Cover Story
State requirements face off with federal law in a recent decision requiring more water from Lake Cachuma for steelhead
For more than 20 years, California pondered what to do about steelhead in the Santa Ynez River. On Sept. 17, the State Water Resources Control Board finally made a decision. It voted to pass an order that will increase water releases from Lake Cachuma. Since at least 1998, a handful of local, state, and federal…
Supervisors discuss county redistricting process
During its meeting on Oct. 15, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors discussed what the county’s redistricting process will look like over the next two years. In November 2018, county voters approved Measure G, which establishes an 11-person commission to adjust the boundaries of the county’s five supervisorial districts. The commission will be made…
Santa Maria Civic Theatre’s production of ‘Lucky Stiff’ is one wild ride
It’s a Friday night and shoe salesman Harry Witherspoon (Jaime Espinoza) hasn’t sold a single shoe all day. Like Sweeney Todd singing to his razor blades, so does Witherspoon to his shoes, as if they’re the only ones willing to listen; the poor, unfortunate soles. “Three pairs of alligator pumps—check/ Two pairs of saddle toes…
Luminous Landscapes showcases pastel and oil paintings at Gallery Los Olivos
When deciding on the theme for their latest duo show, local artists and self-described “painting buddies” Carol Talley and Terri Taber turned toward a mutual point of interest. “We wanted to highlight one of our fascinations—how to capture all types of light in the landscape,” Talley told the Sun. “From the ethereal to the exuberant.”…
Applications open for Lompoc Children’s Christmas Parade
The Lompoc Children’s Christmas Parade is now accepting applications from businesses, clubs, and other parties hoping to participate in the event. Participants are required to bring their completed applications to the Anderson Recreation Center, located at 125 W. Walnut Ave., Lompoc, no later than Monday, Nov. 25. “Ringing in the Holidays” is the theme of…
Santa Maria Philharmonic Society hosts annual benefit gala
The Santa Maria Philharmonic Society’s 2019 Benefit Gala, Parisian Soiree, takes place at the Radisson Hotel on Saturday, Oct. 26, from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. This Paris-themed fundraiser features live music, dinner, dancing, auctions, and a raffle. Admission is $110 and includes appetizers, dinner, wine, and a no-host bar. Tickets to Parisian Soiree are available…
Catherine Kitcho holds California Writers Week signing
Gavin’s Books in Santa Maria hosts a book signing event with local author Catherine Kitcho on Saturday, Oct. 19, from noon to 3 p.m. Kitcho is the founder of the Coastal Dunes branch of the California Writers Club and chose the date of the event to occur within California Writers Week, recognized by the state…
Eclectic musical duo Pricey Diggs performs at Vino et Amicis Wine Bar
Husband-and-wife musicians Mark McMillen and Annie Boreson have embarked on several road trips up and down the coastlines of California, Oregon, and Washington, touring at various venues along the way. Billed as Pricey Diggs, the eclectic musical duo is stopping in Orcutt for a show, performing at Vino et Amicis Wine Bar on Thursday, Oct.…
Find a whole rainbow of foods in one place at Talley Farms’ winery, farm stand, and u-pick pumpkin patch
Years ago, while working at Bay Area farmers’ markets for a Watsonville-based farm, I learned that the food sold at farm stands and farmers’ markets is usually picked fresh that morning. By the time the sun comes up and the produce is arranged on the farm stand tables, the quality is so superior to store-bought…
Political Watch: October 17, 2019
• Gov. Gavin Newsom signed state Assemblymember Monique Limón’s (D-Santa Barbara) legislation, Assembly Bill 1680 into law on Oct. 9, which will open Hollister Ranch in Santa Barbara County to public access. According to the text of the legislation, Hollister Ranch is a 14,500-acre subdivision that covers 8.5 miles of shoreline, with no coastal access…
Lompoc puts off safe parking program, citing funding shortage, future court case
Cars, RVs, and vans line the streets in parts of Lompoc. They can serve as both a means of transportation and a place to sleep. As a participant in the last Point-In-Time homelessness count, Lompoc Mayor Jenelle Osborne told the Sun that her group found between 30 to 40 people living in their cars in…
Entrepreneur goes green with a new recycling business in an uncertain industry
Edgar Adolfo Arroyo Garcia slides up the door of his shipping container, planted in the parking lot of Roy’s Liquor and Market off Guadalupe Street in Guadalupe. His gelled pompadour wiggles as he shoves the door upward, but his hair holds steady in the cool morning breeze. Inside, bags are stacked to the top, bulging…
County agency weighs future of commuter bus service
Amid ridership declines and funding challenges, the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) released a plan recommending potential changes to its Clean Air Express commuter bus service. SBCAG has operated the service since 2001—although it was briefly operated by Santa Maria and Lompoc—which provides North County residents who work in South County with a…
Lompoc looks to grant funds to replace playground equipment
With budget constraints hindering its ability to fund certain projects, the city of Lompoc is looking toward state grant funds to improve its parks. In August, the city submitted grant applications for millions of dollars in improvements at Pioneer and Johns-Manville parks through California’s Proposition 68 grant program. On a smaller scale, the city is…
Carbajal tours Raytheon, talks defense budget
Nestled in a corner just north of the Lompoc Airport, Raytheon’s satellite sensors get assembled in cleanrooms before taking frequent trips to space on military hardware. U.S. Congressman Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) toured the factory on Oct. 9, donning a hairnet and white cleanroom suit. He was there to look at the company’s “wafers,” or…
Downtown Guadalupe gets a coffee shop featuring fresh roasted beans
Jose Martinez and Ruben Dorado originally came to Guadalupe to add new territory to their cleaning business. They had already established themselves in Santa Barbara and wanted to grow the North County presence of their business, U.S. Cleaning Company. When they got to town, they found two things: a building for a good price and…
The president may not be my favorite, but I just can’t vote for a Democrat
One of the most amusing charges that we conservatives often have leveled against us is that we are all “unwavering supporters” of President Donald Trump and view him as some sort of “rock star.” Essentially, that we are Trump “groupies.” In reality, if real rock ’n’ roll groupies viewed the objects of their adoration with…
Feds push oil
Federal lands on the Central Coast will soon be up for lease to oil companies for dangerous drilling and extraction processes. As our counties strive to reduce the water, land, and air impacts of extreme oil drilling in county-controlled areas, the feds rush to push drilling on our federal lands. Federal agencies are greasing the…
CANARY: Up to nothing
You know what the city of Lompoc is good at? Kicking the car down the road. No, I don’t mean can. I mean car. As in motor vehicles that people park on the street and sleep in because they have nowhere else to go. The city has grappled with the issue of giving those cars…
