Cover Story
Charcuter’Dee and Fromagerie celebrates second anniversary and preps for Valentine’s Day orders
When it comes to assembling the perfect charcuterie display, Deanne Carrisosa likes to think outside the box. The Santa Maria local described the way she organizes her boxes and boards as “all over the place,” and said many of her final products end up looking more like colorful paintings than symmetrical assortments. It can be…
Corazón del Pueblo museum vandalized, staff verbally assaulted
An individual who works in the same building as the Corazón del Pueblo Cultural and Creative Arts Center destroyed an art panel, damaged the center’s floors, and physically threatened employees while shouting racial stereotypes about Latino communities on Jan. 18, Executive Director Alex Espinoza-Kulick said. “It was really upsetting to go through the vandalism. I…
Elverhoj Museum showcases bronze sculptures, poetry, and more from Montecito artist Susan Read Cronin
Even in Susan Read Cronin’s most whimsical sculptures, there’s an underlying sense of dire tension. To Have and To Hold, for example, depicts a warm, potentially romantic embrace between a rabbit and a carrot. Cronin’s furry subject gazes down at the lifeless vegetable—cradled in the rabbit’s long, anthropomorphized arms—with ambiguous desire. “There’s a little element…
Solvang Festival Theater installs six new lighting towers
As part of its ongoing renovation project, the Solvang Festival Theater recently used a 350-ton crane to install six new steel columns. Each of the columns weigh about 12,000 pounds and rise more than 50 feet above the theater. Lighting technicians will operate on top of the towers during future productions held at the venue.…
Santa Maria Japanese Community Center seeks design proposals for new monument
Professional artists are encouraged to apply for the position of monument designer with the Santa Maria Japanese Community Center, which is accepting introductory applications through Monday, Jan. 31. Five finalists will be notified on Friday, Feb. 4, and assigned to submit their monument proposals on Monday, April 4. The final selection process will conclude on…
NatureTrack Foundation co-produces award-winning documentary, ‘The Accessible Outdoors’
The Accessible Outdoors, a new, live-action documentary co-produced by the NatureTrack Foundation and Golden Cage Films, recently won Second Place for Best Short Documentary at the Hollywood Independent Filmmaker Awards and Festival. The film has been featured in several festivals, including the Oregon Documentary Film Festival, which was held at the end of January, and…
Appropriate politics
In a real shocker of a decision, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors sided with greenhouses in the political war over agriculturally zoned land in the Santa Ynez Valley. Should it be for residential uses only or should agricultural activities still be allowed on agricultural land? Well, according to the Santa Ynez Valley Community…
Lompoc’s new city manager hits the ground running with odd priorities and unnecessary proposed changes
The newly appointed city manager isn’t wasting any time establishing his priorities. In the first agenda of his administration, there are five consent calendar items and two public hearing items. One of the public hearing items is to restructure the Human Resources Division and make it a separate city department. In the process, the city…
The Santa Maria Parks and Recreation Department again offers its children’s outdoor education program
Santa Maria children can learn about plants, animals, and outdoor activities in their area through the Wildlife Explorers program: a returning Santa Maria Department of Recreation and Parks opportunity that expanded this year for more kids to join, Recreation Supervisor Rudy Gutierrez said. “We were really looking for opportunities to engage the youth in the…
Political Watch: January 27, 2022
• Gov. Gavin Newsom joined Vice President Kamala Harris and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on a visit to San Bernardino National Forest to highlight new federal funding for wildlife recovery and mitigation efforts as well as discuss state-federal collaboration to tackle the wildfire crisis, according to a Jan. 21 statement. Vice President Harris announced…
Supervisors approve controversial Santa Ynez greenhouse project
Solvang-area resident Steve Decker can finally move forward with building his greenhouse—despite neighbor disputes and frustrations—after nearly two years of going through the planning and appeals process. “We are happy to see that Planning and Development has fully developed our project to meet—or exceed—the Santa Ynez Community Plan,” Decker said at the Jan. 25 meeting. …
Solvang adds multi-year renovation projects to sewer master plan
Over the course of the next two decades, the city of Solvang predicts it will spend more than $10 million on renovating its sewer system. The estimate was included in the update to the city’s sewer master plan—which, until recently, had remained unmodified since the late 1980s. Solvang Utilities Director Jose Acosta sought approval for…
