Cover Story
FOOD & DRINK 2021
This year’s annual Food and Drink issue comes out just as restaurants and bars can serve more customers with fewer restrictions. But eating out isn’t relegated to brick-and-mortar establishments, something the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted. Staff Writer Malea Martin writes about Santa Barbara County’s recently passed ordinance allowing. The pandemic also gave rise to outdoor eating,…
Discriminatory sensitivity
If a federal agency told you one of your policies was discriminatory, would you keep it? Well, if you’re Santa Maria Mayor Alice Patino, the answer is, “Hell yes!” “For the feds to say we’re being discriminatory really, really bothers me,” she said. Yeah, it totally sucks when your city passes an ordinance that potentially…
Actor and budding winemaker Sunny Doench Stricker opens Future Perfect tasting room
On the back of every bottle at Future Perfect Wine, a dedication reads: “For the fearless, dreamers, scallywags, dazzlers, explorers, and incurable romantics. We are all connected and this is for you.” These are the deities Sunny Doench Stricker, founder of the label, aims to please with her newly released libations. The public was invited…
Local pastelists Kris Buck and Deborah Breedon capture the great outdoors in Summer Bloom at Gallery Los Olivos
No matter what Kris Buck is currently painting, that piece tends to be her favorite—in the moment at least. “Picking a personal favorite painting is like choosing your favorite child, it can’t be done,” Buck said. “But while you’re in the process of painting that painting, it gets your full attention, patience, and affection.” This…
Central Coast Film Society announces winners of ‘Never Stop Creating’ competition
The winners of the Central Coast Film Society’s inaugural “Never Stop Creating” competition, which was open to high school students across Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Ventura, and Monterey counties, were announced at the end of May. Morro Bay High School student Ella Stoneman won Best in Show for her film, Life is Beautiful, and…
Los Alamos Theatre Group presents new musical, ‘TRASH’
Tickets are now on sale for the Los Alamos Theatre Group’s upcoming production of TRASH, which is scheduled to premiere on Friday, July 2, and run through Sunday, July 11 (with performances every Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and one matinee on Sunday, July 11, at 2 p.m.). Described as “a courtroom musical about…
We must prevent deadly mental decline
What do we do about crazy people? The recent murder of a local police officer and shooting of another by a person whose mental illness had allegedly been previously reported to law enforcement highlights the difficulty of responding to reports of mental illness. On May 10, 2021, Edward Giron killed SLO Police Detective Luca Benedetti…
When tragedy strikes, let’s come together instead of drawing more dividing lines
On May 20, I attended the funeral service for SLO Police Detective Luca Benedetti, who was tragically shot and killed while serving a search warrant on May 10. Along with our community, I grieve for Detective Benedetti’s wife and two young girls, who will now grow up without their dad. It’s heart-wrenching. The details of…
Kid’s Work Therapy uses yoga and other interventions to help kids with developmental challenges to find their balance
The goal of Kid’s Work Therapy, founded by occupational therapist Dr. Stephanie Foster, is simple: to help kids have fun, learn, and live to the best of their abilities. “I’ve been doing private, small, pediatric practice out of my home since 2002,” Foster said of Kid’s Work Therapy, located in Santa Maria. “I started to…
Political Watch: June 10, 2021
• Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on June 3 that restaurants and bars are permitted to keep their outdoor seating expansions on sidewalks and parking lots as well as continue the sale of takeaway alcoholic beverages with food. “As the state turns to post-pandemic life, we’ll continue to adapt best practices that have helped businesses transform…
North County police chiefs look forward to new jail, advocates concerned about population
With crime on the rise this year, local police chiefs say opening the North County jail will alleviate challenges their departments are facing. But some inmate advocates and elected officials are concerned about what it all means for the future of inmate population reduction. Senior Project Manager for the Northern Branch Jail Project John Green…
Deported Goleta mother is granted parole to return to the U.S.
Two years after being deported to Jesús Maria, Aguascalientes, in Mexico, Goleta mother Juana Flores reunited with her 10 children and 18 grandchildren with the help of U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara). On June 2, Carbajal announced that the Department of Homeland Security granted Flores humanitarian parole, allowing her to stay in the U.S.…
Santa Maria to look at housing ordinance again after HUD calls it discriminatory
After voting not to repeal Santa Maria’s employee housing ordinance, despite the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) determination that parts of it may be discriminatory, City Council members will consider the item again on June 15. City officials said they’re also now double checking that future employee housing projects—such as a proposed large-scale…
