Opinion

Every workday, I commute from Lompoc to Santa Barbara via the Clean Air Express. I usually sit on the left side of the bus. I sit comfortably during the commute listening to my music or I watch various downloaded media on my smartphone as we traverse the highways of 1 and 101. This statement is […]

Recent arguments that the National Rifle Association (NRA) is not to blame for the mass shootings plaguing our schools and country are full of holes. How? Because whenever sensible citizens even propose regulation of the military-style assault weapons used in these massacres, the NRA dangles its cash until just enough legislators acquiesce and block or […]

To Sean Fina, the school shootings are a very despicable act (“Students want safety,” April 12). You want to “ensure” that you are safe at school. How is banning one type of weapon, the AR-15, going to “ensure” that you are safe?  There are millions of them out there. There are an estimated 100 million […]

Congress needs to repeal the Authority for Use of Military Force (AUMF), which was passed by Congress giving the president the authority to attack Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center buildings in New York. There have been 37 military operations in 14 countries since the original AUMF passed. Congress seems to […]

The Hollands’ donation to Jimmy Paulding and his not telling is not an issue. Lynn Compton grabbed it as such because she has nothing else to grab on against Paulding. She fears that he will replace her. During the years of her administration, she has done nothing for Oceano. She never came  to ask us […]

It’s fascinating reading the drumbeat of nasty letters launched by [SLO County] Supervisor Lynn Compton’s critics in their efforts to demonize her for the many good things she’s done. Consider the park funding issue. Last year, after discovering that Supervisors Adam Hill and Bruce Gibson had studiously diverted nearly $10 million worth of South County […]

Just since 2016, county Supervisor Steve Lavagnino has taken well over $10,000 in campaign contributions from companies with business before the county. Specifically, three companies are seeking permits to drill more than 750 new oil wells in Cat Canyon. There are legitimate concerns about the inevitable problems with drilling, and spilling, and the insertion under […]

I admit I was thrown off track when I first read the headline to William Gloege’s letter: “Capitalism needs your help!” (April 5). However, his perfectly written letter straightened that out for me. He pointed out the only form of logic with a snowball’s chance of getting through the entrenched belief among adherents to unfettered […]

At a time when the relationship between our public safety agencies is paramount, we need to consider who is best suited to work cooperatively as leader of our Sheriff’s Office going forward. Sheriff Bill Brown, without a doubt, has had a long and distinguished 40-year public safety career. However, the sheriff has lost the support […]