Lompoc is probably the pothole paradise of the county. The city staff estimates that there is a maintenance backlog of more than $70 million needed to bring all city streets up to acceptable service levels.
I live on a cul-de-sac that is just one block long. There are well over a dozen potholes on our street and some of them are the size of basketballs. The entire street looks like a giant swath of jigsaw puzzle pieces, which seems to indicate that the asphalt has been severely damaged because of poor street maintenance since it was built by the developers in the early 1980s.
The last time any effort was expended to preserve the asphalt on our street was more than 30 years ago when the city “chip sealed” the street surface; after a few rains the environmentally safe seal dissolved into sand, which regularly piles up in the gutters when the wind blows. My street isn’t the worst example in town, but, based on my travels around town, it’s representative of most interior streets in the community.
During a November 2025 City Council meeting, the staff said that in 2012 “because of funding shortages, the city has significantly reduced the Street Maintenance Division.” The pothole crew was reduced by 50 percent of the staff, and the result was that the ability of the city to maintain streets was significantly impacted.
With limited funding, the street department has focused on keeping what they call “expressways and arterials” (example: V Street, Central Avenue, A Street, etc.) in the best condition. This is a reasonable priority considering their value to a smooth flow of traffic.
The staff report goes on to explain, “The condition of the city’s roadway pavement is measured using the industry standard Pavement Condition Index (PCI) system. An overall systemwide PCI average of 70 is considered ‘good’ and is the accepted industry standard goal. The city’s February 2025 systemwide PCI average of 54 is considered ‘at risk.’”
And it gets worse every year that maintenance is deferred.
“To promptly raise the city’s overall systemwide PCI average to ‘good’ using industry standard methods, the city would need to identify funding and expend approximately $72 million for pavement rehabilitation projects during the next year.”
Of course, Lompoc doesn’t have that kind of revenue available, so the City Council needed to try and resolve the funding issue. During the November meeting, they directed the staff to return with a plan to put a ballot measure on the June 2026 ballot.
On Jan. 21, the city attorney presented the proposed text for a “Temporary Transactions and Use Tax for the Purpose of Repair and Maintenance of City Streets,” and there was a public hearing to discuss proposed language for the ballot measure.
The debate lasted for more than an hour; only Councilman Jeremy Ball argued vigorously that this should be a general tax issue because it only required a 50 percent plus one vote to pass. Politicians like Councilman Ball prefer general taxes because they can later redirect funds for other projects than those the tax is intended for. Of course, in the early stages they deny that they would ever support such a move, but history indicates otherwise.
After more than an hour of debate and public comment, the council approved the measure with some minor revisions on a 4-1 vote, with Councilman Ball voting no.
I generally oppose adding more of a tax burden on hardworking people, but in this case, this is more than justified since it specifically addresses much needed repairs of something everyone in town uses every day—streets, sidewalks, and alleys.
Ron Fink writes to the Sun from Lompoc. Send a letter for publication to letters@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in February 5 – February 12, 2026.