• A bill to modernize language in California law to reflect the fact that same-sex couples can now marry passed off the Senate floor, 35-2, on April 16. Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) authored Senate Bill 414, which would change the portions of California code that use the terms “husband” and “wife” to instead say […]
Political Watch 4/23/15
Posted inNews
Community Notebook 4/23/15 – 4/30/15
MONDAY, APRIL 27 • The South County Advisory Council has its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. at the Nipomo Community Services District Headquarters, 148 S. Wilson St., Nipomo. • The Solvang City Council has its regular meeting at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers, 1644 Oak Street, Solvang. agendas are available at cityofsolvang.com. TUESDAY, […]
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local bus company allegedly fires an employee for trying to disclose an unsatisfactory CHP inspection
On an early afternoon in November 2013, a passenger bus was about 40 miles along its approximately 330-mile route from Goleta to Oakland when it ran into trouble. That trouble was in the form of the California Highway Patrol, which stopped the driver of a Silverado Stages bus. An inspection of that bus revealed three […]
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Santa Barbara County-based coalition pushes for higher infant vaccination rates
Just before the April 17 California Department of Public Health announcement that the measles outbreak is officially over, a Santa Barbara County-based coalition announced its mission to regain a 95 percent vaccination rate in the community. The outbreak started at Disneyland in December 2014, and because no new outbreak-related measles cases were reported to the […]
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Olive Grove submits appeal to the state Board of Education
Olive Grove Charter School submitted an appeal to the California Board of Education in a bid to keep four of its campuses open. The Olive Grove team will travel to Sacramento for a hearing before the board in early July. The appeal is the latest trial for the charter school program, which the Los Olivos […]
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HAZMAT team called after suspicious package found in Santa Maria
On April 17, a county HAZMAT team was called to the scene of a building at 1318 S. Broadway in Santa Maria after a suspicious package was reported to police, according to FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller. Shortly before noon, an employee working with the county Department of Social Services opened an envelope containing a small […]
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Lucia Mar teachers ratify the new contract, averting a strike
The Lucia Mar Unified School District’s teachers union ended a year of contentious negotiations and averted a potential strike by finally approving a two-year contract with the district the week of April 16. The district struck a relieved tone in a press release, hailing the ratification as “welcome news” and congratulating the union “for bringing […]
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Lompoc spars with the county over proposed housing development annexation
The proposed annexation of a housing complex near Lompoc is a point of contention between city and Santa Barbara County officials because of the potential tax revenues it could generate for whichever government has jurisdiction. On April 15, an ad hoc committee comprised of Mayor Bob Lingl and Councilmember Dirk Starbuck met with supervisors Doreen […]
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Santa Maria is attempting to take over a house on North Thornburg Street after it catches fire
Santa Maria fire fighters successfully snuffed out a house fire on North Thornburg on April 20, and city officials are attempting to take ownership of the property due to a spate of code violations. The cause of the fire is under investigation, and no injuries were reported, according to city Fire Chief Mike Barneich. And […]
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Toxic Canyon: A quarter-century later, Casmalia is still waiting for Superfund cleanup
It’s 3:30 p.m., and in one hour the Hitching Post begins serving its “world famous” barbecue. That familiar, drifting smell of burning red oak sweetens the breeze. Thirty-one years ago, a vastly different smell penetrated the air. “The way I remember it smelling was this weird blueberry smell,” said Louis Meza, a chef at the […]
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Capps unlock: Candidates are already campaigning for Lois Capps’ seat after she announced this term would be her last
U.S. Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara) announced her retirement plans in a gentle, short-and-sweet video address. “I’m proud of the work that we’ve done together here on the Central Coast—to improve education, to expand health care, to support businesses and our veterans, to protect the environment and agriculture—and I’ve been so humbled and honored that […]
Posted inOpinion
Budget roulette
Red fish, blue fish, green fish. North County Jail, Main Jail, Santa Maria Jail. SB 1022, AB 109, Prop. 47. One fish, two fish, three fish. Money, staffing, numbers. All of this stuff is too much to wrap my little pea-sized birdbrain around, except for the fish. That I can get behind. For everything else, […]
