Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest users are the anticipated targets of a new marketing effort to promote yearly happenings in Solvang. The Abbi Agency, a marketing management consultant hired by the city in July, recently proposed dedicating 75 percent of Solvang’s paid media budget to social media advertising alone. While winning approval from members of Solvang’s […]
Taylor O'Connor
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Second oil well agreement in a month signals shift for Carrizo Plain
Eleven dormant oil wells inside Carrizo Plain National Monument will be permanently closed thanks to an agreement between a federal land agency and two environmental nonprofits. The Aug. 15 settlement came about after Los Padres ForestWatch and the Center for Biological Diversity filed a 2020 lawsuit against the Bureau of Land Management for approving an […]
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Santa Barbara County sets goals for homeless encampment cleanups as part of a statewide challenge
Santa Barbara County is participating in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s 100-day challenge to reduce homelessness as part of the state’s $2.5 million California Encampment Resolution grant to move people indoors and reduce fire danger and car accicents involving pedestrians. Encampments along transit corridors are the county’s focus during the 100 days because of the dangers that […]
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Santa Maria residents have more drive to change city logo after new Caltrans policy
A large sign with large lettering that says “Welcome to Santa Maria,” greets drivers cruising down Highway 101. A blue ship with a sunburst behind it is tiled onto the overpass above the sign. That ship adorns Santa Maria’s city website, city documents, and until June was the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District’s […]
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Lompoc changes concealed carry policy due to Supreme Court ruling
The Lompoc Police Department revamped its policy for issuing concealed carry permits after the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen. “The policy was a two-prong approach to get a CCW [concealed weapons permit] that was based on moral character and [that] the applicant had to have an […]
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Santa Barbara County supervisors want to reexamine salary system
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 (with 2nd District Supervisor Gregg Hart dissenting) on a 2.5 percent salary increase for the elected offices of the treasurer-tax-collector, the sheriff, the auditor controller, and the clerk-recorder-assessor, and gave the District Attorney’s Office a 3.5 percent raise after a long debate in the county chambers. […]
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Santa Maria Model A club’s 20th car show funds Hancock scholarships
The Model A Ford—a vehicle built by the Detroit-based company from 1928 to 1931—brings together car lovers around the country and creates community through car clubs that recognize the vehicles’ uniqueness. The Santa Maria chapter of the Model A Ford Club was founded in 2003 on the 100th anniversary of Ford Motor Companies, and the […]
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County allocates funding to child care, but only ‘a drop in the bucket’
After a major advocacy effort and an analysis of child care’s impact on the economy, Santa Barbara County will release $2 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds over the next three years for the child care sector’s pandemic recovery and resiliency. “The child care sector struggled pre-COVID and of course, COVID made it […]
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Jim Mosby runs against Jenelle Osborne for Lompoc mayor
Former Lompoc City Councilmember Jim Mosby is returning to politics after losing his seat to Jeremy Ball in 2020. Only this time around, Mosby’s running for mayor. “I’ve been paying attention and I’m invested in this community, and I see it drastically stepping backwards,” he said. “We need to stop making excuses and come up […]
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C.A.R.E.4Paws and Domestic Violence Solutions partner to provide pet care for victims leaving abusive homes
Up to 40 percent of domestic violence victims report they’re unable to leave their abusers because they’re concerned about what will happen to their pets when they leave, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. “What we’ve learned is that pets are used as pawns in domestic violence situations where the abuser is using […]
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Santa Maria-Bonita integrates students with disabilities into general education classrooms to comply with new laws
While Betsy Jones leads her students through multiplication charts, English lessons, and science experiments, a special education co-teacher goes around the room, making sure students with disabilities understand and are keeping up with their peers. “I am a general education teacher and I co-teach with her all day long,” the fifth grade Liberty Elementary School […]
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Employees at Santa Maria Starbucks want to unionize
After seeing employees at the Starbucks in Buffalo, New York, win their vote to unionize, Shift Supervisor Jaylee Moore at the Santa Maria Starbucks on Broadway and McCoy decided her location could unionize, too. “I’ve been working here for almost 4 1/2 years. I was the one who started all of the conversations and talked […]
