Cover Stories
Big box beltway: Santa Maria celebrates Enos Ranch as a revenue and retail attractor, while some locals question the city’s development priorities
BY SUN STAFF • PHOTOS BY JAYSON MELLOM A cres of asphalt cover what used be rows of cauliflower and strawberry fields along Santa Maria’s Betteravia Road. The Enos Ranch development shot up quickly just off Highway 101 last year, raising steel beams and vaulted white walls in a matter of months. But the towering…
Starting over: After serving time in state prison, inmates released under realignment must make a new life
The letter was written on a single sheet of ruled notebook paper. Neatly folded and just four paragraphs long. The words, penned in a looping cursive, were hopeful but pleading. “I am in need of a stable, clean and sober living environment,” it stated. “I am totally committed to living life in a productive manner.”…
Checking the facts on the library debate
Facts matter, especially to a professional librarian who is trained to separate opinion and perception from facts. In the last two months, the city of Santa Maria Public Library has received a multitude of attention for requiring the Friends of the Santa Maria Public Library to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) defining the roles…
Tradition of excellence: Lompoc Concert Association opens 71st season with acclaimed concert pianist Thomas Pandolfi
Lompoc may still be a relatively small town, but for nearly a century, it’s been part of a much bigger musical tradition. The fact is illustrated by the Lompoc Concert Association, which opens its 71st season this year on Sept. 15. The organization began in 1947, explained the association’s president, Molly Gerald, and has operated…
Spotlight on: K9 For Gaby – Gabriela Leon
The first time Gabriela Leon, 22, (Gaby for short) suffered a severe seizure, she was only 11 years old. She almost died. It wouldn’t be the last time. “I’ve never had a full year of being free from them,” she said. The recurring epileptic issues eventually forced her to stop pursuing her education at Ernest…
Wildling Museum adds two new board members
The Wildling Museum of Art and Nature announced the addition of two new board members, Jim Balsitis and George Rose. Balsitis, who currently serves as the director of facilities at Old Mission Santa Barbara, is a Wildling Museum member who donated time and services as the lead contractor on the museum building project, including a…
Solvang unveils new public art sculpture
As part of a loan from The Morris B. Squire Foundation, the city of Solvang recently unveiled a new public sculpture. The work, titled The Golden Stein, is located at the center median of First Street, between Copenhagen Drive and Molle Way. The sculpture takes the place of a hundred-year old oak tree that lost…
Grants program offers $50,000 for local arts
The Santa Barbara County Office of Arts and Culture is offering $50,000 in grants for arts programs through the Arts Making Impact (AMI) Grant Program. The grants are open to local arts programs, artists, schools, community groups, and other cultural organizations. Applications are currently sought for programs that provide transportation access, materials, education, or create…
Humor: Rebecca works it out
For many years now I’ve warned my enemies that I would get back in peak physical condition and come for them. Well that day has finally come as I, Queen of Couch Surfing, have taken on a personal trainer. I legitimately felt bad for the man. Here is someone who has devoted his profession to…
The Santa Maria Public Library hosts the work of Floyd and Barbara Snyder
For its latest public art exhibit, the Santa Maria Public Library hosts two unique artists who have made a name for themselves on the Central Coast. Floyd and Barbara Snyder’s collaborative work speaks to a kind of inside joke, but there’s nothing to laugh at when it comes to their captivating work. The joke is…
Poets Paul J. Willis and Garland Thompson Jr. read their work in Orcutt
“Intrigued by the intersection of faith and nature,” is how poet Paul Willis describes himself on his website. A cursory glance at his body of work reveals it’s an apt label. “[Poetry] is always there as a way for people to connect with themselves and one another,” Willis said. “And to connect to the world…
EATS: How appear on a talk show about food (and make sure you get enough to eat)
I was recently invited to participate in a filming of the locally produced food-themed talk/lifestyle show Taste Buds. Hosted by Teri Bayus, Taste Buds is a fun and informative look at Central Coast dining featuring on-location filming at some of the region’s best and most popular restaurants. The show lets viewers get an inside look…
Boxed in
Everybody loves choices, right? But what happens when you only get a very superficial range to choose from? What if they’re all pretty much the same? That’s what Santa Maria’s handy types and do-it-yourselfers are asking themselves now that Orchard Supply Hardware (OSH) is closing down (see page 7). While OSH may be a multi-state…
Local Boy Scout works to bring Santa Maria-style barbecue to homeless
It’s not every day a teenager devotes his free time to raising thousands of dollars for a community project, but 13-year-old Alexander Andrade isn’t your average teen–he’s a Boy Scout. Wait–haven’t we heard this before? Alexander, a freshman at Ernest Righetti High School and member of Orcutt Troop 95, isn’t the only community-minded Andrade in…
Newly signed bail reform bill faces challenges
A newly signed bill ending cash bail in California drew a relatively mixed reaction from state representatives, activists, and local law enforcement. On Aug. 28, Gov. Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 10, or the California Money Bail Reform Act, into law, effective Oct. 1, 2019. “This a transformative day for our justice system,” state Chief…
Liquidation sales commence as customers and employees mourn looming closure of Orchard Supply
It’s been a little more than 10 years since Kelly White O’Neill became a self-described “serious customer” of Santa Maria’s Orchard Supply Hardware (OSH) store. As an avid gardener, do-it-yourselfer, and the owner of a historic home, O’Neill said she frequently stops in at OSH for its notoriously friendly, knowledgeable workforce and its unbeatable gardening…
Hold priests accountable
Catholic priests have for years abused children and are again in the headlines. I understand people believing in the traditions, liturgy, fellowship, and music of the church. I also know that pedophiles outside the church face court and jail time. What needs to be done is a total outing of these pedophile priests, bishops, and…
Migel Gomez
The path to college–and college soccer–wasn’t entirely straightforward for Migel Gomez. After dropping out of Cabrillo High School to do farm work, the now college junior eventually attained his GED, attended Allan Hancock College, and transferred to UC Santa Barbara–all while dominating on the soccer field. Gomez played a historic last season at Hancock, according…
CAUSE hosts community town hall on Santa Maria general plan
A coalition of local activist groups teamed up to host a community town hall to discuss Santa Maria’s general plan on the evening of Aug. 30, asking attendees to share their ideas for improving and guiding the city’s growth. Local residents, activists, organizers, and candidates for City Council came together to brainstorm how Santa Maria…
Man killed in Santa Maria
A man was shot, stabbed, and killed near the corner of Sunrise Drive and Bradley Road in Santa Maria on Sept. 1. The man was still alive when police arrived just before 1 a.m., according to a Santa Maria Police Department press release, but he eventually died on scene from injuries caused by the gunshot…
Santa Barbara County fire chief to retire in October
Santa Barbara County Fire Department Chief Eric Peterson formally announced Aug. 31 plans to retire by the end of October. Peterson, who was appointed to the position in January 2015 by the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, said that while he’ll surely miss his work with the fire department, he felt it was time…
Farming for Life to use veggies as low-cost diabetes treatment
Santa Barbara County doctors are testing out a new prescription medication to treat residents struggling with type 2 diabetes: veggies. Sansum Diabetes Research Institute, a Santa Barbara-based diabetes research and health care clinic, was recently awarded a four-year U.S. Department of Agriculture grant to continue its investigation into ways to better help local low-income diabetes…
