Cover Story
Sky’s the limit: The Blue Sky Center works to empower the residents of rural Cuyama Valley with creativity and community
Things don’t move too fast in rural communities like New Cuyama, and they especially slow down when the midday sun bears down and the heat hits the high 90s. That is, except for Louie, the pit bull/black lab mix who bounded after a small lizard darting for the safety of the nearest desert shrub on…
What can be done to empower isolated, rural communities?
Chris Cucchiara realtor “I think supporting small businesses more and supporting each other a lot more.” Josh Caballero entrepreneur “I would say making water supplies easier to get out there. A lot of people I talk to have trouble getting water, so I think that would help a lot.” Humberto Tirado truck driver “They need…
Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians support local museums with golf tournament
The Alisal River Course in Solvang is the same color as the funds raised by the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians at the 13th annual Chumash Charity Golf Classic: gorgeous green. The event took place Aug. 23 through 24 this year, when dozens of golfers raised thousands of dollars for local organizations. Since the…
Jacqueline Higa
Aug. 21 was a day of celebration for Jacqueline Higa and her softball team—they won the 2017 Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department’s Summer League Championship. What made this particular softball league so much fun for Higa wasn’t the winning but rather the light-heartedness. Teams that play in the Recreation and Parks League are encouraged…
City of Lompoc to hold photography contest
The city of Lompoc’s Recreation Division will accept entries starting Sept. 1 for its annual Lompoc Valley Photography Contest. The contest is open to all Lompoc Valley residents age 5 and older, and categories are broken down by age and experience level. Photo entries are $3 each, and can be submitted to the Anderson Recreation…
Spotlight on: Coast Electronics
When John Weiss, 58, and his father started Coast Electronics in 1978, they did so with one simple philosophy in mind—quality, familiar customer service. A lot has changed since then, most notably the advent of personal computers, ubiquitous wireless internet, and cellphones, but Weiss said a comfortable niche still existed for locally owned, brick-and-mortar electronic…
Wildling Museum intern gets craftsy with animal footprints
Most interns who paint on the walls or floors at their work get fired. But one local student is being heralded for it. When Jake Abraham began his internship at the Wildling Museum of Art and Nature in Solvang, he had no idea he would make such a permanent impression. But when he began his…
Gallery Los Olivos features black and white photography from Paul Roark
Paul Roark is more than just a talented and visionary black and white photographer. He’s somewhat of a photography subversive, seeking to quietly put the artform back into the hands of the people, one slightly hacked black and white printer cartridge at a time. Roark, whose black and white images are featured at Gallery Los…
Señor Taco in Santa Maria serves up fresh and spicy Mexican food
Everyone who lives in Santa Maria has a favorite taco spot in town. Poll 20 people on the street and you’ll get almost 20 different answers. At least once a week I’ll have a reader or friend tell me that I need to check out “the absolute best most amazing Mexican restaurant,” and it’s usually…
Not surprised
It takes a lot to catch this little bird unawares. That’s what happens when you actually pay attention to what’s going on. So, was I surprised when Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown was found to be communicating directly with Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) to help him make a case against SB 54, the…
No sanctuary from Sheriff Bill Brown
The Trump administration’s discriminatory citizenship policies have served to fuel white nationalism across the United States. From California to Virginia, white supremacists have terrorized communities as Americans have watched in dismay. The most recent attack occurred at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, when hundreds of Klansmen and neo-Nazis chanting, “Jews will not replace us,”…
California Highway Patrol hosts school bus safety enforcement operation
California Highway Patrol (CHP) hosted a school bus pedestrian safety operation on Aug. 29 in Santa Barbara County after a one-day California Department of Education survey of 137 state school districts found that more than 26,000 motorists failed to properly stop for school buses loading and unloading students. In response to the survey and California…
Santa Maria High School Agriculture Department wins national recognition
After winning several statewide awards this summer, the Santa Maria High School Agriculture Department was selected as the Outstanding Secondary School Agricultural Education Program, a national award given by the National Association of Agriculture Educators (NAAE). It is the first time the department has been nationally recognized. The award recognizes excellence in instructional strategies, experimental…
