Cover Story
Opportunity flows: The years-long drought is bad news for many, but some Central Coast entrepreneurs are seeing green
For all intents and purposes, you can forget about that El Niño now. It was the largest El Niño ever recorded. But what was thought to be a “Godzilla” weather phenomenon actually turned out to be pretty much a dud in many ways for California, according to Bill Patzert, a climatologist at the NASA Jet…
Bernie Sanders stumps in Santa Maria
View a slideshow from the May 28 rally. Vermont Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders came to Santa Maria on May 28 to speak to a crowd of more than 7,000 who gathered at Santa Maria High School’s football field to see and hear the candidate speak. Though Sanders didn’t arrive until just before…
Mary Buren Elementary School special edition
Bobby’s Journal Staff On May 26 the Sun got a visit from students of Mary Buren Elementary School in Guadalupe. The group of third through fifth graders put out the school’s newspaper called Bobby’s Journal. Having a group of young and experienced reporters about, we decided to put them to work. The Sun staff handed…
Political Watch 6/2/16
• A bill by Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) to prohibit private, off-the-record communications with members of the California Coastal Commission that could influence their decision-making passed off the Senate floor on a 23-12 vote. The bill now heads to the state Assembly. Jackson’s Senate Bill 1190 prohibits “ex parte” communications with coastal commissioners…
The staff of Bobby’s Journal takes over Streetwise
On May 26 the Sun got a visit from students of Mary Buren Elementary School in Guadalupe. The group of third through fifth graders put out the school’s newspaper called Bobby’s Journal. Having a group of young and experienced reporters about, we decided to put them to work. The Sun staff handed them cameras and…
$8.7 million awarded to Santa Barbara County students
The Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara awarded a record $8.74 million to more than 3,000 Santa Barbara County students at two annual awards ceremonies during the last week of May in Santa Maria and Santa Barbara. Proud parents, students, and local philanthropic leaders gathered at First Christian Church in Santa Maria to honor students from…
Santa Maria area schools schedule commencement ceremonies
It’s graduation season and high school seniors are anticipating the big day. This year Nipomo’s Central Coast New Tech High School will celebrate its first graduating class. In Santa Maria, three high schools will celebrate simultaneous commencement ceremonies. Santa Maria, Righetti, and Pioneer Valley high schools will follow the same planning as 2015 and hold…
Santa Maria High School Ballet Folklorico takes national honors
Members of the Santa Maria High School Ballet Folklorico recently brought home first place honors from the La Feria De Sur Tejas Folklorico Competition in Texas. The group sealed the recognition with its El Jarabe Nayarit dance performance from Nayarit, Mexico. The dance takes place in the sugar cane fields and highlights the men’s abilities…
Spotlight on: Community Action Commission
The Community Action Commission (CAC) of Santa Barbara County will be hosting a Champions Dinner on June 2 at Solvang’s Hotel Corque that will honor Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) and local philanthropists Jackie and Fidenzio Brunello. The Goleta-based nonprofit offers 22 services to low-income families throughout the county, most notably its Head Start and…
Community Notebook 6/2/16 – 6/9/16
MONDAY, JUNE 6 • The Solvang Planning Commission has its regular meeting at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers, 1644 Oak Street, Solvang. TUESDAY, JUNE 7 • The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors has its regular meeting at 9 a.m. in the Board of Supervisors Hearing Room, 105 E. Anapamu St., Santa Barbara. •…
Sweeping gun restrictions head to California Assembly
June 2 marks the second annual National Gun Violence Awareness Day, calling gun safety advocates to wear orange in memory of lives lost to firearms violence. This year’s awareness day lands in a crucial and turbulent time for the debate between gun rights and gun control: On May 19, the California Senate passed a historic…
Federal grant launches Santa Maria Summer Jobs and Beyond youth employment program
The county Workforce Development Board will launch a program to provide 260 high-risk youth with employment opportunities starting this summer, thanks to a $2 million federal grant. Santa Maria Summer Jobs and Beyond will provide kids and young adults aged 16 to 24 with paid work experience opportunities, including summer and year-round jobs, according to…
Lompoc Chamber to overhaul membership fee system
Lompoc’s Chamber of Commerce will implement a new, tiered dues membership starting July 1, meaning a hike in fees for some members, along with a potential change in the Chamber’s culture. The new payment schedule will offer four different levels of services for four different prices, with the most basic services going for $150 a…
Santa Maria Valley groundwater decreases, nitrates increase, according to Twitchell Management Authority
Not that you couldn’t have already guessed, but a new report issued by the Twitchell Management Authority on May 24 shows that the drought caused a slight dip in groundwater in the Santa Maria Valley Management Area in 2015. Production of the report is a stipulation of a 1997 lawsuit against Santa Maria by the…
RV prom
Spring is here and summer is getting very close, which means prom season is definitely upon us. Yes, prom is actually a season. It’s a magical time when people who do hair, nails, and dress alterations make a truckload of money on high school girls who need to have everything just perfect for their special…
Olivia Lane talks rodeos before performing for the Santa Maria Elks Rodeo on June 3
Emerging country artist Olivia Lane is no stranger to a good rodeo. She grew up going to the Houston rodeo, which also introduced her to a number of her favorite country artists, including Reba McEntire, George Strait, and Alan Jackson. Lane is a stranger, however, to the Santa Maria Elks Rodeo, where she will perform…
Daytripper: Up Highway 1 and back is the perfect Sunday daytrip
Sunday is my only real day off, and it’s the same for my wife, Candice, so we almost always reserve the day for some serious leisure. By far, our favorite day trip to make involves a moderately early rise, rinse, and then we head north. We don’t usually have more than a light snack for…
Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum celebrates Western artist Edward Borein
The Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum and Carriage House presents an exhibit featuring artwork of a lesser known Western-style artist from the private collections of locals. The exhibit Borrowed Borein: Art of the West from the diverse collections of Valley residents, features the paintings of Edward Borein, a California native who lived from 1872 to…
Santa Maria Public Library hosts cowboy poetry event
The Santa Maria Public Library hosted its first Cowboy Poetry Contest in the Shepard Hall on May 21, which included a student poetry competition and a live reading by Dick Gibford. The event was scheduled to help get the community in the mood for the annual Elks Rodeo, and was sponsored by the Santa Maria…
New Lows hosts First Thursdays popup show in Lompoc
Five years ago a small group of Lompoc-based artists inspired by street and urban art sought a venue where they could share their work. What began as an informal and underground event began to thrive. It’s continued since, and First Thursdays has welcomed artists of all ages and styles to take part in the pop-up-style…
Santa Maria Arts Council cancels Art in the Park
The Santa Maria Arts Council announced that it had to cancel its first Art in the Park event this year due to a lack of signups from participating local artists. The Arts Council remains committed to supporting and encouraging the expansion of the arts in the Santa Maria and wants to hear from local artists…
Government and its secrets
Today has got my little feathers in a bunch. There are two major issues on my little mind and they’ve got me feeling a little conflicted. It’s June 2, and the date marks the second annual National Gun Violence Awareness Day. There have been a number of terrible tragedies involving guns both at the national…
Does Ortiz-Legg support veterans?
