I fear that the Sun/New Times and the Santa Barbara County Health Department completely missed the key underlying reason for the higher death rate among older white males in North County (“Death report highlights long-standing geographic inequities in Santa Barbara County,” July 28). Granted, poverty and access to quality health care do play a role, […]
Opinion
Posted inOpinion
Pray for science
What happens when science meets science? When one scientist says one thing and another says something different? Who do you believe? The chorus or the loner? We could talk about climate change, but let’s not. That horse has been beaten with extreme heat; dry, droughty years; and several 1,000-year flash flood events in the same […]
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Lompoc recently considered another emergency water-use proclamation, but we have no need
When is an “emergency” not really that emergent? Apparently, some of the “experts” in Lompoc can’t figure that one out as they tried to claim an emergency declaration was needed and then explained that none exists—at least in our city. On Tuesday, Aug. 3, the Lompoc City Council held a hearing to determine if a […]
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Santa Barbara County crop report shows ag industry isn’t spreading the wealth
It’s been a great year for local ag, according to Santa Barbara County’s recently released agricultural production report: There was a 5 percent increase in the gross production value in 2021. That means ag was a $1.9 billion industry in the county that year, bringing in $98 million more than 2020. Sounds like big raises […]
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Hold insurrectionists accountable!
If we’ve learned anything from the Jan. 6 hearings so far, it’s that Trump and his allies will go to any lengths to gain and stay in power. The hearings have proven that they planned, promoted, and paid for a months-long criminal conspiracy to overturn the election they knew they lost—and which ultimately ended in […]
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Trust is the issue when it comes to legislating weapons and the right to bear arms
Why won’t conservatives agree to what you anti-gun liberals see as “common sense” gun restrictions? In a word: trust. Some of the proposals aren’t that bad, but with your visceral loathing of all guns and gun owners, and your insistence on blaming gun violence on everything but the shooter, we don’t trust you to act […]
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No one’s surprised by Santa Barbara County’s death rate disparity between north and south counties
Deaths are higher in North Santa Barbara County than South County. Anyone surprised? Nope. No one is surprised. And no one is surprised by the reasons county “experts” gave for that disparity either: poverty, health care access, and an unequal distribution of resources between the two geographical areas of the county. It’s been an ongoing […]
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An unjust, unsound waste of money
Our county wants to improve the Oceano County Airport by adding a lounge bar, more parking, and a bigger campground for its users. The Oceano Beach Community Association (OBCA) opposes this project. SLO County, and Oceano in particular, does not need this airport. We already have an airport 20 miles to the north, San Luis […]
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Avoid the ‘unavoidable’
Regarding your July 14 article titled “The price of housing”: We hope that the developers of the so-called Dana “Reserve” (the question remains as to what they are in fact “reserving” or “preserving”) will return to their prior top development priorities of “open space uses within the oak woodlands.” “Do a smaller project and leave […]
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Enforcing new employment laws will have expensive impacts on local pocketbooks
It seems that when our elected representatives in Sacramento dream up new laws designed to “help the people,” they wind up hurting the people they want to help more than helping them. Lately there has been considerable conversation concerning “supply chain issues.” The main issue is how to get shipping containers from ports or manufacturing/processing […]
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In response to ‘The price of housing,’ we really don’t need more houses
These are very very stressful times. Green open spaces are known to make peace with your heart and soul and body. Many scientific studies show that the benefits of open green community space is space well spent for the well-being and happiness of the community. Driving around town, I noticed when I come to an […]
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Our fundamental freedoms are coming under attack
This is a scary moment. The Supreme Court just dismantled abortion rights across America. As a result, 26 states could outlaw abortion, including 13 that have passed “trigger” laws to take effect immediately after the court overturns Roe v. Wade. This news should set off alarm bells for all Americans. Our fundamental freedoms are coming […]
