By El Latino newsroom
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In the early morning hours of last Tuesday, Thousand Oaks patrol deputies arrested two suspects who had committed a catalytic converter theft.
That day around 1:30 a.m., deputies responded to the 1600 block of Rancho Conejo Boulevard reference an anonymous caller, reporting he heard the grinding of a power tool and saw a white truck with two occupants stealing a catalytic converter.
Deputies located the suspect vehicle and conducted a high-risk traffic stop.
Both occupants of the truck were taken into custody without incident. Deputies searched the vehicle and located several license plates, power saws, multiple reciprocating saw blades, a car jack, bolt cutters and two recently cut Toyota catalytic converters, along with a loaded gun magazine.
The driver was identified as Martin Garcia and the passenger was identified as Alberto Herrera Coronado.
Garcia was on Post Release Community Supervision for a prior grand theft out of Los Angeles County.
Both suspects were found to have narcotics and a large amount of cash on their person, which was confiscated for evidence.
Thousand Oaks Police Investigators were on scene and are actively investigating the catalytic converter gang.
Based on the initial investigation, it is believed this crew has been to Thousand Oaks in the past and could be responsible for several other catalytic converter thefts in the city.
NEW SIRENS FOR PATROL CARS
Over the last several months, the Santa Barbara Police Department (SBPD), has installed a new siren on their police vehicles.
This tone is a unique sounding siren used to alert Santa Barbara community members of a need to evacuate a specific area and sounds similar to police sirens that are used in Europe.
The siren sound is known as the “Hi-Lo” tone due to the alternating quick transition “high” pitch to “low” pitch.
The SBPD said this particular siren tone is only used in an emergency where someone might need to evacuate, and the tone will not be used when officers respond to urgent police incidents or conduct traffic stops.
“This siren tone will notify the community of the need to evacuate because of possible danger. This notification system could be used during a vegetation/wildland fire, any natural disaster, hazardous materials spill incident, or any other emergency that might require individuals to evacuate a particular area”, the SBPD said.
With new legislation passed, this siren tone has started to be implemented and installed on police vehicle throughout the state, to notify neighborhoods of evacuation during an emergency or natural disaster.
The SBPD has installed this siren on many of its marked police vehicles, and has also implemented a policy on how and when officers should use them.
“It is highly recommended if someone hear this new siren tone, tune into a trusted media source to obtain information to confirm if you and/or your family need to evacuate or are affected by an emergency”, said the SBPD.
This siren tone is not replacing any previous evacuation notification methods such as reverse 9-1-1, Everbridge text notifications, and personal door-to-door notifications.
This tone is another new tool we are adding to help notify a neighborhood as soon as possible of potential danger.
NEW CONSTRUCTION IN SM SCHOOLS
Summer does not mean school is out for everybody at the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District (SMJUHSD).
Staff has been busy designing, improving, and constructing new facilities for more than 9,200 students and the Santa Maria Valley, according to Facilities Planner Mary T. Gallas.
“It’s a privilege to prepare the schools for the upcoming year so that our students have the best possible high school experience,’’ said Director of Maintenance, Operations and Transportation Reese Thompson.
Within the campus of the district’s oldest school, Santa Maria High School, construction on the 50 classroom/administration building is about 72 percent, according to Director of Support Services Gary Wuitschick.
Painting, stucco, concrete, and other work is also underway.
The new building will help ease the congestion on Camino Colegio near the front entrance, and will also create permanent classrooms and eliminate nearly all portable classrooms.
The three-story 88,774 square-foot structure will face Morrison Avenue and feature visitor parking and a bell tower.
The structure’s architectural design will complement the older buildings and it’s paid for through Measure H, passed by voters in 2016 at a $59 million price tag, and is expected to be completed in spring of 2022.
A total of six new portable classrooms have also been placed at the Saint campus to accommodate the growth at the site, which are located on the southside of the institution.
The Righetti High School Modernization, which started on July 2021 and has five phases, is moving forward and is about 59 percent complete.
Work is expected to be finished by June of 2023, where just days ago, crews finished the southside 200s and 300s, or Phase 3.
That included the library, band, choir rooms and regular classrooms.
The 21st century upgrades feature moveable whiteboard walls, mounted big screen monitors with the capacity to display from the teacher’s tablet, desks and chairs on wheels that separate easily into different arrangements and other learning aids.
The Phase 4 will focus on the eastside or 100s buildings (industrial arts etc.), the cost is about $15 million and paid for through Measure H, which was passed by voters in 2016.
Work is also winding up on a new maintenance shop near the senior parking lot on the southwest part of the Warrior campus.
The shop replaces an old facility that was demolished to make room for the recently completed three-story classroom building.
On the Pioneer Valley High School campus, tennis courts were resurfaced, two portable roofs were replaced, a dozen classrooms received new carpeting and new weight room equipment and flooring was installed.
Meanwhile, at the Mark Richardson CTE Center and Agricultural Farm, additional computer tables and wiring were installed to accommodate increased enrollment in the metal forming and machining shop, the residential commercial shop and the diesel mechanic’s shop.
At Delta High School, a teacher work room was converted to office spaces as additional student support services have been added. In addition, the Lincoln Center, which is across the street from SMHS, had its parking lot resurfaced.
