A unanimous vote from the California Fish and Game Commission granted new safeguards to roughly 9 square miles of marine habitat off the coast of Guadalupe. “I understand how hard it is to lose yet another fishing area,” Commissioner Jacque Hostler-Carmesin said at the hearing. “However, the Chumash people were displaced. Their lands taken. Forced […]
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Santa Maria asks residents to vote yes on sales tax increase
With a tax bump to consider on the Nov. 3 ballot, Santa Maria’s registered voters will determine the fate of some local playgrounds, pickleball courts, and public pools, according to City Manager David Rowlands. “These are all quality-of-life items, … services that are at risk due to the ongoing budget pressures,” Rowlands told attendees of […]
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Guadalupe tackles unpaid water bills tallying up to $250,000
To make up for years of letting some Guadalupe residents’ unpaid water bills slide, the city ramped up its monthly shutoff average from 10 customers to 90 this October. “Starting tomorrow, we’re going to start shutting off water. The city has $250,000 in unpaid water bills,” City Administrator David Trujillo told the City Council at […]
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Four candidates contend for two seats on the high school district board
Tackling overcrowded local high school classrooms is one major issue for those running to fill seats on the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District board. In 2024, the district’s bond measure aimed at building a new high school to address the issue didn’t receive enough votes to pass. Diana Perez, who’s running for the […]
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Some Santa Maria candidates raise thousands of dollars in donations
Depending on the outcome of November’s election, up to three seats on the Santa Maria City Council could change hands. Of those three races, the 4th District race is guaranteed to bring new blood to the dais, without an incumbent to consider. While current 4th District Councilmember Maribel Aguilera vies for retiring Santa Barbara County […]
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Santa Maria delays hearing ‘to ensure safety’ of City Council
On Oct. 6, the city of Santa Maria issued a formal notice canceling the City Council’s regular meeting scheduled for that evening. Originally described as “due to a lack of quorum,” the short-notice cancellation prompted a more specific explanation from the city in an Oct. 8 release. “For further clarification, the meeting was canceled per […]
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Rematch: Jeremy Ball and Jim Mosby are battling in another Lompoc race, this time to become the city’s next mayor
For the second time in six years, Lompoc is asking voters to choose between Jim Mosby and Jeremy Ball. The two City Council incumbents previously squared off in 2020 for the 4th District seat, which Ball won. Mosby’s successful run for mayor against Jenelle Osborne in 2024 put him back on the dais—where he’s served […]
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Police use drones as first responders in Lompoc
Two Flock Safety drones launching from the roof of the Lompoc Police Department have been responding to emergencies in the city since August. The extra eyes in the air help officers locate subjects and navigate difficult terrain within a 3-mile radius of the station. “I think it’s been helpful in multiple cases,” Community Services Sgt. […]
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State and local leaders condemn ICE arrest on Hancock campus
A resolution to acknowledge National Immigrants Day hit the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors’ desk nearly 24 hours to the minute after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained a father of five in Santa Maria. “While dropping his daughter off at Allan Hancock College, he was taken into ICE custody. The circumstances of his […]
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County urges residents to prep for winter flood risks
Amid early October’s heat wave, excavation work at Mud Lake—one of Orcutt’s designated stormwater basins—remained ongoing, in preparation for a potentially much different forecast this winter. “We’re doing a massive earthwork project where we’re excavating the Mud Lake basin to improve its capacity,” Santa Barbara County Flood Control and Water Resources Director Matt Griffin said […]
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Unfinished business: Stalled hotel construction in Solvang remains inactive amid yearlong litigation
More than a year after Solvang red-tagged his unfinished hotel, Ed St. George said he has no intention of raising a white flag over the dormant development. “We’re already 90 percent done. If we were 40 percent done, I would be willing to tear it down. But we are literally 90 percent done,” the developer […]
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Solvang Teamsters strike moves into third week
Two weeks into the first city employee strike in Solvang’s history, labor negotiators met in closed session with the City Council on Sept. 28. The following morning, Solvang’s unionized members of Teamsters Local 986 made good on their word to remain on strike until the city offers a contract they agree to ratify. “The strike […]
