Cover Story
Fees levied against housing developers to fund new parks aren’t accumulating enough for Santa Maria to purchase land
Santa Maria is about 100 acres shy of meeting its parks-to-residents ratio—3 acres of accessible park or open space land for every 1,000 residents—but officials said the city needs more cash from developers to hit the target. Typically, fees levied against new housing developments fund Santa Maria Recreation and Parks’ purchasing power. Developers either build…
BINGEABLE: THREE PINES (2022-present)
BINGEABLE: THREE PINES (2022-present) Where’s it playing? Amazon Prime What’s it rated? TV-14 Created by Emilia di Girolamo based on the Inspector Gamache mystery novel series by Louise Penny, this Canadian TV show follows Chief Inspector Armand Gamache (Alfred Molina) and his colleagues Sgt. Jean-Guy Beauvoir (Rossif Sutherland), Sgt. Isabelle Lacoste (Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers), and rookie…
BINGEABLE: WILLOW (2022)
BINGEABLE: WILLOW (2022) Where’s it playing? Disney Plus What’s it rated? TV-14 OK, ’80s kids—we have reason to rejoice! I fell in love with the movie Willow as a kid, and now there’s a series out to continue the magic. Warwick Davis is back as the titular character, and baby Elora Danan (Ellie Bamber) is…
Orcutt Branch Library gets $2 million for new facility
With the new year comes new possibilities for the Orcutt Branch Library, which received $2 million in federal funds near the end of 2022. On Dec. 23, U.S. Rep Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) announced that $16.5 million in direct federal funding would be used to support various community projects in Santa Barbara County. One of…
Unnamed Animal Services employee has dubious experience
I was disappointed by part of a recent story about crowding at the Santa Maria Animal Center (“More adoption needed with overcrowding concerns at Animal Services,” Dec. 15). The end of the pandemic and inflation have resulted in animal shelters flooded with homeless animals. We are seeing our share here, although not nearly as badly…
Rallying for America
At breakfast I read with interest a letter to the editor in the Sun. Entitled “Rallying for President Trump” (Dec. 22), it made an enthusiastic case for continuing to fully support him. The unflinchingly ardent argument by the writer was more bracing than two cups of my morning java. The public airing of all types…
The metamorphosis of Elon Musk and the left
If you thought that the transformation of Jeff Goldblum from a bookish scientist into a fly in the 1986 movie The Fly was a dramatic metamorphosis, just consider the sudden conversion of Elon Musk from liberal hero to hated nemesis. And a transmogrifier wasn’t even necessary! It seems like just yesterday that Musk was the…
Fees needed
It’s 2023. And with that big bad announcement, I’ve got another thing in store for you: Santa Barbara County needs to facilitate the building of more than 5,000 housing units by 2031. And that’s just in the unincorporated areas of the county. Santa Maria needs to coax developers to erect more than 5,400. Santa Barbara:…
PG&E grant enables State Parks to pay for class field trips to coastal landmarks
For thousands of school-age kids, the San Luis Obispo County coastline is a premier destination for epic field trips. The Central Coast State Parks Association plays an important role in that. The nonprofit arm of State Parks routinely offers educational field trip tours at local landmarks like the Oceano Dunes, the Morro Bay Museum of…
Political Watch: January 5, 2023
• On Dec. 23, President Joe Biden signed legislation inspired by the 2019 Conception boat fire near Santa Barbara. The Small Passenger Vessel Liability Act proposed by U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California) changes an 1851 law that can prevent victims of maritime accidents from receiving compensation from those responsible…
Housing development project wants Santa Maria to annex county land
A project proposal to add Santa Barbara County property to Santa Maria for residential and commercial development could help local leaders meet state housing requirements, but the development has some residents concerned about density and consistency with the surrounding areas. Richards Ranch Annexation Project requested that the city annex a 43-acre county property southeast of…
Cubanissimo Cafe in Orcutt holds weekly swing dance classes
Every Tuesday night, there’s a coffee house in Orcutt that transforms into a popping dance hub for a couple of hours. Local instructor Gina Sigman’s intro to swing dancing class, held once a week at Cubanissimo Cafe, is open to walk-ins and is free to join. The class is followed by an intermediate course, with…
SMCT presents ‘The Red Velvet Cake War’
The Santa Maria Civic Theatre’s (SMCT) upcoming production of The Red Velvet Cake War is scheduled to premiere on Friday, Jan. 13. Performances of the show are slated to run through Sunday, Jan. 29. This Texas-based comedy follows three cousins who “could not have picked a worse time to throw a family reunion,” according to…
Los Angeles Reed Quintet to perform in Los Olivos
The Santa Ynez Valley Concert Series presents the Los Angeles Reed Quintet, live in concert, at St. Mark’s-in-the-Valley Episcopal Church in Los Olivos on Friday, Jan. 13, at 7 p.m. The ensemble regularly performs a wide variety of music selections, including Baroque pieces, 21st century compositions, and other songs. The quintet’s oboist is Claire Brazeau…
New cottage style bakery stems from a local confectioner’s lifelong hobby
Muffins. Cookies. Cupcakes. No matter which of her baked goods is up for review, Jacqueline Rubio never gets tired of hearing “nostalgia-inducing” and similar adjectives as feedback from her customers. “I love when someone tells me it reminds them of a specific time or memory after they taste a certain treat,” said Rubio, the founder…
