•U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California) issued a statement on March 27 after the Senate passed funding for all elements of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) except for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) border security operations. “For months, we’ve been clear: no blank checks for Trump’s lawless ICE and […]
Political Watch: April 2, 2026
Posted inNews
Up your composting game with help from some red wigglers
Hundreds of worms can work wonders for a garden from right inside the living room. One pound of red wigglers—roughly 500 to 1,000 worms—can fit in a vermicomposting bin the size of a foot stool, churning organic waste into healthy compost. In an average composting environment, the mixture needs to be turned over regularly to […]
Posted inOpinion
Shady officials
What’s happening with our elected officials? We’ve got one who just pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter and one who’s being tried for fraud, forgery, and so much more. After two years of proclaiming that he did nothing wrong and casting blame on his victim, David Baskett, a former longtime Santa Maria Public Airport District board […]
Posted inOpinion
Lompoc Councilman Steve Bridge’s fraud case moves forward, exposing layers of alleged deception
In 1808 Sir Walter Scott wrote, “Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!” The preliminary hearing for Lompoc City Councilman Steve Bridge for multiple felonies and a few misdemeanors related to the receipt of reimbursements from the city of Lompoc has produced just such a tangled web concerning how […]
Posted inOpinion
Community organizations’ actions may vary from mission statements
I read, with no small degree of amusement, Shirlee Heitman’s letter (“Get educated about local community organizations,” March 26) in response to my commentary published in the March 12 edition of the Sun (“Know before you vote”). Ms. Heitman takes me to task for my characterization of local nonprofits Indivisible Santa Maria, MICOP, CAUSE, and […]
Posted inOpinion
The case for renewable energy
Trump’s war on Iran inadvertently makes a case for renewable energy. Without the free flow of tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, we have a crisis. Twenty percent of the world’s oil and gas passes through this strait. This exposes the depth of our dependence on fossil fuel. Since the Industrial Revolution in the late […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
An Orcutt artist is ready to geek out at Santa Maria Comic Con
Chuck Jones and Bill Peet aren’t necessarily common household names, but their work begs to differ. Jones was the animator of Looney Tunes and Peet was an artist for many an early Disney project. To “geeks” like Brett Nance, those guys are more than household names. They’re legends. Nance grew up drawing, and by the […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Valley Art Gallery presents its latest show
A multigenerational art exhibit is next on the agenda for the Valley Art Gallery. See paintings in distinct styles from three family members at the Santa Maria Public Airport from April 6 through the end of May. An artist reception will be held on April 18 starting at 11 a.m. inside the airport near Pepper […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Photography exhibit highlights Lompoc’s Filipino history
Learn about how Filipino pioneers shaped Lompoc’s history at an exhibit inside the public library’s Grossman Gallery. The exhibit, “Manongs of the Central Coast: Forming Communities Across Generations,” will be featured in the gallery through April, including a public discussion on April 3 at 6 p.m. Bing Aradanas, a project contributor, was raised in Lompoc […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice is funny, violent, sci-fi take on the gangster genre
Mike & Nick & Nick & AliceWhat’s it rated? R What’s it worth, Anna? Full price What’s it worth, Glen? Full price Where’s it showing? Hulu Written and directed by BenDavid Grabinski (Happily), this crime comedy adds a sci-fi twist to the typical violence and quippy dialog. Crime lord, Sosa (David Keith), is celebrating his […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Bait finds actor struggling to keep his career alive
BaitWhat’s it rated? Unrated When? 2026 Where’s it showing? Prime Creator Riz Ahmed stars as Shah Latif, a struggling actor who has bungled his biggest audition yet as the new James Bond. After his ill-fated try at the part, a quick-thinking and desperate Shah decides to make a public appearance outside of the auditions to […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Charming 2008 Be Kind Rewind screens April 6 at Bay Theatre
Be Kind RewindWhat’s it rated? PG-13 When? 2008 Where’s it showing? Bay Theatre on Monday, April 6 (doors at 5, show at 5:30 p.m.; $10) Writer-director Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) helms this charming 2008 comedy about Jerry McLean (Jack Black), a conspiracy theorist and bumbling video store clerk who accidently erases […]