• On June 30, U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) introduced the Extreme Risk Protection Order Expansion Act—legislation to prevent people who are in crisis from accessing deadly weapons, according to Carbajal’s office. The bill would establish grants to support the implementation of extreme risk protection order (ERPO) laws, also known as “red flag” laws, […]
Caleb Wiseblood
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Local nonprofit buys livestock from ag students to help feed the food insecure
Hundreds of animals that have trotted across the Santa Maria Fairpark’s auction grounds over the past three years were raised by young participants of a local charity initiative. Elementary, middle, and high school students who take part in the annual Santa Barbara County Fair’s livestock exhibitions for 4-H, FFA, and Grange programs are eligible for […]
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Santa Maria postpones decisions on spending thresholds and three employment contracts
Proposed inflation adjustments and contract renewals raised red flags for Santa Maria City Council members, who spent most of their June 17 meeting dissecting the consent calendar. Councilmember Maribel Aguilera-Hernandez pulled one item, while Councilmember Gloria Flores pulled two. The council ultimately tabled their decisions on all three—each of which were related to city spending—until […]
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Political Watch: June 26, 2025
• State Sen. Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara), vice chair of the California Legislative Central Coast Caucus, was recently selected to serve as the 53rd president pro tempore of the California Senate. Assemblymember Dawn Addis (D-Morro Bay) and Assemblymember Gregg Hart (D-Santa Barbara), the co-chairs of the California Legislative Central Coast Caucus, issued statements on June […]
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Targeted tactics: Northern Santa Barbara County cities try to get a handle on illegal fireworks in the sky and on the ground
Whether the risk of being fined $1,000 discourages illegal fireworks use in Guadalupe or not, two longtime residents said they’re hoping to make the city feel like less of a “warzone” when July 4 rolls around by targeting offenders’ hearts rather than their wallets. “We sort of went with the approach that we appeal to […]
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Solvang renews Goleta Library partnership with $100,000 fee increase
For the past six years, the city of Goleta has operated, staffed, and furnished the Solvang Library thanks to a county decree. Prior to the summer of 2019, Santa Barbara County managed the facility before contracting with Goleta to take the helm of Solvang’s library and three others across the Santa Ynez Valley. The current […]
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Local advocacy groups respond to reported ICE activity in Santa Maria
Four months after leading an ICE protest outside of Santa Maria City Hall, 17-year-old Cesar Vasquez adorned a cap and gown a few blocks away at Santa Maria High School’s June 12 graduation ceremony Vasquez said it was difficult for him and some of his peers to enjoy the accomplishment because of recent reports about […]
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County Planning Commission recommends urban/rural boundary revision for Famcon’s Orcutt project
A rodeo arena, dog groomer, and trade school surround the rural 4-acre parcel where Famcon Pipe and Supply hopes to build a new Orcutt facility. Located outside of Santa Maria’s city limits near the Elks Event Center, the project’s proposed site raised “no objections from our immediate neighbors,” Famcon agent Gelare Macon told the Santa […]
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Political Watch: June 19, 2025
• On June 12, U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California) was forcibly removed from U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem’s press conference in Los Angeles, while “exercising his duty to perform congressional oversight in the federal government’s operations in Los Angeles and across California,” according to a statement from Padilla’s office. “[Padilla] tried to ask […]
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Veggie Rescue delivers fresh produce donations throughout Santa Barbara County
A side from dialing Veggie Rescue’s phone number, local growers don’t need to lift a finger to gift surplus food to community members in need of a helping hand. Based in Santa Ynez, Veggie Rescue travels via box truck to multiple farms and businesses across Santa Barbara County for pickups of excess fruits and vegetables […]
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Buellton reviews medical office plans for shuttered Parks Plaza theater
Three palm trees are part of a developer’s digital rendering for a proposed medical facility set for the spot where Buellton ironically almost got its first In-N-Out. Shuttered since 2020, the Parks Plaza movie theater was a city focal point in 2023 when the Buellton City Council overturned the Planning Commission’s decision to greenlight In-N-Out’s […]
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Political Watch: June 12, 2025
• U.S. Sens. Adam Schiff (D-California) and Alex Padilla (D-California) and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) signed a June 9 letter addressed to three federal departments regarding David Huerta, president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) California, who was arrested on June 6 during a confrontation at an ICE raid in Los […]
