By Redacción
Redaccion@latinocc.com
A large barge anchored just east of Stearns Wharf this week marks the start of a major effort to protect one of Santa Barbara’s key water infrastructure systems.
The local officials announced this week that beginning Monday, October 20, crews aboard the Ocean Provider, a 270-foot barge, will begin reinforcing two offshore intake pump platforms that serve the Charles E. Meyer Desalination Plant. The project, called the Offshore Desal Pump Platform Stabilization Project, aims to secure and strengthen the structures against damage from powerful currents, storms and rising sea levels. Joshua Haggmark, the City’s Water Resources Director stated the work is vital to maintaining the stability of the platforms, which are located about half a mile offshore in roughly 35 feet of water.
“One of the pump platforms has become partially suspended about 18 inches above the seafloor, a result of years of strong ocean currents. To prevent further movement or potential collapse, crews will place layers of protective rock around the base of each structure,” said Haggmark.
Construction is scheduled to run daily from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., 7 days a week, through late November. Haggmark also stated that Ocean Provider will house all workers, equipment and materials needed to complete the job.
“This project helps ensure that the Desal Plant’s infrastructure can withstand threats from natural disasters such as major storms and sea level rise. Santa Barbara has one of the most diverse water supply portfolios in the state, and we continue to invest in projects that guarantee reliable service for the long term,” said Haggmark, Originally built in 1991 and upgraded in 2016 when the Desal Plant was reactivated, the offshore platforms draw seawater that is later treated for city use.
The stabilization work is designed to extend their lifespan and protect the city’s ongoing investment in desalination as part of a broader effort to diversify Santa Barbara’s water sources. The project underscores the city’s strategy to prepare its water infrastructure for future environmental challenges and ensure that desalination remains a dependable component of its supply system. For more information, visit www.SantaBarbaraCA.gov/DesalPumpPlatform.
RESCUER HONORED FOR FOUR DECADES OF SERVICE
After more than four decades of saving lives and mentoring generations of rescuers, Nelson Trichler has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Santa Barbara Search and Rescue Foundation.
The honor was presented during the foundation’s annual fundraising barbecue on October 11, at the Santa Barbara Carriage and Western Museum.
“Nelson Trichler is a gifted servant leader — someone who has a strong desire to serve others and to put their needs above his own,” said Sheriff Bill Brown, who presented the award.
Trichler, who has volunteered with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team for 44 years, joined what was then the Los Padres Search and Rescue Team in 1981. That group later merged with the Lompoc Search and Rescue Team to form the countywide unit that today operates under the Sheriff’s Office.
Since joining, Trichler has taken part in more than 3,000 missions across Santa Barbara County and throughout California, responding to lost hikers, injured climbers, flood victims, and wildfire evacuations. Beyond field operations, he has helped modernize the team’s equipment and vehicles, improve communications and dispatch systems, and design the county’s evacuation zone map now used in major disasters. “He fosters a culture of trust and empowerment, and his success is measured by the team’s long record of accomplishments,” said Brown.
Trichler has also mentored hundreds of volunteers, strengthening partnerships with local, state, and federal agencies. His leadership was key in building the Search and Rescue program at Channel Islands National Park, and he continues to guide team operations as president of the SBCSRT. In a statement, the Sheriff’s Office praised Trichler for his “outstanding service to the residents of Santa Barbara County” and his enduring commitment to public safety.
L.A. MAN ARRESTED IN STRING OF LOTTERY TICKET BURGLARIES ACROSS VENTURA COUNTY
A Los Angeles man accused of leading a yearlong burglary spree targeting small businesses for California Lottery tickets has been arrested and faces multiple felony charges, authorities said Wednesday. According to the Camarillo Police Department, 45-year-old Raul Jr. Najera was identified as the prime suspect in at least five burglaries that struck businesses in Camarillo and Thousand Oaks between July 2024 and July 2025.
Investigators say the break-ins caused extensive property damage and netted nearly $10,000 in stolen lottery scratchers, which were later redeemed in South Los Angeles within hours of the thefts. The investigation, led by the Camarillo Police Investigations Bureau, was conducted in partnership with the Los Angeles Police and the California State Lottery Investigations Division. Detectives said Najera used a rotating group of accomplices and multiple getaway vehicles to target “mom-and-pop” shops during overnight hours. Najera was previously linked to similar lottery ticket burglaries in Camarillo in 2020, according to police.
On Aug. 12, 2025, LAPD investigators arrested Najera in Los Angeles after catching him in the act of another lottery-related burglary with several co-conspirators, authorities said. The Ventura County District Attorney reviewed the case and on Oct. 9, issued an arrest warrant charging Najera with five counts of felony burglary. Najera remains in custody at the Los Angeles County Jail, and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office is coordinating with Los Angeles authorities to transfer him to Ventura County to face prosecution. Police say the investigation remains active as detectives work to identify additional suspects connected to the burglary ring.
MICHOACÁN WOMAN IDENTIFIED AS 1981 HOMICIDE VICTIM
More than four decades after a young woman was found shot to death in a Fillmore citrus orchard, investigators have finally identified her as Maria Belmontes Blancas, a 24-year-old who came to California from Michoacán, Mexico, authorities announced last week.
The VCSO Cold Case Unit confirmed Belmontes Blancas’ identity earlier this year after reopening the case using advanced DNA technology and forensic genealogy. Her remains were originally discovered on Jan. 27, 1981, near the 3000 block of Guiberson Road, just outside Piru. At the time, investigators described the victim, who was listed for decades as “Jane Doe”, as a Hispanic woman in her early 20s, about 195 pounds, with brown hair and eyes. She was found wearing a plaid shirt, turquoise tank top, skirt, and flip-flop-style slippers.
Despite extensive efforts, her identity and the circumstances of her killing remained unknown. In 2023, detectives revisited the case, using new DNA analysis that pointed to family origins in Michoacán. Working with Redgrave Research Forensic Services, investigators were able to trace potential relatives in both the U.S. and Mexico.
That collaboration ultimately led to a positive identification of Belmontes Blancas during the summer of 2025. Her family, who had been searching for her since she vanished more than 40 years ago, has now received long-awaited confirmation and closure.
“This is a huge breakthrough in one of our county’s oldest unsolved homicides. But the case is far from over, we still need the public’s help to identify the person responsible for Maria’s murder,” the VCSO said in a statement. Detectives continue to seek information about Belmontes’s life in California and the events leading up to her death.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Ventura County Sheriff’s Cold Case Unit at 805-383-8739. “Together, we can bring justice for Maria Belmontes Blancas,” the SBCSO said.
