Cover Story
Going to the courthouse, and we’re gonna …
Gay marriage is a controversial topic right now in America. In many ways, the debate was pushed into the spotlight by the narrow passage of California’s Proposition 8 back in 2008. The bill, which constitutionally defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman, has since made a long and convoluted journey through…
Independent investigators interview SMPD personnel
On July 24, lawyers from the Los Angeles County Office of Independent Review started interviewing police officers, city personnel, and other individuals with close ties to the Santa Maria Police Department as part of a third-party investigation. City Manager Rick Haydon requested that the Office of Independent Review conduct an audit of the police department…
A kid at heart
I have officially become a geezer! I know, because I love going to the fair. I’ve been to Renaissance fairs, job fairs, and, before I married my Brit, I had a few love affairs. But state and county fairs were something only kids and geezers attended. Well, now I’m one of them—and happily so. My…
What advice would you give your 10-year-old self?
Travis Vanderslice self-employed “I would tell him to be humble and respect his elders; never change and always be yourself; be self disciplined in everything that he does; and I would also tell him to never litter. Littering is pretty bad.” Tony Luna Walmart employee “Skateboard more. I’d tell him to get his butt on…
On the roster
• Soccer skills camp: Youth soccer camp run by Santa Ynez High girls’ soccer coach Rob Cantrell takes place at Santa Ynez High School. Designed for children aged 6 to 14, the camp runs from 9 a.m. to noon Aug. 6 through 10. The cost is $85 and $75 for siblings; children signing up for…
Chumash hold benefit golf tournament
The eighth annual Chumash Charity Golf Classic will tee off Aug. 16 at the Alisal River Course in Santa Ynez as a benefit for the Westside Boys & Girls Club. For the first time in the event’s history, the tournament will have a sole beneficiary. The Westside Boys & Girls Club, which serves hundreds of…
Athlete of the Week: Brandon Erickson
Local golfer Brandon Erickson claimed the championship trophy at the Fred Grant Memorial Junior Golf Tournament on July 13th, sponsored by the Santa Maria Elks at the Rancho Maria Golf Club. The tournament is held annually in honor of Fred Grant, who was a longtime member of the Elks, as well as an advocate and…
To the depths
Want to get away from it all without going too far from home? Consider scuba diving as your next ticket. At Ocean Sports in Lompoc, Shaun Crouse and fiancée Kimberly Park steer beginners through the process of becoming certified scuba divers. A veteran of more than 2,000 dives, Crouse takes students off South Coast beaches…
Music in the night
Just a couple of doors down from Santa Maria’s new library sits the 510 Event Center, named after its address of 510 South Broadway. The location has played host to many a restaurant and bar since it was built in the 1940s, and the current owners have breathed new life into the building with a…
Fair breaks records
Santa Barbara County Fair’s Blue Jeans & Country Dreams wrapped up with an all-time record attendance. This year saw 160,998 visitors, up by 10 percent from last year’s total. There was also a great increase in still and live entries, and preliminary Jr. Livestock Auction numbers showed $2.4 million. Going forward this year, the Santa…
Paint in the plein air
The C Gallery—in collaboration with Mary Kay West, painter and student of John Mackah—is offering an intermediate painting workshop, “Illuminated Landscapes: Artisanal Use of Oils,” Oct. 5, 6, 7, and 8 at the 550-acre Price Ranch in Los Alamos. A total of 12 students will be introduced to grounds and mediums developed in the golden…
Hear the music
Lompoc Youth Theater will present its performance of The Music Man, Jr., a modified version of Meredith Wilson’s classic story of a charming traveling salesman who, by love, is transformed from conman to honest man. The production will be at 7 p.m. on Friday, July 27; Saturday, July 28; Friday, Aug. 3; and Saturday, Aug.…
The last dance
A day trip to Japan? It’s literally not feasible, of course, but you can immerse yourself in Japanese culture for a day at the Obon Festival in Santa Maria. Bon Odori refers to the dance that honors people who have passed away in the last year. It’s most often referred to simply as Obon. The…
Ambition explosion
Before Jonathan Larson created the hit RENT, he put together a musical autobiography that delves into the life decisions everyone faces in one way or another. In the play, Larson is living a Bohemian lifestyle in a tiny apartment in early 1990s SoHo New York City. It’s a week before his 30th birthday, and Larson…
Monterey Run: Part Two
Ed. note: When we last left our errant knights of the road, they had found their way to Monterey, and managed to attend the McCall party and drive some great demo cars. Rejoin them now as they go to a Thursday-morning event, the Rolex Tour d’Elegance. Rolex Tour d’Elegance Rolex sponsors the Tour d’Elegance,…
Hancock brings its students the technology of the future
Allan Hancock College officials and community backers broke ground July 17 on the Santa Maria campus’ new $24.7 million Industrial Technology Complex. According to college officials, come spring 2014, there will be more than 35,000 square feet of brand new labs, classrooms, and offices available to students and staffers in the industrial technology department, bringing…
Have fun in the creek at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden!
