Cover Story
Planning Commission votes to approve extension on Foxen pipeline project, community members advocate for additional environmental review
It’s been more than eight years since ERG Operating Co. LLC, an oil and energy company, submitted its initial application for the Foxen Petroleum Pipeline Project, a 2.9-mile pipeline proposed to replace the current practice of trucking crude oil from the Cat Canyon oil field. On Aug. 5, the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission voted…
HomeStyle delivers affordable, fresh daily meals to your house
In April, Food Inc. of Santa Barbara County morphed as all businesses adjusting to COVID-19 had to, shifting its business model from purely catering focused to meal delivery. But, according to executive chef/owner Anthony Minniti, it was a change that was sort of already in the works. “I was going to do meal prep service…
Folk-pop artist Noa Zimmerman releases new music video based around environmental protests at Cat Canyon
“Listen closely for screams beyond countries, The sound of stirring hearts sink, Look for the bleeding, collective unreeling, Complete loss of the missing link,” Noa Zimmerman, 21, sings at the start of her new single, Rapture. While the song’s lyrics envelop themes of helplessness and oppression in general, Rapture’s music video zeros in on one…
Painter and printmaker Holli Harmon joins the Wildling Museum’s webinar series with Califia and Beyond
Strong female figures are integral to the works of portrait and landscape artist Holli Harmon, whose latest muse is a mythical warrior queen, Califia, aka “the Spirit of California.” “Somehow, Califia was in my subconscious,” the local painter told the Sun, while discussing her art featured in a new exhibition, the Califia Series, at Sullivan…
Orcutt Community Theater announces ‘War of the Worlds’ production, slated to open in October
Amid a season of cancellations and postponements, Orcutt Community Theater has announced its next production, War of the Worlds: A Live Radio Play, which is scheduled to open on Oct. 2 and run through Oct. 18, with performances every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, from 7 to 10 each evening. The show will be held at…
Valley Art Gallery presents new group show and ‘treasure hunt’ at the Santa Maria Airport
More than 30 locally created artworks will be exhibited at the Santa Maria Airport through the end of September, as part of Valley Art Gallery’s new group show. This exhibit highlights contemporary works from various media including oil paintings, painted silk, and jewelry. The show is open to the public during the airport’s operational hours.…
CANARY: The ol’ switcheroo
Sometimes when you tune in to the right Santa Barbara County Planning Commission, you get more than you bargained for. And often, that’s in hours—people droning on about zoning and regulations that support their opposition to their neighbor installing a patio. “The very thought of them enjoying their backyard conjures up noise, noise, noise!” But…
Vote with your forward-thinking wallet
Assemblymember Jordan Cunningham (R-San Luis Obispo) authored AB 2898 in a last-ditch effort to extend the life of dirty Diablo Canyon Power Plant. This bill foolishly seeks to reclassify nuclear energy as a renewable resource. Not only is nuclear power by definition not renewable because the world’s supply of uranium is limited—but it’s also dirty,…
Lompoc needs a City Council majority that’s focused on economic development
Everyone knows that “Lompoc is at the end of the road” geographically, and this semi-isolation impacts our economy: Can city leaders improve the economic situation in our city? Since the space shuttle program ended at nearby Vandenberg Air Force Base, the city has seen relatively little growth. Developers like large parcels of land to build…
San Joaquin Valley College’s new Santa Maria-based program will train the nurses of tomorrow
Even before the days of COVID-19, studies showed that nurse shortages were a resounding issue across the nation. According to a 2017 Department of Health and Human Services report, California tops the list with a projected shortage of 44,500 nurses by 2030. Add in a global pandemic, and nurses are needed more than ever. A…
Political Watch: August 13, 2020
• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara), state Sen. Hannah Beth-Jackson (D-Santa Barbara), and Assemblymember Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara) joined a conversation with California Secretary of State Alex Padilla on Aug. 12, after the Sun went to press, to discuss the work that the state is doing to ensure census completion. “Ensuring an accurate census…
Groups announce partnership to grow commercial space at Vandenberg
Local political and economic leaders want to see Vandenberg Air Force Base in Lompoc become a national hub for the fledging commercial space industry. On Aug. 5, a coalition of agencies and industry groups—including REACH Central Coast, the California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, the U.S. Space Force, Cal Poly, and Deloitte Touche…
Solvang talks parking concerns amid Copenhagen closure
The city of Solvang revisited the Copenhagen Drive closure at its Aug. 10 meeting to hear residents’ concerns about the closure, positive feedback from tourists, and discuss recommendations for a long-term program for businesses. Residents and businesses stated that their main issue with the closure is that there isn’t enough available parking—or not enough disabled…
County Planning Commission hears appeal of contentious land use permit
The Santa Barbara Planning Commission recently heard both sides of a contentious land use debate over whether a proposed vegetable greenhouse would be misused for growing cannabis. The Aug. 5 meeting ended in a vote to continue the discussion at the commission’s Sept. 4 meeting. The hearing was requested by Stephen Jacobs, who asked the…
Guadalupe passes strict tobacco control regulations
Guadalupe now has one of the most stringent tobacco control ordinances in Santa Barbara County, and it’s going into effect at the end of this month. Through the new ordinance, which Guadalupe City Council passed on July 28, retailers will have to obtain licenses to sell tobacco products. The sale of flavored tobacco—including menthol—is banned,…
California representatives ask Congress to pass HEROES Act with Bureau of Prisons funding
It’s been nearly three months since the House of Representatives passed the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act, a $3 trillion stimulus package in response to the COVID-19 outbreak and its impact. But this aid can’t be delivered until the HEROES Act also passes through the Senate, a process that U.S. Rep.…
