I am 70 years old, and I want to retire. I can financially live on my Social Security income with supplements from my savings. I planned and saved for this. But now I’m fearful and not sure if Social Security will be around much longer. Is talking to others about Social Security political talk? Is […]
Sun Staff
Posted inNews
Political Watch: April 10, 2025
• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) joined a group of House Democrats asking for answers after five regional Head Start offices were shut down, including the regional office in San Francisco that serves Central Coast residents, his office said in a press release. The closures came after the Department of Health and Human Services […]
Posted inOpinion
Disproportionate power deserves a response
We face the greatest threat to democracy and our constitution in our lifetime, if not in the history of the republic, and the Democratic “leadership” is AWOL! A coup has usurped judicial and legislative roles, consolidating them all in the executive branch. Meanwhile, past presidents are mute; the Senate minority leader has become an enabler; […]
Posted inOpinion
America deserves better than this
As an elder, I’ve lived through many political crises in this country—but I have never seen an attack on our democracy like this. In the past, there was bipartisan opposition to lawlessness. Today, the guardrails are being dismantled before our eyes, and we must sound the alarm. The damage this administration has done to our […]
Posted inOpinion
The environmental cost of the space boom
In 2023, there were 211 successful orbital launches worldwide—98 by SpaceX, a record it matched in 2024. Vandenberg Space Force Base set a record 51 launches in 2024, with projections to double in 2025. While promoted as a national security necessity, most of these launches are commercial. As SpaceX accelerates launches off the Central Coast, […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch: April 3, 2025
• On March 25, Equal Pay Day—10 years after the passage of the Fair Pay Act—Sen. Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara) announced new legislation to bolster the Fair Pay Act and provide workers with the opportunity to earn their “fair share,” according to the senator’s office. Specifically, SB 642 seeks to expand on Limón’s previous legislation, […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Menus – Spring/Summer 2025
The Central Coast Guide to All Things Food and Drink
Posted inNews
Political Watch: March 27, 2025
• Assemblymember Dawn Addis (D-Morro Bay) spoke at the 10th annual Association of California School Administrators Mid-State Conference held in San Luis Obispo about growing challenges to public education at the federal level, according to her office. “As a former public school teacher of 21 years, I know firsthand the dedication and resilience it takes […]
Posted inOpinion
Allow us to bid farewell to Dana Reserve habitat
It is my prayer that the slayers of the “Dana Reserve” native oaks at least allow a ceremony to be performed by the native Chumash and kindred spirits to bid farewell to the 3,000-plus Native Oaks that are to be sacrificed so that nonnatives can now reside on stolen Chumash land. In sympathy with our […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch: March 20, 2025
• U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-California), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, led a group of 31 senators demanding a reversal of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s cancellation of food purchase programs across the country, according to a March 17 statement from Schiff’s office. The senators warned that the cancellations would have far-reaching negative […]
Posted inOpinion
Democrats, take this opportunity to engage!
We’ve all seen the many viral videos of town hall meetings during which Republican voters are haranguing their elected Republican officials over the gutting of federal programs crucial to American families. As a result, the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) has been advising Republicans to stop holding town hall meetings for their […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch: March 13, 2024
• U.S. Sens. Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla (D-California) sent a letter to the Department of the Interior on March 6 asking it to ensure that there are no more cuts to the Bureau of Reclamation, which is set to lose about 100 employees in California. That’s about 10 percent of its regional staff, according […]