Arrested in early August, Jeffrey Koeller is the second Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office employee to face embezzlement charges this year. Both Koeller and Segun Ogunleye—arrested in late January—worked for the Sheriff’s Office as custody sergeants, and were charged for fraudulently claiming and receiving earnings of $93,000 and $175,000, respectively, for hours they did not […]
Board of Supervisors
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Lompoc begins environmental review for possible housing project annexation
The Bodger Meadows housing project near Lompoc has bounced between city and county staff for the past two and a half years, but the city’s been trying to obtain the property from the county for decades. After the City Council discussed the project’s latest news, Mayor Jim Mosby joked dryly about the saga. He referenced […]
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County increases parcel taxes for neighborhoods in Orcutt, Vandenberg Village
A flat rate since 2011, the parcel tax for residents of Providence Landing—a neighborhood in the unincorporated Vandenberg Village area—will jump from $672 to $692. These funds go toward upkeep at the Providence Landing Park, an arrangement Santa Barbara County 4th District Supervisor Bob Nelson noted as unlike any other tax collected across the county. […]
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County Planning Commission cleans up ‘discrepancy’ in oil well ban
Members of the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission recently revisited some language tied to the proposed ban on drilling new oil and gas wells due to a staff oversight. “In April, we should have identified this amendment,” County Long Range Planning Division Manager Alex Tuttle said at the commission’s July 1 meeting. While the commission […]
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Board of Supervisors sides with arbitrator in Del Cielo rent dispute
While alleging that a third-party mediator abused his authority, a local mobile home park owner appealed to the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors to overturn the ruling in an arbitration case. Following an eight-hour, in-person hearing in early 2026 and opportunities for written rebuttal, arbitrator John Derrick deemed $24 as an appropriate rent increase […]
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County supervisors approve $9.2 million cut to Public Health Department
Santa Barbara County kicked off its final round of budget hearings on June 16 with a unanimous vote approving recommendations from Public Health Director Mouhanad Hammami to cut millions of dollars from his department. A structural deficit has plagued Public Health’s savings, but changes to federal and state policies regarding who qualifies for Medi-Cal “added […]
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Battling fear, misinformation: Santa Barbara County’s Elections Division tries to get the facts out ahead of the June primary
Stay informedLearn more about Santa Barbara County’s election protocols at santabarbaravote.gov, facebook.com/countyofsb or on Instagram @countyofsb. Some local candidates and all five members of the county Board of Supervisors agree that their constituents deserve more clarity about how local elections work—especially with June’s primary just around the corner. “This is not an ordinary election year. […]
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Santa Barbara County passes ‘symbolic’ ICE safeguard policy package
Whether a new Santa Barbara County initiative helps alleviate or worsen residents’ concerns about local Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity was up for debate at the Board of Supervisors’ April 21 meeting. “We have people out there who are becoming constitutional scholars on both sides on what is lawful and what is not,” 4th […]
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County endorses Gregg Hart’s jail accountability bill
Resolving some residents’ misunderstanding of state Assembly Bill 2257 was a key issue for both supporters and detractors of the proposed legislation during the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors’ April 21 hearing. “This was pulled by quite a few members of the board. I personally pulled it for a couple reasons,” 4th District Supervisor […]
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County supervisors discuss balancing budgets to quell deficits
Trying to work its way out of the red, Santa Barbara County is considering almost $71 million in reductions for the 2026-27 fiscal year. Multiple departments are facing layoffs and program reductions if the board approves the budget in June. On April 13, the Public Health and Social Services departments presented financial plans to the […]
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County Planning Commission sends ban on future oil drilling to supervisors
Most of the oil produced in and around the Santa Maria Valley is considered “heavy.” It’s not refined into gasoline or jet fuel. Rather, it’s often used to make products like asphalt—but maybe not for very much longer. “That’s what we specialize in, as most of the oil production onshore in Northern Santa Barbara county […]
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County declines tax exchange offer tied to proposed Orcutt annexation
Going against an independent arbitrator’s opinion, Santa Barbara County recently rejected a property tax exchange offer from the city of Santa Maria after a year of negotiations. Mediation between the county and the city over the agreement—necessary for the Richards Ranch development project in Orcutt to move forward with a 44-acre annexation application—began during the […]
