Lompoc, county clean up Santa Ynez Riverbed encampments with aim to keep it that way [5]
BY CALEB WISEBLOOD
With 85 fewer structures in the Santa Ynez Riverbed, Lompoc and Santa Barbara County are seven months into an encampment cleanup. The aim is not to repeat what happened in 2018, the last time encampments in the Santa Ynez Riverbed were cleaned up.
As part of that effort, county 3rd District Supervisor Joan Hartmann said the Lompoc Police Department and the county Sherrif’s Office are working up a memorandum of understanding for enforcement in the riverbed to ensure it stays clear of tents, tarps, and other structures in the future.
Senior Staff Writer Caleb Wiseblood writes about it [5]. Also, read about how the county’s approaching budget shortfalls in Public Health and Social Services [3]; the Lompoc Chalk Festival [18]; and what’s happening with The Spoon Trade in Grover Beach [21]
Camillia Lanham editor
Encampments in the Santa Ynez Riverbed have been cleaned up over the last six months through a collaborative effort between Santa Barbara County and Lompoc.
• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) recently reintroduced legislation with an aim to reduce the cost of higher education for students across the country. The Degrees Not Debt Act would double the maximum Pell Grant award—which supports more than 6 million current students throughout the U.S.—to $14,800 and adjust that award cap to inflation by the 2028-29 school year, according to Carbajal’s office. “I firmly believe higher education should be a ladder to success, not a lifetime of financial strain,” Carbajal said during a press conference at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria on Oct. 3. “Today, student debt is holding back millions of Americans from building the lives they deserve, and that’s not acceptable.” Allan Hancock College, Santa Barbara City College, Cuesta College, Ventura College, University of California system, and California State University system are among the organizations that endorse the Degrees Not Debt Act. “By doubling the Pell Grant and indexing it to inflation, this legislation would make an enormous difference,” University of California Provost Katherine S. Newman said in a statement from Carbajal’s office. “We must invest in the federal financial aid programs that enable students to access a high quality and affordable education; they represent America’s future.” As of June, $151.5 billion in student loan debt belongs to California residents, with $38,300 being the average student loan debt, according to Carbajal’s office
• U.S. Sens. Adam Schiff (D-California) and Alex Padilla (D-California) recently announced a trio of bipartisan, bicameral bills to promote tribal management of more than 2,000 acres of land in California. The bills would transfer federal land to the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation, the Pit River Tribe, and the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians. “For too long, senseless conflict and bureaucratic barriers have kept California tribes from managing their ancestral lands,” Padilla said in a Sept. 29 statement. “The federal government must right these historical wrongs and uphold its trust responsibility to help tribes protect their traditions, communities, and local environment.”
• State Sen. Monique Limón’s (D-Santa Barbara) first day as 53rd president pro tempore of the California State Senate will be Nov. 17. The state Senate selected Limón for the role in June. “I look forward to working with her as she leads the state Senate during these crucial times,” state Sen. John Laird (D-Santa Cruz) said in an Oct. 2 statement. “She will make history as the first Latina to head one of California’s legislative branches—and will make the Central Coast proud, as both the Assembly speaker and Senate president will be from the Central Coast.” Assemblymember Robert Rivas (D-Salinas) is the Assembly speaker. In June, Assemblymember Gregg Hart (D-Santa Barbara) described Limón’s selection as state Senate president pro tempore as “a reflection of her exceptional leadership, deep integrity, and ability to build consensus on the most pressing issues facing Californians,” according to a statement from the Central Coast Caucus. “Her historic appointment is a proud moment for the Central Coast and a meaningful step forward for our state during this challenging time,” Hart stated. “We are confident she will continue to lead with thoughtfulness and strength and elevate the voices of communities that have too often gone unheard.” Assemblymember Dawn Addis (D-Morro Bay) described Limón as a champion for environmental justice, women’s rights, and urgent issues specific to the Central Coast region. “As the first Latina and the second woman ever to hold this position, she continues her trend of making history and bringing others along with her,” Addis stated. m
Supervisors delay decision on layoffs in Public Health and Social Services
Santa Barbara County supervisors pushed making a decision on budget rebalancing plans for the Public Health and Social Services departments. The plans discussed at the Oct. 7 supervisors meeting would eliminate more than 175 positions across both departments effective in January.
“We’ve been receiving a lot of frustration for a lack of information,” 2nd District Supervisor Laura Capps said before hearing the Public Health presentation.
The board voted to continue the items until Nov. 18. Until then, Supervisor Capps directed Public Health to conduct more stakeholder outreach.
At the meeting, community members in purple shirts supporting SEIU Local 620 and 721 held signs reading “Protect county services” and “Zero layoffs.”
A phlebotomist at the county health clinic in Lompoc has served the county for 24 years.
“This isn’t just about our patients,” the community member said during public comment. “If I lose this job I lose everything. My paycheck, my health insurance, and my stability.”
Starting next year, roughly 7,500 county residents will be disqualified from MediCal services at county clinics because of federal changes. Patients with “unsatisfactory immigration status” are being directed to find new primary care providers so county health care centers can continue receiving federal funding.
Due to losses from Medi-Cal reimbursements, county Public Health expects to see a $5.2 million decrease in revenue for the rest of the fiscal year, which ends on June 30, 2026. In future fiscal years, the loss is estimated at $8.2 million, according to a presentation by Public Health Director Mouhanad Hammami.
To account for the revenue loss, Public Health proposed to cut 55.2 full-time equivalent positions—18.6 are currently vacant and 36.6 will be layoffs, effective Jan. 5.
