Californians took to the polls on Nov. 8 to vote on 17 initiatives, deciding on proposed laws ranging from recreational marijuana use to the death penalty to a plastic bag ban. It was the fullest ballot California voters had faced in 16 years, and the results were diverse. The state saw nearly 10 million ballots […]
BRENNA SWANSTON
Posted inFood & Drink
Back to basics: After four decades in Los Alamos, Charlie’s isn’t missing a beat
It started as a dream. No, really—I dreamed that I was at a taqueria with my roommate, attempting (but pretty much failing) to order a burrito in Spanish. I wanted a chicken burrito with a lime on the side, and I couldn’t for the life of me remember the Spanish word for “lime” (which as […]
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Lawsuit aims to protect condors from oil drilling in Los Padres
California condors have endured a tumultuous relationship with their human neighbors, to say the least. Early settlers in the West would kill or capture the birds, take their eggs, and diminish the supply of their usual prey. Killing condors was made illegal nearly a century ago, but that hasn’t stopped people from disturbing them—condors suffered […]
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County supervisors deny Pacific Coast Energy’s request for new oil wells
The county Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 to deny an appeal by Pacific Coast Energy Company to add 88 new cyclic steaming wells to the company’s oil drilling project on Orcutt Hill. Steve Lavagnino, 5th District supervisor, called the Nov. 1 decision a “sad day for Santa Barbara County,” and essentially a “drilling moratorium” for […]
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Foodbank of Santa Barbara County needs help with Holiday Food Drive
Thanksgiving brings a few themes to mind: family, turkey, changing leaves, pumpkin pie, stretchy pants, and food comas, to name a few. But for the food insecure in Santa Barbara County, the holiday doesn’t guarantee those things. It could just be another day of hunger. That’s exactly what the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County aims […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Boba, cha cha cha: Cha 101 is the Taiwanese tea shop Santa Maria’s been waiting for
There’s a lot more to boba than meets the eye. Annie Greene, co-owner of Cha 101 in Santa Maria, taught me this. There’s a reason flavors and textures vary so widely among boba establishments—why some places’ boba is more solid than squishy, and why some milk teas come off as strikingly and nauseatingly sweet. And […]
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What a school wants: Everything you need to know about the school bond measures you’ll vote on this November
Show up at a polling place in Santa Barbara County on Nov. 8, and you’ll be slapped with myriad choices to make: Should recreational marijuana be legal? What about large-capacity ammunition magazines? No more death penalty, or a quicker path to one? You’ll also decide on issues that haven’t popped up in your Facebook feed […]
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Oil and water: Venoco Inc. pursuing adjusted lease to extract more oil offshore of Goleta
Venoco Inc. is attempting to adjust the lease boundary for its oil drilling operations in the South Ellwood Oil Field, about 2 miles offshore of Goleta. The proposed project is meeting resistance from local conservationists and some Goleta city officials, who argue that the company’s facilities are outdated and the oil drilling practices endanger the […]
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Pacific Coast Energy Company appeals denial of cyclic steaming project expansion, bringing issue to Santa Barbara County supervisors
Appealing a denial from the county Planning Commission in July, the Pacific Coast Energy Company (PCEC) has brought its Orcutt Hill oil drilling project proposal back to the table with the Board of Supervisors. Originally, PCEC requested to add 96 new cyclic steaming wells to its project on Orcutt Hill, in addition to the 96 […]
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State aims to restrict pesticide use near schools
Jimenez Elementary School sits nestled among acres of farmland in Santa Maria, separated from neighboring fields by only a stretch of road. For the hundreds of school children in attendance there, not much stands between them and potentially harmful pesticides, drifting from nearby crops. But come September 2017, that might change. The California Department of […]
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Undocumented immigrants in custody granted due process in California
Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law on Sept. 28 the Transparent Review of Unjust Transfers and Holds (TRUTH) Act, which aims to provide transparency on immigration law enforcement. The TRUTH Act applies to individuals in custody regarding civil immigration violations. Locally, the Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy estimates more than 110,000 undocumented […]
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Chumash and Santa Barbara County push forward toward Camp 4 agreement
The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians met with the Santa Barbara County Ad Hoc Subcommittee for the ninth time on Oct. 21 to negotiate the terms for Camp 4, a 1,400-acre parcel of land the tribe aims to make part of its reservation and use as tribal member housing. While previous meetings were stagnant […]