Cover Story
Lasting impression: As southern Santa Barbara County beaches get cleaner, what can we make of the Refugio spill?
Work crews removed thousands of feet of yellow boom from the beach at Refugio State Beach the weekend before Father’s Day. According to the Unified Command in charge of cleanup, oil hadn’t been seen on Santa Barbara Channel’s surface in several days. Ten rehabilitated pelicans, some outfitted with tracking devices, were released on June 12.…
What do you think is the most effective method to weaning people off dangerous and addictive drugs?
Michael Calderon oil refinery worker “You just got to tell them that it’s not good for them, and be there to help them through it. It’s the same thing with every other drug.” Mike Miranda retired SMPD officer “That’s really hard to answer because it all depends on the individual. There’s a lot of programs,…
Political Watch 6/18/15
• The state Senate Select Committee on the Refugio Oil Spill will hold its first oversight hearing on June 26 in Santa Barbara with Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) at the helm. Joining Jackson on the committee will be Sens. Bill Monning (D-Carmel), Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica), Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg), and Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills).…
Community Notebook 6/18/15 – 6/25/15
MONDAY, JUNE 22 • The South County Advisory Council has its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. at the Nipomo Community Services District Headquarters, 148 S. Wilson St., Nipomo. • The Solvang City Council has its regular meeting at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers, 1644 Oak Street, Solvang. agendas are available at cityofsolvang.com. TUESDAY,…
Allan Hancock College is offering a gluten-free baking class
You can control which ingredients go into your foods by learning how to bake gluten-free—and potentially delicious—products in a gluten-free baking class offered through Allan Hancock College Community Education. The class meets Mondays, July 6 and 13, from 5 to 7:55 p.m. on the Santa Maria campus, room 216. It costs $36 plus a $25…
Education office opens Young Learners Preschool in Lompoc
The Santa Barbara County Education Office is opening a new preschool for the 2015-2016 school year. The Young Leaners Preschool, located at La Canada Elementary in Lompoc, will open in August. The center teacher will be Rosalinda Fletes. The preschool will serve children turning 3 or 4 years old by Sept. 5, 2015. It will…
Cultural Proficiency Institute comes to Santa Maria
In any given year, the International Cultural Proficiency Institute takes its two-day seminars to big cities: Los Angeles, St. Louis, San Francisco. But this year, on June 18 and 19, one of those institutes is being held at Santa Maria High School. “To get it here is almost like a miracle,” Santa Maria High Principal…
Spotlight on: Lawnlift
When Mike Morales rolls up to your house in his green, late-model Mercury Cougar, gets out, opens the trunk, and dons his backpack sprayer, he means to liven up that grass. Morales owns a small business called Lawnlift. Going from home to home, Morales gives brown lawns a touch of green paint to make them…
Officials say the unavailability of prescription painkillers is leading to a rise in heroin use on the Central Coast
On June 4, a 27-year-old Lompoc man was found dead inside his home; that same day, a 32-year-old man was found dead inside a Solvang hotel room; and three days later, a 31-year-old Solvang woman was found dead in her home. Following investigations into all three deaths, officials from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office…
Olive Grove clears important hurdle in preparation for State Board of Education appeal
Two-dozen local teachers, administrators, and advocates travelled to Sacramento on June 10 to make their case on behalf of the beleaguered Olive Grove Charter School before the Advisory Commission on Charter Schools (ACCS). The meeting before the ACCS was an important prelude to their petition appeal hearing before the California Board of Education on July…
Man found dead from apparent hit-and-run in Nipomo
An unknown male who was found dead near the intersection of Highway 101 and Tefft Street in Nipomo on June 13 may be the victim of a hit-and-run accident, according the California Highway Patrol. The collision report states that a driver collided with the male, who was in the southbound lane of 101, and drove…
Santa Barbara County looks at tighter restrictions for wineries
New wineries in Santa Barbara County may be subject to new restrictions on special events, volume of visitors, tours, and tasting rooms. Santa Barbara County’s planning department recently released a draft environmental impact report for the proposed changes, which is now open to public comment. The proposed changes would modify the Winery Ordinance adopted by…
Santa Barbara County Jail inmate dies
A 52-year-old man serving time for non-violent offenses inside the Santa Barbara County jail died at a nearby hospital on June 15, according to officials from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office. Jail and medical staff responded to a call of a “man down” in the general housing unit of the facility at 12:40 a.m.…
Santa Barbara County officials deny ExxonMobil’s request to transport oil by trucks
It looks like more crude oil won’t be passing through Santa Barbara County on highways after all, at least not for now. Officials from the Energy Division of the county’s Planning and Development Department made the decision in a letter dated June 9. It follows a recent emergency request by ExxonMobil to transport crude oil…
