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Life of Chuck is poetic [20]

Lompoc’s Hike and Bike Club needs you to help build some trails [6]

BY CALEB WISEBLOOD

NEWS

Immigration enforcement sweeps [4]

ARTS

Art Related Things in Santa Maria [18]

EATS

Rachel’s Jam in Lompoc [21]

Contents

Your Dream Home Awaits!

JANUARY 8 - JANUARY 15, 2026 VOL . 26 NO. 46

V

olunteers are almost always how hiking, biking, and horseback riding trails get built, and Lompoc is no exception. With the aim of developing six new public trails in the Lompoc Valley, the city Trails Committee (aka the Lompoc Hike and Bike Club) needs some help, especially from anyone with excavator experience. For our annual Volunteers Issue, Senior Staff Writer Caleb Wiseblood writes about the trails project and what needs to be done next [6], while Staff Writer Chloë Hodge from our sister paper, New Times, writes about Heroes on the Water, a volunteer organization dedicated to providing veterans with kayaking experiences [8].

Also, read about recent immigration enforcement operations on the Central Coast [4]; a former art teacher who opened a new art spot in Santa Maria [18]; and a Lompoc jam maker with charcuterie boards and more [21].

Camillia Lanham editor

TRACTOR BEAMING: Among its volunteer positions, the Lompoc Trails Committee encourages anyone with mini excavator experience to support developing six new public trails in the Lompoc Valley.

Cover photo courtesy of Lompoc Trails Committee > Cover design by Alex Zuniga

NEWS

News Briefs ...............................................................................4 Political Watch.........................................................................4 Spotlight....................................................................................10

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Arts Briefs ................................................................................18

MOVIES

Reviews ....................................................................................20

OPINION

of Santa Maria

ARTS

Commentary ........................................................................... 12 Letters ........................................................................................ 12 Web Poll .................................................................................... 12 Mayfield..................................................................................... 12 Canary ........................................................................................ 13

CLASSIFIEDS, HOME, AND REAL ESTATE .................................................... 23

EVENTS CALENDAR

Hot Stuff ....................................................................................14

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News POLITICAL WATCH • State Senate President Pro Tem Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara) recently appointed state Sen. John Laird (D-Santa Cruz) to chair the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee for the remainder of the 2025-26 legislative session. “Sen. Laird brings deep experience, sound judgment, and a strong commitment to fiscal responsibility to the Budget Committee,” Limón said in a statement. “His previous service as chair of the Assembly Budget Committee, along with his long-standing focus on education, the environment, and working families, will be invaluable as we work to deliver a budget that reflects California’s values and meets the moment.” In his new role as chair of the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee, Laird will help guide funding decisions impacting education, health care, infrastructure, environmental protection, and essential public services, according to Limón’s office. The committee is responsible for shaping California’s annual state budget. “Having previously chaired the Assembly Budget Committee, I understand the seriousness of this responsibility and know there will be difficult times ahead,” Laird said in a statement. “I look forward to listening to the priorities of my colleagues to shape thoughtful decisions that balance fiscal responsibility with the real needs of Californians.”

•U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-California) and other members of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property recently urged U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick to hold a briefing no later than Jan. 9 that addresses their opposition to new patent tax under consideration. The proposal would require patent holders to pay between 1 and 5 percent of their invention’s overall value to file for a patent.

“Currently, inventors are charged flat fees, typically no higher than $10,000. A fee of between 1 and 5 percent of a patent’s value could cost individual inventors millions of dollars and transform the existing flat filing fee structure into a speculative and prohibitive bar to innovation for start-ups and other small-tomid-size businesses,” the senators wrote in a letter addressed to Lutnick and U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John A. Squires. Along with Schiff, U.S. Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), and Peter Welch (D-Vermont) signed the letter.

• In a Dec. 31 statement, U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California) weighed in on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision to lift its stay on a federal judge’s order barring the Trump administration from deploying the National Guard to Los Angeles. “Today’s order affirms what we’ve said from the beginning: the Trump administration’s choice to federalize and deploy National Guard troops in Los Angeles was unlawful,” Padilla stated on Dec. 31. “This deployment is reckless, harmful, and an abuse of executive power that has put service members in an impossible position.” Gov. Gavin Newsom also issued a statement in response to the court decision, which he described as returning the California National Guard to state command and control, and “conclusively ending their deployment in an American city, against American citizens.” He also called the federalization of the California National Guard illegal. “The president deployed these brave men and women against their own communities and without regard for the constitution and federal law,” Newsom stated. “We welcome our California National Guard servicemembers back to state service, where they can continue to serve and protect the people of California—long delayed due to Trump’s political theater. … I direct California National Guard leadership to work expeditiously to return state service members home to be with their families as soon as possible following their demobilization from federal service.” m

January 8, 2026 - January 15, 2026

➤ Spotlight [10] FILE PHOTO BY JAYSON MELLOM

Hernandez said that nationally, about 30 percent of those arrested as part of immigration enforcement operations have a criminal record, most of which are minor offenses like traffic violations. More than 70 percent of those being detained, she said, have no criminal record.

“Some of the patterns that we’ve documented, it’s reflective of systemic racial profiling,” she said. “The majority ENFORCEMENT PROTEST: In June 2025, high school students walked out of schools to protest immigration arrests around the of the people were country and in Santa Maria. In December, immigration advocates farmworkers, migrant, protested against a surge in enforcement activity in Santa Barbara and indigenous from the San Luis Obispo counties.

Mixtec, Zapotec, and other Indigenous peoples, so people who Local advocates concerned are very, very vulnerable. … Very, very prone to about what recent surge in abuses of power.”

ICE arrests means for 2026 —Camillia Lanham The last few days of 2025 were very different than the rest of the year when it came to Guadalupe Union opens immigration enforcement on the Central Coast. new campus for TK, An estimated 147 arrests were made in preschool students Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties over a four-day period at the end of December, For some students and teachers in the according to 805 UndocuFund Executive Guadalupe Union School District, the start of a Director Primitiva Hernandez, including at new year also means a new school. least 87 in the city of Santa Maria. Immigration The eight classrooms at the Guadalupe Early arrests have become a near daily occurrence Learning Center will be filled for the first time across the area that 805 UndocuFund covers, on Jan. 14 when students return from winter Hernandez said on Jan. 5, adding that she break, Superintendent Emilio Handall told the received a report that someone was arrested in Sun. Serving up to around 200 students, the site Santa Maria that day. is one of the city’s only options for the parents of But what happened between Dec. 27 and 30 young children. was outside the norm.

“It’s something that’s been sorely missing in “If this is how 2025 came to a close, what can Guadalupe, where we consider it a child care [the Central Coast] expect in 2026?” Hernandez desert, if you will,” Handall said. said. “This is what we witnessed at the end of The center was specifically designed to help 2025, compared to what is typical in prior years.

2- to 5-year-olds grow academically and socially, That should be alarming.” preparing them for kindergarten. It’s a colorful Her organization receives reports of campus, Handall said, with windows to let in the immigration arrests across the Tri-County area natural light and open spaces that students can through the 805 Immigrant Rapid Response safely explore.

Network, a community-led initiative that aims to In 2018, when Handall started with the provide support and resources to undocumented district, he remembered encountering individuals and families. When the network kindergarteners who didn’t have any schooling receives a report or phone call about an arrest, experience. They were behind not only volunteers respond to the scene and reach out to intellectually, but also socially. the family.

“We want to be able to build their minds “The number that we’re reporting on, our and their bodies in the earliest age,” the data, comes from confirmed and documented superintendent said. apprehensions. They are confirmed by our Before the new center, transitional volunteers on the ground,” Hernandez said. kindergarten (TK) students and preschoolers “They are reported to the hotline, and we confirm went to elementary schools where the with their family members.” infrastructure wasn’t built for young students.

She called Santa Maria the epicenter of the The playground equipment was too big, Handall recent wave of enforcement. Her group joined explained, and the restrooms weren’t the right fit. other advocacy organizations and local elected “I’m super happy to finally be able to open officials to draw attention to the issue with a this particular campus that is much more suited press conference on Jan. 2 outside the ICE facility to meet their needs,” Handall said. “My hope in Santa Maria. is that the staff that have been serving our TK The Sun reached out to Immigration and students will find it to be a much more enjoyable Customs Enforcement (ICE) and was directed to experience for them professionally.” a press release posted on the U.S. Department of During winter break, TK teachers from Homeland Security (DHS) website.

Mary Buren Elementary School moved their ICE reported arresting 118 “illegal aliens” in classrooms over to the Early Learning Center, Santa Barbara and SLO counties between Dec. which was built near the district’s new junior 26 and 31. high school. At the start of the next academic “ICE ended 2025 with a surge operation year, the superintendent hopes the preschool in California targeting the worst of the worst program will be up and running, too. criminal illegal aliens,” DHS Assistant Secretary Costs for the Guadalupe Early Learning Tricia McLaughlin said in the release. “In 2026, Center, totaling around $10 million, were our law enforcement will continue to do what covered by federal and state grants. The district Gavin Newsom refused to do: make California also pitched in a few hundred thousand dollars safe again.” to get the project going, Handall said.

The release detailed 11 of the arrests, including On Jan. 14, district officials and community their names, photos, ages, and the crimes they members will celebrate a ribbon cutting were convicted of. Their crimes include DUIs, ceremony at the Early Learning Center, located lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14, at 375 Arroyo Seco Road. assault, and burglary.

—Madison White

4 • Sun • January 8 - January 15, 2026 • www.santamariasun.com

Court rules in favor of Sable on restart plan, for now

On Dec. 31, an appeals court ruled against environmental groups’ request to stay a federal decision approving Sable Offshore Corporation’s restart plans for two oil pipelines along the Gaviota Coast.

The request was part of a lawsuit the Center for Biological Diversity, Environmental Defense Center, and others filed against the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) to prevent “the immediate restart of the pipeline, which has been shut down for 10 years since it ruptured” and caused the 2015 Refugio oil spill.

The suit takes aim at PHMSA for taking oversight of the pipelines from the California Office of the State Fire Marshal in December, approving restart plans, and granting Sable an emergency special permit. The groups accuse PHMSA of violating the Pipeline Safety Act and the National Environmental Protection Act. “In a rushed, legally dubious, and politicized process … PHMSA purported to take over regulatory jurisdiction of the pipeline system … and approved a restart plan,” the environmental groups wrote in court documents. “Restarting the pipeline would not only invite another oil disaster on the Central Coast, but all but ensure it.”

Sable intervened in the lawsuit on behalf of PHMSA, filing a response on Dec. 30.

“Petitioner’s actual position is apparent. They believe that these pipeline segments should not contain crude oil. And they believe, incorrectly, that serious harm would result from the flow of crude oil,” Sable’s response stated. “The only effect of the special permit is to waive a single regulatory requirement for repairs to happen within 180 days of discovering future corrosion along a seam weld.”

Sable argues that the special permit and restart plan reviews were both part of complying with the 2020 consent decree issued in the lawsuit against Plains All-American over the oil spill and wouldn’t normally be part of any similar oil pipeline restart procedures. The company, which has owned the pipelines since 2024, also argues that the restart plan and permit are almost identical to what was conceived in collaboration with the state fire marshal, except the 180-day repair waiver.

In October 2025, the Office of the State Fire Marshal sent Sable a letter informing it that the restart plan wasn’t approved yet. The company had failed to comply with one requirement—the 180-day repair requirement—in the state waiver approved in 2024.

In November, Sable appealed to PHMSA to reclassify the Las Flores Pipeline from intrastate to interstate, as “it transports crude oil from the [Outer Continental Shelf]” and take over jurisdiction. Prior to the pipeline’s shutdown, it was considered an interstate pipeline, according to Sable and PHMSA. “Sable has already spent approximately $211 million on repair and maintenance activities along the pipelines through November 2025,” Sable wrote in court documents. “If Sable is prevented from resuming petroleum transportation, Sable will lose at least $2.6 million per day, $18.2 million per week, and $79 million per month in net revenue.”

The company added that repairs will continue after oil resumes flowing through the pipelines.

PHMSA granted the special permit to Sable in compliance with an executive order from Trump over “insufficient energy production, transportation, refining, and generation” that causes an “unusual and extraordinary threat to our nation’s economy, national security, and foreign policy,” Sable said.

PHMSA responded to the Sun’s request for comment with a statement.

“Restarting the Las Flores Pipeline will bring much needed American energy to a state with the highest gas prices in the country. We look forward to a swift resolution in this case to provide the operator with regulatory certainty and Californians with affordable American energy,” the statement said. m —Camillia Lanham

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PHOTOS AND IMAGE COURTESY OF THE LOMPOC TRAILS COMMITTEE

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Lompoc Hike and Bike has openings for volunteer positions year round. To stay informed about the group’s volunteer opportunities, including maintenance work at River Bend Bike Park and upcoming construction efforts near the Bodger Trail, register online at lompochikeandbike.com or email lompoctrailscommittee@gmail.com.

A SITE TO BEHOLD: A volunteer project to help transform an 82-acre parcel of privately owned land—bisected by the Lompoc Valley’s existing Bodger Trail—into a new public trail network is currently underway.

Scoring vista points All-volunteer group Lompoc Hike and Bike lays groundwork for new public trail network

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Lompoc, maintenance duties at some public parks, fundraising campaigns, and yearly Arbor Day-themed efforts.

The new public trail network project began in 2015, when Baker spearheaded a separate but comparable initiative, which also ended up helping him and other future Hike and Bike members acquire the 82 acres of land where they envisioned bringing new trails to life, he explained.

