Guadalupe recently released the Royal Theater renovation project’s construction bid and request for proposal for its operator while facing a $3 million funding shortfall. “It’s a key piece of the chain where we need to make sure this does happen,” Guadalupe Mayor Ariston Julian told the Sun. “We’re gathering around what the community needs and […]
Taylor O'Connor
Posted inNews
County Behavioral Wellness could implement mental health care changes next July
Santa Barbara County will need to fund three new positions in the public guardian’s office, consolidate office space, and eventually purchase more mental health beds to come in compliance with a new state mental health law. “Some of our precious discretionary revenue will be going to this, as it is a mandate,” County Executive Officer […]
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Lompoc’s reading challenges promote continued learning and family connection
Lompoc residents collectively read for more than 364,000 minutes this summer, quadrupling the number of minutes set in the library’s goal for its annual summer reading challenge. “Lompoc is a great community, and the reading numbers far exceeded my expectations, which was amazing. We just kept passing our goal, so we changed it, and we […]
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Protecting workers
U.S. EPA suspends the use of an herbicide commonly used on broccoli, including in Santa Barbara County
Broccoli contributed $86.7 million of Santa Barbara County’s $1.8 billion agriculture industry in 2023, sitting in fourth place among the county’s top 10 agricultural commodities, according to the 2023 Santa Barbara County Crop and Livestock Report. It’s also a crop that growers use dimethyl tetrachloroterephthalate (DCPA or Dacthal) on for weed treatment—an herbicide that was […]
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Lompoc Councilmember Gilda Aiello will not run for reelection, former planning commissioner to run unopposed
Lompoc City Council member Gilda Aiello (formerly Cordova) decided not to run for reelection this year after facing “a few unfair attacks on me brought on by a group of individuals who wanted to have me removed” during her last few years as a council member. “It really was with a heavy heart,” Aiello […]
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Julio Roman is Pacific Pride Foundation’s new executive director
Julio Roman started his journey with LGBTQ-plus organizations as a client. “I was looking for a safe space,” Roman said. “I was dealing with my feelings around being attracted to other guys, and this was a safe space to really be yourself. I was able to find a community of young men who looked like […]
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Domoic acid sickens Central Coast marine mammals, raises human health concerns
Mouth foaming. Lethargic and erratic behavior. Muscle spasms. Seizures. Death. Up and down Central Coast beaches, sea lions are suffering the effects of domoic acid poisoning—a neurotoxin produced by a harmful algal bloom that comes around every few years, possibly because of climate change and runoff impacts, Dr. Sam Dover told the Sun. “Sea lions […]
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Santa Ynez Valley’s College School District adds $18 million bond measure to November ballot
Several College School District portable classrooms are World War II surplus Army barracks that were brought onto campus decades ago, Superintendent Marlene Donner said. “Our old Army barrack buildings were brought to the site and put together as the original school and they need to be replaced with new modernized buildings so the students have […]
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Caltrans awards SBCAG a $480,000 grant to update Santa Barbara County’s bicycle maps
Bike maps help bicyclists identify and navigate routes throughout their region and understand a route’s classification—from multi-use trails to bike lanes on the street. However, Santa Barbara County’s mapping system is outdated by more than a decade, said Lauren Bianchi Klemann, public information officer for the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments. “With roads and […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Education Today 2024
Schools in need: School districts across North County ask voters to approve bond measures in November
School is about to be back in session for the 2024-25 school year, which means summer is almost over—sad. But it also means a new school year for all of those students, new learning, new friends, new experiences—rad! For this year’s annual Education Today issue, Staff Writer Taylor O’Connor speaks with school districts that are […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Bond, school bond
School districts countywide are asking voters to approve funds for campus upgrades, new schools and classrooms
Santa Maria-Bonita In the 2023-24 school year, Santa Maria-Bonita School District had more than 17,000 students enrolled in its 17 elementary schools, four junior high schools, and one combined elementary and junior high. By 2029-30, the district expects more than 18,000 enrolled students, not accounting for students who might come from housing projects currently in […]
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County Planning Commission approves Buellton cannabis cultivation project
While cannabis odor has concerned John Parke in the past when it comes to project proposals, the Santa Barbara County 3rd District Planning Commissioner voted alongside his colleagues to approve a cannabis processing project near Buellton and deny an appeal from neighbors during the July 31 Planning Commission hearing. “We have several experienced commissioners who […]
