Cover Story
Moments in time: Winning Images 2016
A photograph can capture a moment in a way that words simply can’t. And the way in which that point in time is portrayed has everything to do with the person behind the camera. Each photographer’s unique view of the world—the way they think, how they look at things, what they find interesting—colors the snapshots…
Where is your favorite place to take a selfie?
Chad Lamon Hancock student “My favorite selfie was taken at Niagara Falls.” Marcos Cervantes lifeguard “Pirates Cove with the beach and rocks in the background.” Alondra Tapia Hancock student “My favorite place to take a picture is at the Rice Ranch hiking trails in Orcutt.” Marc Tosches staff at Lakeview Jr. High “My ranch in…
Santa Maria High participates in Red Ribbon Week
Santa Maria High School students recently joined millions of volunteers to work together to create a healthy environment and lifestyle during the school’s Red Ribbon Week. The national campaign, YOLO (You Only Live Once) Be Drug Free ran Oct. 24 to 28. It kicked off during a lunch rally with the majority of more than…
Educators attend School Wellness Summit
On Oct. 26, members of Santa Barbara County public school communities, community partners, and health and wellness advocates attended the third annual School Wellness Summit at the Alisal Guest Ranch in Solvang. The annual event, hosted by the professional volunteer-based Santa Barbara County School Wellness Council, is a day-long event that brings together educators, policy-makers,…
Spotlight on: TechBrew
Situated between Silicon Beach to the south and the innovation of Cal Poly to the north, Santa Maria isn’t exactly known as a hub for technology along the Central Coast. However, TechBrew is planting the seeds for a more tech-driven industry in Santa Maria. On Oct. 24, Moxie Café hosted the city’s first TechBrew. No,…
Lawsuit aims to protect condors from oil drilling in Los Padres
California condors have endured a tumultuous relationship with their human neighbors, to say the least. Early settlers in the West would kill or capture the birds, take their eggs, and diminish the supply of their usual prey. Killing condors was made illegal nearly a century ago, but that hasn’t stopped people from disturbing them—condors suffered…
Force or negotiation? Authorities discuss how they decide when to call mobile crisis units
Before police shot and killed 31-year-old Javier Gaona on the morning of July 20, an FBI negotiator was attempting to talk to Gaona, who stood with a knife to his neck and his back against the FoodsCo sign at the corner of Broadway and Enos in Santa Maria. Gaona was threatening suicide. The Santa Maria…
County supervisors deny Pacific Coast Energy’s request for new oil wells
The county Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 to deny an appeal by Pacific Coast Energy Company to add 88 new cyclic steaming wells to the company’s oil drilling project on Orcutt Hill. Steve Lavagnino, 5th District supervisor, called the Nov. 1 decision a “sad day for Santa Barbara County,” and essentially a “drilling moratorium” for…
Marian Hospital, county Department of Behavioral Wellness named in wrongful death lawsuit
The Santa Barbara County Department of Behavioral Wellness (DBW) and Marian Regional Medical Center are facing wrongful death allegations from a family who said their relative wasn’t given proper care. In a lawsuit filed in the Cook Division of Santa Barbara County Superior Court on Oct. 20, Pamela Madrigal alleges that her husband, Leonard, was…
Foodbank of Santa Barbara County needs help with Holiday Food Drive
Thanksgiving brings a few themes to mind: family, turkey, changing leaves, pumpkin pie, stretchy pants, and food comas, to name a few. But for the food insecure in Santa Barbara County, the holiday doesn’t guarantee those things. It could just be another day of hunger. That’s exactly what the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County aims…
Political Watch 11/3/16
• Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) joined bipartisan coalitions of her colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives to demand swift action to ensure that California National Guard members will not be forced to pay back re-enlistment bonuses and student loan repayment awards that were improperly authorized between 2006 and 2008, through no fault of…
Community Notebook 11/3/16 – 11/10/16
MONDAY, NOV. 7 • The Solvang Planning Commission has its regular meeting at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers, 1644 Oak Street, Solvang. TUESDAY, NOV. 8 • The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors has its regular meeting at 9 a.m. in the Betteravia Government Center’s Board of Supervisors Hearing Room, 511 E. Lakeside Parkway,…
Filmmaker showcases negative side of cannabis at Santa Maria town hall meeting
With Nov. 8 (Election Day) less than a week away, Californians will be voting for their favored political candidates as well as a slew of propositions. Among those is Proposition 64, or the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, which would allow adults aged 21 or older to consume marijuana recreationally. Currently, the propostion is polling…
First time for everything
As you could probably tell already, I usually have a lot to say. I’m an opinionated little bird. But this week, I recognize that you have plenty to say as well! So in the interest of freeing up room on the Opinion page for everyone else’s opinions (oh geez, I’m regretting not running my beak…
Sick of money in politics
People keep talking about the amount of outside money that’s being spent in this race, and I completely agree. We should be talking about the outside money. For instance, has anyone asked Salud Carbajal about the nearly $2.5 million that has been poured into this race in support of him by only two super PACs…
Fareed’s got my vote
I love watching Salud Carbajal’s ads. Why? Because they are so completely ridiculous that they actually make me laugh. Justin is by far the most honest candidate we’ve had run for office in years, which is obviously true considering Salud’s only defense against him is desperately trying to tie him to Trump, who FYI is…
The 24th District needs Carbajal
