When Daniel Contreras rounded out Buellton’s five-member Planning Commission, one of his first goals was to help the city make better use of existing properties that become idle for one reason or another. “[We] have a lot of facilities and parcels that are just gathering dust at the moment, and we’re not revitalizing those areas,” […]
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Finding fugitives: Santa Barbara County tackles arrest warrants with focus on most violent felonies
Robbery. Carjacking. Assault with a deadly weapon. Brandishing a firearm. Several outstanding felony warrants were stacked against Victor Manuel Ayala Sanchez on the day of his arrest in Santa Maria Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office deputies took the 30-year-old into custody in mid-August after a four-hour standoff outside of Sanchez’s residence on East Sunset Avenue. […]
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LAFCO highlights struggling cemetery districts
Hoping to clear the cobwebs around an ongoing issue plaguing Central Coast cemeteries, the Santa Barbara County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) wants to explore the possibility of consolidating some of those cemetery districts. In its 2025 review of countywide municipal services, LAFCO staff highlighted a handful of cemetery districts, including Oak Hill Cemetery in […]
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More cultural arts programming is headed to Santa Maria-Bonita schools
Starting in January, students at 15 elementary schools will have the opportunity to join a ballet folklórico dance program after school. The Santa Maria-Bonita School District board approved a roughly $59,000 contract with Children’s Creative Project at the Dec. 10 meeting. “By securing these services, we demonstrate our commitment to providing students with high quality, […]
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Los Olivos CSD considers testing groundwater wells once a year
A local agency’s decision to postpone one of Los Olivos’ regularly scheduled groundwater well tests—used to measure nitrate concentration levels—opened the floodgates to a different kind of monitoring for resident Kathryn Lohmeyer Rohrer. “It seems problematic on several fronts,” Rohrer said during public comment at the Los Olivos Community Services District’s (CSD) Nov. 12 meeting. […]
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Food patrol: The county aims to tackle unpermitted streetside vending with the help of a task force
Tensions were sky-high the night Lompoc Mayor Jim Mosby went viral on TikTok for protesting a taco stand located behind a Conserve Fuel station. “This is not legal,” Mosby told sidewalk vendors on the corner of North A and North H streets. “Where’s the refrigeration? What are your temperatures? You have no health permit.” He […]
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Lompoc City Councilmember Steve Bridge pleads not guilty to felony charges
Charged with embezzlement and misuse of city funds, Lompoc 1st District Councilmember Steve Bridge showed no intention of stepping down from the dais after one of his peers called for his resignation. “I will be found not guilty. Therefore, I’ll continue to support and represent every member of the community and District 1,” Bridge said […]
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Santa Maria Fire Department sees improvements from new dispatch center and internal changes
Anyone in Santa Barbara County who calls for emergency fire or medical help receives the quickest response possible from firefighters thanks to the new regional dispatch center. It’s the same story in Santa Maria, and this year, the city’s Fire Department also made changes to improve efficiency. “You’re getting the closest unit down to the […]
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Buellton Planning Commission green-lights farmers market project
While Guadalupe gets ready to debut its first farmers market by February, Buellton officials are eyeing March as a potential start date to begin one of their own. On Dec. 4, the Buellton Planning Commission granted Brenda Browning a conditional use permit that will allow vendors who participate in her proposed farmers market to set […]
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Topped out: After two decades of serving the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, Garrett Huff is now in charge
Memories of sitting at the bottom of a pool flow back when Templeton resident Garrett Huff reflects on practicing for water rescue missions early in his career as a paramedic and firefighter. “We had to do what they call dunker training,” Huff explained. “You’re strapped into a [simulated] helicopter, and they push it into the […]
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Guadalupe irons out rules to open farmers market in February
A Sunday stroll through LeRoy Park in Guadalupe will take on a whole new meaning once the city’s first weekly farmers market comes to fruition early next year. “We had anticipated January, but we are going to be pushing it out to February,” Guadalupe Business Association President Judy Wilson told the City Council at its […]
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More RV campsites opening at River Park
A couple dozen new campsites will open soon at River Park in Lompoc. City Council members voted on Nov. 18 to establish the campground’s rules and fees, which are expected to help the park stay afloat financially. In 2022, the city renovated nine RV sites at the park. Later this month, 26 additional spots are […]