An injunction is delaying the federal changes, but there’s no timeline for the outcome of the litigation.
“We do not know when that litigation might be lifted,” Hammami said during his presentation.
“Taking that risk is playing Russian roulette with the health care of these individuals.”
805 Undocufund Executive Director Primitiva Hernandez wants the county to engage with labor unions and other organizations that serve the impacted populations to inform its decision.
“Together we can look at options that will be based on community input,” Hernandez told the Sun
Laura Robinson, the executive director of SEIU Local 620, said union members are afraid.
“It’s frustrating because our members go into this line of work because they care about the people they serve,” Robinson told the Sun
In the county’s Social Services Department, staff proposed a plan to reduce staffing by 121 positions, 65 of which are currently filled, effective Jan. 5, according to Social Services Director Daniel Nielson. The department implemented strategies like eliminating non-emergency overtime and nonessential travel to reduce the gap but still needs to balance its budget.
Similar to the Public Health budget, supervisors voted to delay the decision.
On Nov. 18, the board will discuss closing the social services department’s funding gap for filled positions and eliminating vacant positions.
—Madison White
Sable considers restarting
Santa Ynez Unit via offshore tankers if onshore pipeline ‘delays’
continue
Like oil and water, Sable Offshore and local jurisdictions’ visions for the future of three rigs off the Gaviota coastline are fundamentally incompatible—prompting recent pivots from both sides of the fence.
The California Coastal Commission and Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office filed a civil lawsuit and criminal charges, respectively, against the Texas-based oil company for allegedly breaking several environmental protocols during its work toward restarting offshore platforms Hondo, Harmony, and Heritage, and the onshore Las Flores pipeline.
Known collectively as the Santa Ynez Unit, the pipeline system has been inactive since 2015, when one of its lines caused the Refugio oil spill.
Nearly two weeks after the DA’s Office filed 21 criminal charges against Sable this September, the company announced a back-up plan to resume oil production at the Santa Ynez Unit regardless of whether it gets state approval to reboot the
Las Flores pipeline or not.
“Continued delays related to the onshore pipeline will prompt Sable to fully pivot,” the company stated in a Sept. 29 memo to its investors. The alternative route would move oil production efforts away from the Las Flores pipeline and into federal waters, via shuttle tankers. Sable noted that this strategy is not new to the Santa Ynez Unit. Between 1981 and 1994, the unit produced 160 million barrels of oil through offshore storage and treating vessels. Sable purchased the unit from ExxonMobil in 2024, three decades after the Las Flores pipeline first became operational. Sable told its investors that the company will “pursue both paths in parallel” and “all legal remedies” that apply to either route.
While a restart of the onshore Las Flores pipeline would “play a large role in stabilizing local refineries,” Sable stated, the offshore shuttle tanker option would give the company “freedom to market its production outside of the state of California.”
One week after Sable’s announcement, the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board became the latest local agency to sue the company. The board filed a lawsuit on Oct. 6 that accuses Sable of not following permit procedures while discharging sediment and organic debris that can be harmful to aquatic habitats.
Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board Public Information Officer Nick Cahill told the Sun that neither he nor board officials would be able to take part in interviews about the lawsuit during the pending litigation.
STANDING TOGETHER: Members of the SEIU Local 620 and 721 unions gathered in Santa Maria at the Betteravia Government Center to watch the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors meeting on Oct. 7. The board pushed its decision on the proposed layoffs in the Social Services and Public Health departments to Nov. 18.
“Entities that discharge waste are required to obtain permits from the state to protect water quality,” Central Coast Water Board Chair Jane Gray said in an Oct. 6 statement. “[Sable], however, chose to ignore state environmental regulation. … No cooperation should gain a business advantage by ignoring the law and harming the environment.”
—Caleb Wiseblood
LAFCO aims to increase sphere of influence engagement with cities
Of the eight incorporated cities in Santa Barbara County, six have expressed a desire to expand their respective spheres of influence, according to Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) Executive Officer Mike Prater.
Guadalupe and Carpinteria are the two outliers, he told LAFCO commissioners during the board’s Oct. 2 meeting.
Although LAFCO’s due for its next sphere of influence review in 2026, Prater recommended that the board maintain each cities’ current boundaries until the following cycle in 2031 to give all parties involved ample time to conduct studies of the requested adjustments.
“Quite frankly, not one boundary has changed since the early 2000s,” Prater said. “I want to give those cities, and the county, quite frankly, equal opportunity to sort of study the issue and hopefully come together on a compromise so that there’s give and take about where these boundaries should legitimately be placed, … rather than haphazardly just draw a boundary—for which I’m not sure this commission has a majority vote on any one of the cities’ expectations.”
LAFCO Commissioner and 4th District Supervisor Bob Nelson said he would prefer a shorter timeframe between sphere of influence
reviews and didn’t like Prater’s use of word “haphazardly.”
“ … 2031. That’s beyond when I would like to make decisions on some of these things,” Nelson said. “A lot of this does have a long history, but that’s why we’re up here to make these decisions not just adopt what’s been there forever.”
Prater clarified that LAFCO has the authority to direct staff to bring forward a sphere of influence change at any time.
“We’re not necessarily having to wait for five years,” Prater said.
LAFCO Commissioner and 3rd District Supervisor Joan Hartmann said she’d prefer to see the agency take a more proactive role when it comes to engaging with cities about sphere of influence issues, partly for the sake of clarity between each agency involved.
“Understanding exactly what a sphere of influence is, is tricky,” Hartmann said with a laugh.
LAFCO members and staff discussed a variety of future approaches to take, including the possibility of forming an ad hoc committee or facilitating workshops to engage the public in sphere of influence discussions.
