Kasey Bubnash, Author at Santa Maria Sun

Possible recall petition threatens Hartmann as county wraps up negotiations on Camp 4

Recall rumors

by Kasey Bubnash October 24, 2017September 6, 2023

Joan Hartmann could be in trouble. That’s the rumor spreading through the Santa Ynez Valley, anyway, after several residents said they’d heard of plans to recall the 3rd District Santa Barbara County supervisor. But a recall election takes a petition, and the petition’s alleged creator, Santa Ynez resident Karen Jones, wouldn’t confirm the claims. […]

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County jail restores late-night transportation program

by Kasey Bubnash October 24, 2017August 8, 2025

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office is officially reviving its jail ride program, which offers free cab rides to inmates released from jail late at night when public transportation is no longer an option. The program’s new beginning comes nearly a year after the originally contracted taxi service, Rock Star Transportation, stopped doing business. Since […]

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County officials say Orcutt Greka fire caused by welding spark

by Kasey Bubnash October 24, 2017August 31, 2022

The Santa Barbara County Fire department successfully extinguished a fire at a Greka Oil and Gas facility in Orcutt on Oct. 23, where an injection station pump was reportedly fully engulfed in flames. The fire was called in as a vegetation burn at about 10:30 a.m., according to the county fire department’s public information officer, […]

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Former patients and families invited to Neonatal Intensive Care Unit celebration

by Kasey Bubnash October 17, 2017December 4, 2023

Marian Regional Medical Center will host the fourth annual Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Graduation Celebration on Nov. 4. The event will include an opportunity for toddlers who were born premature to reunite with the caregivers who nurtured them to health immediately after birth. Former patients and their families are invited to the celebration at the […]

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Allan Hancock College eligible for $1 million prize

by Kasey Bubnash October 17, 2017August 16, 2023

Allan Hancock College announced Oct. 11 that it was named, for the fourth time, one of the nation’s top 150 community colleges by the Aspen Institute, which began ranking community colleges in 2011. Hancock’s rank makes the school eligible for the 2019 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, which includes a $1 million reward. The […]

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Youth Matters

Youth representatives lead adult-free town hall on preventing community violence

by Kasey Bubnash October 17, 2017August 16, 2023

“Drugs and gangs, violence, oppression, child abuse, neglect, homophobia,” read one banner taped to a wall of the Veterans’ Memorial Center on Oct. 12, where dozens of young Santa Marians gathered for a Youth Town Hall to share their views on community violence. The banner, filled with negative words written in bright colors, was a […]

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Pet advocates laud ban on commercially bred animals in pet stores

by Kasey Bubnash October 17, 2017September 10, 2023

In an effort to prevent the animal cruelty that is often affiliated with commercial breeders, also known as puppy mills, California plans to ban pet stores from selling commercially bred dogs, cats, and rabbits. Assembly Bill 485, approved by Gov. Jerry Brown on Oct. 13, will require pet stores to obtain all dogs, cats, and […]

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Santa Maria to require vendor permits in parks

by Kasey Bubnash October 17, 2017August 16, 2023

Vendors hoping to make some extra cash in Santa Maria’s parks are now required to apply for permits through the city and, in some cases, pay annual fees of up to $273. All food and beverage trucks or bicycle vendors, fitness and training programs, educational classes, and merchandise sellers are no longer allowed in parks […]

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Punching back

La Plaza Villas tenants consider striking as rent rates drastically increase

by Kasey Bubnash October 11, 2017November 9, 2024

Javier Solis has lived in La Plaza Villas Apartments for nearly eight years. The complex, a series of cream-colored stucco buildings at the end of Olivera Street in Guadalupe, is one of the largest in a town that lacks abundant affordable housing for its residents. Eight years ago, Solis said he felt lucky to have […]

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Residents criticize Santa Maria youth safety task force

by Kasey Bubnash October 11, 2017December 30, 2024

Another in a series of public meetings on the Mayor’s Task Force on Youth Safety went awry on Oct. 9 after a string of community members criticized the city of Santa Maria’s attempts at addressing recent spikes in violence in the city. The intent of the meeting, held in the Abel Maldonado Community Youth Center, […]

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Solvang City Council ends deadlock, appoints new member

by Kasey Bubnash October 11, 2017August 16, 2023

Solvang City Council appointed Karen Waite to its recently vacated seat on Oct. 6, ending a weeks-long debate over protocol codified in 2009 that outlines ways to fill a prematurely emptied position. Council members voted 0-3, with one abstention, to appoint Waite, a local businesswoman and the runner-up of the November 2016 election by only […]

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Defense attorney for Jhordy Ramirez scrutinizes local mental health resources

by Kasey Bubnash October 4, 2017September 25, 2023

After three court-appointed psychological evaluations, it was decided at a Santa Barbara Superior Court review on Sept. 28 that a jury trial will be held to decide whether Jhordy Ramirez, a Santa Maria man charged with attempted murder, is mentally competent for trial. On May 18, the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s office announced it […]