Cover Story
Local therapist experiences the trauma of getting scammed by professional fraudsters
Editor’s note: This is the first of a two-part series about scam calls on the Central Coast. The first part describes one local woman’s experience with a scammer who used her job and background to target her. The second will focus on the aftermath, others who have had similar experiences, and the resources available to…
BINGEABLE: THE THING ABOUT PAM (2022)
BINGEABLE: THE THING ABOUT PAM (2022) Where’s it playing? Peacock What’s it rated? TV-14 Get ready to get angry when you settle in to watch The Thing About Pam. Renee Zellweger dons a bunch of prosthetics to play Pam Hupp, and while she is not unrecognizable, she certainly looks much closer to the real Pam…
‘The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent’ is smart, funny, and deeply self-reflexive
THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT Where’s it playing? Regal Edwards RPX Santa Maria, Movies Lompoc, Regal Edwards Arroyo Grande What’s it rated? R What’s it worth? Full price (Glen Starkey) What’s it worth? Full price (Anna Starkey) Co-writer and director Tom Gormican (That Awkward Moment) helms this action comedy with Nicolas Cage playing himself.…
Farmers concerned about levee trail expansion
On May 17, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors is set to hear about the feasibility of a proposed Santa Maria River Levee Trail expansion to Guadalupe, a project that worries farmers who work the land along the river. In 2019, the county Public Works Department proposed expanding the 2.7-mile walking path along the…
John Savrnoch is the sole candidate for District Attorney
When Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce Dudley decided to retire after 32 years of leading the office, she looked for someone who could fill her shoes and keep moving the office in a positive direction, she said. She began speaking to several attorneys on staff about stepping up for the role in the 2022…
Political Watch: April 28, 2022
• Gov. Gavin Newsom recently visited Lake Oroville to highlight efforts to advance long-term water resilience and bolster the state’s drought response. Though storms returned to Northern California, the small amounts of rain and snowfall will not make a significant dent in the water deficit the state faces, according to the governor’s office. “With the…
Santa Barbara County nonprofit CommUnify celebrates its 55th anniversary in the community
The Community Action Coalition was founded to combat poverty rates in Santa Barbara County as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. The organization became a countywide task force in 1965 and received nonprofit status in 1987. Now, it’s known as CommUnify, but its mission remains the same: to help community…
The SLO International Film Festival runs through May 1
The San Luis Obispo International Film Festival took a heavy hit the last two years, forcing the festival to go virtual. This year, it returns with live screenings and events through Sunday, May 1—and most of the films will also be available virtually on May 1. But festival organizers are hoping that this year the…
Riptide Big Band and guest vocalists perform at A Red Carpet Affair: Senior Prom
The Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department and Santa Maria Valley Senior Club presents A Red Carpet Affair: Senior Prom at the Elwin Mussell Senior Center on Sunday, May 1, from 1:30 to 4 p.m. The event will feature live music from the Riptide Big Band and guest vocalists Bo Prescott, Bob Nations, and Mitch…
David Selby narrates a special section of Santa Maria Philharmonic’s next concert
The Santa Maria Philharmonic Society will hold the final season concert of its 2021-22 season at Grace Baptist Church, on Saturday, April 30, at 7:30 p.m. The concert will include performances of pieces by Mozart, Copeland, and Brahms, along with a special narration by television and stage actor David Selby. Selby is best known for…
Wildling Museum holds multisensory installation from artist Kerrie Smith
Portals and Pathways, a new, multisensory art installation at the Wildling Museum of Nature and Art in Solvang, debuted in April and is scheduled to remain on display through February 2023. Santa Barbara-based artist Kerrie Smith created the installation, which is located in the museum’s Michele Kuelbs Tower Gallery. On Sunday, May 22, the museum…
Fess Parker Winery updates its Los Olivos tasting room with a contemporary redesign
When setting out to renovate their family-owned tasting room, siblings Ashley Parker-Snyder and Eli Parker sought a redesign that felt fresh and contemporary—and simultaneously paid homage to the Parker family’s unique history. Parker-Snyder said the end result is something she hopes her folks, the late Fess and Marcy Parker, would be proud of. Her father,…
Critical and blessed
Looks like Santa Barbara County is staying true to itself with the district attorney’s race in which nobody is running against current District Attorney Joyce Dudley’s handpicked replacement, Deputy District Attorney John Savrnoch. Savrnoch will sail on through the primary like fellow “campaigners” 5th District Supervisor Steve Lavagnino and Laura Capps, who is walking into…
Local farmers oppose the proposed expansion of the Santa Maria River Levee Trail
Santa Maria Valley is undoubtedly a beautiful place that deserves to be enjoyed and explored by the entire community and beyond. The Santa Maria River Levee Trail expansion would offer stunning views and provide a recreational connection between the cities of Santa Maria and Guadalupe; however, the unintended consequences of this expansion will come at…
