Cover Story
Reclaiming a community: Santa Maria’s skyrocketing street gang violence is met with resilience and hope by local government, organizations, churches, and citizens converging in the One Community Action Coalition
The boardroom of the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District was packed wall to wall with people on Jan. 28. They gathered there in an attempt to address a dire situation in Santa Maria: the eruption of street violence leaving local youth and adults bleeding in the streets. It was the first One Community…
Joelyn Lutz shares songs of healing in Santa Maria
Sometimes, all we can do during tough times is what comes most natural. For local singer/songwriter Joelyn Lutz, that’s her music, which is penned to inspire and lift up people’s spirits during trying times. Lutz’s next concert is slated for Valentine’s Day, the day of love, and the inspiration for the concert is to help…
Spotlight on: Medical cannabis dispensary drivers
Editor’s note: The last names of delivery drivers were withheld. The Compassionate Use Act (CUA), or Proposition 215, gives medical marijuana patients an exemption from criminal prosecution in California and was passed by voters in 1996. It’s a milestone against the prohibition of cannabis in the U.S., becoming the first ballot initiative of its type…
Santa Barbara Animal Services to fix, microchip cats for free
Santa Barbara County Animal Services is offering free spay, neuter, and microchip services to cat owners for the month of February, thanks to the county’s Project PetSafe program. Project PetSafe outreach coordinator Jessica Ortega-Wiebe said PetSafe runs the free offer, called “Snip N Chip,” twice yearly because that’s how often female cats go into heat—usually…
Laurus College holds commencement
Laurus College held its semi-annual commencement Jan. 23 at the Hilton Garden Inn Hotel, located next to Laurus College’s campus, in Oxnard. The ceremony recognized the achievements of students who completed their certificate and/or associate degree programs in 2015. While the majority of Laurus College graduates don’t reside in Oxnard, that didn’t prevent 41 graduates and…
Sandoval reappointed to California State Board of Education
Gov. Jerry Brown has reappointed Nicolasa “Niki” Sandoval, the education director for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, to the state Board of Education. Sandoval, who’s been director of the tribe’s education department since 2009 and a lecturer at University of California, Santa Barbara since 2007, was first appointed to the state board in…
Santa Maria High School Robotics Club teams with Zodiac engineers for competition
The Santa Maria High School Robotics Club and a few engineers from Zodiac Aerospace participated in the Lego NXT Sumo Competition on Wednesday, Jan. 27. Members were divided into several teams and used the robots they constructed to battle each other. Students Michael Salas and Sammy Lagunas, said the club has made them want to…
Political Watch 2/4/2016
• The city of Santa Maria is currently accepting applications for the Recreation and Parks Commission until 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 12, 2016. Appointments will be made at the City Council meeting of March 1. Applications also are being accepted for the Block Grants Advisory Committee, Board of Appeals, Commission for Senior Citizens, Area Agency on Aging, Landmark Committee, Measure…
Community Notebook 2/4/16 – 2/11/16
MONDAY, FEB. 8 • The Santa Maria City Block Grants Advisory Committee has its regular meeting at 5:30 p.m. in the City Hall Conference Room, 110 E. Cook St., Santa Maria. • The Solvang City Council has its regular meeting at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers, 1644 Oak Street, Solvang. agendas are available at…
What is your biggest fear right now?
Alma Miranda EAOP coordinator for Righetti High School “I have an 8-month-old, and she is everything in my life right now; I think my biggest fear is for her to grow up in a community that is tainted by crime and injustice in general. I want to her to be able to grow up feeling…
Hobnobbing with Helen: Saying goodbye
The often-seen-about-town Georgia Shore is retiring as general manager of the Sun. This is not the kind of upbeat, fun news that readers have come to expect from Hobnobbing. If you feel a pang in your heart, read no more until you compose yourself. The decision for Georgia to depart was not rash. “I have…
Asian citrus psyllid treatment kicks up controversy in Santa Barbara County
The California Department of Food and Agriculture’s (CDFA) treatment for the Asian citrus psyllid is underway in Santa Barbara County, drawing mixed responses from affected residents. The psyllid is a small insect that feeds on the young chutes, stems, and leaves of citrus trees. CDFA representative Jay Van Rein said that while the insect itself…
Federal agencies halt offshore fracking permits pending review of environmental impact
Federal agencies will be reviewing the environmental impacts of offshore oil well stimulation—which includes acidizing and hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”)—following a Jan. 29 settlement agreement from the Environmental Defense Center (EDC). The techniques utilize the injection of sand, water, and chemicals into rock formations fracturing or dissolving them to withdraw oil and gas. The practice has…
Santa Barbara County grants ExxonMobil emergency permit to truck crude
