• On Dec. 23, President Joe Biden signed legislation inspired by the 2019 Conception boat fire near Santa Barbara. The Small Passenger Vessel Liability Act proposed by U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California) changes an 1851 law that can prevent victims of maritime accidents from receiving compensation from those responsible […]
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Housing development project wants Santa Maria to annex county land
A project proposal to add Santa Barbara County property to Santa Maria for residential and commercial development could help local leaders meet state housing requirements, but the development has some residents concerned about density and consistency with the surrounding areas. Richards Ranch Annexation Project requested that the city annex a 43-acre county property southeast of […]
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Fees levied against housing developers to fund new parks aren’t accumulating enough for Santa Maria to purchase land
Santa Maria is about 100 acres shy of meeting its parks-to-residents ratio—3 acres of accessible park or open space land for every 1,000 residents—but officials said the city needs more cash from developers to hit the target. Typically, fees levied against new housing developments fund Santa Maria Recreation and Parks’ purchasing power. Developers either build […]
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In 2022, COVID-19 took a back seat to long-simmering issues
As we gaze back at what 2022 brought with it, the big issues that stick out include homelessness, opioid overdoses, and rural crime—all of which were exacerbated in the wake of the pandemic and are still waiting for solutions from public officials. As we head into 2023, expect those conversations to stay on the agendas […]
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A Santa Maria-Bonita School District teacher completed his third young adult fiction book
Steven Waiters wanted to be a writer ever since he was in high school. As he went through life, raising a family and teaching at the Santa Maria-Bonita School District, he never let that dream go. “Writing has given me an outlet to do something different that I actually can bring into the classroom and […]
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Political Watch: December 29, 2022
• U.S. Sens. Alex Padilla (D-California), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), and Cory Booker (D-New Jersey) reintroduced a Senate resolution to declare racism a public health crisis, according to a Dec. 21 statement from Padilla’s office. The senators previously introduced the resolution in April 2021. Their resolution acknowledges the history of racism and discrimination within health care […]
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Lompoc Police Chief Joseph Mariani retires
Dec. 31 marks Lompoc Police Chief Joseph Mariani’s last day in office. The soon-to-be retiree gave a formal farewell speech during the Lompoc City Council’s last meeting of 2022. “One of the things I told my immediate staff was I did not want a farewell,” Mariani said during the Dec. 20 meeting. “I wanted to […]
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SLO County urges skaters to wait to skate Nipomo’s new skate park
Excitement is building for Nipomo’s skaters anxiously awaiting the opening of the town’s long discussed skate park. The San Luis Obispo County Parks and Recreation Department issued an alert on Dec. 21 declaring that the not-yet-completed skate park is being damaged by local skaters who were using it before the site was ready. Parks and […]
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Political Watch: December 22, 2022
• U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California) introduced legislation to close the gaps in our health care system that “have left behind” minorities and underserved communities by incentivizing increased health provider participation in disadvantaged areas, according to a Dec. 19 statement. The Health Enterprise Zones Act would direct the Health and Human Services Secretary to accept […]
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Guadalupe declares impasse on Fire Department wage agreement
The Guadalupe Fire Department hasn’t seen a wage increase in 20 years, doesn’t have a full-time fire chief, and only has six full-time staff members, Fire Capt. Ryan Danger Mack said. “We realized we didn’t have any rights because we didn’t have an MOU [memorandum of understanding] agreement, and it became a huge priority for […]
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Santa Maria finally begins to realize vision for downtown redo
As a longtime plan to revitalize downtown Santa Maria starts to solidify into project proposals, city decision-makers asked the developer to make sure the overall design captures traditional mission-style architecture with a contemporary twist. That was the main crux of a joint meeting between members of the Downtown Revitalization Committee, Planning Commission, and City Council […]
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Los Padres ForestWatch files lawsuit against U.S. Forest Service
The U.S. Forest Service faces litigation after it failed to provide public documents about a fire mitigation project proposal that would impact more than 235,000 acres of land in Santa Barbara, SLO, and Ventura counties. Los Padres ForestWatch Director of Conservation and Research Bryant Baker said the agency missed several deadlines to turn the information […]