Cover Story
Best of Northern Santa Barbara County 2019
Well, well. It’s that time of year again. Readers weighed in with their thoughts, we tallied up the votes, and the winners of the Best of Northern Santa Barbara County readers poll are in this issue! This year, though, we have even more winners for you with 176 categories. Whew! If you’re curious, open up…
Santa Barbara County sees spike in farmers seeking to grow industrial hemp
While cannabis has been the subject of much debate in Santa Barbara County over the past year, there’s been less discussion on hemp, a variety of the plant. That may soon change, however, as farmers’ interest in the crop grows and as the county awaits federal cultivation regulations. Hemp is a variety of cannabis with…
Ameriprise Financial showcases abstracts and landscapes from local artist Mikel Naccarato
Over the years, Central Coast artist Mikel Naccarato has become well-known for diving into various mediums, from enameled jewelry to cold-cast sculpture. But Naccarato’s latest show, which runs through Friday, Sept. 27, at Ameriprise Financial in Santa Maria, spotlights his acrylic paintings. The exhibit ranges from abstracted landscapes and seascapes to pure abstracts. “My aim…
Annual NatureTrack Film Festival gears up for third year in Los Olivos
Since 2011, the NatureTrack Foundation has hosted more than 20,000 cost-free outdoor activities and field trips for students throughout Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Demand for the curriculum-coordinated program has increased every year with more and more teachers using the foundation’s docent-led excursions that align with classroom instruction. In 2017, the nonprofit hosted its inaugural…
Valley Art Gallery presents Passages
Passages, a new art exhibition at Valley Art Gallery in Orcutt, opened on Friday, Aug. 2, and will run through Saturday, Sept. 28. The show features works by local artist Heidi Gruetzemacher and is open to the public during regular hours: Tuesday through Friday from noon to 6 p.m. and every Saturday from 10 a.m.…
Santa Maria Library screens original ‘Ocean’s Eleven’
The Santa Maria Public Library hosts a free screening of Ocean’s Eleven (1960) on Monday, Aug. 12, at 3 p.m. The film follows Danny Ocean (played by Frank Sinatra) as he gathers a group of his WWII compatriots to pull off an elaborate heist in Las Vegas. Together, the 11 collaborators plan to rob five…
Solvang Antiques features Angie Whitson
Sculptor, painter, and etcher Angie Whitson will be appearing at Solvang Antiques Fine Art Gallery as part of the venue’s Summer Art Series on Wednesday, Aug. 21, during a champagne reception from 2 to 6 p.m. Whitson’s work will remain on display at the gallery through Sunday, Sept. 15. Whitson began her career as a…
Atari-ya owner Keiko Hongo celebrates 35 years of serving the Central Coast’s most authentic Japanese food
As soon as I opened the door, I knew my search was finally over: I’d found my new go-to sushi place. Atari-ya doesn’t look like much from the outside. The place sits sandwiched between shops among the rows of assorted strip mall businesses that make up the Stowell Center Plaza. The windows are too dark…
Local funk/hip-hop band Wordsauce headlines Form Over Function concert
Three Central Coast-based groups are uniting for the seventh annual Form Over Function fundraiser at Presqu’ile Winery in Santa Maria on Saturday, Aug. 10. Proceeds from the show will benefit the Ian M. Hassett Foundation, a local nonprofit that offers scholarships, grants, and art supplies to young artists and students. The festivities kick off with…
CANARY: Dollar bill drama
I’m not sure what they put in the water down in Solvang, but whatever it is, it’s spicy! A battle brewing over how the biggest little Danish tourist city in Santa Barbara County spends its tourism dollars reached a fever pitch in July after the City Council voted to slice its funding to two organizations…
Focus and funding needs redirection throughout the region for community wildfire protection
The cover story of the July 25 edition of the Sun (“Battling the future”) tackled one of the most pressing issues we face on the Central Coast: how to best protect communities from wildfire. While the story covered some important aspects of this issue, there are also several key measures fire scientists have identified as…
Spotlight on: Santa Maria Seed Library, Librarian Gillian Speicher
The idea was simple: offer folks a seed library and watch the community bloom. Librarian Gillian Speicher took the lead of the project at the Santa Maria Public Library, a chance to latch on to a national sensation that sought to turn gardeners into library members. The movement reached national heights in 2013 on the…
Recently passed law will change the way thefts of agricultural property are handled
Santa Barbara County law enforcement officials were investigating the theft of $17,000 worth of agricultural chemicals from a farm outside Santa Maria in 2017 when they uncovered a local black market for stolen farming equipment. Investigators with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office found that the chemicals—pesticides and fertilizer—were being stored at a facility where…
Political Watch: August 8, 2019
• On July 25, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the state and a group of automakers signed an agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions produced by cars and trucks. Newsom announced this plan as President Donald Trump and his administration prepare to reduce federal vehicle emission standards. Ford, Honda, BMW of North America, and the…
Lompoc moves code compliance online following layoffs
Residents in Lompoc hoping to submit concerns to the city’s compliance division will now have to do so online because the division was eliminated when the city passed its 2019-21 biennial budget. According the city, Lompoc has added a code compliance concern form to its website that can be filled out online. In the statement,…
Emergency funding keeps Solvang Conference & Visitors Bureau afloat through August
When Solvang Interim City Attorney Chip Wullbrandt looked over the contract with the Solvang Conference & Visitors Bureau, he couldn’t understand it. “It didn’t look like a lawyer had written it,” he said. Wullbrandt considered the four-year tourism contract the city had with Solvang Conference & Visitors Bureau through 2022 to be void. It had…
DA sues fire retardant company, claims false advertising
Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce Dudley filed a lawsuit against a Marina Del Rey-based company over claims it made about the effectiveness of one of its fire prevention products. The company, Sun FireDefense, produces and sells a fire retardant called SPF 3000 Clear Spray, which can be applied to the exterior of homes to…
Lyft sued for not keeping passengers safe
Three individual Jane Does, one of whom is a San Luis Obispo local, who allege that they were sexually assaulted by their Lyft drivers, claim that Lyft Inc. misrepresented the safety of its rides to the women and the general public. A complaint filed on July 24 against Lyft Inc. (a Delaware Corporation with its…
