Cover Story
Welcome to Sanctuary Valley: Undocumented immigrants have a safe haven in Northern Santa Barbara County
Feb. 6 was a confusing and worrisome day for undocumented peoples in Santa Barbara County. The Los Angeles Field Office of Enforcement and Removal for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) swept a seven-county area and arrested at least 160 undocumented immigrants, including five in North Santa Barbara County. The operation coincided with raids throughout the…
SMPD receives fake news award
In an era when journalists are easily accused of reporting fake news, government agencies get some of that credit, too. On March 13, San Francisco’s Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) nonprofit awarded the Santa Maria Police Department with the “Fake News Award” for a fake press release it issued in February 2016 that was ultimately uncovered…
Should local law enforcement cooperate with ICE?
Alexander Lopez student “Hell no! But I’m glad you asked; it’s better to talk about that stuff than sweep it under the rug.” Trulia Calderon student “They should cooperate, but at the same time remain separate and stick to their own areas.” John Rogers student “Yes because federal issues turn into state issues. They’ll have…
Spotlight on: Shuggies
Not all medical marijuana edibles are made the same, but Carol Draeger thinks the ones available on the Central Coast seem to be. Because so many of the edibles on the market retain the acrid taste of marijuana, Draeger decided to put her baking expertise to use. She started her company Shuggies to make edibles…
California proposes new rules for pesticide use near schools
The California Department of Pesticide Regulation released revised proposed regulations on March 16 for the use of agricultural pesticides near school sites and day care facilities. The department issued its initial regulations proposal in September 2016, aiming to give extra protection to schools and daycare facilities against the risk of short-term pesticide exposure. The most…
Former astronaut to speak at Hancock
Jose Hernandez, a former NASA astronaut, will speak at Allan Hancock College on Tuesday, March 28, as part of the college’s Launching the Next Generation event. The presentation is also sponsored by the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District’s Multilingual and Migrant Education Programs. According to a Hancock press release, the event aims to…
Righetti student scores $20,000 scholarship
Zoi Urban, a student at Ernest Righetti High School, has been named a Coca-Cola scholar, making her one of 150 students to earn the $20,000 scholarship—out of an applicant pool of 89,000. Urban, who maintains a 4.4 GPA, hasn’t decided on a university yet, though according to a Santa Maria Joint Union High School District…
Closet chaos
Last week a shipment from eBay arrived. It was three pairs of shoes, a hat, a bottle of perfume, and some other stuff I’ve already forgotten about. When my fiancé Chris saw it, he sighed. “More shoes?” he asked. I responded how I always do, with one of my Rihanna-esque side eyes. “Yes,” I said,…
Carbajal, the radical democrat
This guy Carbajal does not represent the majority of the people in the 24th District. We support President Trump’s program to replace the dictatorship of Obamacare with free market medical insurance policies. And while he is at it, eliminate Medicare, another failed, stupid program by radical Democrat Lyndon Johnson. The radical Democrats like Carbajal are…
Help our leaders to create fair districts
Something important is happening in Santa Maria. We are about to elect our city leaders in a new way. Instead of city-wide campaigns, where we seldom get to know all the candidates running for office, beginning in 2018, voters will elect a councilperson from their district, their community, and their neighborhood. This is an exciting…
Guadalupe and Los Alamos libraries host Peeps on Parade contest
The community is invited to participate in the Peeps on Parade Contest at either the Guadalupe Branch Library or the Los Alamos Branch Library on March 17. Participating groups or individuals should create a diorama with Marshmallow Peeps featuring any family-friendly theme. Dioramas must be the size of a shoebox or smaller. Submissions will be…
Righetti Marimba Band and Ballet Folklórico presents annual Big Show
The Marimba Band and Ballet Folklórico program at Ernest Righetti High School was founded in 1975 and has performed an annual concert ever since then. The program began thanks to longtime Righetti teacher Ricardo Gabaldón, who wanted to educate students about Mexican and Latino culture and heritage. Gabaldón retired in 2014, and was succeeded by…
Strawberry Festival holds kid’s art contest
The deadline to enter the 2017 Santa Maria Valley Strawberry Festival Kid’s Art Contest is April 14 this year. The competition, sponsored by the Sun, is open to all first through eight graders from Northern Santa Barbara County schools. Entries will be judged on originality, artistic composition, and relevant content. The recommended strawberry pattern for…
Daytripper: Dogs are welcome in Atascadero’s vibrant vintage shopping community
My idea of a perfect day trip involves three things: Wine, shopping, and being able to enjoy the trip with my dog. BB, my real true human daughter who only looks like a rat terrier, is a great shopping and drinking companion, albeit a rather fussy and pampered one. Before I make my mind up…
