Many public speakers who appealed to the Santa Maria Planning Commission to green-light new protections for senior mobile home parks identified themselves as tenants of the facilities that would be impacted. But jurisdictional lines didn’t stop one Orcutt resident from voicing her support for the zoning overlay, during the commission’s first meeting of July. “I […]
Santa Barbara County
Posted inNews
California gives $5 million to CenCal for behavioral wellness services
With funding from California’s recently adopted budget, health care providers in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties will see increased training to better support mental health patients. Santa Barbara County Behavioral Wellness Department Director Toni Navarro told the Sun the $5 million given to CenCal Health will strengthen services in non-specialty care areas. Her […]
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A Lompoc floral shop celebrates one year since moving into a new location
When Blake Lane was studying psychology and anthropology in college, he didn’t anticipate a future cutting stems or delivering bouquets. His mom opened Bella Florist and Gifts during the early 2000s, but Lane took the lead on business operations in 2012. “Creativity has always been in my life, and the arts have always been in […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
A Guadalupe muralist is one step closer to opening an arts academy in town
Stephanie Krouse was trained as a scientist. In her early career, she worked for seed companies, studying different treatments that impact plant growth. But a Chicago company’s acquisition of the business left Krouse and many others out of a job. As cliché as it may sound, another door opened for her. “Once that happened, I […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Chris Jeszeck’s paintings are featured at the Cypress in July
After watercolorist Claudette Carlton’s June show at the Cypress Gallery, Chris Jeszeck recently took over as the featured artist. Her Pouring My Art Out exhibit will be up through July 26. Jeszeck—a longtime member of the gallery’s operating body, the Lompoc Valley Art Association—paints using fluid art techniques to blend realism and abstraction. Flowing color, […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Watch a movie in the vineyard at Demetria Estate
Enjoy summer evenings with the family by catching a movie at Demetria Estate in Los Olivos. Pretty Woman is screening on July 18, A Fish Called Wanda on Aug. 22, and Fast Times at Ridgemont High on Sept. 19. Each of the three available dates offers a sunset dinner buffet on the patio beginning at […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Two bars turn up the tiki-themed heat this summer in the Santa Ynez Valley
Take a tiki breakHigh Roller Tiki Lounge (433 Alisal Road in Solvang) is open Sundays from noon to 7 p.m., Wednesday to Thursday from 1 to 8 p.m., and Friday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to midnight. Reserve a table at highrollertiki.com.Pony Cocktails + Kitchen is open daily. Breakfast and lunch hours are from 8 […]
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Blue world: Fishers, scientists, and tribal leaders weigh in on Point Sal conservation area
The coastal waters west of Santa Maria and Guadalupe are special, scientifically speaking. They’re defined by the Point Sal headland, a rugged coastline with access only via a strenuous 11-mile round-trip hike. Though the waters are pristine on top, a biodiverse habitat is active beneath the surface. Cliffs running east to west create a protected […]
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Board of Supervisors sides with arbitrator in Del Cielo rent dispute
While alleging that a third-party mediator abused his authority, a local mobile home park owner appealed to the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors to overturn the ruling in an arbitration case. Following an eight-hour, in-person hearing in early 2026 and opportunities for written rebuttal, arbitrator John Derrick deemed $24 as an appropriate rent increase […]
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A $45 million Department of War grant fuels Manzanita Charter upgrades
Within the next few years, hundreds of Lompoc students will reap the benefits of a new gymnasium, library, and kitchen at Manzanita Public Charter School. The first of three phases began in June as contractors prepared the site. Construction is expected to take three years. Lompoc Unified School District owns and operates the charter school’s […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
From the Sunset Strip to Old Town Orcutt, Faultline keeps moving and grooving
When the opportunity arose for five Central Coast rockers to perform at Los Angeles’ Whisky a Go Go earlier this year, sound check fell just a few weeks after the band’s youngest member celebrated her 21st birthday. Orcutt local Milania Jubilee was 20 when she became Faultline’s lead vocalist in 2025, after wowing her bandmates—four […]
Posted inFood & Drink
White Buffalo Land Trust’s food products win a nationwide Good Food Award
Biting into a piece of Figure Ate’s biltong for the first time was unlike any other kind of meat stick Kyle Sullivan had ever tasted. “The tenderness of the beef really blew me away,” Sullivan told the Sun. “It just has almost like a melt-in-your-mouth texture to it, which is really awesome.” To infinityFigure Ate […]
