Cover Story
The transformation: How Lompoc cleaned up the Santa Ynez Riverbed
In a generic shopping center in the northern section of Lompoc, the smooth black asphalt of a parking lot abruptly gives way to a swath of yellow-brown scrubland that cradles a bend in the Santa Ynez River. There doesn’t seem to be anything special about the area today: It’s just dirt and brush dotted with…
Spotlight on: Leadership Santa Maria Valley
Big changes are in store for more than 4 acres of vacant land on Carmen Lane in Santa Maria, specifically the dirt lot in between the train tracks and Blosser Road. On March 16, the Leadership Santa Maria Valley (LSMV) class of 2019 held a groundbreaking ceremony at the spot, which is the future home…
Hobnobbing with Helen: Local groups are in full bloom
What a lollapalooza! The annual OASIS Spring Gala held on Saturday, March 23, at the Radisson Hotel was jam-packed with great vibes and high energy. About 250 people filled the hotel ballroom for dinner and the program. Julie Hall, OASIS staffer, told me it was a sellout. Euphoria was in the air when this blockbuster…
Local launches support group for moms in Santa Maria after difficulty finding services
Similar to many new parents, Samantha Curtis isn’t really sure what she’s doing. It’s a general uncertainty that presents itself in new forms nearly every day: When she’s dressing her 6-month-old baby, she wonders whether shoes are comfortable and if they’re safe. When she’s feeding him, she wonders when solids should be introduced. When her…
Santa Maria now provides dispatch services for Guadalupe
Calls for police, fire, and emergency medical services from Guadalupe are now officially being routed to dispatchers in Santa Maria. The city of Santa Maria announced that the transition took place the week of March 21. In a written statement, the city said the transition will reduce response times and increase police and firefighter safety.…
Santa Maria could bring animal control services in-house
The past three months have been busy ones for Santa Barbara County Animal Services. A new state law requiring pet stores to obtain all dogs, cats, and rabbits from animal shelters or rescue groups, and banning stores from sourcing directly from breeders, went into effect on Jan. 1, and Animal Services is tasked with enforcing…
County’s 2019 report shows increase in unsheltered homelessness
A report from this year’s count of Santa Barbara County’s homeless population was released on March 20, and the data shows an increase in the prevalence of unsheltered homelessness. The county’s rates of unsheltered homelessness rose by 27 percent from 2017, when 893 residents were found to be living without a home and without shelter.…
Santa Maria supports ExxonMobil’s oil trucking proposal
The Santa Maria City Council put its support behind a proposal to truck crude oil through Santa Barbara County, bucking two other Central Coast city councils that have voted to oppose it. The Santa Maria City Council voted 4-1 at a March 19 meeting to support ExxonMobil’s oil trucking proposal, which is currently under review…
Political Watch 3/28/19
• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) met with stakeholders and a representative from the U.S. Navy on March 21 to discuss the potential testing and training conflicts that the Navy has cited as an issue for offshore wind development along the Central Coast. A press release from Carbajal said that he called the meeting…
Lompoc, Guadalupe police investigate deaths
Both the Lompoc and Guadalupe police departments are investigating recent deaths in their jurisdictions. Law enforcement agencies have yet to make arrests in the two separate investigations into the deaths, which have been described as a homicide in Lompoc and a suspicious death in Guadalupe. The death in Guadalupe was discovered after officers responded to…
Truck it in
Looks like the Santa Maria City Council doesn’t care about anything but money and oil. Yes, folks, this week I finally get to rail like a true liberal snowflake environmentalist!! So strap those adult britches on, North Santa Barbara County residents, and get ready. On March 19, the City Council symbolically voted to support ExxonMobil’s…
PCPA to hold auditions for ‘The Addams Family’
The Pacific Conservatory Theatre (PCPA) is looking for a young performer to fill the role of Pugsley in an upcoming production of The Addams Family. The role of Pugsley is described as a boy who looks to be 10 to 12 years old, a “charming, funny boy who loves being tortured by his sister. He…
Poetry Out Loud regional winner Ivy Hatter loves science and the arts
Ivy Hatter may not be preparing herself for a career as a poet, but she certainly has a grip on why the medium is important for young people such as herself. “Most young people don’t read poetry,” Hatter said. “This is a way to get them exposed to something they may not know they could…
Lompoc Civic Theatre channels James Joyce for Bloomsday production
From 1918 to 1922, renowned Irish author James Joyce published parts of his masterwork, Ulysses. Hailed by many to be one of the greatest literary works in history, the novel left its mark not just on literary academia and global readers, but on the community of Dublin, where it was set. To honor the book…
Foxworthy Gallery hosts artist’s talk
The Ann Foxworthy Gallery at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria will host an artist’s talk featuring Michael E. Long on March 28 from 6 to 7 p.m. Long’s show, Some Assembly Required, features miniatures created with the artist’s unique perspective. Long’s show and talk is open to all ages. He will speak about his…
Charlie Brown comes to Righetti High School
Ernest Righetti High School presents a new musical, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown from March 29 through 31. The high school’s drama department will perform the production, which features numerous characters from the Peanuts comic strip written by Charles Schultz inside the school’s Black Box Theatre. The show will also include music by the…
Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty goes solo in Santa Ynez
“Yeah I’m sending you a Merry New York Christmas/ And a prayer for peace on earth within our time/ And the sidewalk angels echo hallelujah/ We understand them/ Now more than ever.” It’s only fitting that singer/songwriter Rob Thomas would name his nonprofit the Sidewalk Angels Foundation, after a lyric from his holiday anthem “A…
Angeles de Puebla delivers fresh, quality Mexican food
The first thing you’ll notice when you walk inside Angeles de Puebla in Santa Maria is how cozy the restaurant feels. The Mexican venue, which serves a variety of authentic dishes and some American food as well, is settled in an unassuming quiet spot just off Broadway, between Bettaravia and McCoy. It’s small and you…
Cat Canyon: lies and statistics
“In Carbon Evolution: The county argues about oil development in Cat Canyon” (March 21), ERG’s spokesperson Nathan Eady is quoted as saying that California’s Air Resources Board (CARB), showed that Cat Canyon had an average carbon intensity of 4.08 in 2017. These statistics were presented at the March 13 Santa Barbara County Planning Commission hearing…
Oil tankers are bombs on wheels!
On Dec. 15, 2017, a gasoline tanker flipped on Highway 101 near Goleta, causing a major spill and shutting down the highway as hundreds of local residents were evacuating due to the Thomas Fire. The 101 was closed while hazardous materials crews worked to clean up the 5,000-plus gallon spill. The road, disintegrated by corrosive…
An ego problem
Why would people who ordinarily oppose taxes support a temporary sales tax increase in Lompoc? The Lompoc City Council met last week, and one of the topics was the state of the current budget. City staff was seeking guidance on how to increase revenue for the next two-year budget cycle. Staff painted a bleak picture…
Righetti wrestling coach launches free junior high league
Nearly 229 boys attending Santa Maria’s high schools during the 2016-17 school year signed up for wrestling—a higher turnout than both soccer and basketball, and second only to football. Yet the Santa Maria-Bonita School District doesn’t offer a wrestling program in its elementary or junior high schools. Now, after years of work and planning, Justin…
Samantha DeLaCruz
The key to Samantha DeLaCruz’s consistent success on the softball diamond is simple: hard work. That’s according to Santa Maria High School’s head softball coach, Greg Guerrero, who said that since DeLaCruz joined the school’s varsity team as a freshman, she hasn’t missed a single game. Now a junior, the third baseman is proving herself…
