A small crowd gathered in the Grossman Gallery at the Lompoc Public Library, where Lompoc City Councilmember Jim Mosby—donning a cowboy hat, jeans, boots, and a button-down over a T-shirt—stood at the front of the room. Before him, binders and stacks of government documents spread over a fold-out table. Mosby was about halfway through his […]
BRENNA SWANSTON
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Orcutt Union School District hikes teacher salaries, ending negotiations
Never say never—that’s what we’ve learned from the salary negotiations between Orcutt Union School District and the Orcutt Educators’ Association (OEA). After months of discussion, a seeming stalemate, and intervention from a state mediator, the district and OEA finally reached an agreement on April 13: The district will grant its faculty a 6 percent pay […]
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Santa Maria-Bonita School District hires superintendent
Santa Maria-Bonita School District (SMBSD) announced its selection of Luke Ontiveros as new superintendent on April 13, following a months-long search to fill the position. SMBSD Board President John Hollinshead told the Sun the board was most impressed with Ontiveros’ collaborative leadership style, which makes him receptive to suggestions from other administration and staff. “That’s […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Al Pho in Santa Maria gets you your Vietnamese fix
I’m going to kick off this review with full disclosure. When I stepped through Al Pho’s doors on a Thursday evening, I was in tears. It had taken me three attempts to get into their parking lot—each of which drew angry honks and rude hand gestures from surrounding drivers—because the “driveway” into the complex Al […]
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Orcutt educators and school district aim to work through salary negotiations impasse
It’s a California classic: Underpaid and underappreciated public school teachers are demanding a big raise from their district, whose board members swear they don’t have the money for it. The story has been rehashed by school districts up and down the golden coast—and now, Orcutt Union School District is doing its own rendition. Salary negotiations […]
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Farmworker housing in Nipomo burns down, arson suspected
UPDATE 4/13/16 The Mads Place development will no longer go forward as temporary farmworker housing, according to a news release from Mads Berry Farms owners Greg and Donna France. The Frances were purchasing the development to house workers for their strawberry farm, but following last week’s fire and a series of threats via comments on […]
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Fire destroys farmworker housing structure in Nipomo
A Nipomo house fire last night destroyed an unfinished structure intended for farmworker housing under H2A, a government program for temporary foreign farmworkers. The cause of fire is still under investigation, but Cal Fire said they suspect arson. Cal Fire said the incident was reported at 11:25 p.m. on Wednesday, April 6, and the […]
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Barring a miracle, Santa Barbara County will see its driest ever five-year period
During the winter months, the California drought duked it out with El Niño. The fight seemed interesting enough at first. The drought was the four-year defending champion of California’s climate. El Niño—a band of relatively warm ocean water that develops every few years on the central and east-central portion of the Pacific Equator, bringing heavier […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Pico at the Los Alamos General Store open for locally-sourced comfort food
It’s dinnertime. It’s Tuesday night. You’re out on the town in Los Alamos, with no plans, a few close friends, and a $50 bill in your wallet. You’ve got on your Clarks and some super funky striped socks. And you’ve put that tin of moustache wax to good use, so you’re lookin’ hip and clean […]
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Good’s caretaker sentenced to parole
Wanda Nelson, the caretaker convicted of involuntary manslaughter for the death of Solvang ALS patient Heidi Good, was sentenced on April 1 to five years’ parole. Nelson, 63, was on the job on March 25, 2013, when Good died after her breathing tube was disconnected and she was administered a toxic dose of medication. Nelson […]
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Longtime Santa Maria-Bonita School District board member resigns
Fidenzio Brunello has resigned halfway through his fifth term on the Board of Trustees for the Santa Maria-Bonita School District (SMBSD). The 14-year board member wrote in his resignation letter that he plans to spend more time with his family. “I have decided that, at this stage in my life, I would like to spend […]
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Santa Maria Elks: More than ‘an old men’s drinking society’
The Santa Maria Elks lodge has done a lot right in its 89-year history: It’s donated big bucks to local community programs, hosted delicious indoor barbecues, and racked up more than 3,000 members, making it the biggest Elks lodge in the state and fifth biggest in the nation. It has not, however, appointed a female […]