Month: May 2025

Alissa Orozco

SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, Calif. – The state of California is restarting a new summer food program to help families make healthy food choices this summer. Maritza Perez from the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department spoke with your News Channel to talk about “SUN Bucks.”

The Summer EBT program known as “SUN Bucks” provides families $40 for food in the months of June, July, and August, totaling $120. The program ensures children have access to nutritional meals and food even when they’re not in school.

“It’s important, certainly to keep the nutrition going, right? A lot of kids getting their food from school, reduced or free lunches, and then in the summertime that goes away. So this helps with that,” Perez explains.

The county says children who qualify for free or reduced lunch at their schools will automatically be mailed the SUN Bucks EBT card. The California Department of Social Services says children in foster care, experiencing homelessness, attending Head Start, and/or are considered a runaway are also categorically eligible and are automatically enrolled. 

Families will have 122 days to use their food benefits, any unused balance that is left over after the 122 days will expire.

“SUN Bucks, you can use them at grocery stores, farmers markets, anywhere that accepts CALfresh benefits. So this is food that is cold, not warmed, not things like vitamins, so things that you find on the shelves, anything with the nutritional label, and that’s cold.”

If you are unsure if your child qualifies for the SUN Bucks program, the county suggests checking in with their school before September 2nd, 2025. Visit the California Department of Social Services website to learn more.

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Dave Alley

NIPOMO, Calif. – The Dana Reserve development in Nipomo will once again need to go through the approval process with San Luis Obispo County leaders following the announcement of a legal settlement this week.

On Wednesday, NKT Development, along with the Nipomo Action Committee (NAC), and the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) announced the three sides have reached an agreement to end a lawsuit that was filed by NAC and CNPS soon after the Dana Reserve was approved last year.

The two non-profit organizations filed the suit in an effort to stop the project, citing several concerns, most notably environmental impacts the development would create.

After months of negotiating, the agreement establishes a revised Dana Reserve Specific Plan, which will create a smaller, less environmentally impactful development.

“It’s been a long process,” said Alison Martinez, NAC Director. “We were never about a no project. We’re always about compromise, so we asked for that many times. We’re pleased that the developer came to the table even after the project was approved. We’ve worked for at least six months to try and get some kind of settlement, something that we can all live with and I think we’ve achieved a good compromise.”

“We are happy that we were able to reach a settlement,” said Jocelyn Brennan, Dana Reserve Representative. “We met over several months and there was a lot of give and take in back and forth, compromise and sacrifice, and we have come to agreement that we feel, really addresses the concerns of all parties. I think all parties are really ready and excited for this to move forward. We’re very excited to see homes built.”

One of the biggest elements of the agreement include the reduction in housing units by 229, which equates to an approximately 16% smaller project size.

Another key element of the settlement will be a newly created offsite biological mitigation effort, which the parties said will help support long-term protection of sensitive manzanita habitats outside of the project boundaries.

The new design will now protect additional sensitive plant species and 195 coast live oak trees, as well as contribute financial resources for public benefit specific to Nipomo, which will overseen by the Nipomo Action Committee.

Now that the settlement is in place, the project will once again need to go through the county approval process.

“The changes that were made to the project as part of the settlement, now we’ll go to the county for review,” said Brennan. “They’ll go to the (San Luis Obispo County) Planning Commission and then the Board of Supervisors. We are looking at probably August and September.”

With the timeline still unknown, it’s unclear just how long it will be before any potential construction could begin the large-scale development that would include more than 1,200 housing units, along with commercial properties and other amenities. 

“Every year that passes, home prices go up,” said Brennan. “We’re excited to actually move forward. right? The timing is important and financially, it’s important to move forward with the project, and not only for the project itself, but also for the housing crisis.”

“I think it has been so contentious throughout the years,” said. Martinez. “I understand everybody comes from a different place and we understand that, so we’re really hopeful that as we’ve worked together, that Nipomo can come back together the way it used to be. This was never meant to divide the community, but people need to be heard. They have, opinions and they feel very strongly about Nipomo and that’s a great thing about our community. We have a passion for our own community, so I think that this hopefully will mend some of the bridges.”

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Joey Vergilis

LOMPOC, Calif. – Lompoc High School’s senior running back, Jacob White, is closing out his high school career with a spring to remember.

Just last weekend, White anchored the Lompoc Braves’ 4×400 relay team at the CIF Central Section Masters Meet in Clovis. This weekend, he’ll suit up with the best of the best, representing the Santa Barbara County All-Star team in the 14th annual FCA All-Star Classic.

But perhaps the most meaningful moment is still to come — on June 6, Jacob will walk across the stage and graduate from Lompoc High.

After suffering an injury during his sophomore year, the athlete lost his way. He got mixed up with the wrong crowd, his grades slipped, and he lost focus and motivation.

