Posted inOpinion

Microgrids are the way of the future and there’s money available to help

Sammy Roth, the reporter who covers energy issues for the LA Times, recently had occasion to express the received wisdom on how energy must be generated and consumed in California. Roth recited the accepted wisdom in the July 13 edition of his newsletter (ā€œBoiling Point: Peek inside Diablo Canyonā€). Roth, like many of his colleagues, […]

Posted inOpinion

Carrot conundrum

Who wants to reduce their groundwater pumping by 60 percent?Ā  I guess that question only works if you rely on a well pumping water out of the Cuyama Valley Groundwater Basin. And I’m sure absolutely nobody really wants to pump 60 percent less water out of the ground every year, because that’s a lot!Ā  But […]

Posted inNews

Local Boys and Girls Clubs, Planet Fitness organize school supply drive in Santa Maria and Atascadero

Students from lower-income families are poised to receive much-needed school supplies through a debut partnership between the Central Coast chapters of Planet Fitness and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Mid Central Coast. Theresa Cappelletty, Planet Fitness’ regional manager, told the Sun that the two groups came together to promote a judgment-free environment for kids. […]

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Political Watch: August 6, 2023

• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) joined members of the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments and other state and local officials to highlight more than $70 million in federal funding that his work in Congress helped deliver for improvements to U.S. Highway 101 in Santa Barbara County, boosting the more than 17-year effort […]

Posted inNews

Newsom’s senior advisor on homelessness visits Santa Barbara County

Hafsa Kaka, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s senior advisor on homelessness, was scheduled to visit Hedges House of Hope in Isla Vista, Buena Tierra in Goleta, DignityMoves in Santa Barbara, and a future housing project, La Posada, in unincorporated Santa Barbara on Aug. 2, after the Sun went to press.Ā  Lucille Boss, Santa Barbara County’s encampment response […]

Posted inNews

County looks to future ag industry challenges after releasing 2022 crop report

Agriculture remains Santa Barbara County’s largest producing industry with a gross production value of more than $1.93 billion, according to the 2022 county Agricultural Crop Report—a 5 percent increase from the 2021’s numbers.Ā  ā€œWe are certainly seeing an increase as we are getting out of the COVID-19 pandemic, as more and more people are going […]

Posted inNews

Whose water?

As the Cuyama Unified School District stepped out of a financial crisis after years of budget struggles, Bolthouse Farms and Grimmway Farms sued the district over groundwater rights. And if the district didn’t join in the adjudication case, it risked losing water rights altogether, Superintendent Alfonso Gamino said.Ā  ā€œWe have it in our budget for […]

Posted inOpinion

Wake up, organize, register, vote!

One year ago, the Supreme Court of the U. S. (SCOTUS) overturned Roe v. Wade with the Dobbs decision, thereby denying the autonomy of American women by proclaiming the state’s right to control their wombs. Coupled with this are efforts by some to build a border fence to keep immigrants out and to corral America’s […]

Posted inOpinion

A glaring omission in the Sun

I was perusing the movie reviews in this week’s Sun and then started looking through the archives for the last several weeks. I noticed one glaring omission, Sound of Freedom. The Starkeys have reviewed every top box office movie in the last several weeks except Sound of Freedom. This movie has held the No. 2 […]

Posted inOpinion

Converting to all electric vehicles for low- to medium-income families is a pipe dream

Ā I honestly believe that the political class in Sacramento is losing their collective minds. In my last commentary (ā€œSolutions?ā€ July 13), I pointed out that ā€œthe U.S. government is now preparing to hand out $400 billion for green energy projects, and this is just the beginning of the trip down the climate change rabbit hole.ā€ […]

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