My last day as the Assembly member for the 35th District was Dec. 1. It has been an honor and a privilege to represent the Central Coast these past six years. Together we accomplished great things for the Central Coast, California, and beyond. Some of the highlights: We passed a bill (SB 846) to pave […]
Thank you, Central Coast
Posted inOpinion
New laws are being enacted without state lawmakers thinking ‘what could go wrong?’
Our legislators in Sacramento have been busy “helping us” again; they have passed—and Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed—several new laws that will impact people in Lompoc and everywhere else in the once Golden State. Some may have an adverse impact on traffic safety, others your pocketbook. Two important changes go into effect in January that […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
BINGEABLE: GOSSIP GIRL (2021-present)
BINGEABLE: GOSSIP GIRL (2021-present) Where’s it playing? HBO Max What’s it rated? TV-MA The scourge of New York City is back! Do I mean the infamous anonymous social media sensation that calls itself “Gossip Girl” while airing high society’s dirty laundry, or the bratty pack of rich heirs, heiresses, and socialites who find themselves in […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch: December 22, 2022
• U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California) introduced legislation to close the gaps in our health care system that “have left behind” minorities and underserved communities by incentivizing increased health provider participation in disadvantaged areas, according to a Dec. 19 statement. The Health Enterprise Zones Act would direct the Health and Human Services Secretary to accept […]
Posted inNews
Guadalupe declares impasse on Fire Department wage agreement
The Guadalupe Fire Department hasn’t seen a wage increase in 20 years, doesn’t have a full-time fire chief, and only has six full-time staff members, Fire Capt. Ryan Danger Mack said. “We realized we didn’t have any rights because we didn’t have an MOU [memorandum of understanding] agreement, and it became a huge priority for […]
Posted inNews
Santa Maria finally begins to realize vision for downtown redo
As a longtime plan to revitalize downtown Santa Maria starts to solidify into project proposals, city decision-makers asked the developer to make sure the overall design captures traditional mission-style architecture with a contemporary twist. That was the main crux of a joint meeting between members of the Downtown Revitalization Committee, Planning Commission, and City Council […]
Posted inNews
Los Padres ForestWatch files lawsuit against U.S. Forest Service
The U.S. Forest Service faces litigation after it failed to provide public documents about a fire mitigation project proposal that would impact more than 235,000 acres of land in Santa Barbara, SLO, and Ventura counties. Los Padres ForestWatch Director of Conservation and Research Bryant Baker said the agency missed several deadlines to turn the information […]
Posted inNews
C.A.R.E.4Paws is fundraising to expand care for pet owners in need
Forget making a trip to the veterinarian’s office—animal care organization C.A.R.E.4Paws is fundraising for a larger mobile vet clinic that’ll come to you. The organization provides affordable veterinary services to low-income, senior, disabled, and homeless pet owners in Santa Barbara County. However, its recent expansion of services to SLO County in February 2022 and the […]
Posted inNews
Supervisors propose temporary housing on county property in Santa Maria to address the homelessness crisis
There never seems to be a perfect place for a homeless shelter, Santa Barbara County 5th District Supervisor Steve Lavagnino said. “There’s no golden choice, it’s not one [location] is better than the other, but I can’t live with the status quo,” Lavagnino told the Sun in February. More recently, Lavagnino said he felt like […]
Posted inOpinion
Starting place
It’s refreshing to see a county leader putting on the YIMBY hat and walking the talk. That’s “yes in my backyard,” as opposed to the more popular naysayers’ NIMBY acronym. Fifth District Supervisor Steve Lavagnino has been wearing his thinking cap since last January’s proposal to accept state money and turn a Motel 6 in […]
Posted inOpinion
Rallying for President Trump
We must continue to support President Trump now as we have for the past four years. He had every right to encourage his supporters to rally peacefully before Congress to support and promote important Republican issues now. When the president was at Walter Reed Army hospital to treat his case of COVID-19, his supporters rallied […]
Posted inOpinion
There are several ways you can keep adoptable animals safe this winter
It always happens when the economy is in trouble—animal shelters fill up as people face a financial crunch. The current inflationary period, plus all those pandemic pets whose owners can no longer keep them, is just the latest example. And the Santa Maria Animal Center on Foster Road is no exception. On Saturday, Dec. 3, […]
