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Candidates for the 37th Assembly District race describe what they will do if elected
Second District Santa Barbara County Supervisor Gregg Hart will face off against environmental attorney and previous county Supervisor Mike Stoker for a seat in the state Assembly to represent California’s 37th District. After redistricting, the new 37th District now encompasses all of Santa Barbara County and southern San Luis Obispo County, prompting both candidates to…
Santa Maria greenlights new parking bans, renames one street
Parking overnight will no longer be an option on four streets in Santa Maria, thanks to a new ruling from city officials. Members of the Santa Maria City Council recently agreed on a $21,600 budget to add “no stopping zones” to Furukawa Way, Hanson Way, Kameo Street, and White Court. Approved during the City Council’s…
Chumash advocate for new state sports betting bill
Two gambling propositions on California’s ballot this November created a more than $400 million campaign showdown—the most expensive in U.S. history, according to NPR—and united more than 60 state Native American tribes against one of the measures. The two propositions, 26 and 27, both focus on sports betting expansion in the state, but Proposition 27…
Lompoc pays $260,000 to address toxic wastewater problem
The Environmental Defense Center (EDC) sued the city of Lompoc after it reported discharging toxic pollutants into San Miguelito Creek and the Santa Ynez River more than 3,000 times over a 20 year period, EDC Senior Attorney Alicia Roessler told the Sun. Lompoc recently agreed to pay a little more than a quarter million dollars…
A Santa Barbara County law enforcement program for youth offers new scholarships
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Benevolent Posse was founded to help the Sheriff’s Office maintain efficiency, improve morale and effectiveness, and help come up with solutions to the issues surrounding law enforcement. As board Chairman Richard Kline explained, the 501(c)3 nonprofit raises funds to supplement equipment and training for the office. Thus far, the posse…
Political Watch: September 29, 2022
• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) voted with a bipartisan majority of the U.S. House of Representatives to advance a collection of bills that would improve federal support for local law enforcement and other first responders, create new grant programs to help curb gun crime and solve gun crimes, and improve public safety on…
No stopping
Seems like the Santa Maria City Council is setting itself up for a game of Whac-A-Mole with unhoused residents living in vehicles. Councilmembers unanimously approved closing four streets in the city to parking from midnight to 4 a.m. in an effort to get those unsightly RVs, overstuffed cars, and SUVs that neighborhood businesses have been…
Give us a better school bond; A2022 deserves a no vote
Lightning does strike more than once in the same place. Once again, the Lompoc Unified School District (LUSD) has placed a bond measure on the ballot, this time for $125 million with levies projected to be 6 cents/$100 of assessed valuation of your property, i.e., $240 per $400,000 property value. The past election seasons have…
New bike path in the Santa Ynez Valley fosters stronger community
My first day of first grade is still vividly etched in my memory—the day I rode my bike to school for the very first time. I grew impatient as my dad reviewed the lessons of my bike safety class. I was just eager to take off. It meant independence; freedom; self-reliance. I was going to…
Flower City Ballroom brings new entertainment opportunities to Lompoc
Most live music and stand-up comedy events in Lompoc take place in taverns and tasting rooms. It’s a norm Dominick Balsamo and his family set out to change when they developed the Flower City Ballroom. “We are, in fact, the first major event center in Lompoc. There are other spaces here, but nothing that is…
Hilary Baker brings animal-themed art exhibit to Solvang
The Wildling Museum of Art and Nature presents Wildlife on the Edge, an exhibition of animal-themed works by featured artist Hilary Baker (pictured), which is scheduled to debut on Saturday, Oct. 8, and remain on display through March 2023. A public reception to celebrate the exhibit’s premiere will be held on Sunday, Oct. 9, from…
Orcutt Community Theater presents ‘Deliver Us From Mama’
Orcutt Community Theater’s production of Deliver Us From Mama is scheduled to premiere at KleinDance Studios on Friday, Oct. 7, and run through Sunday, Oct. 23, with performances every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday during the show’s run. Twenty-five roles will be divided among nine actors, including Valerie Pallai (pictured, left) and Dan Bullard (right), in…
New Solvang eatery combines Mexican cuisine favorites with ‘deep cuts’
Darting between two places of work on a golf cart has become a daily occurrence for one pair of local restaurateurs. Luckily for business partners Anthony Carron and Steven Fretz, their new Mexican restaurant, Campo del Sol, is located just a few blocks away from their steakhouse, Coast Range, in downtown Solvang. “We bought a…
