• Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office is reprioritizing its groundwater recharge, stormwater capture, and reservoir storage efforts, along with water conveyance improvements and ambitious targets to build water resilience, according to a Jan. 19 statement from the governor’s office. The state has committed more than $8.6 million to build water resilience in the last two budgets, […]
Political Watch: January 26, 2023
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center holds annual walk dedicated to ‘California’s Gold’ host
On Feb. 11, the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center is inviting the public to join a docent-led walk at Oso Flaco Lake that will retrace the steps of California’s Gold host Huell Howser, who explored the site during an episode of his show in 2003. The walk is scheduled to start at 9 a.m. Attendees will journey […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Drawing805 founder puts a cosmic twist on new butterfly mural
When it comes to public art, “less is more” rarely rings true, local artist Luis Linares believes. “I see a lot of white walls that need to be filled with art,” said Linares, who likes to keep an eye out for buildings in Santa Maria with enough blank space to fit a mural or two. […]
Posted inOpinion
Curiouser and curiouser
The Jan. 23 Solvang City Council meeting was awkward. Awkward with a capital AWKWARD. Newly elected City Councilmember Elizabeth Orona had to share the dais with the person she beat out to claim her seat on the city’s governing body. Why? Because her fellow council peeps voted to appoint that loser to fill a seat […]
Posted inOpinion
New bills are not gifts
Our state elected representatives are at it again, producing a blizzard of new bills. Just who of everyday Joes on the streets is going to know anything about any of these? These bills are for the biggest paying supporters or the biggest attention getters. Most of these bills are “penny dreadful” junk bills. The basic […]
Posted inOpinion
Lompoc has 200 unhoused people, largely thanks to government ‘helping hands’
I have been trying to figure out the “root cause” and some potential solutions for the homeless issue for the last several months. First, the “homeless issue” has been with us since homeless pilgrims arrived on our eastern shores in 1620. The difference today is that in 1620, “homeless” folks homesteaded land and built not […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Lompoc libraries seek local artists for upcoming exhibits
Local artists are encouraged to submit works for consideration to be showcased at the Vandenberg Village Library and the Grossman Gallery, located inside the Lompoc Public Library. Past featured artists at the Grossman Gallery include oil painter Elizabeth Monks Hack (whose work is pictured). Artist applicants are required to submit at least six exhibit-ready pieces, […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
Health & Wellness 2023
Health and Wellness isn’t just about exercise and diets, it’s also about accessing medical health care and knowing how to protect your body. But not everyone knows how to obtain preventative care, and youth don’t necessarily graduate from high school with the information they need to understand sex or the proper ways to safeguard themselves. […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Multiple businesses compete in Santa Maria Valley’s 2023 Craft Cocktail Contest
The Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce is asking the public to get out and vote—but not, in this case, for any politicians whom their ideologies happen to align with. The 2022 election season is over, but the voting period for Santa Maria’s 2023 Craft Cocktail Contest began in mid-January. Through Feb. 12, Central Coast […]
Posted inNews
Community members raise funds for flood-damaged Orcutt households
The muddy water inside Orcutt resident Rob Draper’s home was up to his knees by the time he and his family evacuated their house, during the night of the Jan. 9 storm. Upon exiting the front door with as many belongings as they could carry, the family of five attempted to reach one of their […]
Posted inNews
Jameson, Gibraltar, and Cachuma reservoirs reach capacity
Cachuma, Gibraltar, and Jameson reservoirs hitting their capacity levels for the first time in years is a silver lining amid the damage from recent storms, Santa Barbara County Water Agency Manager Matt Young told the Sun. “Having most of our major surface waters full is an incredible benefit to the agencies and people that rely […]
Posted inNews
U.S. Rep. Carbajal visits Guadalupe to assess storm damage
After a Santa Maria River levee broke during early January’s severe storms, around 20 families evacuated and are now staying in temporary H-2A housing for farmworkers or sleeping in the Guadalupe Auditorium, Guadalupe Mayor Ariston Julian said. “This has happened about four times in the last 30 years. It can’t happen anymore,” Julian said about […]