Is there a limit to how high we can raise taxes, even on tourists? Every four years, it seems like local municipalities devise a way to increase sales tax or transient occupancy tax (TOT). Boy, public safety sure could use a boost, or the roads sure could use an influx of funding, or it’s not […]
Pay to stay
Posted inFood & Drink
Solvang’s Ramen Kotori celebrates five years in business
Oodles of noodles Ramen Kotori in Solvang is open for patio dining and takeout Wednesdays through Sundays, from noon to 3 p.m. and 4:30 to 8 p.m. Call (805) 691-9672 or visit ramenkotori.com for more info. The restaurant is located at 1618 Copenhagen Drive, Solvang. There are many reasons to stop at Ramen Kotori in […]
Posted inNews
Land Trust for Santa Barbara County offers Discover Outside—highlighting ecosystems, conservation, and local recreation opportunities
Alongside conserving local lands, the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County wants to teach people about the area they call home, Vanessa Stowers told the Sun. “We are very lucky to live in this unique space, and it’s something that I don’t ever want to take for granted, so really appreciating why Santa Barbara County […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
BINGEABLE: Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies, & Scandal
Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies, & Scandal What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2024 Where’s it showing? Netflix Netflix’s Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies, & Scandal docuseries covers the rise of a dating site for married people seeking other adults to have affairs with, the hack that exposed millions of users’ data to the public, the lives it […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
BLAST FROM THE PAST: Girls
Girls What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2012-2017 Where’s it showing? Max Being both the main actor and the creator of HBO’s show, Girls, Lena Dunham (Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood, American Horror Story) plays a 23-year-old freshly graduated college student who’s a little self-absorbed, awkward, and obsessed with becoming a writer—but she’s too […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
The Idea of You is Notting Hill for boy band fanatics
The Idea of You What’s it rated? R What’s it worth, Caleb? Rent it What’s it worth, Bulbul? Rent it Where’s it showing? Amazon Prime Michael Showalter (The Big Sick) directs and co-writes this quirky romance based on the novel by Robinne Lee. Sparks fly between a world-famous pop singer (Nicholas Galitzine) and an art […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Guest vocalist Liz Douglas joins Riptide Big Band at upcoming show
The Santa Maria Valley Senior Citizens Club hosts its Keeping It Blue Dance, with live music from the Riptide Big Band, at the Elwin Mussell Senior Center in Santa Maria on Sunday, June 9, from 1:30 to 4 p.m. The ensemble’s frequent accompanying vocalist duo Bob Nations and Mitch Latting will be joined by special […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Orcutt artisan’s household goods double as serene seascapes
Tidal raves To find out more about Orcutt-based artist Amy Blankenship and her resin art business, Wild Alchemy, visit wildalchemycollective.com, or follow @wildalchemycollective on Instagram. Blankenship regularly sells her resin art charcuterie boards and other products during Morro Bay’s bimonthly Waterfront Market, Shell Beach’s monthly Art in the Park event, and additional art fairs and […]
Posted inOpinion
Semantics and spin
When it comes right down to it folks, we are living in a most confusing time. It’s next to impossible to discern the truth of a matter and get credible sources of info on anything you may be interested in. Media sources are sometimes biased and bought, the government is all over the map, and […]
Posted inOpinion
More dollars than sense
At the end of the piece titled “EVs are practical” (May 23), the author states, “… and they can help save the environment at the same time.” I wonder if Charles stopped to consider the damage to the environment caused in manufacturing two vehicles for Charles to choose from stacked in Charles’ driveway, or the […]
Posted inOpinion
City clarifies that it won’t implement the grand jury’s recommendations for Visit Lompoc Inc.
Earlier this year, a few local citizens created great concern when they tried to imply that something sinister was happening concerning the finances of Visit Lompoc Incorporated (VLI). According to a May 21 staff report, “Between the months of March and June 2023, three individuals made public comments during the regularly held City Council meetings […]
Posted inOpinion
Risky revenue?
Is Lompoc a place that you associate with “Earth-based lodging”? Seems a little targeted toward luxurious hippies, doesn’t it? Like some place someone would pay thousands of dollars a night to stay in the Brazilian Amazon or along the Big Sur coast, where they could zip-line through the forest, get massages under trees, eat all […]