Normally the once proud and gracefully flowing Santa Ynez River is reduced to a dry sand bed with its banks occupied by numerous homeless camps, but occasionally during heavy rains it flows almost as it did when steelhead were abundant, long before Bradley Dam was built and Lake Cachuma was formed. For the last two […]
Are the steelhead back in the Santa Ynez River yet?
Posted inOpinion
A useless vote
A recent Solvang Planning Commission meeting gave us proof that artificial intelligence will take over human jobs. Instead of drawing names out of hat, the city relied on ChatGPT to tell it the commissioner who would remain on the dais to decide on whether to recommend rezoning city land for housing purposes. Three commissioners lived […]
Posted inNews
Residential rezoning proposal divides Solvang Planning Commission
Three of Solvang’s five planning commissioners volunteered to recuse themselves from a recent rezoning decision due to conflicts of interest, but an artificial intelligence app spared one of them from the chopping block. Rather than draw straws or names from a hat, as Planning Commissioner Aaron Petersen suggested, Solvang’s staff used ChatGPT to randomly select […]
Posted inNews
LA Superior Court rules on Cuyama Valley Groundwater Basin boundaries
A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge confirmed that the Cuyama Valley Groundwater Basin is one connected basin—not separate subbasins—allowing for the groundwater adjudication to move forward following a year-and-a-half of delays and litigation. “The court has been scrupulous to confine phase one of this adjudication to the boundaries of the court’s in rem [personal […]
Posted inNews
‘Long overdue’
Santa Maria Fire Battalion Chief Evan Scott got his third physical exam in his 20-year career as a Santa Maria firefighter after he helped establish the department’s health and wellness program. “It was a big deal. It was the goal I was shooting for before I retired,” Scott told the Sun. “I banged that drum […]
Posted inFood & Drink
T’s Red Tacos is a tasty treasure trove in Pismo Beach
Stop the world and melt with T Visit tsredtacos.com or call (805) 295-6084 for more info on T’s Red Tacos, located at 690 Dolliver St., Pismo Beach. The eatery is open daily, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. There’s a popular carnival treat at T’s Red Tacos in Pismo Beach with ties to owner Roger […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Drive-Away Dolls is charming but lightweight
Drive-Away Dolls What’s it rated? R What’s it worth, Glen? Matinee What’s it worth, Anna? Matinee Where’s it showing? Regal Edwards RPX Santa Maria, Regal Edwards Arroyo Grande Ethan Coen directs this queer comedy co-written with his wife, Tricia Cooke, about free-spirited Jamie (Margaret Qualley) and her uptight friend, Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan), who decide to […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Allan Hancock College art instructors display works in new faculty exhibit
Ann Foxworthy Gallery presents Allan Hancock College’s Fine Arts Faculty Art Show, currently on display through March 14. Admission to view the exhibit is free and it’s open to the public. The show’s featured media includes painting, installation work, photography, ceramics, digital video, and more. “As artists, our faculty have their own art-making practices both […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Lompoc Pops Orchestra teams up with local Elvis Presley impersonator
Tony Costa, a prolific Elvis Presley tribute artist, will join the Lompoc Pops Orchestra for a special concert at Lompoc’s First United Methodist Church on Sunday, March 17, at 4 p.m. During the first half of the concert, the orchestra will perform a variety of pop selections from the ’40s, ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s, […]
Posted inOpinion
The Oceano beach death is on the ODSVRA
On Jan. 10, 2024, a man was found dead on the beach at the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area (ODSVRA) by State Parks rangers. The next day his car was found in the ocean. On Jan. 18, the Sun published a letter by Oceano resident Mary Martin: “Too many risks in Oceano.” What else […]
Posted inOpinion
Does ‘social justice’ really require that poor people be given the same bragging rights as the wealthy?
Whoever knew that equity and social justice requires that folks be able to live in Beverly Hills regardless of their financial means? This may the biggest lifestyle boost since the Beverly Hillbillies struck crude and rolled into town. The legendarily swank enclave of Beverly Hills is in a real lather. The enlightened social engineers in […]
Posted inOpinion
Complaints all around
I’d almost rather pay for a wedding than vote in the primary election. I might not be the only person who feels that way. There isn’t a lot of exciting stuff on the ballot. The choices are almost predetermined. But, hey, at least no one is running unopposed! You’ve got incumbent conservative 4th District Santa […]