Santa Maria High School (SMHS) student Cristal Robles-Flores was recently honored with the Champion Award for using her youth leadership skills to selflessly help others—even though she faced personal adversity and socioeconomic hurdles. Robles-Flores received the recognition during the Youth Impact Awards ceremony at the County Education Office auditorium in Santa Barbara. The KIDS Network’s […]
Saint honored with Champion Award
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Santa Maria school district board appoints new member
At a special meeting May 17, the Santa Maria-Bonita School District Board of Education selected Santa Maria native and retired teacher Vedamarie Alvarez Flores as a new board member to fill a vacant seat. Alvarez Flores taught elementary grades in the district for 39 years and also coordinated the Santa Maria-Bonita School District’s (SMBSD) mentor […]
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Spotlight on: Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce
When taking a drive through Northern Santa Barbara County, one thing becomes clear: This place is freakin’ beautiful. From mountains, hiking trails, and wineries, to ocean scenery just a short distance away, North County has a little bit of everything. Heck, we even have tri-tip. Santa Maria may not attract as many tourists as its […]
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Community Notebook 5/26/16 – 6/2/16
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1 • The Santa Barbara County Planning Commission has its regular meeting at 9 a.m. in the Planning Commission Hearing Room, 123 E. Anapamu St., Santa Barbara. The agenda is available at www.sbcountyplanning.org. • The Santa Maria Planning Commission has its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, City Hall, […]
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Political Watch 5/26/16
• It’s been a year since a ruptured pipeline spilled nearly 143,000 gallons of crude oil onto land and into the ocean at Refugio State Beach. On May 19, Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) issued the following statement in recognition of that day: “The Refugio oil spill was devastating, killing more than 200 birds and […]
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Hobnobbing with Helen
Several years ago, Jared Bailey (owner of Santa Maria Physical Therapy Group) and his friend Danny Sheridan were sitting in a garage talking about—well—things, and the conversation got around to what they could do for the community. Lucky for the Tri-Counties Make-a-Wish Foundation, Jared and Danny settled on a project: raising money for chronically ill […]
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Can’t-abis: Santa Maria issues injunction against a ‘dispensary’ operating in the city
On May 17, an injunction was filed in the Santa Barbara County Superior Court Cook Division against David Melena, a food truck owner and a medical marijuana events promoter who Santa Maria city officials believe was operating a dispensary within city limits. Last month, on April 17, Melena sponsored the Central Coast Cup, essentially a […]
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Groundwater basin laws raise concerns in Santa Barbara County
You’ve probably heard: Year five of the drought is upon us, and it’s bringing along a flurry of state-mandated water conservation measures. California Gov. Jerry Brown is signing executive orders, the California Department of Food and Agriculture is pushing for efficient irrigation systems, and the California Water Commission is passing groundwater basin regulations. But for […]
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Voter registration surges in the 24th District
Voter registration for California’s 24th Congressional District rose by 11 percent since Jan. 1, according to a report issued May 17 by Political Data Inc., a Los Angeles-based firm that keeps track of such statistics. The report compared voter registration between Jan. 1 and May 1 from the 2012 and 2016 voting cycles. Democratic Party […]
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Two men found guilty in Santa Maria human trafficking case
Two men were found guilty on May 18 in what’s being described as one of the county’s first human trafficking trials. A jury found both defendants, 24-year-old Humberto Carranza and 27-year-old Cameron Joseph Jones, guilty of trafficking a then-16-year-old female in October 2015, according to court records. Carranza was found guilty on all counts, which […]
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Betteravia Farms aims to build facility to house farm laborers
Betteravia Farms has applied for a conditional use permit to build a 30-unit “farm labor camp” on nearly 400 acres of land along Highway 1 west of Orcutt, vying to house up to 600 guest laborers under the federal H-2A program for temporary foreign farmworkers. Principal Planner David Swenk told the Sun that if “all […]
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Lompoc City Council votes to continue motorsports park discussion
Lompoc City Council changed course in a vote on May 17 to continue discussion on the controversial Lompoc Valley Motorsports Park. Councilman Jim Mosby told the Sun the motorsports park will return to the City Council’s agenda at its next meeting, scheduled for June 7. The decision was prompted by a passionate public comment period […]
