In this time when there has been so much going on with schools, I felt compelled to write a letter in support of someone who I know personally and someone who is currently serving on the Santa Barbara County board of trustees—Judy Frost. Judy has spent the past four years representing trustee area 5. She […]
Opinion
Posted inOpinion
Santa Barbara Humane by the numbers
When members of the public make inaccurate statements about our local animal shelters, dogs and cats pay a high price. Numbers tell the story best, not inflammatory statements and misinformation. Despite recent statements from the public reported by your newspaper (“Potential Santa Maria animal services contract sparks controversy,” Oct. 20), Santa Barbara Humane does an […]
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Get all the facts on Santa Barbara Humane
It’s really important we get the story about local animal adoptions right. The recent Santa Maria Sun article regarding Santa Maria animal services (“Potential Santa Maria animal services contract sparks controversy,” Oct. 20) missed the mark. Due to challenges, turnover, and a rising number of animals at Santa Barbara County Animal Services, a request for […]
Posted inOpinion
Jim Mosby is not Lompoc’s public safety candidate
The election is coming up in just a few weeks, and our local election is so important! You’ve probably seen former Councilmember Jim Mosby’s signs around town as he attempts to reinvent himself as the “public safety” candidate. Ironically, this is the same former official who decimated our public safety sector when he was the […]
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Questionable bias
If the little notes the Sun has received are any indication of how people are feeling about the upcoming election, then Santa Maria is apprehensive, to say the least. And, no surprises here, Etta Waterfield, who is seeing her way out of her Santa Maria City Council seat, is a favorite target of these, umm, […]
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Vegetative state
In a race that will determine who takes Etta Waterfield’s (I hope Montana doesn’t send her back!) seat on the Santa Maria City Council, we’ve got one candidate with very specific ideas about city issues and one candidate with somewhat specific ideas about education. Are they running for the same office? I guess you’ll have […]
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Reelect Judy Frost to county board of education
In today’s super-charged political climate, I strongly support leaders in education and public life who are quiet, effective leaders getting difficult jobs done. I join the many Santa Maria Valley community members and leaders who are grateful to Judy Frost for her tireless, low-key, renowned track record, working for causes that matter, and getting the […]
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The current Lompoc mayor’s civility, resourcefulness will keep this city on track for improvements
Lompoc Mayor Jenelle Osborne is seeking reelection for a third term in office; why should you choose her instead of her opponent? If you have witnessed many of the City Council meetings in the past couple of years, you will have noted a change in the tone of meetings. As mayor, Osborne is responsible for […]
Posted inOpinion
The bottom rung
What is the impact of new California laws meant to reduce the number of people in local jails and state prisons? Is it an increase in crime? If you ask law enforcement, they say yes. If you ask some North Santa Barbara County farmers, they also say yes. And the reason they say yes is […]
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It’s 2022, not 1492
Bravo, Mr. Fina! Some might say that you are the means to costing Santa Maria taxpayers $75,000 and your inferred collaboration with the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. This article (“Sailing away?” Sept. 1) also declares your efforts to “approach” the Santa Maria City Council and our local high school district. All of this […]
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It’s in the best interest of our representatives to engage with and respond to the people who grow your food
There were two general topics of conversation during public comment at the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 20. One was National Voter Registration Day, and the other was rural crime. Supervisor Steve Lavagnino made a comment about how roughly 6,000 of the 28,000 registered voters in his district of 90,000 showed up to […]
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Cautious pessimism
Guadalupe believes that nearly $10 million in state and federal funds will help the city level up to become the tourist trap it strives to be, and environmental organizations like Los Padres ForestWatch believe that releasing 4 percent of Twitchell Dam’s water supply during intense storm events in wet years will bring back the steelhead […]