The board ultimately agreed that its commissioners should each “go back to their respective county and city staff and make it a higher priority from their departments,” Prater summarized.
“We’ve been having recent discussions about where boundaries might go, where interests are, but we really … haven’t gotten to what kind of standards and expectations there would be on any of the entities that are thinking about a memorandum of agreement,” Prater said. “So that level of detail really needs to be fleshed out more and that requires a higher level of engagement. Right now, that hasn’t been placed as a high priority amongst the agencies we’re dealing with.” m
—Caleb Wiseblood
Clean slate
County approaches final phase of multi-month Santa Ynez Riverbed cleanup with eyes on increasing patrols to prevent new encampments
BY CALEB WISEBLOOD
Santa Barbara County’s tally of tents and forts made of tarps and wooden planks in the Santa Ynez Riverbed is 85 fewer than seven months ago thanks to an ongoing cleanup initiative.
In her role as the county’s encampment response coordination manager, Katherine Soto-Vasquez doesn’t often dwell on those stats during a typical work day, she explained.
“When folks have been homeless for longer periods of time, it’s just about building trust. It’s almost going in without expectations of what it is that we’re trying to accomplish,” SotoVasquez told the Sun, “and just letting them know that we’re here for them regardless of the choices that they make.”
The county’s expansive six-phase project to clear Santa Ynez Riverbed encampments began in March. Since then, SotoVasquez and other county employees have spoken face-to-face with more than 60 long-term riverbed residents.
Many of them are chronically homeless—homeless for more than a year—with disabilities and substance use disorders, according to county Homelessness Assistance Programs
Manager Jett Black-Maertz
“When we’re working in the riverbed, it is those higher acuity individuals that … need much more help than light touch assistance,” Black-Maertz said. “They’ve been out of the societal norm long enough that it’s more than just getting them a job to get them back into housing.”
Black-Maertz added that the county would essentially “end up playing a game of Whac-a-Mole if we didn’t have a place for people to go.”
Amid the cleanup initiative’s sixth and final phase that began in September, the county continues to offer an immediate space for people to stay, thanks to support from the state’s Community Economic Resilience Fund (CERF) program, Black-Maertz explained. The funds allow the county to contract extra beds at shelters in both Lompoc and Santa Maria.
One of the key differences between this year’s Santa Ynez Riverbed encampment cleanups and the 2018 effort that cleared nearly the same number of encampments—between 60 and 70—is a commitment to follow-up, 3rd District county Supervisor Joan Hartmann told the Sun
“Simply by moving people out of the riverbed, we’re not solving the issue. And I want to make that very clear,” Hartmann said. “There has to be ongoing monitoring and ongoing policing, and that did not happen after the first Santa Ynez Riverbed cleanup.
“What we have now that we haven’t had before [is] an agreement between the Lompoc Police and the Santa Barbara County sheriff,” she added.
The county’s Community Services Department is currently drafting a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that would have the Lompoc Police Department and Sheriff’s Office work “together on regular intervals to go out into the riverbed and ensure that we don’t have the re-establishment of the encampments,” according to Hartmann.
Lompoc Mayor Jim Mosby said he hopes the MOU will resolve jurisdiction issues between the two agencies related to certain city-owned parcels of county land in the riverbed that he would prefer to see annexed someday.
“The city owns a good chunk of land. … The complication is the county and LAFCO [Local Agency Formation Commission] won’t let the city add it to their city limits. So, then you have a dual jurisdiction,” Mosby said. “The city of Lompoc has limited jurisdiction over enforcement. The sheriff then has to step in.”
While the MOU is in its preliminary stage, county Housing and Community Development Assistant Director Joe Dzvonik told the Sun that the department has kept the city of Lompoc informed about each phase of the current Santa Ynez Riverbed cleanup since March.
“And as a result of that, the Lompoc PD would assist us where they could,” Dzvonik said. “We’re trying to work through those jurisdictional issues with the Lompoc PD and the county sheriff’s department. They’re really the ones who are going to coordinate that piece of it. But with [the] idea that if they see something—if they see encampments—they need to contact us.
… We may even go with them on certain patrols.”
Discussions between the two agencies about the incoming MOU have been harmonious so far, county Community Services Department Director Jesús Armas recently told elected officials.
“They’ve both been very cooperative and they both indicated that with reasonable planning, they’ll be able to assist us in keeping some eyes on the [Santa Ynez] Riverbed,” Armas said at the Board of Supervisors’ Sept. 23 meeting. “We want to make sure that when an area is resolved, it’s not repopulated, and we’re making some headway there.”
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The Santa Ynez Riverbed’s regression after its 2018 cleanup served as a cautionary tale during the hearing, referenced by some supervisors before the board approved new funding to increase enforcement in the Santa Maria Riverbed.
“If you don’t have that ongoing maintenance and the eyes on it that it doesn’t get repopulated again, you’re going to end up in the same position three or four years down the road,” 5th District Supervisor Steve Lavagnino said.
Lavagnino was part of the 5-0 vote that allocated $42,000 of county funds to help pay for a new Santa Maria park ranger position, whose salary would be split between the city and the county. The full-time ranger would be responsible for patrolling the riverbed, with an aim to prevent new encampments from arising.
“It’s going to be money very well spent,” Lavagnino said at the meeting.
Over the course of several months in 2024, Santa Barbara County collaborated with the city of Santa Maria, San Luis Obispo County, Caltrans, and some local nonprofits to clear the Santa Maria Riverbed of encampments, while connecting more than 100 people living there with housing, health care, and employment resources.
