Category: keyt-local-news

Mike Klan

GOLETA, Calif. (KEYT) – Charlotte Raisin was at her very best as she outscored Long Beach Wilson on her own to lead San Marcos past Long Beach Wilson 15-9 to finish up pool play in the CIF-Southern Section Open Division.

The Royals advance out of Pool A by going 2-1 and will host Corona del Mar on Saturday at noon at Santa Barbara High School. The winner moves into the semifinals against top seed Mater Dei.

The USC-bound superstar Raisin tallied a game-high 10 goals and also came up with 4 steals in a dominant performance.

She scored 4 first quarter goals as the Royals jumped out to a 6-1 lead.

The visiting Bruins pulled within 7-4 but Raisin added three more goals in the second quarter as San Marcos led 10-6 at the half.

Long Beach never got closer and there were eliminated from the playoffs.

San Marcos got a huge game from Harvard-bound senior Bethany King who set the defensive tone early.

The field player turned goalie made several first quarter saves to help the Royals take control of the game from the jump.

King ended up with 12 blocks in the game.

Sophomore Jade Pattison scored two goals while Scarlett Akin, Lily Bordofsky and Michigan-bound senior Sophie Yonker all added a goal.

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Alissa Orozco

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (KEYT) – The soccer coach accused of murdering 13-year-old Oscar Omar Hernandez last April is now facing additional sex-related charges involving another two separate minors.

Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman accused 44-year-old Mario Edgardo Garcia-Aquino of killing Hernandez and dumping his body days later near McGrath State Beach in Oxnard last year. The murder charge is accompanied by special circumstances, occurring “during the commission or attempted commission of lewd acts with a child.”

Now Garcia-Aquino is now being charged with an additional nine sex-related crimes against another victim. Public information from Los Angeles Superior Court shows eight counts of sodomy of a person under 16 and one new count of oral copulation of a person under 16.

Initial charges against Garcia-Aquino included one count of assault with the intent to commit a sexual offense and lewd act on a child 14 or 15-year-old for the December 2022 sexual assault of a minor at his Sylmar home.

Another felony count of assault with the intent to commit a lewd act was filed against the soccer coach from a separate 16-year-old minor in February 2024. The nine new charges stem from this same victim for alleged crimes that occurred between September 2022 and July 2023.

Garcia-Aquino is facing at least 13 total charges including the murder charge in the Oscar Omar Hernandez case.

Garcia-Aquino has reported pled not guilty to his newest charges and remains in the jail without bail. A four-day hearing begins March 27th, 2026 to determine if there is enough evidence for a trial.

District Attorney Hochman has said the death penalty could be on the table.

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Jarrod Zinn

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – The Santa Barbara County Supervisors are going to take a closer look at overtime costs in the sheriff’s department.

Overtime costs are consistently exceeding the budget of $10 million… with overtime rising from $11 million in 2018 up to over $20 million in the last fiscal year.

The auditors’ representative began Tuesday’s presentation by acknowledging challenges beyond the sheriff’s department’s control, and clarified that this study was simply observing the department’s budget.

The report also showed 29 employees were so-called “high earners”… receiving more compensation in overtime than their base salaries.

Sheriff Bill Brown cited staffing shortages as a primary problem, and reported successful experimental efforts at avoiding overtime miscalculations.

“At the end of the day, you do control my budget,” said Sheriff Brown at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting. “And so if you decide that you want to cut my budget by $10 million or $15 million, we will work within that budget to the extent that we can. I could do it. But it’s going to result in things that neither you nor your constituents will be happy with.”

The Board Of Supervisors approved a new plan demanding that the Sheriff’s Office conduct a thorough review of its time card policies, and will now look at the sheriff’s overtime every month.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – If you are hoping to find love through food and gifts, there will be no shortage of choices or price ranges for the special day.

One of the most popular surprises does not necessarily come in a small box with a diamond, but instead in a large cardboard box. That’s where heart-shaped pizzas are served up.

