Category: keyt-local-news

C.J. Ward

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – We would love to hear what you think. President Trump wants to open the Pacific Coast to more offshore oil drilling and he’s lowering fuel standards for automakers. Former State Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson offers the Democrat viewpoint and former Santa Barbara City Councilman Dale Francisco gives us the conservative opinion. Watch their discussion and tell us what you think.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Bands that would have been in the Milpas Street Holiday Parade will still get the chance to perform this weekend.

The parade was canceled last week.

In the past they took part in the multi-block event in front of thousands of people. That’s no longer taking place for 2025.

Instead a Holiday Band Expo will be held from 5:30 to 6:30p.m. in Peabody Stadium at Santa Barbara High School.

The featured bands will be from Santa Barbara High, La Colina Junior High, La Cumbre Junior High and the Bravo! elementary program.

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News Channel 3-12

Below is a press release from the City of Atascadero regarding submissions for their 2026 Summer Concert Series!

ATASCADERO, Calif. – The City of Atascadero’s Community Services Department is now accepting band applications for the upcoming 2026 “Saturday in the Park” Summer Concert Series.

We’re excited to announce that it’s time to get our bands in place for the 23rd annual Summer Concert Series. This series will consist of seven (7) concerts from June 20th through August 15th (except July 4th & 19th) and will be held at the Atascadero Lake Bandstand from 6:30-8:30 pm. The concert dates are June 20th & 27th, July 11th & 25th, August 1st, 8th, and the 15th. Concerts are free to the public and draw an average attendance of 500 people. We look forward to another fantastic season in 2026!  Band submissions will also be considered for our Signature Events for year of 2026.

The concert series is promoted through a variety of media including radio and digital advertising, social media, City websites, and printed materials. Each selected band is paid a one-time stipend of $500. In addition, the City of Atascadero will provide an audio technician for each concert.

All applications are due no later than Friday, January 30, 2026, at 5pm.  Late applications will not be accepted. Applications can be submitted via email, mailed in or dropped off to 5599 Traffic Way. 

If you have any questions, please contact Larisse “Reese” Lopez, Recreation Supervisor, at (805) 470-3360 or recreation@atascadero.org.

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John Palminteri

SOLVANG, Calif. (KEYT) – A fun holiday search is underway throughout Solvang for the next few weeks.

As part of the ongoing Julefest event there is a city-wide hunt for the Solvang Nisser, which is the Danish name for “gnome.”

A group of Nissers have been placed around downtown in public spaces. 

The Solvang visitor center has a list of clues to the various hiding spots for those who are on the quest to find the Nissers.

Susan Lee at the Solvang Visitor Center said, “we’ve got people coming from all over Solvang, from all over the world even. People from other countries and doing it and it’s fantastic. We love it. We love sharing all of Solvang fun.”

Those who get all ten locations will be given a special Julefest keepsake.

You are asked to take pictures of the Nisser locations and show them to a visitors center staff member to get the prize.

The event runs through the first week in January.

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

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News Channel 3-12

Below is a press release from the City of Goleta regarding the winners of their annual Window Decorating Contest!

GOLETA, Calif. – Drumroll please…the City of Goleta is excited to announce the winners of our Third Annual Window Decorating Contest! A big thank you to the businesses and community volunteers who helped make the Old Town Goleta Holiday Parade route this past Saturday, December 6, 2025, merry and bright.

It was a tough decision again this year, but the panel of three judges selected the following winners:

Best Overall Window – Classic Collision

Most Creative Theme – Larry’s 8 Day Auto Parts

Most Festive Display – The Edge Salon & Barbershop

Honorable Mention – Goleta Bakery

People’s Choice Award – Classic Collision

Classic Collision

Goleta Bakery

Larry’s 8 Day Auto Parts

The Edge Salon & Barbershop

Community members voted for the People’s Choice Award by viewing photos of the participating businesses on the City’s social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram and X) or through an online photo album and letting the City know their top choice by leaving a comment or sending an email.

Thank you to Fuel Depot for providing prizes for the winners.

