The response to the recent attack on the Republicans practicing for a baseball fundraiser is a great example of Democrats and Republicans coming together, if only for a short time. The Democrats lost the last presidential election. It is past due for both parties to come together and support the office of the president of […]
Let’s work together
Posted inOpinion
Thank you and farewell
My time in office is short, and the list of thanks I owe is long, very long. As the nation prepares to celebrate July 4, I want to first and foremost thank the Santa Barbara County community for the privilege and honor it has been to work as your elected representative in a system of […]
Posted inNews
SMHS baseball team honored at Downtown Fridays
The Santa Maria High School baseball team was honored June 23 at the Downtown Fridays event for its successful season. The team won the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern Section Division 6 baseball title, making it the first Santa Maria High School team to win since 1957. With their outstanding pitching and strong offense, the […]
Posted inNews
Seventh graders awarded scholarships to attend Tech Trek
The American Association of University Women-Santa Maria Branch (AAUW-SM) awarded seven local seventh-grade girls full scholarships to attend Tech Trek at UC Santa Barbara. Tech Trek, a weeklong science and math camp, is designed to help young women entering eighth grade in the fall. The camp offers hands-on activities in math, science, and related fields. […]
Posted inNews
Sheriff Bill Brown to close Santa Maria Branch Jail in July due to budget cuts
When the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office looks at a more restricted budget, the Santa Maria Police Department’s officers start making more trips down to Goleta. Starting at midnight on July 16, that will be the new normal for the SMPD and other law enforcement officers serving North County, as that’s when Sheriff Bill Brown […]
Posted inNews
Nipomo parks get $1.2 million–but little available for skate park
Three park projects in Nipomo are about to receive a $1.2 million funding boost from San Luis Obispo County, thanks to a budget adjustment approved on June 20 by the SLO County Board of Supervisors. Receiving the $1.2 million is the Dana Adobe restoration project ($300,000) for a new water line; the Jack’s Ready Imagination […]
Posted inNews
Man who died in house fire ran music studio
The man who died in a June 26 house fire in Nipomo is being remembered for his love of music, which he shared with others by running a recording studio. Friends offered condolences and memories of Thomas Edward Gingell, 61, on social media in the wake of his death. Gingell was the owner and operator […]
Posted inNews
Nipomo still under severe water shortage
Nipomo residents must continue to limit their water use because of low groundwater levels, according to a report from the Nipomo Mesa Management Area Technical Group. In April, the group analyzed groundwater levels in several wells in Nipomo, which confirm that Nipomo is still under “severe water shortage conditions,” according to the report. The Mesa’s […]
Posted inNews
Santa Maria sells water to South Coast cities
The city of Santa Maria is unloading 4,000 acre-feet of its State Water Project allotment to South Coast water agencies this year. “We can do this because basically our city has two sources of water: local groundwater and imported state water,” city spokesperson Mark van de Kamp told the Sun. Santa Maria is looking at […]
Posted inNews
Brush fires flare up across Central Coast
Firefighters from Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties responded to several vegetation fires that ignited hillsides across the Central Coast starting on June 23. A 16-acre fire that burned dry brush near the Tanglewood area of the Santa Maria Valley was completely contained by Santa Barbara County Fire Department and Santa Maria Fire Department […]
Posted inNews
Los Alamos will host dog races to benefit library
The Friends of the Los Alamos Public Library is having its annual Los Alamos Dog Races “Bark for Books” benefit event on July 1. All of the proceeds will go back to the library. The races begin at 1:30 p.m. and feature six races in total. The first race is for dogs that are athletically […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch 6/29/17
• Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) was one of a group of Senate Democrats who urged Senate Appropriators in a letter to decrease funding for President Donald Trump’s deportation force and detention beds in the 2018 fiscal year budget. “President Trump’s budget makes massive cuts to domestic programs that support all Americans, including critical DHS grant […]