Years-long plans began taking shape in the west portion of Orcutt Hills Open Space, which will eventually reduce the number of hiking trails available in the area. In May, the developer behind the Rice Ranch master-planned community graded strips of land where chain fences are now in place, marking where the development of the first […]
ZAC EZZONE
Posted inNews
Two oil projects proposed in Cat Canyon have been canceled within the last two months
In March 2019, the Sun ran a cover story titled “Carbon evolution” that explored the contentious debate taking place in Santa Barbara County over three large-scale oil and gas projects proposed in the Cat Canyon oil field. A little more than a year later, it appears this evolution is over before it started. Two of […]
Posted inNews
County studies potential trail along Santa Maria River
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors greenlit a study to identify a possible walking and biking path along the Santa Maria River that would connect the cities of Santa Maria and Guadalupe. This study will examine the feasibility of extending the path that already exists along the river within the city of Santa Maria […]
Posted inNews
Solvang funeral director helps bury those who died from COVID-19 in New York City
As a first responder, Dan Flynn has been deployed to numerous hurricanes and countless tornadoes, but he hadn’t experienced anything like what he witnessed while in New York City during the peak of its COVID-19 outbreak. Flynn—who runs Simply Remembered Cremation Care, a funeral home service with locations in Solvang, Santa Barbara, and soon Santa […]
Posted inNews
Lompoc releases roadmap for improved biking, walking in city
The city of Lompoc recently released a draft bike and pedestrian plan that proposes projects that’ll help students walk or bike to school more easily. The 71 projects proposed in this plan include items such as building sidewalks, improving crosswalks, creating bike paths, and designating bike lanes on roads, city Civil Engineering Associate Joshua Leard […]
Posted inNews
Lompoc City Council wants more regulations on a needle exchange program designed to promote public health
During the Lompoc City Council meeting on May 19, Councilmember Jim Mosby presented a slideshow that included photos of used syringes found throughout the city, such as on the playground equipment at Ryon Park. Another showed a pizza box filled with syringes and a tourniquet. A few residents who spoke at the meeting also told […]
Posted inNews
Grand jury report highlights concerns with Corner’s Bureau facility
The Santa Barbara County grand jury recently released a report that claims the county Coroner’s Bureau facility should be replaced as soon as possible, stating that problems with the office pose health and safety risks for staff members and the public. Among the issues, the report claims, is that all autopsies are completed in a […]
Posted inNews
Santa Ynez Valley officials propose roundabouts to ease highway safety issues
Over the last year and a half, the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) has led a study aimed at identifying traffic and safety improvements along the three highways that form a triangle around the Santa Ynez Valley. SBCAG, and officials from other jurisdictions involved with the study, held a public workshop on May […]
Posted inNews
Buellton considers joining Monterey Bay Community Power
Two years after opting not to pursue joining a community choice aggregation program, the city of Buellton is reconsidering. During its meeting on May 14, the Buellton City Council directed staff to invite a representative from Monterey Bay Community Power—a community choice aggregation agency that’s expanding throughout the Central Coast—to speak with the county about […]
Posted inNews
County successfully lobbies state to allow for faster reopening
After a few weeks of uncertainty, Santa Barbara County finally appears ready to begin moving faster through a roadmap that outlines modifications in the existing COVID-19 stay-at-home order. On May 8, Gov. Gavin Newsom allowed some businesses to reopen throughout the state in limited ways, such as retail stores only providing curbside services. He also […]
Posted inNews
Substance abuse treatment providers adapt to virtual care
For people living with addiction, being isolated during the COVID-19 pandemic is especially difficult. But that’s the reality many have faced over the last two months. Since the virus began to spread throughout the U.S., and once Gov. Gavin Newsom issued his statewide stay-at-home order in March, the agencies that provide substance abuse treatment programs […]
Posted inNews
Local nonprofit aims to create large-scale regenerative ag center for education, research
By the end of next year, a 1,000-acre ranch more than 5 miles south of Lompoc is slated to be the site of an agriculture program used to teach consumers and producers about a regenerative system of farming. The organization behind the project, White Buffalo Land Trust, is a local nonprofit focused on the broad […]