“Just to kind of put it into perspective for people who didn’t understand how large it was, there were over 100 encampments,” Lavagnino recalled. “Every time we drove across the [Santa Maria River] Bridge, we’d look out and see a whole other city out there in the riverbed.” m
Reach Senior Staff Writer Caleb Wiseblood at cwiseblood@ santamariasun.com.
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CRISIS INTERVENTION: Santa Barbara County 3rd District Supervisor Joan Hartmann described the county’s six-phase encampment cleanup project—ongoing since March—at the Santa Ynez Riverbed as a response to a humanitarian crisis.
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The City of Santa Maria Utilities Department is providing City residents with a FREE landscape burlap and three
MPR1000 Rotator sprinklers and anti-leak sprinkler bodies. This promotion is to remind all homeowners, gardeners, and landscapers to Go Green in the Fall by pulling weeds and collecting clippings to spruce up landscaping, planting native drought-tolerant plants to conserve water, and regularly checking irrigation sprinklers and outdoor faucets to address any leaks. Call to reserve your promotional bag today! Limit one promotional bag per household, while supplies last. City of Santa Maria water paying customers only. Proof of address is required.
Livin’ la Vida Yoga
Old Town Orcutt’s Vida Yoga celebrates three years of dishing out detox
BY CALEB WISEBLOOD
Things are about to heat up at Vida Yoga. Literally. The Orcutt studio just installed new infrared heaters, which owner Jenn Gagarin plans to fire up for the first time on Oct. 11, as part of the venue’s third anniversary celebration.
One observation Garagin’s gained from the hot yoga classes with the building’s regular heater is many attendees’ ability to ease their bodies “into poses [they] wouldn’t usually feel safe relaxing in.”
“We’ll get members with joint pain, wrist pain, knee pain, or things like that, and when you practice in heat, it kind of makes it safe for you, … to actually relax in a pose,” she explained. “[That’s] when you can actually feel the benefits of it. So you’re not tense, … and clenching.”
Describing the nuanced sensations and benefits of hot yoga to someone who’s never held a tree pose inside a 90-degree room can be just as challenging as the practice itself, she explained.
“You have to try it to really understand how it feels,” Gagarin told the Sun. “Infrared heat heats your body from the inside out. So instead of blowing hot air from a heater, it gets into the inner layer, so you’re able to get a deeper, safer kind of a detoxifying practice. It’s good for your skin, and your joints, and your immune system, and it really just makes you feel elated.”
When Gagarin first opened Vida Yoga’s doors in 2022, she hoped to incorporate hot yoga into the studio’s class lineup someday. She nearly held off from offering it until committing to buying the infrared system this October but decided earlier this year to begin hosting hot yoga classes using a regular heater, partly to gauge feedback from attendees.
A boost of temperature during hot yoga can often raise participants’ spirits too, Garagin added.
“It can reduce your stress and anxiety because you kind of just detoxify it all out, kind of just sweat it all out,” she said. “It’s also really good for the lungs because you’re breathing differently.”
Before Vida Yoga’s debut in Old Town Orcutt three years ago, which marked Garagin’s first time owning a brick-and-mortar studio, she was best known for her yoga pop-ups at vineyards and breweries along the Central Coast—many of which paired her sessions with wine or beer.
Gagarin still hosts pop-ups often and enjoys splitting her time between different work modes, from leading yoga sessions herself to managing her team of instructors at the studio, she explained.
The successful turnout at these heated sessions over the past few months helped solidify her decision to invest in the infrared heaters.
“The electricians are installing them as we speak,” Gagarin said during a phone call on Oct. 1. “Until now, we’ve been heating the room up to 85 degrees with the regular building heater. But now it will go from 90 to [about] 100. I’m planning to start at 90.”
Attendees who register for Vida Yoga’s free hot yoga session at the Oct. 11 celebration will be the first to benefit from the new infrared heaters. Bella Scott, one of nearly a dozen instructors who work for Gagarin’s studio, will lead the class at 11 a.m.
Like all of Vida Yoga’s classes, there will be different variations of hot yoga that appeal to different skill and comfort levels, Gagarin said.
“[We] plan on offering a slow flow that’s heated, … for people that are curious to try this infrared heat. They can try it at a slower pace,” she said. “You’ll still get your sweat on but it won’t be as intense as a heated vinyasa class.”
“It is a totally different role. It’s the first business I’ve ever owned,” Gagarin said. “Having 11 instructors and growing, … it’s been so fun. We have such an amazing team.
“Everyone brings their own unique style, and this is why we get to offer so many classes in our schedule,” she added, “from gentle flows to challenging power yoga.”
Highlight
• The Kiwanis Club of Santa Maria-Noontime announced new members to some of its leadership boards in early October. The club’s Santa Maria board of directors appointed six new members: Ray Arensdorf, Santiago Bañuelos, Diego Cardenas Garcia, Dawn Jackson, Glenn Prezkop, and Silvia Oishi-Cheatham. Focused on the club’s philanthropic initiatives, the Kiwanis for Kids Foundation board recently welcomed three new members: Bob Doyle, Alex Posada, and Marisol Cruz. m
Reach Senior Staff Writer Caleb Wiseblood at cwiseblood@ santamariasun.com.
BRING YOUR MAT: Ready to unveil its new infrared heater system, Vida Yoga in Old Town Orcutt is inviting the community to register for a free hot yoga session at the studio on Oct. 11, from 11 to 11:45 a.m.
SMART LANDSCAPE REBATE
How should the Santa Maria-Bonita district approach employees’ raise request?
44% Give at least an 8 percent raise— food service workers, custodians, etc., deserve more!