Photographer Jeffrey Bloom’s new exhibit features haunting shadows
A distorted shadow encased in an icy blue field hangs on the screen for a moment, then dissolves into a jagged image, where the shadow of a man is barely identifiable between two dark lines. The shadow belongs to Jeffrey Bloom, artist, photographer, and filmmaker, whose work is featured in a new exhibit at the…
Ethnic food fair in Santa Maria celebrates culinary diversity
The first thing that hit me when I walked into the Ethnic Food Fair at the Orthodox Church of the Annunciation was the aroma. It was familiar and comforting, a scent that seeps into my body and awakens ancient memories of the evenings I spent watching my mother prepare the dishes of her homeland. She…
Open and closed: Ad hoc committees are often exempt from California’s open meetings law
On March 14, the Allan Hancock College board of trustee members unanimously censured fellow trustee Dan Hilker, who they say violated the board’s standards of practice. The decision followed a finding by an ad hoc committee of two—Hancock trustees Larry Lahr and Jeffrey Hall—which was tasked with investigating Hilker. They discussed their findings in closed…
Proposed bill would confirm Camp 4 as part of Chumash reservation
New federal legislation was introduced earlier this month in an attempt to uphold the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ (BIA) Jan. 19 decision to place Camp 4—a hotly debated 1,400-acre parcel of land owned by the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians—into federal trust, effectively annexing the parcel as part of the tribe’s Indian reservation. Santa…
Orcutt rapper found not guilty of making threats in song
On March 16, a Santa Barbara County jury found Orcutt rapper Anthony Murillo not guilty of making threats in a song he posted to the internet in 2013. Going by the moniker of Lil A, Murillo posted his song, “Moment for Life Remix,” to the website Reverbnation.com, which referenced and allegedly threatened victims for snitching…
Minors get prison time for stabbing homicide
Three teenagers who were arrested last year in connection with the Jan. 25, 2016, stabbing homicide of a Pioneer Valley High School student were handed state prison sentences earlier this month. Carlos Geovani Perez, Pablo Juarez, and Daniel Jaime were three of the six suspects arrested last year for the student’s murder. Five of the…
Nothing to hide?
Oh man, did you hear what happened to CalCoastNews? It totally got Gawkered! That’s a reference to the news media website Gawker, which suffered a blistering legal defeat from Hulk Hogan for a sex tape it ran of the wrestler/reality TV star. The case awarded Hogan $31 million in settlement money, which resulted in bankruptcy…
Lompoc Library and In-N-Out Burger team up for kid’s book club
The Lompoc Public Library System is participating in In-N-Out Burger’s Cover to Cover Club, a children’s reading program in which, for every five books read, participants will receive a coupon for a free hamburger or cheeseburger. The program runs until April 15. All children between the ages of 4 and 12 are eligible to participate.…
Political Watch 3/23/17
• President Donald Trump’s proposed 2018 federal budget isn’t getting much love from California Sen. Kamala Harris (D). The budget, which Harris describes as cutting “core functions to the bone,” proposes cuts of $54 billion across every federal agency, except for the departments of Homeland Security, Defense, and Veterans Affairs. The Environmental Protection Agency received…
Correction
In the March 16 story, “Spotlight on: Dickey’s Barbecue Pit in Santa Maria,” the Sun misspelled the last name of the owner, Gary Chhina.
Josiah Gonzales
Nine-year-old Josiah Gonzales fell in love with basketball the moment he took his first free throw at the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Maria Valley. He fell in love again, this time with soccer, when he joined the Orcutt United Soccer League. And after playing on an Orcutt National Little League team, Gonzales fell…
The Benchwarmer: Speak up about sexual assault in sports
Admittedly as a teacher and a coach, I have very little sympathy, tolerance, or understanding for any individual who chooses to harm a child through sexual means of molestation or rape. I have friends who endured this for portions of their young lives, and the impact throughout the rest of their lives is obvious. Sexual…
Applause to SLO Planning Commission
The unsung heroes of the Phillips 66 rail terminal application is the Planning Commission’s staff, headed by project lead Ryan Hostetter. Across multiple EIRs and years of testimony, they juggled ongoing demands, orders, and requests from all sides. Yet, they handled it all with incredible professionalism. They were always responsive to repeated calls and emails…
Preserving the valley
I am writing on behalf of WE Watch, an environmental watchdog group in the Santa Ynez Valley formerly known as Women’s Environmental Watch. The organization was founded in the early 1990s to help develop the valley-wide community plan. Now, members of both genders work to promote the sustainability of the Santa Ynez Valley, its natural…
