Trump’s war on Iran inadvertently makes a case for renewable energy. Without the free flow of tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, we have a crisis. Twenty percent of the world’s oil and gas passes through this strait. This exposes the depth of our dependence on fossil fuel. Since the Industrial Revolution in the late […]
Opinion
Posted inOpinion
Hot topic
Testy exchanges between Solvang City Council members over something their mayor built is becoming more common than it should be. Mayor David Brown’s treasure-hunt style Solvang Passport cellphone app was the topic du jour at yet another City Council meeting and promises to come up again in the future. Apparently, the city doesn’t have other, […]
Posted inOpinion
The world needs to tell the U.S. and Israel, ‘No more war’
While polls revealed that 70 percent of Americans opposed war with Iran, why has our government, at the behest of Israel and without a vote by Congress, begun bombing Iran’s major cities? The truth is that this war has been planned for 19 years. In March of 2007, Amy Goodman interviewed retired Gen. Wesley Clark, […]
Posted inLetters To The Editor
Get educated about local community organizations
I just read the commentary posted by Roy Reed (“Know before you vote,” March 12), mostly about the 5th District supervisors election coming in June. However, what struck me most was his misinformed, or rather non-informed, view about local community organizations. Let me educate everyone. Indivisible Santa Maria: “Our vision is a democracy that delivers […]
Posted inOpinion
Has Trump no shame?
I recently read that Trump is suing California over its clean air rules for cars and trucks. I’m not exactly sure what his logic is and don’t really care. I do know that this man is the antithesis of President Theodore Roosevelt who put protections on place for national monuments like Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears […]
Posted inOpinion
Standoff
Everyone wants a piece of the Trump administration these days. In what should be a surprise to no one who’s been following the Sable Offshore Corp. saga, the administration ordered the company to restart that pesky pipeline that leaked oil all over the Gaviota Coast more than 10 years ago. And Sable did what it […]
Posted inOpinion
Lompoc school district should not support student walkouts at the expense of education
On Jan. 30, high school and junior high students in Lompoc and other parts of North County took part in demonstrations against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), (“Local high school students take part in nationwide walkouts to protest ICE,” Feb. 5). The Lompoc Record reported that “at Lompoc High School, students were released early […]
Posted inOpinion
Shut the dunes down to vehicles
Retired attorney John Donegan’s screed (“Learn to share,” March 5) is really off-putting. He likes vehicles on our beaches and wants to keep it that way. Here, he has dredged up all the usual right-wing political claptrap in an attempt to make his point, wrong-headed though it is. Well John, here’s something you missed: The […]
Posted inOpinion
Let workers finish the job on offshore wind
President Trump does not like windmills. In December, his Department of the Interior issued stop-work orders for five offshore windfarms along the Atlantic coast, putting thousands of workers out of a job just days before Christmas. Thankfully, a little more than a month later, federal judges ordered all the projects to move forward, putting workers […]
Posted inOpinion
Surprise, surprise
The Santa Maria City Council had at least one surprise during its March 3 meeting—and no, it’s not that the council isn’t forming an ad hoc immigration committee. One of the council members resigned 11 minutes into the meeting. Why? Well, Carlos Escobedo said he’s moving out of his district and didn’t feel right sticking […]
Posted inOpinion
Know before you vote: One 5th District county supervisor candidate has what it takes to lead North County
Fifth District voters face an important decision June 2 as three candidates compete to succeed the departing Steve Lavagnino on the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors. First, Cory Bantilan, for the past 16 years chief of staff for Supervisor Lavagnino. Quietly competent and skilled in the operations of county government, Mr. Bantilan has set […]
Posted inOpinion
Sharing the dunes goes both ways
Regarding the “Learn to share” opinion piece (March 5), I agree with the thought, “You need to learn to share with those who have just as much right to the beach as you do.” In that spirit, I propose “vehicle-free beach days” be implemented for Oceano residents and others who would like to enjoy the […]