Cover Story
Plains Pipeline proposal to replace valves on the line responsible for the 2015 Refugio oil spill has county residents worried
Prroposal to put in new safety valves on an oil pipeline looks straightforward but raised a lot of questions. “This was brought to us as, ‘Look, this is simple. It’s just putting safety valves, required by law,’” said Santa Barbara County Planning Commissioner John Parke, who represents the 3rd District. “There [are] a lot of…
BINGEABLE: Shrinking (2023)
BINGEABLE: Shrinking (2023) Where’s it playing? Apple TV Plus What’s it rated? TV-PG The makers of Ted Lasso have blessed us with a new series starring Jason Segel, Harrison Ford, and Jessica Williams as therapists who work in an office together. Segel is Jimmy, a man who lost his wife in the not-too-distant past and…
NEW FLICKS: LUTHER: THE FALLEN SUN
NEW FLICKS: LUTHER: THE FALLEN SUN Where’s it playing? Netflix What’s it rated? R Jamie Payne directs this film sequel to the award-winning television saga about brilliant but disgraced police detective John Luther (Idris Elba), created by novelist and scriptwriter Neil Cross. I’ve never seen the series, so if you’re wondering if you can enjoy…
Santa Maria City Council green-lights permit for Fallas building conversion
Downtown Santa Maria’s old Fallas building should get a facelift after the City Council unanimously approved a permit for the Vernon Group to convert the commercial building into an apartment complex as part of the city’s Downtown Specific Plan. “We’ve been talking a lot about the downtown redevelopment plan and here we have a project…
Chumash Foundation’s Technology in Schools grant funds schools’ access to technology
When the Chumash Foundation was looking for a beneficiary for its 2015 Charity Golf Classic, the organization’s team saw a need for funding to upgrade technology resources in Santa Ynez Valley schools and classrooms. “Technology is ever-present in our world, and we realize that teachers and administrators are expected to educate without vital resources they…
SLO County could consider Nipomo sheriff’s substation in budget
The dormant possibility of Nipomo receiving a sheriff’s substation came alive again during a San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors discussion about capital improvement. On March 7, SLO County Sheriff Ian Parkinson stressed the need for a substation in the unincorporated town. His comments, coupled with 4th District Supervisor Jimmy Paulding’s support for increased…
U.S. Forest Service lifts 60-day Los Padres closure
Hikers and outdoor recreators can now hit the trails again in Los Padres National Forest as the U.S. Forest Service opened up access where it could. But the agency is still keeping severely damaged roads, trails, and campgrounds closed off to the public, Los Padres spokesperson Andrew Madsen told the Sun. The new order follows…
Political Watch: March 16, 2023
• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) applauded President Joe Biden for proposing a $300 million increase in funding to agricultural research and innovation in his 2024 budget—an investment pushed by Carbajal and a bipartisan group of lawmakers, according to a March 10 statement from the congressman’s office. As Congress is set to craft the…
Pipeline pressure
Are residents right to be worried about a plan to update the valves on an oil pipeline that was so badly corroded it burst in 2015, spilling more than 120,000 gallons of crude oil along the Gaviota coastline? If you ask the company that proposed the project, it’s just a matter of bringing the coastal…
An open letter to landlords and apartment managers
With homelessness in America spiraling out of control and homeowners and apartment managers able to rent out properties at obscenely high rates, you are in effect causing the homeless crisis. Nobody can criticize any of you individually because supply and demand is the main reason for the crisis. There simply isn’t enough affordable housing to…
California Coastal Commission has protected the state’s shoreline for 50 years
February 2023 marked the 50th anniversary of the California Coastal Commission (CCC). The governing body’s role as planning commission for the 1,100 miles of California coastline was authorized by California voters in November 1972 with passage of Proposition 20. The initiative was launched after efforts to pass coastal protection legislation had been approved in the…
Folk-pop artist Arielle Silver holds upcoming concert in Solvang
Lost Chord Guitars in Solvang presents folk-pop singer-songwriter and guitarist Arielle Silver, live in concert, on Sunday, March 19, at 8 p.m. Admission to the show is $15, and tickets are available in advance at tickettailor.com. Based in Southern California, Silver is widely known for her rich, expressive voice and expansive acoustic guitar-led melodies, according…
Great American Melodrama stages new Sherlock Holmes production in Oceano
On Thursday, March 30, the Great American Melodrama will premiere its production of Sherlock Holmes and The Final Problem, which is scheduled to run through Saturday, May 20. According to press materials, the plot of the show follows Holmes as he goes head-to-head with criminal mastermind Professor Moriarty. Holmes and Dr. Watson attempt to thwart…
Santa Barbara native and Hollywood actor Timothy James Bottoms releases ‘The Pier,’ a childhood memoir and coming-of-age story
Everyone has a cherished childhood memory. Maybe it’s that feeling of freedom riding your bike down a tree-lined country road or swimming in the ocean for the first time or earning your own money with a lemonade stand. For Hollywood actor Timothy James Bottoms, it was learning to fish at the Santa Barbara pier, which…
Stefono’s Sapori D’ Italia brings sandwiches, hot dogs, pizzas, and more straight from Chicago to Nipomo
Hungry for Chicago-style food? Head to Nipomo. Yellow flags on Tefft Street let passersby know that authentic Vienna beef sausages are nearby. They lead to Stefono’s Sapori D’ Italia—home of the only real-deal Chicago dog in San Luis Obispo County, according to founder Dante Stefono. “It’s not something you can just go to the store…
