Category: keyt-local-news

John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – With some of the top movie industry names coming to Santa Barbara next week, tickets are selling fast for the upcoming 2026 Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF).

The festival will run for 11 days starting February 4th for its the 41st year.

Some of the events are already sold out include the Maltin Modern Master Award with Adam Sandler, theVirtuosos Award, the Hammond Cinema Vanguard Awrd with Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn and Benicio del Toro and the Outstanding Performer Award with Michael B. Jordan. The other sellouts are for the Tribute packages, the Film Geek packages and the Intro Packages.

Tickets are still available for the Arlington Artist Award with Kate Hudson and the Montecito Award with Stellan Skarsgard.

There are still many events including both movies and panel discussions with hundreds of seats available.  That information can be found here.

They include the Directors panel, Producers panel, Writers panels, and Women’s panel.

The event has 200 films including U.S. and World Premieres. 

Fans have a unique opportunity to see the arrival of the stars at the Arlington Theatre and many people behind the scenes who create films at all levels.

They will also be the first to see the newest movies, followed, at times, by a questions and answer session with some of the film makers.

Many will be cover social issues, environmental topics and a large percentage of the films were made by women, according to Roger Durling the Executive Director of the Festival.

There will be daily free events and many opportunities for students to participate as movie makers or to meet those in the industry that can be mentors.

For shows that are now sold out there will be RUSH tickets that open up when seats are unused the night of the event. “When we sell tickets we have to account for all the pass holders but not all the pass holders show up    You may have instances when you have a sold out events and there may be 50 tickets that are empty seats,” said Durling.

For those going to the SBIFF McHurley Film Center mini-paks are punchcards with four transferable admissions on a first-come, first served basis. The five theatres will have more than 900 seats. “This might be the first year that we sell out on the mini packs. The little access (cards) to four movies.  We may sell out on those. People are curious about the film center which opens next week,” said Durling.

The SBIFF is in a unique spotlight on the calendar. It falls just after the Oscar nominations and before the industry’s biggest night, the Academy Awards.

In addition to the film center, the SBIFF’s Riviera Theatre will also show films.

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Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – California’s new cat declawing ban is sparking worry among some pet owners, but Santa Barbara Humane wants to set it straight: regular nail trims are still in the clear.

Under AB 867, declawing cats is now illegal in California except when a veterinarian deems it medically necessary.

“ Cats need their claws if they go indoor outdoor it’s really important for them to have them for self-defense but even an indoor only cat it’s part of their body,” said chief veterinary officer Dr. Katie Marrie of Santa Barbara Humane.

The law now limits the procedure to cases involving injury, infection, or disease.

“But it’s also just a normal thing for them. If anybody has a cat at home, they know they see the meeting and scratching on different things that they provide them to do that normal behavior,” said Marrie.

This change puts animal welfare first while preserving necessary treatment.

Some pet owners still have questions about what’s allowed — including whether routine nail trimming is affected.

“They can still trim their cat toenails … they can do it themselves. They can go through a veterinarian or a groomer that provides that service,” said director of shelter services Sandy Simmons of Santa Barbara Humane.

If you’re wondering how to safely trim your cats claws, the Santa Barbara Humane team is here to help seven days a week.

“If a cat is scratching your couch, you wanna put a scratching post of a different fabric there. If it’s both sides then they get one of each spot they’re scratching and giving them proper enrichment,” said Simmons.

Santa Barbara Humane helps owners feel confident caring for their pets through education and support.

“My hope is people really do take the cats in the consideration and that they are still an animal and need their natural kind of abilities,” said Simmons.

The new law aims to protect cats — and strengthen the bond between pets and the people who love them.

From nail trims to education on scratching behavior, Santa Barbara Humane aims to keep pets comfortable — and keep misconceptions about the new law from spreading.

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Five awards were handed out at the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table luncheon at Harry’s while two awards were given out at the Northern Santa Barbara County Athletic Round Table gathering at Hancock College.

There was a double dose of Athlete of the Week Awards since there was no luncheon last week as school was out for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The two boys winners are Carpinteria High School soccer player Carlos Garcia and San Marcos basketball senior Koji Hefner.

