In August 1920 a woman’s right to vote was ratified and became public law, and later women were guaranteed the right to serve in elective positions in local, state, and federal governments. Since then, many have been elected and served as council members and as mayor in Lompoc. I have worked with and for women […]
Opinion
Posted inOpinion
CANARY: Aggresive much?
Hey, you guys! It turns out that a bunch of retirees who have an extra 20 hours a week on their hands to do research and write reports don’t actually like marijuana. A real shocker, I know. The most recent report released by the Santa Barbara County grand jury is aptly titled “Cannabis.” It’s about—you […]
Posted inOpinion
We need intellect over instinct
Regarding the catastrophe of this pandemic—the anger, insecurity, and fear of the unknown is bringing out the baser behavior in man. The difficulties of no income generates a fight-or-flight response in us, which can help us survive. Conversely, a misfire could cause us to respond to the perception of threat inappropriately in violence and in […]
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Not everyone has access to nature, and that needs to change
In typical Latino culture, daughters are taught how to clean and cook to keep their men happy. Not me, I was raised by a single mom who worked two jobs and cleaned houses on the weekends. I was shown the miracles of what Fabuloso could do in a bathroom and how Vicks VapoRub could cure […]
Posted inOpinion
CANARY: Freedom to breathe
Good job, guys! Way to keep the pandemic at bay! Oh wait, actually, we haven’t done that. Santa Barbara County, which blamed its high numbers on the Lompoc federal prison a month ago, is currently on a state watch list because its COVID-19 numbers are increasing at an uncomfortable rate. And, as an added bonus, […]
Posted inOpinion
Not for Solvang City Council
I grew up around policemen who were friends and colleagues of my dad. He was “on the job” for 33 years, a superior officer, in every sense, with the NYPD. I think I know something about good cops, effective policing, and fine character. I have met and spoken with Jim Thomas, a former sheriff now […]
Posted inOpinion
Is there a problem with the Lompoc Police Department’s use of force? No!
There has been a lot of conversation, many demonstrations, and some riots across the nation in the past few weeks because of the use of deadly force by police. On June 16, Lompoc Police Chief Joseph Mariani provided the Lompoc City Council with a briefing concerning use of force policies in our city. He began […]
Posted inOpinion
CANARY: How rude!
Oh Solvang, you continue to delight this little twittering titterer with your antics. And I love you for it! Who knew the little city full of tourist delights could have such an angry soul? After years of quietly puttering along without many quips and quibbles, you seem to have exploded into a tumultuous sea of […]
Posted inOpinion
Housing density isn’t the problem
I’m amazed, and sometimes amused, at the many creative reasons people give for wanting to stop housing development. Now they’ve latched onto COVID-19. Because New York City has high density housing and high rates of COVID-19, they argue that building more housing will lead to the proliferation of diseases, higher infection rates, and more deaths. […]
Posted inOpinion
Loss of local oil projects has a far-reaching impact
Well, it appears that Aera Energy has thrown in the towel. The reasons given were the global drop in the price of oil coupled with the ever-increasing regulatory demands from the county. There is little that we can do to control the influence on crude prices, none that compare to the foreign petroleum producing giants. […]
Posted inOpinion
Victims or heroes?
I was tuned into a weekly technology podcast where everything new from Zoom-bombing to what technology Walmart was buying, and the conversation turned to face masks and how we were grateful that there were people out there still stocking shelves and running the checkouts. These people were real heroes. One of the participants, someone who […]
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It’s time for bold action in the face of dysfunctional leadership
Sheriff Brown’s commentary (“When the badge gets tarnished,” June 11) is right to point out the fallacy of generalizing one’s personal experience. It is not appropriate to brand all police based upon the actions of a few, just as it is not right to blame peaceful protesters for the destructive actions of a few. The […]
