

Cover Story
Park protection
Rhonda Anderson moved from Casa Del Rio to Del Cielo Mobile Estates after a corporate property management company took over and hiked her rent up by $300. Now, she’s scared it might happen again. Del Cielo, an Orcutt-based 55-and-older mobile home park, fell under new ownership just 10 days after Anderson purchased her home and…
NEW FLICKS: The Killer
The Killer What’s it rated? R When? 2024 Where’s it showing? Peacock Famed Hong Kong auteur John Woo (A Better Tomorrow, Hard Boiled, Face/Off, Mission Impossible II) directs this action flick (a remake of his 1989 film of the same name with Chow Yun-Fat in the lead) about Zee (Nathalie Emmanuel), a female assassin out…
BLAST FROM THE PAST: Little Women
Little Women What’s it rated? PG When? Monday, Sept. 9, at 5:30 p.m. Where’s it showing? The Bay Theatre Gillian Armstrong (My Brilliant Career, Mrs. Soffel) directs this 1994 film adaptation of writer Louisa May Alcott’s two volume coming of age novel (released in 1868 and 1869) about the March sisters—Meg (Trini Alvarado), Jo (Winona…
Talley family of Arroyo Grande nabs Agriculturalist of the Year award and raises its next generation of leaders
For pours and produce Talley Vineyards, located at 3031 Lopez Drive in Arroyo Grande, is open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Reservations are recommended. For more details, visit talleyvineyards.com and follow the winery on Instagram and Facebook @talleyvineyards. To learn more about Talley Farms’ pickup and delivery options for fresh produce, visit talleyfarmsbox.com.…
New pushback postpones Santa Ynez YMCA ruling to November
In hopes of one day operating 24/7, a local gym is changing some of its policies to appease the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission. But one box left unchecked was one too many for some officials. Although the Stuart C. Gildred YMCA—located in the Santa Ynez Valley—complied with the Planning Commission’s request in June for…
Nipomo CSD votes to annex Dana Reserve, split its property tax with SLO County
The Dana Reserve moved one step closer to breaking ground after the Nipomo Community Services District (NCSD) voted in favor of splitting the development’s future property taxes with SLO County and annexing the project into its service area. More than 100 community members were present at the NCSD’s Aug. 28 board meeting to show their…
Lucia Mar school district fixes its bus shortage in time for school year
After originally saying it didn’t have enough bus seats for every student who needed a ride to and from Mesa Middle School, the Lucia Mar Unified School District fixed the issue before school started. Dozens of parents received word that their students didn’t get bus pass applications approved, but Lucia Mar Marketing and Communications Director…
Political Watch: September 5, 2024
• State Assemblymember Gregg Hart (D-Santa Barbara) announced that Assembly Bill 1866 passed the Legislature and was on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk for his signature, according to an Aug. 29 statement from Hart’s office. The legislation addresses the urgent climate and public health crisis posed by idle oil wells by mandating that companies meet ambitious…
Santa Barbara County Behavioral Health offers two $2,500 scholarships to those with mental illness or substance use disorder
Going back to school. Rental assistance. Buying professional clothing. These are some of the many ways people can use the Santa Barbara County Department of Behavioral Wellness John Kovacs Scholarship: $2,500 awarded to individuals with lived experience of mental illness or substance use disorder who want to expand their learning opportunities or advance in life,…
Dis-Harmony
If you Google “Harmony Communities California,” in between the corporate mobile home park owner/operator’s marketing gobbledygook, the headlines are not good. The company recently purchased Del Cielo Estates in Orcutt—a 55-and-over mobile home community where seniors own their homes and rent the land they sit on—and informed residents that it was planning to make the…
Increasing minimum wage increases costs and does nothing to ‘help the poor’
Attention minimum wage workers, the government is here to help you—or is it? The U.S. census estimates that the median household income in Lompoc was $66,947 in 2023 and that 17 percent of the population was living in poverty. In Santa Maria the median income was $81,237 and 13.5 percent of the population lives in…
Speak up against genocide in Gaza
“Israel right or wrong” is the approach America takes in its support of Israel against the Palestinians. Israel has a right to defend itself against attack. Israel has no right to commit indiscriminate crimes against the Palestinian people. Pope Francis recently said this, “I continue to receive very serious and painful news from Gaza. Unarmed…
Maverick Saloon brings Mustangs Of The West to Santa Ynez for Americana show
Tavern tunes The Maverick Saloon presents Mustangs Of The West, live in concert, on Wednesday, Sept. 11, at 7 p.m. Tickets to the show, part of the venue’s Tales from the Tavern series, are $36. Visit mustangsofthewest.com for more info. The Maverick Saloon is located at 3687 Sagunto St., Santa Ynez. The principal songwriter behind…
Werewolf antics take center stage during the Great American Melodrama’s new show
The Great American Melodrama in Oceano presents its production of Werewolf of Arroyo Grande, which opens on Friday, Sept. 13. Upcoming performances of the new original show are scheduled to run at the theater through Saturday, Nov. 9. According to the Melodrama’s website, the play follows a man who relocates to the Village of Arroyo…
Blast 825 Brewery brings three tribute bands to Orcutt
Musical acts Kimdracula Deftones Experience (pictured), FoREVer Sevenfold, and 2L will pay tribute to Deftones, Avenged Sevenfold, and Tool, respectively, during an upcoming show at Blast 825 Brewery in Old Town Orcutt, on Saturday, Sept. 21, from 5 to 9 p.m. Tickets to the show are available in advance for $15 at my805tix.com, or on-site…
The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat is bighearted melodrama streaming on Hulu
The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat What’s it rated? PG-13 What’s it worth, Anna? Stream it What’s it worth, Glen? Stream it Where’s it showing? Hulu Tina Mabry (Mississippi Damned) directs this story based on Edward Kelsey Moore’s 2013 bestselling novel about a trio of friends—Odette (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor and Kyanna Simone as young Odette), Barbara Jean…






