Right now, in California, New York, Texas, and everywhere in between, ICE agents are ramping up to meet Stephen Miller’s new, hate-fueled quota of 3,000 people per day. Three thousand families ripped apart. A father dropping off a student at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria was kidnapped in early October. A father in New […]
Opinion
Posted inOpinion
Switch it up?
Worst-case scenario for Lompoc in November’s election? For 4th District City Councilmember Jeremy Ball, it’s that he and Mayor Jim Mosby simply switch seats. Like musical chairs, Ball would get voted in as mayor and Mosby would get appointed to fill the remainder of the 4th District term. How would that be any different than […]
Posted inOpinion
Trump’s U.N. speech asking whether to ‘annihilate’ Iran reflects our country’s history of violence
The United Nations hosted its 2026 General Assembly and Debate in Manhattan from September 22 to 28. At the assembly, President Trump addressed the nations and peoples of the world and made this remarkable comment concerning the U.S. war with Iran in his speech: “But I have a big decision to make. Will a deal […]
Posted inOpinion
The oak trees in Nipomo are worth saving
While Jim Crouch (see the Sept. 19 LA Times article on oak tree preservation) has dedicated himself to planting oak trees to help the environment, San Luis Obispo County is going in the opposite direction. The county supervisors approved the “Dana Reserve,” a proposed massive development in Nipomo where there are plans to destroy 3,000-plus […]
Posted inOpinion
Economic reality
Solvang’s still down 30 city staffers after more than two weeks of a strike over the City Council’s “last, best, and final” salary offer: 4 percent raises in each of the next three consecutive years. What do employees want? For two of those years to have 6 percent raises, instead. They want it so badly […]
Posted inOpinion
Lompoc leaders shouldn’t pursue projects that the county won’t fund
Lost in the drama surrounding the censure hearing for a Lompoc City Council member on Sept. 15 was an agenda item to discuss an additional roadway crossing of the Santa Ynez River. Currently there are already three crossings: one on North H Street, one on Floradale Avenue near the U.S. prison, and one on Highway […]
Posted inOpinion
Speak out now against our endless wars
For two years I have stood on the corner of Broadway and Main with a group of good people on Mondays from 4 to 5 p.m., protesting America’s dangerous and illegal military aggressions around the world. We hold signs saying, “War is Not the Answer,” “Stop the Bombing” and “No Hate, No Bombs.” My sign, […]
Posted inOpinion
Political theater
Things got a little wild at Lompoc’s last City Council meeting—so wild that Mayor Jim Mosby asked police officers to forcibly remove a woman from the chambers. “Can you please remove her?” Mosby asked about resident Shawna Stillwell, who continued speaking after he warned the chattering crowd that he’d “clear the chambers.” “We don’t want […]
Posted inCommentaries
The Trump administration’s destroying national forests
On Aug. 24, commemorating the annual observation of National Park Week, President Trump proclaimed, “My administration is committed to protecting every acre of our lands.” Four days later, it became clear that this is not true. That’s when the news broke that the Trump administration has been secretly negotiating to give a chunk of Yosemite […]
Posted inOpinion
All students facing mistreatment deserve protection
Assembly Bill 715 is a well-intended proposal for protection of Jewish schoolchildren. But Jewish students aren’t alone in needing protection. The 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center was a timely reminder that, after the attack, Arabs and Muslims were stereotyped as terrorists and suffered widespread mistreatment. The wars in Iraq […]
Posted inOpinion
Harsh measures
Guadalupe’s in quite the fiscal pickle. Facing a $1.6 million deficit, the city’s elected leaders made the prudent decision to cut their own stipends as way to help tackle budget woes—even though it only amounts to savings of $2,100 per month, every little bit counts! It’s quite the opposite of what its neighbor to […]
Posted inOpinion
A dramatic political shift could come to Lompoc with the upcoming election
The 2026 election in Lompoc could result in a dramatic change of political direction in our city. First, the election for mayor pits two former foes for the seat. In 2020 they faced off for the council District 4 seat, and Jeremy Ball won handily by a 600-vote margin. Then in 2024 Jim Mosby, who […]
