Guadalupe is working to flesh out the finer details of its recently passed cannabis ordinance, and although that process might take slightly longer than initially expected, potential business owners could be able to apply for cannabis business permits before the summer’s end. On May 25, Guadalupe City Council adopted an ordinance allowing commercial cannabis […]
Kasey Bubnash
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Redistricting Commission criticized for recent appointment of Kevin Kaseff
Some conservatives are criticizing the Santa Barbara County Citizens Independent Redistricting Commission and the process it used to select a white Democrat to fill a recently vacated seat instead of a Latino Republican. At a meeting on June 2, the Redistricting Commission voted 8-2 to appoint Santa Ynez Valley resident Kevin Kaseff to represent District […]
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Court rejects request to revisit cannabis ordinance environmental impacts
A recent ruling in favor of a Santa Ynez Valley cannabis grow and Santa Barbara County rejected claims that the project is environmentally incompatible with neighboring farms, a decision that could foreshadow outcomes of similar lawsuits filed by the Santa Barbara County Coalition for Responsible Cannabis. On May 25, Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge […]
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Guadalupe considers allowance of commercial cannabis
Guadalupe could be the next Santa Barbara County city to allow the sale of recreational and medicinal cannabis, a move city staff say could help the city overcome its long-standing financial woes. At a meeting on May 18, the Guadalupe City Council considered a draft ordinance that would repeal the city’s current prohibitions of all […]
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Guadalupe plans to renovate and repurpose Royal Theater
Guadalupe is taking its first steps toward renovating the long vacant Royal Theater, a project that, despite a lengthy and uncertain road ahead, could result in the theater reopening for public use within the next several years. On April 16, Guadalupe released a request for proposals from development and design teams willing to restore the […]
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Santa Ynez cannabis grow agrees to regulate and study odor emissions
A recently approved cannabis cultivation project in the Santa Ynez Valley includes an odor testing and analysis plan that some are hailing as the gold standard for odor abatement in the local marijuana industry. At a meeting on May 4, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors approved plans for a roughly 30-acre cannabis farm […]
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Santa Barbara County launches mobile vaccination program
As demand for COVID-19 vaccinations slows, Santa Barbara County is partnering with willing local organizations and businesses to bring vaccines straight to community members in need. “To increase vaccine access, we have formed five mobile teams available to provide 50 to 300 Moderna vaccinations on-site at work sites, housing facilities, places of worship, warehouses, […]
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Planting-A-Seed and Lompoc have yet to come to agreement on riverbed cleanups
The city of Lompoc is still working to iron out an agreement with a local organization that wants to continue cleaning waste out of homeless camps in the Santa Ynez Riverbed but recently faced costly fees for doing so. Now the nonprofit status of the organization is in question. Planting-A-Seed is a self-described Lompoc-based nonprofit […]
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Natural Healing Center takes fight for Orcutt cannabis store to court
The Natural Healing Center (NHC) is disputing its exclusion from the final phase of Santa Barbara County’s cannabis retail storefront selection process, arguing that the county’s unfair scoring system led to lower than deserved marks for the local cannabis company. On March 10, NHC filed a petition in Santa Barbara County Superior Court disputing the […]
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Fourth commissioner resigns from Santa Barbara County Redistricting Commission
James “Chris” Hudley is the latest to step down from his post on Santa Barbara County’s Citizens Independent Redistricting Commission, marking the commission’s fourth resignation since mid-January. Hudley, a senior financial analyst at UC Santa Barbara, announced in a brief April 9 resignation letter that he’d accepted a new job and would soon move out […]
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‘Reimagining Resilience’ initiative aims to strengthen Cuyama economy
The birth and death of an oil boom, extreme drought, a dwindling water supply—the residents and businesses of the Cuyama Valley have seen it all. Those who have survived have done so through self-sufficiency, resiliency, and creativity, and those are the characteristics several Cuyama businesses and organizations are hoping to tap into through a new […]
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County to discuss 119-home development proposed for Orcutt
The Santa Barbara County Planning Commission is slated to consider a 119-home development proposed for the eastern edge of Orcutt this month, but neighbors have yet to come to an agreement with the developer over several key details of the project. Project applicant Ernie Mansi, CEO of Oxnard-based real estate development firm Aldersgate Investment, hopes […]