John Donegan claims that Kamala Harris is not qualified to be president of the U.S., and she is also a bad choice (“Democrats are the victims of their own infatuation with DEI,” Aug. 22). He implies that that her nomination was forced on the members of the Democratic Party (“join or else”), and also that…
As the country and the rest of the world experience another year of scorching heat waves, private for-profit utility companies—which we rely upon for our basic necessities, like heating, cooling, and electricity—are keeping us reliant on climate-wrecking fossil fuels while reporting record profits. When they work well, utilities exist in the background of our lives:…
It seems like on all our election ballots, we are presented with initiatives to vote on. That is because in California, citizens have the power through ballot initiatives to directly propose and enact laws, make or change local ordinances, and even make amendments to the state Constitution. Usually individuals or groups resort to the initiative…
Pixel perfect Call (805) 688-7517 or visit gallerylosolivos.com for more info on Brushes and Pixels, on display at Gallery Los Olivos from Sept. 1 through the end of the month. The gallery is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is located at 2920 Grand Ave., Los Olivos. Before moving to the Central…
The Santa Maria Valley Senior Citizens Club hosts its Talk Like a Pirate Dance, with live music from the Riptide Big Band, at the Elwin Mussell Senior Center in Santa Maria on Sunday, Sept. 8, from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Admission to the event is free, thanks to grant funding from the Community Foundation of…
Some local libraries will be hosting special film screening events in conjunction with the Climate Future Film Festival in late August and early September. This touring film festival highlights a collection of international short films of various genres that examine “our interior responses to many possible climate futures,” according to the fest’s Film Freeway page.…
Three days after Ken Hough told county planning commissioners about “the dangers of crude oil tankers,” a semi-truck carrying 150 barrels of crude oil crashed into another vehicle a half mile from his home. The Santa Barbara County Action Network (SBCAN) co-executive director had filed an appeal on the county’s approval of Sentinel Peak Resources’…
Blink Twice What’s it rated? R What’s it worth, Anna? Full price What’s it worth, Glen? Full price Where’s it showing? Regal Edwards RPX Santa Maria, Regal Edwards Arroyo Grande Zoë Kravitz directs this black comedy she co-wrote with E.T. Feigenbaum about tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum) who at his fundraising gala meets cocktail…
Lady in the Lake What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2024 Where’s it showing? Apple TV Plus In this noir thriller, Natalie Portman stars as Jewish housewife Maddie Schwartz, whose world is upended when an 11-year-old white girl goes missing from her community and is found dead. While the tragedy is indeed heartbreaking, Maddie’s reaction has…
First-time candidates Gloria Flores and Benjamin Ortiz are fighting long-time councilmember Mike Cordero for the Santa Maria City Council 2nd District seat. The 2nd District sits between N. Railroad Avenue and N. Suey Road, with the 1st and 4th districts hugging its west and east sides. The Santa Maria River acts as the district’s northern…
The Union What’s it rated? PG-13 When? 2024 Where’s it showing? Netflix Oh, Marky Mark, you do know how to churn out the cheese. Mostly TV director Julian Farino helms this action spy comedy about regular guy Mike McKenna (Mark Wahlberg), a New Jersey high-rise steel worker who likes to drink beer with his pals…
Raising the sales tax in Lompoc is one path to revamping the city’s deteriorating streets, but it’s not a road some local leaders want to take. During the Lompoc City Council’s Aug. 20 meeting, Councilmember Jeremy Ball and Councilmember Dirk Starbuck responded to city staff’s presentation on potential options to improve road health with differing…
Fry parking Visit spudstreetinc.com for more info on Spud Street, based in Santa Maria and surrounding areas. For updates on the local food truck’s weekly pop-up locations, follow Spud Street on Instagram, @spudstreet, or text the word “schedule” to (820) 500-7783. One of the Santa Maria Valley’s newest food trucks is a well-oiled machine with…
• U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California) joined a bipartisan group of 20 senators in calling on President Joe Biden to establish a White House Task Force on Global Sporting Events in preparation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup (which will include matches held in California), the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games, the 2031…
Instead of spending summers at camp when she was a child, Blanca Antonio Aquino—alongside other children of farmworkers—worked in the fields to help their families pay bills. “At age 8, I recall my mom telling me, ‘When you’re picking strawberries, think as if you’re picking up a single cent,” Antonio Aquino told the Santa Barbara…
This election cycle, Lompoc has two City Council seats and the mayor’s seat up for grabs, and the Lompoc Unified School District has its second by-trustee area election this November. To help keep residents informed and involved during election season, the American Association of University Women (AAUW) Lompoc-Vandenberg branch received a $10,000 grant from the…
Should farmworkers make $26 an hour in Santa Barbara County? CAUSE (the Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy) thinks so. “If you asked any farmworker in our county what’s the biggest challenge they face, it’s low wages,” CAUSE Co-Executive Director Hazel Davalos told the county Board of Supervisors on Aug. 27. Of course…
