Santa Barbara County News

Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce E. Dudley announced today that 35-year old Juan Ramirez aka Jose Flores was sentenced to life in state prison after having been convicted of rape during a residential burglary.

Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office is pleased to announce that this afternoon, December 12, the Board of State and Community Corrections Executive Steering Committee recommended Santa Barbara County receive full funding, $38,976,000, for the SB 1022 Construction of Criminal Justice Facilities grant.

Rich Detty, whose son died in 2010 while in the care of Santa Barbara County's acute psychiatric hospital, has settled a lawsuit with the county for $1.25 million.

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office is pleased to officially welcome five new Sheriff's Deputies to its team.

Chandra Wallar served as the CEO in the county with a population of more than 425,000 from 2010 until October of this year.

This holiday season, Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Deputies will be out in force cracking down on impaired drivers with special DUI / Driver's License Checkpoints.

Five years ago, Lisa Cullen of Montecito Landscape asked what she could do to help the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County with its Holiday Food Drive, and the Foodbank Holiday Haulers was born.

Santa Barbara City Fire Chief Pat McElroy, left, and David Senior, fire technology director at Allan Hancock College, with the donated 1984 fire engine.

A homicide victim found in September in a drainage ditch in Nipomo was identified as a 26-year-old man from Guerrero, Mexico, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office said.

It's been dubbed both the World Series and Super Bowl of Rodeos, and on Saturday night, a Santa Barbara County cowboy won the third round of it in 3.6 seconds.

Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce E. Dudley announced today that 33 year-old Timothy McNally was sentenced to 25 years to life in state prison having been convicted of murdering Gary Bent.

The Santa Barbara County Fire Department investigators have determined that the cause of the structure fire that occurred at 3884 Cherry Hill Road in Santa Maria today was a result of an overloaded electrical circuit.

It claims he first promised her a promotion in exchange for sex, but demoted later her when she broke off the affair! Ewww! If that's accurate, that would be super gross and weird and illegal and, well, gross turn of events! So where does 50 Shades fit in? During their tryst, these two apparently role played Anastasia Steele & Christian Grey and ... (more)

The Santa Barbara City Council on Tuesday approved more funding for the Freedom Warming Centers because they need to open overflow locations this winter.

Detectives are asking the public to help them identify a man suspected of robbing an Orcutt liquor store at gunpoint over the weekend.

The idea of Girl Up Initiative Uganda came to founders Kim Wolf and friend Monica Nyiraguhabwa last year as they walked through one of the many slums of Kampala, the largest city and the capital of Uganda.

Law enforcement across Santa Barbara County are gearing up to crack down on drunken driving this holiday season with extra checkpoints and saturation patrols in cities and unincorporated areas across the county.

Lonely Planet has named the Central Coast -- Monterey, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties -- its fourth top travel destination in the United States for 2014, behind Grand Rapids and Lake Michigan's Gold Coast, Yosemite National Park and Boston.

Former aide to Rep. Lois Capps is facing charges stemming from accident Friday night that critically injured Mallory Rae Dies, 27, of Santa Barbara Raymond Morua, in background, appeared before Judge Thomas Adams Tuesday for arraignment on felony DUI and hit-and-run charges stemming from an accident Friday night that critically injured Mallory Rae ... (more)

For the fifth year, Laguna Blanca's Middle and Upper School students joined together with giving spirits for their annual Holiday Gift Drive.