“I led a similar project within the city of Lompoc, … building the River Bend Bike Park,” Baker said. “This community park was built with a similar concept through a publicprivate partnership with the city of Lompoc.

“Part of this partnership involved PLANNING AHEAD: The Lompoc Trails Committee, dedicating the bike park to local community aka Lompoc Hike and Bike, has been fundraising member Al Walker, who had recently passed and conducting preparation work to bring the Lompoc Valley a new public trail network since 2019. away,” he continued. “After the dedication, the Walker family gifted us this parcel of land the committee originally entered talks with the to continue bringing recreational opportunities for county, praised the group for its steadfastness. the community of Lompoc.”

“I know when I met with you guys six years ago, In 2019, Lompoc Hike and Bike began as an allI was concerned that it might take a while to get to volunteer focus group, dedicated to transforming the 82-acre parcel—bisected by the county-owned this process,” Nelson told Baker at the supervisors’ Nov. 18 meeting. “I have to commend you and all Bodger Trail—into six new public trails. of your volunteers on just sticking with it. I wish “When we reached out to the county of Santa these processes didn’t take so long. I know our Barbara, they did not have a roadmap of how to board is working on shortcutting some of those build public trails on private land,” Baker said. things in the future.”

“After several brainstorming meetings, it Nelson made his comments shortly before the was determined that the best course was board approved the easement arrangement with a to grant the county [an] easement to our 5-0 vote. property, so that they could own the trails “Without your guys’ persistence and love for the and let our committee build and maintain Lompoc Valley and the Lompoc community, this them.” wouldn’t be happening,” Nelson said.

Baker described the six-year journey Baker thanked both Nelson and current 3rd that followed as exploring “several different District Supervisor Joan Hartmann for their courses before landing the [county’s] final support at the meeting, as well as the Santa approval.”

Barbara Foundation and Rotary Club of Lompoc To fulfill the county’s requirements, for monetary support through donations.

Lompoc Hike and Bike raised funds to “You’ve really invested your heart and soul in pay for archaeological and biological this project,” Hartmann told Baker. “It isn’t easy assessments of the 82-acre parcel, with assistance from professional land surveyors keeping an all-volunteer organization motivated and energized when things get extended over such and experienced trail builders, Baker said. a long period.”

The Santa Barbara County Trails Baker told the Sun that the committee has Council helped mentor the committee experienced significant volunteer turnover in the throughout this phase, he added. He also past. thanked Heidi Jones of Meraki Land Use “We have had many volunteers join our Consulting for “her patience and guidance committee and then burn out and leave for various throughout this process.” reasons,” he said via email. “We are extremely During the construction phase, paid grateful for anyone who wants to volunteer workers from the Los Padres Forest their time, energy, or finances to our project. …

Association will assist volunteers from the Everyone on our committee brings something committee with constructing the new trails.

ALL THAT LITTER IS GONE: Volunteers Alex valuable to the table.” m Near the end of 2025, county 4th Hernandez, Kerry Kellogg, and Hugo Aguiniga (left District Supervisor Bob Nelson, who to right) of the Lompoc Trails Committee took part in represented part of the 3rd District—which Reach Senior Staff Writer Caleb Wiseblood at Highway 1 cleanup near the Lompoc city entrance from Jalama Road. cwiseblood@santamariasun.com. includes the Lompoc Valley—back when

L

eaves of three, let them be—to an extent. The risk of being exposed to poison oak comes with the territory for those who volunteer with the Lompoc Trails Committee, aka Lompoc Hike and Bike.

“A lot of our rough work begins with cutting through the vegetation,” committee chair Dave Baker said about an 82-acre development project that the all-volunteer group is about to begin.

Thanks to a recent easement agreement between the committee and the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, Lompoc Hike and Bike is clear to develop a network of six new public trails (each connected to the existing Bodger Trail) for hikers and bikers in the unincorporated Lompoc Valley.

“I can’t wait to see my fellow Lompoc-ians, both young and old, and all shapes and abilities, break out of their normal routines and come hike or bike these trails,” Baker said in an email interview. “We hope to begin organized [volunteer] workdays in January, continuing through the summer. … We are looking for skilled equipment operators that would like to help us with the use of mini excavators.”

Registering online at the committee’s website is the best way to stay up to date about the trail network project and additional year-round volunteer opportunities, including monthly litter cleanup along one stretch of Highway 1 near

6 • Sun • January 8 - January 15, 2026 • www.santamariasun.com

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ndy Dibbern didn’t come to Heroes on the Water looking for a leadership role. About four years ago, he was simply a devoted kayaker who accepted an invitation to volunteer at a local event. The experience left an immediate impression.

“I got invited by a friend to come out,” Dibbern said. “I was already an avid kayak fisherman, mostly on the ocean. That was about four years ago, and I don’t think I’ve missed an event since.”

Today, Dibbern serves as chapter coordinator of the Heroes on the Water Avila Beach Chapter, a volunteer-led organization that provides no-cost therapeutic kayak fishing experiences for veterans, active-duty military members, first responders, and their families.

“There’s nothing like getting on the water,” Dibbern said. “Kayaks are quiet. You don’t have engines running. … Sometimes all you hear is the waves or the water moving around the kayak. … A lot of times, that quiet is exactly what people need.”

Dibbern didn’t serve in the armed forces, but his dedication to serving those who did runs deep.

“I’m not a veteran,” he said. “A number of our volunteers aren’t, but a lot of them are veterans and first responders. … One of our volunteers is the veterans service officer for San Luis Obispo County.”

Heroes on the Water is a national 501(c) (3) nonprofit founded in 2007, with roughly 58 chapters across the United States. The organization’s mission is to provide wellness and community through kayak fishing and the outdoors. In 2018, the nonprofit officially expanded its services to include first responders and their families, recognizing the shared challenges faced by those in high-stress service roles.

The Avila Beach Chapter serves San Luis Obispo County, Santa Barbara County, and Kern County.

“We have quite a bit of reach,” Dibbern said.

“We’re probably one of the chapters that covers the largest area, so we stay busy running around doing events.”

The Avila Beach chapter offers several types of events each month designed to meet the needs of its participants. These include on-the-water family events, small group events, women-only events, social gatherings, and off-season activities like skill-based workshops.

As chapter president, Dibbern helps coordinate monthly outings, manage volunteers, oversee equipment, and ensure each event runs safely and smoothly. The chapter maintains a fleet of about 20 kayaks and provides what

8 • Sun • January 8 - January 15, 2026 • www.santamariasun.com

participants need for the day.

“We supply everything,” Dibbern said. “The kayaks, fishing poles, bait, safety gear … everything.

They just have to show up with a fishing license.”

Events are completely volunteer-driven.

Each participant is paired one-on-one with a volunteer guide, providing both assistance and companionship throughout the day.

“Every participant that we take out has their own guide, and that guide is a volunteer,” Dibbern said. “We have over 20 regular volunteers.”

Events typically host between 10 and 20 participants. Ocean outings—often held in Avila Beach—are smaller, while other events can accommodate larger groups.

“Our ocean events we try to keep a little smaller,” Dibbern said. “There’s more of a safety element. Our lake events will pretty easily have 20 participants.”

Lake outings are held at Santa Margarita Lake, Cachuma Lake, Lopez Lake, and locations in Kern County, including Buena Vista Lake.

“We pretty much fill up every time,” Dibbern said. “We put out a sign-up about two weeks before each event, and within a day or so it’s full.”

At the heart of the program is kayak fishing, a low-impact outdoor activity that combines paddling with fishing. Participants use sit-on-top kayaks to reach fishing spots usually inaccessible by larger boats. For many participants, the benefits go beyond fishing itself.

Kayak fishing is widely recognized for its therapeutic benefits, the national Heroes on the Water organization said. The rhythmic motion of paddling, combined with the quiet environment

and concentration required for fishing, can help reduce stress and promote mindfulness. Physically, it offers gentle exercise that improves strength and coordination without placing excessive strain on the body.

“It’s a very therapeutic atmosphere for them to be able to just go out and not have to worry,” Dibbern said. “Sometimes they wanna fish, sometimes they just wanna sit there and take it all in.”

That pressure-free environment is intentional.

Dibbern explained that many participants arrive carrying significant stress, trauma, or feelings of isolation. Some are living with post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injuries, or physical disabilities, including amputations.

“We accommodate anything they might be dealing with,” Dibbern explained. “And we’re going to make it happen for them.”

Post-event surveys collected by the national organization reflect those efforts. According to Heroes on the Water data, between 80 and 90 percent of participants report improvements in mental well-being, stress levels, and their ability to manage everyday life.

While Dibbern points to the data, he said the real impact is visible on the water.

“You see it in their faces,” he said. “And we have a lot of repeat participants, so that tells you something.”

Dibbern credits much of the chapter’s success to its volunteers. With more than 20 regular volunteers, including veterans, first responders, and community members, the team brings a wide range of support, understanding, and community.

To participate or volunteer, email Heroes on the Water’s Avila Beach Chapter at avilabeach.ca@ heroesonthewater.org. m Reach Staff Writer Chloë Hodge from the Sun’s sister paper, New Times, at chodge@newtimesslo.com.

KAYAK THERAPY: Through monthly volunteer-run outings, Heroes on the Water uses kayak fishing to create community.

Volunteer for Teens Lo

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Scan the QR code to apply orQR email Scan the code to apply or email nhernandez@foodbanksbc.org for more nhernandez@foodbanksbc.org for more information. information.

SCAN TO SUBSCRIBE

www.santamariasun.com • January 8 - January 15, 2026 • Sun • 9

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10 • Sun • January 8 - January 15, 2026 • www.santamariasun.com

carry an item inside, the “fixers” will look at it, Busek said.

Many fixers specialize in one area, like the volunteers from the Volunteers at Five Cities Repair Café Cal Poly Radio Club who can tackle anything in the technology are here to help fix realm. Other volunteers set up

BY MADISON WHITE and take down the events and engage with people while they’re waiting for a fixer. loose screw. A disconnected wire. A ripped “We don’t advertise that it’s a community builder, seam. but it is,” Busek said. “While people are waiting Sometimes all it takes to use an item for for their pairing up with a fixer, we have puzzles another decade is a little bit of collaboration, and games that they can play. … We provide a expertise, and elbow grease—the very reason seating area, and they have a chance to talk to other repair cafés exist. folks and kind of make a When Linda Busek lived in connection too.” the Bay Area, she discovered Get to fixin’ Busek would like to the local repair café in Palo Five Cities Repair Café’s next event help start more repair Alto. It was the very first is scheduled for Feb. 21 at Grover City cafés on the Central Coast. location that popped up in Grange—located at 370 S. 13th St. in She said there’s also a the U.S. after the concept Grover Beach—from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Visit thorough manual from the originated in Amsterdam in repaircafe5cities.org for more information. “mothership” in Amsterdam 2009.

Email fivecitiesrepaircafe@gmail.com to about how to kick-start one.

To keep items out of the inquire about volunteer opportunities.

“We just want to make landfills, volunteers help it so that volunteers have a residents fix small appliances good experience and they meet people that are and household goods free of charge. There are like-minded, that are caring and community more than 3,800 repair cafés worldwide. oriented,” Busek said. “We can make a difference “There’s great energy at these events, people in our communities by fixing stuff and keeping meeting their neighbors and learning new stuff repairable items out of the landfill.” and just having a good time,” Busek said.

One of her early memories at the Palo Alto Highlights MUSIC gathering is bringing in her harvest gold Hamilton Beach blender. It was more than 20 years old.

• Starting on Jan. 9, the Los Alamos library Volunteers disassembled it, determining Busek branch is extending its hours. Except for being FLAVOR/EATS needed a small part, but they didn’t have it on hand. closed on Saturdays and Sundays, it’ll be open daily Instead, they showed her how to order it online (for from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The library will host a new just $5) and where to install it in the blender. story time forINFO ages 3 to 5 on Fridays at 10:30 a.m. focused on literacy skills and school readiness. The “I felt absolutely so accomplished because I was able to repair it myself once that little part came in,” branch is located at 405 Helena St. in Los Alamos.

• The city CALENDAR of Santa Maria recently released a Busek said. new episode of the video series, Santa Maria She wanted to re-create the magic on the 2025 episode features Central Coast and has been a lead organizer of the Today. The December OPINION the Christmas tree lighting ceremony, the city’s Five Cities Repair Café since 2019. Between 125 to light decoration contest, and a message from 150 people attend each event, hosted by around the Utilities Department about tree pickup in 40 volunteers. The repair rate sits right around 80 NEWS January. The episode is available percent. in Spanish and English on the Five Cities Repair Café hosts STROKES city’s YouTube channel and on events once a quarter. People Promote! cityofsantamaria.org/tv. m often leave with fixed lamps, Send business and vacuums, electronics, bicycles, nonprofit information to ARTS Reach Staff Writer Madison White and clothing. The general rule spotlight@santamariasun.com. at mwhite@santamariasun.com. of thumb is if someone can

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www.santamariasun.com • January 8 - January 15, 2026 • Sun • 11

Opinion ONLINE POLL

What’s the most important story of 2025?

50% 30% 20% 0%

ICE’s impact on the Central Coast.

Lompoc’s embezzlement case.

Sable’s work to restart the oil pipeline.

Guadalupe’s Royal Theater.

10 Votes

Vote online at www.santamariasun.com.