A big shout out to three amazing community volunteers — Peichi Waite, Matt Martins, and Arielle Goodson — for leading the effort to paint and decorate a vacant Old Town window storefront ahead of the holiday parade.

See for yourself photos of the participating businesses online here. Or you can head over to Hollister Avenue in Old Town from Orange to Kinman and check them out for yourself. The displays will be up throughout the rest of the holiday season.

Happy holidays!

Traducción al español:

GOLETA, Calif. – Redoble de tambores, por favor… ¡la Ciudad de Goleta se complace en anunciar a los ganadores de nuestro Tercer Concurso Anual de Decoración de Vitrinas! Un enorme agradecimiento a los negocios y a los voluntarios de la comunidad que ayudaron a que la ruta del Desfile Navideño de Old Town Goleta, que tuvo lugar el pasado sábado 6 de diciembre de 2025, brillara con alegría festiva.

La decisión fue difícil una vez más este año, pero el panel de tres jueces seleccionó a los siguientes ganadores:

Mejor General – Classic Collision

Más Creativo – Larry’s 8 Day Auto Parts

Más Festiva – The Edge Salon & Barbershop

Mención Honorífica – Goleta Bakery

Premio del Público – Classic Collision

Classic Collision

Goleta Bakery

Larry’s 8 Day Auto Parts

The Edge Salon & Barbershop

Los miembros de la comunidad votaron por el Premio del Público al ver fotos de los negocios participantes en las cuentas de redes sociales de la Ciudad (Facebook, Instagram y X), o a través de un álbum de fotos en línea, y enviaron su elección dejando un comentario o enviando un correo electrónico.

Gracias a Fuel Depot por proporcionar los premios para los ganadores.

Un gran agradecimiento a tres increíbles voluntarios de la comunidad — Peichi Waite, Matt Martins y Arielle Goodson — por liderar el esfuerzo para pintar y decorar una vitrina vacía en Old Town antes del desfile festivo.

Vea usted mismo las fotos de los negocios participantes en línea aquí. O puede dirigirse a Hollister Avenue en Old Town, desde Orange hasta Kinman, y verlas en persona. Las exhibiciones permanecerán durante el resto de la temporada navideña.

¡Felices fiestas!

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Andrew Gillies

CENTRAL COAST REGION, Calif. (KEYT) – Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is deploying drones to identify maintenance needs and encroaching vegetation along power lines over the next few weeks.

The drone-based observations in hard-to-reach areas are intended to help the utility company prepare for winter storms PG&E shared in a press release Wednesday.

The inspections will use several drones during daylight hours to conduct aerial photography for about 10 to 45 minutes for each location.

Once problematic equipment is identified, inspectors will issue a work tag for local teams to respond to and the work is not expected to impact power supply to any customers stated the utility giant.

Drone flights are expected to be conducted over the next three weeks in Monterey, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara counties.

In San Luis Obispo County, PG&E will focus their drone flights in the Nipomo area and for Santa Barbara County, drones will be conducting their flights near Lompoc, West Santa Maria, and Orcutt.

If you have any questions, you can call 1-877-295-4949 for more information.

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Jarrod Zinn

NIPOMO, Calif. (KEYT) – Nipomo residents attended a public hearing today, to voice their opposition to significant water rate increases over the next three years.

The vote passed.

The Nipomo Community Services District says water rate increases are needed to pay for system maintenance, technological upgrades and inflation.

“I have a son who goes to high school in Nipomo,” says resident Angel Ramirez. “And he’s come to me asking, hey, this person is asking if they can come to our house, if it’s okay if they could shower, because their water is so expensive that they can’t even pay their bills right now and that it’s shut off.”

Residents logged nearly 500 protests in writing and public comment.

“This hits me really hard,” says Kitt Jenae, who lives in Nipomo. “I mean, if I spend $500 extra in a year for something, I think hard about spending that kind of money. And this is like, I don’t even have a choice.”

Locals addressed the Nipomo Community Services District Board Of Directors saying an increase of 41% is an unreasonable burden on their already-strained budgets.

They also criticized a lack of transparency from the board to the community they represent.

