Cover Story
Milford Zornes’ iconic California landscapes tell the story of a life devoted to painting
There is something different about some of the paintings on the wall at the DANA Adobe Cultural Center in Nipomo. The paintings are all the work of Milford Zornes, a noted member of the California Scene Painters movement, and they seem entirely cohesive at first. But as one progresses through the exhibit, there is…
Sunny side up: Los Olivos holds a cozy early morning secret, thanks to the Bear and Star
You may know Los Olivos as a quiet nook where some of the region’s best wine tasting rooms are, but there’s another thing about it you may not know. It’s also the perfect spot for breakfast. At the Bear and Star Restaurant, a Fess Parker family venture headed up by star chef John Cox, breakfast…
A better wall: The Ann Foxworthy Gallery in Santa Maria hosts Before I Die, an exhibit that encourages viewer engagement
Candy Chang didn’t set out to create a memorial to her late friend Joan, who had been like a mother to her for 15 years before she died. To deal with the loss, Chang set out to find a way for people to avoid hiding from the realities of death. She made a stencil that…
Local organizations assist furloughed federal employees
Just inside the Santa Maria branch of the Santa Barbara County Foodbank’s open garage door sat two massive crates, one holding 30 bags of non-perishable food products, the other holding fresh produce. Two employees stood behind them, offering brief explanations and help to those who trickled in to pick up food, which was being distributed…
Newly introduced bill would affirm Camp 4 trust status
The 2017-18 Congressional session came and went, and during those two years, a House resolution that would have affirmed Camp 4’s fee-to-trust status with the federal government was not approved in time for the new year. So on Jan. 8, a new bill with the same wording and intent was introduced into Congress, with hopes…
Inmate dies in Santa Barbara County Jail
The Santa Barbara County Jail reported its first inmate death of 2019, after a 52-year-old died of an undisclosed medical condition. Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office officials reported that the inmate, identified as Jose A. Curiel of Santa Maria, died shortly after 7 p.m. on Jan. 10 at an area hospital. Curiel was transported from…
It’s not complicated: Get cozy with the indie pop duo Complicated Animals at Presqu’ile Winery
Brazilian-American duo the Complicated Animals is touching down at Presqu’ile Winery for the first 3rd Fridays Live performance of the year on Friday, Jan. 18, from 4:30 to 7 p.m. The Los Angeles based sound of Monica da Silva and Chad Alger fuses indie pop, Brazilian bossa nova, and a little bit of 1980s synthesizer…
Flagship: Ringing in the new year at Six Flags Magic Mountain
Anyone living south of Valencia should heed this piece of The Californians’ advice at least once in their life: “Go up the 5, go to Magic Mountain, get on Riddler’s Revenge, and never get off!” Really, it’s down the 101 to the 126 for those of us residing in the north. Although I’m much more…
Wildling Museum features Ray Strong exhibit
The Wilding Museum of Art and Nature will feature the work of painter Ray Strong from Feb. 2 through July 18. Strong, who died in 2006, was a prolific Santa Barbara artist who depicted the landscapes of the county and Northern California. Collector David Parker shares his private collection with the museum for a unique…
PCPA presents comedy Shakespeare in Love
The Pacific Conservatory Theatre’s (PCPA) next production Shakespeare in Love will run from Feb. 7 through March 3. The play is a romantic comedy based on the movie written by Tom Stoppard and Marc Norman. In the play, William Shakespeare is suffering from writer’s block while working on his new play, Romeo and Ethel the…
Elverhoj Museum hosts children’s book authors
The Elverhoj Museum of History and art will host four children’s authors from the Central Coast in a special event on Jan. 16 Authors include Patricia Eubank reading Natalia’s Favorite Color; Grady Hall with On the Trail with Seymour the Snail, a nature-themed children’s book; Robert Byrne with Like Mother Like Daughter; and Ayn Cates…
Garbage in, garbage out
A UCSB-affiliated study purportedly estimates the economic impact on our county of Aera’s proposed oil project in Cat Canyon, between Santa Maria and Los Alamos. The study was paid for by the oil company’s public realtions firm. The report admits that it relied primarily on information provided by Aera itself. In the report, by UCSB’s…
Aera Energy’s economic errors
