SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) - A formal procession of police vehicles including a helicopter moved along Broadway in Santa Maria this morning, and a following ceremony honored twelve fallen officers.

The event takes place every year, and is a statewide tradition to honor those who have died in the line of duty.

Officials say this yearly event may be somber but it’s a vital tradition, and that it’s an honor to participate in acknowledging those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

This year, a total of twelve officers from across the state of California were honored by the procession and ceremony. 

A gun salute, multi-agency flag raising, bagpipes, a trumpeter playing Taps, a riderless horse march, and the release of a flock of doves complemented a line-up of speakers.

City leaders joined members of multiple law enforcement and response agencies including Santa Maria CHP and Fire Department, as well as Lompoc Police.

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By Bryan Mena, CNN

Washington (CNN) — Kevin Warsh was narrowly confirmed Wednesday by the Senate to serve as the 17th chair of the Federal Reserve, inheriting a central bank that has long been under political siege from President Donald Trump and an economy rattled by geopolitical tensions that are driving inflation higher.

Warsh will formally succeed Fed Chair Jerome Powell, whose eight-year tenure was marked by several economic crises and a heated clash with the White House to defend the US central bank’s political independence.

Warsh was confirmed in a 54-45 vote, mostly split along party lines, with only Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania crossing the aisle to vote in favor of Warsh’s nomination. It was the most partisan vote for a Fed chair nominee in history, underscoring the unease among Democrats with Trump’s fight against the Fed, though Republicans broadly welcome Warsh’s leadership.

Warsh is widely viewed as more aligned with President Donald Trump, who has long demanded rate cuts, but he is set to take office as inflation pressures intensify due to the US-Israeli war with Iran. Inflation jumped to a three-year high in April, according to the latest Consumer Price Index, and now outpaces wage growth.

The energy shock is complicating hopes for a swift rate cut, with investors now expecting the Fed to keep its benchmark lending rate unchanged for the rest of the year — or even raise rates if inflation worsens. That prospect is likely to frustrate Trump, who may direct his ire at Warsh in the same way he has done with Powell. The president even joked earlier this year that he’d sue Warsh if he doesn’t cut rates.

Regardless, the Fed chair is just one vote on the Federal Open Market Committee that considers rate moves. While Warsh would control the agenda at every Fed meeting, he would not have unilateral authority over what the majority of the committee decides. And so far, there’s a faction of policymakers with voting power who have telegraphed serious concerns with inflation.

What to expect from Warsh

The Warsh era at the Fed is expected to usher in several changes within the institution.

The incoming Fed chief has proposed or hinted at reducing the size of the Fed’s $6.7 trillion balance sheet; coordinating more closely with the Treasury Department on the balance sheet; cutting back on the number of policy meetings each year from eight to as little as four; hosting fewer news conferences; shrinking the size of the Fed’s Washington-based workforce; and not providing frequent hints on the path of interest rates. According to JPMorgan analysts, all those changes would be within the remit of Warsh’s power as chair.

The most challenging policy change for Warsh could be on the balance sheet. For years, Warsh has stated repeatedly that the Fed must reduce its footprint in financial markets by shrinking the balance sheet to allow central bankers to primarily rely on their traditional tool — their key interest rate — to fight high inflation and high unemployment.

After the Great Financial Crisis and again during the pandemic, the Fed bought millions of dollars of assets like Treasury bonds to support the economy, a policy known as quantitative easing.

Warsh believes that such policies undermine the Fed’s independence, since they essentially amount to backstopping the government. He argues that the central bank should speed up rolling off its trillions in holdings, which includes mortgage-backed securitie

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) - A community meeting is scheduled in Santa Maria on Wednesday evening to discuss the potential name change of Cesar Chavez Drive.

Santa Maria is considering the move following recent allegations of sexual abuse that have been made against the famed labor and civil rights activist.

The meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. at Grogan Park and will offer the community an opportunity to offer input on the potential change.

The City said that community feedback will help inform its decision-making process as staff evaluates options and next steps.

Cesar Chavez Drive is in the northwest portion of Santa Maria near Tommie Kunst Junior High School and was named in 2002 when the housing development where it is located opened.

Santa Maria has notified residents and property owners located on Cesar Chavez Drive with mailed letters to provide information regarding the proposed changes.

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By Steve Contorno, CNN

(CNN) — A handful of South Florida residents filed a lawsuit Wednesday seeking to block the state from handing over a prime piece of Miami’s waterfront to the foundation tasked with building a legacy library for President Donald Trump.

The lawsuit accuses Trump, the foundation, top Florida officials and Miami Dade College of violating the Domestic Emoluments Clause in the US Constitution, which prohibits states from giving a financial benefit to a sitting president.

