Many public speakers who appealed to the Santa Maria Planning Commission to green-light new protections for senior mobile home parks identified themselves as tenants of the facilities that would be impacted. But jurisdictional lines didn’t stop one Orcutt resident from voicing her support for the zoning overlay, during the commission’s first meeting of July. “I […]
Caleb Wiseblood
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County Planning Commission cleans up ‘discrepancy’ in oil well ban
Members of the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission recently revisited some language tied to the proposed ban on drilling new oil and gas wells due to a staff oversight. “In April, we should have identified this amendment,” County Long Range Planning Division Manager Alex Tuttle said at the commission’s July 1 meeting. While the commission […]
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Political Watch: July 8, 2026
•Authored by State Sen. John Laird (D-Santa Cruz), Senate Bill 963 passed the California Legislature on July 2, which advanced the proposed legislation to Gov. Gavin Newsom for his consideration. If signed, SB 963 will require the California Coastal Commission to provide permit applicants with a complete list of any additional information needed within 30 […]
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Board of Supervisors sides with arbitrator in Del Cielo rent dispute
While alleging that a third-party mediator abused his authority, a local mobile home park owner appealed to the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors to overturn the ruling in an arbitration case. Following an eight-hour, in-person hearing in early 2026 and opportunities for written rebuttal, arbitrator John Derrick deemed $24 as an appropriate rent increase […]
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Buellton boosts wastewater fees for homeowners
No matter how often any given Buellton resident flushes their toilet, the monthly, fixed sewer rate for a single-family home increased by 95 percent between fiscal years 2025 and 2026—from a flat fee of $30.45 to $58.96. July 1 marked the beginning of the next chapter in Buellton’s five-year plan to improve its wastewater reserve […]
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Political Watch: July 2, 2026
•U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-California) recently secured $375,000 and $1 million in federal investments for the city of Lompoc and the city of Atascadero, respectively. Both investments support local emergency preparedness projects designed to protect against the threat of wildfires and prepare for other natural disasters. While the Lompoc funds will go toward the installation […]
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Central Coast Cactus and Succulent Society holds 18th annual showcase and fundraiser
Plant aheadVisit centralcoastcactus.org for more info on the Central Coast Cactus and Succulent Society. The nonprofit’s 18th annual show and sale will take place at Nipomo High School on Saturday, July 18, and Sunday, July 19, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., respectively. Nipomo High School is located at […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
From the Sunset Strip to Old Town Orcutt, Faultline keeps moving and grooving
When the opportunity arose for five Central Coast rockers to perform at Los Angeles’ Whisky a Go Go earlier this year, sound check fell just a few weeks after the band’s youngest member celebrated her 21st birthday. Orcutt local Milania Jubilee was 20 when she became Faultline’s lead vocalist in 2025, after wowing her bandmates—four […]
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Local musician and piano instructor selected for Carnegie Hall performance
Prolific pianist and Allan Hancock College faculty member Adea Badivuku is joining one of her longtime collaborators for a July 8 performance at Carnegie Hall in New York. Earlier this year, Badivuku and Santa Barbara-based violinist and composer Deniz Caglarcan performed as a duo at New York’s Golden Classical Music Awards Competition, where they won […]
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Santa Maria Philharmonic Society presents intimate concert with Suri Kim
As part of its next Music at the Library program, the Santa Maria Philharmonic Society will present an intimate afternoon of music performed by featured artist Suri Kim, on Saturday, Aug. 1, at 3 p.m., at Shepherd Hall in the Santa Maria Public Library. Admission to the concert is free. The Music at the Library […]
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County lawsuit ends with $1.2 million penalty for Foods Co. parent company
Questionable and inconsistent calorie counts on some food products’ packaging were at the heart of a multi-year civil suit filed in Santa Barbara County Superior Court. That suit concluded in early June when Judge Thomas Anderle ordered the Kroger Company, which owns Foods Co. stores in Lompoc and Santa Maria, to pay $1.25 million in […]
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Solvang discusses copyright protections for city assets
Over the past four months, conversations surrounding Solvang Mayor David Brown’s tourism app—an independent business venture not affiliated with the city—warranted his recusals from several public hearings. His latest departure from the dais was during the Solvang City Council’s June 22 meeting, when his peers took part in a discussion about increasing copyright protections for […]
