Ryan Cruz

1 week ago | independent.com | Nick Welsh |Margaux Lovely |Ryan Cruz |Christina McDermott |Tyler Hayden

Everything, in our new hyper-charged political reality, is now “unprecedented.” The term — once used to denote an occurrence of anomalous singularity — has been left in the dust by the events taking place with each passing new day. Clearly, we need new words. But for the time being, “unprecedented” will have to do until the real thing comes along.

Jan 15, 2025 | independent.com | Ryan Cruz

Santa Barbara City Administrator Addresses Fire Concerns As City Fire Crews Assist in L.A. Fires, Leadership Ensures City Is Prepared for Future Santa Barbara City Firefighters have joined county strike teams to assist in the Palisades Fire.

Jan 13, 2025 | independent.com | Ryan Cruz

Nearly a hundred thousand Los Angeles County residents are still under evacuation orders as of Monday, January 13, and with more than 10,000 homes, schools, or other structures completely destroyed by fires from Pacific Palisades to Altadena to Sylmar, many are seeking refuge just up the coast in Santa Barbara. Personal accounts posted on social media show frantic families packing their cherished belongings into cars and looking for anywhere safe.

Jan 10, 2025 | independent.com | Ryan Cruz

Carpinteria Man Arrested After Allegedly Hitting Elderly Neighbor, Threatening Deputies Sheriff’s Special Enforcement Team Recovers Loaded Weapons, Ballistic Vest in Arrest Sheriff's Deputies recovered a loaded handgun, loaded shotgun, and a ballistic vest during the arrest of 52-year-old Phillip Cummings following an altercation at Sandpiper Mobile Homes in Carpinteria. | Credit: Courtesy Santa Barbara Sheriff's Office An altercation between a Carpinteria man and his neighbors at Sandpiper...

Jan 9, 2025 | independent.com | Ryan Cruz

Santa Barbara Fire Crews Continue to Assist in Los Angeles Wildfires More Than 29,000 Acres Burned, Five People Killed, and Thousands of Structures Destroyed Santa Barbara County Fire engines are currently on scene at the Palisades Fire, the largest of the five active fires in Los Angeles County as of Thursday, January 9, 2025.| Credit: CalFire Fire crews are now working on their third day straight without rest in what has become the most destructive fire in Los Angeles history, with at least...