Commentaries

Do you know about the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule? It prioritizes the health and resilience of ecosystems on public lands. The rule, legally binding on the actions and decisions of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), requires them to “protect intact landscapes, restore degraded habitat, and make informed management decisions based on science and […]

The Gifford Fire has been burning in two counties for a couple of weeks. This fire, combined with a previous burn in the same area, has incinerated well over 200,000 acres of vegetation; that’s more than 300 square miles of now barren land. The immediate losses, millions of dollars in losses, are associated with ranches, […]

We are pro-housing. Period. At Generation Build, housing is our core mission. We advocate for it all: for all types, at all levels. Unlike some organizations, we aren’t afraid to engage in the tough political conversations that others shy away from. That’s because we know real progress requires bold action, not empty platitudes. To solve […]

Back in July I said, “the immigration laws need to be updated, but simply resisting enforcement of existing law with endless conversations, waving signs, yelling and screaming, harassing enforcement officers, burning public property, and stopping traffic isn’t helpful and produces no meaningful results,” (Start assisting in immigration issues,” July 10). And “legislators could start with […]

I thought I’d take a break from all of the grievances, divisions, and outrage of our culture wars, and write about how, despite all the opportunistic goading by our politicians and media, we actually all get along with each other pretty well. This allows me to recount a few of my favorite stories from my […]

There were two items on the Lompoc City Council agenda on Tuesday, July 15. Both concerned similar subjects. The first was the Lompoc Tourism Improvement District (aka Visit Lompoc Incorporated or VLI). A nonprofit organization dedicated to “position Lompoc as a sought-after destination for tourists, meetings, and events.” This special district receives no funding from […]

 I have written previously about California’s war on energy, which is destroying our economy. Yet, the war on energy is but one facet of the war on our liberties and freedoms. I sat in on a meeting decades ago with members of the Santa Barbara County Cattlemen’s Association as they listened to a warden of […]

 I am discouraged by Democrats’ disregard for the oath they took when they were elected to serve in Congress. That oath states in part that “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States.”  Article 1 of the Constitution established how the government would be run. […]

It is all too clear that California’s communities and environment are not immune to the Trump administration—and that state and local leaders’ pushback is powerful and necessary. Having already moved to open public lands to mining and drilling, the Trump administration is now making its presence known off the Central Coast. On April 30, the […]

Space Launch Complex 6 (SLC-6) on south Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB) was first developed in the early 1960s to support the manned orbiting laboratory program.  According to the National Museum of the Air Force, the manned orbiting laboratory “never reached fruition, but a great deal of developmental work was accomplished before it too was […]