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Empty seat: Board of Supervisors’ 5th District candidates race toward June’s primary election

With 2026 marking Santa Barbara County Supervisor Steve Lavagnino’s last year in the role, his chief of staff, Cory Bantilan, threw his hat into the ring to take the soon-to-be vacant 5th District seat, along with two others: Santa Maria City Councilmember Maribel Aguilera and Santa Maria-Bonita School District board member Ricardo Valencia. All three candidates on the ballot for June’s statewide primary election took part in interviews with the Sun where they opened up about their campaign platforms…

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A Central Coast artist paints today’s landscapes for tomorrow’s remembrance

When Katy Smith tells people she’s going painting in Orcutt, she gets puzzled looks in return. “They’re like, ‘Where do you paint in Orcutt?’ As if there’s not something here to paint,” Smith said. “There are so many beautiful places in Orcutt to paint, and you just have to stop long enough and take it in and realize how pretty it is where we live.” Often people’s next thought is that she must be painting a sandy saltwater scene,…

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