Articles Tagged With ‘Santa Barbara County’




Should Californians support our heroes or the Scammers?

OPINION by ROBERT TOLAN I recently read an op-ed by Irene Dana arguing against Senate Bill 694. I was shocked. Not just by what she said, but by how deeply her piece misunderstood the battle veterans are facing every single... (Continue reading)

Santa Barbara County deputies arrest fragrant felons

By KAREN VELIE Santa Barbara County sheriff deputies on Friday arrested three men suspected of stealing nearly $2,000 of perfume from a store in Goleta. Shortly after 2 p.m. on Friday, a caller from Ulta Beauty in the Camino Real... (Continue reading)

Illegal firearms investigation leads to three Santa Barbara County arrests

By KAREN VELIE Officers recently arrested three men in Santa Barbara County as part of a multi-county illegal firearms investigation. On Aug. 21, the California Highway Patrol Coastal Division Investigative Services Unit learned that Diego Tostado Galvan, 19, of Watsonville,... (Continue reading)

Santa Barbara County deputies find 38 victims tied to fraud scheme

By KAREN VELIE Santa Barbara County sheriff’s detectives have identified 33 additional victims tied to a fraud scheme by a man who claimed to be a senior executive with BMW. Detectives arrested 64-year-old Jonathan Tudor of West Hollywood on July... (Continue reading)

Has Santa Barbara County’s cannabis dreams gone up in smoke?

By KAREN VELIE Following legalization, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors embraced the cannabis industry, which was projected to all but eliminate the illicit marijuana trade while generating significant tax revenue. But that’s not what happened. “The cannabis program... (Continue reading)

Valley fever case rising in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties

By KAREN VELIE California health officials report huge increases in valley fever cases in both San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties from 2023 to 2024, according to the California Department of Public Health. San Luis Obispo County cases increased... (Continue reading)

A long list of undesirables – elected, blind and otherwise

OPINION by ANDY CALDWELL Do you remember in the 1977 film “Star Wars” when Obi-Wan Kenobi described the infamous saloon as a “wretched hive of scum and villainy”? Is that not an apt description of the former convicts arrested at... (Continue reading)

More oil production to restart offshore of Santa Barbara County

By KAREN VELIE Months after offshore oil production resumed at one platform off the Santa Barbara County coastline, plans are in the works to start production at two additional offshore facilities. Sable Offshore plans to restart oil production at all... (Continue reading)

Santa Barbara County deputies arrest man operating luxury car scam

By KAREN VELIE Santa Barbara County sheriff’s detectives arrested a man on Tuesday who posed as a luxury car executive and scammed victims out of thousands of dollars with false promises of discounted high-end vehicles. Investigators are now seeking the... (Continue reading)

Body of missing Santa Barbara County woman found

By KAREN VELIE The search for a missing Santa Barbara County woman came to an end on Tuesday when the body of 85-year-old Sonia Lang Crestfield was found in the area of the Goleta Slough Ecological Reserve. Crestfield was last seen... (Continue reading)