Many locations are already making the special cut including Valentino’s Take ‘n Bake on Hollister Ave. near Modoc Road. For Valentino’s, they have been serving for 40 years and have had orders all week from hungry heart-shaped lovers who are ready to pick them up Saturday on Valentine’s Day.

That is when they will get the pink crust. Prior to that, the heart-shaped pizzas are available in the traditional crust.

The Santa Barbara Pizza House downtown, Rusty’s and several other locations are also crafting the pizza with a heart shape.

The owner of Valentino’s Take ‘n Bake Pizza Shayre Olive-Jones said, “I think Valentino’s has been doing pink heart shaped pizza’s for about 30  years. It is a family tradition in Santa Barbara.  Many people have made their memories with it and and we look forward to it every year.”

That’s because the pizza’s will be made fresh and with cooking instructions, it will be a  pay, grab and go flow. They are being set up in 15 minute slots to keep up with the demand.

Many families often include the kids in the Valentine’s day, heart-shaped love in the center of the table.

Olive-Jones said, “a lot of families do it together and then a lot of parents are still going out for that nice dinner in the evening and they get that pizza for their kids and have it special for them  so they feel just as special for Valentine’s Day.”

They will do it all. Any size they make it will be shaped with love.

“All sizes, small, medium, or large or the extra large and we call it the mega. Any toppings or our combination pizza’s,” said Olive-Jones.

It’s a day they prepare for with extra help and a full eight hours of orders. “It is all hands on deck  everyone who works here  and all family comes in and helps.   We want to make everyone’s Valentine’s Day special.”

If take and bake is not your choice you can go the traditional way with a pizza right out of the oven at the Santa Barbara Pizza House in downtown where they also have heart-shaped pizzas.

The owner Erin Khodabandehlou, says they are “hot,  ready to go and at your table or pick up.”

It gets an immediate reaction when the customers see it coming out of the kitchen.

Khodabandehlou says, “they are excited!” The reaction is, ” oh so cute ! They are overwhelmed. That is what brings us pleasure.”

This is also an option for those who are living in a tighter budget and a larger sit down fancy restaurant dinner isn’t going to work this year.

She said, “it’s just like spreading love ,  spreading love with food.  That’s the main thing. Something good for families, for a date night. You don’t have to spend $200. on a date night meal.”

Many restaurants are already getting booked for several seatings. Some are filling up early, on Friday night.

If pizza is not what you are craving, gift buyers are also seeking out shelves of clever cards, beauty products, and clothing lines, such as the Dylan Star boutique in the Funk Zone. There is a clearance sale underway that could be an added value. A pop-up with Zoe Magee of Zoe Bikini will take place Friday featuring the one-of-a-kind giant trucker hats with a large heart in the center.

The Farmer’s Market on Thursday in Carpinteria, Friday along Coast Village Road and Saturday in downtown Santa Barbara are expected to be among the busiest of the year for flowers. Some growers are coming in with extra trucks to meet the demand.

Restaurants offering heart-shaped menu items:

Rusty’s Pizza

Bettina’s

Topper’s Pizza

Ojai Pizza Company

California Pizza Kitchen

(partial list)

Rudy’s Mexican Restaurant – heart shaped taco trays with four tacos, rice, beans, choice of protein or Fajita Veggies.

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Jarrod Zinn

LOMPOC, Calif. (KEYT) – Ashlee Buzzard, accused of murdering her 9-year-old daughter Melodee was scheduled for a status update hearing this morning.

Judge Stephen Dunkle announced that Buzzard was sick, and was unable to appear in court.

Public defender Erica Sutherland told the judge she has only just received the discovery of the case’s warrants and forensic evidence records.

The defense stated she thinks at next court date, they will have had the opportunity to go through the materials and that they’ll finally have what they need to set a preliminary hearing.

Sutherland also made a motion for Judge Dunkle to admonish spectators because at the last hearing, an audience member burst out and shouted something derogatory at Buzzard.

