Category: keyt-local-news

Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – The Santa Barbara Zoo is hosting top animal care teams Wednesday for a hands-on workshop dedicated to advancing animal welfare.

Experts from the Los Angeles Zoo, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, and The Living Desert are coming together to share science-based strategies that improve care across the region.

Tamur, an Amur leopard, will take center stage with a live enrichment demonstration designed to engage his natural hunting instincts.

The event highlights a growing regional effort to exchange knowledge, tools, and techniques that strengthen animal welfare in Southern and Central California zoos

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) – The Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue team is actively recruiting to increase its members and to be ready to respond to a variety of call outs at any hour of any day.

This could be in the regional area or with other another county’s needs on a mutual response basis.

The all-volunteer Search and Rescue team is often called to local trails for injured or missing hikers. They are used during fire and flood emergencies to reach properties and assess public safety risks or help with evacuations. They have also been used for evidence searches.

The team goes through regular training in all weather conditions including swift water rescues and rope rescues over bridges and on rock formations.

It’s a rapid response team working closely with fire departments, AMR and the Sheriff.

The responders have a fleet of vehicles, fully loaded with gear, safety equipment and supplies for victims they encounter. There is also a full set of communications equipment and authorized connections with other front line agencies via two-way radios.

“You want to help out those people in desperate need and make sure that they come home, to their loved ones, ” said Jason Copus with Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue. “When you do the job and you did it well, and you got somebody home or the medical care that they needed, you know, that you did exactly what you’re trained to do and why you did it.”

Search and Rescue has been on call in Santa Barbara County since the 1970’s.

There are three recruitment meetings coming up. (details below.)

To qualify you have to 

Be at least 18 years old

Be in excellent physical shape

Possess a High School diploma

Have a valid drivers license

Be a US citizen or legal resident

Be of good moral character

Be willing to work as part of a team

No felony convictions

Be willing to commit many hours to the team

For more information go to: Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue

Complete outreach from the Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue via Facebook:

Event by Santa Barbara County Search And Rescue

66 S. San Antonio Road, Santa Barbara, CA, United States, California 93110

Duration: 1 hr 30 min

Public  · Anyone on or off Facebook

Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue Opens Recruitment for 2027 Academy

Santa Barbara, CA – Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue (SBCSAR), the all-volunteer, non-profit organization operating under the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, is now recruiting dedicated individuals for its 2027 academy. For over 60 years, SBCSAR has provided critical 24/7 emergency search and rescue services across the county’s 2,550 square miles and beyond, responding to lost hikers, injured adventurers, swiftwater incidents, technical rope rescues, alpine/snow & ice operations, and more.

Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue is a professional search and rescue team that responds to emergencies throughout Santa Barbara County in coordination with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office. SBCSAR’s highly trained volunteers deliver compassionate, professional assistance in wilderness, urban, and mutual aid scenarios, often in partnership with fire departments, U.S. Forest Service, and other agencies.

Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue is seeking individuals who are motivated, reliable, and committed to long-term community service. Membership requires a significant time commitment, beginning with a rigorous academy and continuing throughout a member’s time on the team through training, meetings, and emergency response.

“Being part of SBCSAR is a serious commitment,” said Jason Copus, Recruitment Coordinator for Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue. “Our team trains extensively and responds in challenging environments. Team members gain advanced skills in search techniques, medical response, high-angle rescue, swiftwater operations, human tracking, and more while making a real difference in emergencies. This is not a casual volunteer role. It requires dedication, accountability, and a long-term commitment to serving the community and working as part of a highly disciplined team.”

The 2027 academy is a rigorous six-month program designed to prepare provisional members for the demands of active search and rescue operations. Successful completion of the academy is followed by a one-year probationary period of ongoing training, field experience, and evaluations before full membership.

To apply for the 2027 academy and begin the path to becoming a provisional member, interested individuals must attend one of the upcoming Recruitment Information Meetings. These identical sessions are the required first step: Attendees will learn about team responsibilities, the academy structure, commitment expectations, physical and background requirements, and the full application process. Applications are distributed only at these meetings.

Recruitment Information Meetings (Attend one only – sessions are identical):

Thursday, February 26, 20266:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Wednesday, March 4, 20266:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, March 7, 20269:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Location for all meetings:Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue66 S San Antonio RoadSanta Barbara, CA 93110

Requirements include being at least 18 years old, in excellent physical condition, possessing a high school diploma and valid driver’s license, U.S. citizenship or legal residency, and a strong commitment to team-based training and operations. The selection process involves application submission, interview by recruitment board, thorough background checks, polygraph, and interviews conducted with the Sheriff’s Department.

These meetings offer an opportunity to meet current members, ask questions, view equipment, and hear real stories from the field. No prior experience is required—just motivation, fitness, and a desire to help others.

