In one of Donald Trump’s first acts in office, he stripped away protections for schools, hospitals, and places of worship from immigration enforcement. These were once safe spaces where people could learn, receive health care, and pray without fear. Now they have been turned into targets for ICE raids. This is unconscionable. As the world’s […]
Opinion
Posted inOpinion
‘Lawfare’
There were no literal weapons in the recent skirmishes on battlefields at the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors hearing room and Superior Court. Just sharp words, pointed memos, unassailable lawsuits. This was “lawfare.” Fourth District Supervisor Bob Nelson used that term to describe what American Medical Response (AMR) “deployed” to get its new four-year […]
Posted inOpinion
Offshore wind ‘farms’ will create their own set of environmental issues
After more than two years of listening to virtue-signaling NGOs, climate apocalypse-shaming hipsters, politically driven energy opportunists, and just plain ignorant-of-the-facts state and local political “dignitaries,” I’ve just about had it up to here! I’m sick of digging myself out of the political mire on both sides and witnessing the shameful justification of a toxic […]
Posted inOpinion
Nipomo needed more info earlier for battery facility
San Luis Obispo County residents deserve consistent and transparent leadership. Yet, when it comes to the controversial Caballero battery storage project in Nipomo, the response from San Luis Obispo County 4th District Supervisor Jimmy Paulding tells a different story. If this project were next to Trilogy, an area where Paulding has historically focused much of […]
Posted inOpinion
Zapped!
Testy and zesty. That’s a good way to describe some of 3rd District county Planning Commissioner John Parke’s exchanges on Jan. 29. With cannabis odor on the agenda and potential ordinance changes set to come back—again—to the commission, he managed to take over the entire discussion. His insistences left commission chair, 2nd District Commissioner Laura […]
Posted inOpinion
How many endangered species will be eradicated while misguided politicians try to ‘save the earth’?
In July 2023, a local media outlet reported on progress of a wind farm project south of Lompoc: “Strauss applied to the federal agency for the incidental take permit [to kill birds] in March 2023, with a BayWa representative saying an oversight led to the delayed application,” (Noozhawk, “Strauss Wind Energy Project Seeks to Operate […]
Posted inOpinion
All people deserve dignity
In response to “Encampments return to Santa Maria Riverbed” (Jan. 30): I understand that Japan removes homeless people from the street, provides a livable detention area with basic needs. Basically, they are incarcerated. They are cleaned up (from addiction) and given an opportunity to improve their ability to thrive and return back into society. If […]
Posted inOpinion
A small group of us could change a lot of things
This is to thank Gary Freiberg for his opinion piece in the Sun reminding us of the power of the people (“The price is wrong,” Jan. 30). Yes! Let’s start with having fewer eggs (or none at all until prices come down). Buy some nuts at the farmers market. Walnuts are shaped like our brains, […]
Posted inOpinion
Safer wind farms for all
Whether you are for or against wind farms off our coast, or on land for that matter, we all want them safer for the planet. With the idea of minimizing bird mortality, I have a couple of suggestions. To minimize deaths during the day, the blades as well as their support structure could be painted […]
Posted inOpinion
Hot and bothered
If things weren’t spicy in Buellton before the November election—with a sitting City Council member running against the sitting mayor—they are now. The council is split down the middle, with two council members on one side and the newly elected mayor and another council member on the other. They couldn’t decide on who to appoint […]
Posted inOpinion
Speak out against the supervisors’ plan to change the county’s wireless ordinance
We are all mourning the devastating fires in Los Angeles. The opportunity and responsibility to prevent and stop wireless facility-caused fires in Santa Barbara County is missing in the proposed wireless ordinance. On Feb. 4, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors are planning to vote on amendments to the county wireless ordinance that will […]
Posted inOpinion
The state’s largest egg distributor raises prices, makes record profits though its costs are down
Cal-Maine Foods is the largest egg distributor in California. It recently released its financial statement 2024. Max Bowman, vice president and chief financial officer of Cal-Maine Foods, said, “For the second quarter of fiscal 2025, our net sales were $954.7 million compared with $523.2 million for the same period last year. The higher sales were […]
