Growing up in Santa Barbara, Patti Jacquemain spent a lot of her time drawing and riding horses. She lived on a lemon ranch and said she always deeply cared for the wildlife and wild places that she saw on horseback. The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History also had a big impact on her childhood. […]
CalNAM’s Wild in California exhibit showcases biodiversity in mosaics and woodblock prints
Posted inOpinion
What has America become?
So, what do you call this thing that is now America? Gangs of uniformed thugs with hidden faces roam city streets picking on random minorities and disappearing them in violation of long-established law and their civil rights. Colleges pressured to indoctrinate students in only right-wing thought. Cuts to anything that might even resemble reason or […]
Posted inOpinion
A lesson, warning, and proposal for the Nipomo Mesa
I got to know the late Harold Miossi shortly after settling here after finishing grad school at Cal in 1976. I had the privilege of enjoying his occasional company until his death in 2006. Harold’s name graces two fine concert venues—the PAC at Cal Poly and the CPAC at Cuesta College—as well as the city’s […]
Posted inCanary
Government control
Does the county have any control over the federal government? What about the state? No. That’s the answer I’m going to go with. What have we done as a state? We’ve banned Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents from conducting their business at state courthouses—as in, arresting people. According to CalMatters, officers are doing it regardless. […]
Posted inSpotlight
Santa Barbara Humane scores first nonprofit award from the Santa Maria Valley Chamber
In the grand scheme of Santa Barbara Humane’s century-long history, the nonprofit’s five-year presence in Santa Maria feels as fresh as a newborn pup. The animal welfare agency’s paw prints on the area recently caught the attention of the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce, which picked Santa Barbara Humane as its nonprofit of the […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch: September 25, 2025
• On Sept. 17, U.S. Sens. Alex Padilla (D-California), Mark R. Warner (D-Virginia), Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland), Chuck Schumer (D-New York), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Maryland), and Tim Kaine (D-Virginia) introduced the Protect America’s Workforce Act. According to Padilla’s office, the bill would repeal two executive orders, while restoring collective bargaining rights and workplace […]
Posted inNews
Solvang drafts policy updates that regulate vacation rentals
Left untouched since 2015, the rules that govern vacation rentals in Solvang are overdue for a makeover, according to the City Council. In August, the council directed staff to research two separate policy amendments for elected officials to consider moving forward with. One option bans short-term rental use anywhere outside of Solvang’s downtown village district, […]
Posted inNews
District Attorney’s Office takes Sable Offshore to criminal court
Three oil rigs. Five felony counts. More than a dozen misdemeanor violations. The Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office joined the list of agencies Sable Offshore is under fire from in courtroom settings after filing criminal charges against the Texas-based oil company on Sept. 18. Each of the 21 separate criminal counts are centered on […]
Posted inNews
Federal changes disqualify 7,500 county residents from Medi-Cal at county clinics
New federal policy will prevent Santa Barbara County health care centers from providing services to certain immigrants with Medi-Cal starting next year. County clinics won’t see patients who Medi-Cal determines have “unsatisfactory immigration status” including undocumented individuals, most people with temporary status, and those with Deferred Action or Deferred Enforced Departure, according to the county. […]
Posted inNews
Breaking the silence? A recent Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors decision aims to get more information about what ICE is doing locally
Hoping to score a vantage point that gives Santa Barbara County a clearer view of local Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations, the Board of Supervisors recently asked the Sheriff’s Office to publicly disclose its interactions with the federal agency on a regular basis. Disclosures of this kind were previously limited to annual reports, mandated […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Highest 2 Lowest reunites director Spike Lee and actor Denzel Washington in a rousing crime thriller
Spike Lee (Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X, BlacKkKlansman) directs Evan Hunter’s crime thriller screenplay about music mogul David King (Denzel Washington), who’s the target of a kidnapping ransom plot. It’s a loose remake of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 Japanese film High and Low that was based on American writer Ed McBain’s 1959 novel King’s Ransom. […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Bien Nacido celebrates 20 years of its estate label, marking its evolution from grape supplier to wine maker
Nicholas Miller’s family has lived in California since right after statehood. For five generations they’ve farmed and grown grapes along the Central Coast. In 1973, Miller’s father and uncle planted 300 acres of pinot noir and chardonnay grapes in Santa Maria, founding Bien Nacido Vineyard, according to the website. Celebrate on the estateBien Nacido’s Cheers […]