Commentaries

No one better exemplifies the pioneer spirit of Old Town Orcutt than this year’s Christmas Parade Grand Marshal, Berto VanVeen. The histories of Old Orcutt and La Graciosa, its predecessor, are colorful mosaics of our country’s westward migration and settlement that should strike a note of pride in the Santa Maria Valley’s collective memory. Early […]

Rodney King was an ordinary guy with a few too many brushes with the law. But his now famous rhetorical question contains wisdom that we should all contemplate. “Can’t we all just get along?” Apparently not. We seem to have changed as a society. I think the problem is that many of us have come […]

While today’s headlines in the media highlight the threat of Ebola and our local health care community has appropriately been planning and preparing for months should this risk materialize, we have a real infectious disease danger already here in Santa Barbara County. Thirteen cases of pertussis, or “whooping cough” have been identified just in the […]

So much of what makes our country great has been in short supply in recent years. Politics as the art of compromise is long gone. Civility in public discourse has almost disappeared. Respect for the scientific method, and the supremacy of facts over feelings, is no longer abided. We choose our own news channels according […]

As our county’s chief law enforcement officials, we urge the people of Santa Barbara County to vote no on Proposition 47. Despite being referred to as the “Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act,” we believe this measure will actually make our neighborhoods and schools less safe. Reducing the penalties for gun theft, possession of date rape […]

Ed. note: The following are all of the letters about Measure P received between our Oct. 14 press deadline and the deadline for this, the issue of Oct. 21. This opinion section–and its regular commentaries and Canary columns–will return to normal after the election season ends. What will Measure P supporters attack next? My family […]

This week, I want to command all of you adults, lurking in the shadows of the Teen section, to come into the light! You know who you are. I am speaking to those of you who sneak in for a clandestine copy of Mockingjay, The Maze Runner, Divergent, or the latest James Dashner book. You […]

Proposition 46, the patient safety initiative on the November ballot, will save lives. For proof, take a look at what’s gone on in recent years just down Highway 101 in Santa Barbara. That’s where a doctor named Julio Diaz was known as “The Candyman” for his willingness to overprescribe potentially addictive narcotics. Many of his […]

My dad, Alexander Palos, formerly of Camarillo, enlisted in 1942, shortly after the Pearl Harbor attack. He was assigned to the 9th Air Force, 50th Fighter Group in the Army Air Corps. He served in France, England, and Germany, supporting Patton’s forces from the air. Like most of the World War II vets, he returned […]

In a recent issue of the Sun, a local couple was quoted in Streetwise as stating that there is nothing for our children to do in Santa Maria (Aug. 21). It was further stated that there is a lack of opportunities and facilities for youth. The Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department, along with our […]

Ed. note: Part one of this commentary ran in last week’s Sun. Visit santamariasun.com to read the entire piece.   ISIS in Iraq has brought the issue of abhorrent expressions of the Islamic religion (Mis-lam) to the center stage. They have attacked, desecrated, and pillaged the holy sites of Christians and Muslims. They have murdered […]