Santa Maria recently gained its first two all-electric buses as part of an effort to fully electrify its fleet, which should be completed by early 2024. The push toward a zero-emission public transportation system comes after a 2018 state mandate that requires all public entities to make this change by 2035, Transit Service Manager Gamaliel […]
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Political Watch: November 24, 2022
• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) joined several other representatives to introduce bipartisan legislation to address pervasive understaffing in federal prisons, according to a Nov. 14 statement from the congressman’s office. The Prison Staffing Reform Act would direct the Bureau of Prisons to conduct a review of understaffing, devise a three-year plan to fill […]
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Rodgers and Hammerstein’s ‘Cinderella’ fills PCPA’s stage with majesty
The glass slippers. The fairy godmother. The pumpkin that turns into a carriage. Few retellings of the Cinderella story exclude these magic motifs, and the best ones manage to still feel fresh while doing so. The Pacific Conservatory Theatre’s (PCPA) new take on the classic rags-to-riches fantasy is one such case. Now playing through Dec. […]
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Soto pulls ahead of Funkhouser in Santa Maria’s 3rd District
Editor’s note: This online version of the Santa Maria City Council races story was updated to reflect the most recent election results, which were released on Nov. 15. Incumbent Gloria Soto squeaked by challenger Steven Funkhouser in Santa Maria City Council’s 3rd District race, according to the Nov. 15 vote count update. Until then, Funkhouser […]
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HOLIDAY GUIDE 2022
It’s hard to believe that 2022 is in the home stretch, but the holiday season is here, which means food, festivities, friends, family, and fringe benefits—like gifts! As Thanksgiving bears down on us, the Sun is here to get you prepared to tackle the bedecked, glittery world through New Year’s Eve. In this year’s annual […]
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Democrats lead in state Assembly District elections
Santa Barbara County 2nd District Supervisor Gregg Hart will have one last meeting as a county official on Nov. 29, and then he may be taking a seat up in Sacramento as the state’s 37th District Assembly member. The district—made up of Santa Barbara and southern SLO County—changed after the required redistricting process, pushing both […]
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Santa Maria parks commission proposes ordinance to reduce public smoking
Smoking and vaping have been prohibited at all 28 of Santa Maria’s parks since 2016, thanks to a citywide ban. Some local officials are hoping to extend that ban to all outdoor public spaces within city limits. The Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Commission is currently working with the City Attorney’s Office to draft a […]
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Political Watch: November 17, 2022
• Gov. Gavin Newsom called for the Legislature to take early action to ensure any federal student debt relief provided to Californians would not be subject to state taxes, according to a Nov. 5 statement from the governor’s office. The proposal will be a part of the governor’s budget, which will be released in January. […]
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County plans to apply for grants to help disadvantaged communities
Seven towns in Santa Barbara County currently fit the state’s definition of disadvantaged unincorporated communities (DUCs), according to a recent analysis. The label refers to low-income communities with unmet, critical infrastructure needs, planner Zoe Carlson explained during a summary of the countywide analysis at the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission’s Nov. 2 hearing. All seven […]
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Health care forum highlights need for ongoing federal funds
U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra attended a Nov. 2 community forum—hosted by Community Health Centers in Santa Maria—to hear about local COVID-19 vaccination efforts during the pandemic and to discuss future health care collaborative opportunities. “I think it validated or it gave a lot […]
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Enviro groups join Exxon lawsuit as company sells offshore unit
A federal judge recently ruled that conservation and indigenous groups can help legally defend Santa Barbara County after oil giant ExxonMobil filed a lawsuit against the county regarding the denial of an oil trucking proposal. The project—which was denied by the Board of Supervisors in March—proposed trucking crude oil along highways 101 and 166 from […]
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Santa Barbara County’s new program to help with climate change’s impact doesn’t have a North County location
Longer wildfire seasons and more extreme heat days are some of the current ways Santa Barbara County residents are already seeing climate change affect their everyday lives. To address these impacts, Santa Barbara County instituted the regional climate collaborative: a network of organizations working together to create climate mitigation and “resiliency” efforts, according to the […]