After hearing an annual update on Santa Maria’s homelessness response efforts, 3rd District City Councilmember Gloria Soto echoed many of the concerns she raised last year. “We need to do more, and I know what’s something we keep reiterating,” Soto said at the council’s Nov. 4 meeting. “I’m deeply worried that our local governments will […]
Santa Maria homelessness stats spark mixed feedback from city officials
Posted inNews
Political Watch: November 13, 2025
• U.S. Reps. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) and Lloyd Smucker (R-Pennsylvania) recently reintroduced bipartisan legislation aimed at improving housing access and affordability for U.S. veterans. The Home for the Brave Act would exempt veterans’ disability benefits from counting toward total income when determining their eligibility for housing assistance programs through the Department of Housing and […]
Posted inNews
Find one-of-a-kind treasures at The Garden Shoppe in Lompoc
In one word, Gale Dodds called her Lompoc consignment store “eclectic.” Even though it’s called The Garden Shoppe, vendors sell a little bit of everything, not just greenery. “It’s kind of hard to describe because we do have all of the handmade treasures that local people make … but then there’s all the other really […]
Posted inOpinion
Rhetoric or reality?
The thin ice that Sable Offshore Corporation skates by on just keeps getting thinner. Ramming this overly aggressive push to get oil flowing through its pipelines down California’s throat isn’t really helping the Texas-based company’s case. And a reliable Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors oil vote switched sides because of Sable’s seemingly never-ending chain […]
Posted inOpinion
Lompoc’s school district is failing the community
The Lompoc Unified School District (LUSD) is failing our community when objectively measured against the state of California education standards. Keep in mind that California rates in the bottom third of the nation, and the LUSD performance is well below that. A recent report in the Santa Maria Times put it this way, “Results from […]
Posted inOpinion
Trump’s campaign against detractors smacks of repeated history
I am old enough (barely) to remember the era when Joseph McCarthy declared that there were communists within the government, the military, and Hollywood. He claimed that he was going to ferret them out and put them on trial. And he did, not in secret but on television, ruining numerous lives. Finally, when McCarthy charged […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
A professional dancer brings his experience to Buellton with a performing arts space
At 17 years old, Jesus Solorio packed up his car—with his mom’s permission—and moved to LA to pursue professional dance. The Paso Robles native remembered settling into an apartment, ready to start a new chapter in his life. After a couple of touring jobs, including one with Disney, Solorio got picked up by Royal Caribbean […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
CalNAM ramps up holiday cheer with annual vendor market
Solvang visitors have the chance to gain free admission to the California Nature Art Museum (CalNAM) and meander through its annual holiday marketplace on Nov. 14 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will also be a free family craft from 10 a.m. to noon. “If you’re looking for unique gifts for your loved ones […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Submissions open for a new mural in Santa Maria
Artists are invited to submit proposals for a public art project at the Santa Maria Transit Center. The final design will be digitally produced, printed on vinyl, and installed on aluminum panels on the exterior wall of the transit center, located at 400 Boone St. “This project offers artists a unique opportunity to bring color, […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
The Perfect Neighbor holds a mirror to American entitlement and tribalism
Geeta Gandbhir (Katrina: Come Hell and High Water) directs this documentary composed almost exclusively of police bodycam footage about the Ocala, Florida, neighborhood where Susan Lorincz shot neighbor Ajike Owens through a closed front door. The shooting highlighted Florida’s controversial “stand your ground” law. (96 min.) The Perfect NeighborWhat’s it rated? RWhat’s it worth, Anna? […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Season 2 of Nobody Wants This follows the complicated romance between an agnostic podcaster and a rabbi
Nobody Wants This (Season 2)What’s it rated? TV-MAWhen? 2025Where’s it showing? Netflix This show was a smash hit as soon as the first season came out, and in this second season, we dive deeper into the complications of religion and relationships. Noah (Adam Brody) is in line to be head rabbi of his temple, something […]
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A missing children mystery unfolds in Weapons, a psychological horror film now streaming on HBO Max
WeaponsWhat’s it rated? RWhen? 2025Where’s it showing? HBO Max Writer-director Zach Cregger helms this psychological and supernatural horror story about insular Maybrook, Pennsylvania, which suffers the traumatic and inexplicable shock of losing 17 children from a single third grade class who all simultaneously leave their houses at 2:17 a.m. and disappear. Suspicion immediately falls to […]
