• As co-chairs of the California Legislative Central Coast Caucus, Assemblymembers Gregg Hart (D-Santa Barbara) and Dawn Addis (D-Morro Bay) and State Sen. John Laird (D-Santa Cruz) drafted a joint letter to urge the Trump administration “to stop its expansion of drilling off California’s coast.” The March 27 letter was addressed to Bureau of Ocean […]
News
Posted inNews
Shaping impact of new train tracks on local estuary is one QR code away
Results from a community survey will help determine how local agencies approach replacing a coastal railroad bridge in the Lompoc Valley. “What makes this community engagement process really unique is that it’s starting super early,” said Sophie Bartley, Central Coast region project manager for LegacyWorks, one of the groups spearheading the initiative. Replacing the 100-plus-year-old […]
Posted inNews
Caught on camera: New evidence based on bus video footage led to mistrial, guilty plea in deadly forklift crash case
Nearly two years after pleading not guilty to vehicular manslaughter, Santa Maria resident David Baskett agreed to plead guilty to killing a local resident while driving a forklift. Baskett’s March 24 plea followed new evidence that Santa Barbara County Deputy District Attorney Ryan Clausen said contradicted what the 83-year-old originally told Santa Maria Police Department […]
Posted inNews
Historical landmark policy complicates Pea Soup Andersen’s demolition
Pea Soup Andersen’s future demolition hinges on how Buellton decides to preserve parts of the more than 100-year-old building. Designated by elected leaders as an official city landmark in 2020, the restaurant has been closed since early 2024. That year also marked its centennial. For Buellton to approve the shuttered eatery’s demolition, staff told the […]
Posted inNews
SBCAG wants more people to use its guaranteed ride home program
Thousands of people commute on public transportation every day in Santa Barbara County, but there even more who could make the switch. For some, fears of delayed buses or family emergencies mean residents drive themselves to work. But officials want more of the workforce to use public transportation and vanpool to reduce traffic congestion. An […]
Posted inNews
Steve Bridge’s sons are witnesses in felony fraud case
Receipts for fixing leaky pipes and installing lights are at the heart of the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s investigation into Lompoc Councilmember Steve Bridge’s invoices. In late 2025, Bridge was arraigned in Santa Maria Superior Court for eight felony counts, including forgery, identity theft, grand theft, and fraudulent use of a contractor’s license. A […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch: April 2, 2026
•U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California) issued a statement on March 27 after the Senate passed funding for all elements of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) except for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) border security operations. “For months, we’ve been clear: no blank checks for Trump’s lawless ICE and […]
Posted inNews
Up your composting game with help from some red wigglers
Hundreds of worms can work wonders for a garden from right inside the living room. One pound of red wigglers—roughly 500 to 1,000 worms—can fit in a vermicomposting bin the size of a foot stool, churning organic waste into healthy compost. In an average composting environment, the mixture needs to be turned over regularly to […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
The Return of Downtown? Santa Maria’s aim for a more pedestrian-friendly downtown and other stories that have been around since the Sun’s first issue
Some stories stick. They unfold slowly over time and are a constant source of news. We’ve been covering some of those in the Santa Maria Valley since this paper was founded in 2000. For 26 years, Sun reporters have watched and written about Santa Maria’s downtown—complaints about how the mall killed it, how the city […]
Posted inNews
Some of the Sun’s earliest story subjects are still making headlines
Within its first year of publication, the Sun shined a light on local issues, leaders, and lore that continue to make headlines 26 years later. Santa Maria’s desire to make its downtown core more walkable and attractive to pedestrians, for example, graced the cover of the Sun’s premiere issue, which hit stands on March 31, 2000. Today, […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
For 26 years, the Sun has pursued thoughtful coverage, welcoming and including all voices
Since 2000, the Santa Maria Valley’s population has grown by more than 30,000 people. It’s gained school campuses, a county jail, and more box stores and chain restaurants than it probably needed to. Cannabis is now legal. Politics is über-polarized. Ideology, more entrenched. Social media has changed the way we interact with one another. The […]
Posted inNews, News
Santa Maria high schools implement first set of AI guidelines
When ChatGPT was publicly released in 2022, students in public Santa Maria high schools weren’t allowed to use it on school-issued devices. The artificial intelligence ban created a discrepancy because students with cellphones or technology at home could still access the chatbot, but others couldn’t. Since 2023, the Santa Maria Joint Union High Schol District […]
