Cover Story
Bound by experience: Local law enforcement agencies aid the Lompoc Police Department after the loss of an officer to suicide
Deafening silence filled the parking lot of Trinity Church of the Nazarene in Lompoc. Rows of law enforcement and military personnel in formal uniform stood at attention, all awaiting the removal of Miguel Grijalva’s casket from the hearse parked there. Only the occasional gust of wind or passing car dared break the somber calm at…
Panga boat linked to Sinaloa Cartel operative
Court documents filed in March connect a panga boat found in 2012 along the southern coast of Santa Barbara County with a man allegedly working for the Sinaloa drug cartel. Fisherman Travis Lobo discovered the abandoned boat one April morning in 2012 and claimed it as salvage. It was confiscated by local law enforcement, but…
What business would you most like to see at the new Santa Maria shopping center?
Vern Willan retired “I can’t think of anything that isn’t already here, but I am looking forward to the new Costco building.” Donna Manos retired “I would definitely like to see more dress shops.” Billie Williams retired “The Soup Kitchen restaurant.” Ralph Hennagan retired “I would love to see a Hobby Lobby.”
Temporary ordinance bans marijuana grows in Santa Barbara County
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to ban all outdoor cultivation of non-medical marijuana at the board’s April 4 meeting. The 45-day urgency ordinance temporarily prohibits the cultivation, distribution, transportation, storage, manufacturing, and processing of cannabis and cannabis products, including industrial hemp, in Santa Barbara County. It also bans personal outdoor marijuana…
The Burton House brings upscale steakhouse to Nipomo
I went into mourning like a Sicilian widow when The Market closed in Santa Maria. I miss their hearty and creative dishes and their uniquely down-home take on fine dining. There are plenty of good restaurants (and great ones) that fill the void the eatery, which closed in 2016, left behind. But it wasn’t until…
Local rapper racks up votes on Battle App with battle raps
Hey, have you heard of Battle App? It’s a battle rap app where users get to compete one-on-one with wit and rhyme, earning votes and followers for their performances in short video clips accompanied by famous hip-hop beats. One local—self-described rapper and comedic artist Will Walker—has made quite a splash on Battle App, climbing the…
Santa Ynez Valley business offers art retreats for all skill levels
At a farmhouse in March, a group of people gathered to spend the weekend together. Some of them were friends but many were strangers. They would spend the next three days sipping wine, eating freshly prepared meals, strolling through the quiet town of Ballard, and getting to know each other. They came from different backgrounds,…
Allan Hancock College faculty exhibit highlights work of art instructors
An evocative portrait of a woman peering shyly over her shoulder. A crisp inked drawing of an ancient fish. A photograph of well-worked fishing boats, sunset tickling the tools strewn about their surface. These are just some of the images featured in the annual Fine Arts Faculty Art Show showing at the Ann Foxworthy Gallery…
Spotlight on: Ca’Del Grevino Winery
Ca’Del Grevino is a winery with three tasting rooms: in Los Olivos, Orcutt, and Santa Barbara. Soon, they’ll get a fourth tasting room located at the winery itself. The winery estate—where the grapes are actually grown—will get a new, “decent-sized” tasting room, said estate manager Kristin Vemo. The tasting room will be part of a…
Bloodline: A woman fights the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians to get tribal membership for her family
While the recent news cycle has been filled with stories of U.S. politicians and their constituents taking a stand against “illegal” immigrants, there’s a smaller, more internal struggle for citizenship happening in the heart of Santa Barbara County. On March 8, a federal appeals court in California affirmed a decision denying Rosanna Miranda’s appeal to…
Flower power: The Central Coast’s winter rainfall has wildflower hot spots revving up for a ‘super bloom’
View a slideshow of wildflowers around the Central Coast. I pulled off on the side of Figueroa Mountain Road, parking just a couple windy miles up from the Figueroa campground. Stepping outside, I spotted a rogue sheet of poppies, and some bushes of pitcher sage splotched here and there on the hillside. But it wasn’t…
Operation Matador suspects to appear in court April 7
Fourteen suspects arrested in connection to Operation Matador will formally face their charges in a Northern Santa Barbara County courtroom on April 7. Senior Deputy District Attorney Ann Bramsen confirmed with the Sun that the defendants will be arraigned starting at 8:30 a.m. in Dept. 6 in the Cook Division of the Santa Barbara County…
Orcutt sanitation’s fee increase ‘justified,’ says grand jury
The more than $400 yearly increase in fees charged to customers of the Laguna County Sanitation District (LCSD) in Orcutt is considered justified, according to a report released on March 23 by the Santa Barbara County grand jury. In 2010, sanitation district customers paid $551.47 per year for sewer service, but in 2016 they were…
Santa Barbara Foundation continues partnership with Santa Ynez Valley Foundation
The Santa Barbara Foundation (SBF) announced the continuation of its partnership with the Santa Ynez Valley Foundation (SYVF) through a $40,000 grant for organizational capacity building. The purpose of the grant is to increase the capability of the SYVF and further build philanthropic capital throughout the area. “We are honored to continue our partnership with…
Lompoc Theatre Project prepares for full restoration
The Lompoc Theatre Project (LTP) announced several renovations as part of the restoration of the historic Lompoc Theatre, including the removal of all asbestos from the theater’s lobby and auditorium. The theater’s leaking roof has also been temporarily sealed with a specialized tarp that will prevent further rain damage. “We have been relatively quiet since…