Individuals who are interested in serving their community, working as part of a highly disciplined team, and committing to the demands of search and rescue are encouraged to learn more about the recruitment process and what it means to be a member of Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue. The information meetings provide an opportunity to gain a clear understanding of the expectations, training, and long-term commitment required to be part of the team.

For more information, visit sbcsar.org/join or email join@sbcsar.org.

In case of emergency, always call 911.

Contact:Recruitment CoordinatorSanta Barbara County Search and Rescuejoin@sbcsar.org 

See less

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) –

High School Boys Volleyball:

Bishop Diego 3, Del Sol 1

Santa Ynez 3, Oxnard 2

Dos Pueblos 3, Oak Park 0

Carpinteria 3, Pacifica 0

Ventura 3, Nordhoff 0

High School Girls Beach Volleyball:

Santa Barbara 5, Oxnard 0

Dos Pueblos 5, Buena 0

High School Softball:

Simi Valley 6, Dos Pueblos 3

San Marcos 18, Del Sol 0

Camarillo 11, Oxnard 4

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Mike Klan

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (KEYT) – Five UCSB pitchers combined for 17 strikeouts as the Gauchos outlasted Loyola Marymount 5-3 in 11 innings for their fourth straight win.

Despite the solid work on the mound, the Gauchos trailed 2-1 heading into the 9th inning but Noah Karliner took care of that with one swing of the bat. He led off with a home run to right and this game would go to extra innings tied at 2.

Each team plated a run in the tenth inning and UCSB took the lead in the 11th inning on a wild throw to first base on a bunt by Corey Nunez. The error allowed Nick Husovsky to score and the Gauchos added another run on a sacrifice fly by Cole Kosciusko.

UCSB pitching did not allow a hit to the Lions until the eighth inning and LMU only totaled 3 hits all game.

Gauchos starter Josh Jannicelli pitched 3 2/3 innings allowing a run without the aid of hit and he struck out seven.

Reliever Donovann Jackson pitched three innings of shutout ball without allowing a hit and he struck out 5.

Raymond Olivas, Chase Hoover and AJ Krodel followed on the mound and held the Lions in check.

Krodel pitched the final two innings to get the win, giving up just one hit and striking out two.

UCSB is now 5-2 on the year and play their next 8 games at home starting Friday against Utah with first pitch at 4:05 p.m.

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) –

CIF SoCal Water Polo Championships Division 1: San Marcos 7, Bishop’s 6: Junior Shea Estabrook snapped a 6-6 tie by scoring a goal with just :34 seconds to play to give the Royals a road win over San Diego’s top team. Harvard-bound goalie Bethany King made 11 blocks for San Marcos who improved to 27-7 on the season.

USC-bound Charlotte Raisin and sophomore Ella Grube each scored 2 goals for the Royals.

Oaks Christian 16, Beckman 13: The Lions, who won the CIF-Southern Section Open Division championship last weekend, will host San Marcos in a CIF-Regional semifinal on Thursday at 5 p.m.

Division 2: Carlsbad 10, Santa Barbara 9: Standout sophomore Jules Horton scored a game-high 6 goals for the Dons who finish their season at 26-10. Madison Thomas scored the final two goals for the visiting Lancers, the game winner coming with :56 seconds left to snap a 9-9 tie.

(Rose Nelley scored the first three goals for the Dons. Entenza Design).

The game was tied at 2 after one quarter and Rose Nelley’s third goal of the game put the Dons up 3-2 early in the second quarter.

Horton scored back-to-back goals to push the lead to 5-2. Her third goal in the second quarter helped the Dons to a 6-4 halftime lead.

Horton scored one a goal in the third quarter but the Dons were down 8-7 after three quarters.

The star Horton tied the game at 8 early in the fourth quarter and her highlight-reel backhanded goal with 4:15 remaining put Santa Barbara up 9-8.

But the offense dried up from there with Horton just missing some contested outside shots as time was winding down.

(Jules Horton put on an offensive show for the Dons scoring her team’s final 6 goals. Entenza Design).

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Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – A proposed ordinance that would adjust the tax rates on cannabis businesses in the city of Santa Barbara is under consideration.

The topic was on the agenda at a special Finance Committee meeting on Tuesday.

“The city council directed staff to look at potentially raising the cannabis rate from what it is right now at 6 percent as a way of generating more revenue to pay for essential services that the city provides to this community,” said Finance Director, Keith DeMartini.

The topic comes at a time when recreational cannabis shops are offering deep discounts.

Some members of the committee don’t want medicinal cannabis sales to be impacted if a hike is approved.

Cannabis taxes are in the 29 percent range when you include state and other taxes.

Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed a bill that rolled back a statewide cannabis tax hike to help the legal market grow. 

The move kept the state rate at 15 percent.