The choice for the 24th District representative to Congress was made even more clear following the debate recently between Salud Carbajal and Justin Fareed at the Spanos Theater at Cal Poly. While Mr. Carbajal outlined coherent, meaningful plans to represent the Central Coast in Congress, Mr. Fareed followed in the footsteps of his party’s standard-bearer…
Carbajal has experience and accomplishment
Progress, not petulance in Congress! Have you had enough congressional whining and low production? Take back Congress from the do-nothings! Vote for Salud Carbajal for Congress. It’s time Washington got moving again to solve our most pressing problems, like dangerous infrastructure, climate change, and economic justice. Let’s look at the big picture and get moving…
Measure K keeps the American Dream alive
With only an education and a strong work ethic I moved to the United States as an almost penniless immigrant 16 years ago, living the past 12 years in Solvang. As a naturalized U.S. citizen I can truly testify that the American Dream is still alive and well because of two reasons: public education and…
I choose Fareed
After watching both congressional debates, I have never been more confident in my vote. Not only has Salud proven to have no original ideas, he has constantly aired attack ads that hold no credibility while trying to ignore his horrendous track record regarding our county’s finances and his part in shady deals, like accepting bribes.…
The truth about Fareed
Your readers deserve to know the truth about Justin Fareed’s latest dishonest ad regarding Salud Carbajal. It proves just how low Justin is willing to go to get elected. I speak from direct experience. Salud has an outstanding record of consistent opposition to irresponsible oil and gas development while supporting good ideas. He supported the…
Keep honesty, integrity, and respect on the City Council
Our community of Lompoc is standing on the edge of some momentous decisions for our future and we need to make sure our wonderful quality of life here is protected by electing the candidates who have no “hidden agendas.” Lompoc is quickly running out of time to continue the hard work Mayor Bob Lingl and…
Election 2016: Critical choices for crucial change
I’m voting for Donald Trump knowing full well that he has offended many by way of insults, rhetoric, and bombast. However, he has also been willing to talk about important things no one else wants to discuss! I believe the Donald’s verve will do our country well in a time when we desperately need strong…
Reality check
Every time I read a blog post or letter or article about or by a victim of sexual assault or rape, my throat gets tight. My eyes start to tear up. I sniffle a little, and then I get angry. The anger seeps into my memories, haunting me with snippets from my past, things my…
Caleb Sandberg
It’s not often that an adolescent not only sets a lofty goal, but also maps out a plan to get there, and then puts in the dedication to achieve that goal. But that’s exactly what Righetti High School senior Caleb Sandberg did when he decided in the ninth grade that he wanted to play water…
The next play: Santa Maria pursues a multi-field sports complex
It’s tough for Santa Maria Valley athletes to find a place to play. There aren’t enough fields to accommodate the numerous teams, there aren’t enough lights to make the fields playable in the early evenings, and the fields that teams do use are often not in optimal condition because they also act as retention basins…
Boba, cha cha cha: Cha 101 is the Taiwanese tea shop Santa Maria’s been waiting for
There’s a lot more to boba than meets the eye. Annie Greene, co-owner of Cha 101 in Santa Maria, taught me this. There’s a reason flavors and textures vary so widely among boba establishments—why some places’ boba is more solid than squishy, and why some milk teas come off as strikingly and nauseatingly sweet. And…
Tapped out on tech
One of the worst things about getting older—besides discovering that even your ears are getting wrinkles—is realizing that you have hit a wall in your overall “with-it”ness. Whether it’s when you turn on MTV and can no longer recognize a single person or when you spot 19-year-old hipsters wearing your favorite outfits “ironically,” it’s a…
AJ Hobbs will perform in Santa Ynez bringing an exclusive new album with him
AJ Hobbs has performed in bands for years as a singer/songwriter, but under the pseudonym Cal King with the band California Kings. Now, he’s embraced his own identity as an artist and songwriter and is ready to release his first full-length country music album. The California Kings was a country music group as well, but…
Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum presents annual Vaquero Show and Sale
The Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum will bring its 32nd annual Vaquero Show and Sale event to the museum on the weekend of Nov. 11 through 13. The annual tradition is a fundraiser for the museum that features special events, demonstration, performances, and art for show and sale, all of which celebrate the cultural heritage…
Santa Maria calls on artists to paint utility boxes
The Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department is seeking artists to beautify five traffic signal control boxes with “captivating and inspiring” artwork, the city detailed in a release. The city wants artists who can “enhance the utility boxes in a vivid way.” The opportunity is open to residents in both Santa Barbara and San Luis…
The Los Padres Artists Guild celebrates 40 years of its Christmas Show
An artists’ group is a special thing of which to be a part. Just ask any of the members of the Los Padres Artist Guild. Many members have been involved with the group for more than a decade, and some since the guild’s founding in the 1970s. Lori Traylor has been a member for 14…
The Santa Ynez Valley Quick Draw Festival celebrates its 30th year
Every year, on one day only, a cavalcade of artists converges on the Santa Ynez Valley for an afternoon of creativity. The Santa Ynez Valley Quick Draw and Arts Festival celebrates the mastery necessary to create a piece of fine art in just a few hours. Painters, sketch artists, and even sculptors come together to…
