The stench of cannabis from county-permitted grows east of Lompoc and other areas of the county will soon return. Spring is just around the corner, and if the history of this industry is any indicator, those grows will continue to pollute our air with their skunk odor for weeks that never seem to end as […]
Ron Fink
New laws are being enacted without state lawmakers thinking ‘what could go wrong?’
Our legislators in Sacramento have been busy “helping us” again; they have passed—and Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed—several new laws that will impact people in Lompoc and everywhere else in the once Golden State. Some may have an adverse impact on traffic safety, others your pocketbook. Two important changes go into effect in January that […]
It will take something more than a fence to keep trespassing homeless individuals out of private property in Lompoc
For several decades, a homeless encampment has existed near and under the H Street bridge on the north end of Lompoc. Until the last five years or so, the homeless largely stayed to themselves and didn’t bother anyone. Now they are everywhere, including the shopping center that occupies the northeast intersection of Central Avenue and […]
Try to think positively and give thanks beyond Thanksgiving
Last week was Thanksgiving. The day represents a couple of things; one is that we give thanks for having a warm, dry place to sleep and food to eat. We are also thankful for the health and well-being of our families and wish that there hadn’t been as many tragedies over the last 12 months. […]
Much stayed the same after the election, for better in Lompoc, and for worse beyond
The election was just completed, and the winners and losers are spinning the results. One welcome outcome is that my home phone stopped ringing with unwanted political calls and so did my cellphone. These annoying calls were designed to convince me to vote for this or that, but in my case all it did was […]
Read your voter information guides carefully and make educated decisions at the polls
I got my Santa Barbara County voter guide in the mail a couple of weeks ago; these guides are always informative, and I read each candidate statement carefully before I cast my vote. I know that many of you have already voted, but here are some things to consider. I read the proposals carefully and […]
The current Lompoc mayor’s civility, resourcefulness will keep this city on track for improvements
Lompoc Mayor Jenelle Osborne is seeking reelection for a third term in office; why should you choose her instead of her opponent? If you have witnessed many of the City Council meetings in the past couple of years, you will have noted a change in the tone of meetings. As mayor, Osborne is responsible for […]
Lompoc’s cannabis regulations need to better protect neighborhoods
The city of Lompoc is the cannabis capital of Santa Barbara County, and considering the number of licenses issued for retail, manufacturing, and growing, it’s probably the largest in the state. Why? Because the number of licenses based on the population of the area is denser than any other jurisdiction issuing permits in the state. […]
Lompoc school board candidate Jerri Thiel has what it takes to help local education
Ms. Jerri Thiel is running for an at-large seat on the Lompoc Unified School District (LUSD) board of trustees. She says, “We need to get back to the basics: reading, writing, math, history, civics, and science.” There are a lot of issues that the LUSD board of trustees must deal with during each meeting, but […]
Is Lompoc mayor candidate Jim Mosby really paying attention?
Former Lompoc City Councilman Jim Mosby is someone who thinks highly of himself. Apparently, voters in the council district he lives in didn’t think so highly of him when they rejected him in a landslide election to represent them as their councilman. Now he is running for mayor; maybe he thinks if he misrepresents his […]
Lompoc’s school district should wait to try again for its $125 million bond
The Lompoc Unified School District (LUSD) is asking voters to approve a bond measure four years after they twice rejected similar efforts. This bond would be used to fund facility improvements. Recent events over at the LUSD should cause the board of trustees to withdraw a school bond from consideration on this ballot. Why? Well, […]
Lompoc recently considered another emergency water-use proclamation, but we have no need
When is an “emergency” not really that emergent? Apparently, some of the “experts” in Lompoc can’t figure that one out as they tried to claim an emergency declaration was needed and then explained that none exists—at least in our city. On Tuesday, Aug. 3, the Lompoc City Council held a hearing to determine if a […]