Northern Santa Barbara County’s News & Entertainment Weekly 801 S Broadway Suite 3 Santa Maria, CA 93454 EDITORIAL & ADVERTISING | 805-347-1968 E-MAIL | mail@santamariasun.com WEB | www.santamariasun.com FOUNDER | Steve Moss 1948-2005 EDITORIAL EDITOR | Camillia Lanham ASSOCIATE EDITOR | Andrea Rooks SENIOR STAFF WRITER | Caleb Wiseblood STAFF WRITER | Madison White CALENDAR EDITOR | Angelena Stevens ART DIRECTOR | Alex Zuniga EDITORIAL DESIGNERS | Leni Litonjua, Taylor Saugstad CONTRIBUTORS | Glen Starkey, Anna Starkey, Ross Mayfield ADVERTISING SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE | Kimberly Rosa ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES | Katy Gray, Stasja Knopf, Tyler Dunavan, Riley Speidel PRODUCTION ASSISTANT PRODUCTION MANAGER | Mary Grace Flaus GRAPHIC DESIGNERS | Ellen Fukumoto, John Nygaard Business Cindy Rucker MARKETING & EVENTS COORDINATOR | Ben Kerr CIRCULATION | Jim Chaney, Michael Ferrell, Margo Baldives, Simon Lopez, Joe Brice PUBLISHERS | Bob Rucker, Alex Zuniga OFFICE MANAGER | Stephanie West SUBMITTING LETTERS WRITE | Mail your letter to Sun Letters, 801 S Broadway Suite 3, Santa Maria, CA 93454.

Include your name, address, and phone number.

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COMMENTARY

➤ Canary [13]

Leaning into deficit

Shortsighted politicians never consider the impacts of their decisions

BY RON FINK

W

hat do you do when you have a significant government budget deficit?

If you are a politician in Santa Barbara County or the governor of California, you double down on shutting off revenue flows.

Both the state of California and Santa Barbara County are facing significant budget shortfalls; according to the state Legislative Analyst’s Office, California “faces an almost $18 billion budget problem in 2026-27.” And the county administrator told the Board of Supervisors that “the county forecasts a $23 million deficit for 2026-27 if it wants to maintain the same level of services.”

Steve Frank of CA Political News and Views wrote, “Santa Barbara killed the oil industry.

The supervisors killed well-paying jobs, tens of millions in tax revenues, forced many to go on unemployment and leave the state. Now, the chickens have come home to roost—killing jobs means the county has a major deficit. This was not a murder, the supervisors committed suicide on the county.”

Most of the revenue shortfall could be made up if the BOS would just let oil companies do what they have been doing for almost 100 years in this state; produce oil and pay hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes.

But shortsighted politicians who subscribe to the theory that our state can do without fossil fuels continue their assault on the oil industry.

Recent actions by both state and county elected officials and their appointees avoid thinking about “what happens next” as they pursue their anti-oil agenda.

California has regulated fuel standards such

that refiners must blend special blends of fuel that are only used in our state. They have also tightened the screws on the producers’ operations.

The result: Several major refiners are simply shutting down operations and moving out of the state, taking the special blending capabilities and tax revenue with them. Since there are no pipelines available to transfer the special blends back to California, what do you suppose will happen to the gas supply and the price at the pump? One will go down, the other will go up.

And who do you think will absorb the impact from higher prices and reduced supply? It

on the Gaviota Coast. This was a moot decision though because, according to Noozhawk, the U.S. Department of Transportation “decided on Wednesday [the day after this meeting] that two Santa Barbara County pipelines operated

by Sable are interstate pipelines, removing them from state authority.” Investor’s Business Daily then reported that the Department of Transportation had given “approval to restart the pipeline.”

Then, right on cue, the Environmental Defense Center, according to a Noozhawk report, “has filed a lawsuit challenging the decision claiming that the agencies’ decision did not meet basic standards to grant the approval, and the pipelines still pose a risk to the Gaviota Coast.”

Noozhawk continues, “The agency granted the request in a letter that claimed that the emergency approval was granted because of ‘the acute energy shortage conditions identified in Executive Order 14156 within California and in the West Coast region of the United States.’”

So, how will politicians deal with the revenue loss from oil production and the loss of refining capability for the special blends of fuel only California demands?

Ask one of the supervisors who have consistently supported killing the fossil fuel industry how “well-paying jobs” and the loss of tens of millions of dollars in tax revenues impact the ability to provide services to everyday taxpayers.

Even with the Sable decision, this still leaves almost all onshore oil production halted in our county. Shortsighted politicians and the Environmental Defense Center never consider the long-term impacts of their decisions. m

But shortsighted politicians who subscribe to the theory that our state can do without fossil fuels continue their assault on the oil industry. Recent actions by both state and county elected officials … avoid thinking about ‘what happens next’ as they pursue their antioil agenda. won’t be the idle rich who pressure politicians to make these poorly thought-out decisions; it will be all the people who go to work every day trying to earn enough to pay for housing, food, and clothing for their kids.

But there is some hope. Recently, the Board of Supervisors denied Sable Offshore Corporation operating permits for oil-production facilities

Ron Fink writes to the Sun from Lompoc.

Send a response for publication to letters@ santamariasun.com.

LETTERS Let’s work together to find peace Freedom is peace, and peace is freedom.

Peace. We all seek peace. In our lives. In our families. Among our friends and neighbors. In

TO ADVERTISE DISPLAY ADS | Rates and special discounts are available.

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Our site was developed and designed by Foundation, a website development company (www.newspack.com).

The Sun is published every Thursday for your enjoyment. One copy of each issue is available free to Northern Santa Barbara County residents and visitors. Subscriptions to the Sun are $156 per year. The entire contents of the Sun are copyrighted by the Sun and cannot be reproduced without specific written permission from the publisher.

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our country, and in the world.

But we may ask ourselves, “Is peace even attainable?” And, “Is there anything I can do to bring peace into my life and into the world?”

Deep down we know that peace begins with

MAYFIELD

us and that if we can find the peace that lives deep inside, we can share it with others. If we can heal ourselves of feelings like anger, fear, and restlessness, we will be able to achieve freedom in our lives.

Freedom is peace, and peace is freedom.

Let us work on ourselves in the new year so that we can work together with others to find peace in our homes, our neighborhoods, our cities, our country, and on our beautiful planet.

It is worth all the effort we can give.

“Peace on Earth” is more than words we speak during the holidays. It is the reason for which we were born. It can only be realized if we believe in peace and do our part to make it real.

Gale McNeeley Santa Maria

At least we Californians passed Proposition 50 legally I would like to inform John Donegan (“The ideological spirit of California Supreme Court Justice Rose Bird lives on with Proposition 50,” Jan. 1) that the only reason we in California needed Proposition 50 is because of Trump insisting on illegal gerrymandering in Texas and other states. At least we did it legally!

Jacqueline Claire San Luis Obispo



12 • Sun • January 8 - January 15, 2026 • www.santamariasun.com

WRITE NOW!

We want to know what you think about everything. Send your 250-word letter to Sun Letters, 801 S Broadway Suite 3, Santa Maria, CA 93454. You can also fax it (1-805-546-8641) or e-mail it (letters@santamariasun.com).

All letters must include a name, address, and phone number for verification purposes; may be edited for space or clarity; and will be posted to santamariasun.com.

Opinion

Who’s counting?

I

n the standoff to see who wins in the great pipeline battle of the 2020s, it seems like Sable Offshore Corporation’s closer to the finish line than environmental organizations want it to be.

In May 2025, the oil company began pumping oil from its offshore oil platforms to its onshore facility in Las Flores Canyon, where it’s been stored in tanks “pending resumed petroleum transportation” (i.e. those dang pipelines that have been shut-in since 2015), according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings. The company, as of Dec. 23, “had not sold commercial quantities of hydrocarbons” yet.

But it sure seems like they might be there. Nothing seems to slow this company down! It neither begs for permission nor asks for forgiveness. Sable just barrels forward like a runaway train no lawsuit can stop.

If it doesn’t like what one agency says, Sable just jumps to a different track—from state to federal.

The California Office of the Fire Marshal wasn’t going to approve the company’s restart plans because Sable didn’t comply with one requirement, so it asked a federal agency to take over jurisdiction—which the Trump administration was all too happy to oblige, of course.

Then that federal agency approved Sable’s pipeline restart plans and issued a 60-day emergency permit that waived the requirement it wasn’t complying with in the first place. Magic!

Our friends over at the Environmental Defense Center sued, of course, and put in an emergency motion to prevent the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration decisions from going into effect. But a judge didn’t grant the stay!

So where does that leave us? Are the pipelines going to start flowing with oil or not? The pipeline administration people didn’t say and neither did Sable. Shrug?

It seems like that might be the case, even though Santa Barbara County denied Sable’s permit transfer request for the Santa Ynez Unit and its affiliated facilities and pipelines.

Sable said it’s already spent more than $200 million repairing the pipelines (even though the state believes none of that work should have happened in the first place). Trump signed an executive order stating that energy production was insufficient and causing a national security emergency.

So I guess his administration just gets to do whatever it wants, regardless of precedence, deference, or rule of law.

It answers to no one, as the executive director of 805 UndocuFund put it. Primitiva Hernandez said the last week of December was unprecedented on the Central Coast when it comes to immigration enforcement.

In four days, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested at least 147 people across Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, with more than 80 of those arrests in Santa Maria.

ICE insists that the people arrested were the “worst of the worst,” but it doesn’t seem to have shaken out that way. And, of course, the administration’s press release is nasty and pointed about taking “illegal alien” criminals off the streets.

“The majority of the people were farmworkers, migrant, Indigenous from the Mixtec, Zapotec, and other Indigenous peoples, so people who are very, very vulnerable,” she said. “Very, very prone to abuses of power.”

Take from the poor, give to the rich. That’s the Trump administration’s motto. Only three more years to go. m The Canary’s always counting. Send an abacus to canary@santamariasun.com.

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Join us for our annual meeting and informal dinner with guest speaker, naturalist David Kisner. Enjoy a recap of 2025, a preview of what’s ahead in 2026, and help us celebrate NHM’s 30th Anniversary.

Monday January 12th • 5:30-7pm Lawn Bowling Clubhouse 414 South McClelland Street (next door to NHM)

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www.santamariasun.com • January 8 - January 15, 2026 • Sun • 13

Hot Stuff

10-DAY CALENDAR: JANUARY 8 - JANUARY 18, 2026

ART WALK

The next Lompoc Art Walk is set for Thursday, Jan. 8, from 5 to 8 p.m. throughout downtown Lompoc. Hosted by The Lonely Plover Social Club, the event highlights the city’s creatives each month, with featured exhibits, interactive activities, and live music the community can enjoy. Head to thelonelyploversocialclub. com for additional details.

—Angie Stevens

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE LONELY PLOVER

ARTS SANTA MARIA VALLE Y/LOS ALAMOS

BALLROOM, LATIN, AND SWING DANCE CLASSES Social ballroom, Latin, and swing lessons for all ages on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Beginner and advance classes. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, 7-9 p.m. $45-$55. (805) 928-7799.

Kleindancesarts.com. Klein Dance Arts, 3558 Skyway Drive, suite A, Santa Maria.

DANCE CLASSES There are weekly dance classes, from ages 2 to adult, at KleinDance Arts . Mondays-Saturdays, 4-8 p.m. (805) 268-2530. kleindancearts. com. KleinDance Arts, 1954 S Broadway, Suite J, Santa Maria.

DANCE CLASSES: EVERYBODY CAN DANCE Classes available for all skill levels. Class sizes limited. ongoing Everybody Can Dance, 628 S. McClelland St., Santa Maria, (805) 937-6753, everybodycandance.webs.com/.

VALLEY ART GALLERY: ROTATING DISPLAYS Featured artists of Santa Maria’s Valley Art Gallery frequently display their works at the airport. Check website for details on monthly exhibits and full list of the gallery’s artists. ongoing valleygallery.org. Santa Maria Airport, 3217 Terminal Drive, Santa Maria.

SANTA YNEZ VALLE Y

6-WEEK KIDS ART CLASS (AGES 7-12) This class will explore new mediums each week with guidance so that each artist is free to create, express, and explore in their own, unique way. Wednesdays, 4-5:30 p.m. through Feb. 25 $285. (805) 325-8092. artspotonwheels.com. Art Spot on Wheels, 320 Alisal Road, unit 306B, Solvang.

WILD IN CALIFORNIA SOLO EXHIBITION See the exhibition Wild in California, a solo exhibition by Museum Founder, conservation advocate, and artist Patti Jacquemain. A array of woodcut prints and mosaics will be showcased, highlighting the bioregions and species that make up California’s rich biodiversity. Through Feb. 23 calnatureartmuseum.org/news/wildin-california-2025. California Nature Art Museum, 1511-B Mission Dr., Solvang.

LOMPOC/VANDENBERG

SIMPLE PLEASURES: JANUARY SHOW As we step into a new year, Simple Pleasures invites visitors to pause and honor the small, everyday joys that bring comfort and balance. Think of the moments that make you feel cozy at home, the objects or actions that spark quiet delight for no reason other than it feels good to feel good - morning light on the kitchen table, the rhythm of a familiar walk, the texture of well-loved tools. ThursdaysSundays, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. through Jan. 25 Free. lompocart.org. Cypress Gallery, 119 E Cypress Ave., Lompoc, (805) 705-5328.

SOUTH COAST SLO COUNT Y

CLARK CENTER PRESENTS: GARRISON KEILLOR WITH SPECIAL GUEST RICHARD DWORSKY Loyal fans and those new to his audience will be entertained with Garrison Keillor’s quintessential humor, music, poetry, and anecdotes in his classic baritone. Jan. 15, 7:30-9:30 p.m. $49-$69, Platinum $79; Senior Discounts. (805) 489-9444. clarkcenter.org/.

