Jennifer Christensen is the county’s chief investment officer and an experienced financial professional. It is no secret that Santa Barbara County is heading into some serious financial budget and fiscal issues. We need an experienced and well-qualified individual as our auditor-controller. That is why a number of past and current local mayors and the county […]
Christensen for auditor/controller
Posted inNews
Find your tribe: There’s a place for everyone at the Live Oak Music Festival
Good morning and welcome to Sociology 101, an introduction to the study of society and social behavior among homo sapiens. Humans are social animals. We naturally create and maintain social networks. Some of us have very tight and often exclusive social circles whiles others have large overlapping networks, moving between and belonging to a number […]
Posted inNews
Up for grabs: Two Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office lieutenants challenge Sheriff Bill Brown’s bid for re-election
It’s not every year that Santa Barbara County voters to choose a new sheriff. It’s every four, of course, but this year’s election is different from those in the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office’s recent history. That’s because Sheriff Bill Brown—who’s running for re-election for his fourth consecutive term—is facing not one, but two challengers […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Affordably priced rolls at Ha Ha Sushi in Orcutt aren’t the only reason to stop by
The sign outside Ha Ha Sushi in Orcutt is almost too good to believe. I actually had to convince my coworkers that it wasn’t just a one-time special deal or that we had show up at 3 a.m. and chant ancient Sumerian texts backwards under the light of a full moon in order to qualify […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Dancers with Allan Hancock’s Youth Dance program present a performance of ‘Tarzan’
It was an Academy Award-winning song that sparked the idea for Allan Hancock College Youth Dance’s new show. Madison Yolar-Groppetti, a choreographer for the annual Magical Moments and spring recital performance, said the song “You’ll Be In My Heart,” written by Phil Collins for the Disney film Tarzan, led them to consider tackling the classic […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Santa Maria hosts 5th District Arts Talks
The Santa Barbara County Arts Commission members and members of the community will meet to discuss arts in Santa Maria for an Arts Talk event scheduled for May 16 at the Minami Community Center. The talk will be hosted by 5th District Arts Commissioners Doug Jenzen and Dennis Smitherman. Fifth District County Supervisor Steve Lavagnino […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Elverhoj Museum hosts Nancy Yaki exhibit
The Roadside Series, a new art exhibition of recent works by artist and art teacher Nancy Yaki, is set to debut at the Elverhoj Museum of History and Art on May 12. A reception is scheduled on opening day from 4 to 6 p.m. and is open to the public. The exhibit features Saki’s landscape […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Steven Lewis’ photography exhibit at the Ann Foxworthy Gallery highlights his passion for small details
The photos on the wall at the Ann Foxworthy Gallery tell a quiet story. The story could be about a mysterious world preserved in an almost ancient landscape. Or it could be about the commonplace nature of the outside world. But the tale the pictures really tell is the story of Steven Lewis, the renowned […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Robert Randolph & The Family Band brings funky, bluesy pedal steel guitar sound to Presqu’ile Winery
The pedal steel electric slide guitar is an instrument that immediately brings country music to mind, from its warm low end to its clear high range. But for Robert Randolph, his first first experience with the versatile instrument wasn’t in a honky-tonk, but in church. Randolph grew up in New Jersey, attending the House of […]
Posted inOpinion
Strange days indeed
Did you ever think you’d live to see days quite like these? I know I didn’t, and I’m counting time in bird years! Some of the stories are astounding and inspiring, like the recent NASA launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, which is sending the InSight probe to our neighbor planet, Mars. It’s pretty cool […]
Posted inOpinion
The Founding Fathers and guns
In the last few days I have seen letters to the editor referring to our Founding Fathers. In my opinion they had more smarts than the total combined assembly of both houses of Congress today. John Kennedy had this to say at a dinner in Washington back when he was president: “I think this is […]
Posted inOpinion
Lompoc faces serious issues
Another month and another attempted murder in Lompoc; what the in the world is going on? Lompoc has always been a relatively quiet place to live crime-wise. Sure, there were petty thefts or home and business burglaries, but the level of violent crime was always low. Domestic violence was the exception. Disputes were settled with […]