Cover Story
Lompoc penitentiary’s COVID-19 outbreak grows, but an understaffed facility threatens the ability to keep up with prisoners’ needs
Incarcerated people are among those with the least agency in the United States. Some argue that this is a key part of serving justice. The punishment—confinement and everything else that comes with it—fits the crime. Others say prisoners should have more rights, advocating for felon enfranchisement or labor compensation. “Inmates have a Ph.D. in what…
Grab your paint brush and partake in a townwide scavenger hunt with #OrcuttRocks
I might as well be stepping outside Apollo 11 onto the moon’s surface, but in reality, I’m just gearing up to exit my Chevy Aveo in the Walmart parking lot. Mask, check; gloves, check; sanity, indeterminable—there’s just no time. I’ve already wasted enough as is, sitting in this car for minutes, taking my right glove off…
Nipomo novelist Kathryn Blanche offers new content, writing resources, and more through Patreon and YouTube
Writing fantasy fiction was already a diversion of sorts for Central Coast-based author Kathryn Blanche—who began developing her Laila of Midgard series during a rough patch in college—long before the COVID-19 crisis. “I find that writing is an escape, so diving into the various worlds in my novels is my primary way of keeping my…
Wildling Museum seeks photography of regional wildlife
Registration to enter the 11th biannual Wildling Nature Photography Competition, hosted by the Wildling Museum of Art and Nature in Solvang, is now open. The theme of this competition’s latest recurrence is Critters of the Tri-County Region, as applicants are encouraged to submit photos of all forms of wildlife—land and sea mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians,…
Santa Maria Public Library offers virtual readings of children’s books
During the city of Santa Maria Public Library’s indefinite cancellation of its Storytime program and other ongoing activities, the library staff members are producing an online series of short videos for children and families to enjoy from the comfort of their own homes. The program is designed to help kids boost their literacy skills through…
Political Watch: April 23, 2020
• Gov. Gavin Newsom announced in an April 15 press conference that California will become the first state to offer direct disaster assistance to undocumented people who are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Ten percent of the state’s workforce is undocumented, Newsom said, and undocumented workers make up a disproportional number of those working in…
Increase in 211 calls signals that community members want help, program manager says
Even outside of times of disaster, Santa Barbara County’s health and human services information line—accessible by dialing 211—is always there to help by connecting callers with resources like housing, food, health care, transportation, and more. But during times of increased and unprecedented need, these services become a vital community resource. In the last two weeks…
Library committee nears the end of its work addressing funding, inequities
For years, the amount and source of library funding has been among the most contentious topics discussed during Santa Barbara County’s annual budget process. About a year and a half ago, the county Board of Supervisors tried to solve this continuous problem by enlisting a group of stakeholders to review and address two issues in…
Local organizations work to get COVID-19 updates to non-English speaking residents
March 17 was the first time the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department conducted a press briefing via Facebook Live regarding the coronavirus. It was entirely in English. Latino Outreach Council of San Luis Obispo County CEO Jaqueline del Valle Frederick said the nonprofit is concerned that there isn’t enough direct communication in Spanish…
Solvang extends marketing contract through next fiscal year
As a city with an economy built around tourism, Solvang has been hit especially hard during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. During a City Council meeting on April 13, City Manager Xenia Bradford said the city will lose about $2 million in revenue related to this virus during the current fiscal year, which runs through…
Unemployment rates in the county increase, Workforce Development Board goes virtual
Unemployment rates in Santa Barbara County—at first glance—don’t appear too out of the ordinary. At 5.6 percent unemployed, the county had the exact same rate in March as the state of California as a whole, according to the county’s Workforce Development Board Executive Director Raymond McDonald. But when compared to last year’s numbers, a different…
County outlines economic reopening plan development
A week after Gov. Gavin Newsom identified six indicators determining when to change the existing stay-at-home order, Santa Barbara County officials have released the first steps of their own reopening plan. During the Board of Supervisors meeting on April 21, Assistant County Executive Officer Nancy Anderson said that over the next four to six weeks,…
County Foodbank ramps up services during COVID-19 crisis
As businesses remain closed under the statewide stay-at-home order and the number of people unemployed in California continues to increase, many residents are facing food insecurity for the first time. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County has ramped up its services to provide fresh food to the thousands who may…
Elephant, donkey cartoon missed the mark
A cartoon can be ironic or satirical. But when it preaches at us, and lies at the same time, it fails miserably. Take the Mayfield cartoon of April 2. Referring to the recent congressional bailout bill that gave tens of millions of dollars to the middle class, working class, and the poor, and well over…
Unreliable information has led to sizable problems in COVID-19 risk analysis
Beginning in late February, government officials and the press began to predict a massive outbreak of a contagious disease known as COVID-19 in the United States. Using math models, they were convinced that anywhere between 100,000 to 200,000 deaths would occur. The governor of California even went so far as to say 25.5 million Californians…
CANARY: Tough it out
If you get sick, you get sick guys. That’s the way the cookie crumbles, according to 4th District Supervisor Peter Adam, who is raring to get that Santa Barbara County economy up an moving again. You hear that, Public Health Director Van Do-Reynoso? Adam is ready for Do-Reynoso to get her crap together on a…
Naughty Oak Brewing Company settles into a new normal with beer sales to-go and a little boga on the side
With beer sales at less than half of what they were before the pandemic started, Naughty Oak Brewing Company is in survival mode to make it through to the other side of the stay-at-home orders. “We’re seeing most of our support from the membership club. And we’re just trying to be there with to-go stuff,…
