[Update: Wed., July 23, 2025, 9:55am] Santa Barbara County announced on 7/23 that emergency phone lines were restored to the county, after about 24 hours without service. For the latest story, click here.
[Update: Tue., July 22, 2025, 10 p.m.] This evening, Santa Barbara Airport grounded flights as per the Federal Aviation Administration’s direction. The announcement said that a regional power outage has caused disruptions at the Air Traffic Control tower, prompting the FAA to issue a ground stop. The ground stop was set to last until 10 p.m.
Santa Barbara Airport said that this outage was the same as the one affecting emergency phone lines in the county.
For updates on the SBA’s ground stop status, visit the FAA website. For the latest updates on the outage, visit the County of Santa Barbara’s website.
[Update: Tue., July 22, 2025, 3:23 p.m.] Kelly Hubbard, head of the county’s Office of Emergency Management, stated that the outages affecting 9-1-1 services were due to a severed fiber cable. She speculated that the location of the severed fiber line is most likely to be in South Santa Barbara County.
A visual check around downtown as the Tuesday Farmers Market ended showed fewer police officers than usual, as they’ve spread out around town during the unusual 9-1-1 outage affecting Santa Barbara County.
The Santa Barbara Police Department confirmed that its landlines and radio services are fully operational. While 9-1-1 is unavailable, you can reach emergency services directly using the following numbers:
For Santa Barbara City: (805) 882-8900
For Santa Maria/Guadalupe: (805) 928-3781 x2277
For UC Santa Barbara PD: (805) 893-3447
Sheriff’s spokesperson Raquel Zick said they received 150 calls to 9-1-1 per day on average. All agencies were cooperating during the service blackout. “Bottom line,” Zick said, “if you call one of the numbers, we will get you to the correct agency.”
Authorities are actively working to resolve the issue, but a timetable for resolution is not yet available. They recommend that for ongoing alerts and updates to monitor readysbc.org.
[Updated: Tue., July 22, 2025, 3pm]
Santa Barbara County’s emergency phone lines are down. That includes 9-1-1, as well as other 10-digit phone lines. Below are alternate ways to contact emergency dispatch centers during this outage:
- All 9-1-1 Dispatch Centers Via Text Message – Text to “911”
- County Sheriff’s Alternate 9-1-1 contact info:
- (805) 896-5181 OR
- (805) 451-5639 OR
- Via Email: info@sbsheriff.org (may result in a delayed response)
- Alternate City 9-1-1 phone numbers:
- City of Santa Barbara: (805) 882-8900
- Santa Maria/Guadalupe: (805) 928-3781 x2277
- UC Santa Barbara PD: (805) 893-3447
- Vandenberg SFB Dispatch Alternate 9-1-1 contact info:
- (805) 606-1590 OR
- (805) 606-5380 OR
- Via Email: allces-fire-dispatchers@us.af.mil (may result in a delayed response)
In response to the outage, the Santa Barbara Police Department announced it is “increasing high-visibility patrols throughout the city to ensure a maximum level of responsiveness” as part of what it called an internal “Tactical Alert.” The public can also approach any public safety personnel (police or fire) to report urgent issues, SBPD said.
There is no estimated time for this issue to be resolved, according to the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management.
The announcement first came as San Luis Obispo County Airport temporarily suspended its flights, due to what it said in a press release was “a complete power and communications outage at the Santa Barbara Air Traffic Control Tower and Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON).” SLO County Airport has since resumed flight operations.
Santa Barbara Airport has said that the FAA is experiencing a technical problem that is currently under investigation. Some, but not all flights are being diverted, and the airport encourages travelers to check directly with their airlines.
It is unclear whether the two outages are related.
Editor’s Note: This story was updated to remove Hubbard’s statement that the outage at the airport was unrelated to the emergency line outage.
