The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted on June 6 to ban short-term rentals—or vacation rentals—from residential and most agricultural zones in unincorporated areas of the county starting in September 2018, effectively eliminating millions of transient occupancy tax (TOT) dollars per year from the county’s tax base. The 3-2 vote came just a week […]
BRENNA SWANSTON
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Solving summer hunger: Foodbank to host free lunch events for Santa Barbara County’s children
The Foodbank of Santa Barbara County will offer free lunches to kids this summer via its Picnic in the Parks program, which aims to compensate for free and reduced-price school lunches while school’s out for summer. The North County program will run at 10 park sites in Santa Maria and Orcutt on weekdays from June […]
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ICE sweeps include home raids in Santa Maria
President Donald Trump’s administration is making good on campaign promises to crack down on illegal immigration, resulting in sweeping deportation operations across the nation and hitting close to home in Santa Maria. Most recently, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested hundreds of undocumented immigrants in the greater Los Angeles area—an operation that impacted […]
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Santa Maria high schools consider ethnic and gender studies curriculum
The Santa Maria Joint Union High School District’s Ethnic and Gender Studies Committee will begin developing course curriculum true to the committee’s name during the 2017-18 school year, according to a press release from the district. District Superintendent Mark Richardson said in the release that the committee will create yearlong ethnic and gender studies courses […]
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Santa Ynez student admits to charges from April fight, school works to move forward
A Santa Ynez Valley Union High School (SYVUHS) freshman admitted to a felony charge of assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury, according to a press release from the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office. The student, 15, was issued the charge in juvenile court on April 7 following an April 4 fight […]
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Hancock student nets PG&E scholarship
Jenny Chiao, who has earned six associate degrees from Allan Hancock College, was recently awarded a $20,000 scholarship from PG&E to pursue higher education in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). More than 1,000 students applied for PG&E’s STEM scholarships, and Chiao was one of 20 students selected by the company for […]
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The Sun earns national awards
The Sun cleaned up in the 2017 National Newspaper Association’s Better Newspaper Editorial Contest, bringing home two first place awards, along with one in second place and two in third place. Arts and lifestyle writer Rebecca Rose reeled in both first and second place in the Best Humorous Column category for “Out of my dog […]
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Three arrested for attempted murder in Lompoc
The Lompoc Police Department arrested three men on May 28 in connection to a May 18 gang-related shooting, according to the department’s Sgt. Kevin Martin. The shooting occurred at the 1200 block of West College Avenue in Lompoc, where a victim was shot in the back and later treated and released, Martin told the Sun. […]
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Santa Maria gathers public input on reducing youth violence
Santa Maria Mayor Alice Patino’s task force on youth safety is kicking off a series of public forums this month, looking for community input on how to best curb violence among young city residents. Earlier this year, Santa Maria’s City Council approved the formation of a youth safety task force, in response to what Recreation […]
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Bill could exempt Chumash-owned land from taxes
A bill that would exempt the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians from paying property taxes on Camp 4 passed off the Assembly floor on June 1. The Chumash-sponsored Assembly Bill 653 “would exempt from taxation property owned in fee by a federally recognized Indian tribe if specified conditions are met,” including if the U.S. […]
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ICE arrests 10 in Santa Barbara County
U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) wrapped up a five-day Los Angeles-area operation on May 23. The operation netted 188 arrests, including 10 in Santa Barbara County—nine of which occurred in Santa Maria. Hazel Davalos, community organizing director for the Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE), said family members and friends of […]
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Dismantling a beast: Platform Holly faces the ‘expensive, complex, and lengthy’ process of ending an offshore oil operation
Venoco is bankrupt and Platform Holly platform’s on its way out the door, along with the platform’s 30 ocean floor wells in the South Ellwood oil field—and so far, the California State Lands Commission doesn’t know who will pay to end the operation. First, the commission must plug and abandon Platform Holly’s 30 wells and […]