Hoping to score a vantage point that gives Santa Barbara County a clearer view of local Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations, the Board of Supervisors recently asked the Sheriff’s Office to publicly disclose its interactions with the federal agency on a regular basis. Disclosures of this kind were previously limited to annual reports, mandated…
New federal policy will prevent Santa Barbara County health care centers from providing services to certain immigrants with Medi-Cal starting next year. County clinics won’t see patients who Medi-Cal determines have “unsatisfactory immigration status” including undocumented individuals, most people with temporary status, and those with Deferred Action or Deferred Enforced Departure, according to the county.…
Three oil rigs. Five felony counts. More than a dozen misdemeanor violations. The Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office joined the list of agencies Sable Offshore is under fire from in courtroom settings after filing criminal charges against the Texas-based oil company on Sept. 18. Each of the 21 separate criminal counts are centered on…
Left untouched since 2015, the rules that govern vacation rentals in Solvang are overdue for a makeover, according to the City Council. In August, the council directed staff to research two separate policy amendments for elected officials to consider moving forward with. One option bans short-term rental use anywhere outside of Solvang’s downtown village district,…
• On Sept. 17, U.S. Sens. Alex Padilla (D-California), Mark R. Warner (D-Virginia), Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland), Chuck Schumer (D-New York), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Maryland), and Tim Kaine (D-Virginia) introduced the Protect America’s Workforce Act. According to Padilla’s office, the bill would repeal two executive orders, while restoring collective bargaining rights and workplace…
In the grand scheme of Santa Barbara Humane’s century-long history, the nonprofit’s five-year presence in Santa Maria feels as fresh as a newborn pup. The animal welfare agency’s paw prints on the area recently caught the attention of the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce, which picked Santa Barbara Humane as its nonprofit of the…
Does the county have any control over the federal government? What about the state? No. That’s the answer I’m going to go with. What have we done as a state? We’ve banned Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents from conducting their business at state courthouses—as in, arresting people. According to CalMatters, officers are doing it regardless.…
I got to know the late Harold Miossi shortly after settling here after finishing grad school at Cal in 1976. I had the privilege of enjoying his occasional company until his death in 2006. Harold’s name graces two fine concert venues—the PAC at Cal Poly and the CPAC at Cuesta College—as well as the city’s…
So, what do you call this thing that is now America? Gangs of uniformed thugs with hidden faces roam city streets picking on random minorities and disappearing them in violation of long-established law and their civil rights. Colleges pressured to indoctrinate students in only right-wing thought. Cuts to anything that might even resemble reason or…
Growing up in Santa Barbara, Patti Jacquemain spent a lot of her time drawing and riding horses. She lived on a lemon ranch and said she always deeply cared for the wildlife and wild places that she saw on horseback. The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History also had a big impact on her childhood.…
Families and artists are invited to the annual Orcutt Chalk Festival on Sept. 27 along Broadway Street from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Artists will transform the sidewalk and street into colorful artwork. The theme of this year’s festival is the Central Coast. Squares are available for artists to reserve online, and there are awards…
The 60th annual Chumash Intertribal Powwow celebrates the Indigenous cultures of tribes from the U.S. and Canada. Vendors will offer traditional food, arts, and crafts during the two-day powwow in Santa Ynez from Oct. 4 to 5. “We look forward to welcoming tribes from throughout North America to celebrate our heritage and culture,” the tribal…
Francis Lawrence (Constantine, I Am Legend, Water for Elephants, four of the five The Hunger Games films) directs JT Mollner’s script based on the Stephen King 1979 dystopian thriller novel of the same name about a group of 50 teenage boys, each from a different state, competing to see who can walk the farthest. The…
I’ve been a fan of the Alien franchise since director Ridley Scott’s 1979 original. The claustrophobia, the paranoia, the disorientation of space travel, and the feeling that these space travelers are mere pawns for maniacal corporate interests have made the franchise fertile ground for sequels and prequels. Sure, it’s gone off the crossover rails a…
Cherry (Olivia Cooke) is rich boy Daniel’s (Laurie Davidson) new sexpot girlfriend, and to say his mother, Laura (Robin Wright), is suspicious is quite the understatement. Cherry seems to have expensive tastes, and Laura is sure she’s wooing her precious baby boy to gain his wealth. The Girlfriend What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2025 Where’s…
Ray Williams looks forward to celebrating the old days every year. He’s from Los Alamos, and that’s where he raised his children, who also get excited for the town’s annual weekend-long celebration. “Saturday night for me is always the fun one,” he said, referring to the night of live music and cook-your-own-steak dinners. Back on…
