Since the Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department’s beginning, it’s hosted a Fourth of July celebration for city residents. While the festivities vary from year to year, it’s continued to be a great opportunity for families, neighbors, and friends to gather for a day of free, fun-filled events, Recreation Manager Stephanie Saucedo said. This year, […]
Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department invites the public to its annual Fourth of July celebration
Posted inFood & Drink
California Hot Dogs expands with new drive-through destination
California, here we come For more info on California Hot Dogs, call (805) 998-0265 or visit the eatery’s Facebook page. The brand’s new drive-through is located at 1311 Nicholson Ave., Santa Maria. Fans of Avila Beach’s famed food cart, California Hot Dogs, now have a place to get their frankfurter fix without having to step […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch: June 27, 2024
• U.S. Sens. Laphonza Butler (D-California) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York) announced the introduction of the Health Equity Innovation Act, legislation to fight racial disparities in health outcomes by expanding access to preventative health care in underserved communities, according to a June 21 statement from Butler’s office. The bill would establish a new grant program […]
Posted inNews
County amends Wellpath contract for improved accountability, greater staffing levels
Additional nursing and behavioral health staff, accountability measures, and continued compliance with a legal settlement surrounding jail health care are some of the amended measures baked into Santa Barbara County’s contract extension with jail health care provider Wellpath. The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved these changes during its June 25 meeting. “I do think, even […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Thelma is an action film spoof with a 93-year-old grandma in the lead
Thelma What’s it rated? PG-13 What’s it worth, Anna? Full price What’s it worth, Glen? Full price Where’s it showing? Downtown Centre in SLO Writer-director Josh Margolin helms this action comedy about 93-year-old Thelma Post (June Squibb) who gets scammed by a grifter pretending to be her grandson and sets out on an adventure to […]
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Solvang debates allocating extra discretionary grant funds
A proposed increase of grant funds in Solvang’s 2024-26 budget stirred up enough backlash to delay its inclusion, but the matter will resurface as a separate resolution in August for further review. Reaction to the amendment—which suggested allocating an extra $125,000 for grant funding—was mixed among the public and elected officials during the Solvang City […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
BINGEABLE: The Veil
The Veil What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2024 Where’s it showing? Hulu Imogen is a tough nut to crack, and she has a knack for getting in and out of situations undetected. She’s been sent to a remote camp where Adilah (Yumna Marwan) is being held, but under very dangerous circumstances. After a difficult and […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
NEW FLICKS: Origin
Origin What’s it rated? PG-13 When? 2023 Where’s it showing? Hulu Writer-director Ava DuVernay (I Will Follow, 13th, When They See Us) helms this biographical drama based on the life of scholar Isabel Wilkerson (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) as she writes her nonfiction book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, which was published in 2020 and describes […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Cypress Gallery showcases works by Claudette Carlton
The Lompoc Valley Art Association presents Watercolor Creations, an exhibition of works by local artist Claudette Carlton, at Cypress Gallery through July 28. Carlton will attend an art reception, open to the public, to celebrate the solo exhibit on Saturday, July 13, from 1 to 3 p.m. Some of Carlton’s works include landscapes, florals, folk […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Pillars 2024 highlights Bobby Williams’ paintings in Los Olivos
The opening reception for Pillars 2024, a solo exhibition of paintings by Bobby Williams at Gallery Los Olivos, will be held on Monday, July 1, from 5 to 7 p.m. The exhibit is scheduled to remain on display through the end of July. In press materials, Williams described this showcase of agricultural paintings as “the […]
Posted inNews
Santa Maria City Council passes 2024-26 budget, with general fund deficit
Facing the looming challenges of filling a deficit, the Santa Maria City Council voted 3-2 (with Councilmembers Gloria Soto and Carlos Escobedo dissenting) to pass its 2024-26 biennial budget. The total budget for fiscal year 2024-25 is almost $364 million and $347 million in the 2025-26 fiscal year, Deputy City Treasurer Xenia Bradford told the […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
PCPA’s Little Shop of Horrors is big, bold, and bloody brilliant
Plant ahead The Pacific Conservatory Theatre (PCPA) presents its production of Little Shop of Horrors at the Solvang Festival Theater through Sunday, July 7. Visit pcpa.org or facebook.com/pacificconservatorytheatre, or call (805) 922-8313 for tickets and more info. The production opened at the Marian Theatre in Santa Maria in April and in Solvang in mid-June. The […]