Category: keyt-local-news

Andie Lopez Bornet

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – It will be a night full of great company and great music in Ventura on April 17th.

Iam Tongi will be performing at Ventura Music Hall, sharing new music from his debut full-length album “Good for my Soul.”

Tongi will be bringing tunes to the crowd that is full of island warmth, soulful influences and heartfelt story telling.

The Hawaiian-born singer and season 21 American Idol winner shares about his new album and performing in Ventura with the Morning News.

Iam Tongi will be performing at Ventura Music Hall on April 17th at 8:30 p.m. you can find tickets here.

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Mike Klan

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (KEYT) – A 3-run first inning and 4-0 lead in the third inning disappeared quickly as UCSB lost at #12 USC 7-6.

The Gauchos lost for the eighth time in the past ten games to drop to 16-10 on the season while the Trojans ran their sensational record to 27-3 including 19-1 at home.

Xavier Esquer roped a 2-run double to give UCSB a 3-0 first inning lead. Noah Karliner singled in Colin Beazizo in the third inning for the Gauchos fourth run of the game.

The USC offense woke up in the bottom of the third, sparked by a two-run triple from Abbrie Covarrubias and then an RBI groundout from Maximo Martinez to cut the deficit to one.

Adrian Lopez sparked another three-run rally in the fourth with a solo-homer to left, tying the game at 4-4. After Andrew Lamb singled up the middle and Kevin Takeuchi doubled to put runners on second and third, Lamb scored on a wild pitch and Takeuchi came home on a groundout by Isaac Cadena to make it 6-4 in favor of USC.

Each team traded a run in the sixth inning and the Gauchos scored a run in the top of the ninth inning. Rowan Kelly belted his second double of the game and scored on a sacrifice fly by Beazizo but they could not get any closer.

(USC Athletics contributed to this article).

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Mike Klan

FRESNO, Calif. (KEYT) – Ryan Tayman smashed his third grand slam of the year, tying a school Division I record, and homered for the fourth straight game, driving in five runs, to power Cal Poly to a 10-4 victory over Fresno State in a non-conference midweek game Tuesday on Pete Beiden Field at Bob Bennett Stadium.

Tayman hit a solo home run in the fifth inning to extend Cal Poly’s early lead to 3-0 and his grand slam on a 1-1 pitch in the sixth broke the game open. He is the 59th Mustang in the school’s 32-year Division I history to produce a multi-homer game. Only one has hit three homers in a single game, Boyd Dodder at Nevada in 1997.

With the win, played in off-and-on misty light rain since the fourth inning, Cal Poly improved to 8-3 in road games and 17-10 overall by pounding out double-digit hits for the 13th time in its last 17 contests.

Fresno State, which battled New Mexico to an 18-18 draw in 10 innings Sunday in Albuquerque, called after 4 hours and 41 minutes due to a travel curfew, fell to 8-17-1 for the season.

Cal Poly led 2-0 in the second inning. Braxton Thomas and Dylan Kordic belted back-to-back doubles for the first run and Jake Downing’s RBI single up the middle tallied the second run.

Tayman’s solo home run to left-center field in the fifth made it 3-0.

After Fresno State pulled to within a run at 3-2 with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth, Cal Poly loaded the bases on two walks and a Bulldog error in the infield before Tayman’s four-run blast, also to left-center field, gave the Mustangs a 7-2 cushion.

His third grand slam of the year ties Grant Desme’s performance during the 2007 season against Rice, Santa Clara and Nevada. Earlier this season, Tayman hit grand slams in back-to-back games against Fresno State on March 10 and Cal State Bakersfield on March 13, both at Baggett Stadium.

Cal Poly added another run in the eighth as Nate Castellon doubled and came home on Cam Hoiland’s bouncer over first base for an RBI single in a 10-pitch at-bat and added its final two tallies in the ninth on Antonio Castro’s RBI single up the middle and a Bulldog throwing error.

Tayman was the lone Mustang with multiple hits, adding a first-inning single to his pair of home runs and lifting his total for the season to nine and his batting average to .333 at the midpoint of Cal Poly’s 2026 season.

Center fielder Casey Murray Jr. doubled moments after Tayman’s grand slam in the sixth inning, extending his hitting streak to 17 games.

Fresno State was held to six hits by six Mustang pitchers. Designated hitter Griffen Sotomayor singled twice and knocked in three runs for the Bulldogs.

Cal Poly starter Luke Kalfsbeek allowed two runs and one hit over 4 1/3 innings. The win went to lefty Chris Downs, who pitched a one-two-three sixth inning. Sean McGrath and Nick Bonn also tossed one scoreless frame.

