Commentaries

 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 […]

TACO Trade? Seriously? Democrats just never learn. And thus, we are where we are right now. And, if Trump’s vengeful personality has anything to do with it, things are going to get a lot worse, thanks in large part to Democrats who just can’t get out of their own way. According to some of his […]

The Fourth of July is coming soon, and that means that hundreds of people in Lompoc will likely be detonating fireworks in every sector of town. Many of these people rent the space they live in. In a December 2024 Lompoc City Council meeting, the police chief reported that “From June 1 to July 25 […]

“Action is the best antidote to despair.”  –Joan Baez  Public lands and waters are our country’s most popular areas for exploring nature while conserving landscapes, cultural areas, clean water, and wildlife, including the Central Coast’s very own Carrizo Plain National Monument, Los Padres National Forest, and Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary. But legislation introduced in […]

Old guys like me like to tell “war stories” about their military service, stories you never heard about on the news; I am no different. Like hundreds of thousands of military members, in 1976 I was chosen to serve a one-year “remote” tour of duty—that means that you don’t take your family with you, only […]

For years, I’ve devoted my time to local issues. I’ve done so not because I’m apathetic to national politics, but because I’ve believed—and still believe—that our most direct influence lies in our own backyard. While the media machine churns 24/7 content about Congress, cable news spats, and whoever President Trump is threatening this week, I’ve […]

For decades California politicians, mostly Democrats and environmental activists—these days you really can’t tell them apart—have been hell-bent on eliminating fossil fuel as a source of energy. Their claims have been that natural power from the wind and sun was the way to go; isn’t there plenty of each in a state the size of […]

These are my accurate, historical comments sent to LAFCO [Local Agency Formation Commission] for its May 8 meeting, and I’ve seen some misinformation reported. As an Orcutt resident who has followed this process since 2022 and will be directly affected, I hope this study/informational session will address the following issues. First and most importantly, my […]

Lompoc parks renovation projects seem to interfere with team sports and major park events. Something needs to change to favor the schedule of teams and events during high-use seasons and conduct these projects in the off season. The youth baseball leagues in Lompoc, and almost everywhere else, spend a lot of time and money helping […]