Central Coast roundup

Por El Latino newsroom
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A Chilean national Alexis Provoste Aranguiz was in court Tuesday facing felony charges for allegedly burglarizing an Oak Park home.

Aranguiz is facing felony conspiracy and first-degree residential burglary charges, as well as a special allegation that the burglary was a violent crime, Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced.

Aranguiz, 43, was the burglar beaten and captured by an Oak Park homeowner who got home during the burglary last Friday night, according to a press release from Nasarenko’s office.

The homeowner, Sal Mercado, told a local TV news station that while a first burglar escaped into a waiting vehicle, he caught the second burglar, Aranguiz, coming down the stairs with his hands filled with jewelry and electronics.

“I just didn’t give him a chance, just hit him, because first of all, I don’t know if he has a gun, a knife, any kind of weapon, right? You just don’t know. Your mind goes crazy,” Mercado said to a local news station.

The District Attorney’s office said Aranguiz is “a suspected member of a South American Theft Group,” which are believed to send burglars on trips to the U.S., often through LAX, to target homeowners, steal from them and then return to their home countries in a trend investigators call “crime tourism.”

“A search of Aranguiz yielded stolen property on his person and in his pockets,” the release said.

Nasarenko’s office also confirmed that the homeowner held down until Ventura County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived to take him into custody, and the confrontation between the homeowner and Aranguiz is why they decided to move forward with the violent crime allegation.

Aranguiz, who pleaded not guilty on Tuesday, is in custody in lieu of $150,000 bail.

The other burglar and the driver of the getaway car remain at large, according to the District Attorney’s office.

“We ask our residents to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity to local law enforcement,” Nasarenko said in the release. 

“My office will continue to work aggressively with our law enforcement partners to charge and prosecute South American Theft Groups and crews that target residential communities,” he said.

NEW CITY ATTORNEY FOR VENTURA

The Ventura City Council has appointed Andy Heglund as its new City Attorney replacing Gregory Diaz, who retired in February 2022.

 “After a highly competitive, open recruitment process, the Ventura City Council is pleased to announce the appointment of Andy Heglund as our new City Attorney,” said Mayor Sofia Rubalcava. 

“With more than 10 years of public service experience, plus nearly 10 years in private sector litigation practice, Andy is extensively qualified to serve as our chief legal advisor and represent the City’s legal interests.”

 In addition to serving as the chief legal advisor for the City Council, Heglund oversees a team of legal professionals and support staff who handle all aspects of municipal law supporting the City’s various City departments. This includes advising the City Council, the City’s Commissions, Boards and Committees, and City staff on a wide variety of legal matters.

 “I am honored to be appointed as the City Attorney and work with the City Council, staff, and our talented team in the Attorney’s Office in serving our community,” said City Attorney Andy Heglund. “I am excited to take on this leadership role and continue working for an organization that’s dedicated to providing a high quality of life in the City of Ventura.”

 Before coming to Ventura, Heglund was a Deputy City Attorney in Bakersfield for eight years, where he worked primarily in land development and public works. He also negotiated and drafted a management agreement for a city-owned venue, developed a policy for attaching cellphone antennas to streetlights, and managed the City’s legal efforts for a nearly billion-dollar freeway expansion program. 

SANTA BARBARA: STREET WORK ON CARRILLO

The Municipality of Santa Barbara informed that on Saturday, April 9, Lash Construction is scheduled to begin road resurfacing work along Carrillo Street from US-101 to Figueroa Street as part of the Safety Improvements Project on West Carrillo Street. 

The officials stated that in order to minimize traffic impacts, the paving work will be performed only on the following weekends: 

April 9 & 10 – Carrillo Street from US-101 to San Andres Street

April 23 & 24 – Carrillo Street from San Andres Street to Figueroa Street While construction is being performed between the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., traffic in both directions (2-way) shall be shifted over and reduced to a one way lane in each direction. 

Traffic control and temporary delays should be expected along this corridor including at the intersections of Carrillo Street and associated cross-streets. 

Access will be maintained for residents and businesses, although temporary disruptions should be anticipated, especially when paving is taking place. 

While the road resurfacing work is being performed only on weekends, construction crews will continue working along Carrillo between San Pascual Street and Miramonte Drive during weekdays. 

“This work is expected to last approximately three weeks, during this period, traffic control and detours, including pedestrian detours, will be in place to ensure safety for all roadway users. We appreciate the public’s cooperation and apologize for any inconvenience,” the City said in a press release. 

The Project is primarily funded by a Highway Safety Improvement Program grant and supplemented with local Measure C funds.  

SB AIRPORT WITH NEW ROUTES

The Santa Barbara Airport (SBA) announced two new nonstop routes starting this summer, when United Airlines will bring back their seasonal service to Chicago-O’Hare (ORD) starting June 3. 

This service will be SBA’s first red-eye flight, departing at 11:45 p.m every night except Saturday. 

Southwest is also adding a new service to Sacramento (SMF) starting June 5, departing daily at 10:00 a.m. 

Both new destinations are now available to book for your summer trips.

Special events at SBA to celebrate the launch of the new services will take place in June and throughout the summer.

In addition, several of the currently available routes will have an increase in capacity this summer, resulting in more options for passengers departing out of SBA.

American Airlines will increase capacity on services to Dallas (DFW) and Phoenix (PHX) and United Airlines will increase capacity on services to LAX and San Francisco (SFO).

The new and increased summer service options are expected to make SBA busier than ever. 

“As an attractive domestic leisure destination, Santa Barbara has enjoyed a strong recovery following significant travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the SBA, monthly passenger counts are expected to exceed pre-pandemic levels throughout the coming months as we anticipate a record year in 2022,» said Brian D’Amour, Interim Airport Director.

The SBA experienced a faster than predicted operational recovery starting mid-2021. 

With over 873,000 commercial passengers served, SBA experienced a year-over-year increase of 129% from 2020, and was just shy of 2019 statistics by approximately 125,000 passengers. 

Airport officials stated the first quarter of 2022 has continued to build from the momentum of last year. 

In just the last three months, SBA has served around 180,000 passengers, which is almost three times the passengers coming through SBA this time compared to last year.

SM TEACHER GETS HONORED

Righetti High School FFA Advisor and Agricultural Teacher Miguel Guerra was recently selected as the South Coast Regional Golden Owl Award winner, making him one of six finalists in the state for Ag Educator of the Year.

The Golden Owl Award sheds light on the selfless contributions agricultural teachers play in the communities they serve and the countless hours they spend preparing future generations for successful careers. 

Guerra was recognized at the State FFA Leadership Conference in Sacramento. He also received a plaque and $500 to help fund future educational efforts.

«It’s been an honor and a privilege to work with our students and staff,’’ Mr. Guerra said. 

Mr. Guerra has been an educator for 34 years, presently, he serves as the Agriculture Department Chair and teaches Ornamental Horticulture, Advanced Welding and Agricultural Mechanics.

The South Coast Region stretches from Los Angeles along the coast up to San Francisco.

RHS has six Agricultural CTE Pathways, they include the Ag Business, Ag Mechanics, Agriscience, Animal Science, Ornamental Horticulture and Viticulture. 

Also, there are seven Agricultural Pathways throughout the SMJUHSD.