Santa Maria Sun

02/21/2025

“The stakes are much higher now. The balance of power has shifted,” Santa Maria Valley Democratic Club member Robin Dean said. “It used to be where judges would make a judgement and then the president would follow that. That seems gone right now. … We’re depending on the judiciary.”

Dozens of protesters converged at the intersection of Broadway and Cook streets in Santa Maria on President’s Day. Some arrived with text-heavy banners in hand,...

02/17/2025

“Karate was a big thing in my life, and I loved all the weapons. That’s what kind of sparked my interest with belly dancing—all the weapons you get to dance with,” Santa Ynez resident and founder/owner of Krischana Tribal Fusion Belly Dance Krischana Thompson said.

Often used by martial artists to disarm an opponent, the sai is part of Santa Ynez resident Krischana Thompson’s karate arsenal. But the ancient weapon...

02/15/2025

Fire chiefs across Santa Barbara County are unhappy with the county’s decision to settle a lawsuit with American Medical Response (AMR) and renew the ambulance provider’s contract.

Fire chiefs across Santa Barbara County are unhappy with the county’s decision to settle a lawsuit with American Medical Response (AMR) and renew the ambulance...

02/13/2025

For this year’s issue of Health and Wellness, our writers delve into a deep state of relaxation, which can help set the stage for healing from trauma, anxiety, and more.

In our annual issue, we talk ketamine-assisted and rapid-eye movement therapies and float pods

02/11/2025

Guadalupe puts time limits on free-to-the-public EV chargers thanks to some city residents who hog the parking spaces.

For a full battery, electric vehicles on empty parked at either of Guadalupe’s two free charging stations need to stay plugged in for about 11...

02/10/2025

Get ready... the new issue of Get Outside is coming to stands near you soon!

02/07/2025

“I’ve heard from school administrators and from counselors who have told me of numerous families that have said, ‘I’m not, not going to allow my students to go to school,’” said Brian Jaramillo, the assistant superintendent of Lompoc Unified School District (LUSD). “Whether that’s for today, or for a week, or for the last week and a half, there are a lot of students who haven’t been coming to school because of the situation.”

Federal laws entitle every child, regardless of immigration status, to a public elementary or secondary education, according to the United States Department of Education. However,...

02/06/2025

“Without a tasting room, it’s important to have places to meet wine consumers, introduce yourself and your wines, a put a personality to the label,” Santa Ynez-based winemaker Kira Malone said. “Last year, I attended the Solvang Garagiste Festival as a consumer, with the goal of returning this year to launch my 200-case production label.”

If there’s one small-town tradition that’s a pretty big deal for several micro-wineries each year, it’s Solvang’s Southern Exposure Garagiste Festival. More than 150 wines...

02/03/2025

What began as a Santa Ynez coffee shop now pours a different kind of iced drink, thanks to the restaurant makeover that led to Pony Cocktails + Kitchen. At the site formerly known as Pony Espresso, proprietor Alberto Battaglini went all in to revamp his business, which originally opened in 2019.

“From the very beginning of running Pony Espresso, the idea of transforming the venue into a full-service restaurant and bar was always part of the bigger picture,” Battaglini said in an email interview. “It wasn’t a sudden epiphany or a shift in focus—it was the plan from day one.”

What began as a Santa Ynez coffee shop now pours a different kind of iced drink, thanks to the restaurant makeover that led to Pony...

01/31/2025

Painter Susan Kounanis’ first month of Gallery Los Olivos membership was October 2024.

“I was inspired to join [Gallery Los Olivos] the very first time I walked through the doors and saw the gallery," Kounanis said over email. "I remember telling my husband it felt so right for my work.”

Most of Kounanis’ paintings are still lifes, “usually with flowers and a vintage vessel,” said the artist, who’s accumulated several of her tabletop subjects over the years through visiting antique shops and estate sales.

Two dancers lock torsos in Ann Wirtz’s eye-catching—and feet-sweeping—piece, Lean In, one of eight works by the Goleta-based artist featured in Gallery Los Olivos’ latest...

01/30/2025

The struggle to survive in a Santa Ynez Riverbed encampment can be brutal.

“In order to have a tent to sleep in, you might have to go have s*x with somebody,” said Ann McCarty, executive director of the North County R**e Crisis and Child Protection Center.

The struggle to survive in a Santa Ynez Riverbed encampment can be brutal. “In order to have a tent to sleep in, you might have...

01/27/2025

Had Tim Snider and Ashley Parker Snider decided not to spend their first vacation as husband and wife in Australia, who knows how or when Epiphany would have come to fruition. The concept unfolded during a wine tasting excursion in Barossa Valley, and this year, the label is celebrating 25 years.

One couple’s honeymoon plans set in motion the creation of Epiphany Cellars, a Santa Barbara County-based boutique label celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Had...

01/23/2025

“Performance is the best indication of future results,” 4th District Supervisor Bob Nelson told the Sun. “The Sheriff’s Department has not done a great job holding Wellpath accountable.”

The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors recently decided to allow the Sheriff’s Office to negotiate a new shorter-term contract with the current jail health...

01/18/2025

Too many things warrant double-checking, but the fine print on the back of jerky packs wasn’t one of them for Lou Ferrigno until recently.

“I play a cannibalistic pig farmer who makes jerkies out of people,” Ferrigno said about his new role in an upcoming horror flick, The Hermit.

Expiration dates. Stock prices. Autocorrect suggestions. Too many things warrant double-checking, but the fine print on the back of jerky packs wasn’t one of them...

01/13/2025

Some residents are upset with the county's decision to update its rules for small telecommunication facilities, saying there are other ways that Santa Barbara County can comply with federal requirements and still give residents opportunities to comment on the projects.

Fire risks and property values are two reasons to hold off on streamlining the permitting process for small wireless telecommunication facilities in Santa Barbara County,...

01/10/2025

For one lifetime Santa Maria resident, volunteering is a way of life. We speak with her about the work she does to advocate on others’ behalf: "Everybody needs to be willing to roll up their sleeves, tie their shoelaces tighter, get out, and do the work.”

With 2025 just getting started, some people are choosing to do what they do best: volunteer. The work that volunteers do in their spare time...

01/03/2025

In California, we live in a really special, beautiful environment, and not everybody gets to be out in it,” printmaker Angela LaPointe explained. “I love to be able to transport those experiences back into people’s houses, into little pieces of art, so that you can have them in your life and remind you that you live in a beautiful place.”

Find her work at the Cypress Gallery through Jan. 26.

With every deliberate carving and layer of ink, local printmaker Angelina LaPointe attempts to transform the beauty of the state’s ecosystems into tactile art that...

01/02/2025

Two monarchs fluttered around at about eye level by the small white trailer near the Pismo State Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove. “That’s not normal,” said Valerie Glahn, who has volunteered at the grove for eight years. “I don’t think they realize it’s winter.” Less than 200 of the butterflies are clustering at the grove this year, numbers that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is concerned about.

A few visitors shielded their eyes from the sun on a warm December day as they peered into the eucalyptus trees at Pismo State Beach...