Cover Story
County bans cannabis cultivation in Tepusquet Canyon, other rural neighborhoods
A change in regulations further limits where cannabis farms can operate in Santa Barbara County. During its meeting on July 14, the Board of Supervisors approved a package of ordinance amendments that it developed during a previous hearing in June. Among the four changes is one that prohibits cannabis cultivation in existing developed rural neighborhoods,…
With an abundance of apricots, this was the year to figure out how to keep them for the future
I’m a project person. It’s a little bit of a problem. And with the world on semi-lockdown, I’m spending a lot of time at home by myself. So naturally, I’m looking for things to keep these hands and this brain busy when I’m not working. If I have a project in mind and don’t get…
Lompoc singer-songwriter Jimil-Anne Linton premieres music video for her new single, ‘The Fast Train’
The COVID-19 pandemic played a part in delaying the production of Jimil-Anne Linton’s next album, but it couldn’t stop the Lompoc musician from unveiling its first single. Linton premiered the music video for the song, titled “The Fast Train,” during an episode of Good Morning Lompoc, on July 17. Work on the album remained mostly…
Local thespian Emily Trask guides PCPA’s new monthly Zoom series, the Rediscovery Reading Club
If the first rule of Reading Club is “you do not talk about Reading Club,” I’m grateful to its host for making an exception in my case. Off-topic Fight Club jokes aside, talking is very much encouraged before, during, and after each session of the Pacific Conservatory Theatre’s (PCPA) Rediscovery Reading Club, a new Zoom…
Happy Canyon Vineyard postpones Santa Ynez Valley Polo Classic fundraiser
Although this year’s Santa Ynez Valley Polo Classic, an annual fundraiser to benefit local nonprofit People Helping People, has been postponed due to COVID-19 concerns, Happy Canyon Vineyard will be donating proceeds of an ongoing wine sale to help support the organization in the event’s absence. For customers who use a special discount code, PHPSYV20,…
Santa Maria Recreation and Parks holds new virtual talent contest
The city of Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department is currently seeking video submissions for its new virtual talent contest—Show Us Your Talent: We’ll Make it Shine—through its deadline on Friday, July 31. The contest is open to community members of all ages to showcase their unique talents via video entries. Participants are asked to…
Sharing in the sacrifice
I want to commend Assemblymember Jordan Cunningham for leading by example and pledging 10 percent of his salary to local nonprofits. With state workers having to swallow pay cuts and furloughs, and with critical budget line items being slashed as a result of the COVID-19 shutdown, it’s refreshing to see a state legislator voluntarily reduce…
Keep the dunes closed to off-roaders
Upon learning that the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Area (ODSVRA) will be closed until Oct. 1, dozens of off-roaders attended the California Coastal Commission (CCC) meeting on July 9. They argued that they are being denied enjoyment of the beach that they pay for with Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Division money—their money, for their park and…
Keep Diablo open
I attended many of the meetings associated with PG&E’s proposal to close Diablo Canyon. I was amazed at the lack of pushback by citizens and local business who depend on more than $1 billion that Diablo Canyon Power Plant brings to the region yearly. I expected loud wails of, “No, we’ll go broke! The plant…
CANARY: Emotional exits and broken gavels
Solvang Trolley and Carriage Company drama collided with Solvang City Council drama and exploded into a cacophony of voices during a recent meeting that got so out of control Mayor Ryan Toussaint slammed his gavel down at one point and broke it! He totally doesn’t know his own strength. Guess what it was about? Something…
Getting into nature presents huge benefits that need to be kept safe now and for future generations
As a high school student, the pandemic has turned my life and the lives of my peers upside down. With school closures, navigating distance learning, and uncertainty looming in our futures, this has been an incredibly difficult time. And yet, there is a source of comfort I have continually turned to during these past few…
So far, two candidates have announced their run for Santa Maria’s District 1 seat
With the Santa Maria City Council now elected on a district-based voting system rather than at-large, the District 1 seat won’t have the incumbent on the ballot this November. Thus far, two candidates have tossed their hats into the ring. Osvaldo Sotelo is endorsed by the Democratic Party of Santa Barbara County, and Carlos Escobedo…
Political Watch: July 23, 2020
• On July 10, the House Appropriations Committee moved forward a bill that includes a proposal from U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) to prevent President Donald Trump’s plans to expand oil and gas development in offshore areas, including the Central Coast. “Protecting our environment and local economy is paramount, and I refuse to let…
Pismo Beach has the only police department on the Central Coast that adheres to rigorous CALEA auditing, but what does that mean for systemic issues?
At a time when there’s mistrust in government and law enforcement at all levels, some institutions have a solid history of transparency and accountability to stand on. The Pismo Beach Police Department has that on its side. Since 2007, the Pismo Beach Police Department has been accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement…
Santa Barbara County looks to permanently reduce the number of inmates held in jail
Hundreds of inmates have been released from the Santa Barbara County Jail to limit the spread of COVID-19 in the facility, and county leaders would like it to stay that way. A lower population and a felony diversion program are some of the changes the county Board of Supervisors said it would like to see…
Settlement reached in county jail conditions lawsuit
Parties in the Murray v. County of Santa Barbara jail conditions case reached a “groundbreaking settlement” on July 17, a press release from Disability Rights California, Prison Law Office, and King & Spalding LLP announced. These legal firms represented hundreds of incarcerated people at the Santa Barbara County Jail in a class action lawsuit that…
County governments begin regional housing needs process
Local governments in Santa Barbara County are beginning to analyze the region’s housing needs over the upcoming decade. State law requires regional government boards, such as the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG), to manage the Regional Housing Needs Allocation process. Through this, the state sets housing goals for each region, after which regional…
Solvang solves its trolley problem
A contentious Solvang City Council vote on a businesses license renewal ended with a broken gavel and a council member leaving the meeting early. The Solvang Trolley and Carriage Company’s one-year license to operate its seven trollies—six of which are horse-drawn and one is motorized—expired on June 30. According to city regulations, only the council…
H-2A guest workers infected in COVID-19 outbreak rises to 50
After reports that Leo Begario Chavez-Alvarado, a 51-year-old agricultural worker from Salinas temporarily living in local H-2A housing, died on July 7 after contracting COVID-19, the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department confirmed the death was connected to an outbreak at the congregate housing setting where he lived in Santa Maria. As of July 20,…
