Cover Story
Rule-bender: One Buellton cannabis grower has paid about $2 million in penalties for air quality violations
In the span of two years, Central Coast Agriculture—a cannabis cultivator with facilities in Buellton and Lompoc—agreed to pay nearly $2 million for breaking state and local air quality laws. That sum doesn’t include two pending violations issued by Santa Barbara County’s Air Pollution Control District (APCD) in 2025 awaiting resolution, according to the agency,…
Flare whips up Korean fusion food and soju cocktails in Lompoc, filling a gap in the local food scene
When Cristian Cho moved from Los Angeles to Lompoc, he longed for LA’s diverse food scene. For seven years he worked as a manager at a sushi restaurant and eventually began planning the concept for his own restaurant to fill a gap in Lompoc’s market. Find the fusion flairFlare, located at 510 W. Ocean Ave.…
Eenie Meanie is a car-chase-fueled B-movie romp
Eenie Meanie What’s it rated? R When? 2025 Where’s it showing? Hulu In his directorial debut, TV writer Shawn Simmons (The Continental, Wayne, Mr. Pickles) helms this action-packed cars and crime comedy-drama about Edie (Samara Weaving), a reformed teenage getaway driver nicknamed Eenie Meanie. When her past employer, Nico (Andy Garcia), offers her the chance…
Night Always Comes follows a sister’s desperate attempt to protect her disabled brother
Night Always Comes What’s it rated? R When? 2025 Where’s it showing? Netflix Nothing about Lynette’s (Vanessa Kirby) life is easy. She’s a bartender who’s barely scraping by, she’s got an older brother, Kenny (Zack Gottsagen), who needs care, and a mother, Doreen (Jennifer Jason Leigh), who seems to only be concerned with herself. Kirby’s…
Caught Stealing is gritty, funny, and often shocking
Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream, Black Swan, The Whale) directs this comedic crime-thriller written by Charlie Huston (All Signs of Death) based on their 2004 novel about ex-baseball player Hank Thompson (Austin Butler) who inadvertently becomes embroiled in New York’s criminal underworld. (107 min.) Caught StealingWhat’s it rated? R What’s it worth, Anna? Full…
The Santa Maria Library’s Bookmobile now visits Bob Orach Park
The Santa Maria Public Library’s mobile library will now visit Bob Orach Park near Liberty Elementary School on Tuesdays from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. instead of Armstrong Park. The Bookmobile, a van retrofitted with bookshelves and overhead lighting, makes 11 stops each week. Visitors can check out and return books, search for media in English…
Local artists’ paintings of La Purísima Mission are up at the Cypress Gallery
The Lompoc Ten’s latest exhibit, Impressions of La Purísima, is showing until Sept. 28 at the Cypress Gallery in Lompoc. The artists will attend a reception on Sept. 6 from 1 to 3 p.m. to talk to visitors. Local painters formed the Lompoc Ten group more than a decade ago to discuss painting, build community,…
The paranormal circus returns to Santa Maria with brand new horrific acts and comic relief
Creepy makeup, fake blood, coffins, vampires—and the horror circus hasn’t even begun. Before audience members take their seats for the Paranormal Cirque show, they have the chance to experience the haunt attraction that begins an hour prior to the show. “Scare junkies” won’t want to miss the chance to see performers up close and personal…
It’s up to you to be informed
We have received numerous questions from community members asking where the League of Women Voters stands on Proposition 50, the mid-cycle redistricting measure on the Nov. 4 special election ballot. The League of Women Voters of California will not take a position on Proposition 50. Voters may have received a mailer from “Protect Voters First”…
PCPA’s current show, Songs for Nobodies, is unforgettable
I have worked in the theater for 55 years and have never experienced a more moving performance than the one given by Bethany Thomas in PCPA’s current production of Songs for Nobodies. In this show, Miss Thomas plays Judy Garland, Edith Piaf, Patsy Cline, Billie Holiday, and Maria Callas. She also brings to life five…
Shifting away from fossil fuels isn’t a good idea for the county or the state
Is phasing out fossil fuels a good or even feasible idea? This is a question that none of the so-called “experts” who want to stop this county and eventually the entire nation from using this readily available resource have considered. You know who they are, the “what if” folks that are well funded by the…
Tri-tip tradition
Tri-tip sandwiches are the bread and barbecue sauce (or salsa) of fundraising in the Santa Maria Valley. Need to raise money for a school basketball trip? Tri-tip barbecue! Need some funds for soccer uniforms? Tri-tip barbecue! Senior center field trip? Barbecue. Nonprofit low on dollars? Barbecue. Santa Barbara County just made it a lot harder…
Political Watch: September 4, 2025
• U.S. Reps. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara), Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale), David Valadao (R-Hanford), and Juan Vargas (D-San Diego) recently reintroduced bipartisan legislation to use federal dollars for programs that provide safe overnight parking locations for people experiencing homelessness and living in their vehicles, as well as supportive services, like rapid rehousing services and facilities like…
A Santa Maria nonprofit seeks donations for farm-working students who took part in a new arts and culture program
Amid the heat of Central Coast ICE enforcement this summer, leaders of Corazón del Pueblo knew they needed to help local students. Their goal was to develop a safe space for high schoolers, many of whom are the children of Indigenous migrant farmworkers or who are farmworkers themselves, Executive Director Esmeralda Garcia told the Sun.…
Carla Mead leads Buellton City Council vacancy election with 60 percent
Determining who will take the Buellton City Council’s vacant 4th District seat rests on the results of the August vote-by-mail special election. While those results are set to be certified by Sept. 12, the city’s semi-official reports show candidate Carla Mead in the lead with 60 percent of the votes. According to an Aug. 29…
New on-demand service, increased fares take effect for Lompoc’s public transit
Additions to Lompoc’s public transportation system mean slight fare increases, which went into effect on Sept. 2. The new services are part of the city’s effort to address the evolving mobility needs of the community, City Transit and Airport Administrator Richard Fernbaugh said in an email interview with the Sun. The City of Lompoc Transit…
Board of Supervisors passes retail food fee adjustments by a split vote
The time it takes local food regulators to clear hot dogs, nachos, popcorn, and other snack bar sales at Little League games is not reflected in the current costs of those inspections, according to Santa Barbara County Environmental Health Services (EHS). The department recently pitched an update to the county’s retail food facility fee policy—untouched…
