Category: keyt-local-news

Mike Klan

SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KEYT) – The UC Santa Barbara men’s basketball team won their fifth straight game Thursday night, defeating UC San Diego for the first time since the 2022-23 season. The Gauchos did not allow any second-chance points and limited the Tritons to their lowest scoring output of the season.

HOW IT HAPPENEDBoth teams started cold, combining to go 3-for-10, and the Tritons narrowly led 4-2. Out of the first media timeout, the Gauchos scored on four straight possessions to take a 13-9 lead. The Gauchos got two three-pointers from CJ Shaw, one three from Colin Smith and an easy lay-in by Marvin McGhee IV.

The Gauchos kept extending their lead through the middle part of the half after back-to-back threes by Miro Little and Shaw put the Gauchos up 20-11. Momentarily, UC Santa Barbara led by double digits, but a basket by the Tritons cut it back to single digits.

The remainder of the period was back-and-forth, with the Gauchos taking a slight advantage late as they went into halftime with a 13-point lead, 35-22. The Gauchos forced the Tritons into tough shots throughout the first half as they made just nine field goals, shot 33.3 percent from the field, and 22.2 percent from beyond the arc. Santa Barbara also forced eight turnovers.

The second half started much like the first, with the teams shooting just a combined 21 percent from the field. The Tritons made two baskets and three free throw enroute to an 8-2 run that cut the UC Santa Barbara lead to seven.

Coming out of the first media timeout, the Gauchos went on a 7-0 run of their own to take a 14-point lead with just over 12 minutes remaining. After extending their lead to 14, the game would turn back-and-forth through the middle part of the half as the Gauchos hung on to their double-digit lead.

Down the stretch, the Gauchos took over. Zion Sensley hit a second-chance three-pointer before Little put the Gauchos up 17 at the three-minute mark after a pair of free throws. The Gauchos held on to the double-digit lead down the stretch

NOTABLESThe Gauchos held the Tritons to their lowest scoring output of the year, 48 points. Additionally, the Gauchos held UC San Diego to 36 percent from the field, the lowest shooting percentage they have allowed to an opponent this season.The Gauchos’ 17 forced turnovers are the second most they have forced this season and the most against a Division I team this season.Four Gauchos scored in double figures, with Miro Little leading the way with 15.The Gauchos’ 23 points off turnovers marked the second most this season and the most against a Division I team.Despite UC San Diego grabbing nine offensive rebounds, UC Santa Barbara did not allow any second-chance points.

UP NEXTThe Gauchos return to The Thunderdome on Saturday, Jan. 31, to host Cal State Fullerton at 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with live stats available.

(Article courtesy of UCSB Athletics)

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Mike Klan

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KEYT) – Freshman guard Troy Plumtree led five Mustangs in double-digit scoring figures with a career high 31 points – more than tripling his previous collegiate best – and the Cal Poly men’s basketball program set a new single game program record for free throw percentage in a 104-79 Thursday victory at Cal State Bakersfield.

Sophomore Hamad Mousa finished with 15 points while fellow guard Cayden Ward added 12 for Cal Poly (8-14, 4-6), which snapped a three-game slide with its highest offensive output of the season and by shooting 55.4 (36-for-55) percent from the floor. The Mustangs also drained 12 three-pointers – including eight in the first half to lead by 21 at the break.

Finishing 20-for-20 from the free throw line, Cal Poly established a new program record for most conversions without a miss, besting a 17-for-17 performance at UC Irvine on March 3, 2022.

Junior Jackson Mosley contributed 11 points for the Mustangs while senior Aaron Price, Jr. enjoyed a season high 10 points. Sophomore Peter Bandelj contributed a game high seven assists.

Plumtree, whose previous collegiate best was a nine-point effort versus UC Riverside (Dec. 6), finished 13-for-17 from the floor to record the highest field goal total by a Mustang this season. He entered Thursday with just 57 points scored on the season.

Cal Poly trailed 14-8 after Thursday’s initial five-and-a-half minutes before taking its first lead of the night with a 7-0 run. Cal State Bakersfield scored on its next possession before Mosley drained a deep three-pointer to extinguish the host’s last advantage of the evening.

Keeping Cal State Bakersfield to just two field goals during a seven-minute span, Cal Poly – which shot 56.3 (18-for-32) percent during the first half – went up 46-26 with three-minutes left on a Plumtree layup.

Cal Poly – which enjoyed first-half three-pointers from seven different players – took a 56-35 lead into the break.

