Southern California Edison found itself the target of litigation following unanimous approval from the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors on May 1 to contract with the law firm Baron and Budd to prepare and handle a lawsuit filed on behalf of the county, along with its fire protection, flood control, and water conservation districts. […]
SPENCER COLE
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Blueprint for the future: Santa Barbara County nonprofits unveil data trove to promote conservation, responsible development
A new report released by several nonprofits in Santa Barbara County aims to help establish conservation, biodiversity, and economic guidelines for future growth and development. Its authors say that the accompanying data “atlas” should help facilitate collaboration between wide-ranging groups and parties. “Often times people come to the negotiating table with their opinions on things but […]
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Santa Maria city manager gives presentation on district elections
As Santa Maria prepares to enter its first November using a district election formula, city officials and council members are attempting to show signs of unity. “The district boundaries are important for elections but not for the way we are going to govern the city,” Santa Maria’s City Manager Jason Stilwell said at an event […]
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Jordan Cunningham hosts talk on human trafficking
California Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham (R-San Luis Obispo) came to Santa Maria on April 20 with one goal in mind—to spread awareness about human trafficking. “It’s the fastest growing criminal enterprise in the world,” he told the Sun before speaking in front of a small crowd of concerned citizens, local politicians, and law enforcement officials at […]
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Carbajal touts new grant program for ‘resilient’ water systems
There’s not a single group in California more aware of the state of its aging water systems than its local agency water managers. It’s part of the reason why Congressman Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) hosted a roundtable on April 23 in Santa Barbara to alleviate concerns and present a draft of a new bill he […]
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Santa Barbara County and Lompoc cannabis regulations cater to industry while eyeing it as revenue source
Jan. 1, 2018, marked the first day California welcomed recreational cannabis to the legal market. Since then, municipalities across the state have passed laws either to regulate the product or, as in conservative counties like Kern, ban it entirely. That southern Central Valley county stands in stark contrast to its neighbor to the west, Santa […]
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EPA’s Pruitt targets Casmalia site for expedited work
The Casmalia Resources Superfund Site topped U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt’s April 16 emphasis list out of all other similar superfund sites. The agency released the list with a note explaining that it represented sites identified and targeted by the EPA for “immediate and intense attention.” Casmalia in particular was chosen to […]
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Vandenberg plugs in to massive new solar array
As of Jan. 8 of this year, Vandenberg Air Force Base will receive about a third of its power (over the next 25 years) via solar energy. On April 10, the base held a dedication ceremony for the 65,000 panel, 129-acre solar array. “This is a really big event for the base, and for the […]
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Spotlight on: Paradise Trading Post
Don’t call it a pawn shop. At least not in front of Paradise Trading Post’s owner, Mike Alexander, 57, who will quickly remind the offender what the store really is. “We’re not a thrift shop either. I like to refer to us as kind of an antique store for men,” he said in early April, […]
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Vandenberg to be site for NASA’s next mission to Mars
Lompoc is used to rocket launches, but the upcoming one on May 5 carries considerable significance. That morning, United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket will blast off from Vandenberg Air Force Base carrying NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s (JPL) InSight lander. The occasion will mark the first time America’s space agency will conduct an interplanetary launch […]
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Lompoc City Council says dance studios are not youth centers where cannabis business buffers are concerned
In a move that had many parents twisting and shouting in anger, Lompoc’s City Council ruled that the city’s five dance studios were not youth centers. The decision came at the council’s meeting on April 3, following an hour of public comment with the vast majority of the dozen or so speakers opposing the removal […]
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U.S. Forest Service wraps up winter controlled burns
Riprap clatters and clangs against U.S. Forest Service Battalion Chief Chip Laugharn’s government-issued pickup truck. The sun beams down and blankets the landscape with washed-out midday light. The air is rich with the smell of pine and woodsmoke. “It’s a killer view,” Laugharn says, pointing to the wall of mountains dominating the horizon. “This is […]