When my husband and I moved to Guadalupe in 1997 and bought our first home, we did so because we saw potential. This little coastal city was frozen in time and offered beach weather without a high price tag. Granted, if the city had a dollar for every time someone said they saw potential, Guadalupe’s […]
Taylor Saugstad
Posted inUncategorized
Thanks to all the firefighters who battled a recent fire
On Aug. 30, a fire was set on the hillside not far from my home in Pismo Beach. We are very grateful to the workers who extinguished the fire quickly. I could tell that there were two troops of firefighters, some wearing orange and some wearing yellow and black. The ones wearing orange are inmates. […]
Posted inOpinion
Look closely, listen, and choose candidates carefully
As the midterm campaign season begins in earnest, it’s a good time to get grounded. When considering which candidate to vote for, remember that an elective office is first and foremost a job. The campaign is the job interview, and every citizen is part of the interview panel. The questions to ask oneself are: Which […]
Posted inOpinion
Future local tax measures should put roads first
What if we could fix more roads, bring home more state and federal transportation dollars, and do it without raising the overall tax burden? The San Luis Obispo Council of Governments (SLOCOG) board and the county Board of Supervisors voted to remove Measure H from the November ballot after consultants concluded it did not have […]
Posted inOpinion
Why are we tipping more?
What happened to the good old days when a restaurant employee who served you promptly and accurately was happy to get a 10 percent tip? I’m not sure those days were any better, but I am sure it is not the fault of the minimum-wage worker in front of you who is offering a tip […]
Posted inOpinion
Slash our addiction to plastic
If you’re not concerned about plastics, you should be. Plastic doesn’t return harmlessly to nature. It breaks into ever smaller microplastics and nanoplastics that now appear in our food, water, air, blood, and even human brain tissue. In one major study, people whose carotid-artery plaque contained plastic particles were more likely to suffer a heart […]
Posted inOpinion
Cal Poly’s research helps ensure a healthy future for California strawberries
When people bring home a carton of California strawberries, they probably aren’t thinking about plant diseases, soil health, or the students spending long days collecting samples in a field. As a plant pathologist, I do. Because behind every strawberry is years of research, countless hours of fieldwork, and a shared commitment to finding better ways […]
Posted inOpinion
Vote for change: democratic socialists, progressives, independents, prairie populists
Was Dwight Eisenhower a communist? As a Republican president in 1956, he ran on a platform of expansion of Social Security; federal assistance for construction of hospitals; increased federal aid for medical care of the needy; and the creation of a Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. And an immigration policy that provided a haven […]
Posted inOpinion
Loss of USAID affects higher education programs in California
At a Senate hearing in June, Marco Rubio claimed that the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) operated as “an independent State Department,” working contrary to U.S. interests. Despite Rubio’s previously claiming “no kids were dying under [his] watch,” former leading USAID administrator Atul Gawande told The New Yorker that according to recent studies, approximately […]
Posted inOpinion
Salud Carbajal’s housing spin is why voters are tired of politics
Housing is one of the most pressing issues facing the Central Coast. So when Congress passes a bipartisan housing bill, it should be good news. But instead of simply telling the truth, politicians too often turn good news into campaign spin. That is what Congressman Salud Carbajal is doing through the 21st Century ROAD to […]
Posted inNews
Long legacy: Central Coast tribes push to reclaim their ancestors’ remains and belongings
Editor’s note: This is the second in a two-part series. The first, “Native return,” ran June 25. Whiteboards crowded with titles and case numbers loom behind Jonathan Malindine’s desk at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. The museum’s Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) officer has underlined some in red and circled […]
Posted inOpinion
County is poised to make good energy decisions
It will be a consequential summer for energy policy in Santa Barbara County. Currently, you can drill for oil, but you can’t put a solar farm in the same industrial site. That is set to reverse with an oil ordinance to prohibit new oil drilling to be considered in September and a solar ordinance to […]
