The Canary

How much power does a local government have to change existing uses?  Turns out, local governments think they have a lot of power. They seem to have the power to kick people out of their homes, the power to force property owners to change the use of their properties, the power to kill people’s livelihoods, […]

The most problematic property in Orcutt continues to be a thorn in the side of developer Michael Stoltey, who didn’t get his wish granted by the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors on April 7.  Supes declined to agree to the proposed tax exchange from the city of Santa Maria for annexing the Richards Ranch […]

What’s happening with our elected officials?  We’ve got one who just pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter and one who’s being tried for fraud, forgery, and so much more.  After two years of proclaiming that he did nothing wrong and casting blame on his victim, David Baskett, a former longtime Santa Maria Public Airport District board […]

Testy exchanges between Solvang City Council members over something their mayor built is becoming more common than it should be.  Mayor David Brown’s treasure-hunt style Solvang Passport cellphone app was the topic du jour at yet another City Council meeting and promises to come up again in the future. Apparently, the city doesn’t have other, […]

Everyone wants a piece of the Trump administration these days. In what should be a surprise to no one who’s been following the Sable Offshore Corp. saga, the administration ordered the company to restart that pesky pipeline that leaked oil all over the Gaviota Coast more than 10 years ago.  And Sable did what it […]

The Santa Maria City Council had at least one surprise during its March 3 meeting—and no, it’s not that the council isn’t forming an ad hoc immigration committee.  One of the council members resigned 11 minutes into the meeting.  Why? Well, Carlos Escobedo said he’s moving out of his district and didn’t feel right sticking […]

The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors has overtime on the brain. Only this time, it’s not the Sheriff’s Office taking up space on the meeting agenda. It’s Environmental Health Services (EHS).  If you’re a public-facing business that could potentially be hazardous to public health, you know what this agency is all about. But the […]

The immigration discussion is happening in Santa Maria whether certain elected officials want it to or not. After months of stalling, the City Council is pushing forward with discussing an immigration ad hoc committee. At the insistence of Councilmember Gloria Soto, who first asked for the ad hoc committee last August, the council finally voted […]

So far, in the most competitive race Santa Barbara County’s 5th District has seen in more than a decade, things aren’t looking very competitive at all.  Santa Maria City Councilmember Maribel Aguilera has almost raised more than her two opponents combined. With what she says is $98,000 in the bank, she’s prepared to give dollars […]

It’s easy to pick apart Mayor Alice Patino’s rambling commentary at the Feb. 3 Santa Maria City Council meeting.  Her comments placed blame on protesters for the violence witnessed across the country and questioned whether demonstrators in Santa Maria would be peaceful. She stood up for Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, excusing the actions of […]

Santa Maria is no longer the only game in North County for skater kids looking for a place to play. First, Nipomo stepped up and built a skate park—it only took a decade to make it happen.  That park opened in 2022. Now, Guadalupe’s four-wheel fiends will soon get a spot they can walk to—skate […]

The Santa Maria City Council finally decided to weigh in on immigration enforcement activities, symbolically.  At the Jan. 20 council meeting, Councilmember Maribel Aguilera got to business before Councilmember Gloria Soto could even turn her mic on, requesting that the mayor put a resolution or proclamation on the agenda to send a “clear message that […]