Letters To The Editor

It is not fair to the taxpayers of Santa Maria for our City Council and Planning Commission to give the developer of the recently approved housing on the site of the old Fallas property in Town Center West $1.25 million in incentives, when he will make millions on this project without taking money out of […]

Ken Haggard’s opinion piece from Aug. 18 titled “Growing up with guns,” like so many others, misses the point, although he does brush up against it. He says, “It never crossed our minds to actually point these weapons at anyone, much less load and shoot at a person.” It is not the change in guns, […]

During the Jan. 6 hearings, we’ve heard from former members of the Trump administration and Republican state officials about how Trump and his allies worked together to try and overthrow our democracy because the 2020 presidential election didn’t go their way. Now, they’re working to make sure all of our elections go their way in […]

Right on, Mr. Donegan (“Conservatives and guns,” Aug. 4)! When people realize that it’s the idiots behind the guns that cause the problems and the existing laws that are not properly enforced, then understanding the problems will not be changed. Plus, without the care and treatment of the mentally impaired, the problems will not be […]

I fear that the Sun/New Times and the Santa Barbara County Health Department completely missed the key underlying reason for the higher death rate among older white males in North County (“Death report highlights long-standing geographic inequities in Santa Barbara County,” July 28). Granted, poverty and access to quality health care do play a role, […]

If we’ve learned anything from the Jan. 6 hearings so far, it’s that Trump and his allies will go to any lengths to gain and stay in power. The hearings have proven that they planned, promoted, and paid for a months-long criminal conspiracy to overturn the election they knew they lost—and which ultimately ended in […]

Our county wants to improve the Oceano County Airport by adding a lounge bar, more parking, and a bigger campground for its users. The Oceano Beach Community Association (OBCA) opposes this project.  SLO County, and Oceano in particular, does not need this airport. We already have an airport 20 miles to the north, San Luis […]

Regarding your July 14 article titled “The price of housing”: We hope that the developers of the so-called Dana “Reserve” (the question remains as to what they are in fact “reserving” or “preserving”) will return to their prior top development priorities of “open space uses within the oak woodlands.”  “Do a smaller project and leave […]

These are very very stressful times. Green open spaces are known to make peace with your heart and soul and body. Many scientific studies show that the benefits of open green community space is space well spent for the well-being and happiness of the community. Driving around town, I noticed when I come to an […]

This is a scary moment. The Supreme Court just dismantled abortion rights across America. As a result, 26 states could outlaw abortion, including 13 that have passed “trigger” laws to take effect immediately after the court overturns Roe v. Wade. This news should set off alarm bells for all Americans. Our fundamental freedoms are coming […]

The original idea of federalism was the promise of limited government. A federal government would offer the separate states collective power to raise and keep a military for protection. Collectively we would have leverage for trade. As a collective we would be recognized as a country to negotiate deals with the rest of the world.  […]

Imagine an apartment complex, almost the size of the senior center near the second corner of the four corners of a downtown “that draws people there to shop, recreate, and in the end also produce tax revenue.” NOT! Then let’s imagine room for 100 to 200 parking spaces to accommodate the said occupants of the […]