Into the second half, Cal State Bakersfield cut its deficit to 71-53 with 10-and-a-half minutes remaining before Cal Poly scored on its next two possessions and maintained a minimum 23-point edge the remainder of the night.

Cal Poly Noteworthy (at Cal State Bakersfield)

Up Next: Cal Poly stays on the road, closing a two-game swing at UC Riverside on Saturday, Jan. 31. Tip time is 5 p.m.Troy Plumtree’s 31-point night marked the fourth highest scoring game by a Cal Poly player this season.A double-digit scorer in all 21 appearances, Hamad Mousa stayed atop the Big West scoring chart at 20.4 points per game.Cal Poly’s 56-point first half matched its second highest single-half total of the year. The Mustangs scored 60 during the second half against Pacific Lutheran (Nov. 5) and 56 in the second at Montana (Nov. 14).Cal Poly’s previous scoring high this season came during a 101-79 season-opening win versus Pacific Lutheran.Thursday’s game marked Cal Poly’s fifth 100-point game under second-year head coach Mike DeGeorge.

(Article courtesy Cal Poly)

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Caleb Nguyen

GOLETA, Calif. (KEYT) – Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested three men at 1:00 p.m. Thursday after suspicious activity prompted a concerned customer call at the Home Depot in Goleta.

Two of the men, 26 and 37, wore ski masks and dropped off the third man, 46, who entered the store before SBCSO deputies contacted the men in the car.

Both men in the car did not cooperate and SBCSO deputies removed the 37-year-old Los Angeles man from the vehicle.

The 26-year-old Santa Barbara man moved to hide a gun in his lap before officers held him at gunpoint until the loaded firearm was safely secured, according to the SBCSO.

SBCSO deputies found the 37-year-old with fentanyl and drug paraphernalia in his possession and found the 26-year-old with fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine and items consistent with drug sales.

SBCSO deputies also detained the 46-year-old Summerland man inside the Home Depot and found him in possession of fentanyl and drug paraphernalia.

The 26-year-old is being held on $50,000 bail at the Main Jail for misdemeanor drug charges and the following felonies:

carrying a loaded firearm

possession of a controlled substance

transportation of a controlled substance

possession of a controlled substance for sale

possession of a controlled substance while armed

possession of a firearm as a prohibited person

The other two men were booked for misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance and paraphernalia possession charges before their release, according to the SBCSO.

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Caleb Nguyen

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Santa Barbara Police are investigating shots fired near Bath and Carrillo Streets that happened just after 3:00 p.m. Thursday.

Santa Barbara Police closed off the area until 5:00 p.m. from Bath Street all the way to Figueroa near the residential neighborhood nearby.

SBPD officers mentioned multiple subjects were involved in an altercation and that a single gunshot was fired.

Two of the three suspects involved were detained on the Anapamu Street footbridge before being taken into custody without incident, according to the SBPD.

Initial signs indicate no injuries from the gunshot in an isolated incident, though the situation remains open to further investigation.

Your News Channel will provide more information as it becomes available.

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Caleb Nguyen

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Fire Captain Scott Safechuck is retiring after 26 years serving the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, according to the Department’s Instagram page.

Safechuck spent 26 of his 35 years in the fire and emergency services in Santa Barbara, serving as the SBCFD’s public information officer for the past few years.

Your News Channel worked in tandem with Safechuck during several emergencies over the years, including the recent Palisades and Eaton fires.

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Caleb Nguyen

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office detectives arrested a custody sergeant after a criminal investigation for significant timecard fraud on Thursday.

SBCSO detectives arrested the 34-year-old at his Ventura home on a felony warrant for criminal charges of embezzlement of public funds, forgery, and grant theft with a white-collar crime enhancement.

SBCSO staff noticed suspicious timecard activity starting in October 2025 and detectives later determined the 34-year-old fraudulently coded over $175,000 in earnings dating back to 2023.

The 34-year-old served in a supervisory role as a custody sergeant and his responsibilities included reviewing and approving overtime, according to the SBCSO.

SBCSO did not identify other suspects in the case nor other fraud activity by other employees. The investigation remains ongoing and a parallel administrative investigation is underway, according to the SBCSO.

The 34-year-old was booked at the Ventura County Jail and is being held on $150,000 bail, according to the SBCSO.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Ongoing concerns about a sluggish pace for the retail future in Santa Barbara may get a turnaround after an exchange or ideas from experts gathering in a special session with the City Council and staff.

