Mental health and medical care resources along with critical building updates will begin at Santa Barbara County’s Main Jail after the Board of Supervisors’ approval of the design phase. Assistant County Executive Officer Jeff Frapwell discussed current conditions at the jail and the best rehabilitation options at the Nov. 9 Board of Supervisors meeting. “The […]
Taylor O'Connor
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Proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary moves to designation phase
About 140 miles of California’s central coastline will be protected from oil drilling and recognized for their cultural, economic, and ecological significance as the Biden administration moved to protect the area. The Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary will advance to the designation phase: A robust process of public meetings and hearings to identify uses, impacts, […]
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New House bipartisan bill answers growing need for military base child care and mental health resource expansion
When Lompoc native Sara Martinez received deployment orders to go to Vandenberg Space Force Base, getting on a child care waiting list was her priority. Martinez—who requested that her name be changed—deployed back to her hometown with her husband and daughter in February 2018 after being based in Denver’s Buckley Space Force Base for four […]
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School outbreaks cause increase in county COVID-19 cases
As the Santa Barbara County Department of Public Health deals with a number of COVID-19 outbreaks from the last week in October, it’s preparing for an increase in positive cases as fall activities come to a close, Public Health Officer Dr. Henning Ansorg said. “There was a significant amount of outbreaks in schools, we didn’t […]
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Dignity Health opens doors to new Nipomo-based health clinic, giving patients a closer-to-home care option
After three years of planning and development, Dignity Health opened a new primary health care center in Nipomo. “We are very excited to have another office in a growing community on the Central Coast to provide primary care support and rotating specialists that allows us to do some additional outreach,” said Dr. Scott Robertson, president […]
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Advocates support Santa Maria and Guadalupe unification for redistricting
Santa Maria and Guadalupe high school students wearing MICOP and CAUSE shirts gathered in the Betteravia Government Center on Nov. 3, waiting until 9 p.m. to speak on behalf of a redistricting map that they said could benefit Latinos, immigrants, and persons of color in Santa Barbara County. The United Communities Map proposes that […]
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Centralized fire dispatch agreement awaits Lompoc’s approval
The Lompoc Fire Department is the last of several fire departments in the county to approach its City Council about a potential regional fire-centric dispatch center, Lompoc Fire Chief Alicia Welch said. “All the other cities are moving toward the regional center, and Lompoc is moving tonight to vote to get on the agreement also,” […]
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The Santa Maria Valley Open Space hosts Los Flores Ranch Park run for preservation
What started as a way for his son to get Boy Scout credits became a passion for Chad Hinkle. The president of Santa Maria Valley Open Space—a grassroots organization dedicated to establishing public trails in a natural setting for hikers, bikers, and recreaters, and works to maintain trails through cleanups and advocacy—was Hinkle’s son’s scoutmaster. […]
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As Santa Barbara County improves response to mental health crisis calls, resource issues still plague system
Leonard Marcus came home to his son lying in a pool of his own vomit about 13 years ago. “He abused substances because of his mental illness. He was 15 or 16 at the time—still quite young—and it was a real shocker to see how drunk he was. I knew he was drinking, but I […]
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State master plan offers options to ending senior homelessness
A Zoom-based community forum highlighted low-income, senior living facilities and creative housing solutions as key things for the county to focus on as part of the California Master Plan for Aging. Hosted by the Santa Barbara County Adult and Aging Network (ANN), county residents attended the forum to learn about the master plan, its local […]
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Flooding and debris flow prevention remain county concern after rain
Santa Barbara County residents received 1 to 4 inches of rain from Oct. 24 to 25, with the Alisal fire burn area receiving about 3.5 inches of rain, according to the county’s rainfall report. Now, the county’s looking toward future flooding, debris flow, and mudslide prevention and safety, Public Information Officer Lael Wageneck said. “We […]
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The Women and Infants Mobile Clinic wants to expand wellness services, but funding shortages limit opportunities
When the Women and Infants Mobile Health Clinic opened to see women after the pandemic, staff saw conditions, illnesses, and pregnancies further along than most doctors prefer, Operations Director Dr. Suzanne Phelan said. “There’s a pressing need for health care and general women’s wellness because many of the health care facilities have been impacted [by […]
