

Cover Story
The future of food
Environmental advocacy groups, local fisheries, chefs, and law firms are working their way up the food chain to get President Joe Biden to revoke a Trump-era executive order allowing fish farms in federal waters—with eight potential sites identified in the Santa Barbara Channel. “This is your backyard, and they are treating your backyard like a…
Mystic Nature displays nature-themed digital art in new solo show
Not to be mist Visit mysticnaturephotography.com to find out more about the Nature’s Harmony exhibition and future announcements from Mystic Nature, a contemporary art gallery located at 191 W. Tefft St., Nipomo. The venue is open Wednesdays through Sundays, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nature’s Harmony opened at the gallery in mid-April and will…
Solvang approves Pride banner proposal and adjusts banner policies
What started as a simple proposal to hang Pride banners throughout June in Solvang turned into a months-long, widespread debate that received international attention and highlighted historic discrimination against the LGBTQ-plus community in the Danish-themed town. “The banners are not what caused the division; people have created the division. Me being gay is not being…
Buellton approves library retrofit of Willemsen House
Rather than fund the construction of a new library facility from scratch, the Buellton City Council recently greenlit plans to retrofit a historic site to become the city’s next public library. The proposed project—for the Willemsen House on Dairyland Road, adjacent to River View Park—was approved with a 4-1 vote during the council’s last meeting…
Santa Maria care provider pays more than $500,000 in back wages after federal investigation
A U.S. Department of Labor investigation found Bauer Residential Inc. denied overtime wages to 42 caregivers, violating the U.S. Fair Labor Standards Act, and created a second payroll to hide the fraud, Wage and Hour Division Investigator Philipda Modrakee told the Sun. “Careworkers are the backbone of our country. They’re low-wage workers, they have to…
Political Watch: May 4, 2023
• The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) was set to host a public forum on May 3 to discuss the license renewal process for Diablo Canyon Power Plant, agreeing to an invitation from U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara), according to a statement from the representative’s office. The commission planned to answer questions directly from Central…
Boys & Girls Clubs of Mid Central Coast holds benefit concert
On Friday, May 19, singer and musician Pryor Baird will perform in Santa Maria at a special benefit concert to support the Boys & Girls Clubs of Mid Central Coast. Proceeds of the event will help fund programs hosted by the nonprofit, which provides after-school programs, mentoring, and other services to children and teens at…
DANA Adobe and Cultural Center presents Jazz on the Rancho
The Ron McCarley Jazz Quartet and Cuesta Jazz Combos will perform during an upcoming jazz event, Jazz on the Rancho, at the DANA Adobe and Cultural Center on Friday, May 6, starting at 4:30 p.m. General admission is $35. Visit danaadobe.org for more info. The venue is located at 671 S. Oakglen Ave., Nipomo.
Lompoc City Council must now help the community face inevitable major electric rate increases
Previous Lompoc City Council members painted the current council into a corner because they had delayed an orderly schedule of electrical rate increases. Thus the staff is now predicting that at “the current projected pace of use of cash reserves, staff believes that with the 2011 rates in place currently, the Electric Fund will deplete…
Exxon’s corroded pipeline
Exxon’s asking Santa Barbara County to allow it to reopen a 123-mile-long pipeline that caused the 142,000-gallon Refugio spill in 2015. The pipe is more than 30 years old, is eight years older now than when it caused that great destruction, and has not been fully inspected and repaired in all this time. Rather than…
Perseverance payoff
Solvang Mayor Mark Infanti finally caved. Although he didn’t specify why he switched sides on Pride Bannergate 2023, he did indicate that he was feeling the pressure from the state, federal, and international levels. The pressure on Solvang seemed to continually rise in the weeks following the upheaval over a relatively benign proposal to hang…
Junior high school teacher-hosted spin class fundraiser benefits Cottage Children’s Hospital
When Amanda James’ mother passed away last Christmas, it made her want to do something to give back to her community. As someone who’s always been into health and fitness and as a special education teacher at Santa Maria-Bonita School District’s Tommie Kunst Junior High School, she said wanted to do something that would benefit…
The family behind Nena’s Kitchen opens first brick-and-mortar location
Kitchen tidbits Call (805) 934-4001 for more info on Nena’s Kitchen, located at 4869 S. Bradley Road, unit 122, Orcutt. The restaurant is open Tuesday through Friday, from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., and on Saturdays and Sundays, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. For more details, visit the eatery’s Facebook page. Locally known for…
Beau Is Afraid offers a disturbing ride through anxiety and paranoia
BEAU IS AFRAID What’s it rated? R What’s it worth, Glen? Full price What’s it worth, Anna? Full price Where’s it showing? Regal Edwards RPX Santa Maria, Regal Edwards Arroyo Grande Writer-director Ari Aster (Hereditary, Midsommar) takes viewers on an epic adventure with Beau Wassermann (Joaquin Phoenix), an anxious milquetoast man forced to confront his…
BINGEABLE: Schmigadoon!
Schmigadoon! What’s it rated? TV-14 When? 2021-present Where’s it showing? Apple TV Plus Alright, my musical theater enthusiast friends—strap in! Schmigadoon is back for season 2 with all the fun and folly of season 1. Now married, Josh (Keegan-Michael Key) and Melissa (Cecily Strong) are looking to return to the place that once brought them…
BINGEABLE: Mrs. Davis
BINGEABLE: Mrs. Davis What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2023 Where’s it showing? Peacock Created by Tara Hernandez (The Big Bang Theory) and Damon Lindelof (Lost), this Warner Bros. Television-produced series follows Sister Simone (Betty Gilpin), a Catholic nun who finds herself battling a powerful artificial intelligence called Mrs. Davis with the help of her ex-boyfriend,…






