Ron Fink

In January of this year, the state of California raised the minimum wage to $16 per hour, but this wasn’t good enough for some union leaders and the politicians they own in Sacramento. The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) has been trying to organize fast food workers but has failed, so they hatched a plan […]

Anyone who lives in the city of Lompoc knows that many streets and alleys in our city are in poor shape. But when subjected to a professional review using a nationally accepted roadway standards, how bad are they? During a City Council meeting on March 19 to discuss a public hearing to consider Measure A, […]

The city of Lompoc like many other jurisdictions is adding a new environmental justice element (chapter) to the general plan.  The introduction to the new chapter says, “Today, and throughout California and United States history, communities with lower incomes, lower levels of education, and higher proportions of minority residents often bear a disproportionately large burden […]

Normally the once proud and gracefully flowing Santa Ynez River is reduced to a dry sand bed with its banks occupied by numerous homeless camps, but occasionally during heavy rains it flows almost as it did when steelhead were abundant, long before Bradley Dam was built and Lake Cachuma was formed. For the last two […]

Voters have received vote-by-mail ballots. All three incumbent county Supervisors running for reelection need to be replaced, but I want to focus on the 3rd District because that’s where I live. The 3rd District supervisor’s seat is being contested by two people: One is widely known in the Lompoc Valley, and the other is relatively […]

First let me be clear, searches authorized by a local, state, or federal courts are essential to capturing crooks. This commentary addresses data mining for commercial purposes and government searches without benefit of a search warrant from the court. With today’s electronic technology, folks can “spy” on you anywhere you go without you knowing about […]

On Jan. 16 the Lompoc City Council reviewed a report on the safe and sane fireworks program, specifically the “Finances and Options for use of Surplus Fireworks Program Funds.” In order to acquire a permit to sell safe and sane fireworks in Lompoc, the applicant must pay a 4 percent surcharge, and according to the […]

The new year brings some questionable policy changes to Californians, most notably to the medium- and low-income families in every community. First is the new minimum wage law that applies to national fast-food businesses. CalMatters reports that “California-based fast-food workers for chains with 60 or more locations around the nation will earn at least $20 […]

Every year many of us make New Year’s resolutions that we sometimes keep; this year will be no different. Instead of sharing my personal resolutions, I will talk about those that voters should make and keep in the coming year. We need new leadership in our county, state, and country. The current crop of appointed […]

Like all local governments in the state, Lompoc has been in the process of completing an eight-year update of the General Plan Housing Element; but this time it’s different. As the consulting firm made its presentation to the City Council on Nov. 21, its representatives informed the council that “the state’s big push, because of […]

When politicians make a mistake, who suffers the consequences? It’s usually tax-paying citizens who pay the price, and in one case it could have a dramatic impact on your health if you need emergency medical transportation. Recently the Board of Supervisors unanimously chose to award a 10-year ambulance services contract to the Santa Barbara County […]

Get ready folks, your trash bills will be growing soon. That doesn’t mean that the service would get any better than it already is, it just means that the cost to your local solid waste utility is going to go up significantly because the state of California will begin requiring the acquisition of fully electric […]