Homelessness is not an issue that the majority of Santa Maria’s City Council seems interested in tackling, solving, or taking a bite out of. To me, it simply sounds as if Mayor Alice Patino would simply like for it to just go away. Patino, by the way, is running for mayor, again. She doesn’t seem […]
Cold, hard facts?
Posted inNews
Santa Maria Recreation and Parks encourages residents to take advantage of summer services
While July is coming to an end, and with it local Recreation and Parks Month celebrations, Recreation Services Manager Dennis Smitherman encourages residents to use Santa Maria’s parks and take advantage of its recreation and parks programming. “Recreation and parks have such a huge impact on the community,” Smitherman said. “The first is [socializing] and […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch: July 25, 2024
• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) is one of nearly 100 House Democrats cosponsoring new legislation that would repeal an antiquated federal law that has been raised by conservative voices as the potential foundation for enacting a federal ban on abortion nationwide, according to a July 18 statement from Carbajal’s office. The legislation introduced […]
Posted inNews
Lompoc City Council moves two similar measures to the ballot
Despite early concerns regarding voter confusion, the Lompoc City Council voted 3-2 (with councilmembers Jeremy Ball and Dirk Starbuck dissenting) during its July 16 meeting to leave two measures on the November general election ballot that would discontinue public use of 82 acres of city-owned land that includes Ken Adam Park. “I think that when […]
Posted inOpinion
Cover the other side of the YMCA issue
Your feature article of July 4 titled, “All day, all night: A YMCA in Santa Ynez wants to stay open 24/7, but its neighbors are against the plan,” by Taylor O’Connor is very one-sided, whether intended or not. Most of the article focuses primarily on the reasons why it is a good idea to convert […]
Posted inOpinion
The center must hold if there’s any hope for the presidential election
In November 2016, immediately after Donald Trump’s election, Yeats’ famous lament over the apocalyptic carnage of World War I seemed to capture that moment in our history. Of course, our nation survived the next four years. The “centre” did hold, but just barely: On Jan. 6, 2021, for hours “mere anarchy” was loosed upon the […]
Posted inOpinion
Line of fire
Our country’s celebrity obsession hit a new low earlier this month. If it please the court of readers, I’d like to submit these exhibits regarding the Lake Fire. Exhibit A: “The battle to save Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch from destructive Lake fire” is the headline for an LA Times July 12 feature-length piece. Exhibit B: […]
Posted inNews
Youthwell showcases student summer and school year volunteer opportunities
Since high schoolers often need volunteer hours in order to graduate, Youthwell provides resources to help connect teens and youth with nonprofit organizations that pique their interests while meeting their extracurricular requirements, Executive Director Rachael Steidl said. “The idea is so that volunteering doesn’t become a checklist item. We know volunteering can improve stress and […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch: July 18, 2024
• U.S. Sens. Laphonza Butler (D-California) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) introduced the Keep Families Together Act, a legislation that would mandate immigration enforcement to prioritize keeping families together and provide guidelines to ensure they are kept together throughout the legal process, according to a July 11 statement from Butler’s office. In 2018, the Trump administration […]
Posted inNews
County union members advocate for higher wages for future contracts
Santa Barbara County Public Works employee Angel Lopez had to relocate to Lompoc after living in Santa Barbara his whole life because he’s struggling to keep up with the cost of living in his hometown, he told the Board of Supervisors during its July 16 meeting. “It’s getting rough out here, too. I don’t want […]
Posted inNews
Guadalupe addresses illegal fireworks stats after PRA request
An email thread between a former Guadalupe mayor and current city leaders on illegal fireworks kindled public attention less than 48 hours after the convo began. On July 8, Guadalupe resident Frances Romero copied a handful of city staffers and elected officials on a Public Records Act (PRA) request regarding information on illegal fireworks citations […]
Posted inNews
Maria Salguero to face Carlos Escobedo in Santa Maria Council race
Launching her campaign on July 16 at Santa Maria City Hall, Maria Salguero made her debut in local politics by running for Santa Maria City Council’s District 1 seat. “What makes me particularly excited about running for District 1 at this time is that the stakes are very high at a national level; these elections […]