A contested development plan for a smallish lot in Los Alamos is soon to come before a county decision maker. After public comment at a hearing, its fate may be settled by the zoning administrator next month. The builder seeks to add 11 more homes to an acre-and-a-half lot that already has one dwelling, and […]
Opinion
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Whistle-blown
Looking for a new neighborhood to call home? I would avoid the Skytt Mesa area of Solvang, if I were you. Sounds like it’s a neighborhood where neighbors snitch on neighbors and there’s almost nowhere to put a shed. If sheds are your thing, I guess. And if you live in Skytt Mesa, sheds are […]
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Protect Pismo clams
According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, San Luis Obispo County has the highest number of violations for poaching Pismo clams in the state. With the increasing Pismo clam abundance in recent years, poaching violations also are increasing. The only sign against clamming at the Oceano beach entrance is in tatters, almost invisible. […]
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Rule No. 1: Kick the can down the road
In the world of politics, the people we elect think in terms of short spans of time like election cycles, so if an unpopular decision like increasing electric fees needs to be made, rule No. 1 in their playbook is to kick the can down the road and let a future elected body worry about […]
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Jeers for fears
You know whose heads aren’t quite screwed on straight? The folks over at Central Coast Community Energy (also known as 3CE), which pulled a little bait-and-switch on all the people who were promised PG&E rate discounts when the electric utility traveled up and down the coast marketing itself to local cities and counties. At the […]
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Functioning brain cells
Have you ever had the urge to play Russian roulette? It’s a simple game, full of suspense, hope, and dreadful anticipation. The rules are simple. Load a revolver with one bullet, spin the cylinder, place it against your head, and pull the trigger. Sounds like fun, does it not? The odds are straightforward. You have […]
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Uncritically promoted false narratives erode our trust
As some of you may have noticed, the theory that the source of the COVID-19 pandemic may have been a lab in Wuhan, China, is no longer just the stuff of fevered right-wing fantasies and rabid Trumpists, but has become mainstream. In fact, by the time that this column runs, the lab-release scenario may be […]
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The whole story
You know what the big bad U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency does when it wants local law enforcement to had over information about a criminal in custody? It sends a fax. A fax! The inmates can hear that little fax coming in from down the hall. No notification needed. But really, what […]
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Old jobs, new faces
It was April 30 of last year when I wrote about the fear of opening our economy and people venturing out for the first time as we get back to normal. Man, did I miss that. Shocking. We are learning how wrong Fauci has been. How unnecessary and destructive the lockdowns have been. How physiologically […]
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Though the approved Lompoc budget won’t be changed on the day it goes into effect, it will change many times during its life
A few weeks ago, I said, “The local government budget is usually the last thing anyone thinks of or is even interested in. The last Lompoc budget document was 189 pages of numbers, staffing charts, service descriptions and explanations of how much funding it takes to run the city. “Even though it is a tedious […]
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Details, decals
What’s better than a cop with little to no mental health training responding to someone in crisis? That same cop rolling up in a random, unmarked sedan! During a June 15 meeting, the Santa Maria City Council approved mid-cycle budget amendments that will tack on an extra $2 million to the Police Department’s nearly $30 […]
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When it comes to mockers, COVID-19 may have the last laugh
Many thanks to Rita Casaverde’s Sun commentary (“Jordan Cunningham mocks COVID-19 restrictions,” April 15) calling out Jordan Cunningham’s sardonic efforts at making fun of COVID-19. When I think of the hundreds of thousands who have suffered family deaths, illnesses, and long-term side effects due to COVID-19, I find Cunningham’s remarks beyond the pale. While he […]
