June 2 was Election Day, but for Noozhawk, it was the culmination of weeks of reporting, voter guides, candidate Q&As, issue coverage, a joint CalMatters forum focused on the governor’s race, and live election-night updates for Santa Barbara County readers.
Our professional news team worked throughout the day and late into the night to bring you results, analysis and breaking developments as the votes were counted — and we’ll continue reporting until every race is decided.
In California, that could take weeks. Maybe even months.
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According to our WordPress analytics, Noozhawk had an audience of 149,303 readers this past week.
What follows is my own take on the Top 5 stories you were reading, as tracked by our Google analytics.
As a reminder, this is my opinion column. It is not a news story.
1. Judge Sentences 2 Men to Life in Prison for Shooting Deaths of 2 Santa Barbara Teenagers
Two Carpinteria gang members have been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 2021 shooting deaths of two Santa Barbara High School students on Santa Barbara’s Lower Eastside.
The May 28 sentencing brings a measure of closure to one of the community’s most notorious gang-related murder cases.
As our Giana Magnoli reported, with assistance from Pricila Flores and Daniel Green, Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Stephen Foley handed down the sentence for 31-year-old Angel Varela and 30-year-old Oscar Trujillo-Gutierrez.
The pair was convicted earlier this year in the Jan. 3, 2021, attack on Liberty Street that killed 18-year-old Omar Montiel-Hernandez and 17-year-old Angel Castillo, and wounded two men.
In January, a jury found both defendants guilty of murder and attempted murder, determining that the crimes were committed to benefit the Carpas criminal street gang.
Family members described the lasting trauma caused by the killings.
Rita Castillo recalled her son promising he would return home safely before leaving that day.
“I still wait for him sometimes, thinking he’s going to come through the door,” she told the court.
Nancy Hernandez said her family commemorates her son’s birthday each year with cake. His little brother blows out the candles.
“They don’t know the suffering they caused me and the suffering they caused their own families,” she said of the killers.
Prosecutors said Varela and Trujillo-Gutierrez drove from Carpinteria to Santa Barbara hunting members of a rival Eastside gang. They opened fire as their victims ran away.
Both teenagers were shot in the back.
Foley, who called the crime “horrific,” sentenced Varela to two consecutive life terms without parole plus 133 years to life, while Trujillo-Gutierrez received two consecutive life terms without parole plus 33 years to life.
A third defendant, Emilio Perez, who was 17 at the time of the shooting, was convicted in juvenile court.
Even though I’ve been lectured on several occasions that Santa Barbara doesn’t have a gang problem, there were two other developments in the “G” league this week:
- Fifth Suspect Arrested in Connection with 2025 Murder of 17-Year-Old — Our Evelyn Spence reported that Santa Barbara County sheriff’s detectives arrested a fifth and final suspect, a 16-year-old juvenile, in the April 30, 2025, fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Damien Hernandez near San Marcos High School. Four other suspects — including 24-year-old Antonio Sanabia Garcia and 20-year-old Adelfo Calles — had already been arrested and charged with murder, assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury, conspiracy and … gang enhancements.
- Police Arrest 3 Suspects in Fatal Shooting at Santa Barbara Park — Evelyn reported that Santa Barbara police arrested 19-year-old Jorge Hurtado of Camarillo, 18-year-old Jimmy Alexander Mora Jr. of Ventura, and a juvenile in connection with the Feb. 20 fatal shooting of 29-year-old Luis Gerardo Terrazas at Bohnett Park on Santa Barbara’s Westside. Investigators allege … gang involvement, as well as suspicion of first-degree murder with special circumstances, attempted murder, conspiracy and several weapons-related charges.
2. Luis Esparza Pulls Ahead of Thomas Adams in Race for Judge Seat in Updated Results
As vote-counting rolls on with all the urgency and enthusiasm one musters for cleaning out the garage, several Santa Barbara County races shifted on June 4.
Our Daniel Green reported that the biggest surprise was a dramatic lead change in the closely watched Superior Court contest.
County elections officials announced they’ve counted 77,037 ballots as of June 4 — two days after the election — and estimated they have a mere 34,188 unprocessed ballots to go.
They’re in ignominious company, though. According to Secretary of State Shirley Weber, California has counted 5,617,892 ballots as of June 4, with an astounding 3,606,128 ballots estimated to be outstanding.
Don’t worry, it will all be sorted out by the Nov. 3 general election. Maybe.
Noozhawk’s election team — executive editor Giana Magnoli; county editors Janene Scully and Evelyn Spence; staff writers Rebecca Caraway, Pricila Flores and Daniel Green; editor in chief Tom Bolton; and copy editors Michelle Nelson and Karin Hill — worked overtime to keep you informed on the races.
Here’s how things stand as of now and for at least the next 3½ days:
- Superior Court Judge: Challenger Luis Esparza has overtaken incumbent Tom Adams, leading 50.0% to 49.7%, a margin of just 230 votes.
- Second District Supervisor: Incumbent Laura Capps widened her lead over challenger Elijah Mack, 77.2% to 22.4%.
- Fifth District Supervisor: Ricardo Valencia remains in first place with 37.9%, followed by Maribel Aguilera at 33.3% and Cory Bantilan at 28.4%. The top two will be in a November runoff.
- Auditor-Controller: Challenger Kyle Slattery expanded his lead over incumbent Betsy Schaffer, 52.0% to 47.7%.
- Clerk-Recorder-Assessor: Challenger Melinda Greene strengthened her lead over AWOL incumbent Joe Holland, 60.05% to 39.6%.