When Downs entered the game in the fifth, the first batter he faced, Michael Boyd, lined the ball back at Downs. He was able to get his glove up in front of his face just in time to avoid serious injury and made the throw to first base for the out. On the next play, Downs covered first base on a grounder to Downing for the second out of the inning.

The loss was charged to Fresno State starter Erik Rico (0-1) as he allowed the pair of runs in the second inning, his final inning of work on the mound.

A 13-3 winner over Fresno State in early March at Baggett Stadium, Cal Poly has now won nine of its last 10 games against Fresno State and 31 of the last 43 matchups. The Bulldogs still lead the all-time series, however, with 121 wins against 75 losses since the first meeting in 1945. One more game between the Central California rivals will be played May 12 in Fresno.

Cal Poly, first in the Big West with a 10-2 record, wrapped up a five-game road trip with Tuesday’s triumph and returns home to resume conference play and the Blue-Green Rivalry with a three-game series against UC Santa Barbara inside Baggett Stadium.

First pitches for the Big West series, scheduled for Thursday through Saturday due to Easter Sunday, are set for 6:05, 6:05 and 1:05 p.m.

(Article courtesy of Cal Poly Athletics)

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Tracy Lehr

VENTURA, Calif. (KEYT) Journalist Ivor Davis, who had a front row seat to the Beatles invasion, has died.

The British journalist covered their first Hollywood Bowl performance and ended up calling Ventura home.

The author’s family said he struggled with dementia and died peacefully Sunday in Ventura with the song “Let it Be” playing in the background.

Davis is known for his best-selling memoir “The Beatles and Me” and the more recent true crime story; “The Devil in My Friend: The Inside Story of a Malibu Murder.”

He also covered the Charles Manson trial for publications around the globe.

A celebration of life will be held at Temple Beth Torah on April 19.

Ivor Davis was 87 years old.

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Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) As the war rages on in Iran, members of the local Jewish community don’t all agree on what is happening in Israel and Middle East, but they do plan to come together for Passover that beings Wednesday at sunset.

“It really is about holding onto hope in difficult moments,” said Samantha Silverman at the Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara.

Silverman is the Executive Director of the Jewish Community Center.

“The message is freedom after bitterness after slavery, it is about navigating those narrow parts the really difficult dark moments in our lives and persevering and having hope as a community united together,” said Silverman.

The chef and workers at Etty’s Deli, named after a contributing community member, has been preparing dishes for the occasion.

“We will be celebrating Passover in several different ways tomorrow, we will be giving out multiple meals we have a wonderful deli that people will be ordering catering items through, so we will be doing brisket, charoset, tzimmes, lots of delicious traditional Jewish flavors for the holiday table that people will be picking up all day tomorrow and then the following day we will have our Seder,” said Silverman.

The tradition included unleavened breads and treats.

The first day of Passover has fallen on Easter before due to the lunar calendar and this time it falls on April Fools’ Day. They don’t mind.

Silverman chose not to share all the details of their community celebration.

There is a sense of heightened awareness and there is enhanced security at the center and local synagogues preparing for the major Jewish holiday.

Canter Mark Childs at Congregation B’nai B’rith in Santa Barbara is warming up his vocal cords.

Local Jewish leaders believe the traditions are soothing at a time of fighting in the middle east.

“I think rituals are always a source of comfort in tumultuous times,” said Child,” to have that ritual that we can really sit back at the familiar story that we tell every year, that is sort of a comfort. “

People will hear their Passover story.

“We still celebrate the same story that takes us from slavery to liberation, degradation to freedom and it is a story about that journey and it is a story about compassion, we think about the Egyptians who died so we can be free,” said Childs.

The Seder includes wine.

“We actually take drops of wine out of a cup, wine is a symbol of joy in our tradition, we remove a bit of joy from our celebration in recognition of the suffering of Egyptians, so not only do we have compassion for our ancestors who were slaves, we also have compassion for those who suffered for out freedom.,” said Childs.

It is a celebration of Spring.

“Happy Passover to every and happy holiday to everyone who celebrated this time of year, Springtime is a time of renewal,” said Childs.

For more information visit https://cbbsb.org or https://jewishsantabarbara.org

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Alissa Orozco

OXNARD, Calif. (KEYT) – In the early morning hours, farm workers across the Central Coast made their way out to the fields to continue the necessary agriculture work that often goes unappreciated. Its the same thing they do everyday and will continue to do for days to come, but today – March 31st, 2026 is different – it marks the first established “Farmworkers Day.”

The field workers we spoke to say it feel good to have the recognition. The holiday was newly established to replace the former César Chavez Day, the late labor activist recently hit with allegations of sexual abuse against women and girls throughout the 1960s. Now, the day recognizes not just the efforts of one person, but rather the entire generations of farmworkers.