Bad hair days
Have you ever had a bad hair day? Well, I’ve been having one since 1984. For many of us, hair is so attached to our personal identity, we can’t function properly when it goes wrong. I’ve called in sick to work because my hair was looking like a hot mess. And I didn’t even lie…
John Gutierrez
Anyone who has seen 17-year-old John Gutierrez of Santa Maria run would probably say he was born to do it. Although Gutierrez has only been running cross-country and track at Pioneer Valley High School for less than two years, he’s already beat three school records. “I joined cross-country my junior year with no running experience…
The Cabrillo High School Conquistadores enjoy a powerhouse season
Coming into the season, the Cabrillo Conquistadores men’s basketball team could have easily been doubted. A young roster and a first-year head coach could have been the recipe for a transition year. But after the 2016-2017 season is all said and done, those doubts can be put to rest. Cabrillo finished the year with an…
Santa Maria students to compete for math, reading, spelling titles
Elementary and middle school students from around Santa Maria Valley will challenge each other in reading, math, and spelling skills at multiple competitions later this month. The Junior High Battle of the Books will come first, gathering more than 75 students on Friday, April 7, at 10 a.m. to show off their reading skills. Students…
Rice Elementary opts for eco-friendly hydration station
Rice Elementary School now offers a campus watering hole that promotes reusable water bottles, rather than single-use plastic bottles. The hydration station combines a drinking fountain with a bottle-filling station and a digital counter that tracks the number of disposable plastic bottles saved by refilling reusable bottles instead. The station aims to promote water consumption…
Community college grads make earnings gains
Good news for those holding degrees from a California community college: New state data shows that students who complete their associate degree increase their pre-degree earnings by more than double after two years in the workforce, on average. After five years, they triple the pre-degree earnings. The analysis comes from the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s…
Age of ignorance
We have arrived. Welcome, to the age of ignorance, where people wear stupidity on their sleeve and bigotry like a badge. Where everybody speaks and nobody listens. Where opinions are cherished over the facts. Where hate is cool again, always bubbling just under the surface of an issue. Take some of the response we received…
Clarification
In the March 30 story, “Drone Zone,” the Sun misstated how long defense journalist Tyler Rogoway said the RQ-170 drone had been in use. It has been in use since 2007, according to Rogoway.
Potential rollback of Clean Power Plan to leave Santa Barbara County unscathed
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on April 4 that it would review the federal Clean Power Plan and potentially dismantle it, according to the Federal Register—but Santa Barbara County Energy Division staff says losing those federal regulations wouldn’t affect the county. The Obama administration implemented the Clean Power Plan at the end of 2015…
Orcutt Academy responds to alleged gun threat
An Ernest Righetti High School student was arrested on the morning of April 2 for allegedly making a gun threat to Orcutt Academy High School. The student posted pictures of two guns on Facebook, accompanied by a caption insinuating he would be bringing the guns to Orcutt Academy on Monday, April 3, according to Orcutt…
Where are our values?
The article, “Orcutt rapper found not guilty of making threats in song” (March 23), is deeply disturbing and saddens me for many reasons. Do we have any Christian values? Did it matter at all that “Lil A” Murillo, the gangster rapper, and Shane Villalpando were former students of a Christian school? Did it matter that…
Questions for Muslims
Your article points out the compassion and goodness of the Muslim communities in Lompoc and Santa Maria (“Meet a Muslim,” March 30). I agree that Muslims are interested in being good citizens and making contributions to their communities. Many of us can’t figure out, with the large population of well-meaning Muslims in this country, why…
Let the people decide
Gale McNeeley seems overjoyed that free and democratic rule has finally come to Santa Maria (“Help our leaders to create fair districts,” March 23). Except that he as well as Mrs. Putney-Davalos, Jason Dominguez, and Gil Sanchez all seem to dismiss the un-democratic shake-down tactics that are being used to “convince” the people of Santa…
Is endless war your budget priority?
Is the U.S. investing for the future? It’s easy to sense the priorities in Washington these days, put in place by big money power over time. War is a major priority, the rationale being security for country and citizens. The well-established global arms trade with its enormous profits is full of corruption, greed, slaughter, and…
Thank you, Lompoc
Two weeks ago one of our own killed himself. The shock, sorrow, anger, disbelief, and a range of other emotions have wreaked havoc on all of us. As we processed what had happened, comforted the family, and planned a memorial, we did so in a haze. Within minutes of finding out, our law enforcement brothers…
Helping children relate
From coast to coast and around the globe, one of the most common questions parents ask their children is, “What did you do at school today?” A very common frustration we hear voiced by parents is that their children invariably respond with “Nothing,” or, “I don’t know,” or, “I don’t remember.” It’s hard to deal…
Political Watch 4/6/17
• Gov. Jerry Brown took to MSNBC’s Meet the Press on March 26 to speak against President Donald Trump’s proposed border wall, which Brown called “ominous.” Brown was in Washington, D.C., for his first official visit to the White House since President Trump took office. “I don’t like that wall,” Brown told host Chuck Todd,…
