ValentinaWhat’s it rated? PG-13 When? 2025 Where’s it showing? Friday, April 24, 7:45 p.m., at the Palm Theatre in SLO; and Saturday, April 25, 11 a.m., and Monday, April 27, at 1:15 p.m., at Downtown Centre Cinemas in SLO. Tickets at slofilmfest.org. Tatti Ribeiro directs this tale of Valentina (Keyla Monterroso Mejia), a young woman […]
<i>Valentina</i> follows a young woman battling poverty and an oppressive system
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Birds of War follows a love story that grows out of war coverage
Birds of WarWhat’s it rated? R When? 2026 Where’s it showing? Friday, April 24, 4 p.m., and Saturday, April 25, 6:30 p.m. at Downtown Centre Cinemas; and Monday, April 27, 4:30 p.m. at the Palm Theatre in SLO. Tickets at slofilmfest.org. Janay Boulos and Abd Alkader Habak co-direct this script they co-wrote with story consultant […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Pick up your next sourdough loaf from a new Santa Maria farm stand
Ready to be slicedFind everything you need to know about Elizabeth Nunez’s business on Instagram @homemade_heritage_. Customers receive the farm stand address after placing an order online. Homemade Heritage will also be at the Old Town Orcutt summer farmers market starting May 20. Making sourdough is a little bit like teaching first grade. “It’s a […]
Posted inNews
Checkout aisle: New housing restrictions impact long-term motel tenants on one corridor in Buellton
There’s at least one framed photo in 34-year-old Cesar Garcia’s living room that tends to elicit a physiological reaction from first-time visitors. Within days of departing from the White House, Joe Biden posed with Garcia in early 2025 for a selfie at Mission Santa Ines—where the Buellton resident has regularly attended Sunday mass since he […]
Posted inNews
County supervisors discuss balancing budgets to quell deficits
Trying to work its way out of the red, Santa Barbara County is considering almost $71 million in reductions for the 2026-27 fiscal year. Multiple departments are facing layoffs and program reductions if the board approves the budget in June. On April 13, the Public Health and Social Services departments presented financial plans to the […]
Posted inNews
County Planning Commission sends ban on future oil drilling to supervisors
Most of the oil produced in and around the Santa Maria Valley is considered “heavy.” It’s not refined into gasoline or jet fuel. Rather, it’s often used to make products like asphalt—but maybe not for very much longer. “That’s what we specialize in, as most of the oil production onshore in Northern Santa Barbara county […]
Posted inNews
Santa Maria City Council appoints Ricardo Batalla to 1st District
Abraham Lincoln’s decision in 1861 to appoint three of his political opponents to his cabinet should have helped steer Santa Maria officials’ approach to filling a recent City Council vacancy, in resident Gale McNeeley’s view. “Mayor Patino, you can be the Abraham Lincoln of Santa Maria. I know you don’t look like him, but you […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch: April 16, 2026
• U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California) recently led 10 colleagues in strongly opposing the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed rule limiting the application of Section 401 of the Clean Water Act, under which states and tribes would effectively be unable to regulate many of the water quality impacts of hydropower dams within their lands. The […]
Posted inNews
County Behavioral Wellness Department combines services at a new Lompoc outpatient clinic
Seeking mental health help and resources for substance use disorder can be daunting. The county is trying to make the process a little easier at the Lompoc Behavioral Wellness Service Center. Adults and youth in the valley can now access resources for mental health and substance use all under one roof. The county’s new Lompoc […]
Posted inOpinion
Power plays
How much power does a local government have to change existing uses? Turns out, local governments think they have a lot of power. They seem to have the power to kick people out of their homes, the power to force property owners to change the use of their properties, the power to kill people’s livelihoods, […]
Posted inOpinion
Sinking ship: Politicians are swamping the state’s financial future
If I were a state or local government employee in California, I would be concerned about my future retirement plan. Many local governments are suffering budget deficits; we read about these budget shortfalls regularly as revenue (tax-based funds) decreases and expenses increase. The Independent Institute’s website says, “Legislative analyst Gabe Petek, in his overview of […]
Posted inOpinion
The surprising freedom of an electric car
As a mother of two young kids, I didn’t expect my first electric car purchase to bring me this much joy—or this much peace and quiet. But our new Hyundai IONIQ 5 has done exactly that. First, the silence. No engine roar, no rattling—just smooth, almost magical acceleration. My kids actually asked if the car […]