Judge Dunkle approved the motion, agreeing that court proceedings must be a safe place to conduct matters in a civil way, adhering to the Constitution’s protection of innocence until guilt is proven.

Dunkle set the next status update hearing for March 4th.

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Dave Alley

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) – The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors approved its 2026 Legislative Platform on Tuesday, officially establishing the County’s state and federal advocacy priorities for the current year.

Among the key elements to this year’s platform includes public safety, health and human services, housing, transportation and infrastructure, agriculture and natural resources, and economicdevelopment.

“The legislative platform is about standing up for our communities—protecting taxpayers, strengthening healthcare access, supporting reliable infrastructure, and ensuring that state and federal policies reflect the realities on the ground in San Luis Obispo County,” San Luis Obispo County 4th District Supervisor and Board Chair Jimmy Paulding said in a statement. “I’m proud of the priorities we advanced this year and will continue fighting for local voices to be heard.”

In a release, the County listed the following items as the most impactful that were incorporated into the nine-page document that can be viewed here.

Stabilization of California’s homeowners insurance market. The County will supportlegislative and regulatory reforms that improve insurance availability andaffordability, and advocate for investments in wildfire risk mitigation.

Protection of Proposition 13 and taxpayer safeguards. The platform opposes anychanges that would weaken Proposition 13 protections for homeowners or businesses,in alignment with the County’s longstanding position.

Medicare reimbursement reforms to improve healthcare access. The County will advocate for federal reimbursement structures that better reflect the true cost of providing care in our area which will support recruitment and retention of physicians,specialists, and other healthcare providers.

Sustainable and reliable water supplies. The platform advocates for policies andregulations that prioritize the operational viability of reservoirs and water infrastructurewhile ensuring environmental protections are implemented in a manner that avoidsunintended impacts to drinking water reliability, agriculture, and public safety.

Preservation of federal support for county-administered health and nutritionprograms. The platform calls for amendments to recently adopted federal legislationthat will shift significant costs to counties and limit access to healthcare and nutritionassistance for vulnerable SLO County residents. The Board also received a report onTuesday outlining how as many as 16,000 county residents may lose healthcare or foodassistance as a result of recent federal changes.

Fair and transparent Cal Fire mapping procedures. The County will advocate for aformal process allowing local governments to either appeal or modify Fire HazardSeverity Zone maps prior to adoption, ensuring that local conditions, data, andmitigation efforts are fully considered. This is in response to concerns about theaccuracy of Cal Fire maps for our area that were released last year.

Paulding also pointed out that supporting Diablo Canyon Power Plant was another core issue the Board of Supervisors included in this year’s platform.

“We’ve worked with the cities here in SLO County,” said Paulding. “Six of the seven cities signed on to our letter along with the SLO Coastal Unified School District, the Harbor District and some other agencies saying we we want to see an extension of Diablo Canyon up to 20 years. We also want to address the unitary tax issue, which provides local revenue to local government, and we of course, support the conservation of the surrounding lands and the public access that largely has been addressed through the Coastal Commission.”

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Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – When Stellan Skarsgård arrived at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival he went straight to his fans.

Skarsgård is the first Best Supporting Academy Award nominee in an International film.

The Norwegian family drama “Sentimental Value” cast also includes Elle Fanning, who like Skarsgård plays a movie star. 

On Tuesday night, Sentimental Value director Joachim Trier, who is nominated for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay Oscar, received one of the Outstanding Directors Awards from the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

Actor Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, who earned a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for the film, was also in town on Super Bowl Sunday to receive a Virtuosos Award.

Skarsgård described the film as his best work and said he recently visited Santa Barbara for a screening.

He seemed thrilled that his colleagues were honored by the festival, too.

Local movie stars Bo Derek and John Corbett arrived early to see his tribute, too.