Councilmembers heard from Rachel Michelin from the California Retailers Association, Rick Lemmo with Caruso Properties and Mark Ingalls the Property Manager from the Camino Real Marketplace in Goleta.

The retail symposium took place in the Faulkner Gallery at the library. The public attended and filled the room.

The solutions covered a wide area of suggestions but it was clear it won’t be done with a big shopping center concept you might have seen 25 years ago.

  One concept is to possibly not look at the core area of State Street as one big ten block area. Ingalls said, “it is a main street  and I think it needs to be paired down into blocks.  I like the idea of districts. The  arts district, bars and restaurants and  retail and scaled to be more supportive by the residents of Santa Barbara.”

Cutting the red tape and the time line on projects was also viewed as a faster track to a completion and to make the financial start up costs go farther and get done faster.

That includes possibly cutting some permit fees and saving months on reviews.     It may look favorable to a developer and there is a return for this.

Lemmo said, “we want them here for the benefit we get and there is public  benefit.   I think the most important benefit is get the time down .” He said waiting two years for. restaurant go through a development plan is not a successful business model for the owner.

As a statewide leader in retail analysis Michelin said, all levels of government should realize the benefits of having projects finished on a better timeline. “We want to see more investment in our community. We need to streamline the regulatory process, we need to need to make it easier.”

One of the concepts that was getting a favorable reaction was to not build a large scale housing project but to add some housing on top of or behind some of the existing buildings in the downtown business area.

“Just as important is to have a mix from an efficiency standpoint,” said Ingalls. One and two bedroom units can be available for area workers , and for someone who wants to move out of their house in a neighborhood to a downtown environment. He said “it frees up a house.” 

Lemmo said, the city should work with what it has including its rich history. “Most of the elements exist. We have to put a spotlight on them, we have to put a magnifying glass on them.”

Smaller areas with success stories were also an option Ingalls favored. He said, “I think there should be more districts and I think the Funk Zone is a  perfect example of when you tee it up and get it out of the way.”

There was also a suggestion to bring college students into the conversation with their ideas and designs. The suggestions coming from that demographic may help to create appropriate housing using modern and future style elements. It may also come with a price point they can afford after they graduate.

The session was coordinated by the State Street Master Planner Tess Harris who may be showing new ideas in the Spring for downtown. That could include a mix of areas for dining, shopping, bikes, cars and pedestrians that has the blend the city is looking for to create a vibrant economy.

It is still to be determined how some of the changes will be funded.

No one on the panel addressed how the larger retail sites downtown, including the vacant former Macy’s store and the vacant former Nordstrom’s store could be reused. Project under consideration included multiple housing units, a new grocery store and paseo walkways into the mall retail area.

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – San Marcos announced Isaiah Veal as its new Head Football Coach.

Veal is a Bishop Diego graduate and was a member of their 2017 State Championship team, He was named All League and All-CIFSS the same year. He then played at College of Idaho from 2018-2022. While there, the team won three conference championships and was named a first team All-Conference Wide receiver as well as being a Scholar-Athlete award winner. Most recently he has been a Wide Receiver/Defensive Backs coach as well as being a Special Teams assistant. He is currently the Director of Operations for the Page Youth Center where he runs programs for over 3000 athletes across multiple sport programs.

Coach Veal quote – I am honored to be named the Head Coach at San Marcos. I’m excited for the opportunity, ready to get to work, and committed to building a disciplined, tough program that develops young men and represents this community with pride.

Athletic Director Solis quote – We are very excited to have Coach Veal here at San Marcos. His energy and culture building is going to help redefine success on and off the field. We have a very bright future ahead of us.

Principal Holdren quote – “We are thrilled to welcome Isaiah to San Marcos. He brings high character, excellent experience, and a commitment to developing the program. It’s going to be fun to watch.”

(Article courtesy of San Marcos Press Release)

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Jarrod Zinn

LOMPOC, Calif. (KEYT) – The City of Lompoc is inviting folks out to the Lompoc Valley at the recently re-opened River Park RV campground.

The soft opening follows a nearly 3-year process.

In 2022, renovations began on 9 original RV sites at River Park, and 26 sites have been added since then, with newly renovated full hook-ups.

“If you visited us in the past, we would love to invite you to come back,” says Hannah Wallace, Lompoc Parks And Recreation manager. “We think that you would be really surprised and pleased with the upgrades that we’ve provided.”

