Don’t blink or the year might be over. Before that happens, you’ve got to revel in the spirit of the holiday season! And I don’t just mean when the big man in red comes to deliver all those things you want. Our annual Holiday Guide is here to help you really celebrate this season, with…
Santa Barbara County 1st District Supervisor Das Williams and 3rd District Supervisor Joan Hartmann stepped out of their seats in the Santa Maria hearing room and gave the dais to local farmworker advocates and growers. The two supervisors held the first ad hoc advisory committee meeting on Nov. 12 to better understand the working conditions…
At least one person made a salient point at a recent Santa Barbara County ad-hoc committee meeting about farmworker conditions, specifically when it comes to the concept of implementing a $26 minimum wage for farmworkers in the county. “Say I’m Driscoll’s. I could buy from Santa Barbara County, I could buy from our neighboring counties,…
• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) unveiled a new legislative effort to rename a Central Coast post office in Goleta for Frederick Lopez, a retired brigadier general in the U.S. Marine Corps with a 30-year career of distinguished service, according to a Nov. 12 statement from Carbajal’s office. Carbajal—a veteran himself—joined Lopez, his family,…
Many Democrats may not realize that their loss in 2024 was sealed by two Faustian bargains that they struck in 2020 to win that election. A “Faustian bargain” is, in its broadest sense, the making of a deal that promises immediate rewards, but at a painful cost that must be paid later. Going into the…
The Allan Hancock Pride Center, a space dedicated to serving the LGBTQ-plus community and its allies on campus, opened its doors on Oct. 30. “We were, gosh, thrilled to finally see that vision come to light. I know for decades there had been a dream to have it,” Hancock Director of Student Engagement and Community…
Salud Carbajal sent out a letter to his constituents (that’s us the people) making it clear he intends to continue to obstruct President Trump’s agenda. Clearly, he can’t appreciate how soundly a majority of the people rejected the Democrat agenda. I encourage everyone send a response similar to the response I sent to him: I…
The “America must do all it can to prevent nuclear war in the Middle East” (Oct. 10) author assumes Jews arrived in the Middle East in 1947. No mention is made of the Jewish kingdoms of Judea and Samaria 2,000 years ago. Yes, this is before the existence of British Palestine in the 19th century.…
Vista points The Lompoc Valley Art Association presents Canine Companions, a solo show featuring paintings by local artist Liz Poulin Alvarez that opened at Cypress Gallery in early November and will remain up through Nov. 24. Visit lompocart.org to find out more. The gallery is located at 119 E. Cypress Ave., Lompoc. A separate collection…
Everybody Can DANCE and the Santa Maria Civic Ballet present their annual collaborative production of The Nutcracker, choreographed by Diane Rose Zink, at the Clark Center for the Performing Arts in Arroyo Grande on Saturday, Nov. 30, at 7 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 1, at 3 p.m. As the show’s artistic director, Zink has helmed…
Red One What’s it rated? PG-13 What’s it worth, Cori? Matinee What’s it worth, Glen? Matinee Where’s it showing? Regal Edwards RPX Santa Maria, Movies Lompoc, Regal Edwards Arroyo Grande Editor’s note: Anna Starkey was camping in Death Valley last weekend, so Glen tapped his hair stylist and favorite stand-up comic, Cori Ramsey, to co-write…
Janet Planet What’s it rated? PG-13 When? 2023 Where’s it showing? HBO Max Eleven-year-old Lacy (Zoe Ziegler) lives in rural Massachusetts with her mother, Janet (Julianne Nicholson), an offbeat acupuncturist who stumbles from one romantic situation to another until she tires of them. This quietly ambitious film is a meandering love story of a mother…
I may have lived in the Western United States for the past eight years, but I am a Minnesotan first and foremost. I grew up battling bitter cold winters, praying for snow days, boating on the many lakes in the summer, wearing shorts when the weather creeped above 55 degrees, going to Perkins after high…
Red Right Hand What’s it rated? Not rated When? 2024 Where’s it showing? Hulu Siblings Eshom and Ian Nelms (Small Town Crime) co-direct this action thriller asking, “Is violence ever justified?” The answer is heck yeah! Cash (a jacked Orlando Bloom) is living quietly after extracting himself from a gang run by crime maven Big…
Most of us likely have traditions we adhere to around the holidays. Decorate a Christmas tree, bake cookies (and leave some for Santa), hang stockings, drink eggnog, attend a parade, yada-yada-yada. You know the drill. You’re probably not surprised to learn that other cultures have their own holiday traditions, and sorry-not-sorry, but some of them…
Reach the writers To connect with the authors and purchase their books, contact: Lori Rice, The California Farm Table Cookbook, loririce.com; Candice Custodio, The Versatile Chef, chefcandice.com; Brigit Binns, Rottenkid, brigitbinns.com; Debbie Thomas, Fork Me!, winedinetravelwithdeb.com; and Sean Weir, The Mad Crush, seanweir.com. The Central Coast, an agricultural oasis, is also a hotbed of literary…
For some, the holiday spirit revolves around giving back to their community. Luckily for those who carry these beliefs or for those who want to begin a new tradition, the Central Coast is offering some fun, festive volunteering opportunities this holiday season. Have you ever walked by Mission Plaza in San Luis Obispo during the…
A 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judge ruled in favor of the U.S. Forest Service’s controversial tree and chaparral removal project in the Pine Mountain area that’s caused contention between the federal agency and local environmental groups. “Specifically, plaintiffs argue that the Forest Service did not properly evaluate the project’s potential impact on religious…
The path toward signage approval for storefronts, restaurants, and other businesses in Solvang is a long and winding road, but a shortcut is in the works thanks to the results of a city survey. During the Solvang City Council’s Nov. 12 meeting, Planning and Building Manager Rafael Castillo summarized some feedback the city collected from…
