Cover Story
After years of stalled growth, the city of Guadalupe is rapidly adding homes and inching toward future commercial development
On the outer edges of a swath of homes—some finished, some nearly there, others meandering toward completion, purchase, and the American dream—Craig Smith pointed at a hand-drawn home on transparent vellum paper. “Nobody draws them anymore, but I do,” he said, pointing to his right middle finger. “You know when someone draws by this indent…
THE CANARY: Enemy of what?
“Perfect is the enemy of good.” I had to rack my bird brain for where I’d heard that before. I know it wasn’t from my eagle-eyed copyediting professors back in the day. My one philosophy class? Oh yeah. It was Voltaire. Other philosophers have expanded on the concept, saying absolute perfection is pretty much impossible,…
Pop and R&B group 98 Degrees brings U.S. tour to Santa Ynez
The rain might be coming down but the temperature is going up, at least in the Chumash Casino Resort’s Samala Showroom on Friday, Dec. 6, when 98 Degrees claims center stage at 8 p.m. From 1997 and 2002, this quartet of Ohio natives—brothers Nick and Drew Lachey, Justin Jeffre, and Jeff Timmons—sold an estimated 10…
Great American Melodrama kicks off the Christmas season with annual Holiday Extravaganza
With Thanksgiving behind us, it’s finally publicly acceptable to stretch out the fashionably ugly holiday sweaters and blast Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” on repeat. I’ve been doing both since the day after Halloween, but what better way is there on the Central Coast to get into the holiday spirit than…
Solvang Antiques Fine Art Gallery holds annual Holiday Art Show
Game of Thrones is allegedly over, but winter is still coming. And for Solvang Antiques Fine Art Gallery, the season arrived earlier than its designated start date (Dec. 21). The gallery’s annual Holiday Art Show opened on Nov. 29 and exhibits a diverse collection of pieces from eight local artists. One featured oil painting, titled…
Santa Maria couple’s new frozen treat shop has options for every dessert lover
For Santa Maria-based couple Natalie and Victor Bryson, ice cream has always been a shared love in their relationship. “My husband loves ice cream; I love ice cream. Our first date we actually ate ice cream and talked about ice cream,” Natalie told the Sun. So when the Brysons were thrift shopping one day, they…
Supervisor Hartmann urges Aegis clinic to seek new location
The proposal to locate a methadone treatment center in Vandenberg Village appears to be dead following sharp pressure from residents and local politicians. Santa Barbara County Third District Supervisor Joan Hartmann, who has hosted meetings to discuss a proposed location for an Aegis Treatment Center, recently urged the company to look for another location. “Today,…
Teenager injured in Lompoc shooting
Around 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 2, a teenager was shot near the 500 block of North L and M streets in Lompoc. Following the incident, a family member transported the juvenile to the Lompoc Valley Medical Center to get treatment for the gunshot wound. The teenager was then transported to a different hospital via helicopter,…
Santa Maria settles with men hurt in police vehicle accident
After battling the matter for more than two years in court, the city of Santa Maria is settling a lawsuit filed by two men who were in a vehicle hit from behind by a police car in May 2016. City Attorney Thomas Watson announced the settlement following a closed session period of the council’s Nov.…
Salud Carbajal talks changes to H-2A program with farmers
Central Coast farmers are looking for an answer to labor shortages, and U.S. Congressman Salud Carbajal is determined to give it to them. The Santa Barbara Democrat held a roundtable with farmers and other local representatives of agriculture in San Luis Obispo on Dec. 2. He was there to discuss the Farm Workforce Modernization Act,…
With the proposed Bailey Avenue annexation, could expansion of city limits actually be approved?
Extending the boundaries of the city of Lompoc west to Bailey Avenue has been a dream of politicians, property owners, and developers for several decades. Going back over 50 years, we can see evidence on the extreme west side of town that all the intersections are four-way and dead end in farm fields; there are…
Political Watch: December 5, 2019
• In a 24-10 vote on Nov. 21, the House Judiciary Committee approved a bill that calls for decriminalizing cannabis at the federal level. In addition to removing marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act, the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, authored by U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-New York), would require federal courts to…
Female veterans are more likely to become homeless after their time of service is up, and one Central Coast organization is working to change that
For 12 years, Sandy Blair served on active duty in the United States Air Force. In 2005, her time with the Air Force was up, but Blair describes that separation as abrupt. The transition from military to civilian life was very hard for her, not to mention how difficult it was to raise her children…
Santa Maria moves forward with model lease agreement despite residents’ concerns
Gary Hall started his 20-slide PowerPoint presentation during the Nov. 19 Santa Maria City Council meeting with a joke. He told the council, “Yes, you’re getting tired of looking at me, and I’m getting tired of looking at you, too.” During a meeting one year ago, Hall argued for the city to adopt some sort…
Local agencies look for solutions to DUIs, crashes on highways
Weeks after a mother and her two children died in a car crash on Highway 154, the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) unanimously established a committee to examine ways to make the roadway safer. At SBCAG’s Nov. 21 meeting, 3rd District Supervisor Joan Hartmann said the committee, which is made up of local…
Elverhoj Museum presents The Spirit of Solvang
The Spirit of Solvang: From Danish Roots to California Colony, a historical photography exhibition, opened at the Elverhoj Museum of History and Art on Saturday, Nov. 23, and will remain on display through Sunday, Feb. 16. This exhibit celebrates Solvang’s early settlers with meticulously restored black-and-white photos that tell the story of the town’s founding…
Cypress Gallery holds holiday exhibition
The Lompoc Valley Art Association presents Let’s do the Holidays, a new art exhibition, at Cypress Gallery through Sunday, Dec. 29. The exhibit showcases the works of three local artists: Joellen Chrones, Kathy Badrak, and Toni Zybell. Each of the three work in glass-related art. “I have three kilns that run quite frequently, to the…
After most of a century, the Guadalupe restaurant is still family owned and going strong
Forty-three years ago Rosa Quiroga was wiping down countertops, cutting meat, and taking orders at La Simpatia. And she’s still doing that, only now she’s the owner, too. Quiroga, 61, bought the Guadalupe eatery in 1991 from her uncle, Francisco Quiroga, known in town as “Pancho.” The restaurant—part diner, part dining room, part bar—celebrated its…