In the Santa Maria Times and Lompoc Record on Dec. 16 (“Aera Energy taps Cat Canyon project’s environmental stewardship”), Aera’s PR representative claims that development of oil wells in our county will bring major economic benefits, including millions to support schools and other vital services. His figures come from UCSB’s Economic Forecast Project, whose research…
A madman
It’s taken two years for the media, Donald Trump voters, and the world to understand what a madman inhabits the White House. We, who saw him as harmful to our democracy from early on, have experienced anxiety, fear for “the others” of the country, future for children, and our future. Trump’s daily lies, Congressional Republicans’…
Talk to your representative about the state budget
A proactive plan of action to protect our country from others crossing the borders illegally is crucial for the safety of Americans, and our economy. Our current policy of providing funding, food, and medical care for those entering illegally is destroying our economy for the citizens that have worked to earn the benefits to provide…
Broken promises
At the Republican National Convention in 2016, Donald J. Trump claimed the nation was in crisis. Trump told the American people “I alone can fix it.” He pledged to repeal Obamacare, allow individuals to deduct health care insurance premiums from their taxes, defund Planned Parenthood, enact term limits, place a lifetime ban on foreign lobbyists…
Reimaging Lompoc politics: Lompoc City Council’s makeup is changing for the better
Last Tuesday evening a remarkable event occurred during the Lompoc City Council meeting; the goal was to pare down a list of 10 applicants for a vacant council seat, and they accomplished it in two hours! Each applicant was asked to submit written answers to the following questions: What will you bring to the dais…
Legal beagles
What do the Santa Ynez Valley Band of Chumash Indians have in common with President Donald T-Rump? People like to file lawsuits against them! That’s pretty much where the commonalities end, though–at least in my opinion. Because unlike the lawsuits filed against our fair-haired old dude in the Oval Office, those that get filed against…
Political Watch 1/17/19
• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) announced on Jan. 11 that he requested that the chief administrative officer of the House of Representatives withhold his pay until the government is fully reopened. “I’m standing in solidarity with federal workers on the Central Coast and across the country who are struggling to pay their bills…
Zoe De La Cruz
She may be young, but 7-year-old Zoe De La Cruz is already showing a lot of promise in the world of gymnastics. It’s only her third year training at KT’s All-Star Gymnastics, but De La Cruz already appears to have everything it takes to one day become a gold medal level athlete: talent, a hard…
Proposed $2 billion in early child care funding could close county’s readiness gaps
Early childhood care isn’t cheap. In Santa Barbara County, parents spend an average of about $1,000 on infant care and $800 on preschool services each month, according to data collected by the Santa Barbara County Child Care Planning Council. That cost is near, if not totally, unaffordable for many low-income families, especially those with multiple…
Spotlight on: Girl Scouts of California’s Central Coast
Rebecca Picek’s history with Girl Scouts stretches back further than the existence of the branch she’s currently a part of. Girl Scouts of California’s Central Coast (GSCCC) wasn’t formed until 2007 after the merger of two former branches, but Picek, troop leader of Service Unit 550 in Santa Maria, first ventured into scouting decades ago.…
Gilda gets a seat: Tourism advocate appointed to Lompoc City Council
Concerned citizens crowded Lompoc City Hall on Jan. 8, when the City Council held a special meeting to fill a vacant seat on its dais. After a half hour of wrangling over the appointment procedure, newly elected Mayor Jenelle Osborne opened the floor for public comment on who would serve the remaining two years of…
A new law gives farmworkers more overtime pay for working fewer hours, but will they really get more money?
Picking fruits and vegetables on a farm is hard work, and so is raising five children as a single parent. Reina Mendoza has been doing both for more than a decade. Mendoza, a Santa Maria resident, has been working on farms in the area for the past 11 years, tending to and harvesting local strawberries,…
Lompoc issues occupancy certificate to cannabis dispensary
A planned commercial cannabis dispensary is one step closer to opening its doors in the city of Lompoc. On Jan. 11, the city issued its very first certificate of occupancy for a commercial cannabis business to David MacFarlane. The certificate will allow MacFarlane to open an adult use retail dispensary at 423 West Ocean Ave.…
