The Santa Maria/Santa Barbara County Continuum of Care and 20 local stakeholders launched a 100-Day Challenge to reduce youth homelessness in Santa Barbara County at the end of June, and things are already off to a great start. “I’m so excited to have all of these partners involved,” said Lucille Boss, housing programs specialist at […]
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Santa Maria investigates tree deaths related to apparent poisoning
On June 22, the city of Santa Maria’s park and urban forest supervisor discovered two trees on West Main Street that appeared to have suspiciously died, prompting the city to investigate further. The city arborist discovered that the trees had multiple drill holes near the base, indicating that they were likely injected with chemicals. A […]
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Class action lawsuit against county jail close to a settlement
More than two years after being granted class action certification, Murray v. County of Santa Barbara is one step closer to reaching a settlement. The parties have been in negotiations to try and resolve the case, which seeks court-ordered reforms within the Santa Barbara County Jail. Disability Rights California, the litigation counsel representing the class […]
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Golden State Killer pleads guilty to four murders in Santa Barbara County
On June 29, Joseph James DeAngelo pleaded guilty to 13 counts of first-degree murder, with special circumstances in a number of them—such as murder committed in the commission of a burglary or rape—and 13 counts of kidnapping. Four of those murders occurred in Santa Barbara County in 1979 and 1981. All the county’s murders happened […]
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Weddings by the Sea isn’t letting a global pandemic stop couples from saying ‘I do’
Prior to COVID-19, Santa Barbara County-based company Weddings by the Sea already specialized in planning small, intimate ceremonies for couples looking to get married. But after the pandemic hit, things got even smaller. “There was a point where we weren’t doing anything,” Weddings by the Sea owner Catherine Forester told the Sun of the early […]
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Between the COVID-19 economic crisis and calls to reallocate funds away from the police, city budgets are capturing public attention
The protests that erupted in early and mid June across the country in response to systemic racism and police brutality came at a pivotal moment for local governments, as many cities raced to finalize their budgets before the new fiscal year hits on July 1. Amid a pandemic-induced recession, many cities are faced with financially […]
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Rancho Laguna farmworkers get raise after multi-week organizing effort
After more than a month of organizing efforts, including worker walkouts and attempts to submit a petition to Driscoll’s, farmworkers at Rancho Laguna Farms successfully received a raise. Rancho Laguna Farms is a Santa Maria-based direct supplier to the berry company Driscoll’s. Rancho Laguna farmworkers first took action on May 4 with a strike, demanding […]
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Guadalupe City Council votes on unprecedented tobacco ordinance
Guadalupe wants an A rating from the American Lung Association, and voted on a comprehensive tobacco ordinance June 23 that would be the most stringent in the county. “The American Lung Association gave us an F rating, and then I discovered that the city doesn’t even have a tobacco ordinance,” Guadalupe City Manager Todd Bodem […]
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County public health director releases Santa Maria-specific coronavirus data
COVID-19 data presented to the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors on June 16 reveal some of the reasons for the disproportionately high number of cases in Santa Maria. “Like other jurisdictions, we are seeing that communities who have to work … do have a higher incidence of positivity,” county Public Health Director Dr. Van […]
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Santa Maria opens inclusive playground at Preisker Park
The city of Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department, Kiwanis Club of Santa Maria, and the People for Leisure and Youth Inc. planned to open an inclusive playground on June 17 at Preisker Park. The playground allows children of all abilities to enjoy the equipment, making it the first disability-friendly park of its kind in […]
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Cunningham bill expands qualification options for teacher credential candidates
The state Assembly unanimously passed a bill to address statewide teacher shortages on June 10. Introduced by Assemblymember Jordan Cunningham (R-San Luis Obispo), Assembly Bill 1982, would allow teacher credential candidates to satisfy the state’s Basic Skills Requirement with an A or B grade in accredited courses approved by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. […]
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For California Connections Academy, online classrooms are already the normal reality
For schools across the nation, COVID-19 radically changed the learning landscape. With little warning, students started doing class from home, teachers created new online-friendly syllabi overnight, and high school sports canceled their seasons. But for California Connections Academy (CCA), not much changed at all. The academy is a network of tuition-free, K-12, online public schools […]