The Santa Barbara County auditor-controller office may be staffed with accountants, but something isn’t adding up. Ballots for the June 5 Statewide Direct Primary Election will be mailed out on May 7, and while Californians will have an opportunity to cast votes in support of various measures and officials, the race between Santa Barbara County […]
Kasey Bubnash
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Child injured by vehicle in Santa Maria
A 5-year-old child was hit and injured by a car on April 30 in Santa Maria after the child allegedly ran into the street on the 800 block of West Harding Avenue. The driver of the car, according to the Santa Maria Police Department, tried but failed to stop and collided with the child. The […]
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Chumash, Santa Ynez Valley Coalition leaders testify at hearing in Washington, D.C.
Santa Barbara County residents testified on April 25 at a U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs public hearing on H.R. 1491, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Land Affirmation Act of 2017. H.R. 1491, which was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in November 2017, would reaffirm the secretary of the interior’s decision […]
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Community Action Partnership offers LGBTQ+ inclusive sex ed
When St. Joseph High School student “M.” has a question about developing a healthy, same-sex relationship or about having safe sex, he Googles it. He hasn’t learned about LGBTQ+ specific issues at his school and he would never risk asking. “I’d rather just not get that attention,” M. said with a nervous laugh. “I know […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Erin Jenkins
San Luis Obispo County’s girls all-star basketball team kept the game close on April 14, when high school basketball players from around the coast participated in the 28th annual Kiwanis Central Coast All-Star Basketball Spectacular. But Cabrillo High School senior Erin Jenkins fought hard for northern Santa Barbara County, according to Gary Prober of the […]
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Gray area: Santa Maria City Council votes against urgency ordinance restricting residential H-2A housing
Local farmers and property owners housing H-2A workers in residential neighborhoods can breathe easy—for now. The Santa Maria City Council voted on April 17 not to extend an urgency ordinance prohibiting property owners from housing more than six H-2A guest workers in units located in single-family and medium-density residential zoning districts. The ordinance, which was […]
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More than 50 poll workers still needed in Santa Maria for June 5 election
Nearly 80 volunteers are still needed to work at Santa Barbara County precincts and polling places during the June 5 Statewide Direct Primary Elections, according to the Santa Barbara County Registrar of Voters Office. More than 50 of those positions are needed at Santa Maria locations alone. While about 25 of the positions still unfilled […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Ricky Smith
It’s been less than a year since 12-year-old Ricky Smith’s grandfather, Mike Smith, died. Growing up in Cooperstown, New York, made Mike an avid Yankees fan and a lover of baseball in general, a gene that later trickled its way into Ricky’s blood, too. Ricky, a seventh grader at Tommie Kunst Jr. High School, pitches […]
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Teens share personal experiences with gun violence at April 20 protest in Santa Maria
The group was small, but their voices were loud. Although only about 20 Santa Maria Valley high school students gathered at the intersection of Clark Avenue and Bradley Road in Orcutt on April 20, the intimate local adaptation of another national gun violence protest made a striking impact. As thousands of students at schools across […]
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Five Oceano men arrested after alleged kidnapping outside Santa Maria nightclub
Five Oceano men were arrested on April 22 after Santa Maria Police responded to an alleged kidnapping with intent to rape early that morning. Santa Maria Police were dispatched to West Main Street and Bonita School Road at about 2:30 a.m., where they found the five suspects detained by Guadalupe Police, according to the Santa […]
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Class certification hearing in Santa Barbara County Jail lawsuit extended to May
A hearing on class certification was extended to May 31 by a U.S. District Court judge on April 12 as part of a federal class action lawsuit against Santa Barbara County and the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office. The complaint, which was originally filed on Dec. 6 last year, includes detailed accounts of the county’s […]
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Allan Hancock College works to update harassment policies but denies changes were spurred by employee who said she was sexually harassed
Allan Hancock College revisited its nondiscrimination and harassment policies on April 10, two months after a longtime employee publicly described to the board of trustees her experience of being sexually harassed and retaliated against. Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement Program (MESA) Coordinator Christine Reed said at a meeting on Feb. 13 that the harassment she endured […]