28% The current offer of 1 percent is adequate!.
28% It should stop giving raises to administrators until this is negotiated.
0% I don’t know; I don’t live in that district. 11 Votes Vote online at www.santamariasun.com.
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Rates, wildfires, and climate change
This state’s high utility bills are caused by the cost of fighting wildfires
BY GEORGE HANSEN
What do the Gifford Fire and our exorbitant electricity rates have in common?
It’s hotter and drier now, exacerbating both wildfires and the cost of electricity. Global warming, better known as global heating, has raised the frequency, size, and price tag of wildfires. In the early 1980s, the annual cost to Cal Fire to suppress California wildfires was $14 million. That’s increased to $3.7 billion for fire protection, resource management, and fire prevention as of 2021-22.
The cost to fight fires seriously impacts our electricity rates.
Electrical equipment causes less than 10 percent of wildfires, but those fires tend to happen during and because of heavy winds, so they end up accounting for roughly half of California’s most destructive fires. PG&E went into bankruptcy in part over its roughly $30 billion liability for wildfires in 2019.
2021 and 2024, PG&E buried 800 miles of power lines, at a cost of between $3 million and $4 million for each mile, with approval for $3.7 billion to bury another 1,230 miles of lines through 2026.
In order to halt the rising costs and destructiveness of wildfires, we need to stop global heating. That requires switching from gasoline and natural gas to electricity.
The cost to produce the energy itself is just a small fraction of the utility bill, regardless of the source.
From 2019 through 2023, the California Public Utilities Commission authorized PG&E, Southern California Edison, and San Diego Gas & Electric to charge $27 billion to ratepayers for wildfire prevention and insurance costs. More than half of the rate increase went for vegetation management and hardening the grid to prevent wildfires. Between
PG&E and the other utilities pass those costs to ratepayers. PG&E raised electricity rates 41 percent in the last three years and 101 percent in the last 10 years. The other utilities have also had similar expenses. The result is that California has the second highest electricity rates in the country, and one third of those utilities’ low-income customers fell behind in paying their power bills. A large part of those wildfires is caused by climate change. The trillions of tons of CO2 we’ve emitted into our atmosphere have trapped massive amounts of heat. This extra heat, in turn, has changed our weather patterns, making it generally hotter and dryer where we live. Each year, California now has 78 more hot, dry days primed for wildfires than we did 50 years ago. The dry vegetation has turned our forests into a giant tinderbox, and those fires have become more destructive and expensive.
Speak up! Send us your views and opinion to letters@santamariasun.com.
In order to halt the rising costs and destructiveness of wildfires, we need to stop global heating. That requires switching from gasoline and natural gas to electricity. EVs are already cheaper to own and operate in the long run, and heat pumps for home and water heating are on a par with natural gas, without the toxic
emissions that pollute our homes. However, up-front costs are prohibitive for some, and many just aren’t ready to make the leap from gas and gasoline to cleaner, more efficient electricity. So, in order to do that, we need to lower the cost of electricity so it becomes the obvious and accessible choice for more people. We can reduce our electricity rates by 10 percent by using more cap-and-trade revenue to increase the “climate credit” on our utility bills. Assembly Bill 745, currently in committee, aims to do that. We can effect a much larger rate reduction by taking the huge costs of wildfire prevention out of our utility bills. To do that, we may need to create a fee for developers who want to build at the wildland urban interface. That would shift the cost of fighting wildfires onto those building homes in harm’s way.
Ultimately, it’s not electricity itself that’s so expensive in California. It’s living in a state that is prone to wildfires, and we have been putting those wildfire costs into our electricity bills.
Let’s stop complaining about how much electricity costs in California and put the blame where it belongs—wildfires made worse by climate change. Then, we can address the root of the problem. m
George Hansen writes to the Sun from Arroyo Grande. Send a response for publication to letters@santamariasun.com.
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LETTER
Stop wringing your hands and do something!
We all know by now that the Republican Party is flailing. It has become a cult of spineless sycophants, kowtowing to a dictator, with no concern for its constituents. That’s not even debatable. So why is there no consistent protesting going? Big national, international rallies are great, but what are we doing between these events? Small protests attract more protesters who can participate on a more frequent basis.
Several times a week, I pull out my sandwich boards and go to the corner of Grand and Oak Park in Grover Beach to protest the orange dictator. When I do this—at the outlet mall, downtown Arroyo Grande, wherever there is traffic—I get primarily positive responses: thumbs up, go girl, etc. That’s great, but why am I out there alone? If you care, then why am I the only one protesting?
I realize that not everyone is retired like I am, but afternoons, weekends, holidays, or any hour you can find the time to speak out, do it! At 77, I am tired—I was there in the ’60s protesting the Vietnam War, protesting the threatened Iraq War in Santa Maria with Bill Denneen. Folks need to stop wringing their hands and get up and do something ! I am tired of trying to go it alone.
Remember Larry Kramer and his ACT UP group in the ’80s? Look it up; if not for the pressure of ACT UP, who knows when the government would have invested in AIDS research?
Nothing happens when we are divided and fail to unite and speak up.
Cathryn Sells Grover Beach
Maybe people can learn from their mistakes. That’s the impression I’m getting from Santa Barbara County’s recent encampment cleanups in both the Santa Maria and Santa Ynez riverbeds. Both have had their fair share of repeated efforts to clear out the trash, tents, and makeshift living structures that accumulate in the riverbeds over time thanks to a homeless population with nowhere else to go.
After spending $6 million in state grant funding and months attacking the issue, the county and other local agencies and nonprofits managed to move more than 100 people out of the Santa Maria Riverbed starting in 2024.
