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Featured Stories

Experts Weigh In on ‘Super’ El Niño, the Blob, and Sea Life

Experts Weigh In on ‘Super’ El Niño, the Blob, and Sea Life

Environment By Jean Yamamura

In Santa Barbara, El Niño system can bring anything from torrential rain to relatively arid conditions.

Changes to Santa Barbara’s Seasonal Boat Anchorage Delayed

Changes to Santa Barbara’s Seasonal Boat Anchorage Delayed

Housing By Ethan Stewart

Plans are in the works to shift the historically free anchorage east of Stearns Wharf to a fee-based mooring operation in city-managed waters.

All Hands on Deck for Santa Barbara Medical Leaders

All Hands on Deck for Santa Barbara Medical Leaders

Health By Nick Welsh

Plans are forming to help the rising number of uninsured in the county.

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Red Flag Warning for Santa Barbara County Goes into Effect Wednesday

Red Flag Warning for Santa Barbara County Goes into Effect Wednesday

Public Safety By Jean Yamamura

Good News About Health Care at Santa Barbara County Jails

Good News About Health Care at Santa Barbara County Jails

Health By Nick Welsh

Carpinteria Community Commemorates One-Year Anniversary of Glass House Farm Raids

Carpinteria Community Commemorates One-Year Anniversary of Glass House Farm Raids

Community By Ingrid Bostrom

Eric Schmidt, Santa Barbara Resident and Former Google CEO, Signs ‘We Must Act Now’ AI Statement

Eric Schmidt, Santa Barbara Resident and Former Google CEO, Signs ‘We Must Act Now’ AI Statement

Science & Tech By Izadora Hamm

Rollover Crash into Ravine off Santa Barbara’s Alameda Padre Serra Leaves Driver Uninjured

Rollover Crash into Ravine off Santa Barbara’s Alameda Padre Serra Leaves Driver Uninjured

Public Safety By Elaine Sanders

John Palminteri Announced as Grand Marshal for Santa Barbara’s Fiesta Historical Parade

John Palminteri Announced as Grand Marshal for Santa Barbara’s Fiesta Historical Parade

Community By Elaine Sanders

Vigil Held at Santa Barbara Courthouse for Victims of ICE Killings

Vigil Held at Santa Barbara Courthouse for Victims of ICE Killings

Photo By Ingrid Bostrom

Downtown Santa Barbara to Celebrate Grand Opening of REH Contemporary Studio and Gallery with Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

Downtown Santa Barbara to Celebrate Grand Opening of REH Contemporary Studio and Gallery with Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

Announcement By Downtown Santa Barbara Improvement Association

Alamo Fire Starts in Heart of Santa Ynez Valley

Alamo Fire Starts in Heart of Santa Ynez Valley

Public Safety By Matt Kettmann

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Immigration

Carpinteria Community Commemorates One-Year Anniversary of Glass House Farm Raids

Carpinteria Community Commemorates One-Year Anniversary of Glass House Farm Raids

Community By Ingrid Bostrom

Vigil Held at Santa Barbara Courthouse for Victims of ICE Killings

Vigil Held at Santa Barbara Courthouse for Victims of ICE Killings

Photo By Ingrid Bostrom

Funding Saved to Support Unaccompanied Immigrant Children in Tri-County Area

Funding Saved to Support Unaccompanied Immigrant Children in Tri-County Area

Immigration By Elaine Sanders

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Energy

Pain at the Pump Starting to Ease Up in Santa Barbara?

Pain at the Pump Starting to Ease Up in Santa Barbara?

Energy By Natalie MacFarlane

Sable Offshore Asks Feds to Seize State, Private Lands in Santa Barbara County

Sable Offshore Asks Feds to Seize State, Private Lands in Santa Barbara County

Energy By Callie Fausey

Carpinteria Oil Facility in Next Phase of Decommissioning

Carpinteria Oil Facility in Next Phase of Decommissioning

Energy By Elaine Sanders

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Science & Tech

Eric Schmidt, Santa Barbara Resident and Former Google CEO, Signs ‘We Must Act Now’ AI Statement

Eric Schmidt, Santa Barbara Resident and Former Google CEO, Signs ‘We Must Act Now’ AI Statement

Science & Tech By Izadora Hamm

Research Funding for UC Santa Barbara and Other Universities Doesn’t Make the Cut

Research Funding for UC Santa Barbara and Other Universities Doesn’t Make the Cut

Science & Tech By Callie Fausey

Vast Botanical Data Help Solve Darwin’s Puzzle of Why Some Exotic Plants Become Pests

Vast Botanical Data Help Solve Darwin’s Puzzle of Why Some Exotic Plants Become Pests