“Stellan Scarsgård- I’m a huge fan and I love the movie “Sentimental Value,” don’t miss it and it is just so wonderful that we have this right in our own community.”

Corbett is a academy voter and said they have been watching 3 films a night.

They have also been enjoying the SBIFF>

“It is so cool to just watch everybody here and you know Roger Durling is a good friend of ours, and he invites us every year, so we try to come and show our support,” said Corbett.

Josh Brolin also walked the red carpet. He was on hand to present Skargård with the Montecito Award.

“Sentimental Value” is streaming, but Scarsgård recommends seeing it on the big screen.

One of the fans who waited to see Skarsgard arrive said she loved the movie.

“Sentimental Value”might be my favorite movie of the year,” said Julia Riskin, ” it is such a beautiful  story and made me think of my own relationship with my own family,” said Riskin.

Your News Channel will have more SBIFF tributes throughout the week.

For more information visit https://sbiff.org

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Mike Klan

UC SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT)- The UC Santa Barbara softball team opened their home schedule, falling 10-2 to Kentucky on Tuesday afternoon. UC Santa Barbara managed six hits, including two doubles, while Kentucky capitalized on three errors to secure the victory.

FROM HEAD COACH JO EVANS”We hurt ourselves in the second inning, defensively, not getting some outs,” Evans stated. “My biggest thing is I don’t want our team to get discouraged. We’ve got some steady, upperclassmen that are going to be in the lineup, but we’ve got some younger players who I think can help us win ballgames.”

HOW IT HAPPENEDKentucky opened the game by taking the lead in the first inning with an RBI single, making it 1-0. UC Santa Barbara responded with Tehya Banks’ single, but the inning ended without further advancement, leaving the score 1-0 in favor of the Wildcats.

In the second inning, UK capitalized on errors to extend its lead. Following back-to-back singles, a throwing error allowed two runs to score. Additional errors resulted in two more unearned runs, pushing the Wildcats ahead 5-0. UC Santa Barbara’s Ainsley Waddell hit a double, but the team was unable to convert, keeping the score 5-0.

The fourth inning saw UC Santa Barbara get on the board. After the ‘Cats added two more runs with a two-run home run, UC Santa Barbara answered. Giselle Mejia’s single and Waddell’s walk set the stage for Emily Carr’s double, driving in two runs and narrowing the gap to 7-2 by the end of the inning.

The Wildcats extended their lead in the fifth inning, scoring three more runs. Despite UC Santa Barbara’s Jazzy Santos and Bella Fuentes each securing hits in the bottom of the inning, the team was unable to rally further. UK emerged victorious, with a final score of 10-2.

UP NEXTUC Santa Barbara will head north to compete in the Silicon Valley Classic from Friday, Feb. 13, through Sunday, Feb. 15. The Gauchos will compete against host schools San Jose State and Santa Clara, along with Illinois State, Cal and Utah.

(Article courtesy of UCSB Athletics).

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Mike Klan

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (KEYT) – Super sophomore Jules Horton scored in sudden death overtime as Santa Barbara outlasted Edison 14-13 in a CIF-Southern Section Division 2 second round game.

Tied at 13 after the two three-minute overtime periods, Horton won the sprint to get the Dons the first possession in sudden death.

She turned her defensive player to draw a five-meter penalty shot which she converted to give the Dons the thrilling playoff win.

The game was back-and-forth with the Dons trailing 3-2 after the first quarter.

After it was tied at 4 at halftime, Santa Barbara trailed 8-6 midway through the fourth quarter.

Santa Barbara ripped off 4 straight goals to lead 10-8 with around 2:15 remaining.

Edison rallied back to force overtime tied at 10.

The Dons led 12-11 after the first overtime period but Edison was able to tie it up in the second overtime session setting the stage for Horton’s game-winner.

The Dons will host Temple City in the quarterfinals on Friday.

Also in D2 Camarillo lost to Redondo Union 13-9 and in D4 Santa Paula lost at Tesoro 14-8.

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