Remote Surveillance Trailer in Santa Barbara, CA

SALEM, Ore. (Oct. 4, 2025) – Just two weeks after hosting their home meet, the UC Santa Barbara Men's and Women's Cross Country teams are heading north to Oregon to compete in the Charles Bowles Invitational, hosted by Willamette University. This meet provides the Gauchos with the unique opportunity to compete against squads extending beyond the Big West, allowing UCSB to showcase their talent and depth on a broader stage in the Pacific Northwest.

DETAILS Race 1: Men's 8k at 9:30 am Race 2: Women's 5k at 10:20 am Location: McCulloch Stadium and Bush Park Forecast: Partly cloudy with an average temperature of 67*, wind ranging from 5 to 10 mph How to watch: follow along with finished results

LAST MEET The UC Santa Barbara Cross Country squads were last seen in action in Lompoc, where they hosted the Gaucho Twilight, welcoming five visiting teams – including Big West rival Cal Poly.

Senior Zachary Parker once again led the men's squad in a standout performance, finishing third overall with a time of 18:41.5 on the 8k course. With four Guachos placing in the top 10, the men's squad was able to secure a second place team finish.

On the women's side, freshman Addie Oversmith continued to impress, finishing fourth overall in the 5k with a time of 21:30.1. She was closely followed by teammates Danielle Hollander and Axelle Allanic, both finishing in the top 10 to help the team earn a second place finish.

COMING UP After the journey back to the West Coast, the Gauchos will have just two weeks to prepare for the Bronco Invitational, hosted by Santa Clara University on Oct. 18. The men are set to compete on the 8k course at Baylands Regional Park, at 8:45 am. The women will shortly follow at 9:30 am, on the 6k course.

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(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) – Registered voters throughout Santa Barbara County are now receiving their official Voter Information Guides in the mail, with delivery expected by the end of September. Each voter will receive two guides: one issued by the State of California and one from the County of Santa Barbara.

The State Voter Information Guide includes impartial analyses of statewide ballot measures, potential costs to taxpayers prepared by the Legislative Analyst’s Office, arguments for and against each measure, and the full text and summaries prepared by the Attorney General or Legislature.

The County Voter Information Guide provides a sample of the voter’s ballot, instructions for completing it, and information on polling place locations and hours.

Santa Barbara County Registrar of Voters Joe Holland reminds voters that the arrival of these guides is also a timely opportunity to ensure their voter registration is current.

“Voting should be simple, but with all the conflicting information out there, it can sometimes be confusing. Registering to vote or verifying that your voter registration is valid helps ensure a smooth voting experience,” Holland said.

California’s Statewide Special Election is Tuesday, November 4, 2025. To be eligible to vote, a person must be a U.S. citizen and at least 18 years of age on election day.

Voters can verify their registration status, including residence and mailing addresses, at:

To register or update voter registration, eligible citizens can visit . Applications are also available at most post offices and can be returned postage free, to the Santa Barbara County Elections Office.

Santa Barbara County Elections can be reached at sbcvote.com or by calling 800-722-8683.

The Gauchos kept up without their key outside hitter, Eva Travis, with Gabi Martinez starting and Sophie Reavis stepping up. Santa Barbara walk away from the weekend now second in the Big West after downing Cal State Bakersfield and CSUN.

FROM HEAD COACH MATT JONES "That was huge for us," Jones said. "Northridge is going to be a good team in the conference this year. They're super improved from last year. They're playing really good volleyball. And, yeah, obviously, we had Eva out sick tonight, but we also just had some just sick bodies across the team. So, I was just trying to battle through that, and we did a nice job once we kind of started to get the rhythm going. Just proud of everyone who came in tonight and stepped up. That was an important win for us to take care of at home and we'll get back to work next week."

HOW IT HAPPENED CSUN, freshly off a Friday night loss to Big West No. 1 Cal Poly, directed their retribution efforts towards the Gauchos. Santa Barbara was unable to garner any lead in the first and CSUN took it 25-22.

The Matadors had custody of the second set until the Gauchos got their first lead of the match at 20-19 thanks to a hammer from Emma McDermott.

It was tight at 21-21, but Santa Barbara made it to 25 hit by hit. The Gauchos closed out the second 25-22, led by McDermott and her eight kills.

Set three was intense, with events riding especially high during the latter half of the set. After CSUN led at 17-15, there were ties at every point from 18 to 24. The Gauchos made it to 25-24, but a challenge by CSUN switched the score. A well placed tip by Layanna Green got the Gauchos a point for 25-25. Reavis then added a nudge of her own to bring it to 26-25. The Gauchos saw 27-25 after a hitting error by CSUN.

Martinez slammed the first point of set four, then a battle ensued. It was back and forth up until 11-11. The Gauchos kept a marginal lead to 20-18, then jumped ahead to a win of 25-21.