Science & Tech By Harrison Tasoff, UCSB's 'The Current'

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Election 2026

2026 Carpinteria City Council Election Nomination Period Opens July 13

Announcement By City of Carpinteria

Billionaire Tax, Affordable Housing: See the Measures on California’s November Ballot

Billionaire Tax, Affordable Housing: See the Measures on California’s November Ballot

Election 2026 By Yue Stella Yu and Kristen Hwang, CalMatters

Research Funding for UC Santa Barbara and Other Universities Doesn’t Make the Cut

Research Funding for UC Santa Barbara and Other Universities Doesn’t Make the Cut

Science & Tech By Callie Fausey

View More Election 2026

Housing

Changes to Santa Barbara’s Seasonal Boat Anchorage Delayed

Changes to Santa Barbara’s Seasonal Boat Anchorage Delayed

Housing By Ethan Stewart

Fifty Condos Coming to Santa Barbara’s North La Cumbre Road

Fifty Condos Coming to Santa Barbara’s North La Cumbre Road

Housing By Christina McDermott

Forty-Six-Home Project Proposed at Former Site of Santa Barbara Motorsports in Goleta

Forty-Six-Home Project Proposed at Former Site of Santa Barbara Motorsports in Goleta

Housing By Jean Yamamura

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Community

Carpinteria Community Commemorates One-Year Anniversary of Glass House Farm Raids

Carpinteria Community Commemorates One-Year Anniversary of Glass House Farm Raids

Community By Ingrid Bostrom

John Palminteri Announced as Grand Marshal for Santa Barbara’s Fiesta Historical Parade

John Palminteri Announced as Grand Marshal for Santa Barbara’s Fiesta Historical Parade

Community By Elaine Sanders

Vigil Held at Santa Barbara Courthouse for Victims of ICE Killings

Vigil Held at Santa Barbara Courthouse for Victims of ICE Killings

Photo By Ingrid Bostrom

View More Community

Public Safety

Red Flag Warning for Santa Barbara County Goes into Effect Wednesday

Red Flag Warning for Santa Barbara County Goes into Effect Wednesday

Public Safety By Jean Yamamura

Rollover Crash into Ravine off Santa Barbara’s Alameda Padre Serra Leaves Driver Uninjured

Rollover Crash into Ravine off Santa Barbara’s Alameda Padre Serra Leaves Driver Uninjured

Public Safety By Elaine Sanders

Alamo Fire Starts in Heart of Santa Ynez Valley

Alamo Fire Starts in Heart of Santa Ynez Valley

Public Safety By Matt Kettmann

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Courts & Crime

Santa Barbara Police Department Not Alarmed by Violent Crime Numbers, but Remains Vigilant

Santa Barbara Police Department Not Alarmed by Violent Crime Numbers, but Remains Vigilant

Courts & Crime By Elaine Sanders

Santa Barbara Man Arrested for Providing Methamphetamine to a Minor

Santa Barbara Man Arrested for Providing Methamphetamine to a Minor

Announcement By Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office

Bohnett Park Murder Suspect Appears in Court

Bohnett Park Murder Suspect Appears in Court

Courts & Crime By Tyler Hayden

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Politics

Billionaire Tax, Affordable Housing: See the Measures on California’s November Ballot

Billionaire Tax, Affordable Housing: See the Measures on California’s November Ballot

Election 2026 By Yue Stella Yu and Kristen Hwang, CalMatters

Newsom’s Parting Gift: A Budget That Delays California’s Deep Cuts to 2027

Newsom’s Parting Gift: A Budget That Delays California’s Deep Cuts to 2027

Politics By Yue Stella Yu, CalMatters

Former School Board President Gabe Escobedo to Run for Santa Barbara City Council

Former School Board President Gabe Escobedo to Run for Santa Barbara City Council

Election 2026 By Ryan P. Cruz

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Environment

Experts Weigh In on ‘Super’ El Niño, the Blob, and Sea Life

Experts Weigh In on ‘Super’ El Niño, the Blob, and Sea Life

Environment By Jean Yamamura

Sierra Club Reaches Settlement with Three Santa Barbara Companies over Harmful Runoff to East Beach

Sierra Club Reaches Settlement with Three Santa Barbara Companies over Harmful Runoff to East Beach

Environment By Callie Fausey

City of Carpinteria Hears Concerns on ‘The Farm’ Housing Project on Bluffs

City of Carpinteria Hears Concerns on ‘The Farm’ Housing Project on Bluffs

Housing By Callie Fausey

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Education

Santa Barbara Unified Adopts $250M Budget, Approving Raises for Teachers and Management

Santa Barbara Unified Adopts $250M Budget, Approving Raises for Teachers and Management

