Cover Story
Berry boycott: Labor disputes in Baja California spill onto the Central Coast
Rows of green-topped fields are a staple on the Central Coast, and as soon as red starts showing up between the forest-colored leaves, those acres flood with workers running empty boxes to spots where they hover with hands that deftly seek out tart, sweet berries the color of blood. It’s part of the landscape, commonplace,…
It’s time to get briefs with 55 fiction
Boxers or briefs? Come on. You know the answer. It’s not even a question. You go with the latter. You go with the tighty-whities. And if you just can’t, your only option is this: briefly in boxers. Yes, brief is better as the ads for this year’s 55 Fiction contest proclaim because, as Shakespeare wrote,…
Should Central Coast produce pickers receive better wages and working conditions?
Nick Presher Central Coast resident “Definitely yes to both. I believe companies can afford to pay their workers more.” Robert Hill Allan Hancock student “Technically yes and no. Publicly funded social assistance programs are better because if you give them more money, they’ll work less.” Lisa Lansing Allan Hancock student “I would say yes. I…
Orcutt fusion: Niya restaurant brings contemporary Asian-style cuisine to old town
Walk into Niya Restaurant in Old Orcutt and a stately elegance is immediately apparent. Suddenly, any illusion a visitor may get from the “old” in Old Orcutt fades away behind a contemporary modern aesthetic and the aromas of fresh fusion happening in the kitchen. Of course, it’s more than design and aromatics that make a…
Etiquette du toilet
The men’s restroom has rules. These are strict procedures not to be broken under any circumstances, even if there is a fire. There are certain things men do not do in the restroom, things like talk. Rule No. 1: There is no talking in the men’s room, even amongst friends, and certainly not with strangers.…
Unfinished Business explores the British Invasion
The driving, dominant chords that open the song “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” heralded the beginning of something big when The Beatles strummed them over the screams of The Ed Sullivan Show’s studio audience on Feb. 9, 1964. Beatlemania gripped the country during the group’s first visit to the United States, but the explosion…
Artists Guild of Santa Ynez Valley announces scholarship winners
The Artists Guild of the Santa Ynez Valley announced the winners of its 2015 scholarship cycle, recognizing three local art students for achievements in visual arts. The winners are Jordan Swidenbank from Midland School in first place, Sofia Torres-Small from Santa Ynez Valley Union High School in second place, and Kaitlin Goodwin of Santa Ynez…
Poetic Justice Project actors to perform at Alcatraz
The Poetic Justice Project, along with collaborator and director Gale McNeeley, will perform the production Inside Out during the Arts in Prisons Conference at Alcatraz happening June 17 through 20. Inside Out is a play in the style of commedia dell’arte, which features the use of character masks to explore the lives of those entering…
Hugh Jackman documentary needs ticket sales to show in Santa Maria
A special screening event for the film Dukale’s Dream, featuring actor Hugh Jackman’s visit and subsequent mobilization of aid in Ethiopia, is scheduled for June 4 at 7:30 p.m. in Santa Maria. The screening requires 77 advance tickets sold by May 28 to ensure the film screens at the Edwards Santa Maria 14 and RPX…
Santa Maria Public Library kicks off summer reading program
The Santa Maria Public Library—along with its Orcutt, Guadalupe, and Cuyama branches—will kick off the Read to the Rhythm summer reading program on June 15. The program continues through Aug. 8 with three groups available for adults, teens, and children. Adult attendees can participate by signing up and visiting the library during each week of…
St. Joseph High School reboots its drama program with comedic mystery ‘Where There’s a Will, There’s a Murder’
St. Joseph High School is one of numerous educational institutions forced to pull art programs during the budget struggle of the last decade. The private school in Orcutt recently rekindled its drama program, which went by the wayside eight years ago, and will produce its first production since the program restarted last semester, Where There’s…
Torey Barrett
Long-time Pioneer Valley wrestling coach and social science teacher Kevin Ilac said senior female wrestler Torey Barrett is a great example of how commitment and sacrifice can transform your life. “Torey is the most decorated athlete from our girls’ program and one of the greatest in Pioneer Valley history,” Ilac said. Ilac first met Barrett…
The Mission Hope Cancer Center puts on yoga classes for restorative and fundraising efforts
The “C” word. The “Big C.” Cancer. This is not a diagnosis any of us want to hear during a trip to the doctor’s office. Cancer kills an astronomical amount of people annually, that much is obvious. It is a killer that doesn’t discriminate by age, race, or gender. It is a killer that has…
Regulatory, schmegulatory
Last summer (2014) the California Department of Conservation discovered a little hiccup in the regulatory oversight of one of its agencies (a department within the department)—the Department of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources, also known as DOGGR. That little curve in the road led state regulators to review 50,000, that’s a lot, underground injection wells…
Salamanders don’t need to be saved
When I recently read that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was promoting the idea of protecting the “endangered” tiger salamander in a project of condemning 30,000 acres of producing land and at a cost of $46 million in Santa Barbara County, I didn’t know whether to be appalled or laugh. Who in their right…
