Receipts for fixing leaky pipes and installing lights are at the heart of the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s investigation into Lompoc Councilmember Steve Bridge’s invoices. In late 2025, Bridge was arraigned in Santa Maria Superior Court for eight felony counts, including forgery, identity theft, grand theft, and fraudulent use of a contractor’s license. A […]
Caleb Wiseblood
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Political Watch: April 2, 2026
•U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California) issued a statement on March 27 after the Senate passed funding for all elements of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) except for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) border security operations. “For months, we’ve been clear: no blank checks for Trump’s lawless ICE and […]
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Some of the Sun’s earliest story subjects are still making headlines
Within its first year of publication, the Sun shined a light on local issues, leaders, and lore that continue to make headlines 26 years later. Santa Maria’s desire to make its downtown core more walkable and attractive to pedestrians, for example, graced the cover of the Sun’s premiere issue, which hit stands on March 31, 2000. Today, […]
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Solvang debates perceived conflicts about a new phone app
Before stepping out of the Solvang City Council’s March 23 meeting, Mayor David Brown playfully handed his gavel to Councilmember Louise Smith. “We’re going to need it,” Smith joked, followed by some laughs on the dais, including from Brown. As the council’s mayor pro tem, Smith didn’t resort to gavel-slamming at the hearing—which Brown recused […]
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California sues Trump administration over Santa Ynez Unit restart
On March 23, California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Energy for ordering a restart of oil operations at the Santa Ynez Unit. “In a breathtaking power grab,” Bonta stated, “the federal executive branch has asserted that [it] may preempt and supersede all state laws governing hazardous pipelines … […]
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Political Watch: March 26, 2026
•On March 23, U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) announced that he secured new federal funding for multiple Santa Barbara County-based projects, including $1.2 million for a fire station expansion in Santa Maria, and $850,000 for the county to help rebuild the Lompoc Animal Shelter. “This funding will strengthen the essential services and shared spaces […]
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Guadalupe’s Early Learning Center starts strong with ADA swings, a school garden, and more
In February, a U.S. senator ventured to Guadalupe to see firsthand how $1.9 million in federal funds helped bring the town “a much overdue community asset,” as the local superintendent described it. Guadalupe Union School District Superintendent Emilio Handall escorted U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-California) during a tour of the Early Learning Center—the city’s new […]
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Empty seat: Board of Supervisors’ 5th District candidates race toward June’s primary election
With 2026 marking Santa Barbara County Supervisor Steve Lavagnino’s last year in the role, his chief of staff, Cory Bantilan, threw his hat into the ring to take the soon-to-be vacant 5th District seat, along with two others: Santa Maria City Councilmember Maribel Aguilera and Santa Maria-Bonita School District board member Ricardo Valencia. All three […]
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Trump administration resurrects Las Flores oil pipeline
On March 14, Sable Offshore Oil Corp. began transporting oil produced at the Santa Ynez Unit through the Las Flores pipeline system, which ruptured in 2015 and spilled more than 100,000 gallons of crude oil in Refugio, to Pentland Station in Kern County. According to U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, a new executive order […]
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Buellton moves motel conversion rules forward
Restricting long-term housing at motel properties along the Avenue of Flags would help maximize Buellton’s efforts in revitalizing the corridor, according to city staff. In local attorney Mack Carlson’s eyes, the proposed ordinance amounts to “gentrification by policy,” he said during the Buellton City Council’s March 12 meeting. “Let’s be clear about the decision before […]
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Political Watch: March 19, 2026
• On March 10, Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Buellton Mayor David Silva to the California Air Resources Board (CARB), which consists of 16 members. Silva, who currently serves on the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District’s board, said he’s “so excited to be able to serve on CARB and bring a local air pollution […]
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Justice delayed: Jury finds a Georgia man guilty of a Santa Maria resident’s murder 37 years later
On a trip from California to Georgia in 2024, Julia Tatarian brought a photo of a woman she knew a lot about but had never met. It was a portrait of Ofelia Sandoval, who was found dead at age 30 in her Santa Maria residence on Sept. 18, 1988. Authorities ruled her death a homicide […]
