A few weeks shy of St. Joseph High School’s summer break, the proverbial bell rang early for Principal Erinn Dougherty. In mid-May, the private school’s superintendent announced that Dougherty “has been placed on administrative leave pending a review of reported verbal comments made in a meeting of students.” “Please know that the well-being and care […]
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Guadalupe approves new family housing with carport caveat
Porch swings. Picket fences. Homeowners associations. Among the tropes often associated with quiet, suburban neighborhoods, the concept of an enclosed garage seemed like a given for some attendees of the Guadalupe City Council’s May 12 meeting. Against the wishes of a local developer, however, the council decided that evening to approve his new 15-unit single-family […]
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Battling fear, misinformation: Santa Barbara County’s Elections Division tries to get the facts out ahead of the June primary
Stay informedLearn more about Santa Barbara County’s election protocols at santabarbaravote.gov, facebook.com/countyofsb or on Instagram @countyofsb. Some local candidates and all five members of the county Board of Supervisors agree that their constituents deserve more clarity about how local elections work—especially with June’s primary just around the corner. “This is not an ordinary election year. […]
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Santa Maria considers ballot measure for sales tax increase
A survey of 400 Santa Maria residents showed that 60 percent of them would vote yes on a half-cent sales tax increase, as long as the extra funds—approximately $13 million a year—went toward essential city services. While 31 percent of participants answered no to the survey, which assured all hypothetical funds would stay local with […]
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Solvang bans public urination, defecation
Constant giggling bled into the Solvang City Council’s discussion of a recent incident that inspired officials to formally ban public urination and defecation within city limits. A sighting of the latter specifically prompted the legislation, City Manager Randy Murphy explained. “I don’t think ‘number one’ was the issue here,” Murphy said at the council’s May […]
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Santa Maria approves a package delivery warehouse to be built on West Stowell
Two Santa Maria planning commissioners thought last week’s meeting drew the biggest crowd they’ve experienced at a hearing. The only item on the May 6 agenda occupied the bulk of the nearly three-hour discussion. Following three study sessions that date back to 2024, the Santa Maria Planning Commission approved a project that would bring a […]
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Home plight: St. Joseph High School’s neighbors ask county to penalize unpermitted softball field for alleged hazards
Keeping count of how many softballs land in their backyards became an accidental hobby for several residents of Knollwood Terrace, a townhome community near St. Joseph High School in Orcutt. Some condo dwellers make an effort to return stray balls to the school, while others keep them stored away in a bag or box. Eleanor […]
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Trial for alleged Santa Maria court bomber set two years after explosion
Full of black powder, a can the size of a coffee tin wrapped in duct tape and glued-on nails was inside of Nathaniel James McGuire’s backpack the day he was arrested on terrorism charges in Santa Maria, according to law enforcement. On Sept. 25, 2024, McGuire allegedly threw his backpack into Santa Maria Superior Court’s […]
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Guadalupe adopts its first food truck ordinance
In the name of public health and safety, the city of Guadalupe now has a concrete set of regulations that operators of food trucks and trailers must abide by. The food truck ordinance saga in Guadalupe has lasted more than seven years, city contracted Planning Director Larry Appel said at a Feb. 24 City Council […]
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County approves Los Alamos’ Cottonwoods housing development
Yellowtail Lane. Pargo Drive. Gopher Gulch. Naming a few newly proposed private roads in Los Alamos after fish and rodents fell into the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission’s purview at its final hearing of April. County Planner Tina Mitchell assured the commission on April 29 that the road names before them were cleared by the […]
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Fatal DUI case closes with probation sentence over District Attorney’s call for state prison time
Convicted of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, 29-year-old Katelyn Fultz will serve less than 300 days in Santa Barbara County jail, followed by five years of probation. At around 6:50 a.m. on May 1, 2025, Fultz crossed over double yellow lines on Highway 154 and crashed head-on into 24-year-old Carly Howard’s vehicle. Howard died within a […]
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Lompoc is auditing its rebate program after fraud allegations
Rebates for turf landscaping and water leak detection are under the microscope in Lompoc, including those received by the current city manager. The city plans to pay for a third-party audit of applications to water and energy conservation rebate programs going back at least two years. On April 21, City Council members continued a discussion […]