“The Industry itself is not doing very strong, we can see it from our own cannabis tax revenue,” said DeMartini. “It peaked at about $1.9 million, about five years ago, and ever since then for us it has been declining.” 

Even so, the city is considering a two percent increase.

“Staff recommended raising the rate from six to eight percent,” said DeMartini.

He said voters approved a tax rate that gives the city the authority to raise is as high as 20 percent.

But that is not likely to happen.

“We evaluated a number of economic factors, we think there is a high risk of cannabis businesses going out of business and we obviously don’t want that to occur.”

Cannabis Industry workers at three shops declines to comment.

Numerous customers declined to comment on camera as well, but many said they believe tax hikes drive people to the black market.

The cannabis tax adjustment is going to go before the full Santa Barbara City Council in March.

For more information visit https://santabarbaraca.gov

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Patricia Martellotti

MONTECITO, Calif. – (KEYT) Scissors snip. Glue sticks roll across tables. Students lean over bright sheets of construction paper, building their latest classroom project.

Artificial intelligence is part of the lesson, too.

Inside Cold Spring School in Montecito, educators are embracing AI — but with clear guardrails.

The goal isn’t to replace teachers or fast-track assignments.

It’s to support instruction and deepen student thinking.

Teachers use secure tools like Khanmigo through Khan Academy to customize materials and guide projects.

The technology helps create structure and prompts tailored to individual needs, while students remain in charge of the final work.

“It really helps teachers custom-make materials to meet students where they are,” said teacher Ryan Francisco.

Lessons stay rooted in California academic standards through project-based learning.

In one assignment, students built detailed California maps.

AI helped organize the framework, but every creative decision came from the students themselves.

Principal Amy Alzina says the purpose is balance.

“Our goal is to utilize AI to amplify the voice of teachers and students. It’s not to replace them — it’s to be a thought partner,” Alzina said.

From math concepts like surface area and ratios integrated into STEAM projects, to personalized learning supports, school leaders say they are preparing students for an AI-driven world — without letting technology do the thinking for them.

Scissors in hand. Standards in focus. The future of learning taking shape in Montecito.

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Caleb Nguyen

VENTURA, Calif. (KEYT) – CHP officers arrested a drunk driver for DUI after he gave major injuries to a 27-year-old from Ventura at the Telephone Road on-ramp on Friday just before 11:00 p.m.

The 36-year-old drunk driver travelled through the intersection of Telephone Road and Main Street before hitting the pedestrian who crossed the street, according to the CHP.

Neither the drunk driver nor his 29-year-old passenger suffered injuries from the crash and first responders took the 27-year-old man to Ventura County Medical Center, according to the CHP.

Police then arrested the 36-year-old for DUI and those with more information on the case are asked to contact the Ventura CHP.

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Jarrod Zinn

GUADALUPE, Calif. (KEYT) – The city of Guadalupe took a step toward modernizing its transit hub this morning by removing an historic train caboose from the parking lot.

The whole operation took less than two hours.

The J.F. Will Company got started at 8:00 in the morning, punctuating the skyline with a crane, and the crew worked fast.

Guadalupe Station has been serving the century-old Santa Maria Valley Railroad in its current form since 1998.

But this caboose has been on the grounds since 1993.

“The Santa Maria Valley Railroad has been crucial in coordinating this effort and allowing this a spot in the yard to proceed with preservation efforts,” says Kevin O’roark, speaking for Friends Of The Santa Maria Valley Railroad.

First built in 1959, Santa Maria Valley Railroad’s Caboose 210 went into service in 1962 and had a thirty-year track record before arriving here for a stop that lasted another thirty years.

“Cabooses act as, like, an office, break room, restroom facility for the railroad crewmen, when they’re out switching,” says O’Roark.

Representative of the non-profit ‘Friends Of The Santa Maria Valley Railroad’ Kevin O’roark says the initial intent back in the nineties was to use it as an office space for the Chamber Of Commerce, but that plan never took shape and the caboose became an attraction.

“In the past, the Friends of the Santa Maria Valley Railroad have held several open house events here so people could have access to it,” says O’Roark. “And we had docents available.”

By 9:30 Tuesday morning, the caboose was gone from the parking lot, on the road to its next stop.

“Knowing that it’s going back to Santa Maria Valley Railroad, I think it’s just the caboose is just going for a full circle,” says Guadalupe’s interim city administrator David Trujillo.

City leaders say that while some may see this as the loss of an historic landmark, construction can now begin on some critical modernization upgrades to Guadalupe Station.

“This here has been our only delay, actually getting the caboose on our truck and getting it getting gone,” says Trujillo. “So hopefully the next couple weeks, we’ll start construction and everything here will look totally different.”

The caboose was transported to the Santa Maria train yard where it will await refurbishment, possibly back to serviceable condition.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) – The proliferation of illegal food vendors in Santa Barbara County has been a challenge for government leaders for several years, but new plans could bring the situation under control.

