For everybodyAll are welcome to watch from the sidelines or spring into battle with Watchers Keep on the first and third Sundays of the month at Rotary Centennial Park. Get your live-action role-playing on from noon to 4 p.m. at 2625 S. College Drive in Santa Maria. See @watcherskeepamtgard on Instagram for behind-the-scenes clips and brush…
Tackling overcrowded local high school classrooms is one major issue for those running to fill seats on the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District board. In 2024, the district’s bond measure aimed at building a new high school to address the issue didn’t receive enough votes to pass. Diana Perez, who’s running for the…
Depending on the outcome of November’s election, up to three seats on the Santa Maria City Council could change hands. Of those three races, the 4th District race is guaranteed to bring new blood to the dais, without an incumbent to consider. While current 4th District Councilmember Maribel Aguilera vies for retiring Santa Barbara County…
On Oct. 6, the city of Santa Maria issued a formal notice canceling the City Council’s regular meeting scheduled for that evening. Originally described as “due to a lack of quorum,” the short-notice cancellation prompted a more specific explanation from the city in an Oct. 8 release. “For further clarification, the meeting was canceled per…
•Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1875—authored by Assemblymember Gregg Hart (D-Santa Barbara)—into law on Oct. 6. This legislation grants judges discretion to waive or shorten California’s six-month divorce waiting period for victims and survivors of domestic violence, as the time period surrounding separation and divorce can be particularly dangerous for victims of domestic violence.…
Dave Bemis has volunteered with many nonprofits in his life, but never at a start-up like the Santa Ynez Valley Children’s Museum. He experienced new challenges in his role as the president of the board. “It’s hard to recruit people and to raise money for something that doesn’t exist yet. It’s hard to explain to…
Should someone who was caught lying to police and pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter after blaming the accident on another person be able to run for office? No. But, legally, yes. Yes, they can if the charge they pleaded guilty to is only a misdemeanor. And that’s exactly what’s happening in one of the races…
Article 26 of the U.S. Constitution says, “The right of citizens of the United States, who are 18 years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of age.” In California, “you must be a United States citizen and a resident…
I stand behind Ricardo Valencia 100 percent in his run for District 5 county supervisor. I will vote for Mr. Valencia because he is a leader and not a politician. He is honest and not owned by the big wheelers and dealers in the Santa Maria Valley. When elected, he will be responsible only to…
Right now, in California, New York, Texas, and everywhere in between, ICE agents are ramping up to meet Stephen Miller’s new, hate-fueled quota of 3,000 people per day. Three thousand families ripped apart. A father dropping off a student at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria was kidnapped in early October. A father in New…
Jumping Jack Flash, a tribute to The Rolling Stones, will perform at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez on Friday, Oct. 16. The show starts at 8 p.m., inside the casino’s Samala Showroom. Admission to the concert is $25. According to the casino, attendees can look forward to hearing some of The Rolling Stones’…
A weekly series at Crumbles Café & Bake Shop in Santa Maria promises patrons a couple of hours of live music every week to enjoy with their late lunch, early dinner, dessert, or coffee. Every Saturday, between 2 and 4 p.m., the café hosts a live jazz act. Upcoming acts in the series include the…
The eighth annual NatureTrack Film Festival presents a screening of Frost Without Snow and Ice on Friday, Nov. 6, at the Santa Ynez Valley Grange Hall. Doors open at 6 p.m. The documentary follows a polar bear struggling to raise her cubs in Svalbard, regarded as the fastest-warming place on earth due to climate change.…
Brunch timeWhat’s it rated? R When? 2026 Where’s it showing? Netflix Ben Affleck (Gone Baby Gone, The Town, Argo) directs this script he co-wrote about LA mayoral candidate Mark Kimball (Affleck) and his wife, Abigail (Kerry Washington), who believe their son, Denny (Christopher Woodley), has been kidnapped. They’re instructed to pay $7 million or their…
Pan’s LabyrinthWhat’s it rated? R When? 2006 Where’s it showing? Bay Theatre of Morro Bay, Monday, Oct. 19 (VIP doors at 4:15 p.m.; show at 5:30; tickets at my805tix.com/e/pans-labyrinth-ccfs) The Central Coast Film Society (CCFS) presents Guillermo del Toro’s 2006 masterpiece Pan’s Labyrinth as a fundraiser on Oct. 18. The film has been called…
Running out of mantel space to display all those Little League trophies you’ve held onto since childhood? Orcutt’s new sports bar has got you covered. “The walls are lined with trophies from our community,” Loon & Crown co-founder Micaela Buchanan told the Sun. “We built some shelves and ask our customers to bring in their…
