As Santa Barbara County Public Health Department continues to juggle and monitor COVID-19 outbreaks throughout the county, some of the largest congregate living outbreaks appear to be cooling off. Congregate living facilities are among the most susceptible spaces to COVID-19 outbreaks due to close living quarters and sustained interaction between individuals. But depending on the […]
MALEA MARTIN
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Local doctors talk about how COVID-19 treatments have changed for the better
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the word “change” has overwhelmingly become laden with connotation of difficulty, confusion, and hopelessness. From lost jobs to missed rents to curves that won’t flatten, many of the changes happening around us are wrought with pain and hardship. But positive changes are happening, too, one being an in-the-works vaccine, perhaps the […]
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County wants everyone counted in 2020 census
Starting mid-August, Santa Barbara County households that had not yet responded to the 2020 census began receiving in-person visits from U.S. census workers to encourage completion. These workers, called census enumerators, are hired locally, wear personal protective equipment, practice social distancing, and carry special census identification cards. But if you don’t want a stranger knocking […]
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Local oil industry faces uncertainty after Phillips 66 announces refinery shutdown
Phillips 66, which operates a major Santa Maria oil pipeline as well as the Santa Maria oil refinery on the Nipomo Mesa, announced on Aug. 12 that it plans to shut down the refining facility starting in 2023. The announcement came exactly one week after the Santa Barbara Planning Commission voted to approve a one-year […]
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San Joaquin Valley College’s new Santa Maria-based program will train the nurses of tomorrow
Even before the days of COVID-19, studies showed that nurse shortages were a resounding issue across the nation. According to a 2017 Department of Health and Human Services report, California tops the list with a projected shortage of 44,500 nurses by 2030. Add in a global pandemic, and nurses are needed more than ever. A […]
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Planning Commission votes to approve extension on Foxen pipeline project, community members advocate for additional environmental review
It’s been more than eight years since ERG Operating Co. LLC, an oil and energy company, submitted its initial application for the Foxen Petroleum Pipeline Project, a 2.9-mile pipeline proposed to replace the current practice of trucking crude oil from the Cat Canyon oil field. On Aug. 5, the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission voted […]
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County Planning Commission hears appeal of contentious land use permit
The Santa Barbara Planning Commission recently heard both sides of a contentious land use debate over whether a proposed vegetable greenhouse would be misused for growing cannabis. The Aug. 5 meeting ended in a vote to continue the discussion at the commission’s Sept. 4 meeting. The hearing was requested by Stephen Jacobs, who asked the […]
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California representatives ask Congress to pass HEROES Act with Bureau of Prisons funding
It’s been nearly three months since the House of Representatives passed the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act, a $3 trillion stimulus package in response to the COVID-19 outbreak and its impact. But this aid can’t be delivered until the HEROES Act also passes through the Senate, a process that U.S. Rep. […]
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Santa Maria seeks general plan engagement
Santa Maria wants to know what residents want for the future, according to a new website designed to gather input for the city’s next general plan update. In a video linked on the Imagine Santa Maria website, Mayor Alice Patino said that it’s more important than ever to work together on a plan that can […]
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Santa Maria Public Library book mobile returns
The last time the Santa Maria Public Library had a book mobile was the 1980s, Library Director Mary Housel told the Sun. Now, thanks to grant funding, the once popular library-on-wheels is back. “It’s a brand new service offering, and we hope to reach out to our underserved community, specifically to those who can’t travel […]
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People incarcerated at the Lompoc penitentiary speak out about how they were treated during one of the largest COVID-19 prison outbreaks in the nation
Editor’s note: This is the second part in a two-part series examining pandemic response in the federal prison at Lompoc. The first part (“Constitutionally confined?” July 30) covered a class-action lawsuit that pushed for more inmates to be released to home confinement. A class-action lawsuit filed against the Lompoc Federal Correctional Complex achieved a recent […]
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Court order, federal inspection agree with class-action lawsuit’s claims that Lompoc penitentiary could have better stopped the spread of COVID-19 with more home confinement
Editor’s note: This is the first part of a two-part series examining pandemic response in the federal prison at Lompoc. Though the number of active COVID-19 cases reported from Lompoc’s federal prison has decreased dramatically since May 11—when more than 75 percent of prisoners in one facility tested positive—pro bono lawyers and governmental entities alike […]