City Hall

A couple dozen Lompoc residents participated in a “Peace Rally” on Tuesday night in the courtyard outside City Hall. The aim of the event, which began around the same time as that night’s City Council meeting, was to send a message to city leaders that community members are fed up with the ongoing violent crime, and it also served as a public show of support for the Lompoc Police Department.

The races are now set for the Nov. 3 election following last week’s passage of the filing deadline. Gilda Cordova, who was appointed to her District 1 City Council seat in January 2019, will run unopposed to maintain that seat, while District 4 Councilman Jim Mosby will face off against challenger Jeremy Ball. The lone other city race will involve two familiar faces, as District 2 Councilman Victor Vega, who has two years remaining on his current term, will seek to supplant Mayor Jenelle Osborne, who is running for re-election.

After spending the past 19 months as an appointee on the Lompoc City Council, Gilda Cordova said she had learned a lot about her hometown and …

More than two dozen Lompoc residents, many with signs expressing displeasure with fireworks, rallied outside City Hall ahead of Tuesday night’s meeting of the City Council. Once the meeting began, most of them filed inside to voice their concerns and call on the governing body to ramp up enforcement of fireworks violations and to reintroduce a complete ban on all fireworks in the city.

The Lompoc City Council this month directed staff to prepare a Community Benefits Agreement that the city will look to enter into with Strauss Wind, LLC, the developer behind the 100-megawatt Strauss Wind Energy project that is planned for the ridgetops near the end of San Miguelito Road. The pact is likely to include a substantial payment to the city, if certain conditions are met.

Solvang City Council members got an earful during a special meeting Tuesday afternoon to consider a proposal for a mixed-use development that calls for the demolition of Veterans Memorial Hall.

Along with declaring a local emergency, which made the city eligible for potential reimbursements from FEMA, the City Council voted unanimously to waive late fees and nonpayment shut-offs for utility customers, to close City Hall to the public beginning Wednesday, and to cancel all future committee and commission meetings — except for those of the City Council and Planning Commission — through April.

Xenia Bradford has been named acting city manager by the Solvang City Council, effective immediately, according to a release from the city.

An upbeat, high-energy celebration of the LGBTQ+ community Saturday drew people to Santa Maria from as far away as Sacramento, Los Angeles and…

Spectators lined Broadway’s curbs and sidewalks Saturday morning to watch 120 entries ranging from floats, equestrians, mariachis and marching bands to antique vehicles, fire engines, patrol cars, motorcycles and bicycles roll by in the 76th annual Santa Maria Elks Rodeo Parade. The music, dancers and local residents waving to friends, family and total strangers brought a festive atmosphere to the early morning procession from Mill Street to Enos Drive

About four times as many cyclists as last year showed up Wednesday for the annual bicycle ride in Solvang to promote bike safety, call attention to the need for more bicycle lanes and celebrate May as National Bike Month. Formerly known as the Mayor’s Bike Ride, the excursion from Solvang City Hall to a green space along the Santa Ynez River and back again drew 27 riders last year.

Tuesday at 1 p.m. is the application deadline for Solvang residents interested in serving on the city’s Planning Commission or Board of Archit…

Buellton City Council will consider an urgency ordinance banning shared mobility scooters within city limits for one year and will discuss a p…