Clark Center for the Performing Arts, 487 Fair Oaks Ave., Arroyo Grande.

WORKSHOPS AND MORE AT THE LAVRA Check the venue’s calendar for storytelling workshops, lectures, movie nights, and discussions held on a periodic basis. ongoing thelavra.org/home. The Lavra, 2070 E. Deer Canyon Road, Arroyo Grande.

SAN LUIS OBISPO

“ONE VISIT” POTTERY CLASS This is a great class if you are looking to try out pottery! Throw on the wheel or paint pre-made pottery. Get a student discount with a valid school ID. Fridays, 6-7:30 p.m. $75. (805) 896-6197. Anam Cre Pottery Studio, 1243 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo, anamcre.com.

ALL AGES SCULPTING WITH JOHN ROULLARD John a retired school teacher who patiently guides potters of all ages to sculpt and work on details and design.

Saturdays, 1:30-3 p.m. $40. anamcre.com.

Anam Cre Pottery Studio, 1243 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo.

ALL LEVELS POTTERY CLASSES Anam Cre is a pottery studio in SLO that offers a variety of classes. This specific class is open to any level. Teachers are present for questions, but the class feels more like an open studio time for potters.

Thursdays, 6-8 p.m. $40. Anam Cre Pottery Studio, 1243 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo, anamcre.com.

ARTIST RIKI SCHUMACHER AT ART CENTRAL GALLERY Schumacher’s work is pensive and introspective, inspiring one to take a solitary walk on a cloudy day. Wander in to reflect on her “delicious, wistful landscapes.” Mondays-Saturdays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sundays, 12-4 p.m.

Free. (805) 747-4200. artcentralslo.com/ gallery-artists/. Art Central, 1329 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo.

BEYOND THE BASICS OF WATERCOLOR WITH VIRGINIA MACK This is a class for those who love imagining ways to further their visual expressions. A watercolorbased course, but one that branches out into other media. Mondays, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. $35 per class. (805) 7474200. artcentralslo.com. Art Central, 1329 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo.

New Times and the Sun now share their community listings for a complete Central Coast calendar running from SLO County through northern Santa Barbara County. Submit events online by logging in with your Google, Facebook, or Twitter account at newtimesslo.com. You may also email calendar@newtimesslo.com.

Deadline is one week before the issue date on Thursdays. Submissions are subject to editing and approval.

Contact Calendar Editor Angelena Stevens directly at astevens@newtimesslo.com.

14 • Sun • January 8 - January 15, 2026 • www.santamariasun.com

CERAMIC LESSONS AND MORE Now offering private one-on-one and group lessons in the ceramic arts. Both hand building and wheel throwing options.

Beginners welcomed. ongoing (805) 8355893. hmcruceceramics.com/. Online, See website, San Luis Obispo.

THE CHOIR OF MAN Direct from London’s West End, The Choir of Man delivers a feel-good show with stunning harmonies, dance, singalongs, pub tunes, and a working onstage bar. Jan. 9, 7:30 p.m. and Jan. 10, 7:30 p.m. (805) 756-4849. calpolyarts.org/20252026-season/thechoir-of-man. Performing Arts Center, 1 Grand Ave., San Luis Obispo.

CLAY BABY HANDPRINTS Offers a unique experience of pressing your baby’s hand/ foot into clay so parents can cherish this time forever. Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Sundays $55. anamcre.com/babyhandprints. Anam Cre Pottery Studio, 1243 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo.

CLUE A madcap comedy that will keep you guessing until the final twist, Clue features students from SLO REP’s Academy of Creative Theatre. Fridays, 7-9 p.m., Saturdays, 2-4 & 7-9 p.m., Sundays, 2-4 p.m. and Jan. 15, 7-9 p.m. through Jan. 18 $23-$28. (805) 786-2440. slorep.org/ shows/clue/. SLO Rep, 888 Morro St., San Luis Obispo.

DATE NIGHT POTTERY Bring your date and throw a cup on the pottery wheel.

Next, texture a clay slab and press into a form creating a personalized piece.

Guest are welcome to bring drinks; venue provides aprons. Pieces are fired, glazed, and ready in two weeks. Saturdays, 6-7:30 p.m. $140. anamcre.com. Anam Cre Pottery Studio, 1243 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo.

DOG MAN: THE MUSICAL This show brings Dav Pilkey’s hit series to life with music, humor, and heart as Dog Man

INDEX Arts.......................................14 Culture & Lifestyle ...........15 Food & Drink ......................16 Music ...................................17

battles villains in a fun, family-friendly adventure. Jan. 17, 7:30 p.m. (805) 7564849. calpolyarts.org/20252026-season/ dog-man-the-musical. Performing Arts Center, 1 Grand Ave., San Luis Obispo.

FAMILY FRIENDLY WORKSHOP Fun for all ages. Instructors will guide you in creating large platters and decorating them. Create pieces together for your home. Saturdays, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. $50. anamcre.com. Anam Cre Pottery Studio, 1243 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo.

FREE DOCENT TOURS Gain a deeper understanding of the artwork on view with SLOMA’s new docent tours.

Every Saturday, join trained guides for interactive and engaging tours of SLOMA’s current exhibitions. Saturdays, 11-11:30 a.m. Free. (805) 543-8562. sloma.org/visit/ tours/. San Luis Obispo Museum of Art, 1010 Broad St., San Luis Obispo.

JAPANESE CALLIGRAPHY AND ART Owen and Kyoko Hunt from Kyoto, Japan offer classes for Japanese calligraphy (Fridays, 5:30-6:30 p.m.), a Japanese art called “haiga” (Fridays, 10-11:30 a.m.) and more at Nesting Hawk Ranch. Fridays $45.

(702) 335-0730. Nesting Hawk Ranch, Call for address, San Luis Obispo.

LEARN TO WEAVE MONDAYS An opportunity to learn how a four-shaft loom works. You will get acquainted as a new weaver or as a refresher with lots of tips and tricks. This class includes getting to know a loom, how to prepare/dress a loom, and much much more. Mondays, 1-4 p.m. $75 monthly. (805) 441-8257.

Patricia Martin: Whispering Vista Studios, 224 Squire Canyon Rd, San Luis Obispo, patriciamartinartist.com.

MOBILE CLAY CLASSES Offering handbuilding, throwing, and ceramic decorative arts. All ages and abilities are welcome. Call for more info. ongoing (805) 835-5893. hmcruceceramics.com/bookonline. SLO County, Locations countywide, San Luis Obispo.

PAINT A PREMADE POTTERY PIECE! Drop into the studio to pick out and paint a premade piece! There is fun for all ages, and prices are based upon size. Mondays, Wednesdays-Saturdays, 2-7:30 p.m. $30$75. app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.

php?owner=22676824&appointmentTy pe=35974477. Anam Cre Pottery Studio, 1243 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo.

PICKET PAINTING PARTY Decorative picket purchasing opportunities are available to show your support and help fund maintenance and educational programs in the Children’s Garden. Second Saturday of every month, 1-4 p.m. $75 per picket or 2 for $100. (805) 541-1400. slobg. org. San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden, 3450 Dairy Creek Rd., San Luis Obispo.

PLEIN AIR PAINTERS OF THE CENTRAL COAST A self-directed fun group of dynamic artists who enjoy painting and sketching outdoors. Artists meet on site at various locations. Weekly plein air destinations are provided by Kirsti Wothe via email (mrswothe@yahoo.com).

Wednesdays, 9 a.m.-noon SLO County, Locations countywide, San Luis Obispo.

SATURDAY FAMILY POTTERY CLASS This family-friendly open studio time is a wonderful window for any level or age.

Saturdays, 11 a.m. & 1:30 p.m. $40. Anam Cre Pottery Studio, 1243 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo, anamcre.com.

SIJI KRISHNAN Krishnan’s evocative paintings exist in a realm between memory and myth, where figures emerge from translucent layers of pigment. Through Jan. 11, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. (805) 543-8562. sloma.org/exhibition/siji-krishnan/. San Luis Obispo Museum of Art, 1010 Broad St., San Luis Obispo.

SLO NIGHTWRITERS: A COMMUNITY OF WRITERS SLO NightWriters supports local writers with monthly presentations, critique groups, contests, and other events. Second Tuesday of every month, 6:30-8 p.m.

Free. slonightwriters.org. United Church of Christ of San Luis Obispo, 11245 Los Osos Valley Road, San Luis Obispo.

SURF DREAMS: A MULTIMEDIA EXHIBIT OF SURF-INSPIRED ART AND MUSIC Each image in this exhibit will have three surf-inspired songs which can be played on a smart phone by scanning the QR codes. Bring earbuds. Mondays-Saturdays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. through Feb. 14 Free. (805) 543-4025. The Photo Shop, 1027 Marsh St., San Luis Obispo.

ARTS continued page 15

Hot Stuff

JANUARY 8 - JANUARY 18, 2026 PHOTO COURTESY OF MY805TIX

ARTS from page 14 TREVOR WALLACE: THE ALPHA BETA MALE Don’t miss Trevor Wallace, a stand-up comedian, writer, and actor, set to perform at the Fremont. Jan. 18, 7 p.m. $44.78-$57.14. fremontslo.com. The Fremont Theater, 1035 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo, (805) 546-8600.

VIRGINIA MACK: BEGINNING WATERCOLOR This is a watercolor class designed to let you jump in and try out this engaging medium through experimentation. It’s designed for beginners and those with watercolor experience who wish to expand their knowledge of painting in watercolors.

To enroll please contact Mack via email: vbmack@charter.net Mondays, 1:30-3:30 p.m. $35. (805) 747-4200. artcentralslo. com/workshops-events/. Art Central, 1329 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo.

WALT WHITMAN GAY MEN’S BOOK CLUB This club reads, studies and discusses books chosen by the group which relate to their lives as gay men. All are welcome.

Second Monday of every month, 7-9:30 p.m. Free. galacc.org/events/. Online, See website, San Luis Obispo.

WHITNEY PINTELLO: SOLO SHOW On display now through mid-April. ongoing slogallery.com/. SLO Gallery, 1023 Broad St., San Luis Obispo.

CULTURE & LIFESTYLE SANTA MARIA VALLE Y/LOS ALAMOS

SHOEGAZE SATURDAY

The shoegaze, psychedelic rock band known as LSD and The Search For God will hit the stage at Libertine Brewing Company in San Luis Obispo on Saturday, Jan. 17, at 8 p.m. Hear this San Francisco-based group in the intimate venue. Admission is $28.62. Visit my805tix.com for tickets and more info.

—A.S.

FEEL GOOD YOGA Tuesdays, Thursdays, 8:30-9:30 a.m. (805) 937-9750. oasisorcutt. org. Oasis Center, 420 Soares Ave., Orcutt.

GROUP WALKS AND HIKES Check website for the remainder of this year’s group hike dates and private hike offerings. ongoing (805) 343-2455. dunescenter.org.

Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center, 1065 Guadalupe St., Guadalupe.

ORCUTT MINERAL SOCIETY Second Tuesday of every month Oasis Center, 420 Soares Ave., Orcutt, (805) 937-9750.

SANTA MARIA TOASTMASTERS Develop your public speaking skills at this club meeting. Second Tuesday of every month, 6:30-8 p.m. (805) 570-0620. Santa Maria Airport, 3217 Terminal Drive, Santa Maria.

SWAP-N-SWAP CLOTHING EVENT Head to this clothing swap and shop event.

Exchange a bag of clean ready to wear and select a bag of new-to-you, or shop.

Cash donations are welcome! Jan. 18, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Free. (805) 937-4974.

Orcutt Presbyterian Church, 993 Patterson Road, Orcutt, orcuttpres.org.

NORTH COAST SLO COUNT Y

COASTAL WINE AND PAINT PARTY Listen to music while enjoying an afternoon of creativity, sipping, and mingling. The party includes a complimentary glass of wine and canvas with materials.

Saturdays, 12-2 p.m. $55. (805) 394-5560. coastalwineandpaint.com. Harmony Cafe at the Pewter Plough, 824 Main St., Cambria.

COSTA GALLERY SHOWCASES Features works by Ellen Jewett as well as 20 other local artists, and artists from southern and northern California. Thursdays-Saturdays, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sundays, 12-4 p.m. (559)

LOMPOC/VANDENBERG

799-9632. costagallery.com. Costa Gallery, 2087 10th St., Los Osos.

FOREVER STOKED PAINT PARTY Join us at the gallery, for a few hours to travel on a creative paint journey. You will receive as much or as little instruction as you prefer. No artistic experience is necessary.

Saturdays, 7-9 p.m. $45. (805) 772-9095. foreverstoked.com. Forever Stoked, 1164 Quintana Rd., Morro Bay. JANUARY 2026 GALLERY AT MARINA SQUARE FEATURED ARTISTS January is Bird Festival month in Morro Bay and

Gallery at Marina Square is featuring two group shows in celebration of birds. In the Upper Gallery, “Wingborne” features group photography, and in the Lower Gallery, a selection of paintings are featured.

Through Jan. 29, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. (805) 7721068. galleryatmarinasquare.com/. Gallery at Marina Square, 601 Embarcadero suite 10, Morro Bay. THE PLEIN AIR TEAM Acrylic artist, Nancy Lynn, and husband, watercolorist, Robert Fleming, have an ongoing show of originals and giclee prints of Morro Bay and local birds. (805) 772-9955. Seven

Sisters Gallery, 601 Embarcadero Ste. 8, Morro Bay, sevensistersgalleryca.com.

YOU’RE INVITED! ATRIUM PARTY AND ARTIST’S RECEPTION FOR ARDELLA SWANBERG AND WINGBORNE SHOW ARTISTS Join us for snacks, art, and conversation at our Artists Reception and Atrium Party! Meet photographers and painters creating paintings, photography, small works, and more!

