Letters To The Editor

Federal lands on the Central Coast will soon be up for lease to oil companies for dangerous drilling and extraction processes. As our counties strive to reduce the water, land, and air impacts of extreme oil drilling in county-controlled areas, the feds rush to push drilling on our federal lands. Federal agencies are greasing the […]

After an event such as the Climate Strike, we inevitably see critical letters asking, “How many people drove cars to this event?” or, “How many rode their bikes?” Good questions. Let’s look at this in a larger context. Oil corporations have spent vast amounts of money to convince us that we cannot live without their […]

What a sweetheart deal. A developer is getting a taxpayer guaranteed loan of $300,000 per unit to “refurbish” apartments and to bridge a rent gap for low-income residents subsidized by the taxpayers for 50 years, plus a property tax exemption (“Lompoc housing update,” Sept. 26). Ironically, some friends recently did a budget on a market-rate […]

There are many good reasons to impeach President Donald Trump, but the one I find most compelling that’s never mentioned is his commitment to obstruct any progress that would help fight the inevitable, currently occurring, climate change crisis. He and his appointees, many of them former fossil fuel industry lobbyists, have done their best to […]

The commentary, “I am undocumented” (Sept. 5), seems like a politically written hit piece. If factual, I am sympathetic. But I also grew up with illegal immigrants, hired illegal immigrants, and worked with them. Most went to the effort to be legalized and assimilate over the years.  The need to improve our immigration laws and […]

What a shame. Adelita (“I am undocumented,“ Sept. 5) has been living in this country 33 years and could never figure out how to apply for citizenship. For at least 20 of those years, she was legally an adult. During those years, politicians in Washington, D.C., kicked the illegal immigrant crisis back and forth but […]

The third postponement of ERG’s Planning Commission hearing on the West Cat Canyon Oil Project (“West Cat Canyon oil project decision delayed indefinitely,” Aug. 22) takes place in a larger context that needs clarification. ERG is one of three oil companies to declare bankruptcy in our county in the last five years. Oil prices and […]

Again, the wholesale attack against the National Rifle Association (NRA) is mounting to a fevered pitch. U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal’s (D-Santa Barbara) recent town hall was filled with cheers denouncing the NRA. Let’s make a couple of things clear. The NRA promotes gun safety and gun ownership rights. None of the shootings, mass executions, or […]

The Santa Barbara County Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors face a choice to promote a future of clean energy development in the county or double down on our past history of high-risk and polluting oil development. ERG and Aera’s dangerous oil project proposals are being stretched out to wear the county down and […]

I would like to know why the Sun failed to edit last week’s Ross Mayfield cartoon. It draws an ugly picture of Bernie Sanders, with yellow teeth and a yellow button calling himself crazy. It quotes Bernie as saying he won’t pay his staff the same $15 an hour he is fighting to get for […]

It is interesting, and hopeful, to note that Allan Hancock College does not support new oil development in Cat Canyon or elsewhere in our county. For several years, the college president has spoken in favor of Big Oil. And he did this as if he were the official voice of the school. Now, after recently […]

It was sad to see the city of Lompoc employees get their “pink slips” this month. This action is due to the shortcomings of the three City Council members—Jim Mosby, Dirk Starbuck, and Victor Vega—who do not understand the city budget process. They cut the city services to the tune of $3 million at the […]