By trying to make the city’s architectural review process more consistent, the Solvang City Council created a real headache for themselves, according to Mayor Pro Tem Robert Clarke. “All we’re trying to do is streamline things and make it easier for people to get things done in this town … and we’ve stepped on the […]
Camillia Lanham
Posted inFood & Drink
Santa Maria’s new Thai spot serves up perfectly seasoned, complex food with an authentic twist
Sonya Ela keeps her pad thai recipe close to her chest. So close, in fact, that she hasn’t taught her chefs at Baan Thai how to make it yet—and probably never will. Ela comes in an hour before everyone else does to make the special sauce. Her restaurant off South Broadway in Santa Maria has […]
Posted inNews
Central Coast economy still growing, but labor issues could hinder it long term
Skilled workers are getting harder to come by on the Central Coast, according to Mike Miller of Papich Construction, and it’s affecting how quickly the company can complete transportation infrastructure projects. Miller spoke up at the end of the end of the 2020 Economic Forecast hosted by the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce and […]
Posted inNews
District 3 supervisors’ race fundraising tops $550,000
After spending more than $1.3 million in their 2016 bids for Santa Barbara County’s 3rd District seat, Joan Hartmann and Bruce Porter have collectively raised more than $558,000 in the 2020 race for the same spot on the Board of Supervisors. Although there are four candidates on the ballot, neither Karen Jones nor Jessica Alvarez […]
Posted inNews
The Santa Maria Fire Department is getting more staff and a new engine thanks to 1-cent sales tax
Santa Maria has grown by 30,000 people since 2000, and it’s still growing. In 2018 and 2019, the city issued building permits for more than 500 housing units, city Public Information Officer Mark van de Kamp said. Keeping up with the public safety needs that come along with an increased population has been a challenge, […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Kalyra Winery reopens a year after a freak winter storm took out its Santa Ynez tasting room
Half deck, half tasting room, Kalyra Winery’s thin, long building overlooks the Santa Ynez Valley. The walls smell faintly of fresh paint, but the venue is hopping on Feb. 1. The walls smell faintly of fresh paint, but the venue is hopping on Feb. 1. Every table is full, and there isn’t space at the […]
Posted inNews
Guadalupe to meet housing needs and keep on building
The city of Guadalupe is on track to exceed its housing goals set by the state through 2027. Contract Planning Director Larry Appel said this could be due to the small number of units the city was given. According to Guadalupe’s 2019-27 Housing Element, the city needs to add 50 housing units total—less than half […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Riverbench Winery and God’s Country Provisions team up on doughnut and wine tasting
This is way more doughnut than I bargained for. Four full-sized doughnuts are placed in front of me. Blueberry, apple, vanilla, and chocolate cake. Each is iced in frosting infused with the wine it will be paired with. Riverbench 2017 Bedrock Chardonnay pours into an etched wine glass. I gently tear the Blueberry Chardonnay Cake […]
Posted inFood & Drink
A Christmas tradition that starts in the kitchen
“Seriously?” I exclaim under my breath. Exasperated, I realize now—after what feels like my millionth trip to the grocery store this weekend—that I don’t have any baking soda. It’s an essential for making Nestle’s chocolate chip cookies. And so was the granulated sugar that I had just brought back from the grocery store five minutes […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Happy anniversary: Naughty Oak turns 3
Celebrate Naughty Oak Brewing Co.’s third anniversary on Saturday, Dec. 14, from 4 to 10 p.m. I know! I can’t believe it either. This squirrelly little brewery that throws sweet block parties with music and a food truck is turning 3 years old already! I remember when they were just a little nut brown ale. […]
Posted inNews
Newsom’s new oil policies could affect Orcutt Oil Field
The state’s temporary moratorium on new permits for oil wells that use high-pressure extraction methods might affect any future production expansion plans for the Orcutt Oil Field, and it lays the groundwork for more stringent regulations to come. There are essentially three parts to an announcement made by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration through the Department […]
Posted inNews
Don’t like the NRA but love the Second Amendment and liberal ideals? There’s a club for that
Depressing the trigger, kickback hammers my body as the bullet exits the barrel. The polished wooden stock jams into the part of my shoulder where it’s nestled, rocking me back as I open my closed eye, hoping to catch a glimpse of what I hit more than 300 yards away. There isn’t a dust cloud, […]
