Scott Fina

My residence is located near County Supervisor Peter Adam’s residence in Orcutt. We live close enough to hear the same coyotes howling at night. I also share some background with Mr. Adam. Yet, our views are worlds apart. My first job was stacking hay in a barn down the road from where I lived when […]

In remarks at a public hearing on the coordination of county law enforcement and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), 4th District Supervisor Peter Adam referred to an “utter breakdown of the rule of law” in describing illegal immigration in the U.S. Supervisior Adam also asserted that “people shouldn’t be here without permission, that is, illegally.” […]

Pope Francis’s address to Congress was remarkable in surprising ways and especially relevant for the Santa Maria Valley. The pope exemplified four historical figures (“great Americans”) in calling for a more egalitarian and compassionate American society. Only one was a woman, but think about the woman the pope chose.  First, consider one woman the pope […]

When it comes to the value of property, Realtors tell us it’s all about “location, location, location.” On Dec. 4, the U.S. Supreme Court put that proverbial maxim to the test in its hearing of oral arguments in U.S. vs. John Dennis Apel. The value of the land at stake in U.S. vs. John Dennis […]

I am a former New Jersey State Police officer. As a Jersey trooper, I served on the “TEAMS” Unit for four years. My unit carried out high security details and operations—including Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT)—in 11 northern counties of New Jersey. This territory included rural areas such as in Sussex, Warren, and Hunterdon counties, […]