In 2021, Welcome Home Military Heroes Founder Robert Tolan worked with Band of Brothers’ Founder Jeff Stone, creating a golf tournament in the span of five weeks. “We had quite a bit of mistakes last year; none of us had ever played in a golf tournament. None of us had even really played golf,” Tolan […]
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Political Watch: November 10, 2022
• U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California) hosted a virtual event alongside California Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-San Francisco) and state mental health experts to celebrate the new 988 suicide and crisis lifeline’s establishment with the recent signing of Assembly Bill 988, which will provide enhanced resources to the state to help combat the rising mental health […]
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Santa Maria-Bonita test scores decline more than state, county average
Only 16 percent of Santa Maria-Bonita School District students met or exceed standard proficiency in math on the 2021-22 state assessments, and only 26 percent of students did the same for language arts. That’s a drop from 2018-19’s scores of 35 percent and 26 percent, respectively, district Instructional Services Director Laurie Graack said. “It’s in […]
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Doctored photos show up on Santa Maria’s District 3 mailers
One candidate running for Santa Maria City Council on Nov. 8 has been sending campaign mailers to voters that feature his opponent in altered photos that give an ominous message to residents. “Politician Gloria Soto has ignored our requests,” one of the mailers states in capital letters underlined in red. “And her irresponsible votes have […]
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State of the City highlights new Santa Maria businesses, future developments
Several businesses on Betteravia Road in Santa Maria celebrated grand openings this year, including a fast food joint that helped solidify Mayor Alice Patino’s nickname for the street, “chicken alley.” When Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers opened during the spring, it joined the likes of Chick-fil-A, Popeyes, and El Pollo Loco, each with a location on […]
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St. Joseph High School student receives national academic recognition
St. Joseph High School student Paige Beal said she always wants to seize her moment and be present in life. “For me, I see so many people on electronics these days; some people close to me spend [a lot] of time on their electronics, and they regret it, and they say they wished they experienced […]
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Oso Flaco Lake remediation project will target ‘persistent and pernicious’ DDT pollution
Nearly a decade after researchers found more DDT pesticides in Oso Flaco Lake than in any other water body in the state, local stakeholders are finally zeroing in on a project they say will help fix it. The Coastal San Luis Resource Conservation District (RCD) is partnering with Teixeira Farms on a remediation project to […]
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Political Watch: November 3, 2022
• U.S. Sens. Alex Padilla (D-California) and Dianne Feinstein (D-California) announced that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded more than $68.2 million to 21 California schools and districts to replace 177 existing school buses with zero-emission models, according to an Oct. 26 statement from Padilla’s office. This funding comes from the EPA’s Clean School […]
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Bus stop dispute puts Santa Maria development on hold
The Santa Maria Planning Commission wants to require an apartment building developer to fund a new bus turnout in the area but is waiting on a price tag. Although city staff estimated that the turnout would cost between $40,000 and $50,000, commissioners opted to delay voting on the project until staff lands on a specific […]
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New Santa Ynez airport board candidate added after elections debate
Christian Maurer is running for the Santa Ynez Valley Airport Authority board of directors after fellow airport authority members nominated him by petition and the agency rescheduled its elections, following some debate about the airport’s voting bylaws. “I thought it would be interesting to get more involved with day-to-day decision-making and future planning,” Maurer said. […]
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Santa Maria high school district candidates address community concerns
School safety, transportation issues, and mental health help were discussed by three out of four Santa Maria Joint Union High School District board of education candidates during an Oct. 19 community forum. The school district is divided into five trustee areas, with areas 4 and 5 up for reelection this year. The League of Women […]
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Political Watch: October 27, 2022
• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) announced a new $159,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice for the Guadalupe Union School District to improve school safety and protect students, according to an Oct. 24 statement from the congressman’s office. In 2018, Carbajal supported the Students, Teachers, and Officers Preventing School Violence Act, which […]