“It was overdue. I’ve been dreaming about this. We, we deserve that. We need that respect,” said Jesus Marmolejo of Marmolejo Farms King Produce.

Each day, hunched, bent, kneeling over for hours, farmworkers carrying not just the weight of harvest, but the weight of responsibility.

According to the state’s Department of Food and Agriculture, nearly half of the country’s fruits, vegetables, and nuts are sourced from California – but the labor behind the product is almost always an after thought.

As of Tuesday evening, only four states in the country have formally recognized the transition to Farmworkers Day. Oxnard School District is reportedly considering a new name for César Chavez Elementary.

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Jarrod Zinn

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) – A graduate of Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo is slated to circle the moon with three other crew members over the next ten days.

The mission is intended as a precursor of more to come.

NASA will launch the Artemis II no earlier than Wednesday, April 1st at about 6:30 in the morning from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

“It was actually originally planned in March,” says Jeffrey Armstrong, Cal Poly University President. “They had pushed back. And so it’s been, wait, they’re in quarantine, not in quarantine.”

The crew: Commander Reid Wiseman from Baltimore Maryland, mission specialists Christina Koch from Grand Rapids Michigan and Jeremy Hansen From Ontario Canada, and the pilot, Victor Glover, graduate of Cal Poly Class of 1999, and a navy captain.

“He carries many ranks,” says Armstrong. “Besides his engineering degree at Cal Poly. And being an amazing student athlete, he’s received a couple of other master’s degree, if not more. So he’s quite decorated.”

The mission’s purpose: to make sure current spacecraft can sustain astronauts for new missions to the moon planned for the near future.

“They’re going to go farther into space than any human beings ever, even farther than some of the Apollo missions,” says Armstrong. “So it’s, it’s incredible. And there’s some parallels, to the Apollo missions.”

Cal Poly University President Jeffrey Armstrong reflected on his friend’s career, and says it’s not lost on students that captain glover has actually reached the stars.

“The 45 minutes that we’re closest to the lunar surface are also going to be out of contact,” says Capt. Victor Glover, Artemis Ii Pilot. “We are going to have an L.O.S. in NASA terms, a loss of signal. And while we cannot talk to the planet and our friends that are even in space on the International Space Station, I would love it if the entire world, those 8 million people could come together and just, you know, be hoping and praying for us to get that acquisition of signal.”

NASA is observing additional launch opportunities through Monday, but are anticipating all systems go.

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Patricia Martellotti

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – After years of working toward stability, a Santa Barbara couple is celebrating new independence.

The road hasn’t been easy for the couple.

“It was very frustrating because I have two kids. They go to school, they need things,” said Norma Gonzalez, a Family Self-Sufficiency graduate.

Through the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara’s Family Self-Sufficiency program, the couple learned how to manage money and plan for long-term goals.

“Once I signed up, I was relieved. I come from a Hispanic background, so we’re not taught what to do with our money or how to make it grow,” Gonzalez said.

“We graduated after five years. We love the program,” said Tarince Tyler, also a graduate. “It’s good because it’s very expensive here.”

The program helps families move from public assistance to financial stability.

“The program is very much needed. A lot of individuals want to get on the FSS program,” said Dulce Astorga with the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara.

“Learning how to budget my money more — that has been the biggest outcome for me,” Gonzalez added.

Team leaders hope the program will continue providing support, especially with the high cost of living in Santa Barbara.

“Participants learn about higher education, building credit, and finding stable employment,” said Astorga, the Family Self-Sufficiency coordinator.

By putting what they’ve learned into action, the couple is turning short-term help into the secure future they’ve always wanted.

“One day, maybe not in this state, but we want to buy a house somewhere,” Tyler said.After years of working toward stability, a Santa Barbara couple is celebrating new independence.

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Dave Alley

GROVER BEACH, Calif. (KEYT) – Grover Beach will hold a special City Council meeting tonight where the discussion will focus specifically on current housing and development issues.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. at Grover Beach City Hall and will be a joint session that includes members from both the City Council and Planning Commission.

“This meeting came at the request of the City Council,” said Grover Beach City Manager Matt Bronson. “There’s been a significant uptick in development activity over the last several years, particularly on West Grand Avenue, as vacant lots and vacant buildings and other buildings have been converted into mixed-use, multi-story housing developments with ground level retail, so it has meant a lot of community discussions around housing, around the size of buildings around the pace of development.”

Bronson indicated the meeting would focus primarily on three main points, to provide information on state housing laws and how those are dictating what is occurring in local communities, discussing the City’s response over the last several years, and to engage the City Council and Planning Commission in a number of key policy topics that they may wish to discuss further.

“There’s really an informational component to this because state housing law is so voluminous, extensive and complicated,” said Bronson. “This is an opportunity to bring that all together and share with the Council, the Commission and the public what those housing laws are all about.”