Jan. 10, 3-5 p.m. Free. (805) 772-1068. galleryatmarinasquare.com. Gallery at Marina Square, 601 Embarcadero suite 10, Morro Bay.

AFTERNOON BINGO Bingo with potluck.

Parking in rear. Buy one of everything for $20. Guests can participate without bringing food. Look forward to a fun afternoon. Second Tuesday of every month, 12-4 p.m. All games are $1 each.

(805) 736-6669. Valley of Flowers HalfCentury Club, 341 No. N St., Lompoc.

SOUTH COAST SLO COUNT Y

(510) 362-3739. grover.org. Grover Beach Community Center, 1230 Trouville Ave., Grover Beach.

DANCE FITNESS ART AND CULTURE FOR ADULTS Discover dance as a form of artistic expression and exercise, using a wide range of styles and genres of music (including modern, jazz, Broadway, ethnic).

Tuesdays, 4-5 p.m. $10 drop-in; $30 for four classes. (510) 362-3739. grover.org.

Grover Beach Community Center, 1230 Trouville Ave., Grover Beach.

DONATION-BASED YOGA FOR FIRST RESPONDERS, EMTS, AND CARETAKERS Class schedule varies.

Contact empoweryoga805@gmail for details and reservations. ongoing (805) 619-0989. empoweryoga805.com.

Empower Yoga Studio and Community Boutique, 775 W. Grand Ave., Grover Beach.

MULTICULTURAL DANCE CLASS FOR ADULTS Experience dance from continents around the earth, including from Africa, Europe, and more. Described as “a wonderful in-depth look at the context and history of cultures of the world.” Tuesdays, 5:30-6:30 p.m. $10 dropin; $30 for four classes. (510) 362-3739. grover.org. Grover Beach Community Center, 1230 Trouville Ave., Grover Beach.

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WATCH AND CLOCK COLLECTORS, CHPT. 52 Come join a friendly meeting of watch and clock collectors. Members bring watches and clocks to show, plus there are discussions of all things horological.

Second Sunday of every month, 1:30-3 p.m. (805) 547-1715. new.nawcc.org/index. php/chapter-52-los-padres. Central Coast Senior Center, 1580 Railroad St., Oceano.

POINT SAN LUIS LIGHTHOUSE TOURS A docent-led tour of the buildings and grounds of the historic Point San Luis Light Station. Check website for more details. Wednesdays, Saturdays pointsanluislighthouse.org/. Point San Luis Lighthouse, 1 Lighthouse Rd., Avila Beach.

BEGINNING BALLET FOR ADULTS Enjoy the grace and flow of ballet. No previous experience needed. Wednesdays, 5:156:15 p.m. $12 drop-in; $40 for four classes. CULTURE & LIFESTYLE continued page 16

ALL TICKETS. ONE PLACE. S u ppo r tin g lo cal jo u r n alism o n e t i c ket at a t i me

TICKET WITH US · SEARCH FOR EVENTS · PURCHASE TICKETS My805Tix.com For more info: 805-546-8208 · info@My805Tix.com

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www.santamariasun.com • January 8 - January 15, 2026 • Sun • 15

Hot Stuff CULTURE & LIFESTYLE from page 15 QI GONG FOR LESS STRESS AND MORE ENERGY Experience the energy of Qi Gong through simple standing movements promoting flexibility, strength, relaxation, and increased energy. Suitable for all ages and fitness levels, Qi Gong revitalizes and enriches your life. An outdoor class overlooking the ocean. Wednesdays, 4-5 p.m. $14 per class or $55 for 5-class card with no expiration. (805) 440-4561. pismobeach.org. Margo Dodd Gazebo, Ocean Park Blvd., Shell Beach.

QI GONG: MINDFUL MOVEMENTS FOR LESS STRESS AND MORE ENERGY Balance your mind, body, and spirit with Qi Gong — gentle stretching and strengthening movements that promotes physical wellbeing and inner peace. This is geared towards all fitness levels and ages.

Mondays, 9:30-10:30 a.m. $14 per class or $55 for 5-class card. (805) 440-4561. balancedlivingayurveda.com. Shell Beach Veterans Memorial Building, 230 Leeward Ave., Pismo Beach.

SOCIAL GROUP FOR WIDOWS AND WIDOWERS Call for more details. Second Saturday of every month, 10 a.m. (805) 904-6615. Oak Park Christian Church, 386 N Oak Park Blvd., Grover Beach.

SAN LUIS OBISPO

30-DAY BREATH AND RESET JOURNEY FOR WOMEN Wired at night, drained all day? Reset your body in 30 days. Focus on breath practices to calm stress, sleep deeply, and restore lasting energy.

Registration is required. Tuesdays, 6:307:30 p.m. and Saturdays, 10-11 a.m. (805) 235-7978. charvetgratefulbody.com. Live Webinar, online, SLO County.

BEYOND MINDFULNESS Realize your potential through individualized meditation instruction with an experienced teacher via Zoom. This class is for those who wish to begin a practice or seek to deepen an existing one. Flexible days and times. Certified with IMTA. Email or text for information. Mondays-Sundays, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Sliding scale. (559) 9059274. theartofsilence.net. Online, See website, San Luis Obispo.

CAL HOPE SLO GROUPS AT TMHA Visit website for full list of weekly Zoom groups available. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays calhopeconnect.org. Transitions Mental Health Warehouse, 784 High Street, San Luis Obispo, (805) 270-3346.

DAILY QIGONG PRACTICE For the early riser or commuter, every weekday morning. Maintain or improve concentration, balance, and flexibility.

Includes weekly Friday 3 p.m. class with more practices. Led by certified Awareness Through Movement teacher.

Mondays-Saturdays, 6:10 a.m. and Fridays, 3 p.m. $35/week or $125/month. (646) 280-5800. margotschaal.com/qigong.

Online, See website, San Luis Obispo.

FREE TOURS OF THE MISSION Tour San Luis Obispo’s Spanish Mission, founded in 1772. Come learn its history and importance to the development of this area. Tours are led by docents and meet in front of the church Sundays, 2:30

JANUARY 8 - JANUARY 18, 2026 PHOTO COURTESY OF THE SIREN

burning. Join Central Coast p.m. and Mondays-Saturdays, Wood Carvers in Morro Bay 1:15 p.m. Free. (805) 550-7713. at St. Timothy’s. Open for missionslodocents.org. Mission beginners, intermediate, or San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, 751 advance. Learn a wide range of Palm Street, San Luis Obispo. techniques and skills. Tuesdays, HEALING DEPRESSION 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. St. Timothy’s SUPPORT GROUP A safe place Catholic Church, 962 Piney to share feelings of depression Way, Morro Bay, (805) 772-2840, with those who suffer and those sttimothymorrobay.org/. who have recovered to a full, CO-DEPENDENTS healthy outlook on life. Mondays, ANONYMOUS MEETING 6-7 p.m. Free. (805) 528-3194.

Co-Dependents Anonymous Hope House Wellness Center, (CoDA) is a Twelve Step recovery 1306 Nipomo St., San Luis Obispo. program for anyone who desires MINDFULNESS AND to have healthy and loving MEDITATION (ONLINE relationships with themselves MEETING) Zoom series hosted and others. Meeting is hybrid

by TMHA. Thursdays, 10:30 a.m.(both in person and on Zoom). noon Transitions Mental Health For information, call 805-900Warehouse, 784 High Street, San 5237. Saturdays, 1-2:15 p.m. Free.

Luis Obispo, (805) 270-3346. thecambriaconnection.org/.

PLUG-IN TO LOCAL CLIMATE Cambria Connection, 1069 Main ACTION Get inspired by local St., Cambria, (805) 927-1654. action, connect with others, MORRO BAY METAPHYSICIANS and discover more ways to get DISCUSSION GROUP A group involved with the SLO Climate of metaphysically minded Coalition. Attend virtually or inindividuals that have been person. Sustainable snacks and meeting for many years now in childcare will be provided. Third the Coalesce Chapel. Club offers Thursday of every month, 6-8 p.m. a supportive metaphysical sloclimatecoalition.org/events/. based community. Members Ludwick Community Center, 864 discuss a different topic Santa Rosa, San Luis Obispo.

The Faultline Band will perform a free show at The Siren in Morro Bay each week. All are welcome on Saturday, Jan. 17, from 2 to 5 p.m.

The group will play hits from Linda Q YOUTH GROUP (VIRTUALLY) to join. Fridays, 12:30-1:30 This is a social support group for Ronstadt to Dolly Parton, and Little Richard to Doobie Brothers. Visit p.m. Suggested donation of LGBTQ+ and questioning youth thesirenmorrobay.com for more information. $10-$15. Coalesce Bookstore, between the ages of 11-18. Each 845 Main St., Morro Bay, —A.S. week the group explores personal, coalescebookstore.com/. cultural, and social identity.

PALE KAI OUTRIGGER CANOE Thursdays, 6-8 p.m. Free. galacc. looks forward to sharing with visitors.

SLO RETIRED ACTIVE MEN: WEEKLY CLUB Pale Kai Outrigger Canoe Club is org/events/. Online, See website, San Luis Please RSVP. Second Sunday of every COFFEE MEETING SLO RAMs is a group recruiting for the 2026 racing season.

Obispo. month, 2-2:45 & 3-3:45 p.m. Tours are or retirees that get together just for the Make new friends, stay in shape, and SLO CLIMATE KICKOFF PARTY Join for free; donations are appreciated. Octagon fun, fellowship, and to enjoy programs get on the water. Join, train, and race! an evening of celebration, community, and which enhance the enjoyment, dignity, and Barn Center, 4400 Octagon Way, San Luis Saturdays, 9:30-11 a.m. through Feb. 7. climate action at SLO Climate Coalition’s independence of retirement. Thursdays, Obispo, (805) 544-9096, octagonbarn.org.

Free. palekai.org/joinus. Coleman Park MUSIC Climate Kickoff Party! Jan. 14, 6-8 p.m.

8:30-9:30 a.m. $10 coffee meeting.

(Morro Bay), 101 Coleman Drive, Morro Bay, TRANS* TUESDAY A safe space $35. sloclimatecoalition.org. Region Event retiredactivemen.org. Madonna Inn, 100 (805) 772-6278. providing peer-to-peer support for trans, Center, 858 Monterey St, San Luis Obispo, Madonna Rd., San Luis Obispo. gender non-conforming, non-binary, SOCRATES DISCUSSION GROUP Have a FLAVOR/EATS (805) 225-3116.

SUNDAY EVENING RAP LGBTQ+ and questioning people. In-person topic, book, or article you wish to discuss AA GROUP (VIRTUALLY VIA ZOOM) SLO LEZ B FRIENDS (VIRTUALLY) A and Zoom meetings held. Contact with interested and interesting people?

Alcoholics Anonymous is a voluntary, good core group of friends who gather to tranzcentralcoast@gmail.com for more Join this weekly meeting to discuss it, INFO details. Tuesdays, worldwide fellowship of folks from all discuss topics we love/ care about from or simply contribute your experiences walks of life movies, outings, music, or being new to 7-9 p.m. Free. and knowledge. Contact Mark Plater for who together, the area. We come from all walks of life GALA Pride and instructions on entering the Chapel area.

CALENDAR attain and and most importantly support each other.

Diversity Center, Wednesdays, 10 a.m.-noon (805) 528-7111.

Transgender and Nonbinary folks welcome. maintain sobriety.

1060 Palm Street, Coalesce Garden Chapel, 845 Main St., Requirement for Third Friday of every month, 6:30-9 p.m.

San Luis Obispo, Morro Bay. membership is Free. sloqueer.groups.io/g/lezbfriends.

Send event information to calendar@ (805) 541-4252.

OPINION STAY YOUNG WITH QI GONG Qi gong a desire to stop Online, See website, San Luis Obispo. santamariasun.com.

TRANS* YOUTH offers great anti-aging benefits, providing drinking.

Email SLO NOONTIME TOASTMASTERS CLUB PEER SUPPORT a comprehensive system for improving aarapgroup@ MEETINGS Want to improve speaking NEWSGROUP This physical, mental and emotional health. gmail.com for password access. Sundays, and leadership skills in a supportive and group is a safe place for trans* and Its roots date back thousands of years 7-8 p.m. No fee. galacc.org/events/. Online, gender non-conforming people, as well positive environment? During COVID, we in China. Learn with certified instructor See website, San Luis Obispo. are meeting virtually. Contact us to get a as those questioning, from ages of 11 to STROKES Devin Wallace. Call first. Thursdays, 10-11 meeting link for info. Tuesdays, 12-1 p.m.

TEEN MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT 18. A facilitated emotional support group a.m. $10. (805) 709-2227. Hardie Park, Ash Free. slonoontime.toastmastersclubs.org.

GROUP Learn more about mental health to be heard, share your story, and hear Ave. and B St., Cayucos. Qi gong offers Zoom, Online, Inquire for Zoom ID. and coping skills to help you through your stories that may sound great anti-aging benefits, providing a ARTS surprisingly journey towards wellness and recovery. like your own. Second Tuesday of every SLO PUB TRIVIA MEETUP GROUP Trivia comprehensive system for improving Thursdays, 4:30-6 p.m.

Free.

(805) 540month, 6-8 p.m.

Free.

GALA Pride and physical and mental health. Its roots date lovers wanted! Join for Study Hall trivia with 6576. t-mha.org.

