New airline
to service Santa Barbara Airport to and from Sacramento and other destinations
The
Santa Barbara Airport announced that a new airline, ExpressJet Airlines, will
provide non-stop flights to San Diego, Sacramento and other destinations.
The
new airline will start providing service to and from Santa Barbara, San Diego,
Sacramento, Long Beach and the Greater Reno-Tahoe Airport starting Nov. 11.
"ExpressJet
is proud to introduce non-stop service to Long Beach, Santa Barbara, and the
Greater Reno-Tahoe area," said Jim Ream, ExpressJet president, in an
earlier public statement. “We look forward to helping more customers save time
and have a better, more convenient travel experience."
ExpressJet’s
aircraft can accommodate up to 50 passengers and will be offering two roundtrip
flights every day to and from San Diego and Sacramento.
The
new airline service also will offer a frequent flyer program.
“Sacramento
was one of the top requested destinations of all our travelers
in this region, ExpressJet is one of the best regional airlines. It’s
great that this company can respond to the request that we’ve had to
Sacramento,” said Hazel Johns, assistant Santa Barbara Airport director.
Tickets
range from about $79 each way for flights on the company’s Embraer
145s. ExpressJet also flies for Continental and Delta Airlines, and set out on
their own as an independent carrier in April.
For
more information about flights call the Santa Barbara Airport at 967-7111 or
visit www.xjet.com.
Santa Barbara
County workshop discusses new rehabilitation services for inmates
Following
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s allotment of $23 million for comprehensive
correction reforms for juvenile offenders and his vow to remedy overcrowding
and other problem issues facing California's prisons and local jails, the
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation hosted its 10th and
final workshop Oct. 12.
The
last workshop, which was held in Santa Barbara, was attended by representatives
from all over the county, including local government officials. The workshop
featured DVD presentations and other discussions about local treatment and law
enforcement.
The
workshop followed the governor's 2007-passed Assembly Bill 900, better known as
the Safety and Offender Rehabilitation Services Act. Among the provisions of
the bill is the funding of 16,000 beds in a secure community reentry programs
for inmates. The reentry facilities will provide treatment for substance abuse,
vocational job training, job placement and other services.
For
more information regarding the reentry programs or the workshop, visit
www.cdcr.ca.gov.Communications/ssFactsNews.html.
County board
of supervisors reorganizes Agriculture Preserve Committee
The
Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors made the decision to change the
process that defines how committee members are to be elected and appointed to
the Agriculture Preserve Committee.
“It
makes good sense to have people who are involved in the (Williamson Act)
advising the county on the operation of Agricultural preserve properties; if
its more than advice then it would not be appropriate for contract holders to
set policy,” said 1st District Supervisor Brooks Firestone.
The
preserve committee, which is meant to advise the board on the administration of
agricultural preserves in the county and on any matters related to contracts of
the act, which enables land owners to enter a 10-year contract with the county
that grants the land owner a property tax break in exchange for limiting use of
his land. The committee also makes recommendations on new contracts,
cancellation of contracts and revisions to the board. Some of the revisions
included clear definitions of members and member appointments.
“The question turns on whether this committee
is advisory or policy. We are determining that, and in the meanwhile the
committee is made up of county employees, not of people who have agricultural
preserve property. This could change and be modified. One suggestion is to
redefine the committee to make sure that it’s only advisory; another is to
simply change the make up of the committee so that anyone who holds a contract
would be advisory to the committee and not a member of the committee.”
The
final kinks still are being worked out. The board will be holding meetings in
the future to continue to refine the role of the Agricultural Preserve Advisory
Committee.
For
more information about previous or future Santa Barbara County Board of
Supervisors Meetings visit www.countyofsb.com.
Burglary
arrests, drugs and vandalism all in a weekend’s of police work
Police
officers responded to a host of calls over the Oct. 13 weekend, including
attempted burglary, drug use and vandalism.
On
Oct. 12 officers responded to an attempted break-in at a marijuana dispensary,
better known as the SBC Patient’s Collective, located at 2975 De La Vina St. in Santa Barbara.
