Instead of spending summers at camp when she was a child, Blanca Antonio Aquino—alongside other children of farmworkers—worked in the fields to help their families pay bills. “At age 8, I recall my mom telling me, ‘When you’re picking strawberries, think as if you’re picking up a single cent,” Antonio Aquino told the Santa Barbara […]
Farmworkers advocate wage increases at Board of Supervisors meeting
Posted inFood & Drink
Spud Street’s food truck is the quickest route to every local french fry fanatic’s heart
Fry parking Visit spudstreetinc.com for more info on Spud Street, based in Santa Maria and surrounding areas. For updates on the local food truck’s weekly pop-up locations, follow Spud Street on Instagram, @spudstreet, or text the word “schedule” to (820) 500-7783. One of the Santa Maria Valley’s newest food trucks is a well-oiled machine with […]
Posted inNews
Lompoc debates how to fund road improvements, fix potholes
Raising the sales tax in Lompoc is one path to revamping the city’s deteriorating streets, but it’s not a road some local leaders want to take. During the Lompoc City Council’s Aug. 20 meeting, Councilmember Jeremy Ball and Councilmember Dirk Starbuck responded to city staff’s presentation on potential options to improve road health with differing […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
NEW FLICKS: The Union
The Union What’s it rated? PG-13 When? 2024 Where’s it showing? Netflix Oh, Marky Mark, you do know how to churn out the cheese. Mostly TV director Julian Farino helms this action spy comedy about regular guy Mike McKenna (Mark Wahlberg), a New Jersey high-rise steel worker who likes to drink beer with his pals […]
Posted inNews
Housing, homelessness highlighted in 2nd District City Council Race
First-time candidates Gloria Flores and Benjamin Ortiz are fighting long-time councilmember Mike Cordero for the Santa Maria City Council 2nd District seat. The 2nd District sits between N. Railroad Avenue and N. Suey Road, with the 1st and 4th districts hugging its west and east sides. The Santa Maria River acts as the district’s northern […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
BINGEABLE: Lady in the Lake
Lady in the Lake What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2024 Where’s it showing? Apple TV Plus In this noir thriller, Natalie Portman stars as Jewish housewife Maddie Schwartz, whose world is upended when an 11-year-old white girl goes missing from her community and is found dead. While the tragedy is indeed heartbreaking, Maddie’s reaction has […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Blink Twice is an inky-dark psychological horror film with a lot to say about gender roles
Blink Twice What’s it rated? R What’s it worth, Anna? Full price What’s it worth, Glen? Full price Where’s it showing? Regal Edwards RPX Santa Maria, Regal Edwards Arroyo Grande Zoë Kravitz directs this black comedy she co-wrote with E.T. Feigenbaum about tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum) who at his fundraising gala meets cocktail […]
Posted inNews
Oil tanker tussle
Three days after Ken Hough told county planning commissioners about “the dangers of crude oil tankers,” a semi-truck carrying 150 barrels of crude oil crashed into another vehicle a half mile from his home. The Santa Barbara County Action Network (SBCAN) co-executive director had filed an appeal on the county’s approval of Sentinel Peak Resources’ […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Climate Future Film Festival screens shorts in Nipomo, Morro Bay, and more
Some local libraries will be hosting special film screening events in conjunction with the Climate Future Film Festival in late August and early September. This touring film festival highlights a collection of international short films of various genres that examine “our interior responses to many possible climate futures,” according to the fest’s Film Freeway page. […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Riptide Big Band makes waves at pirate-themed dance in Santa Maria
The Santa Maria Valley Senior Citizens Club hosts its Talk Like a Pirate Dance, with live music from the Riptide Big Band, at the Elwin Mussell Senior Center in Santa Maria on Sunday, Sept. 8, from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Admission to the event is free, thanks to grant funding from the Community Foundation of […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Art and technology converge in Gallery Los Olivos’ Brushes and Pixels
Pixel perfect Call (805) 688-7517 or visit gallerylosolivos.com for more info on Brushes and Pixels, on display at Gallery Los Olivos from Sept. 1 through the end of the month. The gallery is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is located at 2920 Grand Ave., Los Olivos. Before moving to the Central […]
Posted inOpinion
Be wary of initiatives
It seems like on all our election ballots, we are presented with initiatives to vote on. That is because in California, citizens have the power through ballot initiatives to directly propose and enact laws, make or change local ordinances, and even make amendments to the state Constitution. Usually individuals or groups resort to the initiative […]