Former employee arrested for allegedly vandalizing Santa Maria Univision station
Whatever beef Pablo Quiroz Jr. has with his old employer, he made sure the whole world knew about it on June 15. The former employee of KPMR Entravision, Univision’s Spanish language affiliate in Santa Maria, broadcasted bizarre tweets of himself allegedly vandalizing the TV station during the early morning hours. Pictures posted to the Twitter…
Camp 4’s still here
If you haven’t yet heard, then you definitely didn’t read Political Watch before you flipped to this tawdry little column’s page. That pesky little piece of legislation known as HR 1157—which would, if passed, transfer the 1,400 acres known as Camp 4 into trust with the federal government—was up for a subcommittee hearing on June…
Learn from the recent oil spill
On May 31, in response to the recent oil spill along the Gaviota coast, some 500 people marched from Santa Barbara’s De la Guerra Plaza to West Beach in order to, “Stand in the Sand” and demand an end to our reliance on fossil fuels and the disastrous oil spills that continue to foul our…
Personal beliefs matter
You may be aware of a bill speeding through the California Legislature that would deny parents the right to make important healthcare decisions for their children. If passed, SB 277 would eliminate the personal belief/religious exemption (PBE) that currently allows parents to choose which vaccines are given to their children. PBEs are utilized by a…
Detective Nate Totorica
The Special Olympics Torch Run, which passed through Northern Santa Barbara County in early June, is a partnership with law enforcement agencies to raise money for the Special Olympics. More than 3,000 personnel participate. In 2014, they raised more than $1.4 million. Santa Maria Detective Nate Totorica has been running the torch for the past…
Santa Maria will soon play host to international Special Olympics athletes
As part of the Host Town Program, the city of Santa Maria will welcome and celebrate 100 Special Olympics international athletes and their coaches from July 21 to 24. The delegates—70 from France, 18 from Mauritius, and eight from the Republic of Congo—will arrive on July 21 for the four-day program that allows athletes time…
Day drinking: It’s harder than you think
It’s true, I’ve been known to imbibe from time to time. Now, I don’t claim to be an Olympic-level drinker by any means. But I can handle an Irish Car Bomb, a shot of Tequila, and use a beer bong just as good as any college frat boy worth his weight in recycled beer bottles.…
Lompoc Pops Orchestra welcomes last guest conductor of the season, Dr. Michael Shasberger
The Lompoc Pops Orchestra is about to conclude its 2014-2015 season and finish the year’s worth of concerts featuring guest conductors. The upcoming concert on June 22 features Michael Shasberger, the orchestra and choir director for Westmont College in Santa Barbara, who’s the last maestro to be considered for a permanent conducting position with the…
Santa Maria museum could benefit from Snoopy plate
The Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum encourages locals to purchase an official California license plate with Snoopy on it to help benefit the museum through the California Association of Museums. The Department of Motor Vehicles is issuing 7,500 of the plates—5,300 of which are already sold—and needs to complete the remaining 2,200 presales before production…
Santa Ynez Valley Performing Arts Company presents An Invitation to Dance
The Santa Ynez Valley Performing Arts Company, under the direction of Christine Fossemalle and the nonprofit umbrella of the Santa Barbara Dance Alliance, presents the annual performance, An Invitation to Dance, with solos and ensemble performances in a range of styles. The show will be staged at the Santa Ynez Valley High School Little Theatre…
Santa Maria Public Library offers Afternoon Art Time
The Santa Maria Public Library offers an event where Town Center Gallery artists instruct students in creating a garden scene painting while mixing primary colors with tempera paint on June 18 at 4 p.m. in the library’s Altrusa Theater. Parents are welcome to assist children with their projects. Children require a free ticket to attend…
Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum gets a new mural with help from The Art Fund, collaborators and volunteers
A crowd of excited art students and their families joined coordinators and volunteers to unveil the Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum’s new mural on the morning of June 6. The long, high wall at the Discovery Museum displayed the efforts of 20 art students from the Santa Maria Valley’s four public high schools and a…
R Lawson Gamble’s new book brings paranormal FBI investigator to the Central Coast
Local author R Lawson Gamble’s fascination with the Western United States began long before he moved to Los Alamos in 2009—he’s a lifelong consumer of Western novels and history. But it wasn’t until his move to California that he felt compelled to begin his own Western tale. “Writing the novels, it didn’t really occur to…
Meat-filled delight: Floriano’s in Lompoc takes the art of burrito making to new highs
At first sight it may seem like Floriano’s restaurant in Lompoc has a bit of an identity problem—caught between being a butcher shop and a restaurant—but at first bite it all becomes clear. The unassuming Mexican restaurant looks like a small specialty market from the outside, but this Lompoc gem has gained a huge following…
