Whether the risk of being fined $1,000 discourages illegal fireworks use in Guadalupe or not, two longtime residents said they’re hoping to make the city feel like less of a “warzone” when July 4 rolls around by targeting offenders’ hearts rather than their wallets. “We sort of went with the approach that we appeal to…
• State Sen. Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara), vice chair of the California Legislative Central Coast Caucus, was recently selected to serve as the 53rd president pro tempore of the California Senate. Assemblymember Dawn Addis (D-Morro Bay) and Assemblymember Gregg Hart (D-Santa Barbara), the co-chairs of the California Legislative Central Coast Caucus, issued statements on June…
Tucked away along the Tularosa Road offramp of California Highway 246 lies a quaint purple slice of heaven. Buried deep within the greens of the Santa Rita Hills, a field of bushes showcases violet buds so densely packed that from a distance they look like an amethyst-colored sheet. Lizards scurry, bees buzz, and hummingbirds and…
Fireworks are already popping off in northern Santa Barbara County, and we’re still a couple of weeks away from the Fourth of July. Surprised? Nope. Santa Maria, Guadalupe, Lompoc—not to be dramatic, but the city streets turn into a bit of a war zone as darkness descends on Independence Day. You have to be careful…
Space Launch Complex 6 (SLC-6) on south Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB) was first developed in the early 1960s to support the manned orbiting laboratory program. According to the National Museum of the Air Force, the manned orbiting laboratory “never reached fruition, but a great deal of developmental work was accomplished before it too was…
On Saturday, June 14, when we drove to Walmart with my grandchild at Central and H streets, we caught the light twice and watched the demonstrators for about a minute or so each time. As I scanned the crowd, I was shocked to see three handmade signs and a few more printed signs that said…
A current bill in Congress aims to make voting harder for everyone. The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act has the potential to disenfranchise millions of American voters. SAVE would require a passport or a birth certificate to register to vote or update voter registration information. It is currently illegal for noncitizens to register and…
Trans-forming narratives As a trans man, Santa Maria artist Tommy Ruiz illustrates conventional people with bizarre body parts to highlight unorthodox forms of beauty. You can find him on Instagram @bunniesaregay. Tommy Ruiz was lying in bed as a 13-year-old girl when he suddenly realized he was transgender. It was July 2015. Caitlyn Jenner had…
The Pacific Conservatory Theater (PCPA) welcomes the summer season with outdoor performances of Waitress: The Musical with music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles, singer of the 2013 hit “Brave” and 2007 hit “Love Song.” The show will play through July 6 at the Solvang Festival Theater. Through the two-and-a-half-hour show, a waitress named Jenna embarks…
Don’t have plans for the last weekend of July yet? The California Mid-State Fair has you covered. Tickets to the July 26 805 Country Rodeo Finals and July 27 Monster Truck Takeover are on sale now on the Mid-State Fair’s website. Both shows start at 7 p.m. inside the Main Grandstand Arena. Rodeo finals tickets…
Keep your eyes out The Tacos El Pirata Mayor food truck parks at 1203 N. Broadway in Santa Maria and is open Wednesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m., Fridays from 5:30 to 11 p.m., Saturdays from 4 to 11 p.m., and Sundays from 4 to 10:30 p.m. Find Tacos El Pirata Mayor on…
28 Years Later What’s it rated? R 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 Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, Slumdog Millionaire) directs this third installment of the zombie franchise. Original writer Alex Garland (Ex Machina, Annihilation,…
Cleaner What’s it rated? R When? 2025 Where’s it showing? Max Michael Campell has directed terrific films such as GoldenEye (1995), The Mask of Zorro (1998), and Casino Royal (2006), but his latest isn’t among his best. Cleaner is, however, a serviceable action adventure in the vein of Die Hard (1988). Former soldier Joey is…
Echo Valley What’s it rated? R When? 2025 Where’s it showing? Apple TV+ Julianne Moore gives a quiet, simmering performance as Kate, a woman in the wake of tragedy who’s isolated herself into a life of training horses and awaiting the next time her daughter, Claire (Sydney Sweeney), shows up looking for drug money. When…
The Lompoc Valley Chamber of Commerce isn’t going anywhere. Following outcry from local residents, Lompoc City Council reversed course on a decision to decrease funding for the organization. Council members unanimously decided to continue providing the chamber $108,000 annually for the 2025-27 fiscal years at the June 17 meeting. In response to a June 3…
For the past six years, the city of Goleta has operated, staffed, and furnished the Solvang Library thanks to a county decree. Prior to the summer of 2019, Santa Barbara County managed the facility before contracting with Goleta to take the helm of Solvang’s library and three others across the Santa Ynez Valley. The current…
Proposed inflation adjustments and contract renewals raised red flags for Santa Maria City Council members, who spent most of their June 17 meeting dissecting the consent calendar. Councilmember Maribel Aguilera-Hernandez pulled one item, while Councilmember Gloria Flores pulled two. The council ultimately tabled their decisions on all three—each of which were related to city spending—until…
