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Santa Maria residents express concerns about new housing proposal from Santa Barbara County supervisors, nonprofit leaders
Neighborhood safety, home value, drug use, and density concerns met local leaders on Jan. 25 as they introduced Santa Maria residents to a new proposal to put an interim housing facility near the Betteravia Government Center. At the community meeting, one neighbor shared worries about loitering in nearby parks, neighborhoods, and shopping centers. “The people…
NEW FLICKS: ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT
NEW FLICKS: ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT Where’s it playing? The Palm Theatre in SLO, and on Netflix What’s it rated? R Edward Berger (Jack, Deurshland 83) directs this film based on Erich Maria Remarque’s celebrated 1928 novel about a young German soldier in World War I, who experiences terror and distress while stationed…
BINGEABLE: THE RECRUIT (2022)
BINGEABLE: THE RECRUIT (2022) Where’s it playing? Netflix What’s it rated? TV-MA Think of protagonist Owen Hendrick (Noah Centineo) as a cheekier and less capable version of Jack Ryan. Owens is not former military or a fancy “analyst” for the CIA. He’s a fresh-out-of-law-school hire who’s immediately taken advantage of by the more experienced people…
Storm disaster assistance centers open in Santa Barbara County
Santa Barbara County residents can visit a Disaster Assistance Center as a one-stop shop to get all of the resources they need while recovering from the storms that drenched the Central Coast in January, damaging hundreds of homes and businesses. These centers are a partnership between the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Governor’s Office…
Political Watch: February 2, 2023
• The California Department of Water Resources announced that recent storms will allow the State Water Project to boost deliveries to 29 public water agencies serving 27 million Californians, according to a Jan. 26 statement from the department. Based on the amount of water captured and stored, the state now expects to deliver 30 percent…
County Planning Commission denies appeal of Cat Canyon cannabis project
An appeal filed against a cannabis cultivation project—with a proposed site in the Cat Canyon area—recently met with unanimous denial from the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission. Despite county staff’s recommendations to reject the appeal, some Planning Commissioners were initially reluctant to deny the request, during deliberations at the Planning Commission’s Jan. 25 meeting. The…
New state legislation could require Narcan at schools
The Santa Maria-Bonita School District got ahead of a new state legislation by taking the steps to have naloxone hydrochloride, a medication that reverses an overdose’s effects, at all of its middle school sites, Health Program Specialist Carolyn Kleinsmith said. “I think it’s really important we have Narcan available in schools. Unfortunately, post pandemic, we…
The Boys and Girls Club can serve more kids through its new, third location in Guadalupe
Through a partnership between the Boys and Girls Clubs of Mid Central Coast and the city of Guadalupe, the newly renovated community center at LeRoy Park will now serve as the Ron Estabillo Clubhouse—continuing child care services for Guadalupe residents. “There’s a real crisis in child care, and what we do for after school programming…
Better than nothing
Do you know how to put your political career at risk in Santa Maria? All you have to do is support a homeless housing program, apparently. At least, that’s according to the two members of Santa Barbara County’s Board of Supervisors who spoke at a recent community meeting about a new project slated for an…
Santa Maria needs options beyond developer paybacks to create affordable housing
The Santa Maria City Council recently approved a Disposition and Development Agreement with Vernon Property Group, for a revitalization project at Main Street and Broadway. The project involves the creation of new commercial space and 88 rental apartments, a majority to be leased at market rate. It also involves $1.25 million in financial incentives from…
Your local vote and participation help on many levels
The League of Women Voters, Santa Maria Valley (LWVSMV) joins with the LWVCalifornia in condemning senseless gun violence as evidenced very recently in Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay. Our hearts and prayers reach out to the families and those victims, family, friends, and communities impacted. Laws regarding gun safety and mental health are…
Searching for Snow exhibit highlights icy photographs by Lee-Volker Cox
Neither rain nor sleet nor snow has kept one local photographer—usually armed with a camera everywhere he goes—from adding to his body of work on a near daily basis. The Santa Maria Riverbed was one of Central Coast resident Lee-Volker Cox’s recent subjects, which he documented after the January rainfall, while a new solo exhibit…
Cypress Gallery holds new photo exhibit, The Quest for Hidden Gems of California
The Lompoc Valley Art Association presents The Quest for Hidden Gems of California, a new photography exhibition set to premiere at the Cypress Gallery on Thursday, Feb. 2, and remain on display through Tuesday, Feb. 28. An opening reception for the show will take place on Saturday, Feb. 4, from 1 to 3 p.m. This…
Chumash Casino Resort presents Paul Anka live in concert
On Saturday, Feb. 11, Canadian singer-songwriter Paul Anka will perform at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez. Tickets to the concert, which will start at 8 p.m., range between $79 and $139. In 1956, Anka was 15 years old when he released his first single, “Blau Wile Deveest Fontaine,” according to press materials. A…
Buttonwood Farm’s new sous chef spills the beans about his culinary journey
What happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas. Before moving to Santa Barbara County in 2018, prolific chef Lee Gottheimer spent years perfecting his cooking chops in Nevada’s Sin City, where he worked for a handful of prestigious restaurants after graduating from culinary school. Gottheimer—who recently took on a new role as sous chef…
