Santa Ynez Valley News · Solvang, CA
The City of Solvang is exploring the possibility of privatizing its water, wastewater and water treatment systems, a decision that could impact residents in nearby contracting communities including Santa Ynez and Los Olivos.“I want to reiterate we’re not changing course. The course we have for Los Olivos and all other commitments we’ve made or considerations will continue.
Santa Ynez Valley News · Buellton, CA
Nearby: Buellton, CAUpdated vote totals Thursday for Lompoc and the Santa Ynez Valley saw one candidate’s lead widen, another's narrow and a change in the order of candidates competing for three seats on the Los Olivos Community Services District board.In Lompoc City Council District 2, Sharlameigne Segovia widened her lead over incumbent Victor Vega. Segovia received 915 votes, or 50.75%, in the latest count, compared with Vega’s 877 votes, or 48.64%. Segovia led by 12 votes in Tuesday’s update; the Thursday count increased her margin to 38 votes.In the Santa Ynez Valley, Mark Williams maintained his lead over Billy Silvola in the Buellton City Council District 1 race, although the margin narrowed. Williams had 456 votes, or 51.35%, compared with Silvola’s 429 votes, or 48.31%. Williams’ lead decreased from 32 votes Tuesday to 27 votes Thursday.The latest count also changed the order of candidates in the Los Olivos Community Services District race, where voters are choosing three directors.
Santa Barbara News-Press · Santa Ynez, CA
Nearby: Santa Ynez, CAThe Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians seeks to place a prominent open space into federal trust—a move that would open the door to new construction at the site. “We purchased this land in 2015, and we want to ensure it is preserved for future generations of our tribe,” Kenneth Kahn, Tribal Chairman, said in a statement. Kenneth Kahn, Santa Ynez Chumash tribal chairman, on Aug. 27 at the 2026 Solvang State of the City breakfast. (File photo by Tom Schultz/Santa Barbara News-Press) Called the San Carlos Property, also known as the Triangle Property, it’s bordered by Highway 154 to the northeast, Highway 246 to the south and the town of Santa Ynez at Meadowvale Road to the west. After notifying Santa Barbara County of the application, the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs now seeks input from local officials about the potential title change. If approved, the move would remove the property from Santa Barbara County planning and development oversight.
Santa Maria Sun · Lompoc, CA
Nearby: Lompoc, CAAfter five years as a Lompoc City Council member, it looks like Jeremy Ball will serve his town as mayor. “It’s just really great that a lot of people have put their trust in a new direction,” Ball told the Sun. He had 61 percent of votes counted as of Nov. 10. Sitting Mayor Jim Mosby had accumulated 38.3 percent. The margin was 2,018 votes. Running on a “laser focused” goal to make Lompoc “a little bit more attractive,” Ball said his campaign resonated with voters without necessarily being politically charged. He thinks residents want to take more pride in their city. “I think a lot of people share that understanding that Lompoc has so much potential but at the same time just watching nothing happen,” Ball said. “I think a lot of people just want to see what happens if we shoot for the stars and get halfway there. What might that look like?
Santa Maria Sun · Lompoc, CA
Nearby: Lompoc, CAAndrew Velikanje and the group he created have removed around 700,000 pounds of trash from the Central Coast in the past six years. “Most of that is ocean-bound waterways, too,” Velikanje told the Sun. “It’s amazing to think how much trash that would look like if it was above ground, … how big it looks underwater.” Collective cleanups To learn more about Heal the Ocean’s and Earthcomb’s missions and ongoing projects throughout the Central Coast, visit healtheocean.org and earthcomb.org. For him and the small team at Earthcomb, every day that they increase the total number is a good day. In October, the organization removed nearly 37,000 pounds of trash and hazardous materials from Lompoc’s Santa Ynez Riverbed thanks to financial support from Heal the Ocean. Some of the help came from two unhoused individuals. Velikanje was homeless from 2017 to 2020, he said, and he remembered being embarrassed after moving into an encampment on a beach that was littered with trash.