Garcia scored three goals in two wins for the Warriors while Hefner stuffed the box score to lead the Royals to win over rival Santa Barbara. Hefner racked up 18 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals.

The two girls winners are from water polo. Reagan Mack had 45 blocks to lead Dos Pueblos to the Ocean View Tournament championship.

Harvard-bound senior Bethany King totaled 32 blocks to help San Marcos to a third place finish at the Newport Elite 8 Tournament. The Royals beat defending CIF-SS Open Division champion Oaks Christian.

Providence High School awarded junior Gavin Rutland the Phil Womble Ethics in Sports Award.

Rutland plays both indoor and beach volleyball for the Patriots and carries a 4.26 GPA.

At Hancock College the girls Athlete of the Week honor goes to Valley Christian Academy basketball player Katelynn Mikkelson who scored a career-high 28 points with 12 rebounds in a win over Cabrillo.

The boys winner is Santa Maria basketball player Julius Medina who recorded a triple-double in a win over Morro Bay. He scored 16 points with 14 rebounds and 10 assists.

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) –

Santa Barbara 74, Dos Pueblos 59:

(Levi Oakes scored 23 of his game-high 27 points in the second half in the Dons road win in Goleta. Entenza Design).

(Owen Horn added 19 points for Santa Barbara who lead the Channel League at 10-1. Entenza Design).

Dos Pueblos has lost several starters for the season due to injuries but they led this game at halftime 36-34. Senior Coulter Jay scored 15 of his team-high 22 points in the second quarter. Logan Pearce added 15 points for DP.

San Marcos 67, Venura 57: The Royals win their sixth straight game to stay one back of Santa Barbara in the league race. Koji Hefner scored 19 points and Brody Green added 18 as San Marcos improved to 9-2 in league.

Oxnard 61, Pacifica 49: The Yellowjackets won the Battle for Gonzales Road. Oxnard got 27 points and 12 rebounds from Enrique Caudra. Mikey Duran-Morales filled the stat sheet with 15 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals.

Rio Mesa 58, Buena 36

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Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – A vigil got underway at Stearns Wharf at dusk Monday.

Organizers said the goal was to honor the Alex Pretti, the ICU nurse who was fatally shot during ICE activity in Minneapolis, Minnesota over the weekend.

They gathered by the Dolphin Fountain off Cabrillo Blvd. and filled the sidewalks up and down Cabrillo Blvd.

Shelley and Mark Sherman from Goleta said they have family in Minnesota.

“We are from Minnesota and we were there last week and so Minneapolis means a lot to us, the fact that man was killed in cold blood on the street by border patrol agents is really horrible it breaks my heart that the people in Minnesota are going through this attack and so we came to mourn and say that they need to get out of Minnesota right away,” said Shelley Sherman.

“We were just in Minnesota our family is there are niece I spent a lot of time on the corner where he was killed, we know it really well, Minnesotans have decided to stand up to other people, it is hard to talk about it is close to my heart,” Mark Sherman.

Supporters honked their horns as they drove by.

Santa Barbara City Council Member and Mayoral Candidate Eric Friedman took part in the vigil.

Former California State Assembly Member Hannah-Beth Jackson was also on hand.

Some participants said they saw and took photos with Portia de Rossi and Ellen Degeneres who spent part of her birthday attending the vigil.

Larry Behrendt of Indivisible Santa Barbara said the group helped organize this this vigil and the No Kings Protests last year.

They made sure to have crossing guards on hand to people safe.

Budget Chairman of the California Republican Party Greg Gandrud has been seeing rallies and vigils on social media and sees things differently.

“Over 55 percent of Americans actually support removing all illegal aliens from the United States and Gov. Walz and Mayor Frey have been encouraging people in Minnesota to interfere with the lawful operations of Federal agents in Minnesota,” said Gandrud. “Pretti brought a handgun and two high capacity magazines and interfered with the arrest of a criminal illegal alien in Minneapolis and the result was absolutely tragic.”

