Commentaries

I’ve been paddling in the turbulent waters of “extremist” ideology lately, from both sides of the political continuum. If our nation’s democratic spectrum can be described as a bell curve, these would be the “long tails” of that curve. Those are the places inhabited by the fanatics, the conspiracy theorists, the QAnon cultists on the […]

On Saturday evening, March 11, a very large fire occurred at the north end of Lompoc between Walmart and the airport. The property, known as the “Campbell Coolers,” is a very large vegetable processing facility. There are several football field-sized piles of construction material, pallets, and boxes stored on the property. It was one of […]

February 2023 marked the 50th anniversary of the California Coastal Commission (CCC). The governing body’s role as planning commission for the 1,100 miles of California coastline was authorized by California voters in November 1972 with passage of Proposition 20. The initiative was launched after efforts to pass coastal protection legislation had been approved in the […]

What is the purpose of a “code enforcement program”? In cities, the legislative body adopts policies and regulations designed to “protect the public,” and the public should be held accountable for compliance. Sometimes these policies can be open to interpretation, thus making enforcement a challenge.  For example, the Lompoc Municipal Code says, “Excessive, unnecessary, or […]

Downtown redevelopment in Santa Maria is proceeding with very exciting revitalization projects that will be transformative. Three developers are working with the city on projects to bring in new housing, businesses, entertainment, and restaurants, sparking more life to the area. I will summarize the vision, each project, and as always, invite the public to continue […]

Now that the “unsheltered” (homeless people) are being provided with what the homeless advocates call adequate temporary housing, how much is it costing? In Lompoc a few months ago, the city decided to “clean up” some property east of the airport so it could be leased to farmers (previously the homeless had trashed the place […]

On Feb. 3, California’s secretary of state certified that oil companies got enough petition signatures to cancel the state’s oil well health and safety setbacks law until a referendum vote on the Nov. 5, 2024, ballot. Or, as state Sen. Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach), author of the bill that was going to become a law […]

Did you notice that your natural gas bill went through the roof last month? Well, at our house we did, so I did a little research to find out why. When many of you vote, or for those who don’t vote, you may think that what goes on in Sacramento or Washington, D.C., has little […]

The Santa Maria City Council recently approved a Disposition and Development Agreement with Vernon Property Group, for a revitalization project at Main Street and Broadway. The project involves the creation of new commercial space and 88 rental apartments, a majority to be leased at market rate. It also involves $1.25 million in financial incentives from […]

I have been trying to figure out the “root cause” and some potential solutions for the homeless issue for the last several months. First, the “homeless issue” has been with us since homeless pilgrims arrived on our eastern shores in 1620. The difference today is that in 1620, “homeless” folks homesteaded land and built not […]

I’ve been an environmental activist for a while, which means I’ve had occasion to be interviewed a time or two. I’ve also read a lot of environmental reporting. And I’ve seen All the President’s Men, as did just about everyone in my generation who went on to major in journalism and become a reporter. I […]

If you thought that the transformation of Jeff Goldblum from a bookish scientist into a fly in the 1986 movie The Fly was a dramatic metamorphosis, just consider the sudden conversion of Elon Musk from liberal hero to hated nemesis. And a transmogrifier wasn’t even necessary!  It seems like just yesterday that Musk was the […]