“I would be like, ‘I don’t need this class to do what I want to do in the future,’ and it ended up in a spiral — not doing work,” White admitted.

Redemption, however, was within reach. With unwavering support from his mom, stepbrother, coach, teachers, and friends, White refocused — both academically and athletically — and began to unlock the potential that had always been inside him.

That commitment became the key to his turnaround.

White said, “Locking in was just breaking old habits, building new good ones, and just accepting that you’ve got to get rid of certain things and stop wasting so much time.”

His lifelong best friend, Izzy Elizondo, put it best:

“He’s been through a lot — I know that he has — and to overcome that, you have to have some kind of courage.”

You can catch Jacob White and Izzy Elizondo back in action one last time on Saturday night at Santa Ynez High School. The duo will suit up for the Santa Barbara County All-Stars in the 14th annual FCA All-Star Football Classic, proudly representing the Lompoc Braves. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The trends may be shifting from those looking for just white sand beaches or pamper-forward resorts. Architecture may be the foundation of some travel plans.

The Visit Santa Barbara 2025 Annual General Meeting made that connection Thursday. It focused on the intersection of hospitality and the architectural heritage of Santa Barbara. 

Local tourism leaders describe how Santa Barbara is one of the perfect locations for that type of offering. Local historian, Neal Graffy, discussed how the city’s architecture was shaped in the 100 years since the 1925 earthquake. The region has Spanish Colonial Revival style buildings in all directions.

Some of the area’s most iconic landmarks, include Old Mission Santa Barbara and the Santa Barbara County Courthouse.

He said tourists began coming to the region for not just the weather but long stays at the new Potter Hotel on the beach and the Arlington Hotel in upper downtown. They needed something to do, and the tourism industry began. “Now we’ve got these people staying for months, two months, three months. What are we going to do? Well, that created our tourism industry, celebrating our natural destinations creeks, canyons, the ocean islands and our man made endeavors at orchards, farms, ranches, the historic adobes, the mission,” said Graffy.

May is California Tourism Month. It celebrates the role of tourism to the Santa Barbara South Coast.

The industry generates more than $2.24 billion annually, including $82.9 million in tax revenue and supports more than 15,000 local jobs.

“As the summer travel season approaches, Visit Santa Barbara’s Annual General Meeting shines a spotlight on the South Coast’s tourism industry,” Kathy Janega-Dykes, president/CEO of Visit Santa Barbara, said. “Tourism is essential to the Santa Barbara South Coast, driving economic prosperity, supporting thousands of jobs in a wide variety of businesses and enhancing the vibrancy of our region.”

Janega-Dykes will discussed the state of the South Coast tourism industry and travel trends, followed by a presentation by Neal Graffy on Santa Barbara’s architectural heritage. It commemorates 100 years since the 1925 earthquake that shaped the region’s Spanish Colonial Revival style. 

She says, “from the red-tiled roofs to the white stucco walls, Santa Barbara’s architecture tells a story that continues to captivate visitors from around the world.” “I can’t emphasize enough the role of Santa Barbara’s esthetic and how we stand apart from our coastal competitors. It dominates how we promote the Santa Barbara South Coast today, really spanning from Summerland and Montecito, Santa Barbara and north to Goleta.”

Graffy has written numerous monographs and books on Santa Barbara history and is a guest lecturer and former board member at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum. 

Additionally, he has served as chairman of the Santa Barbara County Landmarks Commission and president of the Santa Barbara Corral of Westerners.

In his talk Graffy said before the image of Santa Barbara began evolving to what it is today, “most people thought California and the people back East thought this was a land of horse thieves, desperadoes, and wild Indians.”

He says now, interesting history is in every direction. “I have one tour that’s just a one block tour. I walked a block into history and it takes 45 minutes just to do one block. So there’s just so much that Santa Barbara has to offer with history and also accommodations, of course, which brings our tourists here,” said Graffy.

Part of the event included a sit down talk with Entrepreneur, StonePark Capital founder and hotel owner Andrew Firestone. “We’re going to reinforce the fact that our guests are in somewhere very unique in California, that the architecture, the design, the culture of Santa Barbara is special.   I take it for granted. I’ve been born and bred here. I’ve been here my whole life, and I need to take a look at that.”

Firestone spoke of sharing the past story of Santa Barbara with his workers and help them have a better understanding of the regions history to share with those visiting. In 2022  Santa Barbara welcomed its newest hotel, Courtyard Santa Barbara Downtown, a Courtyard by Marriott hotel. It includes the Saint Remy restaurant.

(Firestone and Jess Parker are the founders of StonePark Capital.)

The meeting luncheon was held at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum. The museum currently has a special exhibit on the 1925 Earthquake.

For more information go to: Visit Santa Barbara, The Santa Barbara Historical Museum, Courtyard Santa Barbara and StonePark Capital

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