Months of advocacy efforts from senior mobile home residents are paying off as the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted to move forward with greater protections for some of the county’s most vulnerable residents. “You really brought this forward,” 2nd District Supervisor Laura Capps told the senior residents who attended the Oct. 10 meeting. […]
Taylor O'Connor
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Santa Maria City Council explores tax increases and fees to fill budget gap
Facing a $21 million budget deficit in the upcoming fiscal year, Santa Maria is pondering a sugar tax, a cannabis tax, and/or charging fees for emergency services as ways to inject revenue and avoid dipping into city reserves. “These are outside the norm that we have done in the past,” interim City Manager Alex Posada […]
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Human services: Local nonprofits provide health care, including STI treatments, to Santa Maria Riverbed residents
Syphilis. Hepatitis C. Wounds. Poor dental hygiene. Domestic violence. Substance use. These are some of the concerns Raye Fleming and her team at the Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo (CAPSLO) have noticed since beginning their services in the Santa Maria Riverbed. “We’ve also found a lot of primary care issues, and 5Cities Homeless […]
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Unhoused pet families
C.A.R.E.4Paws helps care for, feed pets as the Santa Maria riverbed gets cleaned up
A black-and-white kitten emerged from a makeshift fence made of blue tarp and wooden posts as Chris LaBossiere announced her arrival. “Hi … it’s Chris and Claire from C.A.R.E.4Paws,” LaBossiere said as she walked toward the encampment. Fellow volunteer Claire Sheehy stayed a few steps back. The resident pushed the tarp back as she came […]
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Santa Barbara County Planning Commission delays cannabis odor discussion to November
The Santa Barbara County Planning Commission pushed back its discussion on a cannabis odor ordinance until November to give more residents the time to understand and form their own opinions on the county’s proposed plans to improve mitigating the plant’s skunky smell. “I feel like where we are is we just got inside the ballpark, […]
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Environmental groups ramp up efforts to prevent Sable resuming oil operations
The Center for Biological Diversity intends to sue the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to force the agency to update its plan for the Santa Ynez Unit’s offshore oil platforms—the latest in a series of increased efforts to prevent resumed operations. “The platforms and pipelines have outlived their expected lifespans; and oil production […]
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Buellton children’s thrift store, Kayla’s Kidz, moves to bigger storefront
Neat racks of colorful onesies, kids T-shirts, shorts, and baby shoes line the 350 square feet of retail space Kayla Perez purchased a year ago. “I think if you came in and didn’t know it was a thrift shop, you wouldn’t know it was secondhand,” said Perez, the owner of Kayla’s Kidz—a secondhand store for […]
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Dreams and dread
Santa Maria officials and residents share hopes, fears after City Council approves new agreement with The Vernon Group for downtown development
Maya Restaurant has seen every iteration of Santa Maria in its nearly 60 years of business. From its vibrant, charming early years to the vacant lots, Santa Maria has been home to the Paredes family. “The times are changing, and it’s time we keep up with those times to keep our home thriving,” said Tere […]
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Buellton and Solvang ask voters to approve bed tax increases
Tourism brings in nearly half of Solvang’s general fund revenue, but those dollars aren’t stretching as far as they once were, City Manager Randy Murphy told the Sun. “Ultimately, inflation impacts on everything post-COVID is crazy. We renewed our contract with the sheriff’s department, and that cost went up 30 percent. We are paying about […]
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Lompoc City Council tables electric rate increase
Concerns about how proposed utility rate increases would impact small businesses and/or residents with low- or fixed-incomes halted the Lompoc City Council’s vote on making the needed changes. “For me, personally, I know we have to do this, but I’m just having some struggle. I wish there was more nuance. I know it’s just a […]
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Guadalupe’s new recreation services manager increases activities for locals
As someone who never considered herself a sporty person growing up, Annis Barajas wanted to offer Guadalupe residents more than sports when she joined the Recreation Department six months ago. “Guadalupe has [always] been super strong when it comes to sports,” said Barajas, the recreation services manager. “I wanted to have options for people who […]
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Will Smith, Andrew Foster join Santa Maria mayor race
Former Santa Maria-Bonita School District board member Will Smith is running for his third time against longtime incumbent Santa Maria Mayor Alice Patino. The two will be joined in this general election by former Santa Maria Joint Union High School board member Diana Perez and first-time candidate Andrew Foster. The Sun featured Patino and Perez […]
