Regarding the opinion piece, “Help keep Oceano Dunes SVRA free of vehicles forever” (April 23), I have serious concerns. As a local who supports keeping access to the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area open, I’m curious who exactly the “local” residents and businesses behind the Oceano Beach Community Association are. A visit to their […]
Future of Oceano dunes vehicular recreation area affects the entire Five Cities region
Posted inOpinion
If vehicles go away from Oceano dunes, no one but plovers will have access
If vehicles go away, the off-highway vehicle funds that actively protect the plover go away. If these funds disappear, State Parks will manage the plovers and other threatened birds as they do at other beaches: build a massive enclosure that is completely free of people. No vehicles. No pedestrians. No fishing. No surfing. No dog […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
A Santa Maria artist’s newest public installation will be up at the Abel Maldonado Community Youth Center
Watch for RikoFollow Riko Rivera on Instagram @chilangofine for updates on his public art installations and tattoo business. Call (805) 354-8116 with questions. Picture Mexico City in the early 1990s. It was loud, bright, and colorful. Hand-painted windows and signs lined the busy streets that Riko Rivera walked along with his mom, his wondrous eyes […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Lompoc Library visitors can participate in a West Coast book club
This year, the Lompoc Public Library is joining the One Book One Coast program out of LA. Readers can pick up a copy of They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, a graphic novel about the author’s experiences in American concentration camps during World War II. Groups will also gather for discussion and a livestreamed […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
The Betteravia Art Gallery makes way for another exhibit
A new ongoing exhibit is heading to the Betteravia Art Gallery. The opening reception for Post-Wild: Nature in the 21st Century will be held on May 21 from 5 to 7 p.m. Following an open call for submissions, there’ll be 54 pieces by 34 artists featured in the show ranging from photographs and paintings to […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
New Lord of the Flies is a terrific adaptation of William Golding’s dark depiction of humanity
William Golding’s classic 1954 dystopian novel gets its first television adaption written by Jack Thorne (Adolescence) and directed by Marc Munden (Utopia, The Sympathizer) about a group of schoolboys stranded on a tropical island in the Pacific following a plane crash. Ralph (Winston Sawyers) is named their leader, and with the help of intellectual “Piggy” […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
This is a Gardening Show finds Zach Galifianakis exploring horticulture
This Is A Gardening ShowWhat’s it rated? TV-14 When? 2026 Where’s it showing? Netflix We all know Zach Galifianakis as a very funny man, and with this new series, he’s using his humor to bring light to a message the actor and comedian is very passionate about—the future is agrarian. In this short and sweet […]
Posted inSun Screen
Watch Pixar’s Up and work on crafts at The Palm on May 17
UpWhat’s it rated? PG When? 2009 Where’s it showing? Palm Theatre of San Luis Obispo on Sunday, May 17, at 1 p.m. Co-directors Pete Docter and Bob Peterson helm this story they co-wrote with Tom McCarthy about Carl Fredricksen (voiced by Edward Asner), a former balloon salesman who, in an effort to fulfill his wife’s […]
Posted inFood & Drink
A day in the life of Santa Maria’s tamale lady
Brrring: When the clock strikes 1 a.m., Beth Rangel’s alarm sounds. Soon after, she starts cooking meat and prepping ingredients to make the day’s batch of tamales. Call BethBeth’s Tamales and Tacos opens at 11 a.m. Tuesday through Thursday and at 10 a.m. Friday and Saturday, closing at 11 p.m. On Sundays it’s open from […]
Posted inNews
Home plight: St. Joseph High School’s neighbors ask county to penalize unpermitted softball field for alleged hazards
Keeping count of how many softballs land in their backyards became an accidental hobby for several residents of Knollwood Terrace, a townhome community near St. Joseph High School in Orcutt. Some condo dwellers make an effort to return stray balls to the school, while others keep them stored away in a bag or box. Eleanor […]
Posted inNews
Trial for alleged Santa Maria court bomber set two years after explosion
Full of black powder, a can the size of a coffee tin wrapped in duct tape and glued-on nails was inside of Nathaniel James McGuire’s backpack the day he was arrested on terrorism charges in Santa Maria, according to law enforcement. On Sept. 25, 2024, McGuire allegedly threw his backpack into Santa Maria Superior Court’s […]
Posted inNews
Guadalupe adopts its first food truck ordinance
In the name of public health and safety, the city of Guadalupe now has a concrete set of regulations that operators of food trucks and trailers must abide by. The food truck ordinance saga in Guadalupe has lasted more than seven years, city contracted Planning Director Larry Appel said at a Feb. 24 City Council […]
