Santa Barbara CA

A Santa Barbara County judge declined Wednesday to immediately lift the injunction blocking Sable Offshore Corp. from restarting its onshore oil pipelines, approved a compromise schedule that modestly accelerates the case, and compelled the company to confirm in court that no oil is currently flowing through the...

I don’t know about you, but I’m not a “winter” — and I’m not just talking about a color palette. So next week’s forecast of unseasonably warm weather is right up my alley. And after last weekend, a dry spell will be a...

Santa Barbara County District Attorney John T. Savrnoch announced the appointment of Jennifer Karapetian as Assistant District Attorney for the County of Santa Barbara. Ms. Karapetian brings more than 15 years of experience as a prosecutor to the role. She has developed a reputation for possessing sound legal...

Macher has closed its Santa Ynez location, the general store announced in an Instagram post on January 7, 2026. Located in the Bohlinger Building at 1090 Edison Street, Suite 103, the Santa Ynez store closed on Monday, according to the announcement. In the post announcing the closure, Macher said it...

January 8, 2026 - LOS ANGELES — More than 1,000 oil and gas operators violated a recent California law aimed at cleaning up the state’s idle wells, which pose a threat to the environment, air quality and public health, records show. The law, A.B.1866, strengthened requirements for operators...

A new state law may add another layer of review before an oil company can restart a Santa Barbara County pipeline that ruptured in 2015. The law, which took effect on January 1, requires Sable Offshore Corporation to obtain a Coastal Development Permit from the State Coastal Commission. Getting the permit could take...

LOMPOC, Calif. (KEYT) - The Lompoc division of Santa Barbara Superior Court was standing room only this morning for a hearing in the murder case against Ashlee Buzzard. The crowd witnessed what turned out to be a quick procedural hearing. Many of the seats were filled with family members of the late 9-year-old...

While conducting a DUI and CDL checkpoint on December 12th, 2025, the Ventura Police Department had no DUI arrests. If you plan on drinking or taking medications that may impact your ability to drive safely, plan on staying safe at home. If you see a drunk driver, always call 9-1-1. Drivers charged with DUI face an...

‘Welcome to Isla Vista‘ is a six-part podcast series. Listen to new episodes here or anywhere you get your podcasts. This is Welcome to Isla Vista. I’m Christina McDermott. I cover housing for the Santa Barbara Independent. As a housing reporter, I write a lot about Isla Vista. There is, simply, a lot to write about,...

Intense winds are blowing through Santa Barbara County on the heels of a series of storms over the holidays and this past weekend that flooded streets and saturated soils. The National Weather Service has issued a high wind warning for the Santa Barbara County Interior Mountains and Santa Ynez Mountains Eastern...