On this week’s episode, a mash-up of stories that illustrate Santa Barbara’s unique character, as the Newsmakers TV panel discusses the alarming decline in of butterflies at Elwood Mesa, appointment of the Harbor Commission’s first Chumash member, and a roiling City Hall dispute over a summer camp called Lobster Jo’s, with Callie Fausey, Ryan P. Cruz and Josh Molina also breaking down the city of Goleta’s big win in hosting a World Cup team, allegations of anti-Semitism by UCSB’s former student body president, and the rich local history found in the newly-resurfaced archive of the Santa Barbara News-Press.

One year after Donald Trump’s inauguration, Newsmakers reconvenes our All-Star Panel of National Political Pundits to assess the damage the Administration has done to date and to forecast what comes next. As pro-democracy Americans and the Democratic Party look to the November mid-term elections as the next best opportunity to slow down or stop the march to fascism, veteran political writer Carla Marinucci, national campaign strategist Bill Carrick, and Kamala Harris biographer Dan Morian join the genial host with their takes on Year 1 of the Trump Regime.

With Santa Barbara’s political brawl over rent control certain to shape the 2026 elections for mayor and city council, Josh Molina, Ryan Cruz and Christina McDermott on this week’s episode of Newsmakers TV break down all the latest campaign and policy developments on the housing beat. Christina also goes behind-the-scenes about her new podcast focused on IV, Ryan discusses how his new cover story that puts a human face on deportation cruelty, and Josh reprises Monique Limón’s big hometown celebration, as she ascends to one of the most powerful posts in state government.

The Trump Administration recently seized jurisdiction over Santa Barbara County’s disputed and timeworn Refugio pipeline, triggering new fears about renewed local offshore oil drilling, as Nick Welsh joins the genial host on this week’s episode to sort out the new layers of legal and bureaucratic complexity that as a reuslt have descended on the maddeningly convoluted – and enormously consequential – matter. News-Press Editor Josh Molina parachutes in to discuss his scoop about City Council member Eric Friedman jumping into the mayor’s race, and the three amigos break down what it means for the mayor’s race and the year’s other big local elections.

It’s the Fifth Annual Newsmakers New Year’s Rockin’ Eve show, as we bring together both types of newsmakers -- those who make news toiling in the public arena, and those who make news by writing and opining about them – into one great All-Star Panel to reflect on two key questions: What Just Happened and What Happens Next? Join Supervisor Laura Capps, Mayor Randy Rowse, SB Council member Meagan Harmon, News-Press Editor Josh Molina, Newsmakers Producer Hap Freund, and the genial host to say farewell to 2025, and hear some fearless forecasts about 2026.

Santa Barbara Mayor Randy Rowse checks in to offer his perspective on the two big issues that have consumed City Hall in recent weeks – the future of downtown development at the Paseo Nuevo shopping mall and the push by City Council’s liberal majority to impose a new set of strict rent control regulations on landlords and property owners. News-Press Editor Josh Molina joins the genial host to also interrogate the mayor about his 2026 re-election campaign.

The Santa Barbara News-Press this week named Josh Molina the first editor of the newly-launched, digital incarnation of the historic local news operation and, in his first extensive interview, he talks with Newsmakers TV about the vision for the new News-Press and its impacts on the media landscape, speaking emotionally about his deep roots in the community, long journey through a tumultuous period in the industry, and views on the importance of maintaining venerable values of credibility and fact-based reporting.

In a special Three Amigos episode of Newsmakers TV, Josh Molina and Nick Welsh join the genial host for droll stroll through the week’s top news stories in Santa Barbara, from the foggy future of Paseo Nuevo, simmering conflict over a homeless navigation center and private sector pushback on the city’s waterfront leasing policies, to the latest chapter in the endless story of the North County jail, a hopeful development in the saga of State Street’s future and a new twist in the tragic saga at UCSB.