Cover Story
‘We have to live with the fear’: Despite efforts by the Santa Maria ICE office, undocumented immigrants remain afraid of deportation
Editor’s note: The last names of some of the people in this story have been omitted in order to protect their identity. It’s nearly 7 p.m. as Francesca, fresh off of work, pauses to speak about her experience living and working in Santa Maria illegally. Her long black hair is pulled back into a loose…
Spotlight on: REC Solar
Solar panels aren’t cheap. The cost for a typical 5-kilowatt setup for a house can easily run $10,000 or more. But it may pay off in the long run, at least according to REC Solar Director of Business Development Ryan Park. “That $10,000 system will produce somewhere in the range of $1,500 to $2,000…
Issac Acosta
Issac Acosta, who runs a 15:41 5K, is the model of the long-suffering sports fan. He likes basketball, he tells the Sun. The Warriors? No way, he said. He’s a Lakers fan. “I still have faith in them.” When he watches football, he roots for the Raiders. “Maybe next year,” he said. What Acosta’s sports…
Lawsuit alleges St. Joseph High School officials failed to report convicted student’s sexual misconduct
The criminal case against Shane Villalpando concluded in 2013, but now officials at St. Joseph High School—Villalpando’s former high school—are the targets of a lawsuit surrounding the former student’s behavior at the time. Filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court in November 2014, the lawsuit alleges that administrators at the high school failed to report…
Where is your family from?
Scott Merrell works in manufacturing “I’m Scottish and Irish.” Megan Boucher works for UCP Work Inc. “I’m French Canadian. On my grandmother’s side I’m Italian.” Barbara Harvey “I stay at home with my dogs.” “One of my ancestors came over on a ship in the 1700s. On my mom’s side, one of my ancestors came…
Beer mashups: Local craft brews make a bold appearence in unexpected combinations
Something is brewing in Santa Barbara County; some of the area’s most creative and fearless culinary minds have hopped on the beer bandwagon, making beer condiments, beer desserts—you name it! “Really, the sky’s the limit,” said Kady Fleckenstein of Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company. “We feel like you can do anything with beer.” Fig Mountain’s first…
Putting on the dog
Once more we have come full circle to my favorite month—October. Its name is derived from the Latin “octo” for eight, because it was the eighth month in the ancient Roman calendar of 10 months. But, in 700 A.D., January and February were added by the emperor Numa Pompilius, (translation: Pompous Nudge), resulting in Daylight…
The Ian M Hassett Foundation honors the late artist with fundraiser event and gallery show
Listen to a musical performance by Ian Hassett. The Ian M Hassett Foundation has truly expanded its reach this year, getting its original goal of a mobile arts exchange for local students running full bore, awarding thousands of dollars in grants, and now collaborating with CORE Winery to offer the foundation’s first visual arts exhibition.…
WonHeart celebrates Make A Difference Day in Santa Maria
WonHeart, with the help of Altrusa International of the Central Coast and the Santa Maria Town Center, brings another Make A Difference Day celebration event to the Santa Maria Town Center on Oct. 24 from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The event includes collaborations between WonHeart, the Poetic Justice Project, and El Padrecito for live…
Valley Art Gallery holds grand opening
The Valley Art Gallery in Santa Maria holds its official Grand Opening Celebration event on Oct. 24 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the gallery, where more than 40 member artists will demonstrate their craft. Other exciting activities include a mystery art game, refreshments, and raffle drawings. The event will also offer locals a…
The Dunes Center unveils new children’s book
The Dunes Center in Guadalupe unveiled the second edition of its children’s book series The Dune Forum: The Amazing Nature of the Dunes. The series, named after the historic magazine began by famous Dunite Gavin Arthur, is the outcome of the Dunes Center’s STEAM program, which brings nature-inspired creative writing and art lessons to students…
Hancock’s ‘Dimensions in Dance’ features new performers, choreographers, and a guest instrumentalist
Dozens of dancers, guest choreographers, student choreographers, and even the vice president of Academic Affairs, are preparing for Allan Hancock College’s Dimensions in Dance recital. This year’s show promises breathtaking moves and unique arrangements, explained the event’s director, Dianne McMahon. McMahon has directed Dimensions in Dance for 35 years and is excited with how the…
Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum showcases ancient Samurai armor and weaponry
While the Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum may be used to primarily showcasing the frontier history of the valley’s five towns, including its iconic carriage house, that doesn’t mean the museum and its benefactors are averse to showcasing history that hails from beyond the rolling hills of Santa Ynez. One museum board member was in…
Band of Brothers softball team brings Santa Maria veterans together
It’s Friday night, most workers are gone for the day, and it’s dark, but the lights at the Hagerman Sports Complex are illuminated. It’s time to play softball. Sporting a No. 4 jersey and a San Diego Padres ball cap, Pete Williams cracks a high fly ball into right field. Williams bolts toward first base…
Turn on the AC already
Maybe I’m just a little biased, but when it comes to where I like to perch, Santa Barbara County is the ideal. It’s the reason I don’t fly south for the winter. Why would I? People come to vacation here. I happen to live here. That’s why I was so disappointed to see that Santa…
