A Lompoc woman is accusing the Laguna County Sanitation District in Santa Maria of denying her a job because she is a woman, according to a lawsuit filed in Santa Barbara County Superior Court on April 28. In the civil complaint filed in Santa Maria’s Cook Division, Bethann Swiderski accuses Santa Barbara County of violating […]
DAVID MINSKY
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Vandenberg protester Dennis Apel sentenced to four months in jail
A Santa Barbara federal judge sentenced Dennis Apel to four months in jail on April 21 for a trespassing conviction he received in August 2015 at Vandenberg Air Force Base. Apel was arrested and cited by Vandenberg security after crossing the green line at the entrance to the base during a demonstration protesting the atomic […]
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Spotlight on: Santa Maria Hot Dogs
Guillermo Chavez, co-owner
What do hot dogs and free enterprise have in common? America, where you can have both. And there’s nothing that screams America more than a hot dog stand, which is what Guillermo Chavez and his two brothers, Mauricio and Emidio, have started as a small business. April 25 was the first day of business for […]
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Amid negotiations, public high school teachers in Santa Maria are one step away from striking
Nearly 100 educators from the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District (SMJUHSD) gathered on the front lawn of the district headquarters during the late afternoon of April 12, shortly before the district’s board meeting. All of them were from the SMJUHSD Faculty Association, which represents educators from all four of the district’s high schools. […]
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Lompoc will consider a drone ordinance
The city of Lompoc is considering a drone ordinance following a citizen complaint at the April 19 City Council meeting, according to Mayor Bob Lingl. Drones are unmanned aerial vehicles that often have cameras attached, used to record footage from a bird’s-eye view. At the meeting, resident Dave Marston accused a neighbor of violating his […]
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Spotlight on: Talley Farms Fresh Harvest
Andrea Chavez, manager
Talley Farms is known for shipping wholesale crops across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Particularly bell peppers, of which the company can expect to ship up to 12,000 boxes per day at peak season, according to Andrea Chavez, manager of Talley Farm’s Fresh Harvest program. But did you know they also sell directly to […]
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Santa Maria Joint Union High School District approves student voter registration proposal
On April 12, the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District unanimously approved a proposal that makes the voter registration process easier for high school seniors. According to AB 30, a bill passed in 2009, 17-year-olds can pre-register to vote as long as they turn 18 before the next election. Under the new proposal, teachers […]
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SLO Coastkeeper drops water quality lawsuit against Santa Maria
On April 14, nonprofit San Luis Obispo Coastkeeper dropped its lawsuit against Santa Maria challenging the city’s management of storm-water drainage from its landfill. SLO Coastkeeper sued Santa Maria in federal court on Nov. 4, 2015, alleging the city’s discharge permit wasn’t adequate to prevent rainwater from carrying pollution from the landfill into nearby streams. […]
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Lawsuit alleges police illegally entered the home of a Lompoc woman
A woman in Lompoc is suing the Lompoc Police Department (LPD) after she said officers entered her home illegally, according to a lawsuit filed in Santa Barbara County Superior Court on April 8. The lawsuit, which was filed in Santa Maria’s Cook Division, stems from an incident on April 9, 2014, when Jari Blake said […]
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Cycle of uncertainty: ICE worksite inspections in the Santa Maria Valley disrupt farmers and laborers and put a fragile economy at risk
It was after 5 p.m., a time for dinner and recreation. Families began their evening routines, and somewhere nearby, someone could be heard practicing a tuba. On the west side of Santa Maria, Amale and Jose, two Latino undocumented migrant farm laborers, have finished work for the day and just arrived home to their apartment. […]
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Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes facing closure for the next 15 years
Surf Beach isn’t the only public beach access along the Central Coast that’s facing closure. Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes National Wildlife Refuge could be closed when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) completes its comprehensive conservation plan, which will dictate management of the refuge for the next 15 years, according to Michael Brady, who’s leading the […]
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Plans soured for Libertine’s Brewing Company’s Santa Maria tasting room
The Santa Maria Planning Commission deadlocked, voting 2-2, on allowing a proposed tasting room at Libertine Brewing Company’s new facility during a meeting on April 6. Owner Tyler Clark recently acquired warehouse space at 2325 A Street in the southwest portion of the city, just slightly north of the Santa Maria Airport. Libertine would make […]
