Santa Barbara County’s final labor report for the year was released in December, showing flat year-over-year unemployment numbers to close out 2020. Unemployment in California has fallen for years, tracking with national job trends. The California Employment Development Department reports a 3.9 percent unemployment rate statewide, slightly higher than the national average of 3.5 Unemployment […]
William D'Urso
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The race for the 37th Assembly seat is in full swing
When Monique Limón announced she wouldn’t be running for her Assembly seat again, local Democrats mobilized. Some had already planned to run against her for the 37th District seat, while others were considering Hannah Beth-Jackson’s state Senate seat until Limón announced her plans to run for that position. With a filing deadline of Dec. 11, […]
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Four candidates are running for the county’s 3rd District
Conservative Karen Jones and progressive Jessica Alvarez Parfrey joined the race for Santa Barbara County 3rd District supervisor before the Dec. 6 filing deadline, bringing the total candidates vying for the seat to four. Jones ran against current 3rd District candidate Bruce Porter and incumbent supervisor Joan Hartmann in the last election, and she said […]
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Debbie Lemus offers a tax service for low-income residents and is looking for volunteers who want to help
Before Debbie Lemus retired, she was a registered nurse, administering to patients’ health. Somewhere along the way, she began tending to people’s financial well-being, too. She’s not a certified public accountant or even a financial whiz. Twenty-two years ago, she wondered if her taxes were getting done properly, so she went to a workshop run […]
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Local nonprofit casts light on renters plight
A regional advocacy group released a report Dec. 10 painting a stark picture for renters in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. In the report, the Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE) showed that flattening wages and increasing rents are putting strain on renters. The report said that renters make up 51 percent […]
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Caldwell Rally kicks off campaign
Andy Caldwell held his first campaign rally on Dec. 7, under overcast skies, scattered rain showers, and a massive flag whipping in the wind. His path to Salud Carbajal’s 24th Congressional District seat began with a more than 10-to-1 fundraising disadvantage. A Sept. 30 campaign finance report shows he had raised about $67,303 compared to […]
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The city of Solvang attempts to boost the marketing potential of a long-held tradition
Julefest has long been a staple of Solvang’s tourism experience. It’s one of the events the City Council wants to use to boost the city’s marketing potential as it seeks to reorient Solvang’s economic mission. Mayor Ryan Toussaint said the city is looking at more than just the events themselves, but how they fit the […]
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After years of stalled growth, the city of Guadalupe is rapidly adding homes and inching toward future commercial development
On the outer edges of a swath of homes—some finished, some nearly there, others meandering toward completion, purchase, and the American dream—Craig Smith pointed at a hand-drawn home on transparent vellum paper. “Nobody draws them anymore, but I do,” he said, pointing to his right middle finger. “You know when someone draws by this indent […]
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Supervisor Hartmann urges Aegis clinic to seek new location
The proposal to locate a methadone treatment center in Vandenberg Village appears to be dead following sharp pressure from residents and local politicians. Santa Barbara County Third District Supervisor Joan Hartmann, who has hosted meetings to discuss a proposed location for an Aegis Treatment Center, recently urged the company to look for another location. “Today, […]
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Salud Carbajal talks changes to H-2A program with farmers
Central Coast farmers are looking for an answer to labor shortages, and U.S. Congressman Salud Carbajal is determined to give it to them. The Santa Barbara Democrat held a roundtable with farmers and other local representatives of agriculture in San Luis Obispo on Dec. 2. He was there to discuss the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, […]
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After most of a century, the Guadalupe restaurant is still family owned and going strong
Forty-three years ago Rosa Quiroga was wiping down countertops, cutting meat, and taking orders at La Simpatia. And she’s still doing that, only now she’s the owner, too. Quiroga, 61, bought the Guadalupe eatery in 1991 from her uncle, Francisco Quiroga, known in town as “Pancho.” The restaurant—part diner, part dining room, part bar—celebrated its […]
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Carbajal backs California’s Kamala Harris for president
U.S. Congressman Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) endorsed California U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris for president, supporting the state’s former attorney general who’s currently struggling in the polls. A joint statement released on Nov. 22 said that Carbajal is the fourth Congressional Hispanic Caucus member to put his weight behind her. The announcement also mentions Carbajal’s career […]