A showcase of art by young members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Mid Central Coast opened at the Santa Maria Town Center on Dec. 13 and is scheduled to remain on display through the end of December. Every year, the local Boys & Girls Clubs organization hosts activities related to the National Fine […]
Boys & Girls Clubs of Mid Central Coast holds annual youth art exhibit
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Stone Pine Hall holds concert benefit for the Lompoc Theatre Project
There’ll be church pews and stacking chairs but no standing room for guests of an intimate concert, set to bring a handful of rock, roots, and country acts to Stone Pine Hall in late December. With a capacity limit under 100, the historic building—previously a First Church of Christ Scientist Reading Room—is hosting the show […]
Posted inOpinion
Central Coast should heed the recent NorCal earthquake as a warning
If the 7.0-magnitude earthquake 30 miles off the northern California shore was not a wake-up call for residents of San Luis Obispo, are they waiting for the one that could possibly strike 30 yards off the coast of San Luis Obispo? Seismologists have long warned that an overdue “Big One” (7.8 magnitude or higher), which […]
Posted inOpinion
Jazz Jubilee Central Coast 2024—a big success!
The Basin Street Regulars Hot Jazz Club has been promoting jazz on the Central Coast with monthly dance concerts and an annual festival for almost 50 years. BSR also provides scholarships to Jazz Camp for young musicians who are interested in furthering their knowledge of music and jazz—learning from the pros! This fall, the Basin […]
Posted inOpinion
Environmental groups are threatening South SLO County’s water security
As the San Luis Obispo County supervisor representing South County, I am deeply concerned about the recent lawsuit and court decision against the county regarding the county’s operation of Lopez Dam. This lawsuit is a judicial end run around the county’s years-long administrative process with the state and federal agencies that are responsible for regulating […]
Posted inOpinion
Soaring to new heights
Old Town Lompoc is about to grow up. At the ripe age of 150 years old, the city is primed for a good ol’ fashioned growth spurt—from 45 feet to 50 feet tall. Lompoc is aiming for increasing its housing density, both to comply with state law and some city goals. To do that, the […]
Posted inNews
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office promotes its text-to-911 feature for emergencies
There are emergencies where calling 911 isn’t possible. “An example we had in 2021 was [a] passenger with a drunk driver,” Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Raquel Zick told the Sun. “They can’t just say, ‘Hey, this person is driving me down the San Marcos Pass and they’re drunk’ … situations where […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch: December 19, 2024
• Congress advanced federal legislation that acknowledges the disruption that space launch noise has on nearby communities, a first for federal decisionmakers, according to a Dec. 12 statement from U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal’s (D-Santa Barbara) office. Carbajal secured the language as well as helped outline the steps the Department of Defense should take to mitigate […]
Posted inNews
Bird, bat deaths take Strauss Wind project back to Planning Commission
At least 47 animal deaths, including one known golden eagle fatality, brought the Strauss Wind Energy Project back to the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission to see if the project’s operations need to be adjusted to better preserve birds and bats. However, the Planning Commission decided that it needed more data before any significant operational […]
Posted inNews
Lompoc Planning Commission supports new land use standards to increase housing density
Designed to pave the way for slightly taller buildings and other development changes in Lompoc, a list of potential code revisions will move forward to the City Council with the Planning Commission’s support. During its final meeting of 2024, the Planning Commission unanimously signed off on staff’s proposal to update certain land use designations and […]
Posted inNews
Lompoc approves its first environmental justice element
A new blueprint for a greener future in Lompoc is moving forward thanks to a recent City Council decision. Over the course of four public hearings (held in May, June, August, and September), the Lompoc Planning Commission worked with city staff to discuss and draft the city’s first environmental justice element, which the City Council […]
Posted inNews
Board of Supervisors extends senior mobile home park protections as overlay develops
Senior mobile home parks will be protected from conversion to all-ages for 10 more months after the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a moratorium extension during its Dec. 10 meeting. “The issue of senior mobile home park conversion mostly directly impacts my constituents in my district, especially in the Orcutt area—which has […]