After serving 11 years on the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission, 4th District Commissioner Larry Ferini stepped down to focus on his family agriculture business, Rancho Laguna Farms. “I have two of my sons working for the farming operation, and it seems like a great time in my life to spend more time with them…
Loft opening Santa Ynez Valley-based author Lida Sideris’ books are available locally at the Book Loft, located at 1680 Mission Drive, Solvang, and Barnes and Noble, located at 894 Marsh St., building G, San Luis Obispo. On Saturday, Dec. 16, the Book Loft will host a book signing event with Sideris, who will sign copies…
Orcutt Community Theater presents its production of Santa Claus Conquers the Martians at Klein Dance Arts Studio through Sunday, Dec. 17. Admission to the show, which opened in early December, is $20 and tickets are available to purchase in advance at my805tix.com or at the door. Based on the 1964 cult classic film of the…
Five students from Righetti High School competed at this year’s Santa Barbara County Poetry Out Loud, which was held in mid-November at Allan Hancock College’s Boyd Concert Hall in Santa Maria. Featured poems in the competition included “To Have Without Holding” by Marge Piercy, recited by Righetti senior Natalie Lancor; “Stomp” by Nikki Grimes, recited…
Dream Scenario What’s it rated? R What’s it worth, Glen? Full price What’s it worth, Anna? Full price Where’s it showing? Regal Edwards RPX Santa Maria Writer-director Kristoffer Borgli (Sick of Myself) helms this black comedy about Paul Matthews (Nicolas Cage), an academic desperate for recognition despite being wholly without achievement. He lectures to college…
The Boy Who Lived What’s it rated? Not rated When? 2023 Where’s it showing? Max To say I’m a bit of a fanatic for all things Harry Potter (besides, that is, the author herself these days) rings true, so a film produced by Daniel Radcliffe that dives back into the time of filmmaking is a…
Albert Brooks: Defending My Life What’s it rated? R When? 2023 Where’s it showing? Max Albert Brooks really hit my radar when I saw him in Broadcast News (1987) as the smart but uncharismatic TV news reporter Aaron Altman. Yes, I first saw him in Taxi Driver (1976), but he’s so good at playing a…
Party invite Call (805) 868-1858 or visit woodinyouliketoparty.com to find out more about Woodin You Like to Party, a Santa Maria-based event planning and charcuterie company. Complimentary home deliveries of charcuterie orders are available to residents of the Santa Maria Valley area, while a delivery fee applies to customers in other cities along the Central…
• Assemblymember Gregg Hart (D-Santa Barbara) and State Sen. Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara) presented a $750,000 check for the Santa Barbara County Fire Department to purchase a marine rescue boat, according to a Nov. 28 statement from Hart’s office. “The Conception dive boat disaster and numerous environmental emergencies have underscored the importance of enhancing emergency…
While Rescue Mission Alliance Central Coast has been running a men’s recovery program for the past several years, there wasn’t an option for women, said Director Chris Rutledge. “Within our organization, we know there’s a demand for it, and we don’t currently have residential services for women,” Rutledge said. “During my time since 2017, we…
An opportunity to expand beyond cattle ranching could help Mary Heyden and her family keep the historic Ted Chamberlin Ranch in Los Olivos, she said. Heyden’s grandfather purchased the 8,000-acre ranch in 1929, and it has remained intact with her family for the last three generations, but it’s been difficult, she said at the Nov.…
Vacant for about 20 years, an empty lot in Solvang is being eyed by a developer with a different type of vacancy in mind. During its Dec. 4 meeting, the Solvang Planning Commission reviewed a proposal to build a new nine-unit boutique hotel at the site of a former gas station, on a 16,309-square-foot plot…
About 1,600 of California’s 41,000-plus idle or orphaned oil wells are in Santa Barbara County, according to a new report by environmental nonprofit the Sierra Club. The California Department of Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM) Well Finder database shows that Santa Barbara County had 1,481 idle wells with approximately 35,000 total in the state. According…
As Larry Ferini takes a bow from the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission, Roy Reed takes his seat on the dais. Fulfilling the 4th District tradition of supplanting a business-oriented blue-collar type with another business-oriented blue-collar type, Bob Nelson replaced the family farm operator with a rancher and taxpayer advocate. Hey, and both Ferini and…
“Eleanor Rigby” came out in 1966, and The Beatles’ plaintive rock anthem has aged well (clearly better than I have). “All the lonely people—where do they all come from? Where do they all belong?” Evidently they’ve all crossed the Atlantic, because loneliness seems to be a uniquely American problem. Our nation’s top health authorities have…
John Texeira’s letter (“Bidenomics led to inflation, increased costs for consumers,” Nov. 16) is an attempt to gaslight us about how our economy is doing. Inflation is down to about 3 percent. Europe is still dealing with 8 or 9 percent. Much of the inflation we have now is price gouging. We are at near…
