Santa Barbara CA

Santa Barbara County District Attorney John T. Savrnoch announced today a jury returned a verdict of guilty against defendant Aloysius James of first-degree murder with the special circumstance of murder in the commission of the rape of thirty-year-old Ofelia Sandoval, who was killed on September 18, 1988, in Santa...

VENTURA, Calif. (KEYT) The Monster Mall attracts all kind of characters and entrepreneurs. The weekend event is taking place at the Ventura County Fairgrounds. Participants enjoyed spooky and pop culture vendors on Saturday. Stephanie Campa's company sold plenty of specialty drinks made with dry ice that give off a...

A Ventura street closed for nearly a year and a half could reopen as soon as next week, as work continues to cleanup an underground fuel leak and replace a damaged sewer line. Monmouth Way in the beachside Pierpont neighborhood closed after authorities discovered gasoline had leaked into the city's sewer system in...

WHAT: The U.S. Forest Service for the Los Padres National Forest has scheduled prescribed burning in the Camino Cielo Ridge Area near Painted Cave Road and Highway 154. WHEN: February 27 – March 6. This burn is expected to occur over a one-week period. WHERE: This area includes a...

The Santa Barbara Historic Landmarks Commission granted final approval for a small dining and commercial project at 628 State Street, located in the El Pueblo Viejo (EPV) district, during its meeting on February 25, 2026. The proposal, dubbed the “Del Sol Restaurant,” includes two buildings (1,516 sq. ft. and 454...

Two Northern California men have been arrested after they allegedly tried to scam an elderly woman out of $50,000. They contacted the victim and told her that her Social Security number and other personal information had been compromised. Investigators say they convinced her to withdraw $25,000 in cash from one...

A trio of launches is scheduled from Vandenberg Space Force Base over a four-day span beginning Saturday, Feb. 28, potentially treating Central Coast residents to multiple sky shows — and the sound of one or more sonic booms — base officials said. Firefly Alpha target: Sunday evening. Firefly...

The night of Oct. 12, 2019, Ricardo Banderas was standing on a Ventura street corner with his older brother. Seconds later, gunshots rang out, and his brother was on the ground bleeding. Banderas was one of the prosecution’s first witnesses in the trial of the alleged shooter: Kristian Fonseca. On Feb. 25, the day...

Press releases are posted on Independent.com as a free community service. Santa Barbara, CA — February 3, 2026 — The Santa Barbara Search & Rescue Foundation is proud to announce the appointment of Staci Richard to its Board of Directors. Richard brings a rare combination of search and rescue leadership and US...

Back in 2015, vintner Karen Steinwachs of Sea Grape Cellars spearheaded an event to celebrate the higher-than-usual percentage of women winemakers working in Santa Barbara County. The momentum only kept building over the years, becoming an official nonprofit organization, the Women Winemakers & Culinarians...