Cover Story
Workers and business owners alike face hurdles while navigating new unemployment benefits, loan options in response to COVID-19
In March 2019, Californians filed 160,384 new unemployment insurance claims, according to data from the United States Department of Labor. A year later that number was 739 percent higher—more than 1.3 million state residents filed for unemployment in March 2020. Percentage-wise, Santa Barbara County saw a similar spike and then some. In March 2019, county…
With most social outlets unavailable, it’s harder to say no when my girls want to make their own sweet treats
“Somehow I got banana up my nose!” And so today’s kitchen adventure begins. My 10-year-old daughter is mashing bananas for muffins and apparently had a mishap. She’s always loved baking, since long before she could read and follow a recipe on her own. Now she’s competent not only at mixing dry ingredients into the wet,…
Solvang’s Wildling Museum celebrates its 20th anniversary by going solar
The staff of the Wildling Museum of Art and Nature can’t let visitors back inside the museum quite yet, but that’s not stopping them from letting the sunshine in—so to speak. Thanks to support from Solarize Nonprofit, a pilot project headed by the Community Environmental Council (CEC) of Santa Barbara, the Solvang museum was able…
Orcutt Community Theater co-founder Dixie Arthur recalls her last curtain call before COVID-19 closures
Santa Maria Civic Theatre’s production of The Red Velvet Cake War was canceled abruptly—like many public events that week—the night before its premiere performance (March 13). Some cast and crew members didn’t find out until arriving for dress rehearsal that evening. “We were to open the next day, and we were all informed that the…
Political Watch: May 7, 2020
• Gov. Gavin Newsom announced new food security initiatives in an April 29 press release: $3.64 million in funding will aid in expanding the statewide Farm to Family program. The funding combines $2.86 million from the USDA with $775,000 from philanthropic donations. According to the release, the campaign aims to eventually reach $15 million to…
Farm, grower groups push back on proposed regulations designed to restore water quality
Since 2004, the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board has issued multiple agricultural orders that are used to record data on water quality conditions and impose regulations on farmers throughout the region. But a draft of the most recent order, which was released in February, has agricultural groups concerned it could permanently change farming…
Bureau of Prisons completes hospital care unit at Lompoc penitentiary
The Bureau of Prisons announced that it had finished construction on a 20-bed hospital care unit at the Lompoc federal penitentiary on May 4. According to the bureau’s website, 52 inmates were sick with COVID-19 at the prison as of May 5. Neither the bureau nor Lompoc Valley Medical Center is currently releasing the number…
Hancock launching new Latino studies degree program this summer
Allan Hancock College announced a new Latino studies associate degree program on May 1 that will debut in the college’s summer and fall class offerings, with general registration beginning on May 9. While summer classes will be conducted remotely due to COVID-19 related closures, Public Information Officer Christopher McGuinness told the Sun that students’ ability…
United Way, foundations work together to provide relief during pandemic
During the Thomas Fire in late 2017 and the debris flow that followed, United Way of Santa Barbara County and the Santa Barbara Foundation formed a partnership to provide financial assistance to individuals and nonprofits in need. Earlier this year, during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the organizations restarted this partnership along with the…
Infrastructure projects could help save local economy, community leaders say
As Santa Barbara County faces record levels of unemployment, elected officials and community stakeholders are looking to much-needed transportation and infrastructure improvements as a way to boost the local economy. According to Santa Barbara County Association of Governments Executive Director Marjie Kirn, the county has $700 million worth of ready-to-deliver projects that, if funded, could…
County officials eye reopening businesses faster than state’s pace
Santa Barbara County officials believe the county is in a prime position to start easing COVID-19 restrictions and reopening businesses, based on testing capabilities and other data trends. On May 4, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that some retailers, such as bookstores and music shops, could begin reopening on May 8 with modifications like curbside pickup.…
Discovery Museum offers new activity bags for small donations
The Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum distributed its first set of Discovery Activity Bags on April 29 to museum members, free of charge, with a drive-through pickup service on-site to facilitate social distancing. The museum hopes to continue offering new sets of activity bags throughout its temporary closure. Each bag includes hands-on, family-friendly activities to…
Dunes Center announces new collection platform, August fundraiser
The Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center is currently in the process of finalizing its virtual collection platform, according to a recent announcement from Doug Jenzen, executive director of the Dunes Center. Guests of the virtual platform will be able to view any object in the Dunes Center’s permanent collection for free. The official premiere date for the…
PCPA lights up Hancock College in support of health care workers, first responders
At the request of Kevin G. Walthers, president of Allan Hancock College, the Pacific Conservatory Theatre (PCPA) recently lent out its blue gels—previously used for theatrical lighting—to light up several of the school’s buildings. The bright blue lighting that currently encompasses the school each night, visible from Highway 101 to drivers passing by, is meant…
Green isn’t all good
It’s amazing what having so much time on our hands can do for alternative media. Glen and Anna Starkey, movie reviewers for the Sun, discovered a hidden YouTube gem with Planet of the Humans (“Bitter pill,” April 30). Now that we are not able to go to the cinema, YouTube is a Pandora’s Box of,…
Lawmakers must create a sensible roadmap for lifting COVID-19 restrictions and reopening California’s economy
Politicians are becoming too accustomed to their newfound powers as we enter the third month of COVID-19 restrictions. As this thing unfolds, even harsher infringements on our civil liberties seem to be the order of the day. In Santa Barbara County the disease hasn’t just impacted the people who have the sickness, but also thousands…
CANARY: Underwhelmed and overpaid
The Employment Development Department (EDD) is a disaster. Applying for unemployment benefits is confusing and slow. People who should qualify are being told that they don’t. You can’t fix something if you filled out the online forms wrong or the site crashes while you’re using it. You can’t call the office because nobody picks up. …
Country Oaks Care Center owner talks operation changes amid COVID-19
As a center that’s home to people most at risk of experiencing health issues related to COVID-19, Country Oaks Care Center has been forced to make a lot of changes to how it operates over the last month and a half. Public health orders have prohibited visitors from entering skilled nursing facilities that provide care…
