Guadalupe recently applied for more funding to rehabilitate LeRoy Park and its community center. The park project, along with the city’s community resilience plan, already received $4.5 million from a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) in 2018. But because of the COVID-19 crisis, the CDBG program received additional funds from the U.S. Department of Housing […]
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High school districts in the county plan virtual and postponed ceremonies, drive-through celebrations, to honor graduating seniors
The Santa Maria Joint Union High School District’s four schools are celebrating their seniors with a mix of virtual graduation ceremonies, drive-though celebrations, and pre-recorded speeches. District Public Information Officer Kenny Klein told the Sun that there are no plans to reschedule in-person graduations for later dates—these will be the official proceedings in these “historic […]
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After learning of a 2020 settlement involving Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District Superintendent Scott Cory, a concerned parent started digging for answers
As both a parent and guardian of Santa Ynez Valley Union High School (SYVUHS) graduates, Los Olivos resident Michelle de Werd always took a keen interest in the behind-the-scenes of the high school her daughter and niece attended. “I was always really active at the school, and I started attending school board meetings,” de Werd […]
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Put an end to your quarantine blues at The Greenhouse Collective
When orders to close all nonessential businesses first went into place, business owners across the state were forced to reckon with a new question: “Are my services essential?” While places like banks and grocery stores clearly hold the “essential” status, many businesses are caught somewhere in the middle, including cannabis dispensaries. While some folks go […]
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Farm bureaus, community organizers react to workers’ compensation order
After reports circulated that Gov. Gavin Newsom was considering an executive order that would allow employees who contract COVID-19 to qualify for workers’ compensation benefits, the governor officially signed the order on May 6, according to a press release. If an eligible employee “tested positive for COVID-19 or was diagnosed with COVID-19 and confirmed by […]
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Lompoc prison has worst COVID-19 outbreak in the country, local officials ask for answers
The Bureau of Prisons updated its COVID-19 resource webpage over the weekend to reflect hundreds of newly confirmed coronavirus cases at the Lompoc Federal Correctional Institution, reporting 891 total positive inmate cases as of May 11. While the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department began reporting the spike in cases on May 6, as of […]
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Workers and business owners alike face hurdles while navigating new unemployment benefits, loan options in response to COVID-19
In March 2019, Californians filed 160,384 new unemployment insurance claims, according to data from the United States Department of Labor. A year later that number was 739 percent higher—more than 1.3 million state residents filed for unemployment in March 2020. Percentage-wise, Santa Barbara County saw a similar spike and then some. In March 2019, county […]
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Bureau of Prisons completes hospital care unit at Lompoc penitentiary
The Bureau of Prisons announced that it had finished construction on a 20-bed hospital care unit at the Lompoc federal penitentiary on May 4. According to the bureau’s website, 52 inmates were sick with COVID-19 at the prison as of May 5. Neither the bureau nor Lompoc Valley Medical Center is currently releasing the number […]
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Hancock launching new Latino studies degree program this summer
Allan Hancock College announced a new Latino studies associate degree program on May 1 that will debut in the college’s summer and fall class offerings, with general registration beginning on May 9. While summer classes will be conducted remotely due to COVID-19 related closures, Public Information Officer Christopher McGuinness told the Sun that students’ ability […]
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Infrastructure projects could help save local economy, community leaders say
As Santa Barbara County faces record levels of unemployment, elected officials and community stakeholders are looking to much-needed transportation and infrastructure improvements as a way to boost the local economy. According to Santa Barbara County Association of Governments Executive Director Marjie Kirn, the county has $700 million worth of ready-to-deliver projects that, if funded, could […]
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Santa Maria local Louis Meza shares what it’s like to recover from COVID-19 while watching a loved one fight to live
On March 14, Santa Maria resident Louis Meza went from feeling healthy to violently ill overnight. “I woke up about 2 in the morning, and I couldn’t stop shivering,” he told the Sun a month later. For Louis and Melissa Meza, that night was the start of a battle with COVID-19 that the couple […]
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Santa Maria could follow county’s lead on potential reopening plans
At an April 27 virtual press conference, county officials discussed the importance of continued physical distance as well as potential plans for reopening in the future. According to Santa Maria City Councilmember Gloria Soto, the city plans to follow the county’s lead on any reopening plans. Second District Supervisor Gregg Hart said that, if the […]