Sable Offshore Corporation has the financial ability and insurance coverage it needs to handle any potential future disasters caused by the pipeline that spawned the Refugio Oil Spill in 2015, according to Santa Barbara County staff. But environmental organizations disagree. That disaster cost the pipeline’s then owner/operator, Plains All-American, $870 million in cleanup and remediation, […]
Environmentalists question Sable’s ability to handle an oil pipeline disaster
Posted inSpecial Issues
Modern couples ditch roses and traditional arrangements, opting for more unique blooms and designs
Find inspiration To take a look at the florists’ past designs for weddings, parties, and more, visit @frugal_and_foraged and @flowercarriage on Instagram. Roses are red. Violets are blue. Florists must keep up with the wedding trends too. Right now, that includes bolder designs that are unique and new, with more natural flower choices shining through. […]
Posted inNews
Santa Maria students marched toward City Hall to protest immigration enforcement tactics
School bells didn’t dictate about 300 students’ early departure from local campuses, recalled Cesar Vasquez, the 17-year-old organizer of a Feb. 18 walkout. The recent rally called for certain protective parameters between Santa Maria residents—documented or not—and officers of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Students from middle schools and high schools in Santa Maria and […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Improv for Good supplies local laughs at workshops and fundraisers
On the spot To find out more about Improv for Good and its lineup of monthly classes and periodic performance events, visit improvforgood.fun or email improvforgood@gmail.com. Striking gold in the world of improv is more about being off-the-cuff than thinking on your feet, according to Pismo Beach resident Thia Anlo, who once feared that the […]
Posted inOpinion
Local leaders must protect our immigrants
In one of Donald Trump’s first acts in office, he stripped away protections for schools, hospitals, and places of worship from immigration enforcement. These were once safe spaces where people could learn, receive health care, and pray without fear. Now they have been turned into targets for ICE raids. This is unconscionable. As the world’s […]
Posted inOpinion
Until Palestine is free
Since Oct. 7, 2023, all of us have experienced continuing, intense grief. Many of us are mourning cousins, siblings, classmates, parents … all of us are grieving the astounding loss of Palestinian lives as well as the very structure of Gazan life. There is nothing left of Gaza, yet its people rush back—on foot—to sift […]
Posted inOpinion
Californians were duped into policies that raised the cost of eggs—avian flu’s only making things worse
In 2018, California voters were dupped by animal rights activists into passing Proposition 12, which required farmers who raise laying hens to allow them to “roam freely”; it went into force in 2022. The theory was that this would be more humane and “free them from confinement.” Several other states also adopted this new idea […]
Posted inOpinion
Re-encampment
Is re-encampment the same as an oil pipeline restart? Can’t unhoused people just get a waiver to restart their lives in the Santa Maria Riverbed? After all, the system that aims to provide resources, housing, and help to these folks isn’t quite working for them. So we should all collectively shrug, right? Live and let […]
Posted inNews
Concussion Navigation Services offers early rehabilitation to patients for faster and more complete brain healing
In the past, health care practitioners advised patients with concussions to “rest and wait.” Now, research suggests this might not be the most effective approach after all. According to Stacey Ritter, a certified athletic trainer and founder of Concussion Navigation Services, patients recover faster and more fully by participating in physical, cognitive, balance, and visual […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch: February 20, 2025
• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) helped introduce legislation that would restore guardrails on federal enforcement activities to protect immigrant communities at sensitive locations, according to a press release from his office. Since 2011, the Department of Homeland Security’s sensitive locations policy prohibited immigration enforcement actions in places that provided vital services such as […]
Posted inNews
Federal agency approves state waiver for Sable oil pipeline in Santa Barbara County
The list of steps that Sable Offshore Corporation needs to take to restart the oil pipeline that was shut down after the 2015 Refugio oil spill is getting shorter. “The big picture is that Sable is trying to restart this pipeline system that ruptured in 2015,” said Julie Teel Simmonds, the Center for Biological Diversity’s […]
Posted inNews
Santa Maria solidifies coordination efforts with counties, Caltrans to strengthen homelessness response in riverbed
Find support The Good Samaritan Shelter aims to offer emergency, transitional, and affordable housing as well as other support services for those in need across the Central Coast. To find out about the services, visit goodsamaritanshelter.org. The Santa Maria River runs through multiple jurisdictions, including those belonging to Santa Barbara County, San Luis Obispo County, […]