Authentic conservatism needs advocates capable of addressing the ideas and issues of our time. The core belief of conservatism is its partiality to historically inherited social norms, policies, and practices. Thoughtful conservatives contend that societies—especially traditional ones—are complex and that their consolidation over decades and centuries should not be lightly tampered with because doing so […]
Opinion
Posted inOpinion
Crime and grime
Being homeless isn’t a crime. But “many kinds of public conduct are illegal.” Santa Maria Public Information Officer Mark van de Kamp told us that. And he’s not exactly wrong. But, if the public conduct associated with being homeless is illegal, aren’t we essentially saying that homelessness is a crime? A recent Santa Maria Riverbed […]
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Dance hall danger
In an apparent effort to protect Lompoc’s minors from any human traffickers who might want to open a dance hall, Lompoc City Councilmember Gilda Cordova went to bat for the city’s unenforced 50-year-old laws on dances, dance halls, and dance studios. “These are basic regulations that protect the activity of minors in those locations,” she […]
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No pot of gold
Why is it so important to save Diablo Canyon Power Plant from closing, from losing vital energy to sustain a reliable electrical grid, and avoid power shortages? As I have written many times before, there is no perfect source or solution to fill the needs for electric power. Every single one has environmental and or […]
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Does Lompoc City Council really need to redistrict?
On Feb. 2, the Lompoc City Council and the public received a presentation concerning the need to adjust the four City Council districts. The staff report started with “Every 10 years, cities with by-district election systems must use new census data to review and, if needed, redraw, district lines to reflect how local populations have […]
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Right solution?
Santa Barbara County and Santa Maria are fighting over the homeless and a Motel 6. At least, that’s the simple version of the story. The real story goes back many years but comes down to ideological differences and what Santa Maria believes is best for the city. Mayor Alice Patino, City Councilmember Etta Waterfield, and […]
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Los Alamos is being subjected to development without planning
Los Alamos is a small town that relies on the county for governance. But we have been suffering under its bureaucracy and its unwillingness to admit obvious shortcomings of a development plan. And the county disbanded our planning advisory committee that might have reviewed this poorly conceived development project. More than 200 residents have signed […]
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Federal pandemic aid falls short of helping seniors and the disabled
While it is commendable that the Biden administration has done much to aid families with children and those seeking work with the recently passed infrastructure bill and stimulus checks, that aid did nothing to help the elderly living on Social Security or the disabled who cannot work. Even if the Build Back Better bill is […]
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Santa Maria leaders should follow all the rules, including their own
There is a sign, topped with the city’s logo, posted on Santa Maria city buildings. It says: ATTENTION in capital letters, and shows the picture of a mask. It then says, in capitals: MASKS ARE REQUIRED INSIDE CITY FACILITIES. This is followed by the words: “Thank you for your cooperation.” Mayor Alice Patino and Councilmember […]
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Political quagmire
Sheds. Homeowners can’t live with ’em and they can’t live without ’em. And in Solvang, regulators seem to be having a hard time with the unintended consequences of a shed regulation situation caused by shed-stirrer and Skytt Mesa resident Kristin Kellner She complained about a neighbor’s shed not following city code guidelines, which eventually put […]
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Big energy fights solar
The Santa Barbara Planning Commission recently voted to deny ExxonMobil’s proposal to restart offshore drilling and truck oil to Kern County on the dangerous and windy route 166; in March the final decision will be voted on by the Board of Supervisors. Meanwhile, we face another threat to California’s goal of 100 percent clean energy […]
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There are no easy answers to the problem of providing housing for the homeless
Recently the county Board of Supervisors declined $17.9 million in grant funding and then later reinstated part of a request by the Housing Authority of Santa Barbara to purchase an old motel in Santa Maria and operate it as housing for the homeless. In the process, they reserved the right to deny the project at […]
