FRIDAY, FEB. 19 • The Santa Maria City/County Coalition for the Homeless has its regular meeting from 10 a.m. to noon at the Betteravia Government Center conference room, 511 East Lakeside Parkway. • The Lompoc City/County Coalition for the Homeless has its regular meeting from noon to 1 p.m. in the Board of Supervisors […]
Community Notebook 2.18
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Have spray paint, will tag
Santa Maria is getting more colorful—and not necessarily in a good way. If you think you’ve been seeing more graffiti than usual around town lately, you’re not imagining things. In January 2009, there were 33 logged incidences of graffiti, according to city records. Last month, there were 114. While the majority of tagging is gang […]
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Time served?
Can a person ever find redemption after participating in murder? Bruce Davis’ supporters think so. Now, apparently, so does a state parole board. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s (CDCR) Board of Parole Hearings on Jan. 28 recommended parole for Davis, a former associate—or “Family member”—of the notorious Charles Manson. Davis, 67, has been […]
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Don’t stop the love
Senior citizens who still want to waltz away for Valentine’s Day, take heart: Though the holiday has come and gone, you can still move to the swooning vocals of the Chairman of the Board. Righetti High School Key Club is hosting a St. Valentine’s Senior dance on Feb. 20, from 2 to 5 p.m. Best […]
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Body found off Bonita School Road in Nipomo
On Feb. 15 around 6:49 a.m., a man was driving on Bonita School Road when he saw a human body lying on the ground about a quarter of a mile south of Division Street in Nipomo. As of press time, police would only say that the body was an unidentified male. It’s being called a […]
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Earth First! activists descend on Santa Barbara to oppose Tranquillon Ridge Project
Another environmental group has added its name to the ever-growing list of organizations voicing disapproval of an oil-drilling agreement between Plains Exploration Production Co. (PXP) and a trio of Santa Barbara-based environmental groups. Activists belonging to the international organization Earth First! gathered in protest Feb. 15 at the PXP petroleum processing plant and the headquarters […]
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State Assembly says ‘no’ to Maldonado, but the contentious nomination process is far from over
Much to the chagrin of many state legislators, the politically divisive battle over the nomination of Sen. Abel Maldonado to the state’s lieutenant governorship could be waged in Sacramento for the next three months. Backing off threats to seek a court decision supporting his choice, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced Feb. 12 he would resubmit Maldonado’s […]
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Community leaders and young people brainstorm ways to prevent youth violence in the Santa Maria Valley
It really does take a village to raise a happy, healthy child. That’s the message coming from leaders in local business, government, and law enforcement who attended a private conference Feb. 9 through 11 to discuss youth violence in the Santa Maria Valley area. “We want to share the message that you can’t solve this […]
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Santa Maria Joint Union High School District has a survey for you
To improve services provided to students and parents, the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District has released two surveys evaluating the district’s resources. In each survey, the participant is asked to identify which school he or she attends (or which school the participant’s child attends), and answer a collection of questions relating to the […]
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Local machinery company raffles off a tractor to raise money for future farmers
They think your tractor’s sexy—or at least they think it could be. Cal-Coast Machinery, in Santa Maria and Paso Robles, is partnering with Future Farmers of America (FFA) to host a fundraiser raffle ending in April. The grand prize: a 31-horsepower, four-wheel-drive John Deere 4310 compact utility tractor with a new Frontier RC2060 five-foot rotary […]
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Rizzoli’s takes food donations
With unemployment rates at nine percent in Santa Barbara County, Rizzoli’s Automotive is inviting the community to help the hungry and homeless by contributing to the shop’s food-collection program. What started three years ago as an annual holiday food drive to benefit local food banks is now an all-year, all-out effort to help keep the […]
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Java Moto motors to the mall
One-stop coffee shop Java Moto has moved to a new location in Santa Maria’s Town Center mall. Along with coffee and espresso, the shop sells breakfast items, sandwiches, and salads, and carries treats from Gina’s Piece of Cake, Edna’s Bakery, and Central City Market. The coffee shop’s new address is 144 Town Center East. For […]