Looking for a fun summer daytrip to go on with your kids? Try the “Mission Creek Critters: Family Exploration and Discovery,” a two-hour family-friendly class from 10 a.m. to noon at the Santa Barbara Botanic on Aug. 11 Stream biologist Diana Kennett and Judy Sanregret, the botanic garden’s director of education, will lead a morning…
Hobnobbing with Helen
It turned out to be a great day for a cold beer or a glass of Central Coast wine. Descendants of the area’s earliest settlers congregated on Saturday, July 14, at Pioneer Park on Foster Road for the Santa Maria Valley Pioneer Association’s 88th annual picnic. We are talking gobs and gobs of history here.…
A companion for Hunter
A dog will always be “man’s best friend,” and can also be a guardian for children. But the latter doesn’t come cheap. Tamara Pierce’s 3-year-old son Hunter is an autistic child who she said has a need to wander and explore his surroundings. Hunter is also quick, which creates the potential for him to sneak…
Holy comics, Batman!
Attention, citizens of Santa Maria: There are some Super Writers among you, creating exciting, new stories and teaching others about the magical power of words. From July 16 to 20, I led more than a dozen 6- to 10-year-olds on a daring adventure through the world of comics at the Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum.…
Woman in combat
The M1 Abrams tank weighs in at a formidable 62.8 tons of heavy metal. It can reach a top speed of 45 miles per hour. Originally entering the U.S. Army service in 1980, the M1 Abrams tank uses mobility, shock effect, and sheer firepower to eliminate enemy forces. Equipped with a 105-millimeter main armament gun,…
Spotlight on: Hideout Coffee House
There’s a new place in Nipomo for people to relax with a cup of coffee while they read a book, browse the web, or just hide out. The Hideout Coffee House is owned by Calvary Chapel in Nipomo, and according to Tom Bates—Hideout’s manager and youth pastor for the church—the shop’s main purpose is to…
Independent investigators interview SMPD personnel
On July 24, lawyers from the Los Angeles County Office of Independent Review started interviewing police officers, city personnel, and other individuals with close ties to the Santa Maria Police Department as part of a third-party investigation. City Manager Rick Hayden requested that the Office of Independent Review conduct an audit of the police department…
Abel Maldonado’s wife and son survive a fatal car crash
The wife and teenage son of U.S. congressional candidate Abel Maldonado were in a car accident on July 23 that resulted in the death of a 30-year-old man. According to a traffic collision report by the California Highway Patrol, Laura Maldonado was driving her Cadillac Escalade eastbound on Foxen Canyon Road at 55 miles per…
Solvang city officials consider playing host to the 2013 Tour of California
The Solvang City Council on July 23 directed its city manager to look further into a proposal for serving as a host city for the 2013 Amgen Tour of California, one of the world’s most prestigious cycling events. City Manager Brad Vidro will meet with the city’s Conference and Visitors Bureau and local organizing committee…
County parks commission to consider parking fees at several beaches
Free parking at beaches in Santa Barbara County could soon be a thing of the past, like cheap gas or Pontiac convertibles. On July 26, the Santa Barbara County Parks Commission will hold a public meeting to discuss a staff report on the possibility of charging parking fees at seven parks to generate revenue for…
Trespassing violations shutter Lompoc’s Surf Beach until October
The lone public access gate to Surf Beach west of Lompoc stood chained and padlocked July 21, the result of a temporary closure enforced by Vandenberg Air Force Base officials. Authorities said the closure came after Vandenberg reached a cap of 50 trespassing violations into the habitat of the endangered snowy plover, in concordance with…
Leeds will spend the rest of his life in prison for scrap yard killings
On July 19, Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce Dudley announced that “mass murderer Lee Leeds was sentenced to a term of 100 years to life [in prison]” for shooting and killing four people, including his father, at a Santa Maria salvage yard in 2008. “That term will then be followed by a term of…
Budi and friends
The Santa Ynez Valley has long been a getaway for television celebrities; many TV stars even made the valley home: Ellen DeGeneres, Portia de Rossi, Cheryl Ladd, Jennie Garth, Noah Wyle, John Forsythe, and Fess Parker, just to name a few. Add the name Budi Kazali to the list of local luminaries appearing on the…
An issue worth discussing
Regarding response to “Put Andy in the hot seat” by Gale McNeeley, published in the July 12 to July 19 issue: In recent days, the Sun published a criticism of California’s Green Movement, written by Andy Caldwell, followed by a well written response submitted by Gale McNeeley. In effect, Mr. McNeeley suggested that Mr. Caldwell’s…
Unwinding the socialist agenda
Since the Woodrow Wilson presidency, the Democrats have piled on one socialist program after another that today severely impacts the economic security of the United States and is driving our economy into unsustainable debt and bankruptcy. Here, we deal with the big four of these: the 16th Amendment Income Tax in 1913, the Social Security…