- Assembly, 37th District: Incumbent Democrat Gregg Hart led with 62.3%, with Republican Sari Domingues at 37.6%. Both move on to the general election.
- Congress, 24th District: Incumbent Democrat Salud Carbajal and Republican challenger Bob Smith advanced to November, at 55% to 37%, respectively.
- Santa Barbara Measure A: The City of Santa Barbara charter amendment was approved 67.1% to 32.9%.
- Lompoc Measure B: Lompoc’s sales-tax measure was well below the two-thirds majority needed for approval, with 53.7% voting no.
Santa Barbara County’s next voting results update is scheduled for June 8. But not until the afternoon. No need to get up early.
Click here for Noozhawk’s June Voter Guide and click here for our complete Elections section.
Finally, we want your feedback on our coverage of the June 2 election and what you want to see for the next one. Click here to complete a short survey.
3. BizHawk: Solvang Smokehouse Whiskey ‘N Rye Bringing Barbecue Fare to Goleta
The smoking hot Whiskey ‘N Rye barbecue empire is continuing to expand in Santa Barbara County, with the Solvang-based restaurant group announcing plans to open a full-service location in Goleta early next year.
As our Pricila Flores reported, Whiskey ‘N Rye Smokehouse will take over the former Vicenta’s Mexican Restaurant space at 6920 Marketplace Drive in Camino Real Marketplace.
A January opening is the goal.
The new restaurant will join the company’s flagship location at 442 Atterdag Road in Solvang and its recently opened #bestofbillrecommendation ‘Que – West Coast BBQ concept at 38 W. Victoria St. in the Santa Barbara Public Market.
CEO Don Conner said the success of the downtown Santa Barbara expansion helped drive the decision to enter the Goleta market.
Unlike at the Public Market, the Goleta restaurant will feature full-service dining, an expanded menu, a full bar and a dedicated whiskey program designed to showcase the complete Whiskey ‘N Rye experience.
4. Multiple Traffic Collisions Reported Along Highway 101 West of Goleta
A series of May 28 crashes along the Gaviota coast disrupted evening traffic, forced the closure of northbound Highway 101 lanes west of Goleta and temporarily shut down nearby railroad tracks.
As our Evelyn Spence reported, the first incident was called in just before 7 p.m. near El Capitán State Beach, after a pickup truck apparently crossed from the southbound side of the highway into northbound lanes and collided with several vehicles.
The California Highway Patrol said extensive debris prompted the closure of the northbound highway at Winchester Canyon Road.
About 90 minutes later, emergency crews responded to a separate crash near Refugio State Beach, where another pickup truck ended up on the Union Pacific railroad tracks after reportedly losing its left rear wheel.
Santa Barbara County Fire Department spokeswoman Karen Cruz-Orduña said no injuries were reported in either incident.
The CHP is investigating the circumstances of the wrecks, which occurred during and after a fast-moving squall swept through the area.
5. Bill Macfadyen: Enrollment Crisis Hitting Santa Barbara’s Public Schools No Longer Ignorable
I don’t know if a handful of readers was expecting a junior Club sandwich or something, but the menu I was writing from had plenty of real meat to carve up, not manufactured bologna.
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Good Reads
Here are six more stories that are worth your while:
» Santa Barbara Proposes Wildfire Suppression Fee in High-Hazard Areas — Staff writer Rebecca Caraway smokes out the details — and the costs — of what the Santa Barbara Fire Department is calling a new wildfire prevention strategy.
» Public Pushback Prompts Santa Maria Council to Pause Plan for Partial Pool Closure — North County editor Janene Scully is on the deck as the Santa Maria City Council pulls the plug on its own pool closure plans. Also, I approve of the headline alliteration.
» Goleta Gears Up for World Cup — South County editor Evelyn Spence lines up a story about the hottest tickets in town, for locals to watch the Austrian National Soccer Team train at UC Santa Barbara for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. In a far less public setting, Qatar’s national team is training at Westmont College.
» Santa Barbara City Council Praises New Redevelopment Plans for Paseo Nuevo — Rebecca has the latest from her Paseo Nuevo beat.
» Young Cancer Fighters Honored as True Champions at Santa Maria Elks Rodeo — Janene catches up with some Golden Circle of Champions champions who were riding tall in the saddle as part of the 83rd annual Santa Maria Elks Rodeo.
» Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Celebrates Year in Sports at Evening with Athletes — Sports editor Diego Sandoval and KEYT News sports director Mike Klan tag-team the annual celebration of local high school and college athletes and coaches.
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Last Year on Noozhawk
What was our most-read story this time last year? Vigil, Paddle-Out Honors Jake Curtis, Dos Pueblos High School Student Killed in Wreck.
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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.
July 23 — In the second event of a series Noozhawk is hosting with Spotlight Santa Barbara, I’ll be moderating a discussion we’re calling “California’s Problems, Santa Barbara’s Choices.”
Our panelists are Kristen Miller, president and CEO of the Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce; UCLA economics professor Lee Ohanian; Pete Peterson, dean of Pepperdine University’s School of Public Policy; and former Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin.
We’ll be at the Lobero Theatre again so save the date.
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Bill Macfadyen’s Story of the Week
Here’s my elevator pitch for Great Americans: The Man Who Birthed the Skyscraper. Just beware that you may get stuck between floors with a subscription/registration requirement.
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Best of Bill’s Instagram
Noozhawk mutton-buster Lula Chatham didn’t get much traction at the Santa Maria Elks Rodeo but she’s a star in my Instagram feed this past week.
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Watch It
Sure, it’s the catbird seat now but give this puppy a month. HT to Best of Bill reader Ava Hernández.
