A Santa Maria police officer is on paid administrative leave and awaiting word whether he’ll be charged after his domestic violence-related arrest in early October. Israel Diaz, 25, a sworn officer with the Santa Maria Police Department, was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence by sheriff’s deputies at his Santa Maria Valley residence shortly after […]
District Attorney mulls over charges for SMPD officer
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Santa Maria DMV office closes indefinitely
If you thought lines at the DMV were long before, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Coming as a surprise to city officials, the state Department of Motor Vehicles on Oct. 29 announced the indefinite closure of the Santa Maria field office due to “insufficient staffing resources.” According to DMV spokeswoman Jan Mendoza, the closure, which […]
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State propositions get ratified and rejected
On top of the assortment of political candidates California voters had to choose from on Nov. 2, there were also plenty of ballot measures to consider. Here’s what voters had to say: Proposition 19—perhaps the most dubious of the measures—ended up failing by a margin of approximately eight percentage points, thus dashing some Californians’ hopes […]
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The people have spoken
At long last, election season is over. Here are the results: • Former Democratic governor and current Attorney General Jerry Brown beat Republican businesswoman Meg Whitman for the governorship 53 percent to 41 percent. Santa Barbara County voters selected Brown over Whitman by a thin 48 to 46 percent. • For the U.S. Senate, incumbent […]
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A rally beyond the Valley
Members of the Colbert Nation and rabid Daily Show groupies rallied together at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 30 to “Restore Sanity and/or Fear.” The celebrity-studded spectacle was the faux liberal media’s response to Glenn Beck’s Restoring Honor rally held in late August. However, there’s been plenty of media speculation over whether […]
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Angels seeking angels
Angels Foster Care of Santa Barbara recently opened a new office in downtown Orcutt. The agency is a nonprofit that recruits, screens, and trains foster parents from Santa Barbara County to care for infants and toddlers who have been detained by Santa Barbara County Child Welfare Services due to abuse, neglect, or abandonment. The new […]
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Luncheon discusses elections’ impact
The 2010 elections have come and gone, and the impact of the results on local businesses will be discussed at a combined meeting of Santa Maria Valley business organizations on Nov. 9. During the luncheon, Trent Benedetti, certified public accountant with Benedetti and Associates Inc., will present his analysis of the election and its effects […]
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Bonqo: competition for Craigslist
Buyers and sellers on the Central Coast now have an alternative to Craigslist in Bonqo.com, a free online classified advertising site claiming to manually check every advertisement for legitimacy before it’s posted. According to its local creators, ELLA Internet Technologies, Inc., Bonqo is a family-friendly online marketplace; adult content and personals are forbidden, and every […]
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Community West hires consultant
Community West Bank announced the hiring of Dan Koski as senior loan consultant in the mortgage division of the bank’s Santa Maria branch office. Before joining Community West Bank, Koski was a branch manager for Oak Tree Lending and later owned and operated Pinnacle Lending, a Santa Maria-based brokerage company. In addition to his mortgage-lending […]
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Walmart appeals Lompoc ruling
On Oct. 27, retailer Walmart appealed a Lompoc Planning Commission ruling that denied the company’s application to expand its Lompoc store by more than 40,000 square feet. In the appeal to the Lompoc City Council, filed on behalf of Walmart by Los Angeles-based law firm Manatt, Phelps, and Phillips, the company contends the project’s Environmental […]
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Student gets started in politics
Allan Hancock College student Emma Patterson is beginning her tread in the waters of politics. Patterson, a full-time Allan Hancock College student from Arroyo Grande, was sworn in as the new student trustee on Oct. 19. She’ll serve as a representative for Hancock students on the Board of Trustees until June 2011. Patterson is a […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Retreat for a weekend
Intuitive Drawing is set to host a quaint intimate weekend workshop retreat Feb. 4 through 6 at the Rancho Alamo Camp 1. Surrounded by redwood, oak, and cypress trees, attendees will form groups of six and stay in a three-bedroom, two-bath cottage while exploring art making at The C Gallery. Intuitive Drawing requires no preliminary […]