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Nine new state laws to pay attention to in 2022
New Year’s Day brought a slew of new laws for Californians to follow. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed 770 bills in 2021, which officially became laws on Jan. 1, 2022. This week, the Sun sorted through the pile to highlight nine key laws that locals should look out for in 2022. From attempts to relieve the…
Vintner and environmentalist Alisa Jacobson highlights coast-driven flavors with Turning Tide Wines
As much as she loves scuba diving and paddle boarding, moving closer to the ocean was more of a work-related decision for winemaker Alisa Jacobson. “That fog that comes off the ocean and the winds do help develop the flavors that I like in wines,” said Jacobson, who moved to the Central Coast from Sonoma…
Three featured painters in Gallery Los Olivos’ annual Winter Salon discuss their eclectic artworks
Torn clothes. Withdrawn lovers. Bitter prayers. This is the imagery Kathi Scarminach lifted from a 13th century poem to create one of her latest paintings. It’s easy to tell from the piece’s title, Flying Too Close To The Sun, that Scarminach’s work probably has reverence for Greek mythology as well. She described her painting as…
NEW FLICKS: DON’T LOOK UP
NEW FLICKS: DON’T LOOK UP Where’s it playing? The Palm Theater in SLO, Netflix What’s it rated? R Writer-director Adam McKay (Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy) helms this biting satire about the nonchalant global response to an impending planet-killing meteor strike. Mild-mannered astronomy professor Dr. Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his doctoral candidate student…
Santa Maria Civic Theatre presents ‘The Full Monty: The Musical’
An upcoming production of The Full Monty: The Musical debuts on Friday, Jan. 14, at the Santa Maria Civic Theatre, where it is scheduled to run through Sunday, Jan. 30. This theatrical adaptation of the popular 1997 film follows a group of unemployed men who decide to become male strippers to make some quick cash.…
Wildling Museum of Art and Nature hosts photography workshop with Nic Stover
Central Coast-based photographer Nic Stover (whose photo, Van Gogh Blue, is pictured) will lead a photography workshop at the Wildling Museum of Art and Nature in Solvang on Sunday, Jan. 30, from 2 to 4:30 p.m. The class is described as being designed for photographers of all skill levels seeking to improve their editing skills.…
Marine sanctuaries are essential for preventing unwanted harmful activities off our coast
How will the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary provide economic benefits and environmental protections to the Central Coast? Let us count the ways. A 2014 study of the potential economic impacts of a national marine sanctuary off the Central Coast (conducted by Jason Scorse, director of Center for the Blue Economy at the Monterey Institute…
Chin up!
Well, kids, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but just in case you don’t pay attention to anything vaguely internet-related: COVID-19 is back! The omicron variant is sweeping the country (Thanks, globalization! Thanks, anti-vaxxers!), including Santa Barbara County, and it’s more contagious than ever! Yahoo! So mask up, vax up, and keep…
Santa Barbara County receives climate change resilience grant
Santa Barbara County plans to create hubs in North County to serve as safe refuges in case of climate-related emergencies with the help of a Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) grant. “Essentially they call it a feasibility grant, it’s everything except for actually building [community resilience hubs]. It’s the outreach, development of a tool kit,…
Catalytic converter thefts more than tripled in 2021
Catalytic converter thefts are on the rise in Santa Barbara County with 276 reported thefts in 2021 within the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office jurisdiction, an increase from 76 thefts in 2020 and nine in 2019, according to the Sheriff’s Office. “It’s an easy score; it’s such an easy thing to steal. We’ve seen the…
Lompoc allows public cannabis smoking during permitted events
A debate over public safety and allowing cannabis at public events got heated between two Lompoc City Council members during their last meeting of 2021. The ordinance, which would allow temporary cannabis smoking during large permitted events at three parks in Lompoc, was addressed during the City Council’s Dec. 21 meeting. Councilmember Gilda Cordova argued…
Political Watch: January 6, 2022
• President Joe Biden signed the National Defense Authorization Act for the 2022 fiscal year into law, which includes proposals from U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) to address Central Coast priorities and meet its national security needs. “Each year, Congress comes together to pass a bipartisan bill that enhances our national security and keeps…
Santa Barbara County nonprofit C.A.R.E.4Paws invites pet owners to its mobile pet clinics in the new year
C.A.R.E.4Paws has been a staple way for pets in low-income families to receive critical care, but the pandemic caused a service jump with a record 20,000 medical procedures in 2020, a significant uptick from 2019’s 18,500, said Isabelle Gullo, executive director and co-founder of C.A.R.E.4Paws. “We’ve seen an increase in the number of pet owners…
