What can I say about quails? They’re kind of cute, especially the babies. They can’t fly like I can, but they are native to California. You can attract them into your yard by sprinkling the right food around and providing them with some thick shrubbery for cover. Which is cool, unless you live in Solvang’s […]
Opinion
Posted inOpinion
County agency formation commission should look deeper at Richards Ranch proposal issues
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 […]
Posted inOpinion
Triggered
Should transgender students be able to use the bathrooms and locker rooms that align with their gender identities? Should trans women be able to compete in women’s athletics? These are complicated questions that we have been struggling to navigate and answer over the past several years, and we’ve made progress and gained a more complete […]
Posted inOpinion
Lompoc should work around high-use seasons when planning repairs
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 […]
Posted inOpinion
Trump, Musk are destroying our government
I sat down a few minutes ago and brainstormed the likely near-term consequences of the public’s inability to reverse the Trump/Musk administration’s virtual destruction of our government and the cessation of our constitutional rights. I regret to say that none of this is hyperbole. The catastrophic implications of our current situation are as follows: • […]
Posted inOpinion
Rules to develop by
Buellton’s about to get one of the only art deco Arco’s in the United States. After seven long years of fighting the city over its Avenue of Flags design requirements, Arco gave in! “I think you guys know me very well by now. We’ve been here many times,” Alex Cuevas told the Planning Commission, which […]
Posted inOpinion
It’s high noon for the politicized judiciary and the reckless executive branches of our government
We are approaching a constitutional crisis with a confrontation between a politicized and overreaching judiciary, and a reckless president who is smashing the political norms that have enabled our system to function. The balance of power between the three branches of government is getting shaky. Currently, the Republicans control both the executive and legislative branches, […]
Posted inOpinion
All mobile home park residents deserve rent control
Rent control in Santa Barbara County mobile home parks only benefits month-to-month tenants; those with leases are exempt from rent control. Rent increases for residents with leases is at the discretion of the park owner and average 4 to 8 percent for up to five years or more. As prices go up, rents go up, […]
Posted inOpinion
Spanked for the audacity
Sable Offshore Corporation is heading for troubled waters—giant waves that most of us could see from a few miles away. The California Coastal Commission is pissed at the oil company for work it’s been doing to fix its old, janky pipeline that spilled oil all over Refugio Beach in 2015, work the company insists it […]
Posted inOpinion
Is supporting noncitizens economically sound?
What are the impacts to American citizens from creating a sanctuary state or city? Providing sanctuary for immigrants who enter our country without following the proper protocols is costly in many ways to persons who are American citizens either by birthright or naturalization. Politicians aren’t noted for looking ahead to see what might happen if […]
Posted inOpinion
It’s all politics
I am 70 years old, and I want to retire. I can financially live on my Social Security income with supplements from my savings. I planned and saved for this. But now I’m fearful and not sure if Social Security will be around much longer. Is talking to others about Social Security political talk? Is […]
Posted inOpinion
Stand with education equity
The White House recently issued an executive order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. If enacted, this decision would roll back decades of progress in ensuring equal access to quality education, disproportionately harming marginalized communities, including the youth we serve. While an executive order alone does not have the authority to shut down the […]