Santa Barbara County Planning and Development Department approved ExxonMobil’s (Exxon) emergency permit application Feb. 1, granting the company permission to truck 425,000 barrels of oil from its Las Flores Canyon storage facility to refineries in Santa Maria and Kern County. Exxon filed the application on Jan. 4, asking to send up to 30 trucks per…
Area farmworkers demand existing protections be enforced
In what some consider nothing more than a media stunt, area farmworkers and advocates from North County gathered by the dozens in front of the Joseph Centeno Administrative Building in Santa Maria on the morning of Jan. 27 to present a Farmworker Bill of Rights, a basic list of demands that protect employees from poor…
Let’s celebrate youth
I like to think of myself as a forward-thinking bird. A bird of vision. Admittedly much of that vision is limited to planning out what I am going to do for summer vacation, but then again, I’m a journalist and vacation is what keeps me going. Apparently board members of the Santa Maria Joint Union…
Guadalupe needs to ask more questions
When I wrote a letter around Oct. 22, 2015, the city administrator said there was no city funds, but he got a big pay raise making his salary $105,000 plus $2,500 plus 2.44 percent. And now this city administrator has ordered four new 1-ton trucks, no beds and no tool boxes; a new backhoe; a…
CrossFit is the best choice for some athletes
As I was sitting down next to my wife on Saturday night, she pointed out an article in the Sun, “Too much CrossFit?” (Jan. 28). She was a bit concerned about how the article might have made CrossFit look to the lay person or those who haven’t been fully exposed to the fitness regimen. After…
How you can help someone at risk for suicide
One of the scariest things you can experience is the fear that someone you know may be suicidal. When a friend, family member, or associate shows some of the warning signs for suicide, it’s essential to intervene and take action to get that person to the help they need. When someone is suicidal, they’re in…
Tiffany Santana
Pioneer Valley High School senior Tiffany Santana is wrapping up her Panthers wrestling career in dominating fashion. Santana helped Pioneer Valley take first place at the Central Coast Wrestling Tournament at Nipomo High School on Jan. 30, and she will bring her 26-3 record this season into the CIF Southern Section Northern Regional Tournament on…
Pick-up sticks: Lacrosse grows in popularity on the Central Coast thanks to the efforts of dedicated community members
If you thought lacrosse was a sport reserved for the East Coast Ivy League elite and not California’s Central Coast—then think again. Come out to the Pioneer Valley High School athletic fields this spring—at night after the varsity sports have wrapped up their practices—and you’ll find about two dozen Santa Maria teenagers chasing a lacrosse…
His pain is her pain
I’m typing out my column in protest. Well, in truth, my body is protesting. My right shoulder and arm have been throbbing for a couple of weeks with some kind of inflammatory flare-up that has limited my activities and range of motion. Who knew that clicking a computer mouse could hurt so much? My immune…
Santa Ynez Valley Arts calling for artists
Santa Ynez Valley Arts has issued a call to artists to join the Art in the Courtyard events beginning in March. The organization has partnered with the Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum for the events this year, which will include dozens of artists sharing and selling their work at the Parks-Janeway Carriage House courtyard. There…
Valley Art Gallery has handmade cards for Valentine’s Day
Nothing says true love like a handmade gift, but a handmade card on top of that? The Valley Art Gallery is holding a fundraiser with a sale of member-created Valentine’s cards available up until the holiday on Feb. 14. Each card costs $5 and is truly unique, including painted, collage, printed, or embellished cards. Subjects…
Schoolhouse Music in Los Olivos begins with a bang
The Schoolhouse Music chamber concert series in Los Olivos begins its season with the rumble of three concert grand pianos at St. Mark’s-in-the-Valley Episcopal Church on Feb. 12. The concert welcomes renowned pianists Zeynep Ucbasaran, Miguel Ortega Chavaldas, and Sergio Gallo performing works from Rachmaninoff, Godowsky, Anschutz, and Zampronha composed specifically for a three-piano setup.…
The space between: SLOMA’s exhibit Eye Matters explores spatial relationships
In the mundane moments of everyday life, as a bus races by or a child jumps off a swing, art can be found if you look closely, or in between the lines as they say. Erik Olson, a 67-year-old artist in Nipomo, is fascinated with the lines, curves, and all the other shapes and how…
Elverhoj Museum shares a career-spanning exhibit by Joseph Knowles
When local artist Joseph Knowles left his career in architecture in the 1980s to focus solely on his art, he plunged head first into abstract gestural work. But as time went by, he explored other ideas, retaining his style yet exploring the natural work in a starkly expressive way. An exhibition of work spanning Knowles’…
The Food Archivist: Preserving the food-family connection
It seems like every family has that one signature dish that brings everyone together. It’s treasured like a priceless jewel. And more often than not, it’s a secret. Family recipes are special because they are the root of numerous fond memories, in which the food is the focal point to where everyone gathers. Often that…