But after the money was spent and the cleanup was over, a handful of tents, tarps, and humans sprang up in the riverbed again— something that Santa Maria and the county are hoping to prevent from accumulating through consistent enforcement.
In September, the Board of Supervisors approved $42,000 to help Santa Maria fund a law enforcement position specifically for riverbed patrols.
“We want to make sure that when an area is resolved, it’s not repopulated, and we’re making some headway there,” Community Services Department Director Jésus Armas told the board on Sept. 23.
The money will be “very well spent,” 5th District Supervisor Steve Lavagnino said. “If you don’t have that ongoing maintenance and the eyes on it that it doesn’t get repopulated again, you’re going to end up in the same position three or four years down the road.”
All we have to do is look over to to see that. In 2018, Lompoc and the county
cleared more than 100 people encamped in the Santa Ynez Riverbed and millions of pounds of trash. It cost the city alone around $500,000— and together, agencies and nonprofits aimed to connect people with temporary housing, services, and jobs.
By 2020, Lompoc was already thinking it needed to go back in.
“Due to lack of investment in enforcement, unfortunately, the Police Department and homeless service outreach providers have reported the riverbed has been reinhabited with illegal campsites,” a city staff report stated at the time. Five years later, Lompoc and the county are at it again. After seven months of work, they’ve cleared about 85 structures out of the Santa Ynez riverbed and connected folks with shelter beds and services.
Taking a page out of the “We Learn From Our Mistakes” pamphlet, 3rd District Supervisor
Joan Hartmann is hoping the Lompoc situation will get a similar treatment to Santa Maria.
She said a memorandum of understanding is in the works between the county Sheriff’s Office and the Lompoc Police Department, which share jurisdiction within the Santa Ynez Riverbed.
The agreement is still being negotiated, so fingers crossed!
“Simply by moving people out of the riverbed, we’re not solving the issue. And I want to make that very clear,” Hartmann said. “There has to be ongoing monitoring and ongoing policing, and that did not happen after the first Santa Ynez Riverbed cleanup.”
There also has to be adequate housing. I guess that’s an issue for later? m
The Canary is always ready to talk about housing.
Hot Stuff
LOMPOC CHALKS
The sixth annual Lompoc Chalks event will kick off at the Lompoc Veterans Memorial Building on Friday, Oct. 17, from 5 to 8 p.m. The free community event will be held throughout the weekend, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Vibrant chalk art will color the pavement while crafts, entertainment, live music, vendors, and food and drink trucks will offer something for the whole family. More details can be found at lompoctheatre.org.
—Angie Stevens
ARTS
SANTA MARIA VALLEY/LOS ALAMOS
BALLROOM, LATIN, AND SWING DANCE
CLASSES Social ballroom, Latin, and swing lessons for all ages. 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. Everybody Can Dance, 628 S. McClelland St., Santa Maria, (805) 937-6753, everybodycandance.webs.com/. EVERY BRILLIANT THING See Every Brilliant Thing at the PCPA, by Duncan Macmillan, with Jonny Donahoe. Based on true and fictional stories, MacMillan’s play celebrates the power of resilience, the intricacy of mental health, and the extraordinary impact of ordinary joys. Oct. 9-26 $25. (805) 922-8313. pcpa. org. Severson Theatre, 800 S. College Dr., Santa Maria.
THE HUMANS Watch this production at the Santa Maria Civic Theatre. Get tickets and more details regarding showtimes at the link. Oct. 10-26 $17.91-$23.27. my805tix.com. Santa Maria Civic Theatre, 1660 N. McClelland St., Santa Maria.
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 VALLEY
“A PERSONAL POINT OF VIEW” THREE FRIENDS THREE STYLES ONE COLORFUL SHOW AT GALLERY LOS OLIVOS See A Personal Point of View — Gallery Los Olivos features watercolorist Karen McGaw, pastel artist Carrie Givens, and oil painter Renée Kelleher. Mondays-Sundays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. through Oct. 31 (805) 688-7517. GalleryLosOlivos.com. Gallery Los Olivos, 2920 Grand Ave., Los Olivos.
PAINTING IN THE VINEYARD AT KOEHLER WINERY Head to Santa Barbara County Wine Country to sip wine and paint amongst the picturesque Koehler Winery in Santa Ynez. Oct. 11 10 a.m.-2 p.m. $89. (805) 325-8092. artspotonwheels.com. Koehler Winery, 5360 Foxen Canyon Road, Los Olivos, California, 93441, United States, Los Olivos.
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, 2026 calnatureartmuseum.org/news/ wild-in-california-2025. California Nature Art Museum, 1511-B Mission Dr., Solvang.
LOMPOC/VANDENBERG
SIXTH ANNUAL LOMPOC CHALKS Don’t miss these three fun-filled days, devoted to colorful chalk art, live entertainment, youth activities, food trucks, and local vendors. Oct. 17 5-8 p.m., Oct. 18 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Oct. 19 10 a.m.-4 p.m. lompoctheatre.org/chalks. Lompoc Veterans Memorial Building, 100 E Locust Ave #102, Lompoc.
JOHN WATERS - THE NAKED TRUTH HALLOWEEN SHOW Numbskull presents John Waters - The Naked Truth Halloween Show. Oct. 19 8-10 p.m. $57 - $72. (805) 963-0761. lobero.org/. Lobero Theatre, 33 E. Canon Perdido, Santa Barbara.
