When he stood in front of a packed house on April 2, Andy Patel was honest about his initial misgivings in allowing H-2A farmworkers to live at the De Ville Motel on Broadway, which he owns and operates. “I was quite reticent and very hesitant about having them there,” Patel told members of the Santa […]
CHRIS MCGUINNES
Posted inNews
Grand jury had raised concerns about site of fatal crash
The intersection where an 83-year-old Santa Maria woman died in a crash on April 4 was the subject of a grand jury investigation five years ago. In its 2014 report, members of the Santa Barbara County grand jury raised a number of safety concerns about the intersection of Union Valley Parkway and California Boulevard in […]
Posted inNews
Lompoc to use state, county funds to help aging roads
The city of Lompoc will receive millions of dollars from state and county revenue sources to help fix and maintain its roads, but officials say its not nearly enough to truly tackle the expensive maintenance costs for the city’s streets. At an April 2 regular meeting, members of the Lompoc City Council voted unanimously to […]
Posted inNews
County changes local vendor preference policy
A divided Board of Supervisors approved a change to a 14-year-old policy that gave preference to local business that bid on contracts to provide supplies, equipment, and other tangible goods to Santa Barbara County. Supervisors voted 3-2 at a Feb. 12 meeting to amend the county’s local vendor preference policy in a move that […]
Posted inNews
SBCC ignored student’s complaints of sexual harassment, lawsuit alleges
A former Santa Barbara City College student is claiming that the school’s faculty and administrators failed to properly investigate her complaints of sexual harassment at the hands of a fellow student. In her lawsuit against the college, the student, Santa Ynez resident Christian Dungey, claimed that the college failed to take the appropriate […]
Posted inNews
Lompoc to allow residents to keep chickens as pets
The chickens have finally come home to roost in Lompoc, and some of the city’s residents couldn’t be happier. After more than three years of debate and wrangling, the Lompoc City Council voted to amend a municipal ordinance to allow residents to keep chickens and other small animals as pets. The item was […]
Posted inNews
Supervisors mull changes to local vendor bid policy
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors is mulling a proposal to amend the county’s local vendor preference policy. The policy, which has been in place for nearly 14 years, allows the county to take higher bids for tangible goods if the vendor is local. According to county staff, the proposed amendment would not end […]
Posted inNews
Plains All American pitches an oil pipeline replacement project; environmental groups promise to oppose it
As Plains All American Pipeline prepares to make the case for its proposal to replace more than 100 miles of oil pipeline across three counties, environmental groups are gearing up to fight against its approval. If approved, the project would allow the company to replace 123 miles of existing pipeline through SLO, Santa Barbara, and […]
Posted inNews
Pedal power?
“I’ve tried to ride my bicycle occasionally on Broadway and Main Street, and you take your life in your own hands if you try that.” Santa Maria City Councilmember Michael Moates was only half joking when he made the comment at a Jan. 15 council meeting. The two roads—which, in reality, are both sections of […]
Posted inNews
City and county were aware of mudslide risks, lawsuit states
Amid a flurry of litigation connected to the Thomas Fire and the deadly Montecito mudslides that followed in its wake, Southern California Edison is pointing the finger at the county of Santa Barbara, city of Santa Barbara, and other government agencies claiming they’d long been aware of the potential for deadly debris flows in the […]
Posted inNews
Oceano neighborhood ‘in shock’ over homicide
As the SLO County Sheriff’s Office continued to investigate the homicide of 90-year-old Larry Bross, friends and neighbors of the well-known community activist are still reeling from the news of his death. “The whole neighborhood is in shock and sorrow and misses him deeply,” Nell Langford, who owns a vacation home on the same street […]
Posted inNews
Tech at Northern Branch Jail will allow inmates to appear in court remotely
The long-awaited Northern Branch Jail in Santa Maria won’t just feature new facilities for Santa Barbara County inmates, but new technology that officials claim will improve safety and cut down on transportation costs. Plans for the 376-bed, $110.8 million facility will include audio and video conferencing technology that will allow inmates to meet with […]