There have been similar vigils at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse following the shooting deaths of Pretti on Saturday and Renee Good a few weeks ago.

Those vigils included projections of members of the Trump Administration and even Jeffrey Epstein on the courthouse wall.

Many are also upset by the taking of 5-year-old Liam Ramos who was photographed in a blue knit bunny hats.

Similar hats were for sale outside a shop on State Street over the weekend.

Social media posts tracking ICE activity said agents have been active locally up and down the coast as early as 4:30 in the morning.

There are organization and nonprofits trying to help immigrant families including those who were in the process of getting their citizenship without criminal records.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, CALIF. (KEYT) – After several lengthy meetings, the Santa Barbara City Council Tuesday is expected to formally approved a temporary rent stabilization ordinance.

The tenant protection ordinance will take effect in 30 days and will remain in effect through December 31st.

During that time city leaders will work on a permanent rent stabilization ordinance. That will include community outreach and a consultant is expected to be hired to assist with the process.

The moratorium pauses rent increases for units built before 1995, except single-family dwellings, condominiums, and certain other rentals as required by state law.

Proponents say the rent increases have gone up dramatically in the last five years and have exceeded the ability of many tenants to make ends meet. That has led to  financial hardships, relying on government assistance, homelessness or relocation out of the area.

Opponents say the rent increases will reduce property values, limit investments in improvements or repairs and deter investors from developing in the city.

The council meeting begins at 2 p.m.

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John Palminteri

CARPINTERIA, CALIF.  (KEYT) – Similar to other cities, Carpinteria has been dealing with dangerous bike riders for months now, mainly those on the newer and most popular e-bikes.

Efforts to slow down the riders and have them follow traffic laws have failed.

The city says it has had numerous complaints about reckless ridings, speeding, close calls, traffic accidents and illegal e-motorcycle vehicles on the road that are unregistered.

The Carpinteria City Council Monday evening will take up an upgraded set of changes to its ordinance that covers bikes on the road.

It would have a list of penalties that could lead to fines, but many steps prior to that.

Those would include strengthening the ordinance as it applies citywide but specific wording for the downtown traffic core. There would be community announcements, outreach, educational efforts through the school and more. That will be followed by an education period on the road with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department serving as the police department, stopping violators and issuing warnings. When full enforcement takes place, penalties for an infraction can begin at $100.     

Youth offenders would be able to go to a diversion class, and if they complete it, they would not have to pay the fine. That would only be allowed once.

The council will take up the issue at 5:30 p.m. at Carpinteria City Hall.

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Jarrod Zinn

LOMPOC, Calif. (KEYT) – Lompoc’s Transit Division is inviting locals to try out some recently expanded routes throughout the city, for free.

Residents had direct influence on these recent additions.

City Of Lompoc Transit, or COLT, is offering free fares through the end of February.

Lompoc city officials say public transit is designed to make residents’ lives easier, and it’s also good for the environment.

Locals can check out what’s new and enjoy the free fares through next month.

“It’s a great opportunity to get out and see all of the new routes that we’re offering,” says the City of Lompoc’s community relations manager Emily Prueitt.

The new additions are in direct response to public input gathered last month at the Unmet Transit Needs Workshop held at City Hall.

“We are excited for the opportunity to have so many routes that connect to so many different places across the city,” says Prueitt. “Restaurants, hospitals, parks, schools, all of them are connected by public transit.”

Lompoc’s public transit is specifically designed to fit into locals’ daily activities — from work commutes to running errands and even social occasions.

“We have additional stops that we’re adding,” says Prueitt. “We also have the new Bridge House route. The H Street shuttle has also become a completely dynamic route.”

The city continually accepts input such as hiccups in the system that need to be addressed, and ideas for new routes or methods.

“All of our busses are ADA accessible, which is huge,” Prueitt says. “And we also offer ADA and para-transit services. And the free fares are also applicable to those services. The only route that the free fare promotion does not apply to is for Clean Air Express.”

City officials say this is the best time to engage with all outlets of public transit to see the new routes and stops, at no cost.

You can find more information and route schedules on the city’s website by clicking this link.