Hope House Wellness Diversity Center, 1060 Palm Street, San back thousands of years in China. Learn Mr. Perez, every second Wednesday. All Center, 1306 Nipomo St., San Luis Obispo.

Luis Obispo, (805) 541-4252. with certified instructor Devin Wallace. ages over 21 are welcome. RSVP with the TOUR THE HISTORIC OCTAGON BARN Call first for info and exact location. link. Second Wednesday of every month NORTH COAST SLO COUNT Y Fridays, 9-10 a.m. $12. (805) 709-2227.

CENTER The Octagon Barn, built in Free. meetup.com/slo-bartrivia-group. Oak CENTRAL COAST WOOD CARVERS inner-workings.com. Los Osos, Townwide, 1906, has a rich history that The Land and Otter Brewing, 181 Tank Farm Road, Los Osos.

Learn the art of wood carving or wood suite 110, San Luis Obispo, (805) 439-2529.

Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County

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Health & Wellness

FOOD & DRINK SANTA MARIA VALLE Y/LOS ALAMOS

BAR TAKEOVER THURSDAYS Join us Thursdays to meet and chat with the winemaker of the flight we’re featuring that week. Thursdays, 4-7:30 p.m. $15-$30.

(805) 623-5129. Steller’s Cellar, 400 E. Clark Ave., Orcutt, stellerscellar.com.

FOOD TRUCK FRIDAY Head to Food Truck Friday, with wine bottle specials and local food trucks every Friday at the Wine Stone Inn. Fridays, 4-9 p.m. through April 24 Free. (805) 332-3532.

Wine Stone Inn, 255 W. Clark Ave., Orcutt, winestoneinn.com/.

FOOD TRUCK FRIDAYS AT COSTA DE ORO Featured vendors in the series include Cali Coast Tacos, Cubanissimo, Danny’s Pizza Co., Chef Ricks, and more.

Call venue for monthly schedules. Fridays (805) 922-1468. costadeorowines.com.

Costa De Oro Winery, 1331 S. Nicholson Ave., Santa Maria.

FOOD TRUCK FRIDAYS AT WINE STONE INN Fridays, 5-8 p.m. Wine Stone Inn, 255 W. Clark Ave., Orcutt, (805) 332-3532, winestoneinn.com/.

FRIDAY NIGHT FUN Karaoke with DJ Nasty. With Beer Bucket specials. Kitchen stays open late. Come out and sing your favorite song. Fridays, 9 p.m.-2 a.m.

Roscoe’s Kitchen, 229 Town Center E, Santa Maria, (805) 623-8866.

PRESQU’ILE WINERY: WINE CLUB Call or go online to make a reservation to taste at the winery or find more info on the winery’s Wine Club offerings. ongoing presquilewine.com/club/. Presqu’ile Winery, 5391 Presqu’ile Dr., Santa Maria, (805) 937-8110.

SECOND SATURDAY OPEN AIR MARKET: LOS ALAMOS A carefully curated open air artisan and farm market. Features great vintage finds, handwoven and hand dyed textiles, hand-spun yarn, organic body care products, and locally grown organic eats. Second Saturday of every month, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Free. (805) 722-4338.

Sisters Gifts and Home, 349 Bell Street, Los Alamos.

SIPPIN’ SUNDAYS Every Sunday, come cozy up inside the tasting room and listen to great artists. Sundays, 1-4 p.m. Free.

(805) 937-8463. cottonwoodcanyon.com.

Cottonwood Canyon Vineyard And Winery, 3940 Dominion Rd, Santa Maria.

TACO TUESDAY Tuesdays, 5-8 p.m. Wine Stone Inn, 255 W. Clark Ave., Orcutt, (805) 332-3532, winestoneinn.com/.

TAP THURSDAY Head to Tap Thursdays at the Wine Stone Inn every week, featuring $5 draft beers and $5 Cava’s. Thursdays, 3-9 p.m. through April 16 Free. (805) 3323532. Wine Stone Inn, 255 W. Clark Ave., Orcutt, winestoneinn.com/.

FOOD & DRINK continued page 17

U PCO M IN SPECIA G PU BLIC L ATION

Make your reservation today!

Book your ad by: February 6, 2026 Publication date: February 12, 2026

16 • Sun • January 8 - January 15, 2026 • www.santamariasun.com

(805) 347-1968 • advertising@santamariasun.com

Hot Stuff

JANUARY 8 - JANUARY 18, 2026 PHOTO COURTESY OF STUDIOS ON THE PARK

FOOD & DRINK from page 16 THURSDAY EVENING BAR TAKEOVER Call venue or visit website to find out about featured vintners. Thursdays stellerscellar.com. Steller’s Cellar, 405 E. Clark Ave., Orcutt.

WINE AND DESIGN CLASSES Check Wine and Design’s Orcutt website for the complete list of classes, for various ages. ongoing Varies. wineanddesign.com/ orcutt. Wine and Design, 3420 Orcutt Road, suite 105, Orcutt.

WINE BINGO WEDNESDAYS Join Wine Bingo Wednesday at the Wine Stone Inn –– the original bingo night in Old Orcutt. The event will occur weekly with the purchase of an adult beverage.

Wednesdays, 5-8 p.m. through April 29 (805) 332-3532. Wine Stone Inn, 255 W. Clark Ave., Orcutt, winestoneinn.com/.

¡Entrada gratuita!

Free Event!

LOMPOC/VANDENBERG

HEAD GAMES TRIVIA AND TACO TUESDAYS CLASH Don’t miss Head Games Trivia at COLD Coast Brewing Company every Tuesday night. Teams can be up to 6 members. Earn prizes and bragging rights. Kekas will be serving their delicious local fare. Fun for all ages.

Tuesdays, 7-9 p.m. Free. (805) 819-0723. coldcoastbrewing.com. COLD Coast Brewing Company, 118 W Ocean Ave., Lompoc.

SOUTH COAST SLO COUNT Y

MONTHLY FERMENTATION CLASSES New topics each month with a thorough demo and explanation of the process that creates non-alcoholic, probiotic, and nutrient-dense fermentations. Leave the class confident and prepared with recipes to make your own at home.

Limited seating; reserve spot prior to class by phone/email. Second Sunday of every month, 3:30-5 p.m. $30. (805) 801-6627. kulturhausbrewing.com/ classes/. Join to expand your knowledge of the fermentation process and get started fermenting at home. We alternate between demonstration and hands-on classes. Second Sunday of every month, 3:30-5 p.m. $30-$50. (805) 801-6627. kulturhausbrewing.com/classes/.

Kulturhaus Brewing Company, 779 Price St., Pismo Beach.

SAN LUIS OBISPO

DOWNTOWN SLO FARMERS MARKET Thursdays, 6-9 p.m. Downtown SLO, Multiple locations, San Luis Obispo.

SLO GRANGE PANCAKE BREAKFAST Join the SLO Grange Hall for a good oldfashioned pancake breakfast. Pancakes, bacon, eggs, juice, and coffee will be served, and proceeds will benefit local non-profits. Second Sunday of every month, 8-11 a.m. $10. (805) 543-0639. slogrange.org. San Luis Obispo Grange Hall, 2880 Broad St., San Luis Obispo.

NORTH COAST SLO COUNT Y

BRUNCH IS BACK Celebrate the second Sunday of the month with brunch. Enjoy a two-hour cruise on the waterfront. Features fresh coffee, pastries, and more. Second Sunday of every month, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. $50.

(805) 772-2128. chabliscruises.com. Chablis Cruises, 1205 Embarcadero, Morro Bay.

GEL PLATE PLAY

A Gel Plate Printmaking Workshop will be held on Friday, Jan. 16, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., at Studios in the Park in Paso Robles.

Participants will explore color layering, experiment with texture, and focus on composition techniques, and will leave class with a stack of original prints. Admission is $100. For tickets and additional details, head to studiosonthepark.org.

—A.S. Band, DJ Nasty, DJ Jovas, and more.

Fridays, Saturdays, 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Roscoe’s Kitchen, 229 Town Center E, Santa Maria, (805) 623-8866.

MUSIC LESSONS AT COELHO ACADEMY Learn to play piano, drums, guitar, base, ukulele, or violin, or take vocal lessons.

(805) 925-0464. coelhomusic.com/ Lessons/lessons.html. Coelho Academy of Music, 325 E. Betteravia Rd., Santa Maria.

SUNDAY NIGHT FUN End the weekend with some good vibes. Music by DJ Van Gloryious. Sundays, 8 p.m.-midnight Roscoe’s Kitchen, 229 Town Center E, Santa Maria, (805) 623-8866.

SANTA YNEZ VALLE Y

LIVE MUSIC SUNDAYS Sundays, 2-6 p.m. Brick Barn Wine Estate, 795 W. Hwy 246, Buellton, (805) 686-1208, brickbarnwineestate.com.

WINE DOWN WEDNESDAYS Wednesdays, 4:30-5:30 p.m. Brick Barn Wine Estate, 795 W. Hwy 246, Buellton, (805) 686-1208, brickbarnwineestate.com.

LOMPOC/VANDENBERG

KARAOKE AT COLD COAST BREWING CO. Pick out a song, bring your friends, and get ready to perform. Wednesdays, 6-9 p.m. COLD Coast Brewing Company, 118 W Ocean Ave., Lompoc, (805) 819-0723, coldcoastbrewing.com.

SOUTH COAST SLO COUNT Y

EASTON EVERETT, Hear Easton Everett, the writer and performer of guitar-woven music in distinctive stylistic shapes. It is music that is easy to listen to but also surprises. Jan. 11, 1-4 p.m. Blacklake Golf Course, 1490 Golf Course Lane, Nipomo.

SANTA MARIA VALLE Y/LOS ALAMOS KARAOKE EVERY WEDNESDAY A HAPPY HOUR MUSIC SERIES Enjoy live weekly event with barbecue offerings music at the winery most Friday evenings. and more. Wednesdays, 4-8 p.m. Rancho Check site for concert schedule. Fridays presquilewine.com. Presqu’ile Winery, 5391 Nipomo BBQ, 108 Cuyama Ln., Nipomo, (805) 925-3500.

Presqu’ile Dr., Santa Maria, (805) 937-8110. @vivaelartesantabarbara THE LOUNGE AT BESO An upscale afterLADIES NIGHT OUT Music by DJ Van hours nightclub experience. With limited Gloryious and DJ Panda. Features capacity and a dress code. For ages 21 delicious daiquiri specials. Thursdays, 8 p.m.-midnight Roscoe’s Kitchen, 229 Town and over. Fridays, 10 p.m. my805tix.com.

Beso Cocina, 1050 Willow Road, Nipomo.

Center E, Santa Maria, (805) 623-8866.

MUSIC

LIVE MUSIC AT STELLER’S CELLAR Various local musicians rotate each Friday.

Fridays, 6-8:30 p.m. Free. Steller’s Cellar, 400 E. Clark Ave., Orcutt, (805) 623-5129, stellerscellar.com.

MUSIC AT ROSCOE’S KITCHEN Live DJ and karaoke every Friday and Saturday night. Featured acts include Soul Fyah

SAN LUIS OBISPO

BOB & WENDY WITH PAUL GRIFFITH AND SPECIAL GUEST JILL KNIGHT Jill Knight is a local legend who produced Bob & Wendy’s NTMA award winning album, “Your Beautiful Life”. Hear as Paul Griffith adds percussion magic. Jan. 18, 3-6 p.m. $18. (805) 235-5456. my805tix.com. The

Bunker SLO, 810 Orcutt Road, San Luis Obispo.

LSD AND THE SEARCH FOR GOD LIVE LSD and the Search For God are bringing their shoegaze sound to Libertine in SLO. This intimate show is expected to sell out. Get tickets at the link. Jan. 17, 8 p.m. $28.62. my805tix.com. Libertine Brewing Company, 1234 Broad St., San Luis Obispo, (805) 548-2337.

TALI MORGULIS PIANO MASTER CLASS Tali Morgulis, associate professor of piano at the Moores School of Music, University of Houston, Texas, will work with Cal Poly student pianists. Jan. 16, 10:10 a.m.

Free. (805) 756-2406. music.calpoly.edu/ calendar/special/. Cal Poly Davidson Music Center, Room 218, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.

W. TERRENCE SPILLER PIANO RECITAL Music professor Emeritus W. Terrence Spiller will perform Mozart’s famous “Turkish Rondo” sonata, followed by works by Mendelssohn, Debussy, and Rachmaninoff. Jan. 9, 7 p.m. $22 general, $12 students. (805) 756-4849. music. calpoly.edu/calendar/special/. Spanos Theatre, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.

NORTH COAST SLO COUNT Y

BLUES AGENDA JAM AND SHOWCASE A rockin’ blues dance party at Niffy’s Merrimaker every first, third, and now fifth Wednesdays. The Blues Asylum house band welcomes local, visiting, and newcomers to the blues groove.

Spirits, beer, and wine, with outside food welcome. Every other Wednesday, 7-10 p.m. Free. (805) 235-5223. The Merrimaker Tavern, 1301 2nd Street, Los Osos.

FAULTLINE BAND FREE CONCERT Dance, reminisce, and enjoy top hits from the decades. Listen to hits from Linda Ronstadt to Dolly Parton, and Little Richard to Doobie Brothers. Jan. 17, 2-5 p.m. Free.

(805) 225-1312. The Siren, 900 Main St., Morro Bay, thesirenmorrobay.com/. @vivaelarte LISTENING AS RITUAL Group listening sessions with musician/musicologist Ben Gerstein. Explore remarkable recordings of world music, nature field recording, western classical and contemporary, and jazz, sharing and discussing inspiration and perspectives on the expressive power of peoples, cultures, animals and habitats through sonic experience. Every other Monday, 7-8:15 p.m. $10-$15 donation.

