Local News on the South Coast

October 27, 2010


Friends, family and fellow UCSB students held a vigil last night to celebrate the life of Lucas Ransom. Ransom died last week at Surf Beach at Vandenberg Air Force Base in Santa Barbara County after being attacked by a shark. The vigil was held in Isla Vista. About a hundred people gathered to remember the UCSB Chemistry major. He was remembered as a dear friend, who liked to make people laugh. The family is working on setting up a college scholarship fund in his name.



The man arrested in connection with a kidnapping and robbery that took place last May at La Cumbre Plaza, is found guilty. 37-year-old Brian Ray Carner was in a Santa Barbara courtroom yesterday where a jury convicted him on charges of kidnapping, robbery and false imprisonment.  Carner had just finished working for the SB Fair & Expo at the time of his arrest.  According to police, Carner kidnapped a woman at gunpoint, stole $100, and forced her to drive him to the Municipal Golf Course.  Authorities caught up with him a short time later in the Las Positas area.  The gun turned out to be a fake.  Carner is facing life in prison with option for parole.  He sentencing is set for November 19th.



After the threat of a possible strike, Santa Barbara Police Officers have finally reached a contract agreement with the city. Negotiations have been going on for months between the city and the Police Officers Association, hammering out a salary and benefit package. City Council members reviewed the proposal last night, and will vote formally tonight.  The 2 sides have been negotiating for over 7 months, on the deal that includes temporary salary concessions.


In the meantime, to the south of SB...

A new Police kiosk is unveiled in Ventura. The department says the self service kiosk,  which cost 12-thousand dollars, will end up as a cost saver. Residents can pay parking tickets, file a complaint, register for emergency notification, check Megan’s Law…just a few of the dozen or so services available.



North Santa Barbara County

A vehicle accident in the New Cuyama area causes a grass fire that quickly spread to 25 acres. Santa Barbara County Fire says it happened around 3pm yesterday on Highway 166 near Cottonwood Canyon. Witnesses say the vehicle was speeding down Hwy 166 when it failed to negotiate a turn, went off the road, and started a grass fire. The middle aged woman driver, who was seriously hurt, was air-lifted to a nearby hospital. County Fire used a helicopter to make 2 water drops on the blaze. They had it contained in less than an hour. The cause of the accident is under investigation by the CHP.




October 26, 2010

After conferring with a renowned shark expert, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Coroner's Bureau says it's likely that a White Shark was responsible for last Friday's deadly attack off Surf Beach that claimed the life of a 19-year-old UCSB college student.
Ralph Collier, President of the Shark Research Committee and author of "Shark Attacks of the 20th Century" met with the Coroner's detective conducting the death investigation Monday afternoon. Collier was allowed to examine the victim's wound, the boogie board, and fragments of a shark tooth.  Collier said it's likely that the White Shark--more popularly known as a Great White Shark--was 17 to 18 feet long and possibly weighed 4,000 pounds.

The Santa Barbara Sheriff's Coroner's Bureau last investigated a fatal shark attack in December, 1994 when a scuba diver was killed off San Miguel Island. Collier noted there have only been 12 authenticated fatal shark attacks on the west coast of the United States since 1950.





The Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office says it is in close and continuing contact with Canadian authorities concerning the legal status of Randy and Evi Quaid who are now seeking asylum in that country. An immigration hearing in Canada is set for Thursday to examine their request and the local DA’s office says it’s cooperating with Canadian authorities. The couple had been arrested in Vancouver on Thursday and within a few hours had sought asylum on the claim that someone was out to kill them.  A court ordered warrant for the Quaid’s arrest had been issued last week with bail set in the amount of $500,000 to compel them to appear in a Santa Barbara Superior Courtroom today (Tuesday) to answer to criminal charges of trespass and squatting at a property on East Mountain Drive they once owned. County District Attorney Joyce Dudley says her office will hold off on any decision on possible extradition proceedings until the Canadian hearings are concluded.




David Edelman, who spent 14 years at Cox Communications in Santa Barbara, was named yesterday (Monday) as Vice President for Advancement and Development at Fielding Graduate University. Edelman is joining Fielding’s senior management team to lead the school’s activities in development, alumni relations, corporate and foundation affiliations, community outreach, and external relations. In his time at Cox, Edelman became a familiar figure, both on TV and through public appearances as he worked to bring the cable company into the forefront of community involvement with non-profits, charity events and the numerous festivals throughout the year. Prior to his position at Cox, Edelman was executive director at Klein Bottle Youth Programs.




Several vehicles were set on fire in the Elwood neighborhood of Goleta last night.  Santa Barbara County Fire says it happened around 11:30 Monday in the 300 block of Elwood Beach Dr. Arriving fire crews, along with University Police and County Sheriff’s Deputies, found 6 vehicles that were on fire at four different locations between 278 and 312 Elwood Beach Dr.  Authorities say the fires are similar to fires that have happened in this area in the past. There was no damage to any homes or structures, and no one was hurt. The cause of is under investigation. Anyone with information regarding these fires should contact authorities.




Caltrans has awarded $24 million for 85 different Safe Routes to School projects, and a couple of local schools will benefit.  The idea is to improve safety around schools, from grade school to high school, for students who walk or ride bikes. Funding will pay for new crosswalks, curb ramps, sidewalks, bicycle paths, traffic signals, additional signs, striping, and, in some cases, pedestrian countdown signals. Santa Barbara is one of the areas to receive funding, specifically for the intersection of Portesuello Ave. and Modoc Rd for La Cumbre Jr. High School and Santa Barbara Community Academy.




The U.S. Postal Service is asking absentee ballot voters to mail their ballots early. Ballots must be delivered to the Registrar Recorder/County Clerk on or before November 2 to be counted. The Post Office is reminding absentee ballot voters to be sure to sign the envelope, and follow all instructions. It needs to be mailed early enough to ensure it’s delivered before or by November 2. Another option is to bring it to any polling place on Election Day.