Cover Story
Ocean Fathoms says the seafloor makes for ideal wine storage with little marine life impact. Coastal Commission says otherwise
Emanuele Azzaretto believes the seafloor is the best spot on Earth to store wine. He’s one of the co-founders of Ocean Fathoms, a Santa Barbara County based company that developed a process to store wine bottles at the bottom of the ocean. The consistent cold temperatures and dark waters make an ideal environment for the…
THE PAPER TIGERS
THE PAPER TIGERS Where’s it playing? Redbox, On demand What’s it rated? PG-13 What’s it worth? Full price (Glen Starkey) In his feature-length debut, writer-director Quoc Bao Tran helms this action comedy about three former kung fu prodigies—Danny (Alain Uy), Hing (Ron Yuan), and Jim (Mykel Shannon Jenkins)—who’ve grown into middle-aged nobodies with dead-end jobs…
Child Abuse Listening Mediation (CALM) helps prevent childhood trauma and supports those who have gone through it in Santa Barbara County
Like many child abuse and domestic violence prevention organizations, Child Abuse Listening Mediation (CALM) saw a sudden drop in calls at the very start of the pandemic. But the abuse that was being reported was worse. “Our referrals went down, but acuity was higher,” CALM North County Regional Manager Yvonne Nelson said. “Of the calls…
Political Watch: July 15, 2021
• Assemblymember Jordan Cunningham (R-San Luis Obispo) announced on July 8 that he named Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Santa Barbara County as his district’s nonprofit of the year. “CASA organizations throughout the state do amazing work to help the most vulnerable children in our society,” Cunningham said in a statement. “Throughout the pandemic,…
Delta variant is on the rise, vaccines remain effective
The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department believes the Delta variant could account for as many as half of the new COVID-19 cases in Santa Barbara County. Public Health Officer Dr. Henning Ansorg explained that even though the county saw just a handful of confirmed Delta cases in June, this data point only tells part…
Solvang’s Skytt Mesa neighborhood has trouble with shed code compliance
The size and location of one newly constructed shed in the Skytt Mesa neighborhood in Solvang subjected 21 other property owners to code enforcement review and violations, upsetting those with years-old sheds. A dispute between neighbors over the shed in question led to several complaints about other sheds in the Skytt Mesa area violating setback…
Kevin the peacock becomes beloved Nipomo mascot
Before he had a name, he was just a peacock on the loose. Some concerned neighbors thought he might belong to someone. A post would pop up every few months in the Nipomo Neighbors Facebook group: “Did someone lose a peacock?” Now, he’s known as Kevin: by neighbors, by local kids, and even by the…
Whistle-blown
Looking for a new neighborhood to call home? I would avoid the Skytt Mesa area of Solvang, if I were you. Sounds like it’s a neighborhood where neighbors snitch on neighbors and there’s almost nowhere to put a shed. If sheds are your thing, I guess. And if you live in Skytt Mesa, sheds are…
Protect Pismo clams
According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, San Luis Obispo County has the highest number of violations for poaching Pismo clams in the state. With the increasing Pismo clam abundance in recent years, poaching violations also are increasing. The only sign against clamming at the Oceano beach entrance is in tatters, almost invisible.…
Rule No. 1: Kick the can down the road
In the world of politics, the people we elect think in terms of short spans of time like election cycles, so if an unpopular decision like increasing electric fees needs to be made, rule No. 1 in their playbook is to kick the can down the road and let a future elected body worry about…
Wine club members at Brick Barn Wine Estate get access to upcoming Summer Bash festivities, barrel tastings, comedy nights, and more
Wine tasting isn’t the only thing bringing visitors to Brick Barn Wine Estate in record numbers this summer. Formerly home to a successful horse breeding facility, the 35-acre Buellton property recently announced a full slate of seasonal happenings (including live concerts, stand-up comedy shows, and outdoor film screenings), some of which sold out almost immediately.…
Cypress Gallery showcases a colorful collection of fluid artworks by acrylic painter Chris Jeszeck
Rarely do Chris Jeszeck’s paintings turn out the way she intended, but that’s part of why she enjoys acrylic pouring so much. “Even when a fluid artist sets out with something in mind to create, it rarely goes according to plan,” the Lompoc local said. “It can turn out wonderfully right or terribly wrong. I…
Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center celebrates grand reopening with auctions, live music, and other festivities
The Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center will host its reopening celebration and barbecue on July 31, from 1 to 4 p.m. The event will feature live jazz music from the Dylan Johnson Quartet, live and silent auctions (pre-bidding for the silent auction starts on July 18), a Santa Maria-style barbecue dinner, and more. Admission is $50 and…
PCPA premieres ‘Together: A Musical Journey’ at Solvang Festival Theater, offers free tickets to first responders
The Pacific Conservatory Theatre (PCPA) is offering complimentary admission to nurses, doctors, firefighters, and police officers on the opening night of its new in-person production, Together: A Musical Journey, which premieres on Wednesday, July 21, at 8 p.m., at the Solvang Festival Theater. First responders can reserve up to two complimentary tickets each for this…