(805) 305-1229. leftcoastartstudio.com/.

Left Coast Art Studio, 1188 Los Osos Valley Rd., Los Osos. m

El Primer Mariachi Femenil en Los EE. UU. America's First All Female Mariachi Jueves 15 de Enero | Thursday, January 15 Vets Memorial Building 941 Walnut Avenue | Carpinteria | 7pm Viernes 16 de Enero | Friday, January 16 Isla Vista Elementary 6875 El Colegio Road | Goleta | 7pm Sabado 17 de Enero | Saturday, January 17 Guadalupe City Hall 918 Obispo Street | Guadalupe | 7pm Domingo 18 de Enero | Sunday, January 18 Marjorie Luke Theatre 721 E. Cota Street | Santa Barbara | 6pm Las puertas se abrirán media hora antes de la función.

Habrá recepción después del espectáculo.

Doors open half an hour before the show starts. Reception follows the performance.

@vivaelartesantabarbara

@vivaelarte

Co-presented by Isla Vista Elementary School, The Marjorie Luke Theatre, City of Guadalupe and UCSB Arts and Lectures.

www.santamariasun.com • January 8 - January 15, 2026 • Sun • 17

Arts

ART SCENE PHOTOS BY MADISON WHITE

ARTS BRIEFS Chumash Casino hosts comedian Felipe Esparza

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHUMASH CASINO RESORT

A SPLASH OF GREEN: Customers at Art Related Things can find a variety of plants sourced from the local farmers market that usually sell out quickly.

Actor and comedian Felipe Esparza will be playing the Chumash Casino Resort on Jan. 23 during his At My Leisure world tour. His stand-up starts at 8 p.m. in the Samala Showroom.

After overcoming substance abuse, Esparza found standup comedy and began performing when he was 18 years old.

His routines comment on cultural identity and his immigrant upbringing. In 2010, he was the first Latino performer to win Last Comic Standing, a series on NBC. Since then, he’s released several comedy specials including They’re Not Gonna Laugh at You in 2012, Translate This in 2017, and Bad Decisions in 2020, which was the first special to be released in both Spanish and English. His most recent special on Netflix, Raging Fool, came out in February 2025.

“Esparza continues to be recognized for both his humor and for advancing Latinx representation in comedy,” according to press materials. “Whether it is through a TV screen, on a live stage, or on his podcast, he knows how to keep an audience entertained and wanting more.”

Tickets start at $55 and can be purchased online at chumashcasino.com/entertainment. Audience members must be 21 or older.

The Chumash Casino Resort is located at 3400 E. Highway 246 in Santa Ynez.

PCPA presents a new musical

PHOTO COURTESY OF PACIFIC CONSERVATORY THEATRE

On Jan. 17 and 18, the Pacific Conservatory Theatre (PCPA) is bringing back its InterPlay reading series with the new musical, Woven.

The story, written by Jessica Smith Campbell, is a fresh take on Homer’s The Odyssey told through Penelope’s perspective.

She faces witches and goddesses, testing her resilience while Odysseus is away on his journey.

“Powered by an enthralling original score, Woven delivers a vibrant, female-led story about agency, consequence, and the choices that shape us,” according to the theater’s website.

With mature themes and sexual language, the musical is rated MA. Children under the age of 5 are not permitted.

The Severson Theatre is located at 800 S. College Drive in Santa Maria. Purchase tickets online by visiting pcpa.org/ shows. On Jan. 17, the musical starts at 7 p.m. and at 1:30 p.m. on Jan. 18. Seating begins 30 minutes before each showtime. Call the box office with questions at (805) 922-8313. m Staff Writer Madison White compiles Arts Briefs. Send information to mwhite@santamariasun.com.

Dreaming of décor?

DESIGNED BY MARTY: Owner Marty McLaughlin spent his career as a teacher in elementary schools. With his new store, Art Related Things, he uses his creativity to design everything inside.

New classroom In Santa Maria, a former art teacher opens a small business to continue expressing his creativity

BY MADISON WHITE

M

Art Related Things is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The store is located in Santa Maria’s Mission Creek Plaza at 2880 Santa Maria Way, suite C2. Follow the shop on Instagram @a.r.t.artrelatedthings.

A highlight at Art Related Things is gift baskets, just like the ones McLaughlin used to make to reward his middle schoolers for most improved artwork or best behavior. Each gift basket begins with the base, then he assembles the merchandise and wraps it up in cellophane as tall as it’ll stand.

“And then a lot of ribbon,” he said. “I’m working on my bow-making skills. I’m watching lots of YouTube tutorials.”

In the future he wants to offer his own classes.

When the store opened, McLaughlin heard visitors asking him to teach crafting lessons, a job that suits him well after decades in the classroom.

He’ll teach anything that people want to learn, but so far, his ideas are to teach floral design, wreath making, and gift basket making.

“I’ve also been told a lot of times, ‘Everything you do is art,’” McLaughlin said. “I think [Art Related Things] is a blend of all those kinds of ideas.” m

An accomplished artist, the owner displays arty McLaughlin’s favorite part of his career his own paintings on the wall, too. Though his training was mostly in drawing and painting, as an educator was teaching first grade.

McLaughlin said he finds it fascinating to make It’s how he spent the bulk of his time as an things in three-dimensional space. elementary school teacher, rounding out a tenure That’s where his passion for design comes of more than 20 years in the Santa Maria and into play. He arranges everything in the store, Orcutt districts. from table displays to seasonal decorations on Having studied art in college, he returned to “Christmas” trees, but they aren’t specific to the teach the subject in Orcutt, finding a love for the winter holiday. He changes the themes of the students.

“I grew up here, so it’s very special to me to come trees and the store to fit the seasons. Next on the calendar is Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day. back here and do this,” McLaughlin told the Sun. As the only employee, McLaughlin sources He also taught second through fourth grades, goods from resellers like Facebook Marketplace and but leading up to his retirement, McLaughlin vintage stores. His plants, which typically fly off the was a junior high art instructor. In his words, he Reach Staff Writer Madison White at mwhite@ shelves, come from a vendor at the farmers market. started and ended his teaching career in the art santamariasun.com.

“I want it affordable to the point that anybody department, but the ending was bittersweet. can walk in and purchase “I still missed decorating for teachers and something or think about doing special events for people and doing tabletop ideas for their home and their decorations, … that’s kind of how this evolved,” he décor,” McLaughlin said. said one morning while standing in his store.

Art Related Things opened in Santa Maria this past October.

When McLaughlin saw the empty storefront, he decided to take a chance.

“I had been envisioning it and thinking about it,” he said. “This was the perfect setting.”

The name, meant to be flexible for the store’s evolution, is an acrostic poem for the word “art.”

“I was like, ‘What words could you use to make up art?’”

McLaughlin said. “I want it to be something that can evolve and change.”

In the few months he’s been up and running, the former teacher has been figuring out what he wants the store to represent: a little bit of everything for the home. His goal is to bring an affordable array of items to the Central Coast and listen to what his customers want.

TREES YEAR ROUND: Trees are “I think we’re an eclectic mix of scattered throughout the store, Art Related Things. They have their own themes and the seasonal décor, the gifts, some will change with the seasons. Store owner art, and then plants,” he said. “I LOTS TO SEE: Art Related Things opened in October 2025, selling Marty McLaughlin’s artwork is featured on feel like that’s a good balance of plants, seasonal home décor, and local art. the wall behind the Día de los Muertos tree. things that people want.”

18 • Sun • January 8 - January 15, 2026 • www.santamariasun.com

Brass Mash Live at the Pour House

The Who’s Rock Opera, ‘Tommy’ Fundraiser

Award-Winning Film Screening: Immediate Family

The Pour House, Paso Robles

Bay Theatre, Morro Bay

Bay Theatre, Morro Bay

FRIDAY, JANUARY 16

UPCOMING EVENTS ON MY805TIX.COM

Resilience Sound Journey Cancer Support

MONDAY, JANUARY 26

&

SLO Craft Beer Fest

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21 Alex Madonna Expo Center, SLO

Serenity Sound Journey

Intention Setting Collage mini-Retreat

Conscious Community Mixer w/Margot MONDAY, JANUARY 12 9th Limb Yoga, Morro Bay

MONDAY, JANUARY 12 Bay Theatre, Morro Bay

Friday Night Improv

Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead FRIDAY, JANUARY 16 835 W Grand Ave, Grover Beach

LSD & the Search for God

SATURDAY, JANUARY 17 Libertine Brewing Co, SLO

New Beginnings

Improv Extravaganza

FRIDAY, JANUARY 9 Santa Maria Civc Center

SATURDAY, JANUARY 10 Adventist Health-Sierra Vista, SLO

SUNDAY, JANUARY 11 Gala Pride & Diversity Center, SLO

Just Ducky Sound Bath

Insider’s Look at City Government

Proxima Parada in Downtown SLO

SUNDAY, JANUARY 11 525 Harbor St, Morro Bay

TUESDAY, JANUARY 13 CC Body Therapy Center, Los Osos

THURSDAY, JANUARY 15 Odd Fellows Hall, SLO

FRIDAY, JANUARY 16 Libertine Brewing Co, SLO

FRIDAY, JANUARY 16 The Bunker SLO

VHS Fest 2.0

Knights Templar Presentation

Wealth, Women & Woo

Bob & Wendy

The Last Class with Robert Reich

SATURDAY, JANUARY 17 Humdinger Brewing, SLO

SUNDAY, JANUARY 18 The Anderson Paso, Paso Robles

SUNDAY, JANUARY 18 Crows End Retreat, SLO

SUNDAY, JANUARY 18 The Bunker SLO

TUESDAY, JANUARY 20 ACi Jet, SLO

THURSDAY, JANUARY 22 The Bunker SLO

Babes Against the Machine

Mawtini-Arab American Narratives SATURDAY, JANUARY 24 Cal Poly Library, SLO

Giafunni’s Comedy in January

SATURDAY, JANUARY 24 Giavanni’s Pizza, Santa Maria

Still Got It

SUNDAY, JANUARY 25 Nexus SLO Ballroom DC, SLO

Monte Mills & The Lucky Horseshoe Band

SUNDAY, JANUARY 25 Pismo Beach Veteran’s Memorial

The Freddie Ravel Trio

SUNDAY, JANUARY 25 Mt. Carmel Lutheran Church, SLO

Science After Dark January

Improv Festival Kick-Off Jam

One Day Improv Festival

Jagg with The Airwaves & Ultraviolets

Scoundrel, Captive State, Perception

The Love Show

FRIDAY, JANUARY 23 Libertine Brewing Co, SLO

TUESDAY, JANUARY 27 Central Coast Aquarium, Avila Beach

FRIDAY, JANUARY 30 San Luis Obispo Public Market

SATURDAY, JANUARY 31 San Luis Obispo Grange Hall

SATURDAY, JANUARY 31 The Bunker SLO

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1 Humdinger Brewing, SLO

SELL TICKETS WITH US! 805-546-8208 INFO@MY805TIX.COM

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MONDAY, JANUARY 19

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www.santamariasun.com • January 8 - January 15, 2026 • Sun • 19

Film

SUN SCREEN

That’s life

Calendar to put into perspective how small a blip human existence really is and where it comes to play in the age of the universe. It was pivotal and emotional, riter-director Mike Flanagan (The and Ejiofor truly carried the scene with quiet Haunting of Hill House, Doctor Sleep) brilliance. At the end of act 1, we meet Chuck brings Stephen King’s 2020 novella of (Tom Hiddleston) in his hospital bed, in the the same name to the big screen in this story final breaths of life with his wife and teenage about an ordinary man, Charles “Chuck” son there with him. When act 2 begins, our Krantz (Tom Hiddleston), and his largely faithful narrator (Nick Offerman) describes unremarkable life. (111 min.)

Chuck the accountant, what his day-to-day is, Glen: “I celebrate myself, and I sing myself/ what his life was like in those middle years. It And what I assume you shall assume,/ For had a Stranger Than Fiction vibe, especially every atom belonging to me as good belongs in the narrated moments—which is another to you,” wrote Walt Whitman in his epic free movie I love that deals with the vastness and verse poem “Song of Myself.” The poem and the smallness of life. This is where we learn that its idea of both individualism and Chuck can dance and that his time interconnectedness are at the on earth is short and soon lost. We heart of The Life of Chuck, the story THE LIFE OF CHUCK also see his depth of connection of an ordinary man on the cusp and his genuine compassion for What’s it rated? R of death at 39. Told in three acts those around him.

What’s it worth, Anna? in reverse order, the film begins Glen: The final act, “I Contain Full price with act 3, “Thanks, Chuck,” and Multitudes,” returns us to Chuck’s What’s it worth, Glen? focuses on middle school teacher challenging childhood (here Full price Marty Anderson (Chiwetel Ejiofor), played by three actors at ages 7, Where’s it showing? whose world seems to be ending.

11, and 17) and the pains and joys Hulu, Amazon Prime Natural disasters, worldwide of his upbringing. One pivotal Internet disruption, and societal moment is when his idealistic collapse drive him back into the arms of his teacher Ms. Richards (Kate Siegel) explains ex-wife, Felicia (Karen Gillan), as they ponder Whitman’s iconic line, “I contain multitudes.” the end and wonder about billboards and radio It’s a philosophic film about consciousness ads saying, “Charles Krantz: 39 Great Years! and reality. Our lives and memories are Thanks, Chuck!” What does it mean? an accumulation of small moments and interactions with everyone we’ve met or Anna: The backwards unfolding of a story encountered. Every person exists in their is always an interesting trick. A key scene in own reality, their personal inner universe. this part of the film is Marty on the phone Experiences make us who we are. When Chuck with Felicia, describing Carl Sagan’s Cosmic

PHOTO COURTESY OF NEON

W

I CONTAIN MULTITUDES: Chuck (Tom Hiddleston) breaks out in dance with stranger Janice Halliday (Annalise Basso) to a busking drummer, in act 2 of The Life of Chuck, streaming on Hulu and rentable on Amazon Prime.

dies, so die his memories of those interactions.

