Local farmers and property owners housing H-2A workers in residential neighborhoods can breathe easy—for now. The Santa Maria City Council voted on April 17 not to extend an urgency ordinance prohibiting property owners from housing more than six H-2A guest workers in units located in single-family and medium-density residential zoning districts. The ordinance, which was […]
Gray area: Santa Maria City Council votes against urgency ordinance restricting residential H-2A housing
Posted inNews
Santa Maria city manager gives presentation on district elections
As Santa Maria prepares to enter its first November using a district election formula, city officials and council members are attempting to show signs of unity. “The district boundaries are important for elections but not for the way we are going to govern the city,” Santa Maria’s City Manager Jason Stilwell said at an event […]
Posted inNews
More than 50 poll workers still needed in Santa Maria for June 5 election
Nearly 80 volunteers are still needed to work at Santa Barbara County precincts and polling places during the June 5 Statewide Direct Primary Elections, according to the Santa Barbara County Registrar of Voters Office. More than 50 of those positions are needed at Santa Maria locations alone. While about 25 of the positions still unfilled […]
Posted inNews
Jordan Cunningham hosts talk on human trafficking
California Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham (R-San Luis Obispo) came to Santa Maria on April 20 with one goal in mind—to spread awareness about human trafficking. “It’s the fastest growing criminal enterprise in the world,” he told the Sun before speaking in front of a small crowd of concerned citizens, local politicians, and law enforcement officials at […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Owners Gregory and Daisy Ryan launch Bell’s in Los Alamos
It’s hard to grab a word with Greg and Daisy Ryan. That’s not just because their new restaurant, Bell’s, in Los Alamos, is so busy (customers were piled into every table and booth during my visit). It’s because the couple is inundated with well-wishers, many of them family friends who’ve come to support one of […]
Posted inNews
Captive patients: Central Coast jails struggle to care for sick inmates
Kevin Lee McLaughlin woke up in the early morning hours of April 13, 2017, feeling unwell. The 60-year-old inmate had been in custody in the SLO County Jail since late January awaiting sentencing on an assault charge. At 2:30 a.m., he saw a jail nurse for an evaluation. He complained of numbness, tingling, and pain […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Driver carries no cash: Krider misses the days when cash was king
I grew up with money. Now, when I say I grew up with money, I don’t mean I actually had money. As a kid, my family was solid lower middle class, complete with a broken-down Chevrolet on jack stands in the driveway. When I say grew up with money, I mean that if I was […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Allan Hancock College hosts community poetry event
The Allan Hancock College Bookstore, in partnership with the college’s English Department, is celebrating National Poetry Month with a community event on April 26 from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Student Center (building G, room 106A). During the event, called “13 Ways of Looking at a Poem,” the first hour will feature students from […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Santa Maria Arts Council to host presentation for grant winners
The winners of the annual Santa Maria Arts Council Individual Grants in the Arts are set to receive recognition on May 7 at the Marian Theater at Allan Hancock College. Twelve artists working in the media of dance, drama, music, and visual arts will share a prize pool of $13,900. First and second place winners […]
Posted inOpinion
Time for a new sheriff in Santa Barbara County
The men and women of the Santa Barbara County Deputy Sheriffs Association spoke loud and clear when they chose to endorse another candidate for sheriff. The men and women of the Santa Maria Police Officers’ Association spoke loud and clear when they endorsed another candidate for sheriff. The County Firefighters union spoke loudly when they […]
Posted inOpinion
The whole picture
Some problems are so big, you need a wide-angle lens to see them. That’s how bad conditions are at the Central Coast’s county jails. The Sun and New Times examined both the Santa Barbara County Jail and the SLO County Jail for this week’s cover story. New Times Staff Writer Chris McGuinness landed the 2017 […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Ricky Smith
It’s been less than a year since 12-year-old Ricky Smith’s grandfather, Mike Smith, died. Growing up in Cooperstown, New York, made Mike an avid Yankees fan and a lover of baseball in general, a gene that later trickled its way into Ricky’s blood, too. Ricky, a seventh grader at Tommie Kunst Jr. High School, pitches […]