On Jan. 30, high school and junior high students in Lompoc and other parts of North County took part in demonstrations against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), (“Local high school students take part in nationwide walkouts to protest ICE,” Feb. 5). The Lompoc Record reported that “at Lompoc High School, students were released early […]
Ron Fink
Posted inOpinion
Take the time to acknowledge the contributions of early Black leaders
Many people would have us believe that it was an exclusive “club” of rich white men that founded our country. They would be wrong. Many textbooks omit the achievements of our Black founders. Most people don’t know that scores of African Americans made significant contributions to the founding of our nation. Let’s look at some […]
Posted inOpinion
A new Lompoc tax for streets, sidewalks, and alleys is needed
Lompoc is probably the pothole paradise of the county. The city staff estimates that there is a maintenance backlog of more than $70 million needed to bring all city streets up to acceptable service levels. I live on a cul-de-sac that is just one block long. There are well over a dozen potholes on our […]
Posted inOpinion
Will Lompoc miss the brass ring once again when it comes to capitalizing on Vandenberg’s potential?
Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB) has issued a request for information for a major new launch complex on South Vandenberg near Point Arguello Coast Guard Station, about 2 miles south of Space Launch Complex (SLC) 6. Dubbed SLC-14, according to the Space Force solicitation, Vandenberg “seeks to establish operational heavy or super-heavy launch capabilities at […]
Posted inOpinion
Shortsighted politicians never consider the impacts of their decisions
What do you do when you have a significant government budget deficit? If you are a politician in Santa Barbara County or the governor of California, you double down on shutting off revenue flows. Both the state of California and Santa Barbara County are facing significant budget shortfalls; according to the state Legislative Analyst’s Office, […]
Posted inOpinion
Reflect on the most wonderful time of the year before 2026
Well, the Christmas parades are behind us; all the Christmas displays are up and running, and the Lompoc City electric division is counting more revenue from all those home-lighting themes. When I was young, Christmas morning was the long-awaited culmination of a boy’s hopes and dreams. We saw angels, mangers, tumbleweed snowmen, and Santa’s sleighs […]
Posted inOpinion
Lompoc citizens deserve trustworthy leaders
Political history was made during the public comment period at the Lompoc City Council meeting on Dec. 2. It wasn’t the kind of history any city would be proud of. I have been commenting on the political scene in Lompoc for more than three decades in various publications. During this time, there have been numerous […]
Posted inOpinion
Thanksgiving is a time for celebration, not acrimony
Thanksgiving is the time of year when we sit back, smell the turkey, stuff ourselves with too much good food, and then reflect on the good things that have happened to our families in the last year. Sometime during the day’s festivities—amid the turkey feast, football, and basketball games on TV, and visiting with family […]
Posted inOpinion
Lompoc’s school district is failing the community
The Lompoc Unified School District (LUSD) is failing our community when objectively measured against the state of California education standards. Keep in mind that California rates in the bottom third of the nation, and the LUSD performance is well below that. A recent report in the Santa Maria Times put it this way, “Results from […]
Posted inOpinion
Vandenberg’s Space Launch Complex 6 is poised for a modern facelift
Space Launch Complex 6 (SLC-6) has been around for several decades. First built for the Manned Orbital Laboratory in the 1960s, a project that was canceled 50 years ago, it was later modified for the space shuttle, which was canceled in 1989. Other projects followed, and they too were canceled or completed. Fast forward to […]
Posted inCommentaries
Congress should be held accountable for not producing a budget on time
Government “shutdowns” have occurred numerous times over the last few decades due to a lack of an approved budget, but the politicians we elect to provide funding have never been held accountable. It’s time for a change, but how? Based on an email recently sent by Congressman Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara), it appears that the […]
Posted inOpinion
Should government regulate ‘hate speech’?
The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution “guarantees freedoms concerning religion, expression, assembly, and the right to petition.” Taking it literally, this means you can say anything you want about anything or anybody, sometimes. One exception is that you can’t shout “fire” in a crowded theater unless there really is a fire in progress. The […]