SOUTH COAST SLO COUNTY
MURDER MYSTERY MYSTERY MURDER
- A PLAY BY BEN ABBOTT AGHS Theatre Company Presents: Murder Mystery Mystery Murder a play by Ben Abbott. Oct. 10 7-9 p.m., Oct. 11 7-9 p.m., Oct. 12 , 2-4 p.m., Oct. 16 7-9 p.m., Oct. 17 7-9 p.m. and Oct. 18 , 7-9 p.m. $17. (805) 489-9444. clarkcenter.org/. Clark Center for the Performing Arts, 487 Fair Oaks Ave., Arroyo Grande.
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.
EMBROIDERER’S GUILD OF AMERICA The Bishop’s Peak Chapter of the Embroiderer’s Guild of America invites you to attend its monthly meeting. Third Saturday of every month, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. through Nov. 15 Free. Grover Beach Community Center, 1230 Trouville Ave., Grover Beach.
EVERYDAY IMPROV: SKILLS FOR LIFE
These interactive, welcoming workshops use the tools of improvisational theater— like play, spontaneity, and “yes, and”—to build real-life skills for communication, confidence, and connection. Every other Sunday, 6-7:30 p.m. through Nov. 16 $15 each or $75 all. theagilemind.co/. Women’s Club of Arroyo Grande, 211 Vernon St., Arroyo Grande, (805) 270-5523.
HADESTOWN: TEEN EDITION Central Coast Theatre Company presents Hadestown: Teen Edition. Oct. 17, 7-9 p.m. and Oct. 18 2-4 & 7-9 p.m. $23.50. (805) 489-9444. clarkcenter.org/. Clark Center for the Performing Arts, 487 Fair Oaks Ave., Arroyo Grande.
SECOND SATURDAY IMPROV MEETUP
Have you ever wanted to try improv? Or are you an experienced player looking for opportunities to practice? Join to play short-form games and share smiles in the supportive environment of improv. Second Saturday of every month, 2-4 p.m. through Dec. 13 improvforgood.fun/. Flex Performing Arts Studio (Studio D), 1820 W. Grand Ave., Grover Beach.
SLO COUNTY OPEN STUDIOS TOURDESIGNS BY TINA LOUISE, STUDIO # 24 Join the SLO Open Studios Tour with jewelry artist and designer Tina Doherty of Designs by Tina Louise. Oct. 11 , 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Oct. 12 , 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. (805) 720-0582. Designs by Tina Louise, 2342 Brant Street, 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
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. Thursdays, 6-8 p.m. $40. Anam Cre Pottery Studio, 1243 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo, anamcre.com.
BUEN DIA MILONGA Nexus’s premier Argentine Tango social: Buen Dia Milonga is hosted by Rich Howe this October. Oct. 12 , 5-8 p.m. $10. nexusslo.com. Nexus SLO, 3845 S Higuera St.( Lower Level), San Luis Obispo, (805) 904-7428.
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.
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.
CLAY CLASS: PUMPKINS & GHOSTS!
Choose one of the following to create: pumpkins (2), ghosts (3) or any fall themed item. No experience necessary! Book on our website Mondays, 2-3:30 p.m. through Oct. 20 45.00. app.acuityscheduling.com/ schedule.php?owner=22676824&appoin tmentType=80951081. Anam Cre Pottery Studio, 1243 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo.
CUESTA DRAMA PRESENTS: JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH Join us in the Experimental Theater for this stage adaptation of Roald Dahl’s famous children’s novel. Oct. 9, 7:30 p.m., Oct. 10 7:30 p.m., Oct. 11 , 2 & 7:30 p.m., Oct. 12 2 p.m., Oct. 16 7:30 p.m., Oct. 17 7:30 p.m., Oct. 18 2 & 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 19, 2 p.m. $25 General, $20 Student w/ID. (805) 546-3198. Harold J. Miossi CPAC at Cuesta College, Highway 1, 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.
FAMILY FRIENDLY WORKSHOP: LARGE PLATTER CLASS 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. 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.
NARRATIVE ECHOES: RECENT ACQUISITIONS TO THE PRINT COLLECTION Highlighting newly acquired prints in conversation with artist books, this exhibition reflects stories that reverberate within our Cal Poly and SLO community. Mondays-Fridays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. through Dec. 12 Free. library.calpoly. edu/events/narrative-echoes. Cal Poly Special Collections and Archives, Robert E. Kennedy Library, 1 Grand Ave., Building 35, Room 409, San Luis Obispo, (805) 756-2305. OBJECT LESSONS IN OBSOLESCENCE (2005–2025) An installation of film and video works spanning two decades by collaborating artists Gibson + Recoder will be on display. Through Oct. 24 gibsonrecoder.com/2018/9/3/ r614ugvkhod6xtur8xi88dg7xbg0b6. Cal Poly University Art Gallery, Cal Poly Art & Design, 1 Grand Ave., San Luis Obispo, 93407-0321, San Luis Obispo, (805) 756-1571. PAINT A FALL WREATH WITH TISHA SMITH Instructor Tisha Smith will guide you step by step in painting a work of art which you can use to make cards, prints, etc. Oct. 9, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. $25. (805) 440-9048. i0.wp.com/artcentralslo. com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/FallWreath-Oct.jpg. Art Central, 1329 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo. PAINT A PREMADE POTTERY PIECE! Drop into the
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.
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.
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 (Congregational) of San Luis Obispo, 11245 Los Osos Valley Road, San Luis Obispo.
STORY PIRATES: THE AMAZING
ADVENTURE TOUR Featuring fan-favorite songs from the multi-award winning “The Story Pirates Podcast,” enjoy live improvised sketch comedy based on ideas from kids in the audience. Oct. 11 1 p.m. (805) 756-4849. calpolyarts. org/20252026-season/story-pirates.
