Deemed overdue for a trim, Santa Barbara County’s budget to enforce against illegal weed is too big, the Board of Supervisors recently concluded. Fifth District Supervisor Steve Lavagnino described the board’s unanimous June 17 decision to disband the Sheriff’s Office cannabis compliance team as “redistributing the manpower where it’s most needed.” “Having that strong of…
A 54-year-old Santa Maria man was found dead in his cell at the Northern Branch Jail on June 28. A custody deputy conducting a routine security and welfare check found Juan Lara unresponsive in his cell in the B Unit around 10:45 p.m., according to a Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office press release. Deputies and…
Bounce houses. Cocktail hours. Knitting clubs. Members of the Buellton City Council were recently torn on which types of uses it should allow during temporary rentals of the Buellton Library’s meeting rooms and spacious front lawn. However, all four council members came to a quick consensus on one crucial aspect of city staff’s proposed rental…
• On June 30, U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) introduced the Extreme Risk Protection Order Expansion Act—legislation to prevent people who are in crisis from accessing deadly weapons, according to Carbajal’s office. The bill would establish grants to support the implementation of extreme risk protection order (ERPO) laws, also known as “red flag” laws,…
Hundreds of animals that have trotted across the Santa Maria Fairpark’s auction grounds over the past three years were raised by young participants of a local charity initiative. Elementary, middle, and high school students who take part in the annual Santa Barbara County Fair’s livestock exhibitions for 4-H, FFA, and Grange programs are eligible for…
Santa Barbara County is losing its cannabis enforcement team. That’s one way to save $3 million! Apparently illegal cannabis activities in the county have declined significantly since 2018, when the Sheriff’s Office Cannabis Compliance Team first started ripping through illegal grows, weed whacking, bagging, and confiscating all things pot. I remember the images that the…
I am writing in response to Steve Pepe’s letter in the June 26 issue of the Sun (“Some protest signs have gone too far”) wherein he claims that “86 47” is calling for the assassination of the current president. He is obviously misinformed or unfamiliar with the term “86.” To “86” someone from a bar…
It is all too clear that California’s communities and environment are not immune to the Trump administration—and that state and local leaders’ pushback is powerful and necessary. Having already moved to open public lands to mining and drilling, the Trump administration is now making its presence known off the Central Coast. On April 30, the…
“Los Angeles is under siege,” the president exclaimed. Don’t be fooled. The demonstrations are a microcosm of Trump’s strategy to usurp more power. His divisive demagoguery is not about law and order. It’s about instilling fear in the minds of Americans so he could wield more power. Jim Huchthausen Nipomo
Fill your cup with art Located at 105 S. H St., South Side Coffee Company is more of a community art center that serves coffee and food than a cafe decorated with art. Owner/operator Halle Bedford hosts exhibits by local artists with pieces for sale all throughout the shop. South Side Coffee Company is open…
Santa Barbara County awarded arts grants to 12 nonprofits on June 16, providing more than $50,000 to support community development through arts and culture. For the 2025-26 Arts Making Impact (AMI) program, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors selected a dozen organizations to receive grants of up to $5,000 funded by the Santa Barbara…
The Elverhoj Museum of History and Art is now displaying Suzi Trubitz: Through the Years. The exhibit focuses on how the Santa Ynez sculptor transforms raw metal into art. Each piece demonstrates Trubitz’s conversation between fragility and force as a physical testament to her approach to making steel art with flames, according to the museum. …
F1 The Movie What’s it rated? PG-13 What’s it worth, Anna? Full price What’s it worth, Glen? Full price Where’s it showing? Regal Edwards RPX Santa Maria, Movies Lompoc, Regal Arroyo Grande, Fair Oaks Theatre Joseph Kosinski (Tron: Legacy, Oblivion, Only the Brave, Maverick: Top Gun) directs this story he co-wrote with Ehren Kruger (Transformers:…
The Ballad of Wallis Island What’s it rated? PG-13 When? 2025 Where’s it showing? Peacock This film is charming from start to finish and full of fun, earnest, and quirky characters. Charles (Tim Key) can think of no better way to spend some of his lottery winnings than to have his favorite musicians brought to…
Deep Cover What’s it rated? R When? 2025 Where’s it showing? Amazon Prime Tom Kingsley (Black Pond, The Darkest Universe) directs this British comedy about unsuccessful improv comedy actors Kat (Bryce Dallas Howard), Marlon (Orlando Bloom), and Hugh (Nick Mohammed), who’re recruited by Det. Sgt. Graham Billings (Sean Bean) to buy counterfeit cigarettes from a…
Taking the bull by the horns Located at 484 First St. in Solvang, Drover’s Doughnuts is open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Its 252 E. Highway 246 location in Buellton is open Wednesday through Sunday from 7 a.m. to noon. Visit Drover’s Doughnuts on Facebook and Instagram under its name…
In mid-August, the newly built Guadalupe Junior High School’s doors will open for the first time to incoming seventh and eighth graders. The school on Arroyo Seco Road is near the Pasadera housing community. While most of Guadalupe—including its downtown area and the majority of housing within city limits—lies on the north side of Highway…
