Who should pay to clean up the hazardous facilities that bankrupt oil companies leave behind? It shouldn’t be taxpayers, but that’s what’s happening. And Santa Barbara County shouldn’t be on the hook to facilitate that cleanup either, but that’s what’s happening. Venoco filed for bankruptcy in 2017, blaming the shutdown of the Plains All American […]
Taxpayers v. oil
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
BINGEABLE: Special Ops: Lioness
Special Ops: Lioness What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2023 Where’s it showing? Paramount Plus In my mind, writer Taylor Sheridan can do no wrong. He’s penned compelling action films such as Sicario, Hell or High Water, and Wind River, and since turning his attention to TV, he’s created series such as Yellowstone and its spinoffs […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
BINGEABLE: Painkiller
Painkiller What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2023 Where’s it showing? Netflix In 2021, Hulu brought us the mini-series Dopesick, which took us to the boardrooms, courtrooms, and living rooms of those inside the opioid crisis. 2023 brings us Painkiller, another look at the crisis, the cover-up, and the eventual rulings against Purdue and the Sackler […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
The Equalizer 3 is a fitting finale to this rebooted trilogy
The Equalizer 3 What’s it rated? R What’s it worth, Glen? Full price What’s it worth, Anna? Full price Where’s it showing? Movies Lompoc, Regal Edwards Arroyo Grande, Regal Edwards RPX Santa Maria Antoine Fuqua (The Replacement Killers, Training Day, King Arthur, Shooter, Brooklyn’s Finest, Emancipation) returns to direct this third installment in the film […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Festival Mozaic hosts Notable Soirée in Nipomo
Musicians Scott Yoo (pictured) and Alice Dade will lead an informal lecture on the music of Mozart at the Monarch Club at Trilogy Monarch Dunes in Nipomo on Saturday, Sept. 16. The program, hosted by Festival Mozaic, starts at 2 p.m. and will be followed by a wine and appetizer reception in the Monarch Club’s […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Upcoming auction in Santa Maria features artworks by Nat Fast
The inaugural Art in the Heart of the City auction and fundraiser will be held at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Santa Maria on Saturday, Sept. 16, starting at 2 p.m. The auction will feature artworks by acclaimed artist Nat Fast (1924-2013). The artist’s surviving children have curated a collection of pieces by Fast to […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Exit Pursued by a Bear presents AI-generated theater showcase
Bear necessities Exit Pursued by a Bear, a Central Coast-based theater group, will hold its Stage and Slice Soirée at Brightside Pizza in Los Osos on Saturday, Sept. 9, starting at 5 p.m. For more info, visit facebook.com/exitpursuedbyabeartheatre. In the midst of the Hollywood writers’ and actors’ strike, complete with picket signs that read, “AI […]
Posted inOpinion
We’re entitled to our opinions, not our own facts
I read Stephen Siemsen’s letter in the latest edition of the Sun, “An open letter to the secretary of state,” (Aug. 31). His use of a quote he attributes to President Trump caught my eye. It seemed too outrageous not to have been covered by mainstream media, especially as media these days are driven by […]
Posted inOpinion
Politicians and activists who ignore reality wreak havoc on us all
From the Founding Fathers who became political leaders until today, politicians have misled and/or outright lied about so many issues that it’s hard to keep up. For centuries they have promised better days if only we would vote for them; we are still waiting. And activists—they just make noise. To prove they care about us, […]
Posted inNews
The Santa Maria Valley Youth and Family Center celebrates 50 years of providing services to students, families, and the community
The Santa Maria Valley Youth and Family Center started in 1972 as Social Advocates for Youth in Santa Barbara, former Executive Director Judi Nishimori told the Sun. “It’s been such a long-standing program; it’s evolved into different areas and it’s changed over the years. … I began in 1978; this would be my 45th year […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch: September 7, 2023
• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) spoke at Pioneer Park with Lompoc Mayor Jenelle Osborne to highlight delivering $1.26 million in federal funding to support park renovations, including a new playground and baseball fields, according to an Aug. 30 statement from the congressman’s office. “Parks and green spaces are essential to the quality of […]
Posted inNews
Lompoc Valley Medical Center will pay $5 million for alleged false claims
To resolve allegations that Lompoc Valley Medical Center knowingly submitted false insurance claims to Medi-Cal—violating the federal False Claims Act and the California False Claims Act—the health care provider agreed to pay $5 million, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. “Medi-Cal supports millions of Californians by providing for the critical health care they rely […]