Ron Fink

Why would people who ordinarily oppose taxes support a temporary sales tax increase in Lompoc? The Lompoc City Council met last week, and one of the topics was the state of the current budget. City staff was seeking guidance on how to increase revenue for the next two-year budget cycle. Staff painted a bleak picture […]

On Tuesday, March 5, the Lompoc City Council discussed the ongoing problem of the homeless using the streets of the city as a campground for their mobile residences. The city attorney explains the issue in his staff report: “The city has experienced consistent nuisance issues and other adverse impacts resulting from the parking of vehicles […]

The Sun correctly reported that the Lompoc City Council was allowing chickens, rabbits, and pot-bellied pigs to join households in the city (“Lompoc to allow residents to keep chickens as pets,” Feb. 14). But before you run out and build up your livestock herd, you should know that there are a lot of rules that […]

Both the 3rd and 4th District Santa Barbara County supervisors seem to have been ignoring Lompoc’s homelessness problem. Let’s examine the issue carefully and place current actions in context with history.   The homeless encampments have been in the riverbed for more than 30 years. At the start of these encampments, the entirety of the […]

Twenty-three years ago, I began my voluntary service with the city of Lompoc. I always felt that it was every citizen’s duty to give something back to the community, and at the time there was a need for someone to serve on the Water Commission. The city operates its own water utility, as well as […]

I keep trying to remain optimistic that there will be a dramatic turnaround of new growth and an influx of prosperity and wealth in Lompoc, but all the signs point in the opposite direction. In many ways a tone-deaf City Council majority has contributed to a reversal of improvements that have been made by previous […]

Another month and another attempted murder in Lompoc; what the in the world is going on? Lompoc has always been a relatively quiet place to live crime-wise. Sure, there were petty thefts or home and business burglaries, but the level of violent crime was always low. Domestic violence was the exception. Disputes were settled with […]

Politicians are slow learners and Lompoc has some of the slowest. When Proposition 64 was passed, voters approved a 15 percent sales tax. Eager politicians sensed a cash cow; they just knew that legalizing this product would reap millions for cash-strapped governments. They dreamed of new giveaway programs for non-productive citizens, illegal aliens, and others […]

Recently a local newspaper in an online posting reported that Santa Barbara County Supervisor Janet Wolf said 250 temporary state cannabis operation licenses have been issued for Santa Barbara County, while only three have been issued for San Luis Obispo County, and the county had achieved No. 1 status in the state. This even surpasses […]

The Lompoc City Council was scheduled to discuss a proposed city ordinance concerning unmanned aerial vehicles on Jan. 16. To some, these are toys much like model airplanes, to others they are tools, and to still others they are a nuisance and an intrusion on their privacy. The military, police, and fire agencies use these […]

Following a series of one-sided hearings on a proposed cannabis use ordinance in Lompoc, many locals are very concerned at the policy that was adopted by council members Jim Mosby, Jenelle Osborne, and Victor Vega. Following a campaign promise in 2016, Councilwoman Osborne led the crafting of the ordinance over the last several months. The […]