Lost in the drama surrounding the censure hearing for a Lompoc City Council member on Sept. 15 was an agenda item to discuss an additional roadway crossing of the Santa Ynez River. Currently there are already three crossings: one on North H Street, one on Floradale Avenue near the U.S. prison, and one on Highway […]
Lompoc City Council
Posted inNews
Tie vote blocks Lompoc from censuring Steve Bridge
Three hours into the Lompoc City Council’s Sept. 15 meeting, Councilmember Steve Bridge asked his peers to remember the oath they recite in unison ahead of every agenda. It’s the same oath many schoolchildren have already memorized by kindergarten. “We started today the way we start every meeting. We stood up and said the words—the […]
Posted inNews
Lompoc Valley Middle to restore a school resource officer position
With a $1 million state grant and City Council approval, the Lompoc Police Department will send a school resource officer to Lompoc Valley Middle School as early as next school year. The goal is to provide early intervention and cannabis education, as the money pulls from a public safety grant associated with Proposition 64 that […]
Posted inOpinion
Lompoc City Council may address its long-brewing political scandal, or is it just electioneering?
So, what’s the Lompoc scandal in question? City Councilmember Steve Bridge faces “20 felonies and five misdemeanors. The charges include allegations of forgery, grand theft, fraudulent claims, identity theft, misappropriation of public funds, and fraudulent use of a contractor’s license number,” (Santa Maria Times, Aug. 13). During the Aug. 18 meeting, City Council members discussed […]
Posted inNews
Damage control: In light of Steve Bridge’s felony charges, Lompoc considers censuring him
Two days before Lompoc City Councilmember Steve Bridge’s arraignment in late 2025, one of his peers on the dais asked him to step down from his role as an elected official. When Bridge—who pled not guilty to forgery, identity theft, and misusing city funds—showed no sign of resigning, Councilmember Jeremy Ball motioned for the council […]
Posted inNews
Lompoc modifies RV parking rules, increases penalty for camping in public
In another attempt to iron out parking regulations, the Lompoc City Council decided that RV owners with permits are exempt from a 72-hour parking ban. “It exempts RV owners with RV parking permits from the city’s ordinance that requires you to move your vehicle every 72 hours,” City Attorney Jeff Malawy said at the Aug. […]
Posted inNews
Closed-session Lompoc employee evaluation spurs public backlash
Discipline. Dismissal. Appointment of an interim city manager. A handful of business items on the table for the Lompoc City Council to discuss in closed session on July 14 were tied to City Manager Dean Albro’s performance evaluation. Although the council ultimately gave Albro “a satisfactory review” and “did not consider or conduct the discipline/dismissal/release […]
Posted inOpinion
Sometimes change is good, but seemingly arbitrary changes to city government bring chaos
There may be a political renaissance in the making in Lompoc. Sometimes change is good, and other times it may bring only chaos to a community. For the last couple of City Council meetings, there seems to have been an organized effort to undermine the traditional way our City Council, current and past, has been […]
Posted inOpinion
Lompoc Fire Department’s unresolved ‘at risk’ conditions will only worsen its service over time
On May 5, the Lompoc City Council received a sobering presentation by interim Fire Chief Kevin Shay. Chief Shay reported that the Lompoc City Fire Department has the two busiest fire stations in Santa Barbara County. The three fire units and nine crew members respond to more than 5,300 calls for service each year—that’s an […]
Posted inOpinion
Lompoc City Council has a potentially costly rebate program audit and investigation on its hands
The city of Lompoc, like almost every other government from the federal level down to small towns like ours, has a problem managing how tax money is distributed to folks applying for rebates, grants, or any other form of government subsidy. This time it’s Lompoc’s conservation rebate program that’s being examined for what some think […]
Posted inNews
Steve Bridge’s sons are witnesses in felony fraud case
Receipts for fixing leaky pipes and installing lights are at the heart of the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s investigation into Lompoc Councilmember Steve Bridge’s invoices. In late 2025, Bridge was arraigned in Santa Maria Superior Court for eight felony counts, including forgery, identity theft, grand theft, and fraudulent use of a contractor’s license. A […]
Posted inNews
Lompoc City Councilmember Steve Bridge pleads not guilty to felony charges
Charged with embezzlement and misuse of city funds, Lompoc 1st District Councilmember Steve Bridge showed no intention of stepping down from the dais after one of his peers called for his resignation. “I will be found not guilty. Therefore, I’ll continue to support and represent every member of the community and District 1,” Bridge said […]
