Santa Maria Sun / News

Cover Story

Groups are concerned that a proposed wind project could damage birds, plants

A couple of goats scamper down San Miguelito Road as George Bedford slowly drives in the opposite direction. He says it’s not the first time he’s seen animals on this road, before pointing to a spot where he once passed a mountain lion. Only a few miles south of Lompoc, the area feels worlds away. Bedford and his wife, Cheryl, purchased more than 400 acres of land on top of one of the hills surrounding San Miguelito Canyon in the early 1990s. With the land previously untouched, they had to build a private road lead... [ Read Article ]

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Santa Maria Sun / Opinion

Commentary

Lompoc's budget deficit is real, no matter who denies it

On May 2, 2017, City Manager Patrick Wiemiller said in a briefing to the Lompoc City Council, “The biggest financial hurdle facing Lompoc, according to staff, is the city’s obligation of about $70 million to the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, or CalPERS.” Today the deficit is well over $90 million and growing. The obligation to pay these folks, many of whom retired years ago, isn... [ Read More ]

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