Apparently, there are some residents of Santa Barbara County who choose to live under rocks for years at a time. I’m having a hard time believing that people actually exist who don’t realize that the county has spent a massive amount of public time developing its cannabis ordinance in a very public way. I guess […]
The Canary
Posted inOpinion
Oversight, smoversight
Am I just jaded or is every political discussion these days fraught with an underlying tension of ideological dare-you-to-disagree with me mentality that just stops meaningful discussion in its tracks? It’s even infecting the usually even-tempered and respectful Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors. We can thank the Sunrise Movement Santa Barbara—a band of very […]
Posted inOpinion
CANARY: Legacies die hard
Lompoc. Here we go again. We’ve got gadflies Justin Ruhge and Ron Fink plinking away on their keyboards in frustration to let everyone know how stupid they think City Councilmembers Jim Mosby, Victor Vega, and Dirk Starbuck are when it comes to the budget nonsense that the Sun can’t seem to stop writing about. We […]
Posted inOpinion
CANARY: Future leaders of ‘Merica’
Apparently Santa Maria’s Future Leaders of America (FLA) members do have what it takes to be the politicians and lobbyists of tomorrow: unwillingness to compromise, apathy to opposing views, and they’re rude! So proud. The local FLA chapter hosted a forum on May 13 about university entrance requirements (called A-Gs) and the local students who […]
Posted inOpinion
The issues remain the same
Who’s ready for some Ocean Dunes State Vehicular Recreational Area dust talk? Oh come on, it’s thrilling. All this talk about micro-particulate matter, cancer, and dust mitigation is making me feel like I want to talk about the Oso Flaco Lake controversy again. On one side, we’ve got the Central Valley revved up and rearing […]
Posted inOpinion
Spinning and spinning
The puppy-powered drama centering around the Animal Kingdom Pet Shop finally maneuvered its way in small claims court. Like a tension-filled episode of Judge Judy, Animal Kingdom owner Adam Tipton and his fiancee Michelle Crook faced off against disgruntled puppy purchaser Jen Toste over $10,000 in a Grover Beach courtroom presided over by Commissioner Leslie […]
Posted inOpinion
Balloon race
I was thinking about pecking at Lompoc for its budget issue again this week—you know, the same one that some current Lompoc City Council members failed to address during the last budget cycle—but I’m moving on to more important things. Lompoc’s got an even bigger problem to deal with. Balloons. Some kid (probably) lost their […]
Posted inOpinion
Lip reading in Lompoc
How do you pay for something you want but don’t have money to pay for without bringing in any additional revenue? That’s a tough one, but have I got an easy answer for you. If you’re like every other American in this now Great Again nation, you’ll just borrow more money against the value of […]
Posted inOpinion
Deep breaths
Santa Maria residents have been arguing about whether to house temporary guest farmworkers in town since at least 2015—and they still haven’t figured anything out. Last year, the city hosted a series of workshops to try to explain the federal H-2A program. Farmers and agricultural industry representatives have said that it’s a necessity. So, in […]
Posted inOpinion
Raids ‘R’ Us
Cannabis is so confusing. Not because I’m high or anything. I’m not, I swear. I just use a little bit of CBD ointment on my right wing sometimes because it gets sore—and I definitely don’t inhale. I was driving up to Grover Beach to buy my muscle relaxation potion from 805 Beach Breaks until almost […]
Posted inOpinion
Truck it in
Looks like the Santa Maria City Council doesn’t care about anything but money and oil. Yes, folks, this week I finally get to rail like a true liberal snowflake environmentalist!! So strap those adult britches on, North Santa Barbara County residents, and get ready. On March 19, the City Council symbolically voted to support ExxonMobil’s […]
Posted inOpinion
Chickens in, humans out
Well Lompoc, you finally did it. Chickens are officially allowed to be man’s best friend within city limits. It only took you three years to figure it out. Chickens have been hip since, like, at least 2015. Even Lompoc City Councilmember Victor Vega knows how hip they are: “This has been a pretty […]
