Nearly two years after pleading not guilty to vehicular manslaughter, Santa Maria resident David Baskett agreed to plead guilty to killing a local resident while driving a forklift. Baskett’s March 24 plea followed new evidence that Santa Barbara County Deputy District Attorney Ryan Clausen said contradicted what the 83-year-old originally told Santa Maria Police Department […]
Caught on camera: New evidence based on bus video footage led to mistrial, guilty plea in deadly forklift crash case
Posted inNews
Historical landmark policy complicates Pea Soup Andersen’s demolition
Pea Soup Andersen’s future demolition hinges on how Buellton decides to preserve parts of the more than 100-year-old building. Designated by elected leaders as an official city landmark in 2020, the restaurant has been closed since early 2024. That year also marked its centennial. For Buellton to approve the shuttered eatery’s demolition, staff told the […]
Posted inNews
SBCAG wants more people to use its guaranteed ride home program
Thousands of people commute on public transportation every day in Santa Barbara County, but there even more who could make the switch. For some, fears of delayed buses or family emergencies mean residents drive themselves to work. But officials want more of the workforce to use public transportation and vanpool to reduce traffic congestion. An […]
Posted inNews
Steve Bridge’s sons are witnesses in felony fraud case
Receipts for fixing leaky pipes and installing lights are at the heart of the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s investigation into Lompoc Councilmember Steve Bridge’s invoices. In late 2025, Bridge was arraigned in Santa Maria Superior Court for eight felony counts, including forgery, identity theft, grand theft, and fraudulent use of a contractor’s license. A […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch: April 2, 2026
•U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California) issued a statement on March 27 after the Senate passed funding for all elements of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) except for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) border security operations. “For months, we’ve been clear: no blank checks for Trump’s lawless ICE and […]
Posted inNews
Up your composting game with help from some red wigglers
Hundreds of worms can work wonders for a garden from right inside the living room. One pound of red wigglers—roughly 500 to 1,000 worms—can fit in a vermicomposting bin the size of a foot stool, churning organic waste into healthy compost. In an average composting environment, the mixture needs to be turned over regularly to […]
Posted inOpinion
Shady officials
What’s happening with our elected officials? We’ve got one who just pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter and one who’s being tried for fraud, forgery, and so much more. After two years of proclaiming that he did nothing wrong and casting blame on his victim, David Baskett, a former longtime Santa Maria Public Airport District board […]
Posted inOpinion
Lompoc Councilman Steve Bridge’s fraud case moves forward, exposing layers of alleged deception
In 1808 Sir Walter Scott wrote, “Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!” The preliminary hearing for Lompoc City Councilman Steve Bridge for multiple felonies and a few misdemeanors related to the receipt of reimbursements from the city of Lompoc has produced just such a tangled web concerning how […]
Posted inOpinion
Community organizations’ actions may vary from mission statements
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 […]
Posted inOpinion
The case for renewable energy
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 […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
An Orcutt artist is ready to geek out at Santa Maria Comic Con
Chuck Jones and Bill Peet aren’t necessarily common household names, but their work begs to differ. Jones was the animator of Looney Tunes and Peet was an artist for many an early Disney project. To “geeks” like Brett Nance, those guys are more than household names. They’re legends. Nance grew up drawing, and by the […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Valley Art Gallery presents its latest show
A multigenerational art exhibit is next on the agenda for the Valley Art Gallery. See paintings in distinct styles from three family members at the Santa Maria Public Airport from April 6 through the end of May. An artist reception will be held on April 18 starting at 11 a.m. inside the airport near Pepper […]