Education By Callie Fausey

California School Libraries Blindsided By ‘Catastrophic’ Budget Cut

California School Libraries Blindsided By ‘Catastrophic’ Budget Cut

Education By Carolyn Jones, CalMatters

Grant to Prepare Students to Flourish After Graduating

Grant to Prepare Students to Flourish After Graduating

Announcement By Westmont

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Business

Downtown Santa Barbara to Celebrate Grand Opening of REH Contemporary Studio and Gallery with Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

Downtown Santa Barbara to Celebrate Grand Opening of REH Contemporary Studio and Gallery with Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

Announcement By Downtown Santa Barbara Improvement Association

Forty-Six-Home Project Proposed at Former Site of Santa Barbara Motorsports in Goleta

Forty-Six-Home Project Proposed at Former Site of Santa Barbara Motorsports in Goleta

Housing By Jean Yamamura

Santa Barbara City Budget Comes Together

Santa Barbara City Budget Comes Together

Business By Ryan P. Cruz

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Health

All Hands on Deck for Santa Barbara Medical Leaders

All Hands on Deck for Santa Barbara Medical Leaders

Health By Nick Welsh

Good News About Health Care at Santa Barbara County Jails

Good News About Health Care at Santa Barbara County Jails

Health By Nick Welsh

Final State Budget Brings $5M for New Behavioral Health Pilot to Central Coast

Final State Budget Brings $5M for New Behavioral Health Pilot to Central Coast

Announcement By CenCal Health

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Homeless

Downtown Santa Barbara’s FARO Center Turns Two

Downtown Santa Barbara’s FARO Center Turns Two

Homeless By Nick Welsh

Santa Barbara Nonprofit Holds All-Hands Meeting on Homelessness

Santa Barbara Nonprofit Holds All-Hands Meeting on Homelessness

Homeless By Christina McDermott

Goleta Grapples with Car-Camping Community

Goleta Grapples with Car-Camping Community

Homeless By Jean Yamamura

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Transportation

California Offering Uber, Lyft Drivers up to $20K to Buy or Lease Electric Vehicle

California Offering Uber, Lyft Drivers up to $20K to Buy or Lease Electric Vehicle

Transportation By Jean Yamamura

Santa Barbara Airport Welcomes a New Air Traffic Controller Training Program

Santa Barbara Airport Welcomes a New Air Traffic Controller Training Program

Transportation By Elaine Sanders

New Electric-Vehicle Charging Station Opens in Downtown Santa Barbara

New Electric-Vehicle Charging Station Opens in Downtown Santa Barbara

Transportation By Natalie MacFarlane

View More Transportation

Infrastructure

Santa Barbara’s State Street to Stay Car-Free

Santa Barbara’s State Street to Stay Car-Free

Infrastructure By Ryan P. Cruz

Santa Barbara City Council to Vote on Reopening State Street to Cars

Santa Barbara City Council to Vote on Reopening State Street to Cars

Infrastructure By Ryan P. Cruz

Sen. Schiff Secures Nearly $1.4 Million for Atascadero and Lompoc Projects, Part of Nearly $259 Million Delivered for California

Sen. Schiff Secures Nearly $1.4 Million for Atascadero and Lompoc Projects, Part of Nearly $259 Million Delivered for California

Announcement By Office of U.S. Senator Adam Schiff

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Cannabis

Santa Barbara County Cannabis Company ‘Uplisted’ to New York Stock Exchange

Santa Barbara County Cannabis Company ‘Uplisted’ to New York Stock Exchange

Cannabis By Nick Welsh

Santa Barbara Increases Cannabis Sales Tax Rate by 2 Percent

Santa Barbara Increases Cannabis Sales Tax Rate by 2 Percent

Cannabis By Ryan P. Cruz

No Time Extensions on Cannabis Odor Scrubbers in Carpinteria Greenhouses

No Time Extensions on Cannabis Odor Scrubbers in Carpinteria Greenhouses

Cannabis By Nick Welsh

View More Cannabis

Labor

Eric Schmidt, Santa Barbara Resident and Former Google CEO, Signs ‘We Must Act Now’ AI Statement

Eric Schmidt, Santa Barbara Resident and Former Google CEO, Signs ‘We Must Act Now’ AI Statement

Science & Tech By Izadora Hamm

Labor Board ‘Pierces Corporate Veil’ and Orders McCaw to Pay $3.6M

Labor Board ‘Pierces Corporate Veil’ and Orders McCaw to Pay $3.6M

Labor By Jean Yamamura

KEYT Workers Picket in Santa Barbara While Contract Negotiations Stall

KEYT Workers Picket in Santa Barbara While Contract Negotiations Stall

Labor By Elaine Sanders

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