Santa Maria Sun · Lompoc, CA
Nearby: Lompoc, CAThere is a pungent odor in Lompoc, and it isn’t from the broccoli fields after they have been mowed and before they are plowed under to enrich the soil. Several months ago, one of the City Council members was charged with multiple felonies related to his applications for utility rebates. Then the council was informed that there had been other errors in the rebate program. Following these charges, the Santa Maria Times reports that “the city hired RSG under a contract of up to $38,895” at the City Council’s direction to conduct an impartial review (“Lompoc utility rebate review finds recordkeeping deficiencies, urges tighter oversight,” Oct. 20). The innocent explanation is that they were exercising their oversight responsibilities and simply wanted to know how many other applications were defective, since an in-house review had already identified about a dozen erroneous submittals.
Coastal View News · Goleta, CA
Nearby: Goleta, CAIt started, as it often does, with a simple feeling: “I don’t like this.” The “this” was a proposal decades ago for a massive housing development on the Ellwood Bluffs in Goleta, a place of unique beauty and ecological importance. That initial, gut-level reaction pulled me from the sidelines and into the unfamiliar world of community planning. What began as a personal concern quickly expanded as I talked with neighbors and realized, “We don’t like this.”I didn’t know it then, but we were embarking on an epic journey that mirrored the similar battle already underway to permanently protect the treasured Carpinteria Bluffs.With guidance from experienced community members and county staff, my neighbors and I embarked on a crash course in civic engagement. We learned about the foundational documents that are supposed to guide development — the General Plan, the Local Coastal Plan and the zoning code. These were the rules of the game.
Noozhawk · Santa Barbara, CA
Nearby: Santa Barbara, CARegarding the Nov. 7 article, “Santa Barbara Council May Extend Rent Freeze with Pending Referendum Petition,” the Santa Barbara program is weighted toward tenants, with little consideration given to the impact on small, responsible, owner-occupied housing providers. I am a local landlord with one rental unit in my owner-occupied duplex. I work tirelessly to maintain and continually improve my rental unit, offer it below market rent despite the ever-increasing costs of ownership and maintenance, and strive to establish positive, long-term relationships with my tenants. This is my home, not an investment property. The city removed owner-occupied duplexes from its local exemption list, despite the fact that these properties remain exempt under California’s statewide just-cause protections. The program raises concerns about government overreach, private property rights, financial burdens and the ability of housing providers to make decisions about their own homes.
Noozhawk · Santa Barbara, CA
Nearby: Santa Barbara, CAAfter years of uncertainty, the City of Santa Barbara intends to purchase the historic La Casa de la Raza building. The Santa Barbara City Council is expected to discuss the purchase during its meeting on Tuesday and decide whether to use $6 million of state money allocated for that purpose. The building at 601 E. Montecito St. was previously owned by the community group La Casa de la Raza, and the city has designated it a historical landmark. The building is being sold as part of a settlement in the organization’s bankruptcy case. The East Montecito Street building has served as a cultural center for community groups over the years. The building is known for hosting concerts, classes, quinceañeras and more. La Casa de la Raza has supported Santa Barbara’s Chicano community since 1971. The group was forced to halt its operations in 2021 because of bankruptcy but announced in August 2025 that it had settled its case.
Noozhawk · Santa Barbara, CA
Nearby: Santa Barbara, CAThe Santa Barbara City College Men’s Volleyball program is excited to announce the hiring of Dillan Bennett as its new head coach for the upcoming 2027 season. Bennett brings a plethora of experience from the Division I, community college, and high school levels. Perhaps most notably, he was an assistant for the prestigious Penn State men’s volleyball program, where he developed scouting reports, worked with the defense, and led practices for athletes returning from injury. He also handled team administrative operations, including monitoring academic eligibility. Naturally, his day job is in education. He currently serves as a full-time social studies teacher—Government/Economics, Business & Entrepreneurship, and Sports Medicine—at Bishop Diego High School. Volleyball-wise, he leads both the boys’ and girls’ varsity programs at Bishop Diego.
