Cover Story
Failure to communicate: With the city’s financial future in question, the Lompoc City Council struggles to find common ground
It’s Tuesday night, Sept. 5, and the Lompoc City Council is in session. After a long and arduous meeting, the city’s 2017-19 budget has finally passed, albeit contentiously, at a 3-2 vote. The boogie man of a budget—now four months late and the source of countless hours of bickering, bemoaning, and battling for a say…
Orcutt ceramicist Don Frith shows his teapots at the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art
As Don Frith walks a visitor through his Orcutt home, he stops at a small counter near the entryway. Under the glass on the surface is an article about Frith and his late wife, Barbara, herself a renowned artist who died in 2007. The display is a cluster of pottery, in varying design styles and…
What is the best wine to drink after a long heat wave?
Danielle Taylor musician “I like a delicious rosé.” Brian Kimble musician “Pinot noir.” Jerry Rucks electrician “Chardonnay.” Elisha Partin assistant tasting room manager “Riverbench’s 2015 rosé; it’s the perfect picnic wine.”
Chef’s table dinner at The Bear and Star in Los Olivos was an inviting and exciting experience
Well, lucky me! The restaurant has been open for months, I’ve written a lot about their sustainability practices—and now I finally had a chance to have a big, filling meal at The Bear and Star in Los Olivos. By now, you’ve probably heard the story of how the venue makes sustainability and local sourcing a…
Panthers go to Washington: Pioneer Valley’s marching band is raising funds for performance in U.S. Capitol next year
The Pioneer Valley Marching Panther PRIDE Band got some great news earlier this year—they were selected from among dozens of high school marching bands to represent the state of California in a Memorial Day parade in Washington, D.C., next year. Santa Maria Mayor Alice Patino nominated the band, Pioneer Valley High School Director of Bands…
Nipomo hosts art walk
The Nipomo Chamber of Commerce invites the public for an evening of art and community during the Olde Towne Nipomo Art Walk. The event, which starts at 5 p.m., will feature live painting demonstrations, discussions, viewings, and arts and crafts vendors. Nipomo’s Old Town Brew will also serve beer and wine. Participants can start at…
Santa Maria Arts Council urges public participation in City Council meeting
The Santa Maria City Council will vote on the Santa Maria Arts Master Plan and a public art funding ordinance on Oct. 3, and the Santa Maria Arts Council is asking for the public to show up and share their opinions. “We ask you to step forward and speak on behalf of this ordinance that…
Spotlight on: Cubanissimo
One of the Central Coast’s most beloved food trucks has set up shop in Orcutt, and its owners say they aim to offer patrons a little slice of Cuba. “It’s all about the experience,” Cubanissimo Cuban Coffee House & Cafe owner Arqui Trenado told the Sun. “And I think it’s two different parts.” The first?…
FBI: Santa Maria bank robber connected to string of heists
The same man suspected of robbing Coast Hills Credit Union in Santa Maria on Sept. 6 is connected to at least eight other similar incidences since April of this year, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). “He’s had a pretty busy summer,” the bureau’s LA Field Office Public Information Officer Ann Parillo told…
Local artist creates public mural at Orcutt barbershop
A barbershop in Orcutt is home to a brand new public mural, thanks to a local artist and community activist. Ruben Espinoza gets fired up talking about the importance of public art. He devotes much of his time and work as an artist to the cause, which he said is an important tool for community…
Hello down there
Normally I think of colons only when I write. For example: There, I used a colon, unlike a semi-colon; the comma-colon hybrid gives one pause. Outside of grammar, no one wants a semi-colon—the possible result of colon cancer! That brings me to my topic this week—colonoscopies. Now, I know what you’re all thinking: Eeewww! But…
Hannah Lacaste
Hannah Lacaste is not afraid of a challenge. Currently in her junior volleyball season at Pioneer Valley High School, Lacaste is a four sport athlete, competing in volleyball, cross country, track, and wrestling. As a volleyball player, Lacaste is on the outside hitter position. “As an outside hitter, we depend on her all-around abilities such…
Locals compete with dream teams in fantasy football leagues
Fantasy football takes football fandom to a whole new level and is part of a growing American sports phenomenon. Over the last few weeks, fantasy football fans have been scouring statistics and player articles, preparing for one of the bigger milestones of the football season: the draft. The fantasy football draft is when players in…
Loopy in Lompoc
