The Santa Barbara County board of education should be the shining example of transparency for all school boards and provide greater public access. Four months ago, given our county school board oversees a budget that exceeds $100 million. I suggested that our board meetings be video recorded and archived on the Santa Barbara County Education […]
Opinion
Posted inOpinion
Hancock must stop ageism
The college’s namesake, Capt. G. Allan Hancock, did many of his achievements even into the later years of life. So, it is with disgust that the college condones the hidden discrimination of ageism! To still employ the offending dean of “Academic Affairs” casts doubt upon leadership’s claims of harboring contrary beliefs. Her taxpayer-paid-for emails included […]
Posted inOpinion
Reasonable flair
Lompoc City Counclimember Dirk Starbuck’s got flair—I won’t say what type of flair it is, but it’s flair nonetheless. I’m not sure if he was trying to be funny or serious when he made this comment during the May 17 City Council meeting: “Some dogs are identifying as cats in town because of this.” Because […]
Posted inOpinion
Fighting words
Maybe Buellton has it figured out. The city recently approved forward momentum on a project intended to bring more life into the town along Highway 101, and increase accessibility for residents who may not have it. In order to give city residents who need it the option to garden, Buellton City Council approved plans to […]
Posted inOpinion
Where is Christy Lozano on the issues?
Citizen Christy Lozano is vying to replace current Superintendent of Schools Susan Salcido with the aid of County Clerk Joseph Holland. A lawsuit has been filed against Ms. Lozano for bypassing protocol and entering the race without valid credentials. Incumbent Susan Salcido is dismissing the shenanigans stating that she is focused on her own agenda. […]
Posted inOpinion
South County exploitation of North County resources has been going on for more than 100 years
This is the story of how early Santa Barbara’s moneyed ranchers forced their will upon the more rural ranchers and farmers who lived and ranched in the Santa Ynez River watershed. It has long been acknowledged that politics and political advantage can be used to accommodate the powerful near the seat of government; the trend […]
Posted inOpinion
What’s going on?
What’s gotten into people these days? Just as I was about to zero in on Solvang, again, word of some words at Allan Hancock College nearly made me spit out my birdseed. An administrator at our local community college “said” some rather ageist and offensive things about a group of students via email to administration […]
Posted inOpinion
Homelessness story was for the wrong audience
Homelessness and what to do about it was nicely covered by the Sun staff (“Shelter, services, support,” April 14 and “Space for stability,” April 21). But it was for the wrong audience. Sure, we can wring our hands and give some needy person on the street a buck. But this is like Band-Aids. You can […]
Posted inOpinion
Restore balance to the highest court
When Donald Trump was in office, he and Mitch McConnell made three lifetime appointments to the Supreme Court. McConnell went so far as to defy Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s dying wish—that the next president appoint her replacement—by packing the court with Amy Coney Barrett just eight days before the 2020 election. The result? Today’s Supreme Court […]
Posted inOpinion
Lozano is the best hope for county public schools
For those who don’t know, Christy Lozano is running for Santa Barbara County superintendent of schools. Electing Christy on June 7 may be our last opportunity to save our schools, and more importantly our children, from an ignominious future. I am not sure why more people in our county are not screaming at the top […]
Posted inOpinion
Why is there such a lack of affordable housing?
The availability of affordable housing has been a big issue in California for decades. I received a mass e-mail from the California attorney general, Rob Bonita, the other day and he is concerned about “skyrocketing housing costs” and “a housing crisis of epic proportions.” The current city of Lompoc Inclusionary Housing Ordinance specifies that “the […]
Posted inOpinion
Taxing taxes
Mayor Aristan Julian believes cannabis is the answer to Guadalupe’s long-running general fund revenue problems—4 to 6 percent of gross receipts from future dispensaries ought to do the trick, he said! “If they make $3 million, we could get 6 percent of that into our general fund,” he said of the three cannabis businesses the […]
