Most people can broadly agree on a few things about the homeless. It is distressing to see them. They make an awful mess. Some of them are dangerous. They devalue our cities and neighborhoods. They reduce our collective quality of life. Beyond these areas of broad agreement opinions diverge. Consensus is lost. Possibilities are limited. […]
Homelessness solutions require broad agreement
Posted inOpinion
We must end our addiction to fossil fuels
Seventy-five years ago, the legendary California Zephyr debuted with “modern” passenger train service from Chicago to Oakland. As a child, I often watched from my bedroom as the orange-and-silver Zephyr locomotive roared by our Redding home. In the 19th century, iron rails literally stitched our continent together. In 1875, the narrow-gauge Pacific Coast Railway reached […]
Posted inOpinion
Mo’ money
Every time the Santa Barbara County jails get critiqued, Sheriff Bill Brown is ready with one of his classics: We need more money. He’s uttered an iteration of that line more times than I can count. With any whiff of constructive criticism, Brown’s armed and ready with his defenses. The county jail is short-staffed, has […]
Posted inNews
Guadalupe artist hoststhe city’s first fashion show through a new grant program
Guadalupe resident Arnulfo Navarro III was always drawn to fashion as a form of personal expression. “That’s where I think I’m breaking through the most. I’m showing up as myself and people are taking that at face value,” he said. “I’m just trying to enjoy life and enjoy my everyday life, and … I’m trying […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch: April 11, 2024
• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) is continuing his push to preserve the Affordable Connectivity Program, the federal internet affordability program that is lowering monthly internet bills for more than 38,000 Central Coast households, according to a March 26 statement from Carbajal’s office. Carbajal and his colleagues created the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) through […]
Posted inNews
Slowed revenue, new state legislation limit county’s 2024-25 budget
Facing increasing costs and revenue that’s struggling to keep up, the Santa Barbara County Executive Office is recommending that the county allocate funds that will maintain current services and avoid expansions. “Our theme this year is prudence and progress,” County CEO Mona Miyasato told the Board of Supervisors during the April 9 budget workshops. “We […]
Posted inNews
Solvang prioritizes solving parking issues for 2024-26 budget
With the aim of completing 15 projects in a two-year time frame, the city of Solvang is recruiting additional staff members, including a management analyst. At least half of the hiree’s workload will be dedicated to helping resolve issues the City Council decided to prioritize for the 2024-26 budget. Traffic congestion, code enforcement, and water […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Gallery Los Olivos’ April show transports viewers to a historic cattle ranch
Home on the ranch Voices and Vistas 2024 runs through April 30 at Gallery Los Olivos, located at 2920 Grand Ave., Los Olivos. Visit gallerylosolivos.com for more info on this new solo exhibit of Jim Tyler’s pastel paintings. On Sunday, April 28, Tyler will host a special plein air pastel workshop at the Camatta Ranch […]
Posted inOpinion
‘Do the right thing’ should extend beyond liberals
Having read John Donegan’s recent epic “Do the right thing” (March 28), I do have to admit that I agree with a lot of what he has to say, which, as a recovering progressive, is a bit painful for me. It does seem that it takes American liberals, especially progressives, an inordinate amount of time […]
Posted inOpinion
Lompoc’s street and alley conditions are measurably bad
Anyone who lives in the city of Lompoc knows that many streets and alleys in our city are in poor shape. But when subjected to a professional review using a nationally accepted roadway standards, how bad are they? During a City Council meeting on March 19 to discuss a public hearing to consider Measure A, […]
Posted inOpinion
What would Texas do?
For everyone who’s yammering on about how California is such a strict state to do business in, we sure are lax when it comes to holding oil companies accountable for their messes. Texas has stronger laws than California does. Texas. The state all the RINO’s are leaving us for. Texas state law requires oil field […]
Posted inNews
Lompoc Valley Middle School expands its wellness program to address ongoing mental health needs
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Lompoc Unified School District has been expanding its social-emotional learning program to help students navigate heightened anxiety and other mental health-related issues as they returned to in-person learning. “We saw that the needs were really big; the district was awesome in supporting us by giving us more roles […]