I have a question for Dawn Ortiz-Legg, candidate for the 35th Assembly District seat. Your resume states that you are a founding member of Code Pink in Santa Barbara County. During the height of the Iraq War, when my son was serving as a combat corpsman with the 1st Marine Division in Ramadi, Iraq, Code…
Achadjian is my candidate
Katcho Achadjian is my chosen candidate for the 24th District congressional race. He is a proven leader who shares our dream and who has personally inspired mine throughout my life. When I was a young girl of 16, he was my first employer. I had the pleasure of “working the gas pumps” as a station…
Katcho advocates for the needs of more than just Santa Barbara
For too long, the Central Coast has been represented in Congress by Lois Capps. During this time, there has been a bias toward Santa Barbara and neglect toward the needs of rural Santa Barbara County, Northern Santa Barbara County, and SLO County. Voters in our district now have an opportunity to reimagine our voice in…
Porter doesn’t gloss over problems, he solves them
I’m writing to support Bruce Porter to be our next 3rd District county supervisor. I have known Bruce for more than 10 years and have always been impressed by his qualities of leadership and character. One of the ways this was best displayed was during a dispute between the city and local veterans over the…
Porter makes a positive difference
Our community has an amazing opportunity to chart a new path forward as we elect a new 3rd District supervisor. I’m backing Bruce Porter because I think he can make a huge difference in a very positive way, for families, farmers, ranchers, businesspeople … for everyone. I’ve known and worked with Bruce in various ways…
Why I’m quitting the Lompoc Chamber of Commerce
I am canceling my membership in the Lompoc Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber’s new plan is to put in a new “tiered” system of membership dues with the top tier being $150 per month, to buy access to goods and services. This new system of membership is far more than a revenue vehicle; it is…
Politicians are not concerned about citizens’ safety
Over the past few months, thousands of citizens protested the rail spur project by Phillips 66 on the Nipomo Mesa. We easily outnumbered the pro-oil company vote by 50 to 1. Public safety was our biggest concern including impact on air quality, aged railroad trestles, potential derailment near schools and hospitals, and the fact that…
The 3rd District needs someone with character, skills, persistence
Over the past few months I have attended five of the candidate forums for Santa Barbara County’s 3rd District supervisor race. Some may wonder whether I have nothing better to do with my evenings. Truth is, I believe this race is vitally important to the 3rd District and all of Santa Barbara County. In particular,…
Adam does what he says he will do
Recently mailboxes throughout the 4th District, including mine, have been stuffed almost daily with fliers promoting Republican Eddie Ozeta or demonizing incumbent Peter Adam. The fliers make Ozeta appear like a stalwart taxpayer defending public servants, and embracing the principles of conservative republicanism.� I’m one of those voters who likes to fact check candidates and…
Joan Hartmann understands the 3rd District
I’m supporting Joan Hartmann for 3rd District supervisor because she understands what 3rd District residents want and has a record of standing up with us. Not long ago, the Buellton City Council was discussing a sphere of influence study (SOI) that would’ve been an expansion plan designating the probable physical boundary and service area for…
Cowboy Flavor Catering: Bringing the Central Coast lifestyle to all corners of the world
It started on packing trips in the backcountry. Billy Ruiz would lead groups through ranchland in the Santa Ynez Valley, stopping at night to camp and barbecue. He’d introduce his customers to cowboy-style cooking in Dutch ovens. “We barbecued like we did at home,” Ruiz said. “Santa Maria-style meat. Good seasoning. We mixed our own…
Claire Bouquet
Playing college tennis was her goal since junior high school. Now, Claire Bouquet, a St. Joseph High School senior, has not only achieved her childhood goal, but will get to fulfill it at a prestigious Division I tennis program close to home. Bouquet, the 2015 PAC 8 singles champion, on May 19 signed a national…
Last teams standing: Righetti baseball, Lompoc softball make runs in CIF; season ends in heartbreak for Santa Ynez, Cabrillo
If you only looked at the Righetti High School baseball team’s overall record of 16-16 this season, you would never guess that they’re one of the top eight teams in the CIF Southern Section. Well, numbers can be deceiving. Righetti snuck into the playoffs after a rocky, up-and-down 2016 campaign, and yet the Warriors stayed…