Sites are first-come-first-served for up to 21 nights.

The online reservation system has also been revamped, allowing for easy payment and booking.“Pretty streamlined,” says Wallace. “And, it just it makes it easier for campers to register. It makes it easier for, rangers to monitor. And, it’s been embraced by some of the campers that were previously here before we opened up the new sites, just because of the ease they don’t know have to go into the the office to pay. They can just get online and pay or call and pay over the phone.”

The park features a playground, trails for walking, biking or horseback riding, as well as Kiwanis Lake which is open and stocked for fishing.

“Somebody had a vision and we bought into that and definitely supported that from the council level and made sure they stayed invested in it,” says Lompoc city councilman Jeremy Ball. “And again, it’s taken some time, but now we’re very excited that, it’s open.”

Base rates are 50 dollars a night.

“It’s the end of January and it’s 70 plus degrees here in Lompoc,” says Ball. “And I can imagine this place being a very exciting place to come.”

The park sits just east of Lompoc and is about 20 miles away from Solvang.

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Dave Alley

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – The Santa Maria Valley Chamber recently kicked off its annual Dine Out Santa Maria Style promotion in an effort to help boost sales at local restaurants.

Running through Feb. 13, the month-long celebration features 11 Santa Maria Valley businesses that are offering special deals for customers.

The yearly promotion is coordinated by the Santa Maria Valley Chamber and is held to help boost sales for restaurants during a time when fewer customers are dining out.

“Restaurant Month is one of the biggest campaigns that we produce throughout the year,” said Jennifer Ayala, Santa Maria Valley Chamber Marketing Coordiator. “It’s really to help local restaurants gain more business during the slower times of the year. The campaign is truly designed for visitors, and locals alike and it really just drives more traffic to these restaurants.”

In the past, restaurants offered deals with prices matching the year (i.e. $20.24 for the year 2024).

However, beginning last year, a change was made that allows restaurants to provide special deals of their choosing (i.e. free side with purchase of entree and drink, Buy one, get one free (BOGO) meals, $5 off orders of $30+, etc.).

Restaurant owners who have participated in the past say the special offers truly makes a difference in helping ring up more sales throughout the length of promotion.

“Every year It happens around this time and it’s always been a success,” said Randy Wise, longtime owner of Straw Hat Pizza. “People come in, and it creates word of mouth, and they tell somebody else and they enjoy it.”

Cool Hand Luke’s Steakhouse and Saloon owner Shawn Van Pelt who also owns the neighboring California Hot Dogs, agreed the promotion is good for business.

“I think the the program definitely brings in people are brings people out,” said Van Pelt. “I think it does bring in a little more than January would normally have. It’s important to support all the local owned restaurants. These are people in the community that live here, work here, provide jobs here. This program is a good way to get out and support local businesses that are helping the community, helping non-profits and the schools and everything.”

Participating businesses and deals this year includes:

Pizzeria Bello Forno – One Free house-made dessert with any $50.00 purchase

Straw Hat Pizza – One Large 2-Topping Pizza $19.99 +tax

Cubanissimo Cuban Coffee House & Cafe – $5 OFF orders of $30 or more & Free dessert with the purchase of two main plates

The Century Room at The Historic Santa Maria Inn – Buy one, get one 50% off

The Range Kitchen + Bar – Buy one, get one 50% off the entire menu (Item that is 50% off must be of equal or lesser value)

Blast 825 Brewery – 15% off total order (Excludes Alcohol)

Simple Cafe – Signature breakfast $15.99 (Includes: Medium House Coffee, Hot or Iced Breakfast Burrito, Choice of Bacon or Sausage, Fresh baked muffin, choice of flavor)

Steller’s Cellar – Buy one wine tasting, get one free. (Weekly flight changes every Wednesday with a different price every week, generally from $15.00 to $25.00 a flight)

Cool Hand Luke’s – Enjoy a special $26 menu featuring Beer Battered Fish & Chips and Chuckwagon Chicken Pasta

California Hot Dogs – Chili Cheese Dog Family Pack: includes 6 Chili Cheese Dogs and 2 orders of Tater Tots for $19.99.

Maya Mexican Restaurant – Grab a Super Lunch for Two! Mix and match any two items (Nos. 1–10) for just $20.26. (Tuesday through Saturday, 8 AM to 2 PM)

For more information about the 2026 Dine Out Santa Maria Style promotion, click here to visit the official webpage.

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