Cover Story
VOLUNTEERS 2021
Santa Barbara County Foodbank volunteers reflect back on what it was like to serve the community during unprecedented times of need BY MALEA MARTIN Sherri Ederer started volunteering at The Foodbank of Santa Barbara County about a year and a half ago, meaning she was well-acquainted with what typical operations looked like pre-pandemic. So when…
Dutch Bros Coffee marks its Central Coast debut with a new drive-through location in Santa Maria
“One of the most rewarding things in this change of occupation was going from smelling cow manure to smelling coffee,” said Dutch Bros Coffee co-founder Dane Boersma on the company’s website, referring to his former career in the dairy business. In 1992, Dane and his brother, Travis Boersma, co-founded Dutch Bros Coffee in the Pacific…
Local pastelist Jim Tyler discusses New Perspectives, an upcoming trio show at Gallery Los Olivos
Editor’s note: This story is the first installment in a series profiling the three featured artists of New Perspectives, a biennial group exhibition at Gallery Los Olivos. Looking back on 2020, pastel artist and professional art instructor Jim Tyler noticed a big increase in commissions compared to previous years, especially with pet portraits. This boost…
Lompoc artist Kathy Badrak collaborates with Wildling Museum on virtual workshop
The Wildling Museum of Art and Nature in Solvang will host a serenity stone wrapping workshop on Sunday, Jan. 24, from 1:30 to 3 p.m., via Zoom. This virtual class is led by Lompoc artist Kathy Badrak, a longtime member of the Lompoc Valley Art Association. Attendees of the course will learn two methods of…
NatureTrack offers resources online, announces plans for next film festival
NatureTrack Foundation founder Sue Eisaguirre recently announced some changes to the foundation’s annual film festival. This year, the festival will be referred to as the NatureTrack Film Festival on Tour, a virtual showcase highlighting a variety of the festival’s award-winning films over the past three years, along with a handful of new films. This online…
Hand in hand
I hope you all had a Merry MAGA Christmas! And a Happy Trump New Year! And after last week’s mess at the U.S. Capitol where five people died, and another extremely “unprecedented” thing happened, I’m thinking about flying south for more than just the winter. Are we really “surprised”? And did we really need U.S.…
Trump followers need to grow up
I have a few thoughts regarding the Jan. 6 attack on the United States Congress coordinated by Donald Trump and his team, and carried out by his supporters. First, to the sadly misguided dupes who believe every conspiracy theory they hear from the far-right extremist media that have infected our nation like a creeping, oozing…
County let Oceano down
I completely agree with the letters by Cynthia Replogle (“A coming flood in Oceano,” Dec. 24) and Lucia Casalinuovo (“State Parks’ survey was phony,” Dec. 31). Ignored by SLO County supervisors, Oceano deals with outrageous taxes, a blind eye to crumbling infrastructure, and choking traffic and fumes. So-called “abandoned vehicles” are parked in streets and…
Pay equity is essential in local government jobs
Anyone who works for a living gets paid to do it; the amount they receive depends on what the employer feels the job is worth. Most employee unions, large employers, and government agencies employ experts to establish what they call “pay equity.” But how do they do it? This is important information when worker representatives…
CenCal Health earns top marks among Medi-Cal providers statewide for its local prenatal and postpartum care
For all the parts of everyday existence that were put on pause during COVID-19, one didn’t go anywhere: the miracle of life. “Our number of in-hospital deliveries has stayed steady,” Dr. Karen Hord, deputy chief medical officer at CenCal Health, told the Sun. “We haven’t had any clinics or hospitals close for this essential care.”…
Political Watch: January 14, 2021
• Gov. Gavin Newsom recently announced two action items in his 2021-22 state budget proposal that aim to help low-income Californians struggling from the pandemic. The first part, called Golden State Stimulus, “would provide a $600 rapid cash support directly to roughly 4 million low-income Californians who, coupled with federal stimulus, could receive at least…
County puts funding toward meal deliveries for seniors
Santa Barbara County is offering about two months’ worth of emergency funding to several local organizations that are providing daily meal and grocery delivery services to low-income, isolated seniors who have been particularly impacted by the pandemic. At a meeting on Jan. 12, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to allocate $200,000…
Health officials say after-holiday COVID-19 surge is happening
The fears of a post-holiday surge in COVID-19 cases that public health officials warned about in December are coming to fruition as Santa Barbara County faces “off-the-chart increases,” Public Health Director Dr. Van Do-Reynoso said at a Jan. 8 press conference. “The data I am going to present today is almost twice as high as…
District attorney won’t file charges related to December gathering in Solvang
During the Jan. 11 Solvang City Council meeting, a resident called on the city to condemn one of two large gatherings that took place over the Dec. 19 weekend at Solvang Park. The city said the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office was made aware of the event via a report by the Santa Barabara…
Northern Santa Barbara County public schools are back in session, at a distance
Public schools in Northern Santa Barbara County started back up during the week of Jan. 11, but will remain at a distance for the time being due to the ongoing surge in COVID-19 cases. Students who attend schools within the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District returned to the virtual classroom on Jan. 13,…
