Cover Story
Forced to fire: Local law enforcement agencies work to ensure transparency, training, and support for staff following officer-involved shootings
Twilight coated the valley as Santa Maria Police Department (SMPD) officers responded to a 9:36 p.m. call reporting a possible domestic violence situation at a home on the 300 Block of West Williams Street on June 5. The caller reported that the suspect may have stabbed a victim inside the home. Upon arrival at the…
Community Notebook 7/9/15 – 7/16/15
MONDAY, JULY 13 • The Santa Maria City Block Grants Advisory Committee has its regular meeting at 5:30 p.m. in the City Hall Conference Room, 110 E. Cook St., Santa Maria. • The Solvang City Council has its regular meeting at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers, 1644 Oak Street, Solvang. agendas are available at…
Vandenberg brings in private experts, loses SpaceX launch
Vandenberg Air Force Base is bringing private companies into its Joint Space Operations Center. The program is the first of its kind, as reported by the Air Force Times, and it’s aimed at fostering cooperation between the military and private sector as spaceflight slowly becomes privatized. Base spokesperson Capt. Nicholas Mercurio said it’s the first…
Santa Barbara County looks at ban on e-cigs, steep-road skateboarding
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors looked at restricting e-cigarette use on July 7. It considered a ban on e-cigarette use in public spaces such as county offices, outdoor spaces, or car parks. Buellton, Goleta, Lompoc, Santa Maria, Solvang, and Carpenteria have already moved to restrict e-cigarette use in public spaces. The county’s tobacco…
What do you think can be done to make Santa Maria safer?
Lisa DeMar cashier at Albertsons “My first reaction would be more police officers and more community watch people who are a little more involved with what’s going on.” Sandra Fry nurse “For kids, for like students and stuff, more activities for them to do in the community, so they are more involved in sports or…
Spelling and lawsuits
I don’t skateboard. I really can’t. My scrawny stick-man legs can’t reach the ground for my talons to do the step-and-push work needed to move it. In order for the wheels to actually move, someone would have to push me, gently mind you, because I get a little freaked out if I go too fast on…
Ascendant Distillery heads to New Orleans for its first appearance at Tales of the Cocktail
Each year, thousands of imbibers converge upon New Orleans in mid-July for Tales of the Cocktail. The five-day, seminar-filled event is a convention of industry types—bartenders, distributors, manufacturers, etc.—who come from around the world to get a taste of the latest and greatest in booze trends. On the surface, the event appears to be a…
Food stuff
Like most kids his age, when my son was about 5 years old he wanted to start his first entrepreneurial enterprise. “I think I want to start a business. I want to have a stand outside, and I’ll have a selection of cheeses for people to try. Oh, and I’ll have some lemonade too.” Yes,…
The California Arts and Music Program holds open house for new Mariachi music program
A recent open house event led by the California Arts and Music Program welcomed a number of families to the Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum—the sight of the burgeoning music camp program—and informed the small group in English and Spanish about the upcoming classes, cultural events, and fundraising efforts the nonprofit has planned. The invitation-only…
Santa Maria and Solvang present respective concerts and movies in the park
Both the cities of Santa Maria and Solvang present their own respective Concerts in the Park series and Movies in the Park screenings through August. The Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department offers its Concerts in the Park event on July 12 at Los Flores Ranch Park showcasing The Crisptones Band, July 19 at Rotary…
St. Mark’s in Los Olivos hosts Bel Canto concert
The St. Mark’s-in-the-Valley Episcopal Church in Los Olivos is collaborating with the Santa Ynez Valley Jewish Community to present a fundraiser concert titled Bel Canto by Candlelight, featuring a number of acclaimed classical singers performing July 18 at the church. The benefit concert includes singers Emil Dorian Cristescu, Nichole Dechaine, William Hurbaugh, Beverly Staples, and…
C Gallery shows artistic director’s gesture drawings
The C Gallery in Los Alamos, founded by artistic director Connie Rohde, will show an exhibit of Rohde’s gesture drawings, titled Plastic Paper. Cheap Brushes. Obsession. The exhibit opens on July 18 with a reception event from 4 to 7 p.m. at the C Gallery, including a talk with the artist and food by Chef…
The Cooler Truck Show comes to Nipomo July 17 to 19
What separates a truck from, let’s say, a car? According to Wikipedia, a truck is a motor vehicle that’s used to transport cargo. The Oxford Dictionary has several definitions, including a “railroad vehicle that’s used for carrying freight,” a “low flat-topped car used for moving heavy items,” or “each of two axle units on a…
Orcutt Academy art students create mural for Santa Maria’s Foodbank facility
Orcutt Academy High School (OAHS) students are required to perform several hours of community service each semester, explained OAHS Art Teacher Dona Kintzi, a requirement her students approached this year with all the creativity of burgeoning young artists. Kintzi’s students painted more than 300 bowls for the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County’s Empty Bowls events.…
Running ’til Reckage: Santa Ynez native Connor Reck travels to England for historic competition
