Santa Barbara Woman in Racist Viral Video Pushes Court Date to January

Jeanne Umana, the Santa Barbara woman who became infamous for viral videos showing her in two separate racially charged confrontations — one with a Latino construction worker and another with a street vendor — did not appear in Santa Barbara Superior Court Thursday morning for her scheduled arraignment on charges of trespassing and battery stemming from one of those videos, in which she can be seen entering a property without permission and striking the worker while also claiming to “work for the police.”

Instead, Umana’s attorney Michael Barmasse appeared in her place in Judge Thomas Adams’s courtroom to ask for a continuation and push the arraignment date into the New Year. Judge Adams set a new date for January 3, 2024, and granted an order of protection against Umana as requested by the District Attorney’s Office. Barmasse must provide proof that Umana received and acknowledge the protective order within two weeks.

Barmasse, an Agoura Hills–based attorney, did not speak with the media and gave no indication of how his client intended to proceed, though he could be seen entering the District Attorney’s Office to confer with Chief Deputy Jennifer Karapetian immediately following the court appearance.