As part of her “group home mom” role at a residential care facility in Santa Maria, Jaime Staine has experienced dealing with occupants of varying temperaments. While having looked after Erik Zepeda—who’s been in the group home since age 14 and is diagnosed with severe developmental delay and mild intellectual disability—for the past seven years, […]
ICE
Posted inOpinion
Will elected officials abide by the oath they take?
On Tuesday, Nov. 3, voters face a serious political dilemma: Who should we support and will they agree to uphold their oath of office—which is “a solemn promise, often invoking a divine witness, regarding one’s future action or behavior”—and “support and defend the Constitution of the United States.” Lately many well-organized protests have occurred throughout […]
Posted inNews
Santa Maria delays hearing ‘to ensure safety’ of City Council
On Oct. 6, the city of Santa Maria issued a formal notice canceling the City Council’s regular meeting scheduled for that evening. Originally described as “due to a lack of quorum,” the short-notice cancellation prompted a more specific explanation from the city in an Oct. 8 release. “For further clarification, the meeting was canceled per […]
Posted inNews
State and local leaders condemn ICE arrest on Hancock campus
A resolution to acknowledge National Immigrants Day hit the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors’ desk nearly 24 hours to the minute after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained a father of five in Santa Maria. “While dropping his daughter off at Allan Hancock College, he was taken into ICE custody. The circumstances of his […]
Posted inNews
Battling fear, misinformation: Santa Barbara County’s Elections Division tries to get the facts out ahead of the June primary
Stay informedLearn more about Santa Barbara County’s election protocols at santabarbaravote.gov, facebook.com/countyofsb or on Instagram @countyofsb. Some local candidates and all five members of the county Board of Supervisors agree that their constituents deserve more clarity about how local elections work—especially with June’s primary just around the corner. “This is not an ordinary election year. […]
Posted inNews
Santa Barbara County passes ‘symbolic’ ICE safeguard policy package
Whether a new Santa Barbara County initiative helps alleviate or worsen residents’ concerns about local Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity was up for debate at the Board of Supervisors’ April 21 meeting. “We have people out there who are becoming constitutional scholars on both sides on what is lawful and what is not,” 4th […]
Posted inOpinion
Lompoc school district should not support student walkouts at the expense of education
On Jan. 30, high school and junior high students in Lompoc and other parts of North County took part in demonstrations against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), (“Local high school students take part in nationwide walkouts to protest ICE,” Feb. 5). The Lompoc Record reported that “at Lompoc High School, students were released early […]
Posted inOpinion
Multiple perspectives on issues surrounding immigration can be valid
In a statement I wrote on the recent events in Minneapolis, I said the tragic shooting deaths of Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother, and Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse, were gut-wrenching tragedies. I also said the investigations into both should be allowed to conclude before judgement is cast, and I expressed concern that inaccurate and […]
Posted inOpinion
Santa Maria’s resolution in support of immigrant residents lacks backbone
There’s a common idiom heard among the halls of newspaper offices and other media outlets: “old news is no news.” There was certainly some of that at the Santa Maria City Council meeting on Feb. 3. The meeting was dominated by extensive public comment and discussion among City Council members on how to acknowledge Santa […]
Posted inNews
Local high school students take part in nationwide walkouts to protest ICE
High school senior Addisynn Laliberte spent the night of Jan. 29 painting as many protest signs as her energy supply and CVS budget allowed. “I had some paint left over from projects that I was able to use but had to go buy some poster paper from our local CVS,” she said. “I encouraged people […]
Posted inNews
Santa Maria to formalize ‘a clear message that we do stand with immigrants’
With one hand holding onto a cardboard cutout of a silhouetted body, Jeanne Sparks told the Santa Maria City Council she doesn’t want to see local officials stand idly by while Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations escalate. “We can’t let them do to our community what they have done elsewhere,” Sparks said at the […]
Posted inNews
Local advocates concerned about what the recent surge in ICE arrests on the Central Coast means for 2026
The last few days of 2025 were very different than the rest of the year when it came to immigration enforcement on the Central Coast. An estimated 147 arrests were made in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties over a four-day period at the end of December, according to 805 UndocuFund Executive Director Primitiva […]