“I am looking at not being able to stay here because it’s just getting—and I don’t, you know, my Social Security is not that high either.”

One local blames years of bad decisions for the current situation.

“The piping evidently was offered to come down and they didn’t take it at that time,” says Jenae. “The pipe, the state water, went down to Santa Maria. Now they’re having to pipe it back here. I totally feel gut punched.”

Residents tried but failed to get enough signatures to stop the vote.

The rate increase passed in a 3-to-2 vote.

“We have to be better on communicating with each other, to taking care of each other so we can have a tomorrow,” says Ramirez.

The yearly 13% increase is expected to start in February.

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Cynthia White

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (KESQ) – California is officially the most generous state in America according to GoFundMe’s 2025 Year in Help report.

GoFundMe released the report celebrating the generosity of individuals and nonprofits worldwide who helped each other throughout the year.

This is the first time California has topped the list for the most generous state in the U.S. In addition, California is home to 5 of the top 10 most generous communities in the U.S. this year, with Los Angeles, Marin, Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara and Ventura all making the list.

Locally, Coachella Valley communities came together in 2025 on GoFundMe. Notable fundraisers in valley were Restoring The Velvet Rope, a business that sustained heavy damages when a powerful explosion rocked downtown Palm Springs, and Save Oscar’s Palm Springs, a downtown restaurant that needed support to keep its doors open.

California had more repeat donors than any other state across the country. The outpouring of support was evident after wildfires swept through Altadena and Pacific Palisades at the beginning of the year – resulting in the most generous day of the year globally on Jan. 10, 2025, amid those wildfires.

An average of one in every five California households donated to a GoFundMe this year.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) –  Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church is set for a procession Thursday evening as part of the traditional Feast Day events in Santa Barbara.

This comes after recent vandalism with to a mosaic shrine on the church property badly damaged by a man police arrested who was allegedly hitting it with a large hammer.

The violent attack damaged the face and hands of Our Lady of Guadalupe – Virgin Mary, in a location that is often surrounded by flowers and candles throughout the year. It is accessible to the public at all hours.

There was also damage to church doors and some interior areas of the church.

The processional will be at Ortega Park on Ortega St. at Salsipuedes Street next to Santa Barbara Junior High. It begins with a Rosary at 6 p.m. followed by the procession at 6:30 p.m. It will proceed over to the church.

Hundreds are expected to take part.

Friday, the official Feast Day, there will be a day of special masses all day starting at 4 a.m.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Pastor  Father Pedro Lopez said, the community should come together and understand “what causes the anger and hurt that people are carrying to pushes someone to do something like this. That what needs attention and healing.” He says others may also have emotions that are harmful and efforts to help them with outreach are important at this time.

He urged the community to unite “and not let people face that alone. “

Anthony Rodríguez a parishioner at Our Lady of Guadalupe and community leader said, “we want people to see, yes we were hurt,  but you know what,  we want to do  what she (Our Lady of Guadalupe) has taught us and that is to be strong. hold each other and be together and unity.”

Wednesday a resident and Westmont College student Lesly Ricardez came by with flowers. It was her first time seeing the damage to the mosaic shrine. “She didn’t desrve this,” said Ricardez. “Just very sad to see that someone would go out of their way to damage her image when so many of us come to pay our respects and especially during this time which is so important to us Catholics.”

The procession will travel down Cota St. to Nopal to the church with police assisting for safety.

Going forward the church is seeking funds for additional security, lighting and cameras.

“The most immediate concern is to repair the image.  Beyond that  we want to do something that  will to make the space even better,” said Father Lopez.

Many community members, Catholics and non Catholics have offered to help in any way. “we have great  support here at the church,  and we have a good leader,” said Rodriguez about the efforts ahead to make improvements and beautify the location.

The Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe is celebrated annually on December 12th, commemorating the Virgin Mary’s apparitions to Saint Juan Diego in Mexico in 1531, with large celebrations including Masses, processions, and cultural festivals, especially by Mexican communities and Catholics worldwide. This day honors her as the “Queen of Mexico and Patroness of the Americas,” marked by traditions like presenting roses and displaying her image. 

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