Dust kicks up onto Stephen Gliessman’s work boots as he walks through his vineyard. A wide-brimmed hat protects his face from the Cuyama sun beating down in the 90-degree midday heat. Birds caw and squawk as he approaches a row of zinfandel grapes. “That’s our sound system playing distress calls of a bunch of pest […]
From dressing and eating assistance to working with kids with severe autism or helping people recover from injuries, occupational therapists help with the activities of daily living. “My mission is to get kids as functional as possible,” said occupational therapist Stephanie Foster. “I tend to see kids intensively for six months to a year, and […]
A U.S. District Court judge upheld the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors’ decision to deny ExxonMobil’s proposal to truck crude oil from its Las Flores Processing Facility to pump stations in Santa Maria and Kern County. ExxonMobil went before the supervisors in March 2022, calling this project a temporary solution while the company worked […]
Environmental organizations recently appealed a federal judge’s ruling in favor of the U.S. Forest Service’s Pine Mountain chaparral removal project to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Known as the Reyes Peak Forest Health Project, the Los Padres National Forest project would remove chaparral and trees across 755 acres that extend along Pine Mountain […]
Between now and mid-October, locals can give their two cents on a multi-year economic plan for the Central Coast designed to bring in and support a wide range of industries throughout the region. The plan was developed by the Regional Economic Action Coalition (REACH), a nonprofit organization with the goal of growing economic prosperity in […]
The decision to switch ambulance providers in Santa Barbara County was the single most important vote Bob Nelson has made as a supervisor, the 4th District representative told the Sun. “I can’t imagine too many more votes I’ll have that will have more consequences than this. It really means a new era of public safety […]
The U.S. Department of Labor found that Santa Maria labor contractor Rancho Nuevo Harvesting Inc. violated H-2A agricultural worker program regulations and ordered the company to pay more than $1 million in back wages and penalties. The H-2A agricultural worker program allows agricultural employers who anticipate a shortage of workers to bring nonimmigrant, foreign workers […]
Contribute, commemorate The Santa Maria Japanese Community Center is accepting donations for the cultural center, which will be commemorated through a series of plaques in the building. Donations will be in tiers, ranging from $500 to $15,000, and donors must put “donor plaque” in the check’s memo section. Email weskoyama@gmail.com for more information on donations. […]
The Santa Barbara County Fire Department will be the new countywide provider for emergency medical services after the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved its application. During the Sept. 19 meeting, the supervisors heard from American Medical Response—its current ambulance provider—and County Fire about their proposals to provide ambulance services for the county. These applications came […]
Between 80 and 100 people attended a vigil on Sept. 13 to honor a local farmworker who passed away in a work-related accident “It was beautiful to see the community supporting the family, bringing flowers, candles. A local priest came to support the community,” said Andrea Echeverri Betancur, a senior policy advocate for Central Coast […]
From listening to kids read to visiting seniors in bed care, Kelli the liver-spotted Dalmatian has provided a lot of joy on the Central Coast. “She loves everybody. When we work with kids, she will lay down while the kids climb all over her,” said Toni Perez, Kelli’s owner and handler. “I adopted her when […]
Andy Guiterrez has seen the Santa Maria riverbed flood time and time again since calling Guadalupe his home in 1957. Most recently, he watched the church where his mother’s funeral was held flood and an entire neighborhood get destroyed when a river levee breached during the January storms, he told the Santa Barbara County Board […]
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