Ron Fink

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 […]

Changing “climate change” that’s been around for the last 4 billion years is a tough job, but in California, which has only been around for 173 years, our politicians think they have the answer. There have been many misfires along the road to saving the Earth. First it was to stop drilling for oil and […]

Oct. 12 was National Farmer’s Day—a day set aside each year to honor the hardworking men and women who’ve dedicated their lives to feeding a nation. Did you even know about this event, or did it get lost in the clutter of “special days” on our calendars each year. North County has a very large […]

What does a person who is in a decision-making role do when having to “approve” something that their principles won’t allow them to vote “yes” on? Well, I can only speak for myself on this issue. I was part of the Lompoc City Planning Commission for several years. After a hiatus I was reappointed, and […]

For many years I was a Planning Commissioner, and during several hearings nonprofits or the Santa Barbara County Housing Authority said that Lompoc needed more low-income housing. The state and federal government have been trying to “fix” the affordable housing problem since the early 1960s when they started creating large high-density apartment buildings and crammed […]

From the Founding Fathers who became political leaders until today, politicians have misled and/or outright lied about so many issues that it’s hard to keep up. For centuries they have promised better days if only we would vote for them; we are still waiting. And activists—they just make noise. To prove they care about us, […]

It never ceases to amaze me how the powers that be, including the Board of Supervisors and the county Planning Commission, can abuse the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to punish some applicants and reward others. Two recent cases demonstrate the county’s bias when applying CEQA requirements and its own land use code requirements. The […]