Santa Maria Sun

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...

01/01/2025

A very Happy New Year to us all - Here's to 2025! 🌟

12/25/2024

From all of us here at New Times Media Group - Happy Holidays ☃️

12/23/2024

Santa Barbara County finally approves rules for agricultural land that allow for new kinds of uses, but not everyone is happy with the result.

The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the first-of-its-kind Agricultural Enterprise Ordinance, closing years of time and effort poured into one document. “The...

12/20/2024

“The auditorium won’t be done until 2027, but … our New Year’s resolution is by the end of 2025 to have regular live performances on the Lompoc Theatre stage for the first time in 60 years,” Lompoc Theatre Project Executive Director Mark Herrier said.

A fundraising concert slated for Dec. 28 intends to help.

There’ll be church pews and stacking chairs but no standing room for guests of an intimate concert, set to bring a handful of rock, roots,...

12/19/2024

About 170 miles of containment line encircled the Lake Fire earlier this summer as part of U.S. Forest Service - Los Padres National Forest's effort to prevent it from spreading even further. In October, the forest started working in collaboration with the Chumash Fire Department to repair the damage done to the ecosystem, important cultural sites, and native plants by those dozer lines.

Chumash Fire Department Capt. Quntan Garcia placed a stalky beige plant into my hand and slowly trickled water from his Kirkland water bottle over it....

12/16/2024

We’re in the midst of our end-of-year fundraising drive, now through Dec. 31.

Every dollar raised will pave the way for us to continue our award-winning coverage. Every contribution also allows our journalists to access the resources they need to keep holding lawmakers and elected officials accountable, from the Board of Supervisors to school boards.

Will you help us continue to safeguard democracy every day for the citizens of SLO County?

https://new-times-inc.fundjournalism.org/supportsunjournalism/

12/10/2024

Santa Barbara County’s visitors will soon see a higher bill at the end of their stay as local voters approved hotel bed tax increases throughout the region.

In the face of slowed budget growth at the county level and high impacts from tourism in the Santa Ynez Valley region, Buellton, Solvang, and Santa Barbara County put a 2 percent transient occupancy tax (TOT) on their respective ballots to boost funding streams.

Santa Barbara County’s visitors will soon see a higher bill at the end of their stay as local voters approved hotel bed tax increases throughout...

12/09/2024

Four North County school districts placed bond measures on the ballot this year to make site improvements or build a new school—with two passing the 55 percent voter approval threshold.

Santa Maria-Bonita and Lompoc Unified school districts had 62 percent and 59.6 percent approval, respectively. Both districts wish to make improvements to aging buildings, remove asbestos, and replace outdated portable classrooms.

Four North County school districts placed bond measures on the ballot this year to make site improvements or build a new school—with two passing the...

12/06/2024

A pristine copy of Trisha Cole’s new book—a compilation of recipes, life hacks, poetry, puzzles, hand-drawn illustrations, photographs, and more—shouldn’t stay pristine for too long, its author advised her readers. She expects coffee stains, food drippings, and more to splatter across the text and drawings before too long.

A pristine copy of Trisha Cole’s new book—a compilation of recipes, life hacks, poetry, puzzles, hand-drawn illustrations, photographs, and more—shouldn’t stay pristine for too long,...

12/05/2024

Allan Hancock College is already prepared to take advantage of a proposition that California voters passed that earmarks $1.5 billion in bonds for community colleges and $8.5 billion in bonds for K-12 schools.

The Santa Maria community college submitted requests for renovations on Building N or the Sports Pavilion, Vice President of Finance and Administration Dennis Curran said.

“It houses our kinesiology program, our fitness area, our basketball and volleyball courts, classrooms, coaches’ offices,” he said.

California’s community colleges, including Allan Hancock College and Cuesta College, rely on bond measures to help fund campus enhancements—anything from adding new buildings to renovating...

11/25/2024

The theme of Lompoc artist Liz Poulin Alvarez’s latest solo exhibit—dedicated to the dogs who’ve left lasting impressions on her throughout her life—sprung from a very human place.

“The impetus for the show was influenced by Fred, … my daughter’s dog,” Alvarez said. “[Fred] is a kelpie-blue heeler mix and currently lives with us. … He’ll be returning to my daughter next month, and my plan was to capture his personality in a variety of outdoor settings.”

The theme of Lompoc artist Liz Poulin Alvarez’s latest solo exhibit—dedicated to the dogs who’ve left lasting impressions on her throughout her life—sprung from a...

11/22/2024

A federal judge recently ruled in favor of the Forest Service for a project proposing removing chaparral and trees across 755 acres that extend along Pine Mountain between state Highway 33 and Reyes Peak in Ventura County.

A 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judge ruled in favor of the U.S. Forest Service’s controversial tree and chaparral removal project in the Pine...

11/21/2024

Don’t blink or the year might be over. Before that happens, you’ve got to revel in the spirit of the holiday season! And I don’t just mean when the big man in red comes to deliver all those things you want. We've got you covered with our annual Holiday Guide!

All the events, comfort food, traditions, and volunteering opportunities to get you through the season

11/15/2024

“Rents are now completely out of control for business establishments, and we need to diversify our revenues,” Theodora Stephen wrote in a public comment letter to the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors.

She wants to put a farm stay on her olive oil operation in Santa Ynez and was advocating for the board to pass a new ordinance on Nov. 5 that would increase what's allowed on agricultural land. The board pushed its decision to December.

The agricultural enterprise ordinance could be Theodora Stephen’s ticket to creating farm stays on her small olive oil operation in Santa Ynez. “Rents are now...