For the first time in years, the race for 5th District Santa Barbara County supervisor will extend to the general election. Initial vote counts for the June 2 primary put Ricardo Valencia and Maribel Aguilera on the November ballot, with Cory Bantilan out of the running. Count totals released on June 8 show Valencia with […]
News
Posted inNews
Lompoc voters came up short at the polls for a special road repair tax
As much as people in town want the potholes fixed, Lompoc’s attempt to pass a special sales tax for road maintenance failed. It would’ve brought in roughly $3.75 million annually. In January, the City Council discussed putting a tax measure on the primary election ballot. The Sun reported that a half percent special sales tax […]
Posted inNews
Proposed Paul Nelson pool closure could be saved from Santa Maria budget cuts
Santa Maria is looking for a way to keep the Paul Nelson Aquatic Center open year-round next year, despite an initial budget proposal that would have closed it for six months from December to May. “Please be sure we are listening to the community’s feedback,” Mayor Alice Patino told a packed City Council chamber on […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch: June 11, 2026
• With about a month left to officially certify the June 2 primary election results, state and federal incumbents led the races to represent northern Santa Barbara County. In the 24th Congressional District, which covers Santa Barbara County and parts of Ventura and San Luis Obispo counties, longtime liberal U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal led with […]
Posted inNews
A Central Coast photographer receives recognition from a national magazine’s photo contest
Trends have changed drastically since Amy Marlan posed for her high school senior portraits. She remembers wearing the same pearls and drape as the rest of the women in her class. The men put on the top half of a suit. Then, their family photographer took some shots of Marlan on a film camera, but […]
Posted inNews
Farmhouse sues Buellton over motel reversion mandate
Less than a month after becoming enforceable, Buellton’s new housing restrictions on motels along Avenue of Flags now face a civil lawsuit that one property owner warned city officials was inevitable. Farmhouse co-owner Kerry Moriarty was vocal about his intentions to sue the city during public hearings focused on Buellton’s motel reversion ordinance, enacted in […]
Posted inNews
Lompoc Unified approves a plan for more equitable arts classes districtwide
Jackalynn Snow channeled her inner Cynthia Erivo from the film Wicked at the most recent Lompoc Unified School District board meeting. “Unlimited. With arts we are unlimited,” Snow sang during her presentation of the district’s strategic arts plan. Snow, the district’s visual and performing arts program specialist, hoped her rendition of “Unlimited” would bring people […]
Posted inNews
Solvang to explore contracting with Lompoc PD for law enforcement
Since 2015, Solvang’s law enforcement costs have doubled, increasing from about $1.5 million to $3.4 million. “That’s 107 percent increase over the last 10 years for the same baseline services,” Assistant City Manager Olivia Uribe-Mutal told the Solvang City Council during its May 26 meeting. “Over that same time, the city has experienced consistent concerns […]
Posted inPolitical Watch
Political Watch: June 4, 2026
• U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-California) and U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) spearheaded a joint letter—signed by several legislators—to Sable Offshore Corporation CEO and Chairman Jim Flores on May 27, demanding that the oil producer preserve all internal communications records between the company and Trump administration officials related to the restart of the Santa […]
Posted inSpotlight
Fraud victims recount their experiences on locally produced podcast, Scam Squad
Finding fresh material each week for her podcast is rarely a struggle for Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office Chief Criminal Investigator Kristina Perkins. “It’s unfortunately easy to find content for Scam Squad because there’s so much out there,” Perkins told the Sun. “It’s usually just a variation of the same type of scam … […]
Posted inNews
Flying Goat Cellars sues county over wine district fees
A local winery asked a federal court to weigh in on its clash with Santa Barbara County for collecting mandatory fees that support a newly created wine business improvement district. The dispute is at the center of a civil lawsuit Flying Goat Cellars co-owners Norm Yost and Kate Griffith filed against the county on May […]
Posted inNews
Santa Maria-Bonita makes steps toward new school at Blosser Ranch
Before starting on a new campus at Blosser Ranch, builders need to secure enough dirt to fill around 30 Olympic-sized swimming pools. They also need drivers to bring it on-site. Over the course of six to 10 weeks, it’ll take 12 to 15 trucks hauling dirt eight to 10 hours a day to get the […]
