The San Luis Obispo County Planning Commission approved another housing development in Nipomo, despite community members’ protests. Commissioners unanimously approved the construction of 72 affordable, multi-family residential units on 2.57 acres along Magenta Lane during a March 14 meeting. The development will consist of three three-story apartment buildings, an attached community room to the front […]
Nipomo residents are upset about another housing development
Posted inNews
Preliminary election results show low voter turnout during March 5 primary
While ballots are still being counted, Santa Barbara County election results show lower voter turnout than in previous presidential primaries. Michael Daly—Santa Barbara County Clerk-Recorder, Assessor, and Elections Office chief deputy assessor and registrar of voters—told the Sun that 41.6 percent of registered voters had their ballots counted so far during the March 5 primary. […]
Posted inOpinion
Nuclear power, weapons, and war need to go
March has a way of coming in like a lion. On March 1, 1954, the U.S. military conducted a test explosion, called Castle Bravo, of a hydrogen bomb in the Bikini Aoll. This robbed the Bikini people and other Marshallese of their homeland and way of life and left them with extremely high rates of […]
Posted inOpinion
A reasonable commute, affordable home, dignified life
In making the argument that exclusive neighborhoods ought to remain socioeconomically segregated to preserve elite class bragging rights, John Donegan somehow manages to be both breathlessly condescending toward the less fortunate and also woefully ignorant of the types of housing policies that produce thriving communities (“Beverly hillbillies,” Feb. 29). Donegan ignores a mountain of sociological […]
Posted inOpinion
Politics not commitments
It sounds like San Luis Obispo County wants the Santa Maria Riverbed cleanup remnants to land squarely in the lap of Santa Barbara County. And by cleanup, I really mean clear-out. As in, a clear-out of the miniature cities that have popped up in the riverbed since last year’s flooding pushed them out, visible from […]
Posted inOpinion
If you’re a badass who wants to effect change, run for local elected office
The other night, I heard an elected leader talk about her time as an activist and how the “inside-outside” approach has been a theme in her life. This local female leader is what I would label a “badass.” Time and age have mellowed her but if you scratch the surface, the hard-core activist is still […]
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The Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum hosts its annual Kite Festival for families to spend time together
The Santa Maria Family Kite Festival is one of Jenn Malone’s favorite days of the year. “There’s something about hundreds of kites in the air flying harmoniously at the same time. It’s a miracle they don’t get tangled, but I love the joy these kids are expressing [during] their fun and learning,” said Malone, the […]
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Political Watch: March 14, 2023
• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal and several colleagues introduced legislation to designate spaceports including Vandenberg Space Force Base, as eligible for tax-exempt municipal revenue bonds to incentivize investment in spaceport infrastructure, according to a March 8 statement from Carbajal’s office. Projects such as airports and docks currently qualify for tax-exempt municipal revenue bonds, which attract […]
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Court orders Los Alamos fisherman to pay $19,000 for abandoning lobster traps
Christopher Miller, a 67-year-old Los Alamos resident, pleaded guilty in Santa Barbara County Superior Court for failing to complete lobster commercial fishing records and paid $19,340 in restitution to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and a partnering nonprofit agency to remove at least 156 abandoned lobster traps around Santa Cruz Island. Lobster […]
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Solvang funds study on roadside trail for pedestrians, bicyclists
To help curb a lingering safety concern, the city of Solvang is preparing to renovate a 2,400-foot segment of Fredensborg Canyon Road. While there are residential driveways on both sides of the route, neither side has a sidewalk. Public Works Director Rodger A. Olds referred to this stretch of Fredensborg as “the greatest danger to […]
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Preliminary results show incumbents lead in state races, Prop. 1 approved by 1 percent
While both sets of candidates in the local state Senate and Assembly races will march forward to the November general election, preliminary results show incumbent Assemblymember Gregg Hart (D-Santa Barbara) and state Sen. Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara) in the lead. “I’m gratified and humbled by the results, and I’m excited about getting back to work […]
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Boundary lines: Santa Barbara and SLO counties work together to address Santa Maria Riverbed homeless encampments
Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties are teaming up to address a growing number of homeless encampments in the Santa Maria Riverbed. A $6 million grant Gov. Gavin Newsom awarded to Santa Barbara County in 2023 aims to clean up encampments, including in the Santa Maria Riverbed between Santa Barbara and SLO counties that’s […]