In a year overshadowed by a contentious presidential election full of surprises, northern Santa Barbara County still managed to make its fair share of headlines. Local elections had their own drama in places like Lompoc and Santa Maria, where some incumbents held their own while others were voted out. The Lake Fire broke out near […]
Sun Staff
Posted inNews
Political Watch: December 26, 2024
• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) called out House Republicans for “dragging their feet” on finalizing government funding for the current fiscal year, leaving more than $14 million in funding specifically designated for Central Coast projects in limbo, according to a Dec. 18 statement from Carbajal’s office. “Republican leadership in Congress has spent months […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch: December 19, 2024
• Congress advanced federal legislation that acknowledges the disruption that space launch noise has on nearby communities, a first for federal decisionmakers, according to a Dec. 12 statement from U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal’s (D-Santa Barbara) office. Carbajal secured the language as well as helped outline the steps the Department of Defense should take to mitigate […]
Posted inOpinion
Jazz Jubilee Central Coast 2024—a big success!
The Basin Street Regulars Hot Jazz Club has been promoting jazz on the Central Coast with monthly dance concerts and an annual festival for almost 50 years. BSR also provides scholarships to Jazz Camp for young musicians who are interested in furthering their knowledge of music and jazz—learning from the pros! This fall, the Basin […]
Posted inOpinion
Central Coast should heed the recent NorCal earthquake as a warning
If the 7.0-magnitude earthquake 30 miles off the northern California shore was not a wake-up call for residents of San Luis Obispo, are they waiting for the one that could possibly strike 30 yards off the coast of San Luis Obispo? Seismologists have long warned that an overdue “Big One” (7.8 magnitude or higher), which […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch: December 12, 2024
• The House of Representatives unanimously approved U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal’s (D-California) bill to rename the U.S. Post Office on E. Battles Road in Santa Maria in honor of Larry Lavagnino, former Santa Maria mayor and City Council member and longtime resident, according to a Dec. 4 statement from Carbajal’s office. “Every community should be […]
Posted inOpinion
Democracy’s gotten a raw deal
The “original sin” was having super delegates in the first place (“Democrats are paying now for their 2020 deal with the devil,” Nov. 21). If democracy had been allowed to run its natural course, in 2016, Bernie Sanders would have beaten Trump and we wouldn’t be having this conversation today. Of the people, by the […]
Posted inOpinion
Masatani’s Market will be sorely missed
Change is in the air. Masatani’s Market is closing in Guadalupe, possibly replaced by another business, run by someone else. MM has been part of Guadalupe’s community since 1922. When the Masatani family was interned during World War II, the community welcomed their return and supported the business ever since. It really was the unofficial […]
Posted inOpinion
Renewable energy will eventually replace fossil fuel
Thank you for publishing another well-informed and well-written piece by John Ashbaugh (“Don’t be afraid to talk about climate change during the holidays,” Dec. 5). The statement by Trump’s nominee for secretary for energy, Chris Wright, “There is no climate crisis, and we’re not in the midst of an energy transition, either,” is just wishful […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch: December 5, 2024
• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) celebrated the official designation of the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary, which took place on Nov. 30, according to a Dec. 2 statement from Carbajal’s office. “Nearly a decade after the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary was first proposed to the federal government, the Biden-Harris administration has now […]
Posted inOpinion
We’re cutting down an oak forest in Nipomo
The Dana “Reserve” is an oxymoron, since it reserves nothing. More than 3,000 native California quercus agrifolia, which have lived free in the land of their ancestors for millennia, are to be sacrificed on the altar of lucre. Take a deep breath, and it is air they have filtered. Walk beneath their canopy, take a […]
Posted inOpinion
Things for my kids to be grateful for when times are tough
You have a roof over your head, and if you didn’t, you’d go to Big 5 and buy a tent because you are a survivor. You have enough to eat and relatively clean water to drink. You have people who love you, and even if you didn’t, you could still give love to the best […]