Support Phillips 66 rail extension
It’s no surprise that environmentalists are against any project concerning oil, but they have to realize that California has the most strict and stringent environmental regulations in the entire world. When you really get down to the numbers of it all, California boasts the eighth largest economy globally, and we account for less than 1…
No sainthood for Serra
The Chumash were the only culture in this area for more than 6,000 years. The European invasion about 300 years ago changed this. An agent of the Spanish Inquisition, Junipero Serra enslaved the Chumash and forced them to build his churches, roads, and government buildings. Serra should not receive sainthood but have a yearly fire…
Streetwise question missed the mark
I don’t normally make it a practice to write letters to the editor, but I would be remiss if I did not state that the Santa Maria Sun’s decision to pose its Streetwise question about “Who is your least favorite Santa Maria City Council member?” was not only disappointing and unprofessional, but unbecoming of a…
Cart before the horse
Fellow environmentalists, often in their zeal to reach worthwhile goals, do not stop and think! Not every proposed environmental law is one that they should rally around just because it deals with the environment. We are awash in potentially harmful changes in the world and in particular within the United States. By 2055, it is…
Political Watch 10/15/15
• Gov. Jerry Brown signed two bills authored by Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara), SB 295 and SB 414, that arose in response to this year’s Refugio oil spill. They require more frequent oil pipeline inspections and improved oil spill response. In addition, the governor has just signed a third Jackson bill dealing with environmental…
Community Notebook 10/15/15 – 10/22/15
TUESDAY, OCT. 20 • The Santa Maria City Council has its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, City Hall, 110 E. Cook St., Santa Maria. Agendas are available at www.cityofsantamaria.org. • The Lompoc City Council has its regular meeting at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers at 100 Civic Center…
Hobnobbing with Helen
Tango into the Night was the theme of the ninth annual Mayors’ Ball, United Way’s big annual wingding. Held at the Santa Maria Country Club on Saturday, Oct. 10, the ball celebrated the mayors of Buellton, Grover Beach, Guadalupe, Lompoc, Santa Maria, and Solvang and attracted more than 175 guests. Board member Sandra Dickerson chaired…
Olive Grove charter school beset by internal struggles
The Olive Grove Charter School Board met during its regular meeting on Oct. 1, a clear and hot day at its new site in Orcutt. During that meeting the board also bid adieu to three board members and two former teachers. It was not a happy parting. The small charter school, which the Sun has…
14-year-old boy shot in Santa Maria
Officers from the Santa Maria Police Department are investigating the shooting of a 14-year-old boy in the 300 block of W. Rochelle Lane. The shooting occurred Oct. 9 around 10:30 p.m. According to SMPD Sgt. Russ Mengel, the boy was shot in the leg. His injuries were serious but non-life threatening, Mengel said. The boy…
Cities seek to enforce Nipomo water pipeline
Nipomo’s new water pipeline, laid at the of cost $17.5 million, is expected to bring in 650 acre-feet of water per year by July of 2016. In a decade, the hope is that the pipe will transport four times that amount. That’s small comfort to Pismo Beach, Grover Beach, and Arroyo Grande, who, as part…
California Governor signs series of pipeline safety and oil spill response bills
California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a slew of bills intended to strengthen pipeline regulations and oil spill response protocols on Oct. 8. Much of the legislation was written as a result of the Refugio oil spill in May of this year. SB 414, the Rapid Oil Spill Response Act, was introduced by Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson…
California to allow assisted suicide
California became the fifth state in the U.S. to allow assisted suicide when Gov. Jerry Brown signed the End of Life Option Act into law on Oct. 5. The law would allow medical doctors to prescribe lethal doses of certain medications to patients who want to end their lives. For years, Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa…
Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office trying to extradite Randy Quaid
For five years, actor Randy Quaid’s life seemed as zany as some of the characters he plays in movies. Quaid and his wife, Evi, were living on the run in Canada. Not anymore. They were both arrested as he tried to cross the border into Vermont, according to the Vermont State Police. Scott Waterman, Vermont…
The Santa Maria Joint Union High School District co-hosts annual Opportunities Expo
The Santa Maria Joint Union High School District will co-host the eighth annual Opportunities Expo for students with disabilities and their parents living in Northern Santa Barbara and Southern San Luis Obispo counties on Thursday, Oct. 29. The free event, to be held from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial Community Center, 313…
Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians donate Chromebooks to school
Two classrooms filled with tech-savvy students at College School District’s Santa Ynez Elementary were excited to receive 80 Chromebooks that were donated by the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians on Oct. 6. The donation is a portion of the 11th annual Chumash Charity Golf Classic’s proceeds, which will help satisfy the technology needs at…
