Things got a little testy at a recent Guadalupe City Council meeting. Any guesses as to the topic du jour? Ding, ding, ding! Yes. It was the Royal Theater renovation project—you know the one, with grant issues, cost issues, redesign controversy, and the failed potential ballot initiative idea. Residents have complained multiple times about the […]
Testy and zesty
Posted inNews
APCD models new Santa Maria headquarters within a sustainable framework
Wielding a giant pair of scissors is one skill Aeron Arlin Genet now has firsthand experience with. One of her recent duties as the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District’s (APCD) executive director was cutting the ribbon at an open house event to celebrate the agency’s new Santa Maria office. “The scissors were a […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch: May 22, 2025
• On May 14, U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California), ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, joined immigration advocates and some of his colleagues at a press conference to speak out against anti-immigrant provisions in Republicans’ budget reconciliation bill—such as increased funding for the border wall and immigrant detention centers, according to Padilla’s office. […]
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Board of Supervisors lays groundwork for countywide oil and gas phaseout proposal
Ten years almost to the date after the Refugio oil spill, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors revisited news headlines centered on the coastal disaster. Second District Supervisor Laura Capps shared snippets of media coverage from May 2015 at the board’s May 13 meeting. She also compiled excerpts from articles on the 2017 Thomas […]
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Solvang could join growing number of California cities outlawing encampments
On May 27, Solvang City Council members will vote on whether the city will become the next domino to fall in line with California’s legislative push against unhoused people trying to live outside of shelters. Lompoc introduced public and private camping bans in March. In February, members of the Fremont City Council tried to criminalize […]
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Guadalupe council member accuses Royal Theater project manager of misrepresenting costs
A status report on Guadalupe’s initiative to restore its shuttered Royal Theater teed up an argument between the project’s lead and the elected official who serves on its capital campaign committee. During the Guadalupe City Council’s May 13 meeting, Councilmember Whitney Furness said there’s not enough city oversight when it comes to finances tied to […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Great American Melodrama stages Les Misérables parody
From now until June 14, the Great American Melodrama in Oceano will host Less Miserable, a comedic parody of the iconic play Les Misérables, based on Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel. “We keep all of the plot points,” said John Keating, artistic director for the Melodrama. “We’re telling the whole story of Les Misérables.” Keating said […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Solvang Theaterfest celebrates summer kickoff with picnicking and live music by Pablo Cruise
Solvang Theaterfest welcomes back summer with a Pablo Cruise concert on Friday, May 24, at 7 p.m. Executive director Chantel Green said Solvang will also host an open picnic for the community from 4 to 6 p.m. that day. She encouraged interested community members to bring their own meals and parents to bring their children. […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Graphic novelist Kane Lynch publishes Reel Life, a tween book about divorce
Meet the artist Graphic novelist and cartoonist Kane Lynch releases his debut Scholastic graphic novel, Reel Life, at a launch party at the SLO Library (995 Palm St.) on Saturday, May 24, starting at 1 p.m. He’ll read from Reel Life, engage in a Q-and-A, and sign copies. Preorder at kanelynch.com. Lynch will also offer […]
Posted inOpinion
Trump doesn’t belong in office
There are two great mysteries in the universe. The first has to do with the nature of dark matter, and the second is why the Sun keeps printing John Donegan’s pompous bullshit. First, it was he and his political party that created the mess by enthroning one Donald J. Trump in the Oval Office. The […]
Posted inOpinion
I’ll continue exercising my rights!
These are indeed trying times. The hits on my 401k do not allow me to visit my friends in Canada, and my Canadian friends are telling me there is no way in hell they are going anywhere “south of the border.” I will miss them. I can no longer avoid buying Chinese products at Walmart […]
Posted inOpinion
Politicians must realize wind and solar power are not totally reliable
For decades California politicians, mostly Democrats and environmental activists—these days you really can’t tell them apart—have been hell-bent on eliminating fossil fuel as a source of energy. Their claims have been that natural power from the wind and sun was the way to go; isn’t there plenty of each in a state the size of […]