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John Palminteri

UC SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) –  With a major soccer event set for Tuesday at UC Santa Barbara, many nearby businesses are expecting a large economic boost including restaurants, hotels, soccer stores and apparel vendors.

The U.S. Women’s National Team will take on Chile at Harder Stadium at 7 p.m.

Already more than 14,000 tickets have been sold and there’s room for more. Additional bleachers have been added. There is also a General Admission area. Harder Stadium is also known as “Soccer Heaven.”

Advanced sales included early access to tickets for students. There was a sweeping response and thousands of tickets were sold. A check online shows there are still several good seats available especially for single ticket buyers who would like to sit at mid-field.

For those providing extra services and food, the 72-hour period prior to the match will be as if a large rock concert or community festival will be taking place.

Elubia Orozco at Elubia’s Kitchen in Isla Vista will be providing food at the event as a regular caterer with UC Santa Barbara in addition to the restaurant she owns. “For us it is super super exciting, it is an honor to be there because it is international.” She will be working on menu items before dawn. “Everything needs to be fresh.  The food, the beans and the rice.”

At the restaurant it is a multiple item menu and meals. At the sporting events and festivals it is simple and fast for the quick turn around needed to meet the demand on the spot. “We are planning to have burritos, the street tacos, the pupusas and potato taquitos  and they are the most popular.”

Logistics, ordering, preparations and set ups are now all underway for many vendors.

Woodstock’s Pizza in Isla Vista has been one of the longest running UC Santa Barbara athletic supporters with a presence on and off campus. The crew will also be making pizza’s all morning to deliver to the stadium in warmers. They will be feeding hungry fans slice by slice as soon as they enter.

For student athletes,   many will be staffing paid positions for this event.   It is  some side money but also a payoff  with the exposure to the world class competition.

Parker Simmons is a UCSB Track and Field Athlete who says, “something as big as this, I have never seen before on campus   it’s really exciting to bring USA stuff here.” He says, “we’re going to have a packed (stadium.) We will definitely have a stadium pulse so it’s going to be so much fun to work in.”

There are other aspects of the event that will include traffic control and security. Attendees will be arriving well before the event begins.

Harder Stadium has been upgraded with special red, white and blue event wraps and it will be an international showcase for UCSB and its nationally known soccer reputation.

For nearby Goleta businesses, they too should be expecting an increase in customers before and after the match on the streets heading in to UCSB.

There are many food places near the campus  like those in the Camino Real Marketplace, in Old Town Goleta and neighboring areas, that are already the go-to spots for big crowds coming and going to the campus.

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Dave Alley

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – The Santa Maria-Bonita School District (SMBSD) recently launched an annual survey that will help guide decision-making in how millions of dollars in supplemental funding is utilized.

The Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) survey is open online through Friday, Jan. 30 for parents, staff, students, district business partners and community members.

SMBDS describes the survey as as a direct channel for the community to influence the district’s investment roadmap for supplemental funding. This includes investments such as translation and interpretation services, professional learning, extended day programs and classes, visual andperforming arts and more.

Those who take part in the LCAP survey will be asked to express their thoughts and priorities regarding the district’s four Strategic Plan Goals:

● Family Engagement: Strengthening the partnership between schools and home.● Staff Recruitment & Retention: Ensuring high-quality educators and support staff for everyclassroom.● Inclusive Learning Experiences: Creating equitable academic environments for all learners.● Nurturing the Whole Child: Supporting the social, emotional, and physical well-being of students

“Your voice matters,” said Sam Humphrey, SMSBD Director of Plan Alignment and Implementation. “To contribute your voice towards prioritizing investments that will serve all SMBSD students, we urgeeveryone to participate in this important annual process.”

In addition to the online survey, SMBSD will also hold a LCAP Community Workshop on Thursday, Feb. 12.

“It’s open to the public,” said Humphrey. “We just ask that you RSVP. We have childcare available. There will be snacks, tons of coffee and caffeine to keep you fueled for your input and we try to make it as fun as possible.”

The SMBSD LCAP survey is available in multiple languages and can be accessed by clicking here.

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