I am the former mayor of Guadalupe, a small agricultural city with a population of less than 10,000 on the beautiful Central Coast of California. I am writing to you, Mr. President, to respectfully urge you to create a legal program for all honest and hardworking migrants who have labored for years, some even decades, […]
Dear President Trump
Posted inOpinion
Let’s champion Vandenberg’s growth together
On behalf of the Space Force Association—Western Region, I write to express our strong support for the increased launch cadence at Vandenberg Space Force Base. Vandenberg is not just a critical national security asset—it is a cornerstone of California’s aerospace industry and our nation’s space enterprise. The Western Range enables polar and sun-synchronous orbit missions […]
Posted inOpinion
The Lompoc Valley Chamber of Commerce needs to meet obligations before a new contract is signed
There were two items on the Lompoc City Council agenda on Tuesday, July 15. Both concerned similar subjects. The first was the Lompoc Tourism Improvement District (aka Visit Lompoc Incorporated or VLI). A nonprofit organization dedicated to “position Lompoc as a sought-after destination for tourists, meetings, and events.” This special district receives no funding from […]
Posted inNews
Lumina Alliance’s Lumina Days brings a fashion show that aims to help survivors of sexual and domestic violence
Former San Luis Obispo County resident Kimberly Victor’s nonprofit Fashion for a Purpose is set to be reborn in Nipomo as Lumina Days—a fashion show that ultimately helps survivors of sexual and intimate partner violence. “This event has always been in South County,” Lumina Alliance Development Director Brandee Brown-Puett said. “We do have our transitional […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch: July 24, 2025
•Retired U.S. Navy commander and California District 24 candidate for congress Bob Smith issued a statement on July 15 regarding the July 10 ICE raids at Glass House Farms sites in Carpinteria and Camarillo. Smith credited reports from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with info on the raids he summarized. While executing federal warrants […]
Posted inNews
County supervisors amend zoning to protect senior mobile home parks
Almost 7,000 seniors populate housing authority waitlists for affordable senior housing in Santa Barbara County. “In the face of such high demand, the preservation of existing affordable housing, including mobile home parks, is clearly important,” county planner Lila Spring said at the July 15 Board of Supervisors meeting. “However, the county lacks regulations to prevent […]
Posted inNews
Buellton drafts motel reversion ordinance to help ‘revitalize’ Avenue of Flags
Some motels along Buellton’s Avenue of Flags gradually evolved into offering long-term housing without city permission over the past two decades, City Manager Scott Wolfe recently told the Planning Commission. Wolfe also described the motel conversion trend as contradicting the city’s vision for the area as a commercial corridor, which is outlined in the Avenue […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Clementine Carter pours cool climate Rhônes from the Sta. Rita Hills in Los Alamos
No two vintages of Clementine Carter are the same. “You should be able to read each vintage in each bottle,” owner and winemaker Sonja Magdevski said. “Everything that happened that year should be in this bottle.” The soil, sun, wind, rain, frost, temperature. The hands that tended the vines, the decisions that were made and […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Stories of local foster youth in Trauma to Hope exhibit now on display in Santa Ynez
Hope in art Located at 3596 Sagunto St., the Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum is open Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 4 p.m., and the From Trauma to Hope: Stories of Foster Care exhibit is on display until July 26. For more about the exhibit, visit at sbcasa.org. It was past midnight when a […]
Posted inOpinion
Vital affordability
In a time when affordable housing is in such high demand, when the California Legislature tries over and over again to alleviate the housing crisis and stimulate building, Buellton is trying to figure out how to kick certain residents out of long-term housing situations and turn those spaces into hotel rooms again. “Those motel uses […]
Posted inNews
Lompoc dissects new arrangements with chamber of commerce and TBID
Local artists, educators, and business owners were among the 40-plus public speakers who protested the Lompoc City Council’s initial decision to cut the Chamber of Commerce’s annual budget down from $108,000 to $60,000 in late June. Their efforts swayed the council to maintain the former allocation, via a newly revised contract that became the focal […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
55 Fiction 2025
Surprise! It’s the culmination of this year’s 55 Fiction contest! And much like the endings of the stories that people send us, the stories are always a shock—well not always, but mostly. We’ve got love, war, murder, politics, twists, and more for you in this year’s collection of printable pieces. Our judges sifted through hundreds […]