The stars are snuffed out in Marty Anderson’s universe as it existed in Chuck’s consciousness.

It’s a beautiful film.

Anna: I’m so glad that we got to see it, but I’m sad to have missed it in the theater. It feels like it’s going to stay with me for a very long time. Hiddleston is good in everything, and especially so here. It’s the kind of film that makes you take stock at what surrounds you,

who you’ve been, who you’ve known, and how all of that builds into the person you are at this very second. I’ll rewatch this one. I loved it.

Glen: Not everyone loved it. Peter Debruge of Variety called it the “worst movie of 2025.”

Decide for yourselves! m New Times Arts Editor Glen Starkey and freelancer Anna Starkey write Sun Screen.

Comment at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.

PHOTO COURTESY OF APPLE TV+

PLURIBUS

What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2025 Where’s it showing? Apple TV+ Successful but disillusioned romantasy novelist Carol Sturka (Rhea Seehorn) gives readings attended by gaggles of middle-aged women lusting after her strapping leading man. Her manager, Helen (Miriam Shor), is also her romantic partner, and when they return to Albuquerque following a successful tour, a stop at a bar turns bizarre when everyone around her is shaking as if in a seizure, including Helen.

After an awful journey back to their home with Helen’s dead body, Carol flips on the TV to hear the person on-screen talking directly to her. All humans who didn’t die in the event joined into a hivemind, except Carol and 11 others.

The collective community wants to fix that. What follows is Carol’s resistance to “joining,” her quest to find the other survivors, and her ultimate loneliness that leads her to seek companionship from one of the assimilated, Zoshia (Karolina Wydra), who acts as her chaperone.

While this is Carol’s story, we also follow Manousos Oviedo (Carlos-Manuel Vesga), another survivor from Paraguay who embarks on a perilous journey to find Carol while avoiding those assimilated. Apple TV, well done. I can’t

COURTESY PHOTO BY SHANE BROWN/FX

THE LOWDOWN

RESISTANCE: Carol Sturka (Rhea Seehorn) is one of only a dozen humans not assimilated by a radio-wave alien invasion linking all humans with a hivemind, in Pluribus, streaming on Apple TV+.

wait to find out what happens next in season 2.

(10 42- to 63-min. episodes) —Anna

What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2025 Where’s it showing? Hulu Created by Sterlin Harjo (Reservation Dogs), this comedy crime drama set in Tulsa, Oklahoma, follows bookstore owner and investigative journalist Lee Raybon (Ethan Hawke), who calls himself a “truthstorian” and works to root out local corruption. Raybon has a code of honor but operates at the edge of lawlessness. He’s more of a “beg for forgiveness” than “ask for permission” guy, and Hawke brings all his hangdog charm to the character.

Raybon’s current case involves the Washberg clan, about whom he’s published an exposé. The investigation deepens when the family’s black sheep, Dale Washberg (Tim Blake Nelson), ends up dead from an apparent suicide, leaving behind a trail of clues in his collection of hardboiled crime fiction novels by Jim Thompson. The Washberg patriarch is the corrupt but connected Donald Washberg (Kyle MacLachlan), married to Betty Jo (Jeanne Tripplehorn).

There’s a helluva cast that includes Keith David, Tracy Letts, Dale Dickey, Peter Dinklage, and Graham Greene in one of his final roles. The real star, of course, is Hawke, and watching his character

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TRUTHSTORIAN: Independent investigative journalist Lee Raybon (Ethan Hawke) is like a dog with a bone when he starts following a story, in the TV series The Lowdown, streaming on Hulu.

afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted is a blast, even if he’s mostly black and blue from getting his ass kicked. (eight 40- to 59-min. episodes) m —Glen

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HIGHLY SPREADABLE: Rachel Alcocer makes 15 flavors of jams using fruit that she and other Lompoc locals grow.

Sometimes she showcases her jellies on charcuterie boards for friends and family.

Sweet and savory A Lompoc jam maker’s hobby is now a vibrant business

BY MADISON WHITE

R

achel Alcocer’s peach cobbler jam flew off her metaphorical shelves this year. It’s one of her seasonal flavors, and she can only make it when peaches are growing on her tree.

“I like to do the seasonal fruit in the area,” Alcocer said. “I like to do the stuff that’s available to me because it’s the freshest, and it’s local.”

The process of making jam is one she learned from her motherin-law five years ago. It starts with cooking down the fruit for an hour or two, depending on the size of the batch, and then adding in pectin and sugar. At around 220 degrees, when the mixture gels, it goes into sterilized jars and gets soaked in a hot water bath to seal the lids. The jars sit on Alcocer’s counter for the next 24 hours, and then she cleans

the exteriors again and puts them in another water bath before labeling.

For the past few years, Alcocer’s hobby has doubled as her business, known on Instagram as @msrachelsjams. In addition to her trees, she uses fruits grown by friends and family who live near Lompoc and Buellton to make around 15 flavors of jam, all for $10 a jar.

The most popular, and one of her first flavors, is apple pie jam. She adds nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger as extra seasoning.

Another hit is her pineapple habanero jam, which packs a punch.

“That one flies. That one’s super popular,” she said. “That one’s really good over cream cheese to serve with crackers, so it’s an easy appetizer.”

Even with a decade of management experience in the food industry, Alcocer didn’t set out to sell her own goods. She’s a dedicated stay-at-home

Jam mania

To order Rachel Alcocer’s jam and charcuterie boards for delivery or pickup, send her a message on Instagram @msrachelsjam.

In Lompoc, her preserves are sold at Southside Coffee Co., Awaken Cardio Kickboxing, and Focus Physical Therapy.

parent who decided to take one of her passions to the next level.

After initially learning how to make pepper jelly from her motherin-law, Alcocer got hooked on the process and started experimenting with other flavors.

Soon enough, she built up a reputation in the community for her preserves and charcuterie boards.

Friends started ordering them and encouraged Alcocer to “go for it.”

She got licensed through the county a few years ago and her LLC became official in mid 2025.

“It’s my little hobby that I had as a stay-at-home mom, and then just the joy that has brought so many other people, and it’s expanded really fast,” she said. “I didn’t expect it.”

EATS continued page 22

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13 Gathering House at UCC, SLO

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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14 Humdinger Brewing, SLO

HOBBY TURNED BUSINESS: Lompoc resident Rachel Alcocer plans to expand her jam-making business to include charcuterie boards. One of her goals is to have a café or storefront in the future.

PHOTO COURTESY OF RACHEL ALCOCER

CLOSE TO HOME: Most of Rachel Alcocer’s jam sales take place over Instagram, but she also sells at the Route One Farmers Market, the Dare 2 Dream farm stand, and a few Lompoc businesses.

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Eats EATS from page 21

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The bulk of her sales happen online through Instagram, but she also sells jars at other businesses in the area. In Lompoc she’s at Southside Coffee Co., Awaken Cardio Kickboxing, and Focus Physical Therapy.

Alcocer’s products are also for sale at the Dare 2 Dream farm stand and Route One Farmers Market.

Within the next year, her goal is to expand the business by hiring an employee and searching for a physical storefront.

A key part will be charcuterie boards, the classy adult versions of Lunchables that ’90s STANDOUT PAIRINGS: To assemble a charcuterie board, Rachel kids, like Alcocer, grew Alcocer’s rule of thumb is to layer a few meats and cheeses, bring in up on. some color with fresh fruit, add a touch of sweetness with a jam, and “That is the goal, and finish with a briny contrast like pickles. that’s actually where it kind of started, is with the charcuterie,” Alcocer said. charcuterie, Alcocer’s favorite part of her business venture is building relationships with She already assembles lots of boards for her customers. friends’ parties as fun projects on the side.

“I have the people that I’m building When building one, she collects meats, cheeses, relationships with all over the area,” she said, crackers, fresh fruits, jams, and anything else “and it’s just been really nice growing those that feels right for the occasion. She’ll start in connections.” m the middle or at a corner, layering each element and creating the board’s shapes.

Staff Writer Madison White thinks charcuterie “The best boards feel abundant, not fussy,” boards are gorgeous. Reach her at mwhite@ she said. santamariasun.com.

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BORN JULY 4, 1941, SEATTLE, WA - DECEASED OCTOBER 15, 2025, SAN JOSE, CA

Diane (Peterson) Gonzales

Diane (Peterson) Gonzales passed away peacefully on October 15, 2025, E in San Jose, MARKETPLAC California, at the age of 84.

Born on the Fourth of July, N-UP in Seattle, Washington, 1941, EA CL & G N HAULI g 5ll Jon 80 filled with JT’s Haulin Diane’s . Cawas nglife and Recycli Up, Moving Garage Clean love, faith, and family. is, br De , Trees

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As a proud daughter of a Naval Captain, PL Diane spent E MARKET AC her early years traveling across the countryhwith her 5t 17 Alpine family,20living in et places such Wheel 36 feair as Astoria, s, dual , and 3 slideOregon, -dryer, no washerVirginia, iaSun.com r Alexandria, before a an M a t n pets, very cle D a S meal. She made homemade donuts or crepes . F350 - 4Win Califorultimately $49ksettling le. also availab look effortless. She loved various holidays and nia. Although she graduated from high school Ask for Jim, 4-0223 is where she formed 805-54Astoria making them special, planning Easter egg in Los Altos, lasting friendships and fond memories. She hunts, baking Valentine treats, making a big even attended many high school reunions in Thanksgiving dinner, or crafting. She loved Astoria with her friends from childhood where to decorate, bake cookies, or bring comfort she had attended school at the “Kindergarten to others with her famous chicken and Cop” school, John Jacob Astor Elementary. dumplings.

Diane loved to dance. In high school, she Diane loved trips with friends and family. She would dance at youth dance parties that were would joyfully recount how much she loved broadcast on local television stations. Her the lazy river in Mexico, going to her school mom would tune in to watch Diane dance reunions in Astoria, or taking the train up and and frequently be among the last ones on the down California and making new friends on dance floor if not the winner. the way. She could start a conversation with She spent the majority of her adult years in anyone, and at the end of the train ride, she Santa Maria, California, where she raised her would know their life story, what they did four children—Katie (Williams) Vaccaro, for a living, about their family and whoever “Buddy” Wayne Williams, Amy (Wilson) picked Diane up from the train station would Taylor, and Eric Lentz—in the close-knit hear all about her new friend from the train.

Orcutt community. Diane was deeply inShe was deeply committed to Jesus Christ and volved in her children’s schools and activifor many years she participated in Bible study ties, serving in the PTA at Patterson Road with women’s groups and as Amy and Eric Elementary and Lakeview Junior High, where recall, they attended church even when travshe was known for her dedication to supporteling, and this entailed researching through ing students and staff. Diane would end up working at the Orcutt Union School District maps and phone books before the internet! office as a secretary.

Her longtime church friends became like family. She spoke at women’s church retreats In the31970s, Diane became active in Orcutt k 5/wee st $ sports, Juyouth proudlynd serving as Vice President helping others along their faith journey to a e g a im deepen their relationship with God. e onOrcutt American Little League and itthe Submof ptionHigh School Booster. ri sc e d f o organizing the Righetti In her later years, Diane relocated to the Bay 25 words d running the snack You could always find ur aher yo t Area to be near her son, Eric, and his wife, lis to toff The cu bars or cheering her r on from the stands, pekids a p Abby, as well as her brother, Randy Peterson, ’s y a d hurs in Tsurrounded by friends m and neighbors who p 2 and his family, who were a treasured part of t a y a d Mon her enthusiasm. She was a sports mom is shared her life. who made it to every game—home or away.

Diane was preceded in death by her parents, She enjoyedadriving her kids and their teamEm il Ward and Mildred Peterson; her brother, mates to tournaments. lassifieds@ c Gary Peterson; her sister, Marka Gibson; and During the s 1980’s and early 1990’s, Diane om slo.c e im her beloved son, Buddy Williams. t w e n was a commercial real estate agent who nav-

Autos & Boats

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Need m or e busi nespsan?y

Diane returned to working in schools because she needed the steady schedule and routine after her son, Buddy’s, passing. Her favorite professional role was when she worked at Cal State Fullerton organizing events such as the Dalai Lama’s visit to the university

Make your com N. the SjobU was being Mom Most of all, E herinfavorite IN H S or “Gigi” to her kids, grandkids, nieces and nephews.

Contact us at

805-347-1968

Diane loved to be a hostess, cooking for friends and loved ones. She enjoyed company and conversation over a good, home-cooked

fieds or email classisun.com ia @santamar

She is survived by her children, Katie, Amy, and Eric; her five grandchildren (Michelle, Rachel, John, Cosmos, and Lauren); her three great-grandchildren (Ben, Miles, Malia, and Kekoa); her brother, Randy, and his family; and many extended family members and dear friends who will forever cherish her memory.

Diane has been interred at Los Gatos Memorial Park in Los Gatos, California, alongside her beloved son, Buddy. A Celebration of Life will be held in Santa Maria, California, where family and friends will gather to honor and remember her life.

For additional information regarding the Celebration of Life, family and friends may contact Diane’s children, Katie, Amy, and Eric.

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