Back to school means back to sports, and Noozhawk remains the only newsroom delivering comprehensive high school sports coverage on Santa Barbara County’s South Coast.
This fall, we’re finally expanding north with a dedicated North County High School Football Game of the Week, alongside our weekly Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table coverage, Athletes of the Week features, season previews and playoff reports.
I don’t have to tell you that local sports coverage has disappeared from most communities, but Noozhawk is keeping it alive.
And now we’re ready to extend that commitment northward, even if we’re only able to make short yardage gains for now.
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Noozhawk had an audience of 147,281 readers this past week, according to our WordPress analytics.
What follows is my own take on the Top 5 stories that our Google Analytics says you were reading during that period.
And by “my own take,” I mean my opinion. That’s what this is, my opinion column, and I write it in my civic capacity as Noozhawk’s publisher. This is not a news story.
1. Dos Pueblos High Attracts Large Number of Student Transfers From Rival Schools
Dos Pueblos High School received an unprecedented 276 student transfer requests for the 2025-2026 school year, pushing enrollment to 2,238 students — the highest among the Santa Barbara Unified School District’s three high schools.
As our Josh Molina reported, the influx included 147 students from San Marcos High and 129 from Santa Barbara High, while only 53 students transferred out of DP.
The district halted all transfer requests to Dos Pueblos in April due to the volume.
San Marcos now has 1,959 students and Santa Barbara 1,805.
Notably, 278 students living within Santa Barbara High’s boundaries transferred to other district schools, primarily as ninth-graders.
“My focus is drawing people back in,” said Santa Barbara High Principal Ed Gomez, who was hired in June.
“My focus is on building programs and celebrating programs that draw kids in.”
Dos Pueblos Principal Bill Woodard said his school can handle the increase but noted challenges.
“The bigger you are, logistically, problems arise,” he told Josh. “Only one kid can be the starting quarterback.”
San Marcos Principal Dare Holdren emphasized that “transfers are a deeply personal decision.”
Families cite various reasons for transfers, including academics and extracurricular offerings.
Dos Pueblos’ Engineering Academy and International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme remain significant draws, along with its media, yearbook, mock trial and music programs.
Oh, and the school posted the highest test scores in Santa Barbara County — not that any responsible parent would be interested in such results.
2. Coroner’s Bureau Investigating Worker Death at Santa Barbara Restaurant
A third-party cleaning crew member died early on Aug. 18 at Ospi restaurant in Santa Barbara following a medical emergency.
As our Giana Magnoli reported, Santa Barbara police, firefighters and American Medical Response paramedics converged on the restaurant at 1809 E. Cabrillo Blvd. at 5:20 a.m. on a report of an unconscious male.
Despite medical aid, the worker died at the scene, which is in The Post shopping center on the new roundabout at Los Patos Way, across from the currently fetid Andrée Clark Bird Refuge.
Police found no signs of foul play.
The Santa Barbara County sheriff’s Coroner’s Bureau is investigating the cause of death.
The dead man’s identity has not been disclosed, but Ospi confirmed he worked for an independent cleaning service and was not directly employed by the restaurant or its parent company, Memento Mori Hospitality.
“We are deeply saddened by this loss and extend our heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased,” the company said in a statement on social media.
3. Stearns Wharf Murder Trial Ends in Mistrial After Jury Deadlocks
Are you freaking kidding me?!
My reaction was the same as many of you after a jury deadlocked 11-1 for conviction in the murder trial of an alleged wannabe gangbanger, forcing an Aug. 19 mistrial in the 2022 shooting death of Camarillo tourist Rob Gutierrez on Stearns Wharf.
In a Noozhawk exclusive, our Daniel Green was first to report that Santa Barbara County District Attorney John Savrnoch had confirmed his office will retry 25-year-old Jiram Tenorio Ramon of Santa Barbara, with proceedings scheduled for Sept. 4.
The trial began July 21 in Superior Court Judge Pauline Maxwell’s courtroom. Jury deliberations started Aug. 6.
In criminal cases, a conviction requires a unanimous vote of the jury.
In the Gutierrez murder, 11 jurors voted to convict Tenorio Ramon while the 12th refused to go along. The dissenter’s reasoning was not disclosed.
Gutierrez, a 52-year-old health-care professional and dedicated member of Padre Serra Parish in Camarillo, was visiting Santa Barbara with his wife, Gerallie, for their 20th wedding anniversary when they were caught in a gang shootout near the world-famous Dolphin Family Statue on Dec. 9, 2022.
He died from his wounds on Dec. 20, 2022, leaving behind his wife and their daughters, Ariana and Carisa.
The murder sparked a community controversy over police transparency, or more accurately, the lack of it.
Santa Barbara police withheld news of Gutierrez’s death — and even his identity — for more than a month, not acknowledging anything publicly or confirming what Noozhawk had dug up until arrests were announced on Jan. 19, 2023.
The peculiar timeline forced the victim’s devout Catholic family to grieve through the Christmas season without public support or acknowledgment.
