial airports are reporting their air service has been business as usual.

“As of right now, everything is remaining open,” said Joe Goble, San Luis Obispo County Airport (SBP) Public Information Specialist. “Operations are functioning as normal. TSA is working right now and will remain open and our air traffic control will also remain open as well.”

Management at both Santa Barbara Airport (SBA) and Santa Maria Airport (SMX) said Tuesday they are also continuing to operate as normal and have not experienced any disruptions to air service.

Since Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers and Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controllers are considered essential workers, they are required to work through government shutdown without pay.

ABC News reports an estimated 13,294 controllers will continue to work without pay during the shutdown. 

For Central Coast passengers traveling on Tuesday, they were relieved the three local airports are remaining open and have yet to feel any direct impacts caused by the shutdown.

“100% yes, we appreciate it,” said Jared Tartaglia of Atascadero, who flew into SBP from South Carolina on Tuesday. “It made things so much easier. It is definitely good to travel at the moment.” 

With the shutdown remaining in place with no known end date, SBP is advising air travelers to check with the their airlines for up-to-the-minute flight information.

“SBP is continuing to monitor the situation and transparency is really key for us,” said Goble. “Any updates that we receive or that we know about, we will forward to the public and they will make sure that that’s known about before travel ensues.” 

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John Palminteri

GOLETA, Calif. (KEYT) – The residents of Goleta have had a chance to talk one-on-one with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s department assigned to their area.

It was part of a ‘Coffee with a Cop’ program with a special emphasis on Goleta, the Sheriff’s Office is contracted as the police department.

The event was held at the McDonald’s on Fairview which donated all the coffee for those attending.

The issues were widely distributed.

Public Information Officer Raquel Zick said, “we talked about homelessness, we talked about the (housing) program across the street that addresses some of the homeless issues in this area, we talked about e-bikes, we talked about traffic safety with some of the changes in the speed limits.”

One of the groups to come forward was Mom’s Demand Action, Sarah Penna said, “we were building relationships with the police department here in Goleta. We were talking to them about safe storage of firearms, so we hand out a lot of gun locks in the community.”

The department had several members of the command staff on hand.

Upcoming there will be a special ‘Coffee with a Cop’ program that will focus on Isla Vista issues and events including the unsanctioned spring festival known as Deltopia that draws thousands of visitors.

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Caleb Nguyen

ARROYO GRANDE, Calif. (KEYT) – Two people died following a car crash and subsequent vehicle fire near Arroyo Grande just before 3:00 p.m. Tuesday, according to the SLO Tribune.

The crash occurred on the Highway 101 and Traffic Way off-ramp; however, the car fire posed no threat to vegetation or grass nearby, according to CAL FIRE SLO.

The CHP SLO division originally mentioned major injuries from the crash, but later displayed the incident as a fatality on its incident page.

The car that caught fire was the only vehicle involved, and the San Luis Obispo CHP asked drivers just before 3:30 p.m. Tuesday to expect delays and choose alternate routes, according to CAL Fire SLO.

More information on the incident will be provided as it becomes available to Your News Channel.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) – Santa Barbara County workers chanted outside the administration building early Tuesday morning, worried about layoffs and patient services as federal funding cuts loom.

The potential reductions stem from the Trump administration’s proposal to scale back funds tied to undocumented immigrants in the county’s healthcare system. That could leave thousands without access to care, and county employees uncertain about their jobs.

“These are lives on the line. People will die if this happens,” said one worker. “They are indicating that 7,500 people are going to seamlessly transition to other overburdened clinics in the community, and that’s just not a realistic situation.”

Union members from SEIU Locals 620 and 721 rallied outside the county building, holding signs and calling for job protections. Many said the cuts would not only strain families already living paycheck to paycheck, but also leave vulnerable patients without the support they rely on.

“Sad because they’re family,” one employee said of their co-workers. “We’ve been together for the longest, and we work together as a team.”

Inside, Santa Barbara County Supervisors heard from more than 50 speakers, including healthcare workers, patients, and community leaders, urging the county to find alternative funding and preserve critical services.

Supervisor Steve Lavagnino pressed public health officials on whether every patient would still receive care.

“Are you confident that with a warm handoff, each person will be able to get the services that they need?” Lavagnino asked.

County Public Health Director Dr. Mouhanad Hammami said that work is underway to reassign all affected patients.

“That means that everybody has now a provider,” Hammami said. “Now the heavy lifting of coordinating with that provider, ensuring that those patients are getting an appointment, ensuring that they are receiving the care they need, that’s why we are looking at other alternatives. We’re looking at urgent care as well.”

Hammami added that local health systems and free clinics have been supportive of efforts to expand access through “phase two” planning.

Still, community advocates warned that the county’s plan remains uncertain.

“This is a premature plan with more questions than answers,” said Eder Gaona with the Fund for Santa Barbara.

Santa Maria Councilmember Gloria Soto, also with Future Leaders of America, said the transition could have devastating effects for those who depend on county doctors.

“What does this mean for the chronically ill patients who have built trust with county doctors?” she asked. “The real-world consequence is that thousands of patients will be cut off from the county’s healthcare systems.”

The county is delaying any final decision until November 18, the last possible date to issue layoff notices before the end of the year. Until then, officials say they’ll keep exploring solutions to protect both patients and employees.

“Nothing is going to prevent the communities from still seeking these services,” one worker said. “The work is still going to be there.”

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