Canary

Can we odor abate outdoor anything? Like sewage plants with open-air treatment ponds, for instance—Nipomo, I’m talking to you. Who doesn’t love the smell of poo on the fresh morning air? We arguably should be doing something about that smell—but can we really?  “In the north, we have many complaints of odors particularly with … […]

Did you know that every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs a blood transfusion? Did you also know that until recently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had rules regarding collecting “gay” blood? As if homosexuality isn’t stigmatized enough, amirite? Well, presto-chango, because now, like magic, the FDA has decided that gay and bisexual […]

Orcutt, don’t act so surprised. The county’s had its eye on your lovely open spaces for a while now, and all the Board of Supervisors did on May 3 was to approve what’s already been in the works.  That’s part of the message from 4th District Supervisor Bob Nelson as the supes were about to […]

The United States is getting $80 million from Southern California Edison for the 2017 Thomas Fire, which burned through more than 280,000 acres. That’s cash money.  Why? To recoup the damages and cost of fighting said fire on 150,000 acres of Los Padres National Forest in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Los Padres is getting […]

The dominos are finally beginning to visibly fall for Big Oil on the Central Coast. Dinosaurs like the Phillips 66 refinery in Nipomo are on their last legs—thanks in part to massive environmental outcry over the projects proposed to keep them humming.  SLO County’s 2017 decision to deny P66 a rail spur extension on its […]

 I never understood the point of the California Coastal Commission’s attempt to regulate federal agencies. Who reigns supreme?  Well, if it’s the Coastal Commission vs. the U.S. Department of Defense, I’ll let you guess the agency that gets to call the shots. If you think the commission is more powerful than the largest taxpayer-funded agency […]

Every time the Santa Barbara County jails get critiqued, Sheriff Bill Brown is ready with one of his classics: We need more money.  He’s uttered an iteration of that line more times than I can count. With any whiff of constructive criticism, Brown’s armed and ready with his defenses. The county jail is short-staffed, has […]

For everyone who’s yammering on about how California is such a strict state to do business in, we sure are lax when it comes to holding oil companies accountable for their messes.  Texas has stronger laws than California does. Texas. The state all the RINO’s are leaving us for. Texas state law requires oil field […]

The cannabis industry isn’t what it was cracked up to be in California.  With bigtime dispensaries like MedMen going down, legal grow operations not raking in the amount of money they were projected to, and a thriving illegal market—what gives?  Hey, word on the street is that it’s still illegal at the federal level, which […]

Who do we blame for voter turnout? The election itself or voter apathy or both? I’m going to say both. And Lompoc Mayor Jenelle Osborne might just agree with me.  She challenged 3rd District Santa Barbara County Supervisor Joan Hartmann in the primary alongside Republican Frank Troise. Hartmann won, according to the uncertified election results, […]

It sounds like San Luis Obispo County wants the Santa Maria Riverbed cleanup remnants to land squarely in the lap of Santa Barbara County.  And by cleanup, I really mean clear-out. As in, a clear-out of the miniature cities that have popped up in the riverbed since last year’s flooding pushed them out, visible from […]

A recent Solvang Planning Commission meeting gave us proof that artificial intelligence will take over human jobs.  Instead of drawing names out of hat, the city relied on ChatGPT to tell it the commissioner who would remain on the dais to decide on whether to recommend rezoning city land for housing purposes. Three commissioners lived […]