Cover Story
The state wants Santa Barbara County to develop more than 5,000 new units in eight years to combat the housing crisis
Half of the country’s unsheltered population resides in California, according to a U.S. Housing and Urban Development report. In December 2022, the state had 171,521 people experiencing homelessness. “This is more than nine times the number of unsheltered people in the state with the next highest number, Washington,” the December 2022 report stated. “In the…
NEW FLICKS: BONES AND ALL
NEW FLICKS: BONES AND ALL Where’s it playing? Rent on Amazon Prime, Redbox, Vudu, and Apple TV What’s it rated? R Luca Guadagino (Call Me by Your Name, A Bigger Splash) directs David Kajganich’s screenplay based on Camille DeAngelis’s 2015 novel about Maren (Taylor Russell), a young woman who’s beginning to confront her penchant for…
BINGEABLE: CUNK ON EARTH (2022)
BINGEABLE: CUNK ON EARTH (2022) Where’s it playing? Netflix What’s it rated? TV-MA My world has been opened to Philomena Cunk and the glorious hilarity that Diane Morgan brings to the character. I didn’t know of Diane until I watched Ricky Gervais’ After Life and saw her performance as his gloriously obtuse coworker. Little did…
Bien Nacido Vineyard develops its first Santa Maria tasting room
An upcoming addition to Bien Nacido Vineyard has the potential to open the floodgates for countless new opportunities at the estate. Currently under construction, The Gatehouse—a new tasting room and outdoor courtyard area set to open during the spring—will grant the general public access to the renowned Santa Maria vineyard for the first time in…
Laugh Therapy brings local, visiting comics to Santa Ynez
Some kids want to be physicians when they grow up. But during his childhood, local comedian Sal España wanted to be one doctor in particular. While growing up in San Pedro in the 1970s, España was a big fan of radio broadcaster Barry Hansen, aka Dr. Demento. As a teen, España often worked on spoof…
Solvang Planning Commission approves new Sansum Cancer Medical Clinic
During its first public hearing of 2023, the Solvang Planning Commission greenlit a local health care company’s pitch to bring a new medical clinic to town. Based in Santa Barbara, Sansum Clinic plans to construct one of its next locations—a two-story, 34,318-square-foot facility—on Windmill Lane in Solvang. The project will include a cancer treatment center…
Guadalupe Union will build new TK learning facility, preschool
The Guadalupe Union School District received an $8 million state facilities grant and $2 million in federal appropriations to build an eight-classroom early learning center for the city’s 3- and 4-year-olds, Superintendent Emilio Handall said. “Right now the state is in the process of expanding its transitional-kinder program and thus we need more facilities to…
Santa Maria sticks with the county for animal services
After issuing a request for proposal from other agencies to provide future animal services to the city, Santa Maria decided to stick with Santa Barbara County Animal Services in January, Director of Community Development Cheun Ng told the Sun. Santa Maria asked for proposals in June 2022 because it was interested in exploring the possibility…
Political Watch: February 9, 2023
• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) denounced a measure put up for a vote that would “hamstring” the executive branch’s ability to release oil from the United States’ strategic reserves, despite evidence that previous releases have helped offset gas price spikes over the past year, according to a Jan. 27 statement from the congressman’s…
Los Padres ForestWatch launches a web app that shows trail closures throughout the Central Coast
When the Los Padres National Forest announced a 60-day closure in four of its five ranger districts—encompassing a majority of its trails—after January’s storms, nonprofit Los Padres ForestWatch saw the need for a new informational service. Any time there’s a large closure, storm- or fire-related, many members of the public who like to recreate outdoors…
Wildling Museum seeks environmental art proposals for upcoming 10-month installation
For the past two years, the Wildling Museum of Art and Nature has commissioned artists to develop environmentally themed art installations in the venue’s Michele Kuelbs Tower Gallery. The museum is currently seeking proposals for its next tower installation, and artists who reside in the counties of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Ventura, and Los…
State recognizes three county schools for exemplary arts education
In late January, Tony Thurmond, state superintendent of public instruction, announced that three Santa Barbara County schools were selected by the California Department of Education (CDE) to receive the 2023 California Exemplary Arts Education Award. The three awardees are Los Berros Visual and Performing Arts Academy (Lompoc Unified School District), Cold Spring School (Cold Spring…
Ever-increasing gas bills are hardly natural
Did you notice that your natural gas bill went through the roof last month? Well, at our house we did, so I did a little research to find out why. When many of you vote, or for those who don’t vote, you may think that what goes on in Sacramento or Washington, D.C., has little…
Guadalupe is overdue for a real levee
Thank you for praising the Guadalupe community for coming together on the 9th and 10th of January to help the flooded-out people (“The little town that could,” Jan. 19). Since this flooding occurs periodically (as the mayor said, four times in 30 years) it should behoove the county, the state, and the feds to get…
Thank you, Rapid Rehousing
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Rachel M. and Melanie M. at Rapid Rehousing (as they lived up to their name), as well as Denice S. and Priscilla L. at City Net, and Mary M. and Kathy O.—all of them were on top of their game to get me quickly housed and…
South Coast NIMBYs
Nobody likes housing development. Except for possibly Santa Maria, which doesn’t seem to have very much opposition to building homes or apartments. That city is all-in. And its residents are too—unless, of course, the housing aims to provide shelter for folks who don’t have it. Then there’s a problem. But I digress. The point is…
