Commentaries

Some children get excited about a new school year beginning, while others seem to dread the end of summer vacation. Either way, parents have an important role in preparing children for a smooth start of the school routine. There is a requirement for a whooping cough vaccine booster, “Tdap,” for seventh- through 12th-graders. Older children […]

We strongly support continued oil development along the California coast. This must be considered a No. 1 priority for this country. There should be no limit to offshore drilling. We oppose the efforts of the Democrats such as Rep. Lois Capps, Sen. Barbara Boxer, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, state Sen. Jackson, and the Environmental Defense Center, […]

Here in Santa Barbara County we have co-existed with the oil industry for a long time and if Measure P passes in November, will continue to do so for a long time to come. The initiative exempts all current oil operations and so does not affect any current oil jobs or revenue. It also doesn’t […]

After participation in a six-year battle to successfully close a toxic waste dump site next to Casmalia in Santa Barbara County, it would be a gross understatement to say that I am sensitive to false and misleading environmental views and opinions. Santa Barbara County voters need to step back and take a closer factual look […]

The Central Coast’s energy industry is vital to the economic health of our region, producing thousands of jobs and millions per year in tax revenue. Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” is an important technology in our statewide energy portfolio. Fracking allows us to access our domestic oil and gas in a safe, reliable manner. That’s why […]

A few months ago, the city of Pismo Beach voted to end invocations during their council meetings, buckling to legal pressure by Freedom From Religion Foundation and the San Luis Obispo chapter of Atheists United. The city agreed to pay the plaintiff’s legal fees of $47,500 plus one dollar to each of the two plaintiffs […]

Owing to past neglect in the face of the plainest warnings, we have now entered upon a period of danger … . The era of procrastination, of half-measures, of soothing and baffling … delays, is coming to its close. In its place we are entering a period of consequences. … We cannot avoid this period; […]

On June 18, the Santa Maria-Bonita School District Board of Education authorized Resolution 13-34, ordering a school bond election in an attempt to obtain a $39 million bond. I was the lone dissenter on the vote, which passed 4-1. Here’s why I’m opposed to the bond: Voters do not need to be taxed $39 million […]

A political candidate has a lot of latitude when speaking in general terms about what he’s going to do in the future or cultivating an image as a political moderate and all around nice guy who is in favor of mom, apple pie, and multiple cars and/or chickens in pots and/or garages. But when he […]

Last fall, Santa Barbara County commissioned a report to identify the impacts of the Great Recession on the county. The resulting report, “A Snapshot of Poverty,” provided an eye-opening look at the biggest issue facing our county: poverty and the barriers to economic mobility. The report is particularly sobering for those of us serving the […]

I used to keep a blog online fairly religiously, and I was good about it, offering witty, profane, provocative, decidedly liberal takes on the state of the world. I won’t bore you with a link or an admonition to go check it out however, because a few months ago I threw in the towel. Shut […]