County Planning and Development is tasked with smoothing the way for thousands of new homes. Especially in unincorporated towns, which have little say in their own affairs, the process could be improved. A single green-lighted development in a small town like Los Alamos could increase its population by 10 percent or more. That has a […]
Letters To The Editor
Guadalupe is overdue for a real levee
Thank you for praising the Guadalupe community for coming together on the 9th and 10th of January to help the flooded-out people (“The little town that could,” Jan. 19). Since this flooding occurs periodically (as the mayor said, four times in 30 years) it should behoove the county, the state, and the feds to get […]
Thank you, Rapid Rehousing
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Rachel M. and Melanie M. at Rapid Rehousing (as they lived up to their name), as well as Denice S. and Priscilla L. at City Net, and Mary M. and Kathy O.—all of them were on top of their game to get me quickly housed and […]
Your local vote and participation help on many levels
The League of Women Voters, Santa Maria Valley (LWVSMV) joins with the LWVCalifornia in condemning senseless gun violence as evidenced very recently in Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay. Our hearts and prayers reach out to the families and those victims, family, friends, and communities impacted. Laws regarding gun safety and mental health are […]
New bills are not gifts
Our state elected representatives are at it again, producing a blizzard of new bills. Just who of everyday Joes on the streets is going to know anything about any of these? These bills are for the biggest paying supporters or the biggest attention getters. Most of these bills are “penny dreadful” junk bills. The basic […]
We should all be concerned about House majority
The new Republican House majority is a collection of election deniers, QAnon conspiracists, and political arsonists hell-bent on gaining power at the expense of our democracy. They’ll be in control of the House of Representatives for the next two years and have already shown an inability to govern. They couldn’t even elect House Speaker Kevin […]
Biden continues producing real results
Just as Republican Kevin McCarthy was losing yet another vote for speaker of the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C., President Joe Biden and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell were doing a victory lap in Kentucky touting a new bridge across the Ohio River that was made possible by the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill. The […]
Unnamed Animal Services employee has dubious experience
I was disappointed by part of a recent story about crowding at the Santa Maria Animal Center (“More adoption needed with overcrowding concerns at Animal Services,” Dec. 15). The end of the pandemic and inflation have resulted in animal shelters flooded with homeless animals. We are seeing our share here, although not nearly as badly […]
Rallying for America
At breakfast I read with interest a letter to the editor in the Sun. Entitled “Rallying for President Trump” (Dec. 22), it made an enthusiastic case for continuing to fully support him. The unflinchingly ardent argument by the writer was more bracing than two cups of my morning java. The public airing of all types […]
Thank you, Central Coast
My last day as the Assembly member for the 35th District was Dec. 1. It has been an honor and a privilege to represent the Central Coast these past six years. Together we accomplished great things for the Central Coast, California, and beyond. Some of the highlights: We passed a bill (SB 846) to pave […]
Rallying for President Trump
We must continue to support President Trump now as we have for the past four years. He had every right to encourage his supporters to rally peacefully before Congress to support and promote important Republican issues now. When the president was at Walter Reed Army hospital to treat his case of COVID-19, his supporters rallied […]
Los Olivos’ sewage treatment plan is a problem, not a solution
Los Olivos is a small, dusty, Western town, while Washington, D.C., is a former swamp in north Virginia. Unlike Washington, Los Olivos neither needs nor wants a big government “solution” in search of a problem. The Los Olivos Community Services District board is ignoring its original plan, endorsed by voters and county regulators, for a […]