The county is discussing more enforcement combined with an outreach to the public. In that communication the county will have public service announcements explaining that street kitchens have food that is transported without appropriate refrigeration or warming storage equipment.

Restaurants near the pop-up street kitchens have also complained about unfair business operations. Those owners claim the street operators do not have approved permits, health inspections, or fire prevention equipment.

The county has been frustrated by some state laws that allow for certain types of vendors with mobile carts to set up. The main target is larger cooking operations under pop ups that can be seen on roadside locations including around county sites in the Santa Maria valley, Highway 246 in the Santa Ynez Valley or near Santa Ynez High School.  Those without proper refrigeration or fire safety pose a health and safety risk.   Photos show some food in buckets on the ground before it is served.

There’s also no sign of bathrooms or hand washing stations. One complaint has included cooking impacts or grease left in the area.

They also say there is an economic impact on local businesses who are paying annual fees and going through inspections required by law.

Jason Aguilar and his family operate a restaurant in Northern Santa Barbara County. “Legitimate food businesses have to go through rigorous  inspections by the fire department and health department,” he told the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. He said in addition to the street kitchens, some people are running food establishments out of their yards and garages, similar to a restaurant with food and alcohol. “This not only violates state and local alcohol regulations but also creates a high risk of unknowingly serving minors.”

Several longtime restaurant owners in the Santa Maria area explained how street kitchens with no authorization have directly impacted local businesses and some have closed. One restaurant owner, speaking to the board in Spanish through an interpreter said, he was thinking of just closing and going out to the streets like others because he wouldn’t have the overhead costs. The message also pointed out the gap in enforcement.

County Supervisor Joan Hartmann said, “it is heart wrenching to hear that businesses that have been serving this community for decades and playing by the rules has to be threatened by people who aren’t.  It is a complicated problem.” She also said it is a statewide problem but there are local ways to control some aspects of it.

Hartmann was also particularly concerned about where these stands are set up near, for example, Santa Ynez High. Attracting a crowd in and around a street location is a safety concern. Hartmann has been working with the county in general to improve pedestrian trails and safety around the school after a fatality involving a child in a 2015 traffic accident.

County Environmental Health officials have said they are doing inspections, writing citations and at times confiscating equipment. They have had issues with storing the cooking supplies and food which is required until the legal process is completed. The report indicated only one operator has asked for their equipment back.

The county plans to increase its space to hold these item as part of the upgraded outreach and enforcement during the scheduled future actions.

County Supervisor Bob Nelson said he expects more night time enforcement when the kitchens are set up, and suggested that get done without overtime costs for the staff, just an adjustment in their work schedule.

“We don’t have to pay overtime. It seems like we are already employing them to do the work that needs to be done. We should have the regulatory staff meet the regulatory job that needs to be done not  the  9 to 5 job,” said Nelson.

The Executive Director of the Solvang Chamber of Commerce, Tracy Beard said the problem has been ongoing and the impacts are directly felt. She said she has spoken not just to the Board of Supervisors but the regional Santa Barbara County Association of Governments. “We  have had  KEYT out there  to show that these things are happening. Open flames every weekend.  This is a catastrophe happening continuously. Supervisor Nelson and Hartmann are correct this must stop.”

Beard has gone out to take pictures as evidence of the problem she was speaking of. The county has many photos that back up their claims of health violations.

The county plans include:

Alert the public to health risks of consuming food from unlawfulvendors (e.g., foodborne illness and pest contamination)

County PIO will conduct six-month multifaceted media campaign

Digital and social media

Earned media (e.g., press releases in local newspapers)

Example Public Service Announcement (PSA)

The county says Compact Mobile Food operations are generally not the issue that is immediately before the board. Those include smaller fruit vending or ice cream carts.

Supervisor Steve Lavagnino said he was also concerned about other vendors. He pointed out a florist where he buys flowers in Santa Maria has closed and noted, nearby there were several street locations with free lance style sellers.

One of the speakers, a restaurant owner, said she has been doing research. In San Diego, where a similar problems exists, multiple business closures have taken place.  Some vendors have sued the city, alleging that restrictions conflict with state laws.

Some of the restaurant owners said they were concerned about the reaction in the community by their comments and said, many will not come forward for fear of retaliation. It is not known if that has been taking place but Supervisor Roy Lee told one owner, he personally will be coming to her restaurant the next time he is in Santa Maria.

Lee and is family are Carpinteria restaurant owners and he has personal experience in the cost of the operations.

He also said in Carpinteria they were very strict on enforcements even though vendors would move between city, county and state sites to avoid citations.

Supervisor Lavagnino also agreed a very aggressive enforcement would make a difference and said he would support it, even if it cost additional county funds during a time of budget tightening.

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