Santa Barbara Independent

Since 1986.

[Santa Barbara Independent @SBIndyNews]

The ‘Santa Barbara Independent’ team wanted to let you know that we will no longer post on the social media site X.

You can continue to find us on Instagram and Facebook, and we are excited to announce that we are now also posting on Threads and Tiktok at @SBIndependent.

[Santa Barbara Independent @SBIndyNews]

The Gifford Fire is burning on both sides of Highway 166 near the burn scar of July’s Madre Fire. Evacuations have been ordered for parts of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.
https://t.co/SzYnynfNnN

[Santa Barbara Independent @SBIndyNews]

“Our number one concern is having a fun and safe Fiesta,” Olenberger stated.⁠
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Read more: https://t.co/k0079acvIK)
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📸: Elaine Sanders

[Santa Barbara Independent @SBIndyNews]

Crestfield was last spotted on Friday, July 11, and suffers from dementia, prompting an at-risk missing person alert.

Anyone with information should call the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office at [phone].

Read more: https://t.co/dM2JyaxdHZ

[Santa Barbara Independent @SBIndyNews]

This week's cover story takes a look at what happened and the community's response after more than 360 were arrested at Central Coast cannabis farms. Visit https://t.co/Tyoj4Numkj or check out your nearest newsstand.⁠

Read more: https://t.co/vihgOEyKc6)
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[Santa Barbara Independent @SBIndyNews]

Instead of hosting the “marquee” event at the Bacara in 2026, the organization is experimenting with pop-up tastings, starting with an event this fall with Wally’s Wine & Spirits in Los Angeles on October 25.

Read more: https://t.co/GdQdhrQOvb

[Santa Barbara Independent @SBIndyNews]

“So take this as a warning that we don’t need to wait another 30 days,” Primitiva Hernandez said at Tuesday’s town hall. “We don’t need to have more broken families before we take decisive action.”

Read more: https://t.co/bbsYi2hmXL

[Santa Barbara Independent @SBIndyNews]

A fishing trip off the Santa Barbara coast Friday morning turned tragic when it resulted in one fatality and one critical injury after a 24-foot Skipjack boat sank approximately two miles off Leadbetter Point.

Read more: https://t.co/sJIdCBaNx4

📸: Robert Schwemmer

[Santa Barbara Independent @SBIndyNews]

“DHS and ICE conducted their raid using a disturbing and disproportionate level of force, both on the farm workers they were targeting and the peaceful protesters who gathered to defend their neighbors,” said Carbajal.
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Read more: https://t.co/QBAcpAvaDd

[Santa Barbara Independent @SBIndyNews]

In her exhibition 'Gimme Shelter,' on view at the Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara gallery through August 9, artist Marcia Rickard deals with destruction, displacement, natural disaster, and wartime upheaval.

Read more: https://t.co/NclzYrJbwU

[Santa Barbara Independent @SBIndyNews]

🏐 Santa Barbara has enjoyed a long list of beach volleyball legends over the decades, and at 19-years-old Ford Harman is on a trajectory for a memorable career on the sand.

Read more: https://t.co/PMaAwp1hzV

[Santa Barbara Independent @SBIndyNews]

🐝 “We have so much agriculture on the Central Coast, but funding rarely trickles into our region to support conservation land practices on farms and ranches,” said Bre Sliker, of the Community Environmental Council. “We want to change that.”

Read more: https://t.co/cvaYAvZbP7

[Santa Barbara Independent @SBIndyNews]

Forward progress has been stopped on a vegetation fire that broke out Monday above El Capitan Canyon Resort in Gaviota, prompting evacuations of six cabins at the private campground and putting 20 more under evacuation warning.

Read more: https://t.co/Py9wDiZVwk

[Santa Barbara Independent @SBIndyNews]

Public meeting to be held at the Franklin Neighborhood Center at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 15.
https://t.co/4bxjcs1Ql1

[Santa Barbara Independent @SBIndyNews]

The mother of three boys arrested in last week’s immigration raids on Glass House Farms has been deported. She is a single parent and the family’s sole provider. Other than her undocumented border crossing, she has no criminal record.

Read more: https://t.co/UsCne89qw3

[Santa Barbara Independent @SBIndyNews]

“It feels surreal, getting a Michelin star just one year in. We’ve poured everything into this place, and to be recognized like this means the world,” said Lee.

Read more: https://t.co/zGQnrPJFQn

[Santa Barbara Independent @SBIndyNews]

The music industry has become extremely saturated, making it extremely difficult to find and access music of smaller indie artists .Introducing Radio Evolve, Santa Barbara’s own indie radio station, featuring the sounds of local artists.

Read more: https://t.co/ydE7xMXmNB

[Santa Barbara Independent @SBIndyNews]

A California law took effect in 2020 that dropped the statute of limitations for filing lawsuits, provided a three-year window for victims to file claims, and otherwise made it easier for them to sue school districts and counties.
https://t.co/oGiSUBpJx1

[Santa Barbara Independent @SBIndyNews]

What’s it all about? Palm Tree Music Festival Montecito comes to town October 4.
https://t.co/gh3pakCjJU

[Santa Barbara Independent @SBIndyNews]

Fifty years ago, my father, a refugee from South Vietnam, landed at the Santa Barbara Municipal Airport. During the height of COVID-19 pandemic, I felt the urgency to capture my family’s story.

Read more: https://t.co/031XYAxy2P