Cover Story
Local governments along the Pacific Coast innovate to address the growing issue of homelessness
Editor’s note: This is the first installment of a two-part series on solutions to homelessness. What’s the solution to homelessness? “It is apparent that there is not panacea to solve this complex problem, as it is diverse and nuanced,” Katie Grainger wrote in a letter to the SLO County Board of Supervisors as the chair/facilitator…
Local photographer Kathleen Gerber uses new exhibit to raise funds and awareness for African Millennium Foundation
Those who know Kathleen Gerber solely through her prolific photo portfolio—previously highlighted in National Geographic, Smithsonian magazine, and other outlets—might be surprised when they discover she isn’t a career photographer. The Grover Beach resident works full time as a geologist at Vandenberg Space Force Base. But her two areas of expertise often overlap. “I use…
Opioid crisis prioritized in sheriff’s 2022 budget proposal
Drug overdoses caused 133 deaths in Santa Barbara County during 2021, the highest in county history. To combat this, the Sheriff’s Office wants a little more than $1 million in general fund dollars to fund an additional narcotics team, Sheriff’s Cmdr. Kala Hubbell said during an April 12 Board of Supervisors budget workshop. “This expansion…
Lompoc to restrict public access to three city-owned properties
Lompoc Police Capt. Kevin Martin called three adjoining, city-owned parcels of land the “biggest problem areas right now” in terms of homeless encampments, and Lompoc City Council just voted to restrict public access to the largely undeveloped lots. “This is an absolute step in the right direction,” Martin said during the Lompoc City Council’s April…
Two candidates vie for county superintendent of schools for the first time in decades
Christy Lozano decided to run for Santa Barbara County superintendent of schools because of what she saw as a teacher on the front lines, she said. “I’ve tried to address problems I’ve seen in my own district for a long time, and I think many people feel right now that they are not [being heard],”…
Political Watch: April 14, 2022
• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) led a group of 13 U.S. House lawmakers to write a letter urging House and Senate leadership to reach a final bipartisan agreement on additional COVID-19 relief. The representatives called for the deal to include funding that would replenish the Biden administration’s ability to purchase and distribute vaccines,…
An endangered coastal California flower population is on the road to recovery
Known for its white and purple flowers with a yellow disk, the beach layia is a small sunflower that’s only found in California’s coastal dunes. Although the flowers were once found dotting the dunes from Lompoc’s Vandenberg Space Force Base to Humboldt County, they began to die off with land development, invasive species, livestock grazing,…
Eye on I in Lompoc celebrates 4/20 with a cannabis-themed multi-course dinner
An upcoming one-night-only menu at Eye on I challenges diners to eat as much pizza “as you can stuff into your stoned face.” April 20 falls on a Wednesday this year, but that isn’t stopping the Lompoc eatery from celebrating its inaugural 4/20 dinner with an open-ended time frame, from 6 p.m. to “whenever you…
Lompoc Concert Association holds postponed concert for flutist Jeannine Goeckeritz
The First United Methodist Church in Lompoc presents prolific flutist Jeannine Goeckeritz, live in concert, on Friday, April 22, at 7:30 p.m. This program is presented by the Lompoc Concert Association, a local nonprofit dedicated to promoting live music and music education in the community. Tickets to the concert, which was originally scheduled for January…
Two local students score first and third place at 2022 Santa Barbara County Poetry Slam
Pioneer Valley High School student Makai Copado and Righetti High School student Steven Villanueva won first and third place, respectively, at the 2022 Santa Barbara County Poetry Slam, which was held virtually over Zoom at the end of March. Participants of the countywide contest were judged on originality, delivery, enthusiasm, and more, according to the…
There is a way to keep mobile homes affordable
Reading about the problems homeowners in manufactured home parks have in Santa Maria (“A long haul,” March 31) reminds me of the issues with these associations all over the state. Some county district attorneys have even gotten involved. San Mateo County attorneys tried to step in when a water park of houseboats lost their berths…
Coastal Commission, State Parks need accountability now more than ever
On March 21, the SLO Superior Court denied our motion requesting to intervene as defendants in the suit brought forth by Friends of Oceano Dunes and EcoLogic against the California Coastal Commission challenging its 2021 decision to ban most vehicle use in the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area. The Oceano Beach Community Association is…
The U.S. needs a fair, equitable overhaul of the income tax system
American taxpayers should be up in arms and madder than hell over the taxes they are paying every year. Our taxes are at 50 percent of our income per year. We must work until about May 15 (tax freedom day) each year just to pay our taxes. Most families must have two members working to…
Not good enough
What is the solution to homelessness? I can tell you that clearing out encampments isn’t a solution—it’s just temporary relief for the housed population that can’t deal with the problems that come with an unwanted gathering of people who have nowhere else to go. These include environmental issues that stem from trash and human waste,…
