Cover Story
Local business interests and government entities are eyeing Vandenberg Air Force Base for future development and increased satellite launches
Rocket engines and old stories of spaceflight take up vast stretches of undulating terrain just above sea level. Northwest of Lompoc, Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) encompasses 110,000 acres, more than 15 times the size of the town right next to it. The base is rich in aerospace expertise and extra land, and broad coalition…
Advisory Council opposes cannabis grow near Nipomo school
A local agricultural company wants to grow cannabis on a 29-acre lot in Nipomo, but the project is facing scrutiny because of its proximity to an elementary school. At its meeting on Aug. 26, the South County Advisory Council discussed the proposed grow, which would be run by Nipomo Ag LLC and include a 22,000-square-foot…
Santa Barbara-based author Robert Eringer discusses new Twilight Zone-esque novel, Last Flight Out
Drained by the stresses of everyday life, the protagonist of Last Flight Out—the latest book from novelist and journalist Robert Eringer—takes an impromptu night drive to the nearest airport. On impulse alone, he wanders inside and buys a ticket to wherever the last evening flight should take him. After arriving in Sausalito, California, the novel…
Local artist Shamrock Acosta repurposes discarded objects into fine art sculptures
Like any worthwhile tale, the origin story behind Metal Fusion—Valley Art Gallery’s latest exhibition—begins with a yard sale, but more specifically, a “failed yard sale,” the exhibit’s featured artist, Shamrock Acosta, told the Sun. Acosta’s initial goal was to make some dough selling all of his construction tools, a collection assembled throughout a 40-year-plus career…
Chela Deli’s seasoned cooks offer every imaginable dish served south of the border
I know this contractor dude, Ivan Casavantes, who I see at remodel jobs all over the county. He always seems to have some secret spot, right around the corner, with the best quesadillas or breakfast burritos on the coast. He brings enough for his whole crew but rarely lets the restaurant’s name slip. I think…
Eclectic ensemble Ozomatli to perform at Presqu’ile Winery in Santa Maria
Salsa, hip-hop, rock, reggae, rap, funk. Is there anything Ozomatli doesn’t play? Members have come and gone throughout the three-time Grammy Award-winning group’s 24-year history, but the original six—Asdrubal Sierra (vocals, trumpet, piano), Wil-Dog Abers (bass), Raul Pacheco (guitar), Ulises Bella (saxophone), Jiro Yamaguchi (percussion), and Justin Poree (percussion)—are set to perform at Presqu’ile Winery…
Local museums team up for Fall Excursions
Elverhoj Museum of History and Art and Wildling Museum of Art and Nature are collaborating with the Solvang and Buellton recreation departments to co-host Fall Excursions, a series of trips to visit four different museums. The first bus trip is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 9, and will take guests to The Getty Villa in Malibu.…
PCPA holds play reading series
The Pacific Conservatory Theatre (PCPA) presents InterPlay, a play reading series featuring readings of three contemporary plays over the course of four days, at Severson Theatre in Santa Maria. The series begins with a reading of The Cake, by Bekah Brunstetter, on Thursday, Sept. 19, at 7 p.m. Two feuding brides and a wedding cake…
Old Town Orcutt holds eighth annual Chalk Festival
The eighth annual Orcutt Children’s Art Foundation (OCAF) Chalk Festival will take place in Old Town Orcutt on Saturday, Sept. 28, from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The public is invited to watch chalk artists’ progress throughout the day, as they create sidewalk/street chalk paintings. “PasspART” tickets are available for $10, which reserves a square…
Citizenship doesn’t come easy
What a shame. Adelita (“I am undocumented,“ Sept. 5) has been living in this country 33 years and could never figure out how to apply for citizenship. For at least 20 of those years, she was legally an adult. During those years, politicians in Washington, D.C., kicked the illegal immigrant crisis back and forth but…
Solving the ‘homeless problem’ is elusive
The homeless are everywhere. Just take a walk down any street with commercial frontage in Lompoc and almost any other city, and you will see them with their signs and sleeping in the bushes or on the sidewalk. A case a couple of years ago—involving a law enacted in Boise, Idaho, that tried to get…
CANARY: One hot mess
Is it just me, or is it pretty ironic that after the weekend when Southern California Edison carried out one of its first public safety power shutoffs in Santa Barbara County, a fire broke out? OK. I’m convinced. It’s not just me! Southern California Edison shut down the power to thousands of people in Gaviota…
Fischer’s Fine Jewelry continues to thrive after 40 years in business
Business is still booming for Katherine Fischer and her husband, Neil, who have operated a jewelry store in downtown Santa Maria for 40 years. When Fischer’s Fine Jewelry opened in 1979 in the 600 block of South Broadway, it didn’t have a storefront. The business started as a trade shop where Fischer and her husband…
Fire north of Buellton burns 200 acres; thousands lose power
About 20,000 residents near Buellton and the Santa Ynez Valley lost power on Sept. 9 after a fire broke out east of Highway 101. At the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors meeting on Sept. 10, county Fire Chief Mark Hartwig said the 200-acre McMurray Fire was about 20 percent contained as of that morning.…
The county is studying possible trail routes connecting Gaviota to Guadalupe
State and local officials are attempting to overcome the remaining roadblocks to finish the 1,200-mile trail connecting the California coast. It’s been 40 years in the making, and about 60 percent of the project is currently finished. Many of the remaining gaps in the California Coastal Trail are in northern Santa Barbara County and other…
Santa Maria gas station owner settles lawsuit with county DA
The owner of two gas stations in Santa Maria and Lompoc is required to pay more than $15,000 in civil penalties to Santa Barbara County following a settlement agreement he reached with county District Attorney Joyce Dudley’s office. Dudley’s office filed a compliant against Saleem Patel, who owns Spirit Gasoline on South Broadway Road, on…
Solvang makes multiple management changes
After the recent divorce with its tourism nonprofit, the city of Solvang announced another separation and a new partnership. Solvang parted ways with City Manager David Gassaway in a mutual decision, according to a Sept. 9 news release from the city. Gassaway had been appointed to city manager in February. “Mr. Gassaway brings a lot…
