Spotlight

Ever wonder what the California “whale tail” license plate is all about? Drivers who pay a little extra for the ocean-themed plate are contributing to a statewide fund that the California Coastal Commission uses each year to fund grassroots projects that protect or educate about the coast. On Feb. 9, in a record-breaking year of […]

Santa Barbara County started the One Climate Initiative in 2020 to bring planners together to tackle major issues tied to climate change, according to county Planning and Development Senior Planner Zoë Carlson.  “I like to think of One Climate as an umbrella of all our different planning elements. We are all moving forward concurrently with […]

At the beginning of the month, Santa Maria-Lompoc NAACP President Lawanda Lyons-Pruitt drove up and down Santa Barbara County to receive resolutions from several cities and the Board of Supervisors recognizing February 2022 as Black History Month.  “Our theme is Black joy and legacy and focuses on health and safety. … We talked about highlighting […]

After Santa Maria experienced a series of violent incidents a few years ago, Mayor Alice Patino called parents and businesses together to brainstorm a way to combat the youth-on-youth violence and alarming rates of teen murders. Santa Maria saw 21 homicides in 14 months in 2016, a rate 80 percent higher than the national average, […]

Santa Maria children can learn about plants, animals, and outdoor activities in their area through the Wildlife Explorers program: a returning Santa Maria Department of Recreation and Parks opportunity that expanded this year for more kids to join, Recreation Supervisor Rudy Gutierrez said.  “We were really looking for opportunities to engage the youth in the […]

Combat veteran David Petersen’s time on the Central Coast was bookended by two life-changing events. He arrived in May 2020 after receiving in-patient treatment for suicide, and left for Oroville in Butte County last month to be a high school football and wrestling coach, this time with a service dog named Cole in tow. “I […]

After a pause in 2021, the annual Santa Barbara County homeless Point-In-Time Count is returning with the goal of getting 300 to 400 volunteers to participate in the data-gathering process, Housing Program Specialist Jett Black-Maertz said.  During the last 10 days in January, counties across the nation participate in the Point-In-Time Count, when the U.S. […]

C.A.R.E.4Paws has been a staple way for pets in low-income families to receive critical care, but the pandemic caused a service jump with a record 20,000 medical procedures in 2020, a significant uptick from 2019’s 18,500, said Isabelle Gullo, executive director and co-founder of C.A.R.E.4Paws.  “We’ve seen an increase in the number of pet owners […]

Former Santa Cruz locals Laura and Jameson Lucero want to build a local skate shop for their Nipomo community, but the last thing they want to do is be like a dancing Kevin Bacon. “Brick-and-mortar skate shops serve as more than places to grab products. They’re organic cultural epicenters for youth and artists,” Laura said. […]

Between an aquaponic garden, a 25 foot tall Aztec pyramid replica, and an Inventors’ Lab with enough tactile treasures to fill a whole day of play, the Exploration Discovery Center in Grover Beach is more than your typical children’s museum.  Debra Ugalde taught as a bilingual educator for 25 years in Santa Maria and is […]

Parents wanting to fill their child’s time during winter break with a fun and educational opportunity should look toward the Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum’s winter camps. Normally offered in the summer, the two science-based camps give children the chance to be with kids their own age and learn about robotics or space, Program Manager […]

Framed pencil drawings of pets, grandchildren with grandparents, kids playing in baseball games, and Monterey homes stretch across the walls of the Santa Maria Public Library’s Shepard Hall; children’s eyes glint with life-like joy, and pets’ personalities shine through the sketched faces.  Minnie Anderson, an Orcutt-based artist, gazes at each of her pieces in the […]