Hobnobbing with Helen: Boosting the boosters
On Saturday evening, Aug. 26, Elks Lodge No. 1538 was overrun with young people from Allan Hancock College all sporting numbered football jerseys and, maybe, shoulder pads. Who were these bulked-up bulldogs? Well, the big guys and the really big guys were likely football players, the tall guys were likely basketball players, and the gals…
ICEing the system: Legislators claim ICE enforcement is freezing criminal justice system
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers are arresting undocumented immigrant witnesses and victims of crimes at courthouses across the country, effectively throwing a wrench in the criminal justice system and its ability to prosecute criminals. This is according to state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara), who told the Sun on Aug. 24 that stricter…
Benefits cost: Santa Maria high school district projects cost of retirement will rise by nearly $1 million each year
The Santa Maria Joint Union High School District (SMJUHSD) announced on Aug. 18 its tentative agreement to increase all employee salaries by 1 percent for the 2017-18 fiscal year. The raise, according to Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Kevin Platt, could have been higher if it weren’t for the district’s rising cost of retirement pension…
Groups battle over state water safety bill
Senator Bill Monning (D-Carmel) announced on Aug. 23 the amended version of Senate Bill 623, which would establish the Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund to finance infrastructure improvement projects across the state with the help of a coalition of environmental activists, agricultural industry representatives, and labor groups. The bill will need to garner a…
Central Coast native Nathan Towne releases first solo album from Michigan
This column must begin with full disclosure: Nathan Towne is a longtime friend. He played music at my wedding, actually, and has always been the most virtuosic among my musician buddies. So you can understand why I was more than a bit excited when Towne announced that he was releasing his first solo album, Renditions,…
Sheriff Bill Brown asks ICE for help against sanctuary state bill
On Aug. 23, The Intercept published the second story in its series focusing on sanctuary states for undocumented immigrants. The article details email correspondence between Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials discussing SB 54—a bill proposed in the California Legislature that would give undocumented immigrants “sanctuary state”…
Santa Maria welcomes Tibetan monks
A group of Tibetan Monks from the Drepung Gomang Monastery Sacred Arts Tour 2017 will be in Santa Maria at the Ann Foxworthy Gallery at Allan Hancock College from Sept. 4 through 8. They will create a large and elaborate sand mandala painting and perform cultural pageants that will include exhibiting their Tibetan crafts, song,…
Where the red fern (doesn’t) grow
My wife has done a great job raising our kids. She birthed them, nurtured them, changed diapers, read to them, made school lunches with the crusts cut off, did thousands of flashcards, and was somehow able to get both of our kids all the way through high school. What did I contribute? I built train…
Political Watch 8/31/17
• U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris held a roundtable at the Downtown UCLA Labor Center with eight Dreamers, immigrants who are protected from deportation under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) program, on Aug. 28. Harris, a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, has co-sponsored the DREAM Act, a bipartisan bill…
Clarification
• In the Aug. 17 cover story “Free to go?” the Sun incorrectly stated that Sheriff Bill Brown declined to comment on the story. Brown never received the Sun’s request for comment. • In the Aug. 24 news story “Replace or repair,” the correct number of months Plains All American Pipeline estimated for the construction…
Students voted to represent youth for city’s task force
Santa Maria Valley students Janet Cruz-Reyes and Monserrat Nolasco were chosen over 11 other candidates to represent the city’s youth in various community projects, including the Task Force on Youth Safety. The Aug. 25 election was hosted by the Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE), Central Coast Future Leaders, and Just Communities,…
Subject to change
I missed National Library week. It was back in April. Back in April, it wasn’t really important. You know, it’s just about books available to everyone for free. One of our early founders, as it were, came up with the idea. Years later Andrew Carnegie, an immigrant from Scotland, who became a rich capitalist, made…
Compassion exists in Guadalupe
On Aug. 18, law enforcement officials were on foot in pursuit of a burglary suspect through our neighborhood. The suspect broke through our backyard gate as a means of escape since our home borders farmland. During the pursuit, the gate was left open and two of my three dogs (all rescues), escaped through the open…