A never event
More than 1,500 Californians, patients at a pain clinic operated by Dr. Allen Thomashefsky in Santa Barbara, have been notified by local public health officials that they may have been affected by hepatitis B, hepatitis C, or HIV while receiving medical treatment. The possible route of transmission of those blood borne pathogens, at this stage,…
Political Watch 5/21/15
• The California Senate passed a contentious bill on May 14 that would get rid of the state’s religious and personal belief exemptions for vaccines. Essentially, the bill would require any child who doesn’t have a required vaccine to have a medical reason or they would have to be homeschooled, but it still has to…
Community Notebook 5/21/15 – 5/28/15
MONDAY, MAY 25 • The South County Advisory Council has its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. at the Nipomo Community Services District Headquarters, 148 S. Wilson St., Nipomo. • The Solvang City Council has its regular meeting at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers, 1644 Oak Street, Solvang. agendas are available at cityofsolvang.com. TUESDAY,…
Classified employees reach tentative agreement with Santa Maria Joint Union High School District
The California School Employees Association (CSEA) and the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District (SMJUHSD) recently reached a tentative agreement in the 2015-2016 contract negotiations, according to a statement released by the district. The agreement includes hours of employment, reclassification, and pay and allowance—which includes a wage increase of 6.07 percent beginning July 1…
Santa Barbara County preschools get national accreditation
The National Association of Educators of Young Children (NAEYC) awarded every state preschool in Santa Barbara County with full accreditation in April, according to a release from the Santa Barbara County Education Office. This comes after years of effort put forth by the office’s Child Development Program, which saw more than a decade’s worth of…
Santa Maria high school students receive new Dell tablets
The Santa Maria Joint Union High School District (SMJUHSD) distributed more than 5,000 Dell Venue Pro tablet computers to students at Pioneer Valley, Ernest Righetti, and Santa Maria high schools on May 19 at 10 a.m. Parents received recorded phone calls regarding the new technological addition at the schools, as well as letters detailing the…
Spotlight on: Curt’s Plumbing and Heating
Ever heard that phrase: “If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down?” What does it mean? Think the contents of a toilet bowl. And now that Gov. Jerry Brown ordered mandatory water restrictions in California, it’s got people thinking seriously about that phrase and various other ways they can conserve water.…
Bug vs bug: A foreign predatory wasp is released in Santa Maria to help fight citrus tree-loving pest
When you see the fruit on a citrus tree turn from orange or yellow to green, the tree isn’t growing limes. It’s most likely a sign that the tree has a disease called Huánglóngbing (HLB), otherwise known as citrus greening disease. According to entomologist David Morgan, the disease is carried by the Asian citrus psyllid,…
Correction
In the story, “Water for life,” published on May 14, the Sun reported that Santa Maria Director of Community Development Larry Appel said water resources haven’t been identified for the city’s approved development projects. According to Appel, the active development projects in Santa Maria are currently served by the city’s water.
California Nurses Association speaks out against Phillips 66 refinery rail spur
The California Nurses Association (CNA) joined parents and students in a rally on May 19 outside of the Lucia Mar Unified School District’s board meeting to continue protests against the Phillips 66 rail spur project. “As advocates for patient health, RNs have serious concerns about the health and safety implications of the proposed oil by…
Santa Maria City Council considers synthetic drug ban
The Santa Maria City Council was scheduled to vote on an ordinance to ban the possession, distribution, and sale of synthetic drugs within city limits on May19. The results of the vote weren’t available as of press time. The ordinance includes provisions to suspend or revoke the business licenses of businesses involved in the selling…
Man found shot to death in parked car in Santa Maria
Several reports of gunshots on the night of May 16 led authorities to a residential area in the 400 block of West Williams Street, where police said they found a man inside a parked car who was shot several times. Santa Maria police responded to the scene shortly before 8:30 p.m. City fire fighters and…
Nipomo will be getting its supplemental water this summer
The first phase of a multi-million dollar pipeline project will be delivering water to thirsty Nipomo residents by mid-summer. Michael LeBrun, general manager of the Nipomo Community Services District, said the initial Nipomo Supplemental Water Project pipeline will be finished in June, and operational testing will begin later that month. “Physically, it will be done…
Santa Maria company dissolves after paying $1 million in fines
A Santa Maria landscaping company paid $1 million to the federal government to settle an allegation that it fraudulently obtained federal contracts by claiming ownership by a disabled veteran. Acting U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Stephanie Yonekura announced on May 15 that Veterans of the Land shelled out the hefty civil penalty…
