The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors is now accepting applications from residents interested in serving on the newly created spay/neuter task force, established to make recommendations to the board concerning the countywide spay/ neuter ordinance discussed earlier this year. Applicants must be residents of Santa Barbara County who are 18 years old or older. […]
AMY ASMAN
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Santa Barbara County cracks down on jury service no-shows
Contemplating skipping out on jury duty? Beware: The Santa Barbara County Superior Court recently implemented a tougher program, penalizing people who willfully fail to appear for jury duty. The program is designed to systematically track down county residents who don’t respond to their jury duty summonses and to enforce state-approved penalties, including fines or even […]
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Pending highway construction requires Measure A funds, SBCAG says
On July 17, the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) was reminded that timely completion of three big highway construction projects in Northern Santa Barbara County depends on the passage of Measure A in November. SBCAG board members were told at the meeting in Santa Maria that county staff was making “steady progress” on […]
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Nowhere to go
Rising foreclosures don’t just leave humans homeless
Over the last dozen months, the soaring rate of home foreclosures has had a crippling effect on the lives of tens of thousands of Americans. Families have been forced out of their homes, men and women have lost their jobs, and bank accounts have shrunk considerably. Humans, however, aren’t the only ones suffering from the […]
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Money to burn
Santa Barbara County has seen its largest recent fire contained, but what about the costs?
On the afternoon of July 1, Goleta residents Elaine and Jerry Smith were about to leave for a concert and picnic on the beach. They had just listened to a small blurb on the news about a fire burning in the hills above town, but didn’t give it much thought. “We knew that the fire […]
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Farewell to the fair
As festivities came to a close at the Santa Barbara County Fair on July 13, the Santa Maria Fairpark released a statement reporting that the fair welcomed almost 115,400 people during its five-day run, July 9 to 13. Attendance was slightly down this year (about 4.5 percent), fair CEO Dennis Person said in the release, […]
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County supervisors extend SMOOTH for Ag Van program, consider future funding options
On July 8, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1, with 3rd District Supervisor Brooks Firestone dissenting, to extend an agreement with the Santa Maria Organization of Transportation Helpers (SMOOTH) to continue running the Agricultural Worker Transportation Project in the Santa Maria Valley area through June of 2010. Based on the success of […]
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California legislators reject Bush’s lift of offshore drilling ban
On July 14, President George W. Bush lifted a nearly two decade-long executive ban on drilling for oil and natural gas off the country’s shoreline, thus challenging Congress to allow exploration for domestic energy sources to ease climbing energy prices. Democrats in Congress and environmentalists, however, have criticized the step as a political stunt, and […]
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Santa Barbara County Planning Commission pushes forward Naples development
After years of controversy and scrutiny, the Santa Barbara Ranch Project, dubbed the Naples Project, came one step closer to reality on July 10. The Santa Barbara County Planning Commission accepted the development’s final Environmental Impact Report. Located on the Gaviota Coast two miles northwest of Goleta, the Naples townsite has been the focus of […]
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Dangerous heat
Record high temperatures drive cities and the state to educate people about the seriousness of heat-related illnesses
On July 11, family members and friends held a funeral service at St. Louis de Montfort Catholic Church in Orcutt, honoring the life of 64-year-old Jose Macarena Hernandez. Hernandez died during last month’s record-breaking heat wave while harvesting butternut squash on a farm in Santa Maria, United Farm Workers of America reported. His death—along with […]
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County challenges residents to reduce water use by 20 gallons per day
With drought warnings and fires plaguing the state, right now seems like the perfect time to begin the “Santa Barbara Countywide 20-Gallon Challenge.” Beginning this month, the Santa Barbara County Water Agency is teaming up with cities and special districts throughout the county to challenge residents to reduce their normal water-use levels by 20 gallons […]
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Santa Maria City Council denies construction of affordable housing project
It was industrial versus residential property at the Santa Maria City Council meeting on July 1, when council members voted 4-1, with Councilwoman Hilda Zacarias dissenting, against the construction of an affordable housing project in a vacant, 2.3-acre lot near Bradley Court in Santa Maria. For two hours, the council reviewed a staff report on […]