For the second time in six years, Lompoc is asking voters to choose between Jim Mosby and Jeremy Ball. The two City Council incumbents previously squared off in 2020 for the 4th District seat, which Ball won. Mosby’s successful run for mayor against Jenelle Osborne in 2024 put him back on the dais—where he’s served…
Two Flock Safety drones launching from the roof of the Lompoc Police Department have been responding to emergencies in the city since August. The extra eyes in the air help officers locate subjects and navigate difficult terrain within a 3-mile radius of the station. “I think it’s been helpful in multiple cases,” Community Services Sgt.…
A resolution to acknowledge National Immigrants Day hit the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors’ desk nearly 24 hours to the minute after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained a father of five in Santa Maria. “While dropping his daughter off at Allan Hancock College, he was taken into ICE custody. The circumstances of his…
Amid early October’s heat wave, excavation work at Mud Lake—one of Orcutt’s designated stormwater basins—remained ongoing, in preparation for a potentially much different forecast this winter. “We’re doing a massive earthwork project where we’re excavating the Mud Lake basin to improve its capacity,” Santa Barbara County Flood Control and Water Resources Director Matt Griffin said…
•Gov. Gavin Newsom approved Assembly Bill 1448—authored by Assemblymember Gregg Hart (D-Santa Barbara)—on Sept. 29. This legislation prohibits the use of existing oil infrastructure in state waters to support new offshore oil drilling in federal waters. Hart’s office described the bill as the product of two years of collaboration with community stakeholders and statewide ocean…
Upon opening her new hat shop in September, Flame Kissed founder Natascha Ruiz installed a curtain to cover a vacant door frame that leads to the venue’s storage room. Ruiz felt giggly about repurposing that curtain, leaving it as an inside joke for those familiar with the Los Olivos video store that once graced 2922…
Worst-case scenario for Lompoc in November’s election? For 4th District City Councilmember Jeremy Ball, it’s that he and Mayor Jim Mosby simply switch seats. Like musical chairs, Ball would get voted in as mayor and Mosby would get appointed to fill the remainder of the 4th District term. How would that be any different than…
The United Nations hosted its 2026 General Assembly and Debate in Manhattan from September 22 to 28. At the assembly, President Trump addressed the nations and peoples of the world and made this remarkable comment concerning the U.S. war with Iran in his speech: “But I have a big decision to make. Will a deal…
While Jim Crouch (see the Sept. 19 LA Times article on oak tree preservation) has dedicated himself to planting oak trees to help the environment, San Luis Obispo County is going in the opposite direction. The county supervisors approved the “Dana Reserve,” a proposed massive development in Nipomo where there are plans to destroy 3,000-plus…
The Fossemalle familyTap right into Fossemalle Dance Studio, located at 3595 Numancia St. in Santa Ynez. Call (805) 688-8494 for information about dance classes or visit fossemalledancestudio.com. Sarah Longoria has spent much of her life in a dance studio. Growing up in Solvang, she remembers putting on a pink petal-sleeved leotard for the first time…
A half-boy, half-bat creature is the star of the latest community theater production in Santa Maria. Bat Boy: The Musical hits the Santa Maria Civic Theatre stage on Oct. 9. The cult classic follows Bat Boy, who was found in a cave and taken in by a family in small-town West Virginia. “As he struggles…
Paul Collins, the primary author of a guide to Channel Island birds, is giving a lecture and signing copies of his book in Los Olivos on Oct. 14. Join the researcher at St. Mark’s in the Valley Episcopal Church from 7 to 8:30 p.m. for an evening of lively conversation about the avifauna Collins covered…
Alejandro G. Iñárritu (The Revenant, Biutiful, Babel, 21 Grams, Amores Perros) directs this black comedy satire he co-wrote with Sabina Berman, Alexander Dinelaris Jr., and Nicolás Giacobone based on a story he, Berman, and Jez Butterworth concocted about Digger Rockwell (Tom Cruise), a blowhard oil tycoon whose company unleashes a potentially world-destroying disaster in Greenland.…
East of EdenWhat’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2026 Where’s it showing? Netflix Directed by Garth Davis (episodes 1 to 4) and Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre (5 to 7) and written by Zoe Kazan (except episode 5, co-written with Alexander Chee), this sweeping multigenerational drama comes closest to capturing the full scope of John Steinbeck’s 1952 novel…
The Work in ProgressWhat’s it rated? Not rated When? 2026 Where’s it showing? The Palm Theatre in SLO on Sunday, Oct. 11, 4 p.m. Ian Cheney directs this documentary that spent six months traveling to various American cities to get 100 ordinary people, mostly 30- and 80-year-olds, to sit down and have civil conversations. They…
Verjus for you?To learn more about verjus and how to purchase a bottle made by Glasrose, visit glasrose.com. Follow along on Instagram @glasrosefarm for content about the founders’ sober lifestyle on the vineyard estate. Sara Hershkowitz and Max Hoetzel went on precisely one date before COVID-19 shut the world down. She was living in Germany,…
