Letters To The Editor

I read, with no small degree of amusement, Shirlee Heitman’s letter (“Get educated about local community organizations,” March 26) in response to my commentary published in the March 12 edition of the Sun (“Know before you vote”). Ms. Heitman takes me to task for my characterization of local nonprofits Indivisible Santa Maria, MICOP, CAUSE, and […]

Trump’s war on Iran inadvertently makes a case for renewable energy. Without the free flow of tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, we have a crisis. Twenty percent of the world’s oil and gas passes through this strait. This exposes the depth of our dependence on fossil fuel. Since the Industrial Revolution in the late […]

I just read the commentary posted by Roy Reed (“Know before you vote,” March 12), mostly about the 5th District supervisors election coming in June. However, what struck me most was his misinformed, or rather non-informed, view about local community organizations. Let me educate everyone. Indivisible Santa Maria: “Our vision is a democracy that delivers […]

I recently read that Trump is suing California over its clean air rules for cars and trucks. I’m not exactly sure what his logic is and don’t really care. I do know that this man is the antithesis of President Theodore Roosevelt who put protections on place for national monuments like Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears […]

Retired attorney John Donegan’s screed (“Learn to share,” March 5) is really off-putting. He likes vehicles on our beaches and wants to keep it that way.  Here, he has dredged up all the usual right-wing political claptrap in an attempt to make his point, wrong-headed though it is. Well John, here’s something you missed: The […]

President Trump does not like windmills. In December, his Department of the Interior issued stop-work orders for five offshore windfarms along the Atlantic coast, putting thousands of workers out of a job just days before Christmas. Thankfully, a little more than a month later, federal judges ordered all the projects to move forward, putting workers […]

Regarding the “Learn to share” opinion piece (March 5), I agree with the thought, “You need to learn to share with those who have just as much right to the beach as you do.” In that spirit, I propose “vehicle-free beach days” be implemented for Oceano residents and others who would like to enjoy the […]

For those of us who dream of a future where fossil fuels are something only our grandparents can remember, the administration’s recent climate rollbacks have been disappointing, to put it mildly. Overturning the EPA’s endangerment finding was only the latest blow to protecting the climate for our children. But regardless of what happens in Washington, […]

We have lived over half a century in this lovely idyllic locale and through many uncertain and traumatic events and times. However, none compare to what is happening at this moment in time—none! To say that we are living in an unprecedented time cannot be overstated or over-emphasized. As such, our individual and collective responses […]

“It made me really sad,” Brisa, an 11th grader and daughter of immigrant farmworkers, said. “I had a feeling they weren’t going to vote for this because they are privileged, but I had a little bit of hope because I wanted them to help with this situation.”  Brisa, like many youth in Santa Maria, has […]

On Tuesday, Feb. 3, I attended the Santa Maria City Council meeting, excited to hear how my city officials would respond to the violent ICE presence harming my community. Instead, everyone, including myself, left feeling frustrated, unheard, and saddened by how quickly the issue was glanced through, despite many of us going to voice real […]

At the Feb. 3 City Council meeting, a resolution expressing support for immigrant residents was brought forward and approved. I could not support it, not because I oppose standing with immigrant families, but because what unfolded during council’s discussion revealed how easily words of support can be undermined by harmful rhetoric and a refusal to […]