According
to the Santa Barbara Police Department, three teens attempted to break into the
dispensary but were unsuccessful.
Two
of the teens were in the vehicle when the officer arrived, but the third teen
was just returning to the vehicle, and had fresh cuts and blood. That teen was
arrested and the other two teens were questioned and then released.
On
Oct. 13 police responded to reported gang fight in the 1300 block of Salinas
Place in Santa Barbara. When the officer arrived he witnessed many teens
fleeing the scene. He followed them back to a residence, which he gained
permission to enter and search and found a 17-year-old female allegedly under
the influence of methamphetamine. She was arrested and the other teens were
warned and released.
On
Oct. 14, a homeless man was arrested for alleged vandalism after an employee of
Garret’s Old Fashioned Restaurant, located at 2001 State St. in Santa Barbara,
called the police. The man found a 45-year-old man sleeping under a door he had
allegedly torn off the hinges. The man was suspected of being involved in an
earlier confrontation with an AM-PM customer across from the restaurant. The
man was arrested for vandalism and trespassing.
Roasted Bean
to hold open mike night for poets, musicians, comedy and more
Santa
Ynez’s Roasted Bean will be serving up more than the
usual cup of joe. The lively
hangout that attracts many young people after school will be hosting an open
mike night starting Oct. 23. People of all ages and artistic pursuits will be
welcomed. Each participant will get up to 15 minutes on the stage. The night’s
event will be begin at 7 p.m. and end at 9 p.m.
“It’s
something that I approached the Roasted Bean and they were excited to host such
an event,” said Karen Boone, a community member who came up with the idea of
the open mike night. “We wanted it to be something that families and everybody
could come to and enjoy, all ages from little kids to senior citizens, as long
as it’s G rated.”
Boone
will be registering performers starting at 6:30 p.m., and the event will be
hosted by local musician Bent Myggen. For more
information regarding the open mike night, call Katherine Boone at 805-245-9566
or email her at kboone9@gmail.com.
Men, farm
charged with starting the Zaca fire plead not guilty
Two
farm employees and Rancho La Laguna LLC all entered not guilty pleas Oct. 15 in
charges brought against them for allegedly starting the month-long Zaca Fire. The fire, which destroyed over 240,000 acres and
cost millions of dollars, started July 4 and was not declared contained until
exactly a month later.
Jose
Jesus Cabrera, 38, of Santa Ynez, Santiago Iniguez Cervantes, 46, of Santa Maria and Rancho La Laguna
LLC all entered the pleas in a Santa Maria courtroom. They also have been
charged with four felony counts of recklessly causing a fire with great bodily
injury, one felony count of recklessly causing a fire of a structure or forest,
and other allegations. Cabrera and Cervantes reportedly were grinding metal to
repair a pipeline on the ranch on July 4 when a spark from the operation
ignited the long-lasting fire.
“This is the plea that he entered on Monday,
and there is going to be another hearing on Dec. 3,” said Adrian Andrade, who
represents Cervantes. Andrade would not disclose any other information
regarding the case.
If convicted, Cervantes and Cabrera could face
up to 10 years in prison and 180 days in county jail. Rancho La Laguna LLC
could face fines and probation.
Parolee
arrested after leading police on near motionless chase
Santa
Barbara police officers arrested a man Oct. 16 after he led them on a chase
into the sea, literally. The incident took place after police responded to a
call for a suspect brandishing a knife near Cabrillo Boulevard. According to a
statement issued by the police department, when the responding officer arrived,
he found a man lying in the sand near the concrete bike path. The officer
questioned the man about the incident and the suspect denied any involvement.
However, he gave the officer false information about himself.
All
of a sudden, the man turned around and dashed into the sea and swam beyond the
breaking swells. There he remained, refusing to get out of the water, for about
20 minutes before he decided to climb into a Harbor Patrol boat and surrender.
After
being treated at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, the man was finally identified
as 40-year-old Humberto Ortiz Cortez, who had
outstanding warrants for his arrest for auto theft and burglary. Police,
however, determined that he was not connected with the knife-brandishing
incident. He was arrested and held without bail.