Dave Minsky

1 week ago | santamariatimes.com | Dave Minsky

The California Attorney General’s Office on Monday urged a state appellate court to reject a bid to overturn a jury verdict finding Paul Flores guilty of murdering Cal Poly student Kristin Smart, saying all claims he makes in his appeal are “meritless.”In his brief filed in the California Second Appellate District, Deputy Attorney General Michael C. Keller said that Flores received a fair trial and urged the court to uphold his first-degree murder conviction following a jury trial in 2022.

3 weeks ago | santamariatimes.com | Dave Minsky

A federal judge on Monday sentenced a Chinese citizen to one year of probation and time served for a misdemeanor charge related to flying a drone over Vandenberg Space Force Base in November. U.S. District Judge John F. Walter sentenced Yinpiao Zhou during a hearing in Los Angeles federal court, after Zhou pleaded guilty earlier this month to one count of violating national defense airspace in a deal with prosecutors.

4 weeks ago | santamariatimes.com | Dave Minsky

A California state appellate court sided with four-by-four enthusiasts Monday in a ruling against the Coastal Commission’s ban on off-roading at Oceano Dunes, saying the agency exceeded its authority by unilaterally amending a permit that authorized such activity decades ago. Writing the three-judge panel opinion issued by California’s Second Appellate District, Judge Hernaldo J.

1 month ago | santamariatimes.com | Dave Minsky

A Santa Ynez Valley residents group sued the city of Solvang this month in a bid to stop a proposed development with affordable housing, alleging in a Santa Barbara County Superior Court lawsuit that planning staff moved forward on the project’s incomplete application in violation of state law. The Santa Ynez Valley Residents Association filed its four-count lawsuit March 7 in the Santa Maria Superior Court, alleging that developers Joshua J.

1 month ago | santamariatimes.com | Dave Minsky

Jury selection has wrapped up in a trial for a Lompoc man accused of fatally shooting his wife and her nephew in a 2023 domestic incident, with opening statements scheduled to begin on Monday, according to Santa Barbara County officials.