Connor Reck, 2011 graduate of Santa Ynez High School, just finished his post-college trip to Europe. It wasn’t a vacation, exactly: Reck graduated this year from Harvard University with a degree in economics. Then he crossed the pond with 60 select track athletes from Harvard and Yale to face off against Oxford and Cambridge in…
David Rasper
David Rasper, a firefighter with Santa Barbara County, rode in the first engine on the scene of the Burton Mesa fire, which scorched 300 acres of brush outside of Lompoc the last week of June. “We made an initial attack on the fire,” he told the Sun. Armed with progressive hose packs—literally, a kind of…
Vegan is the way to go
Editor’s note: We don’t necessarily encourage or condone a vegetarian diet. The piece referred to in this letter to the editor was a commentary that appeared in the July 2 opinion section. Thanks for encouraging people to save water by eating plant-based foods rather than animal-based ones (“Save water, go vegetarian,” July 2). According to…
There are alternatives to meat
Thank you for sharing the insightful commentary “Save water, go vegetarian” (July 2). The opinion piece brought to light the enormous amount of water needed to produce meat for the typical American diet. With the severe drought we are all facing, we just cannot afford to be in denial about the fact that we are…
Save water, eat healthy
Going on year five of continuous drought, in addition to many preceding years of dry weather, California farmers and ranchers have an arduous task in continuing to produce food for their local communities, the state, the nation, and even the rest of the world. It is our livelihoods, and we are more than willing to…
Righetti grads earn prestigious FFA honor
Six recent Ernest Righetti High School graduates who earned the American FFA Degree will be honored at the 2015 National FFA Convention and Expo in Louisville, Ky., during October. All of them are working on their college agricultural careers. The group includes Michael Guerra (Fresno State), Ellen Blackwell (Kansas State), Emily Flores (Chico State), Andrew…
Beecher steps in as Santa Maria-Bonita School District’s interim superintendent
On July 1, Matt Beecher started serving as Santa Maria-Bonita School District’s interim superintendent. He will lead the district while the district’s Board of Education continues the search for a new superintendent to replace Phil Alvarado, who retired at the end of the school year. Alvarado took a bow after 38 years with the district…
Financial aid available for Hancock students
If you want to attend classes at Allan Hancock College this fall but aren’t sure if you can afford it, it’s time to look into financial aid. According to a press release sent out by Hancock, nearly 60 percent of its students receive financial aid. In addition, the Allan Hancock College Foundation awards nearly $500,000…
Spotlight on: Pedal Power Bicycles
At times, running a small business for the last two decades has stressed out Pedal Power Bicycle owner Chuck Cryor. But, because he’s also an avid cyclist, he tries to balance work and play. As Cryor was being interviewed on July 1, he stopped mid-conversation and had a moment of clarity, realizing that July marks…
Political Watch 7/9/15
• Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bevy of legislation on July 6, including one bill prohibiting hospitals from denying organ transplants to medical marijuana users based solely on their use of the drug, according to the governor’s website. The Sacramento Bee reported bill proponents argued that some patients were denied life-saving organ transplants because medical…
Hobnobbing with Helen
Number 108 at 218 Carmen Lane is a pleasant suite of small offices with an inviting air. Dollhouses, art supplies, and toys give away the fact that the space caters to children. This is the home of Santa Maria’s CALM facility, where children, adults, and families who are involved in child abuse situations find therapy…
Inzunza v. Inzunza: Los Olivos grandmother sued in international custody dispute
It’s not clear who’s in the best interest of a 6-year-old Mexican boy: his mother, who lives in Mexico, or his grandmother, who lives in Los Olivos. The boy—identified as “JXA” in a federal lawsuit filed by his mother, Itzel Inzunza, on May 3—is at the heart of an international custody battle between his mother…
Correction
In the Spotlight on Business article published on June 25, “Hwy. 246 Wine and Brew Tours,” the total price of a privately chartered tour with owner Dennis Avila is $330 for up to nine passengers. The price is not per person.
Groups hold vigil for inmate who died in Santa Barbara County Jail
Several groups, including Radio Occupy Santa Barbara, No New Jail Coalition, and People Organized for the Defense of Equal Rights (PODER), held a candlelight vigil outside the Santa Barbara County Main Jail on the evening of July 8 to mourn the death of Raymond Herrera, who died last month while in custody there. The groups…
Chumash casino lawsuit thrown out by federal judge
The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians no longer has to worry about a lawsuit preventing the Chumash Casino Resort expansion, because a federal judge recently threw the case out. On July 2, Judge R. Gary Klausner granted the tribe’s request to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a Santa Ynez Valley group called Save the…
Fifth lawsuit filed against Plains All-American Pipeline in the wake of Refugio oil spill
Another lawsuit’s in the pile stacking up against Plains All American Pipeline in the wake of the Refugio State Beach oil spill. The class-action complaint—“on behalf of fishers, fish buyers, and other affected businesses”—is the fifth facing the Texas-based company. Two complainants, Keith and Tiffani Andrews, fish for giant red sea cucumber in the waters…
