The Canary

What’s orange, green, and hairy all over with a penchant for gulping up water and a sweet crunch that’s satisfyingly healthy? Anyone? Carrots.  They like at least an inch of water per week during the growing season and will get misshapen or develop a bitter taste if the soil gets too dry, according to San […]

Lompoc City Counclimember Dirk Starbuck’s got flair—I won’t say what type of flair it is, but it’s flair nonetheless.  I’m not sure if he was trying to be funny or serious when he made this comment during the May 17 City Council meeting: “Some dogs are identifying as cats in town because of this.” Because […]

Maybe Buellton has it figured out. The city recently approved forward momentum on a project intended to bring more life into the town along Highway 101, and increase accessibility for residents who may not have it.  In order to give city residents who need it the option to garden, Buellton City Council approved plans to […]

What’s gotten into people these days? Just as I was about to zero in on Solvang, again, word of some words at Allan Hancock College nearly made me spit out my birdseed. An administrator at our local community college “said” some rather ageist and offensive things about a group of students via email to administration […]

Mayor Aristan Julian believes cannabis is the answer to Guadalupe’s long-running general fund revenue problems—4 to 6 percent of gross receipts from future dispensaries ought to do the trick, he said!  “If they make $3 million, we could get 6 percent of that into our general fund,” he said of the three cannabis businesses the […]

Looks like Santa Barbara County is staying true to itself with the district attorney’s race in which nobody is running against current District Attorney Joyce Dudley’s handpicked replacement, Deputy District Attorney John Savrnoch. Savrnoch will sail on through the primary like fellow “campaigners” 5th District Supervisor Steve Lavagnino and Laura Capps, who is walking into […]

To hear Mike Stoker tell it, campaigning for elected office is really about one thing: “How it really should work is to have two candidates with two different perspectives who are willing to own those perspectives. We can both be nice people but it’s a question of what direction you want for California.” Two candidates […]

What is the solution to homelessness? I can tell you that clearing out encampments isn’t a solution—it’s just temporary relief for the housed population that can’t deal with the problems that come with an unwanted gathering of people who have nowhere else to go. These include environmental issues that stem from trash and human waste, […]

Empty liquor bottles, bullets, and Porta-Potties aren’t allowed on or near gravesites at the Santa Maria Cemetery. You’re not allowed to drink alcohol or have a barbecue there either.  While that may sound like common sense, it apparently is not common knowledge—according to the Santa Maria Cemetery District, which posted a long PDF on its […]

Rent stabilization by any other name is rent control—and Santa Maria doesn’t want to have it. According to one group of upset city residents, it’s all Mayor Alice Patino’s and City Councilmember Etta Waterfield’s faults.  The group—the North Santa Barbara County Manufacture Homeowners Team—has been begging the city to do something about the ever-increasing cost […]

Election season 2022 is upon us, and you know what that means?  Another race with a predetermined winner!  Yay! Not.  What’s the point of an election if only one person runs for office? What’s the deal, Santa Barbara County? Can’t figure out how to win?  In this year’s races, which had a candidate filing deadline […]

If Santa Barbara County Planning Commissioner Larry Ferini likes it, then you should like it! At least when it comes to agriculture, according to fellow Commissioner Michael Cooney.  “Similar to a baseball team, you figure out who the best players are for a given project,” Cooney said during a March 9 hearing about a giant […]