STAT RECAP - Martinez led the Gaucho effort with her phenomenal, career-high kill count of 19 - Milan Rex racked up 27 assists alongside 12 digs - Cortni Youngblood scooped 17 digs and had nine assists - Reavis had her season-high nine kills

NEXT UP The Gauchos will head south to Long Beach State on Oct. 3 and UC San Diego on Oct. 4 before returning home to play Cal Poly on Oct. 7.

On May 7, 2020, the White House issued an Executive Order on Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth (E.O. 13921), which directed the Secretary of Commerce to identify geographic areas containing locations suitable for commercial aquaculture, called Aquaculture Opportunity Areas (AOAs). An AOA is a defined geographic area that has been evaluated to determine its potential suitability for commercial aquaculture. The goal of identifying AOAs is to promote American seafood competitiveness, food security, economic growth, and support facilitation of the development of domestic commercial aquaculture, consistent with sustaining and conserving marine resources and applicable laws, regulations and policies. On September 19, 2025, NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region identified 10 Aquaculture Opportunity AOAs in Federal waters of Southern California.

For more information on AOAs, please visit the Office of Aquaculture’s National AOA page or the National AOA Fact Sheet.

Download the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the Identification of Aquaculture Opportunity Areas off of Southern California

West Coast Region Aquaculture Opportunity Area Planning Overview

Following the E.O. 13921, Southern California was selected as one of the first two regions to identify one or more AOAs. The identification of AOAs in Southern California does not create any new regulatory framework or change any existing statutory authority related to offshore marine aquaculture. No aquaculture operations are authorized or permitted through the AOA identification process, and any future aquaculture operation proposed inside or outside of an AOA would still need to comply with all applicable laws.

NOAA used a combination of scientific analysis and public engagement to identify AOAs that may be environmentally, socially, and economically appropriate for commercial aquaculture. The National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) initiated a marine spatial planning process to assist agency decision-makers in identifying areas that may be suitable for locating AOAs, as mandated by E.O. 13921. This process was based on spatial suitability modeling that included data layers relevant to administrative boundaries, national security (i.e., military), navigation and transportation, energy and industry infrastructure, commercial and recreational fishing, natural and cultural resources, and oceanography (i.e., non-living resources). Published in 2021, the resulting Atlas includes peer-reviewed technical information that was used to assist agency decision makers in identifying areas that may be suitable for AOAs in Federal waters of the Southern California Bight. The Atlas identified options that have the highest potential to support three to five marine aquaculture operations and aims to minimize the amount of conflict with other ocean uses.

National Environmental Policy Act Process

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is a U.S. law that requires federal agencies to identify and analyze the potential environmental effects of a proposed action before deciding whether to proceed with that action.

Pursuant to E.O. 13921, NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region developed a programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS), in accordance with NEPA, that analyzes the potential impacts to the human environment that could result from identifying AOAs in Federal waters of Southern California and evaluates the impacts of siting aquaculture in those locations. The intent of this PEIS is to support long-term planning for offshore aquaculture. This PEIS considers a long-term planning effort that is not a regulatory or permitting action and does not propose to authorize or permit any specific aquaculture-related activities or propose to approve any individual aquaculture projects.

The NEPA process was initiated in 2022 by the Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare a programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS). The NOI initiated a 60-day public comment period. For an overview of the public input received during this period, view our Public Scoping Report.

During the public scoping process for the NOI, NOAA asked for stakeholder input on the proposed action and preliminary alternatives, along with other topics related to offshore marine aquaculture and resources in Southern California—including, but not limited to, the risks, benefits, capacity, species and gear types, as well as long-term visions for offshore aquaculture development in the region. Comments received during the NOI public comment period played a key role in helping WCR determine the scope, scale, and capacity of the alternatives and analysis within the Draft PEIS. NOAA Fisheries consulted and coordinated with multiple Federal agencies and the Pacific Fishery Management Council, and coordinated with State government and tribal governments throughout development of the EIS. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and U.S. Coast Guard were cooperating agencies on the PEIS.

In 2024 NOAA Fisheries published the . The DPEIS considered Federal marine waters within the Santa Barbara Channel (SBC) and Santa Monica Bay (SMB). Ten areas are considered and analyzed: eight within the SBC and two in SMB. Three action alternatives were analyzed in the DPEIS, including sub-alternatives based on the types of aquaculture that may occur in an AOA, if identified. Following a 90-day public comment period on the Draft PEIS, the Final PEIS (FPEIS) was developed and published in 2025. The FPEIS includes responses to comments received on the DPEIS.

NOAA Fisheries signed a decision document on September 10, 2025, documenting its decision to select Alternative 4b, all types of aquaculture in both the Santa Barbara Channel and Santa Monica Bay. The AOAs identified through this action do not represent the only potential suitable sites for aquaculture in Federal Waters off of southern California. The Final PEIS provides information for permitting agencies and applicants, and informs future environmental review.

For more information on AOAs, please contact the California Regional Aquaculture Coordinator:

Celia Barroso Celia.Barroso@noaa.gov (562) 432-1850