What in the hell is going on in Lompoc? Usually it’s not much; Lompoc is a sleepy little town, after all. But holy cow, the Lompoc City Council has blown up with bickering, warring factions, and finger-gun pointing. I think most would agree that Mayor Bob Lingl was being a tad inappropriate when he gestured…
A few bucks short
Where has my wild deer population gone on public land? This hunting season would be hard-pressed to find any deer in the Los Padres National Forest. The Department of Fish and Game’s 1952 deer survey of the population of deer in California showed the second largest herd of deer in the state was on the…
Community action is for all of us
Does what you do really just enable people? With more than 17 years of leading Community Action programs and services, I’ve heard the question a lot from community members who don’t understand the purpose of the Community Action movement. Virtually every county in the United States has a Community Action agency with the sweeping mission…
Girl power
More than 30 years ago, Sally Ride became the first woman astronaut to orbit the Earth. She was also the youngest, at age 32. Three years later, Judy Resnik became the second woman in space. She was also a concert pianist, an electrical engineer, and the first Jewish astronaut. Both ardently sought to be known…
Political Watch 9/14/17
• Senate Democrats including Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) recently introduced the Students Before Profits Act. According to a release from Harris’ office, the introduction of the act came following a move by President Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to appoint a former official of DeVry University to head the Department of…
Guadalupe preschool offers special needs services with an outdoor twist
Imagine an outdoor area with a garden. There are tables protected by the shade of trees surrounded by soft green grass. Near the garden sits a carburetor, tools, milk crates, dirt, and plywood. What is this place? It’s an outdoor preschool, and now Guadalupe has one. Pupil Services Coordinator Anne Rigali said the Guadalupe Union…
Hobnobbing with Helen: Tour and Taste of the valley sizzled with excitement
Although temperatures were over 100 degrees, Tour and Taste of the Valley, an annual fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Maria Valley, attracted a respectable-sized crowd on the morning of Sept. 2 in the back parking lot of the Orcutt Union Plaza. Billed as a “wine country ride, run, and tasting event,”…
Undocumented and unprotected: Local DACA recipients deal with Trump Administration’s announcement to rescind the program
To Valeria, getting a driver’s license meant freedom. But compared to most teens living in the United States, her definition of freedom was a bit different. It was her senior year of high school, and Valeria (last name omitted by the Sun at her request) didn’t care about getting away from her parents or skipping…
Santa Maria road work will cause delays through October
A series of road construction projects in Santa Maria is slated for the coming weeks, and because much of the work will be done on busy streets, local drivers will need to practice patience. The city’s annual street maintenance chip sealing program began on Sept. 11, and this year’s affected roads include West Cook Street,…
County supervisors debate climate change during meeting
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors was presented the progress report from the county’s 2015 Energy and Climate Action Plan at its Sept. 12 meeting, and the supervisors used much of their designated comment time to reiterate their stances on climate change and how best to tackle it. Fourth District Supervisor Peter Adam directly…
Highway 101 crash during heavy rain kills 12-year-old girl
A 12-year-old Encino girl was killed in a crash on Highway 101 near Buellton on Sept. 10, just after the National Weather Service issued warnings of severe thunderstorms and flash flooding to Santa Barbara County. Erasmo Vargas, 35, lost control of his 2003 Lincoln Navigator at about 10:55 p.m. while driving southbound on Highway 101,…
Build the wall
The Democrats refuse to secure our southern border with a wall (which would include electronic surveillance and other methods—not necessarily a solid wall). Why are they so intent on letting massive amounts of drugs into the United States and giving an easy pathway for ISIS and other terrorist groups to infiltrate our country?
Dirty oil campaign
My friend in Orcutt recently received a letter from AERA asking for support to add 296 high pressure and temperature oil wells and waste-water injection wells to their facility upstream from Los Alamos in Cat Canyon. AERA is a limited liability oil company, created by Exxon/Mobile and Shell Oil, to extract oil locally while limiting…
Santa Maria police investigate possible gang-related shooting
The Santa Maria Police Department (SMPD) initiated an investigation into an attempted murder on Sept. 11, after a man was shot and injured on the 900 block of West El Camino Street in Santa Maria early that morning. Police say the shooting, which was Santa Maria’s second in eight days and third in less than…
