The “settled science” of the ’70s predicted a coming Ice Age. Of course the lazy press went with the sensational without examination. Time magazine used the same cover with a penguin perched on an iceberg to sell the coming ice age in 1977 and then global warming in 2007. I guess they got a three-for […]
Letters To The Editor
Trump dishonored the military
Trump showed his true colors this past Veterans Day weekend. The president of the United States had time to meet with Vladimir Putin overseas, but he didn’t have time to visit the Aisne-Marne American cemetery in France, the final resting place of 2,289 U.S. troops killed during World War I? The White House said the […]
Warning, no serviceable parts
Back in the “olden days,” when your TV started acting up and a couple of good thumps didn’t fix it, you would take off the back cover and pull out the “tubes” (if I’ve lost you, find an old person and ask them, “What is a tube?”). The next step was to go to the […]
Thanks for supporting Measure U
Thank you Santa Maria voters for supporting Measure U. Your generous support will allow our city to continue to provide professional public safety services and keep up with the ongoing growth we experience. As vice chair of the Measure U Citizens Oversight Committee, I will continue to work to ensure your hard-earned tax dollars are […]
Hancock undervalues jazz
Thursday night is my favorite night of the week! Why? Because that is the night that I join other musicians from all over the Central Coast in performing jazz in the Allan Hancock College Jazz Ensemble. Last Thursday night we learned that Hancock’s Department of Fine Arts is canceling the Jazz Ensemble for Spring 2019 […]
The folly of nationalism
I once read a bestselling novel about the Great War called The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman. The author vividly describes the horrors of the costly and tragic conflict; however, she also provides invaluable historical context that ultimately reveals the underlying rot of nationalism. Not only was the Great War a failure in American […]
Our water is at risk
If we want to continue to have clean water for drinking and ag use, we need to step up. A company called ERG is planning a huge increase in oil production between Los Alamos and Santa Maria. These hundreds of oil wells would require a large amount of natural gas to power the steam generator […]
Santa Maria, a caring community
A while back the Sun wrote a small piece on my son Sebastian Saiz (Athlete of the Week, Aug. 23) who is the quarterback of the Santa Maria High School Saints this year. His mom, my wife Irene Rodriguez Saiz, recently passed away from cancer. The outpour of support is so awesome that I want […]
The border
Well, according to CNN, MSN, CBS, NBC, ABC, and the rest, there are between 1,600 and 6,000 people coming this way through Mexico from Honduras and Guatemala. I see these comments about the president being a racist for trying to stop them. He has to stop them. All you guys that want to just let […]
The library’s Friends thank you
The Friends of the Santa Maria Public Library want to thank our customers for supporting our recent book sale to benefit the library. Many of them were regular visitors to our former shop. We are also grateful to the large donations of books from David Adams, a former bookseller, and Joe Lazaer of AL&S Inc. […]
Vote for Gloria Soto in Santa Maria’s 3rd District
Gloria Soto, 3rd District City Council candidate, will bring energy, vision, and smart city policies that will revitalize Santa Maria and reflect its new future. Gloria understands the immense need for more affordable housing in the city and will push developers to include affordable housing units in their new housing projects. No more off-setting projects […]
Commentary 2: Support Hancock at the ballot box
If you’ve seen the voter guide, you know there are a lot of initiatives and elections on the November ballot. While all issues are important, the two items regarding Allan Hancock College are particularly significant this year. The first is the election of a trustee for Area 3, which encompasses Guadalupe and southern Santa […]

