Three palm trees are part of a developer’s digital rendering for a proposed medical facility set for the spot where Buellton ironically almost got its first In-N-Out. Shuttered since 2020, the Parks Plaza movie theater was a city focal point in 2023 when the Buellton City Council overturned the Planning Commission’s decision to greenlight In-N-Out’s […]
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Political Watch: June 12, 2025
• U.S. Sens. Adam Schiff (D-California) and Alex Padilla (D-California) and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) signed a June 9 letter addressed to three federal departments regarding David Huerta, president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) California, who was arrested on June 6 during a confrontation at an ICE raid in Los […]
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Local volunteers organize mobile vaccine clinic for unhoused pet families inside Santa Maria riverbed
Walking along dirt paths in the Santa Maria Riverbed, there’s not much to see but dry brush and the occasional jackrabbit. In the distance, a group of people appear among the bushes. A man in bright mint green scrubs with a stethoscope around his neck rips open a bag of plastic syringes and grabs a […]
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Oil foil: A judge puts a temporary restraining order on Sable’s progress as environmental organizations sue to prevent another disaster
For dozens of Refugio State Beach’s visitors on May 18, stepping into the ocean was a solemn act of remembrance. Local environmental groups co-hosted a morning paddle out that Sunday—one day shy of the 10th anniversary of the Refugio oil spill. Three offshore oil rigs connected to the May 19, 2015, disaster were within eyesight […]
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Guadalupe bus service will integrate into Santa Maria transit by July
Passengers of the Guadalupe Flyer can take advantage of free rides for a limited time this summer thanks to a consolidation of two previously separate bus fare systems. During its June 3 meeting, the Santa Maria City Council agreed to allow Guadalupe’s public transit service to integrate into Santa Maria’s network. Starting on July 1, […]
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Salud Carbajal proposes law to help mitigate rocket launch noise impacts
Shaking windows and a sonic boom awoke Orcutt and Lompoc residents around 7 a.m. on June 8, when SpaceX Starlink group 15-8 launched the Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base. Once a relatively rare occurrence, rockets are launching from the Vandenberg base with increasing frequency. With each launch comes a sound loud enough […]
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Santa Barbara County Fire Department announces high fire season recommendations
Wildfire season is here. Don’t want your home to burn down? The Santa Barbara County Fire Department has tips it hopes will help you evade disaster. In the first quarter of this year, the Palisades Fire tore through Los Angeles County, burning more than 23,000 acres of land and destroying more than 6,000 structures. Aiming […]
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Solvang City Council introduces potential camping ban akin to 2002 policy
For more than two decades, Solvang upheld a ban against overnight camping on public property. Two years after a 2023 revamp that made temporary camps lawful, the city is calling back to its 2002 stance. Approved 5-0 by the Solvang City Council on its first reading, the potential new anti-camping ordinance prohibits overnight stays on […]
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Guadalupe appoints nonprofit to accept Royal Theater donations on its behalf
To reassure the public that donations toward Guadalupe’s Royal Theater project won’t be channeled into other uses, city leaders agreed on a new go-between for future contributions. During the Guadalupe City Council’s May 27 meeting, City Attorney Philip F. Sinco explained staff’s reasoning for nominating the Guadalupe Community Action Coalition (GCAC) to fill this role—despite […]
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Political Watch: June 5, 2025
• On May 29, U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) released a statement in response to President Donald Trump’s executive order, “Ordering the Reform of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission,” which directs the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to coordinate with Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) on reforming existing regulations, including time limits on license application reviews. According […]
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Grocery Outlet marks Orcutt debut with $1,000 donation toward local high school resources
 A white bear in a puffy chef’s hat and apron by the name of Osito Bimbo greeted the first customers to step foot in Orcutt’s newest grocery store the morning of its May 15 grand opening. Bringing Orcutt its first Grocery Outlet was a venture into uncharted territory for owner and operator Bryan Lutz, even […]
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Orcutt investment pro sentenced to 10 years in prison for defrauding elderly clients
Convicted of stealing more than $2.2 million over the course of seven years, a former financial advisor based in Orcutt will face a prison sentence of more than three times the amount her attorney argued for. On May 19, U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright II sentenced Julie Darrah to serve 121 months—a little more […]
