Texas Oil Company Demands $347 Million from California After Environmental Crackdown
Under intensifying legal scrutiny, Sable Offshore Corp. has filed a $347 million claim against the California Coastal Commission, accusing the agency of unlawfully blocking its efforts to restart a major offshore oil operation. The Texas-based company argues that state regulators deliberately delayed permits needed...
SDRI’s Taste of the Vine Raises $508,000 to Advance Diabetes Research and Care
Press releases are posted on Independent.com as a free community service. Santa Barbara, CA (October 10, 2025) — Sansum Diabetes Research Institute (SDRI) proudly celebrates the extraordinary success of its annual Taste of the Vine fundraiser, held at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum. This year’s event welcomed...
Free Jerry Day Santa Barbara celebration fills Chase Palm Park
SANTA BARBARA, Calif.(KEYT) Jerry Day filled Chase Palm Park on Saturday. The park served as the Great Meadow as bands celebrated the music of the late Jerry Garcia. Bands included No Simple Highway, Ladyfinger and Random Animals. Some fans recall seeing Garcia perform at local Grateful Dead shows in the '70s. Heads...
Earl Warren Showgrounds Master Plan Moves Forward Despite Community Pushback
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) — The Earl Warren Showgrounds is set for a major transformation after board members unanimously voted Thursday to move forward with a new master plan. But the decision has sparked concern among members of the equestrian community who say they’ve been left out of the conversation. “We have...
Paseo Nuevo Proposal Called ‘Desperate’ and ‘Ill-Defined’ Over Land Giveaway
In no uncertain terms, the Santa Barbara Planning Commission rejected the plan to overhaul Paseo Nuevo, throwing a wrench into the city staff’s effort to cut a deal with the mall’s leaseholder. Members of the commission called for a full stop on the city staff’s proposed idea to...
Ventura event addresses need for more affordable housing
Ventura County is the second least affordable metro area in the nation to buy a home. The median price of single family homes sold in the county in 2024 was $924,000, according to California Lutheran University’s Center for Economic Research and Forecasting. To afford that median home, a household...
Hotshots, History and the Human Choices Behind Megafires
What happens when a sharp, young anthropologist joins an elite wildland firefighting crew — when scholarship co-mingles with blood, burns and sweat on the frontlines of America’s largest fires?. In his book “When It All Burns” (Penguin RandomHouse, 2025), UC Santa Barbara’s Jordan Thomas sets out to answer...
Man treated for smoke inhalation after Goleta house fire
GOLETA, Calif. (KEYT) – Santa Barbara County Fire Department crews helped a man with smoke inhalation after a house fire broke out in Goleta just after 10:30 a.m. Saturday. Crews helped the adult male via ground ambulance to Goleta Valley Hospital for his condition after the fire broke out, according to the SBCFD....
Helicopter needed after man suffers major injuries in Lompoc crash
LOMPOC, Calif. (KEYT) – A man required helicopter transport after major injuries from a crash on Highway 1 near Lompoc just after 1:30 p.m. Saturday, according to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department. Crews found the man's car about 40 feet up the embankment and stabilized it before helping the man via the...
Newsom Signs First-in-Nation Law to Ban Ultra-Processed Food in School Lunches
The Santa Barbara Independent republishes stories from CalMatters.org on state and local issues impacting readers in Santa Barbara County. California is the first state in the country to ban ultraprocessed foods from school meals, aiming to transform how children eat on campus by 2035. In the cafeteria of Belvedere...
