I was feeling nostalgic for my hometown of Santa Maria and thinking of all the things that my family left behind and found your paper’s 2015 article on the Santa Maria BMX track (“Trick-less speed: Santa Maria BMX racing is alive and well,” March 31, 2015). My father and our family built that track back […]
Opinion
Posted inOpinion
History repeats
In a contest between squiggly lines or straight lines, will the straight lines win? It’s definitely possible in Santa Maria, where the City Council and residents seem to favor a redistricting map that divides the city into the four quadrants that have always divided the city—along Main Street and Broadway. Those two roads divide so […]
Posted inOpinion
Lompoc needs to limit its cannabis retail/dispensary permits and ensure operators pay all applicable fees
When the city of Lompoc considered licensing the manufacturing, distribution, sale, and on-site consumption of cannabis in our city, the subject of how many permits to issue was discussed. If our City Council would have bothered to listen to the information presented by the staff when this issue was decided, they would have understood that […]
Posted inOpinion
The core of it is about conserving historical social norms, policies, and practices
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 […]
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 […]
Posted inOpinion
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 […]
Posted inOpinion
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 […]
Posted inOpinion
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 […]
Posted inOpinion
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 […]
Posted inOpinion
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 […]
Posted inOpinion
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 […]
Posted inOpinion
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 […]
