Since 2018, Santa Maria’s approved 1,526 accessory dwelling units (ADUs), equivalent to eight apartment complexes, leaving residents frustrated with overflowing trash bins, increased traffic, and less parking. “It’s not uncommon for us to see a single-family property with one or multiple ADUs and so it begins to take on a neighborhood characteristic of something that’s […]
Taylor O'Connor
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Board of Supervisors holds off on new sales tax measures
Recent Santa Barbara County survey results showed that cost of living and financial security concerns would hold many voters back from voting in favor of any additional sales tax this election. “There’s a level of trust we need to build before we ask [voters] for more money,” 4th District Supervisor Bob Nelson said during the […]
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Lompoc Valley Middle School expands its wellness program to address ongoing mental health needs
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Lompoc Unified School District has been expanding its social-emotional learning program to help students navigate heightened anxiety and other mental health-related issues as they returned to in-person learning. “We saw that the needs were really big; the district was awesome in supporting us by giving us more roles […]
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Cannabis conundrum: Santa Barbara County looks at new cannabis tax models after revenue transparency and forecast concerns
When Santa Barbara County opened the doors to legal cannabis operations in 2017, officials designed a tax system without precedent. “There was no model to work from because we were the first ones in the boat,” 5th District Supervisor Steve Lavagnino said. During this time, consultants presented the county with two options: taxing the gross […]
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Roy Lee elected as new 1st District Supervisor
Incumbent 1st District Santa Barbara County Supervisor Das Williams called candidate Roy Lee on March 14 to congratulate him on becoming the next supervisor representing Montecito, Summerland, Carpinteria, and Cuyama come January 2025. “I wanted to do what none of my opponents in 21 years had done, actually have a personal concession and wish him […]
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Rancho La Laguna withdraws appeal, Superior Court preservation ruling stands
After a Santa Barbara County Superior Court judge ruled that the Board of Supervisors acted within its rights to deny the 4,000-acre Rancho La Laguna subdivision project, attorneys representing the developers filed an appeal to the decision. That appeal was short-lived as the developers later withdrew it, letting the Superior Court decision stand, said Linda […]
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United Way of Northern Santa Barbara County offers free, in-person tax filing services until April 13
To help Santa Barbara County residents file their taxes and get tax credits they’re eligible for, United Way of Northern Santa Barbara County teams up each year with Cal Poly and Allan Hancock College to host free, in-person tax filing. The program launched about 18 years ago with United Way helping file taxes in Lompoc, […]
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Creating space: The Santa Maria Valley lacks dedicated places for the LGBTQ-plus community
In the early days of the Allan Hancock College Pride Alliance, students wrote on name tags preferred names and pronouns, with the understanding that the names would only be used during meetings for safety reasons, said Jackie, a student and Pride Alliance member. The student organization is dedicated to helping LGBTQ-plus students through events and […]
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Marian Regional Medical Center launches new food recovery program to reduce carbon emissions, redirect food
Rather than seeing pasta sauce, overnight oats, or untouched salad fixings go to waste, Marian Regional Medical Center, in partnership with Replate, will reallocate unused food to community organizations that serve individuals facing food insecurity, Marian Food Services Director Kevin Leitner told the Sun. “This really was initiated by a [California] food recovery bill … […]
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Preliminary election results show low voter turnout during March 5 primary
While ballots are still being counted, Santa Barbara County election results show lower voter turnout than in previous presidential primaries. Michael Daly—Santa Barbara County Clerk-Recorder, Assessor, and Elections Office chief deputy assessor and registrar of voters—told the Sun that 41.6 percent of registered voters had their ballots counted so far during the March 5 primary. […]
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More than 1,600 Santa Barbara County jail inmates filed grievances
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office saw an increase in inmate complaints about access to medical, mental health, and dental care as well as medication-assisted treatment for inmates facing substance use disorders. Second District Supervisor Laura Capps pulled the report for discussion during the March 19 Board of Supervisors meeting because grievances haven’t been discussed […]
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Preliminary results show incumbents lead in state races, Prop. 1 approved by 1 percent
While both sets of candidates in the local state Senate and Assembly races will march forward to the November general election, preliminary results show incumbent Assemblymember Gregg Hart (D-Santa Barbara) and state Sen. Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara) in the lead. “I’m gratified and humbled by the results, and I’m excited about getting back to work […]
