Public opposition is building to the re-opening of the offshore oil pipeline that ruptured and caused the 2015 Refugio spill and Nick Welsh on this week’s edition reports on the big town hall, which included representatives of eight agencies of state government, while Josh Molina and Callie Fausey reprise a second, epic public meeting, as the Santa Barbara Unified School District board and administration heard hours of opposition to planned layoff notices for teachers. Plus casualties of Trump’s vigilante government, a big pay day for the city’s fired librarian and the latest on anti-renoviction legislation.

Episode 484; Journalists Panel; March 14, 2025

Political and legal fallout over the Sable oil pipeline circulated and spread this week, and Margaux Lovely and Nick Welsh return to Newsmakers TV with all the latest, as Josh Molina and Ryan P. Cruz reprise their City Hall reporting on housing, hotels and parking. Plus: county budget makers look to the Trump Administration with dread.

Episode 489 Journalists Panel; April 18, 2025

Episode 492; Journalists Panel; May 9, 2025

It’s a Three Amigos edition of Newsmakers TV,  as Nick Welsh and Josh Molina join the genial host for a jaunt through the biggest local news stories in Santa Barbara, including the blockbuster vote by the Board of Supervisors to forestall future development of oil and gas in the county, the downtown brouhaha over the city’s new homeless resource center and all the latest on fabric samples and paint colors State Street restaurants are allowed to use for outdoor dining. Plus: a full and frank discussion of hemp beverages.

Episode 494; Journalists Panel; May 16,2025

On this week’s episode, Nick Welsh untangles the latest legal and political developments in the long-running saga of the Sable Offshore oil pipeline re-start, Josh Molina discusses why that eight-story blockbuster development aimed at the Mission won’t go away, and Ryan P. Cruz reprises the heart-breaking public service for three Dos Pueblos High School students killed in a tragic crash. Plus: a new shopping and dining hot spot in Carp, a look back 100 years at the earthquake that re-shaped the city and all the latest from the pizza and donut beat.

Episode 496: Journalists Panel; May 30, 2025

Digital news producer Lily Dallow returns to Newsmakers TV for an inside look at how she threw a spotlight on the brutal actions of federal immigration agents in the beating of an Orange County gardener, as she rejoins Nick Welsh, Josh Molina, Ryan P. Cruz and the genial host for a panel discussion of the perils of reporting in the Age of Trump. Plus: all the latest on two of SB’s more controversial housing developments, a slashing Grand Jury report on the county jail and some early prognostication on the issues in the mayor’s race.


Episode 503; Journalists Panel; June 26, 2025

The Independent’s Christina McDermott and Nick Welsh join the genial host for a deep dive into the two hottest stories on the sizzling housing beat – what the future portends for several hundred elderly tenants in two downtown properties long-operated by the Battistone family, and the outrageous proposal to despoil Santa Barbara’s most iconic location with an eight-story apartment tower next to the Mission. Plus: how the Medicaid cuts in Trump’s tax bill are likely to hammer local health care services.

Episode 506; Journalists Panel; July 10, 2025

On the eve of Fiesta, tensions in the community are high over ongoing indiscriminate arrests and harassment of people by brown skin by federal immigration thugs agents, and on this week’s edition of Newsmakers TV, Ryan P. Cruz, Nick Welsh and Josh Molina join the genial host to discuss how Trump’s brutal deportation regime may impact Santa Barbara’s biggest annual civic celebration. Plus: an end to the landlord-tenant battle at 215 Bath Street, another twist in the twisted saga of the Sable offshore oil pipeline, and new transit developments on Cliff Drive and on the 101.

Episode 509; Journalists Panel; July 25, 2025

The Independent’s prize-winning columnist and editor Nick Welsh joins the genial host for a one-on-one conversation that takes a deep and detailed dive into the tangled legal, political and policy affairs involving the Sable oil company’s effort to restart offshore oil production and pumping through Santa Barbara County. Plus: updating the myriad of immigration-related matters surrounding Trump’s loutish deportation crusade on the Central Coast.

Episode 510; One on One with Nick Welsh; August 1, 2025

Callie Fausey, Christiana McDermott, Josh Molina and Nick Welsh join the genial host for a fast-paced recap of all of Santa Barbara’s top local news stories, from the financial impacts of Trump Administration cuts being felt by public schools, Planned Parenthood and public broadcasting, to post-mortems of this year’s Fiesta, which could yield a re-imagining of Old Spanish Days, to the latest on the housing front, from vacation rental conflicts to a new vision for Paeo Nuevo. Plus: $55/hour to afford to live in Santa Barbara?

Episode 511; Journalists Panel; August 8, 2025

Veteran journalist Jerry Roberts interviews Santa Barbara media figures and  public officials about local issues and politics.

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