Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties are teaming up to address a growing number of homeless encampments in the Santa Maria Riverbed. A $6 million grant Gov. Gavin Newsom awarded to Santa Barbara County in 2023 aims to clean up encampments, including in the Santa Maria Riverbed between Santa Barbara and SLO counties that’s […]
Samantha Herrera
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Congressional candidates talk immigration, money
Incumbent Congressman Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) is running for his fourth term in the March primary, battling against a Republican and a fellow Democrat to represent parts of San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties and all of Santa Barbara County. A statement provided to the Sun by Carbajal’s senior advisor and communications director, Ian Mariani, […]
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Shifting services
Santa Barbara and SLO counties’ behavioral health departments could see changes to programs if Proposition 1 passes
California voters will vote on Proposition 1 in March, which could change local behavioral wellness program funding and structure. The multi-pronged legislation attempts to modernize the 2004 Mental Health Services Act (MHSA)—a personal income tax measure that established the current structure of county behavioral wellness programs—and add a $6.4 billion bond measure to build 10,000 […]
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Central Coast organization helps restore beaver habitat, spread awareness about the semiaquatic rodents’ benefits
Beavers were once one of the most widely distributed mammals in North America, but unregulated trapping, habitat loss, and human-wildlife conflict changed all of that. A growing recognition of the beavers’ role in ecosystem restoration and conservation efforts led California to start the beaver restoration project in 2023. Acknowledging the benefits beavers have on California’s […]
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State Parks increases number of campers allowed at Oceano Dunes
After months of advocating for State Parks to bring camping reservations back to pre-pandemic levels, the Friends of the Oceano Dunes is pleased that the number of units available to overnighters at the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area (ODSVRA) recently increased to 500. The group is also looking forward to working with State Parks […]
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Previous Oceano Community Services District general manager Paavo Ogren takes the reins again
A familiar face is returning to the Oceano Community Services District (OCSD) in 2024. On Jan. 1, OCSD’s previous general manager, Paavo Ogren, took over as interim general manager from General Manager Will Clemens, who retired on Dec. 31. Clemens told the Sun that Ogren was the perfect candidate to take over for him and […]
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Mesa Pines in Arroyo Grande grows affordable, native Christmas trees
In rural Arroyo Grande, a mulit-generational family-owned farm specializes in selling native Central Coast trees for Christmas at a reduced price to help SLO County families have a budget-friendly holiday season. Mesa Pines is run by Erin Riffle and his family who only plant and sell Monterey Pines to support California’s native plant life—and because […]
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Cuesta College’s faculty opposes the Dana Reserve project
After two days of discussion over the controversial Dana Reserve development, Cuesta College’s academic senate decided to vote in opposition of the proposed project. The vote came on Oct. 27, less than a week after Cuesta College President Jill Stearns spoke during public comment at the Oct. 23 SLO County Planning Commission meeting, highlighting the […]
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Sticking point
The Dana Reserve in Nipomo wants to cut down about 3,000 oak trees to build more than 1,300 units
A Nipomo development reduced the number of oak trees it would cut down, but the Dana Reserve project still asks to remove a little more than 3,000 oak trees from its 288-acre property. Community members and local environmentalists think that number continues to be far too high. San Luis Obispo County’s biggest housing development in […]
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Oceano board member’s property received recent code violation notices
Oceano Community Services District (OCSD) board member Beverly Joyce-Suneson received a notice of violation from the county on Sept. 20 claiming that she had broken multiple SLO County codes. Although she had already fixed the violations, a community member brought the issue up at the Oct. 11 OCSD meeting. “You have to follow the law,” […]
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Contractors get 10 days to prepare Arroyo Grande Creek for winter
After Arroyo Grande Creek was deluged with debris during last winter’s rainstorms, contractors will have only 10 days to remove branches and other vegetation from the creek to prepare for this upcoming winter season. “The city’s goal is to get as much creek work done as we can now in order to prepare for what […]
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Waiting for water
Wells on the Central Coast are going dry despite big rains, and property owners have to truck in water
Out in the rural countryside of the Arroyo Grande Mesa, on 8 acres of flowers, fruit trees, and animals, a zero-waste nonprofit ranch brings a feeling of freedom to those in the disabled community. Rancho de los Animales for the Disabled is a therapeutic, educational, and recreational ranch run by Beth Currier, who became a […]
