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Santa Maria Sun
Published 4 hours agoLife Steps Foundation hosts its annual inclusive 5K fundraiser
Learning a bus route, deciphering important pieces of mail, and calculating tips at restaurants are tasks that many people don’t have to think twice about. At Life Steps Foundation in Santa Maria, staff currently help 22 people who have developmental disabilities successfully…
Santa Maria Sun
Published 4 hours agoGiavanni’s Pizza cultivates a comedy community with open mics and stand-up shows
Ezra Paco had no choice but to kick-start his comedy career from a less-than-ideal launch point: Zoom. “It was really awkward,” Paco told the Sun. “The Zoom rooms were really weird because, just like with all things during the pandemic, you were at the mercy of what was going on…
Santa Maria Sun
Published 4 hours agoMeraz Catering serves comfort food with a family-first mindset
Planning and adapting are two of the most important skills in Amy Meraz’s industry. “You have to be good at pivoting and knowing that if something falls off the wagon, if something changes, there’s nothing you can do other than keep going with the changes,” she told the Sun. Call…
Santa Maria Sun
Published 4 hours agoFarm to tax table: County supervisors erase Lompoc farm’s five-figure tax debt for farmstay operation
Laying a Lompoc egg farm’s tax appeal to rest recently divided local officials, who simmered over the issue across two lengthy hearings this summer. The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors’ reception to Dare 2 Dream Farms’ plea to forgive about $65,000 in unpaid taxes was…
Santa Maria Sun
Published 4 hours agoGuadalupe caps stipends for next year’s council at $150
What began as a hearing for Guadalupe’s leaders to consider decreasing the monthly pay for seven elected roles by $300 each ended with more reductions—including a $600 cut for the mayor. “It’s not because you guys don’t do a lot. You guys have a lot on your plate, obviously,”…
Santa Maria Sun
Published 4 hours agoFree K-8 learning center opens at Buellton Garden Apartments
Some Buellton students now have access to after-school activities at a classroom located in their apartment complex. People’s Self-Help Housing opened a learning center at the Buellton Garden Apartments on Sept. 8, according to the organization. A maximum of 20 students from…
Santa Maria Sun
Published 4 hours agoSanta Maria court bomber pleads guilty
The 22-year-old man arrested for detonating a bomb inside of a Santa Maria courthouse pleaded guilty to the crime, about one week shy of the incident’s two-year anniversary. As part of a recent plea agreement, Nathaniel James McGuire admitted that he walked into Santa Barbara…
Santa Maria Sun
Published 4 hours agoPolitical Watch: September 17, 2026
•U.S. Reps. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) and Jimmy Panetta (D-Carmel Valley) were among the co-signers behind a recent amicus brief in California v. Wright. This pending case in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California challenges the Trump…
Santa Maria Sun
Published 4 hours agoHarsh measures
Guadalupe’s in quite the fiscal pickle. Facing a $1.6 million deficit, the city’s elected leaders made the prudent decision to cut their own stipends as way to help tackle budget woes—even though it only amounts to savings of $2,100 per month, every little bit counts! It’s quite…
Santa Maria Sun
Published 4 hours agoA dramatic political shift could come to Lompoc with the upcoming election
The 2026 election in Lompoc could result in a dramatic change of political direction in our city. First, the election for mayor pits two former foes for the seat. In 2020 they faced off for the council District 4 seat, and Jeremy Ball won handily by a 600-vote margin. Then in…
Santa Maria Sun
Published 4 hours agoWe’re at risk of more than mutual destruction
Some militarists still claim that the country that has the greatest nuclear arsenal holds the best cards in the game of “mutual destruction.” “It has kept America and Russia from starting a nuclear war for 60 years,” they say. “Why change the equation?” They refuse to look at…
Santa Maria Sun
Published 4 hours agoZoom over to Orcutt for this year’s chalk festival
Peering down on the sidewalk during this year’s Orcutt Chalk Festival might just inspire a glance up into the cosmos. Blast Out of This World on Sept. 26 in Old Town Orcutt from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. More than 75 students, professional artists, and beginners will transform their…