A large crowd gathered at the Santa Barbara Courthouse on Wednesday night to speak out following a chaotic incident involving an ICE agent who was seen on video pepper-spraying community members in the Eastside neighborhood earlier on the morning of January 28.⁠ ⁠ The rally and march was organized by community defense groups 805 UndocuFund, Carp Sin Fronteras, and SBResiste, and featured comments from Rapid Response Network volunteers who were on the ground when ICE agents and community members

After several days of heavy rain with minimal local damage, Santa Barbara saw significant flooding and storm-related impacts late Saturday night, particularly in the downtown area.⁠ ⁠ Flash flooding, gusty winds, and falling trees hit the city just after 8 p.m., flooding intersections, stalling cars, and shutting down roads. Mission Street underpass and several Highway 101 offramps were temporarily closed. Downtown streets including Sola, Cota, Salsipuedes, and Laguna were overwhelmed by fast-mo