Jan 9, 2025 · • U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) was sworn into his fifth term in Congress representing the 24th District on Jan. 3.“As someone who grew up, got his first job and a great education, and started a family on the Central Coast, I am deeply grateful to continue working on its behalf in Congress,” Carbajal said in a statement.

• On Dec. 19, 2024, the U.S. Senate approved U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal’s (D-Santa Barbara) bill to rename the post office on E. Battles Road in Santa Maria in honor of Larry Lavagnino, the city’s former mayor and City Council member.“Every community should be so lucky to have a Larry Lavagnino,” Carbajal said in a press release.

Dec 19, 2024 · 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.. My hands were slightly coated with dust after spending a dry October day outside on Sierra Madre in Los Padres National Forest. “This is soap plant,” he explained as he continued pouring water and told me to start rubbing my hands together.

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 care provider, despite voicing concerns about the company’s money troubles and ability to offer quality care.

Jan 16, 2025 · • The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians received a $1.4 million grant through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help with the planning and community engagement efforts for an 8.7-mile path that would connect the Santa Ynez Reservation with Buellton, Solvang, and other parts of the valley. “Our tribe is thankful for receiving this grant and having the opportunity to create a network of ...

Nov 7, 2024 · Whether you’re for or against oil operations in Santa Barbara County, you’re passionate about that position.But that decades-long debate turned up a notch at a recent Santa Barbara County Planning Commission meeting. “Coming to the Planning Commission hearings or Board [of Supervisors] hearings is a really important part of our public process,” Planning and Development Director Lisa ...

Dec 5, 2024 · More than 13 percent of students enrolled in Santa Barbara County K-12 schools are considered homeless, and more than 260 students were in foster care during the 2022-23 school year. “In our county, the biggest issue that we face with our foster and homeless youth is that they are changing schools a lot, and so there’s not school stability,” said Amy Willis, Santa Barbara County ...

Dec 26, 2024 · Local elections had their own drama in places like Lompoc and Santa Maria, where some incumbents held their own while others were voted out. The Lake Fire broke out near Los Olivos, burning thousands of acres over the summer, while senior mobile home park residents battled against new owners and management, and SLO and Santa Barbara counties struggled to clean up the Santa Maria Riverbed.

Jan 2, 2025 · More than 4.5 million Western monarch butterflies once landed along the California coast to spend their winters, a number that has declined by 95 percent since the 1980s, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

May 2, 2024 · Editor's note: Santa Maria Speedway General Manager David Castaneda told the Sun after the paper went to press that races have been postponed due to logistical issues, and the speedway is holding an open practice on May 11 from 4 to 9 p.m. instead. Residents can come and watch people practice, but no concessions will be available, and it’s $40 per person for a …