The Canary

Lompoc has some roiling drama in its Federal Correctional Complex (FCC). It’s under the microscope for how its leadership has been handling, or apparently not handling, the efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the prison facilities.  In a nutshell: The Lompoc FCC should have released more of its eligible incarcerated individuals to home […]

Solvang Trolley and Carriage Company drama collided with Solvang City Council drama and exploded into a cacophony of voices during a recent meeting that got so out of control Mayor Ryan Toussaint slammed his gavel down at one point and broke it!  He totally doesn’t know his own strength.  Guess what it was about?  Something […]

Well, it’s official. The apocalypse is back in full swing! Indoor activities are mostly off-limits, and the state is closing down again.  Gross! I don’t want to write about this, again. I’m tired of it. You’re tired of it, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s tired of it, believers and nonbelievers are tired of it. We’re sick and […]

Hey, you guys! It turns out that a bunch of retirees who have an extra 20 hours a week on their hands to do research and write reports don’t actually like marijuana.  A real shocker, I know.  The most recent report released by the Santa Barbara County grand jury is aptly titled “Cannabis.” It’s about—you […]

Good job, guys! Way to keep the pandemic at bay! Oh wait, actually, we haven’t done that. Santa Barbara County, which blamed its high numbers on the Lompoc federal prison a month ago, is currently on a state watch list because its COVID-19 numbers are increasing at an uncomfortable rate. And, as an added bonus, […]

Oh Solvang, you continue to delight this little twittering titterer with your antics. And I love you for it! Who knew the little city full of tourist delights could have such an angry soul? After years of quietly puttering along without many quips and quibbles, you seem to have exploded into a tumultuous sea of […]

I didn’t know it was possible to feel any worse for cannabis growers and the way regulations have haltingly rolled out in California—lurching forward, reversing, and being revised as special interest groups come forward with their grievances about the devil’s lettuce!  But the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors is making it happen! High five!  […]

Hey all you cool kids and kiddos out there. You better watch out. The city of Santa Maria is out to get you. If you smell funny (Is that reefer?), are making out in public (Get a room!), or using vulgar language (I do declare!) in a public park—you could hear from the city’s park […]

There’s nothing I can say to heal the fissures exposed in this country right now. The whole thing is a bit bananas.  With advocates in the streets protesting against police brutality directed at people of color, and mayhem advocates in the streets doing their best to have some hell-raising fun, it’s hard to keep it […]

I know what you’re thinking. The Sun’s cover story this week is about the politics of COVID-19 and the little canary is just going sing out against the far-right protesters of the world. Well, I do think people who land on the far-rightish side of the spectrum and cling to President Donald Trump’s words like […]

I was too busy flying off the handle about the Lompoc prison situation last week to utter a twitter about another lousy local situation.  The Old Town Market in Orcutt.  But before I gather my feathers and flutter onto that particular cannabis-soaked soapbox, I just need to say, THANK GOD Santa Barbara County managed to […]

I honestly don’t understand why the Federal Bureau of Prisons is being so obstinate about the COVID-19 outbreak in the Lompoc Federal Correctional Institute (FCI) and U.S. Penitentiary (USP). Or why they had to put two different facilities out there with different acronyms and treat them differently as well! It’s so confusing. Is it a […]