Noozhawk · Santa Barbara, CA
Nearby: Santa Barbara, CAThe secret is out. The owners of Secret Bao are bringing two new concepts to the former Bluewater Grill spot on the Santa Barbara waterfront next year. The takeover of the beachfront spot does not mean the popular Asian fusion restaurant is relocating from 1201 Anacapa St., despite online rumors, co-owner Felicia Medina told Noozhawk. Instead, the waterfront restaurant at 15 E. Cabrillo Blvd. will feature a New American concept downstairs and a sushi bar upstairs, Medina said. “We are very excited, very anxious,” she said. The New American concept, to be named Alder, “like the wood,” will be Napa-style and serve up “elevated comfort food,” Medina said. The sushi handroll part of the restaurant will be called Nori Club and will feel like a “beach club vibe” with beachfront views. “It’s almost like a tucked-away hiding sushi bar upstairs,” Medina said. Medina and her husband and co-owner, Peter Lee, have hosted pop-ups for the new concepts intermittently.
Noozhawk · Santa Barbara, CA
Nearby: Santa Barbara, CASteele Canyon brought some big arm swings to Santa Barbara High’s J.R. Richards Gym for Thursday’s CIF State Tournament South Regional Division 3 girls volleyball quarterfinal. The host Dons countered with an impressive blocking performance and took down the CIF-San Diego Section Division 3 champions in a 25-18, 26-24, 25-19 sweep to advance to the semifinals. Top-seeded Santa Barbara (28-11) will host No. 4 Helix High, the San Diego Section’s Division 2 runner-up, on Saturday at a time to be determined. The winner plays in the regional final on Tuesday, Nov. 17. The Dons’ front line players did a good job at containing Steele Canyon’s potent outside hitters Taylor Carpenter, Kate Ryan and Crisa Garcia and middle Tiana Baker. Middle blockers Lola Heckman and Jacqueline Durling, outsides Blake Saunders, Kira Elliott and Eloise Becker and setter Jules Horton got their hands on several attacks and scored points on blocked balls.
IdeaMensch · Santa Barbara, CA
Nearby: Santa Barbara, CAgrew up in Peoria, Illinois, a Midwestern kid who liked basketball more than almost anything else. He went to Richwoods High School, then headed east for college at Boston University. He stayed on for medical school at Boston University School of Medicine, a decision that set the direction for everything that came after. His training took him across the country. He did his radiology residency at Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, California, then completed a fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine. Early in his career, he worked with Advanced Diagnostics in Florida, reading cases and building the habits that would carry him through the rest of his career. Today, Max works with a number of regional hospitals across Texas, where he reads scans and helps physicians make sense of what they’re looking at. The work calls for steady attention, which he says comes easier when the rest of life is in balance.
Noozhawk · Santa Barbara, CA
Nearby: Santa Barbara, CAA new Santa Barbara ordinance will force massage establishments and therapists to pay more fees and comply with new requirements. The ordinance passed the City Council in a 5-1 vote on Tuesday, with Councilman Oscar Gutierrez voting against it and Councilman Mike Jordan recusing himself because his household includes a masseuse. Gutierrez said he feared it could be “weaponized” against businesses. “I just know that in the past there have been certain businesses when they got accused or faced with certain repercussions, they took it out on their competition,” Gutierrez said. “So I’m worried this will encourage that.” Santa Barbara Police Chief Kelly Gordon said they tried to craft the ordinance in a way that gives them the enforcement tools to deal with bad actors and protect law-abiding establishments.
Noozhawk · Santa Barbara, CA
Nearby: Santa Barbara, CAFamilies from Santa Barbara and the Santa Ynez Valley spent Veterans Day morning picking green beans at Shepherd Giving Farm for Little Shepherds: A Grow and Give Morning, hosted by Veggie Rescue. The kids worked alongside Farmer Tom Shepherd gathering the veggies, then went along to deliver the bounty to people who could use them. Among those at the farm were Lucy Firestone and Katy Powers, co-board chairs of Freedom for Youth, one of the nonprofits to which Veggie Rescue delivers food. Also on hand were Mary Firestone with her daughter; Belle Hahn of Montecito; Veggie Rescue Board member Esther Kim Varet with husband Joseph and their children; and Veggie Rescue Board member Jamie Edlin. Following a short tour from Shepherd, the kids got to work picking about 100 pounds of green beans, the last of this year’s summer and fall crops.
