Whether the risk of being fined $1,000 discourages illegal fireworks use in Guadalupe or not, two longtime residents said they’re hoping to make the city feel like less of a “warzone” when July 4 rolls around by targeting offenders’ hearts rather than their wallets. “We sort of went with the approach that we appeal to […]
Category Feature
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
28 Years Later is a postapocalyptic coming of age tale
28 Years Later What’s it rated? R What’s it worth, Anna? Full price What’s it worth, Glen? Full price Where’s it showing? Regal Edwards RPX Santa Maria, Movies Lompoc, Regal Arroyo Grande Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, Slumdog Millionaire) directs this third installment of the zombie franchise. Original writer Alex Garland (Ex Machina, Annihilation, […]
Posted inNews
Political Watch: June 26, 2025
• State Sen. Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara), vice chair of the California Legislative Central Coast Caucus, was recently selected to serve as the 53rd president pro tempore of the California Senate. Assemblymember Dawn Addis (D-Morro Bay) and Assemblymember Gregg Hart (D-Santa Barbara), the co-chairs of the California Legislative Central Coast Caucus, issued statements on June […]
Posted inNews
Santa Rita Hills Lavender Farm to celebrate peak bloom with second annual festival hosting artisan market
Tucked away along the Tularosa Road offramp of California Highway 246 lies a quaint purple slice of heaven. Buried deep within the greens of the Santa Rita Hills, a field of bushes showcases violet buds so densely packed that from a distance they look like an amethyst-colored sheet. Lizards scurry, bees buzz, and hummingbirds and […]
Posted inOpinion
Insane fireworks
Fireworks are already popping off in northern Santa Barbara County, and we’re still a couple of weeks away from the Fourth of July. Surprised? Nope. Santa Maria, Guadalupe, Lompoc—not to be dramatic, but the city streets turn into a bit of a war zone as darkness descends on Independence Day. You have to be careful […]
Posted inOpinion
Vandenberg’s Space Launch Complex 6 is on the cusp of being repurposed to better support Falcon 9 launches
Space Launch Complex 6 (SLC-6) on south Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB) was first developed in the early 1960s to support the manned orbiting laboratory program. According to the National Museum of the Air Force, the manned orbiting laboratory “never reached fruition, but a great deal of developmental work was accomplished before it too was […]
Posted inOpinion
Some protest signs have gone too far
On Saturday, June 14, when we drove to Walmart with my grandchild at Central and H streets, we caught the light twice and watched the demonstrators for about a minute or so each time. As I scanned the crowd, I was shocked to see three handmade signs and a few more printed signs that said […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Santa Maria artist Tommy Ruiz highlights unconventional beauty with surrealist imagery expressing the trans experience
Trans-forming narratives As a trans man, Santa Maria artist Tommy Ruiz illustrates conventional people with bizarre body parts to highlight unorthodox forms of beauty. You can find him on Instagram @bunniesaregay. Tommy Ruiz was lying in bed as a 13-year-old girl when he suddenly realized he was transgender. It was July 2015. Caitlyn Jenner had […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Tacos El Pirata Mayor treats North Broadway to authentic Mexican cuisine
Keep your eyes out The Tacos El Pirata Mayor food truck parks at 1203 N. Broadway in Santa Maria and is open Wednesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m., Fridays from 5:30 to 11 p.m., Saturdays from 4 to 11 p.m., and Sundays from 4 to 10:30 p.m. Find Tacos El Pirata Mayor on […]
Posted inOpinion
Chamber danger
How much does it take to fold a chamber of commerce? In Lompoc, apparently, it takes a little less than $50,000. The Lompoc City Council decided to cut into the amount of funding it provides to the Lompoc Valley Chamber of Commerce—both in cash and in-kind. The result of that is about a net $60,000 […]
Posted inOpinion
Democrats who make fun of Trump motivate his sense of vengeance
TACO Trade? Seriously? Democrats just never learn. And thus, we are where we are right now. And, if Trump’s vengeful personality has anything to do with it, things are going to get a lot worse, thanks in large part to Democrats who just can’t get out of their own way. According to some of his […]
Posted inOpinion
When youth are the target: we must stand up to immigration raids on the Central Coast
Across Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, a deeply disturbing pattern is unfolding—one that echoes the violent immigration enforcement actions taking place in Los Angeles. Even more disturbing is that they are not isolated incidents. A Massachusetts high schooler was detained after appearing in court. A 9-year-old child from California is now in deportation proceedings. And […]
