An ongoing lawsuit prompted a two-month grace period for long-term tenants of Buellton’s Farmhouse Motel, before new housing restrictions kick in. While a recent city ordinance to help ramp up redevelopment efforts in town requires motel properties along Avenue of Flags—including Farmhouse—to convert units that house long-term renters to traditional motel rooms by October, a […]
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State sues Cuyama landowner for cost recovery from 2023 wildfire
Old wounds in New Cuyama resurfaced with Cal Fire’s recent lawsuit to recoup the costs of fighting a 2023 wildfire from those allegedly responsible. The state agency sued local landowner Wayne Goldwyn and “Does 1-50” on Aug. 14 for $3.3 million for effectively setting the 5,400-acre fire “through negligence and violations of law.” “[Goldwyn’s] failure […]
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Age-restricted: Santa Maria follows the county’s lead by passing protections for senior mobile home parks
A goal to preserve affordable housing for more than 1,000 senior residents—specifically tenants of five mobile home parks in Santa Maria—prompted the city to recently refresh its zoning standards. Ahead of the new rules tailored to limit these parks’ eligibility to convert from 55-and-older to welcoming all ages, none of the five parks’ owners expressed […]
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Judge rejects Solvang’s request to dismiss a developer’s lawsuit
Solvang’s legal advisors have until Aug. 3 to respond to a civil lawsuit after a judge rejected the city’s argument to throw out the case. In mid-July, Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge James F. Rigali overruled Solvang’s petition to dismiss local developer Ed St. George’s suit against the city for issuing a stop work […]
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Farmhouse sues Buellton over motel reversion mandate
Less than a month after becoming enforceable, Buellton’s new housing restrictions on motels along Avenue of Flags now face a civil lawsuit that one property owner warned city officials was inevitable. Farmhouse co-owner Kerry Moriarty was vocal about his intentions to sue the city during public hearings focused on Buellton’s motel reversion ordinance, enacted in […]
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California sues Trump administration over Santa Ynez Unit restart
On March 23, California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Energy for ordering a restart of oil operations at the Santa Ynez Unit. “In a breathtaking power grab,” Bonta stated, “the federal executive branch has asserted that [it] may preempt and supersede all state laws governing hazardous pipelines … […]
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‘Small water user:’ Some farmers facing a Cuyama Valley groundwater rights lawsuit could get help from new state legislation
There’s plenty of legal jargon that goes over Jake Furstenfeld’s head when he tunes in via Zoom to court proceedings tied to a Cuyama Valley groundwater dispute. This wasn’t the case, however, when the local rancher and others with stakes in a lawsuit over water rights for a critically overdrafted basin heard a judge’s tentative […]
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Eviction notice: Plenty on Bell and new landlord go to court with disagreements over lease terms
On average, about a dozen or more newlywed couples kick off their happily-ever-afters at Los Alamos’ Plenty on Bell a year, restaurant co-owner Christine Gallagher told the Sun. Compared to previous years where wedding receptions and rehearsal dinners got booked far in advance, the small-town eatery’s 2026 roster is less plentiful than usual, in light […]
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Practice paradox: Orcutt youth football coach sues Central Coast league after his team was disqualified from competition, he was suspended
After John De Marco received a five-year suspension from coaching, he took the Central Coast Youth Football League (CCYFL) to court, seeking a trial by jury to examine the incident that kicked off the conflict earlier this summer. On Aug. 17, seven young footballers from the volunteer coach’s team—made up of 24 kids total, between […]