In court, Senior Deputy District Attorney Tate McCallister called the circumstances of Gutierrez’s murder “an old-fashioned Wild West gunfight.” He described Tenorio Ramon as eager to prove himself to the Westside gang.
Witnesses testified that Tenorio Ramon got out of a car near the base of the wharf after spotting teenagers from a rival Ventura gang.
After a clichéd swapping of gang signs, the subsequent exchange of gunfire cut down Gutierrez as he and his wife walked on the wharf, just beyond the entrance kiosk.
Deputy public defender George Steele, Tenorio Ramon’s attorney, argued that his client acted in self-defense, claiming the Ventura gang fired first.
Tenorio Ramon is being held without bail in County Jail.
4. Man Sentenced to Prison for Pimping After Arrest During Undercover Operation
A 39-year-old Merced County man was sentenced to three years in prison on Aug. 14 for pimping following an undercover human trafficking operation.
As our Giana Magnoli reported, the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office said Kalen Bradford was arrested April 10 at a local hotel where his victim had arranged to meet an undercover detective posing as a buyer.
The investigation revealed Bradford exploited and profited from the victim’s sexual exploitation.
He pleaded guilty to felony pimping in June and was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Pauline Maxwell.
As of Aug. 22, Bradford remained in County Jail on $35,000 bail.
“Human trafficking crimes rob individuals of their freedom and dignity,” District Attorney John Savrnoch said in a statement.
“We will continue to pursue traffickers aggressively.”
The operation involved sheriff’s detectives and the DA’s Office, which maintains a team dedicated to identifying traffickers and rescuing victims.
Anyone suspecting human trafficking should call 9-1-1 in emergencies or the Sheriff’s Department at 805.683.2724.
The National Human Trafficking Hotline offers 24/7 support at 1.888.373.7888.
5. BizHawk: Couple Blend Traditions at Seoulmate Kitchen in Santa Barbara Public Market
A new Korean fusion restaurant has opened in the Santa Barbara Public Market, blending traditional Korean cuisine with café culture and global influences.
As our Josh Molina reported, Seoulmate Kitchen occupies a space against the back wall of the market at 38 W. Victoria St.
Francesca Muñoz Vaca, a Santa Barbara native with Korean and Italian heritage, introduced her husband, Juan, to Korean cuisine through visits to Los Angeles’ Koreatown.
Juan Muñoz Vaca brings professional culinary training, with a degree earned in Mexico and a master’s in gastronomy from Spain.
“We’re here to welcome people in, share flavors that mean so much to us, and create an experience that lingers long after the last bite,” Francesca told Josh.
The menu combines Korean flavors with the couple’s diverse culinary backgrounds, aiming to make Korean cuisine accessible to newcomers while satisfying longtime fans.
Seoulmate Kitchen is open from 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
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Good Reads
Check out these six stories before you go:
» What Made the Gifford, Madre Fires So Explosive? — My favorite story of the week just missed making the Top 5 by a few hundred reads. North County editor Janene Scully sifts through the ashes of the Gifford and Madre wildfires and discovers some menacing, common characteristics unique to the environment and terrain along Highway 166 east of Santa Maria. Meanwhile, a massive firefighting force has now corralled 95% of the 131,589-acre Gifford Fire.
» Red Flag Warning Issued for Parts of Santa Barbara County — Staff writer Rebecca Caraway is coming in hot with her latest weather story.
» Santa Barbara Man Pleads Guilty to Involuntary Manslaughter in Fentanyl Death — Executive editor Giana Magnoli writes the latest chapter in the 2022 fentanyl ingestion death of a 30-year-old man right on State Street in downtown Santa Barbara.
» Goleta Residents Hoping to Uproot City’s Planned Tree Removal — Rebecca climbs into a Goleta neighborhood’s tree story.
» Final Phase of Modoc Path Project Ready to Roll as County Approves Contract — Staff writer Daniel Green has some good news about the last piece of the Modoc Road multiuse bike path project.
» Friday Night Lights: Four Local Squads Kick Off 2025 Campaigns in Week Zero — Sports editor Diego Sandoval is ready for the start of high school football season, and I am, too.
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Last Year on Noozhawk
What was our most-read story this time last year? Bidens May Be Headed to Santa Ynez Valley to Vacation This Week.
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What I’m Up To
Although I’m not looking for a free meal, I occasionally do have free time if you’re looking for a speaker for your club, group or organization and want to hear more about Noozhawk. Email me at wmacfadyen@noozhawk.com.
- Aug. 26 — It’s been a minute since I’ve talked with the Rotary Club of Goleta Noontime and we’ll have some exciting news to discuss.
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Bill Macfadyen’s Story of the Week
No stranger to Santa Barbara, theoretical physicist Steve Koonin says climate change is not all or nothing after all: The Truth About Climate Change ‘Lies Somewhere in the Middle.’
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Best of Bill’s Instagram
The defending World Champion Los Angeles @dodgers started with such promise in my Instagram feed this past week before sinking back into mediocrity. But at least I was a big winner at @thesantabarbaraclub, #myhomeawayfromhome.
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Watch It
A penguin hangs for 10 with surprised South African surfers. HT to Best of Bill reader Mikayla Dawson.