Gov. Ron DeSantis and other state officials moved last September to donate 2.63 acres of state-owned land in downtown Miami to the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit formed last year in Florida by Trump’s son Eric Trump; his son-in-law Michael Boulos; and James Kiley, a lawyer who has represented the Trump Organization. The land, valued by the local property appraiser at about $63 million, previously belonged to Miami Dade College until the board voted last year to turn it over to the state.

Eric Trump has since announced plans for the site that include a massive tower emblazoned with the Trump name and a lobby that features a 747 Air Force One. President Trump himself has suggested the library would feature a hotel or offices and more closely mirror his other real estate endeavors than the museums built by his predecessors.

“I don’t believe in building libraries or museums,” Trump told reporters last year. He also said the land sits on the “best block in Miami.”

In their lawsuit, the plaintiffs said these statements “make clear that President Trump intends to monetize this skyscraper, generating significant profit for himself and his family.” The lawsuit also claims that the land is likely worth hundreds of millions of dollars given other recent property sales nearby and could double Miami Dade College’s endowment if sold on the open market.

“These funds could have been used to advance the college’s research needs, offer more bachelor’s degree programs, secure more world-class facilities and faculty, or reduce student expenses,” it said.

The lawsuit was filed jointly Wednesday in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida by the Constitutional Accountability Center, a liberal Washington DC think tank, and the Florida law firm Gelber Schachter & Greenberg.

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit include a Miami Dade College student; a nonprofit owned by local activist Marvin Dunn that hoped to operate on the land; and two Miami residents who say the proposed Trump skyscraper would block their sightlines.

CNN has requested comment from the White House, the library foundation, Miami Dade College and the state of Florida.

Efforts by Florida officials to quickly find a home in the Sunshine State for Trump’s post-presidency project started soon after he returned to the White House.

A bill passed by the Republican-controlled state legislature and signed into law by DeSantis last year barred local governments from regulating presidential libraries in anticipation that Trump would move to build one in his adopted home state.

Later that fall, the Miami Dade College board conducted a meeting to discuss “potential real estate transactions.” No other details about the transaction were included in the public notice and the agenda stated only that the board would discuss conveying property to the state. A presidential library was not mentioned.

Shortly after the vote, DeSantis announced that the Cabinet would vote a week later to give the land from Miami Dade College to the Trump foundation. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier also posted a pre-recorded and edited vid

SANTA BARBARA, CALIF. (KEYT) - The recently released drawings of State Street that could be the guideline for the new master plan for downtown Santa Barbara is just one check on the long road to redesign.

It is said to be the centerpiece for the downtown economy and it has been struggling for several years.

To some analysts, it started a few years before the pandemic, due to some shifts in the buying habits of shoppers online.

Now there is a move for some investors and business owners to go forward even without a city plan. They see an opportunity and believe it will work.

The list is a cross section of retail, restaurants and the arts.

The Music Academy of the West has plans to begin remodeling its new site at 901 State St. later this year and begin to make a performance and teaching center out of the former retail and banking location.

Across the street, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival McHurley Film Center has opened with five screens and is about to reveal its new marquee.

Next door, the Game Seeker, which opened last year in a new site, has used its interior for more games and also tables for customers to try some out.

Sandbar closed last year and has remodeled the interior. It will be open in June and plans to capture local residents and hungry tourists where it is located in the gateway section to downtown.

At the Amazon building on Carrillo and State, the food plan near the front door will now include Silvergreens, Handlebar Coffee and Renaud's Patisserie & Bistro.

The closed Chase Restaurant, recovering from a fire has now reopened with inside and outside seating at the classic location in the 1000 block.

Pascuchi is still open with its Italian food while it is rebranding in the next couple of months and redecorates in the 1200 block.

The Blue Owl on Canon Perdido St. says even though it had to remove its outside parklet due to new city rules, it is getting a new one designed and approved by the review agencies to go in as soon as possible. That will add about 25 more seats to the small restaurant which also has entertainment at night.

The former Starbucks on the corner of State and Victoria has had a for lease sign up, and now it is down, but the new tenant has not been announced.

The Antique Alley is showing a for sale sign on its building at State and Ortega St.

Across the street, Noozhawk reports the closed Macy's department store building is now being considered by Yardi Systems of Goleta as a new location. It is part of a moving planning process for the city to work with the owners on filling that vacant space and also the Nordstroms empty building on the Canon Perdido St. at Carrillo side of the Paseo Nuevo Mall, which may become housing units.

(More details, photos and video will be added here later today.)

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