Noozhawk · Santa Barbara, CA
Nearby: Santa Barbara, CASpark Rescue Santa Barbara, a grassroots, no-kill rescue group, which since 2014 has placed thousands of animals in loving homes, is now searching for a permanent home of its own. Spark Rescue has operated without a shelter building and without paid staff. “Many of Spark’s dogs and cats are abandoned, left on the streets or given up by families who no longer want them, while others are pulled from overcrowded Southern California shelters,” the organization said. However, Spark’s foster network can no longer keep up with demand, its leaders said. “For two years, Spark has searched for land of its own, but AG-II properties, where a rescue can operate, are scarce in Santa Barbara County,” they said.
Santa Maria Sun · Santa Barbara, CA
Nearby: Santa Barbara, CAA proposal to remove a 365-acre parcel—with an assessed value of $13 million—from Santa Barbara County’s property tax rolls and land-use jurisdiction raised some red flags for the Board of Supervisors. In its Nov. 10 letter to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the board stated that it “does not intend to challenge” the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians’ recent application to place the San Carlos property into federal trust, before outlining the property tax revenue (approximately $142,000 annually) it would lose if approved. By designating the land into federal trust, the tribe would gain sovereignty to govern it. “The county deeply values its government-to-government relationship with the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. Over the past several years, the county, the tribe, and other local jurisdictions have worked side by side on projects that matter to everyone in the [Santa Ynez] Valley,” the letter stated. “That record of partnership rests on open communication.
Coastal View News · Santa Barbara, CA
Nearby: Santa Barbara, CAPhotos, flowers and candles fill a memorial honoring Lawrence Matthew Brennen Jr. outside his family’s home on Ninth Street in Carpinteria. Brennen, 39, who was affectionately known as “Shorty,” grew up in Carpinteria and is remembered by family and friends for his generosity, kindness and devotion to his four children. Lawrence Matthew Brennen Jr., 39, who grew up in Carpinteria and was known to friends and family as “Shorty,” has been identified as the man found dead under suspicious circumstances in a Santa Barbara apartment on Oct. 28.According to the Santa Barbara Police Department, officers responded to a welfare check on Oct. 27 in the 100 block of Los Aguajes Avenue.
Daily Nexus · Santa Barbara, CA
Nearby: Santa Barbara, CAThe United States midterm elections were held on Nov. 3 and included national, statewide and local elections, as well as a lengthy list of California propositions. UC Santa Barbara students reacted to results in a variety of ways, including celebration and frustration. Isabel Hicks, a third-year political science major, speaking on Proposition 40 failing, said, “[it] was kind of disappointing because I feel like that was [so] obvious that [it] should have passed.” Proposition 40 was a ballot measure that proposed a one-time 5% tax on individuals with over $1 billion in assets. California voters shot down the proposition, with 52.8% voting no.
Santa Barbara News-Press · Santa Barbara, CA
Nearby: Santa Barbara, CASANTA YNEZ, CA – November 10, 2026 – The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians has announced that its annual Chumash Charity Golf Classic raised $240,000 this year, with proceeds benefiting Hidden Wings, Olive Crest’s Hope Refuge Campus and the Chumash Foundation’s Technology in Schools Program – each received $80,000. The tribe’s annual tournament, which spans three days, was held September 22-24 at the River Course at the Alisal in Solvang. “One of the most rewarding parts of this tournament is seeing the impact these funds will have on people throughout our region,” said Kenneth Kahn, Tribal Chairman for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. “Whether it’s helping young adults with autism, providing healing and hope for survivors of trafficking, or expanding educational opportunities for students, these efforts are changing lives every day.