With the Grover Beach currently going through a building boom, most notably along the West Grand Avenue cooridor, it has captured a lot attention throughout the community, with some concerned about the size, scope and scale of recent developments.

In particular, two multi-story mixed-use housing developments have risen over the past two years at the busy intersection of West Grand Avenue and 4th Street.

“The feel of Grover Beach has changed,” said resident Loren Westphal. “We understand we need housing, but there’s other options. We don’t have to build up.”

Westphal is part of a recently formed group named “Save Grover Beach,” which is currently gathering signatures on a petition in an effort to reduce the height of developments through a public vote.

“Save Grover Beach is a group of concerned citizens from all over the city and from all walks of life, all making time to get petition signed for our November ballot,” said group member Kelvin Coveduck. “Specifically, what it would do is for commercial buildings. It would limit the height to 40 feet, and for industrial buildings, it would go to 33 feet, and then there’s the caveat of mixed-use. It would require one third commercial.”

Coveduck mentioned the group has about two weeks to gather the necessary number of signatures to quality the initiative on the November ballot and is about at the halfway point of reaching its goal.

While some community members are worried about the size of recent housing developments, others in Grover Beach are in full support of the new buildings.

“I’m fully okay with them,” said Grover Beach resident Krista Jeffries. “I wish they were taller.”

Jeffries pointed out that due to the nature of Grover Beach, the best way to increase housing inventory in the city is to build vertically.

“Grover needs more housing,” said Jeffries. “Everyone in SLO County, everyone in California needs more housing and that’s the way that we’re going to meet the need. Grover is hemmed in by the ocean, and two other cities, and then the unincorporated county that we can’t really go outward. We have people who need to live here who want to live here and going up is really the only practical way to answer that problem.”

In a biennial community survey published last year, Grover Beach reported 50% of those who responded felt there is too much development in the city, while 46% answered development is either just right or too little.

“The survey really reflects a mixed in community sentiment about development.” said Bronson. “I would say that’s consistent with what you see in every city in California, given the development pressures, the housing laws, community sentiments around the community they have today, and how change is viewed in the community. We understand those different perspectives and different voices. We will hear those voices tonight at our meeting and look to the Council to take in that input, take that feedback, and consider what areas of direction they’d like to provide to us to consider making continued progress on housing development issues in Grover Beach.”

Bronson added there will be no action take by either the City Council or Planning Commission, but it could eventually lead to future action on development at a later date.

“Council may wish to provide direction to staff to bring topics back to a later council meeting,” saids Bronson. “While there’s no specific actions being requested of the Council tonight, the Council may choose to direct staff to look into different areas that would come back to the Council for further deliberation, as well as the Planning Commission, given their role in advising the Council.”

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) – Words of appreciation are coming out throughout the Central Coast and across the state as the former “Cesar Chavez Day” has been renamed to “Farmworkers Day.”

These workers are a key part of the local economy and can often be seen in the soil harvesting crops year round in areas, including Oxnard, Goleta, the Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Maria.

The number one Central Coast crop is strawberries, which are harvested by hand and involves bending over countless times during the day to fill baskets and boxes. Often the workers are hustling back and forth to trucks with the crops and get paid by how much they pick.

The pay depends in part by the market rate and the consumer demand.

In California, growers often receive payments based on the flats or boxes of berries brought in and that is around $2.50 per flat.

At the Santa Barbara Farmers Market, Kimmy Iniguez, with Shepherd’s Farm, says the life of a farmworker is very hard. “The weather is a gamble and you don’t know if it is going to be super hot. It is very rewarding in the end,” she said while selling heads of cabbage, lettuce and many other row crops. She says, it is “a lot of back pain, but you just got to keep going.”

At Tutti Fruiti Farms, Joseph Schiebel said the work takes place no matter what the conditions are. “It could be 85 degrees. It could be 45 degrees and no matter what they are out there working. They deserve the appreciation they get. It’s a tough job.”

The weather has been a factor lately with extreme heat waves off and on since November followed by a period of rain that can sometimes stop the harvest.

Some of the farmer workers are very mobile and will go from picking one crop to another depending on the harvest months. That means a grape picker could also be a strawberry picker.

Many people said the special day is long overdue. Schiebel said, “I’m glad they are getting recognized especially in the state of California where we are raising so much of the country’s produce.”

Santa Barbara County recognizes its farm laborers with special groups annually holding a day of family activities, health check ups and outreach services they need.

With the changing of the holiday by Governor Gavin Newsom, among those to lead the effort has been State Senator Monique Limon from Santa Barbara, who is the State Senate Pro Tem and spoke out in front of the leadership on behalf of changing the holiday name to honor these workers.

The Governor’s proclamation can be found here.

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