Spanos Theatre, Cal Poly, 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.
NORTH COAST SLO COUNTY
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) 799-9632. costagallery.com. Costa Gallery, 2087 10th St., Los Osos.
LIVE PAINTING EVENT WITH MIKE
GOLLING Casa Ramos Art Gallery will host emerging impressionist Mike Golling during Open Studios Tours. Enjoy live painting &=and refreshments, while viewing work from the seven local artists featured. Oct. 11 10 a.m. and Oct. 12 10 a.m. Free. (805) 439-0306. losososart.com. Casa Ramos Art Gallery, 1034 Los Osos Valley Road, Los Osos.
MEET THE ARTISTS: ATUL PANDE, JAY STIELER, HOPE MYERS & CAROLE
MCDONALD AT THE OCTOBER OPENING RECEPTION IN GALLERY AT MARINA SQUARE Join for the Gallery at Marina Square Artists Reception to meet the artists and bring home some treasure. Oct. 11 3-5 p.m. Free. (805) 772-1068. galleryatmarinasquare.com. Gallery at Marina Square, 601 Embarcadero suite 10, Morro Bay.
SELF HELP See Self-Help by Norm Foster, directed by Lisa Woske at By The Sea Productions. Tickets and more details are available at the link. Oct. 10 7 p.m., Oct. 11 7 p.m., Oct. 12 3 p.m., Oct. 17 7 p.m., Oct. 18 7 p.m. and Oct. 19, 3 p.m. $28.62. my805tix.com. By The Sea Productions, 545 Shasta Ave., Morro Bay.
CULTURE & LIFESTYLE
SANTA MARIA VALLEY/LOS ALAMOS
D&D AND BOARD GAMES AT THE LIBRARY Tutorials and game materials are provided to new players, regardless of experience. Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Oct. 12 , 1-4:30 p.m. Free. (805) 925-0994. cityofsantamaria.org/services/ departments/library. Santa Maria Public Library, 421 S. McClelland St., Santa Maria. 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.
GROW NATIVE PLANTS SALE! Fall is the best time of the year to grow native plants. Join us in celebrating the beauty of native plants. Mondays-Wednesdays, Fridays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Thursdays, 12-3 p.m. and Saturdays, 12-1 p.m. through Oct. 31 Free. (805) 934-2182. growing-groundsfarm-santa-maria.square.site/. Growing Grounds Farm, 820 W. Foster Rd., Santa Maria.
ORCUTT MINERAL SOCIETY Second Tuesday of every month Oasis Center, 420 Soares Ave., Orcutt, (805) 937-9750.
SANTA MARIA COIN CLUB: MONTHLY MEETING Coin collectors of all ages invited. Bring coins for free appraisals. Third Wednesday of every month, 7 p.m. Yearly membership: $20-$25. (805) 937-
VINTERS FEST
Vega Vineyard and Farm in Buellton will host the 41st annual Santa Barbara Vintners Festival on Saturday, Oct. 18, from 1 to 4 p.m. Taste wines from more than 50 wineries and meet the winemakers and owners to hear their inside scoop. Experience a bubble lounge and indulge in delicious food from a selection of restaurants and local businesses. General admission tickets are $125. Additional details are available at sbvintnersweekend.com.
3158. Cornerstone Church, 1026 E. Sierra Madre Ave., Santa Maria.
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.
A TASTE OF OLD TOWN ORCUTT
Experience sips, small bites, samples, specials and fun in O’ Town, leaving full and happy! Get tickets to this 21+ event at the link. Oct. 11 , 1-4 p.m. $45. my805tix.com. Stellar Home, 255 Union Ave, Orcutt.
VALLEY READS BOOK CLUB The book selection for October is Dracula by Bram Stoker. Please call the reference desk at the number provided to reserve a seat. Oct. 11 , 2-3 p.m. Free. (805) 9250994. cityofsantamaria.org/services/ departments/library. Santa Maria Public Library, 421 S. McClelland St., Santa Maria.
SANTA YNEZ VALLEY
FAMILY COOKING CLASSES WITH A-Z COOKING SCHOOL Bring the family together to learn side-by-side how to prepare delicious meals. Classes are
tailored for children and teens with a family adult. Second Monday of every month, 5:30-7 p.m. through Nov. 10
Adults $33; Children 5-16 $23. (805) 214-1213. santaynezvalleygrange.org/ calendar/?month=7&yr=2025. Santa Ynez Valley Grange Hall, 2374 Alamo Pintado, Los Olivos.
GOING BATTY AT THE NEAL TAYLOR
NATURE CENTER Going Batty consists of a weekly talk and observation of local bats. Program times vary by week depending on the time of sunset. Fridays, Saturdays, 6-7 p.m. through Oct. 27 (805) 693-0691. clnaturecenter.org/going-batty/. Neal Taylor Nature Center, 2265 Highway 154, Santa Barbara.
POTION OF INTENTIONS: A BEWITCHING PERFUME-MAKING EXPERIENCE Blend rare botanicals, whisper your desire, and craft a bewitching perfume in a genie pendant — a spellbinding Halloween experience in Solvang. Oct. 19, 12-3 p.m. $145. (805) 886-5538. solaromatics.com. Final Girl Wines, 485 Alisal Road, unit 152, Solvang.
SANTA BARBARA VINTNERS FESTIVAL
In its 41st year, the Santa Barbara Vintners Festival is truly the Original Santa Barbara Wine Festival. Experience it for yourself! Oct. 18 1-4 p.m. $95-$175. (805) 688-0881. sbvintnersweekend.com/. Vega Vineyard and Farm, 9496 Santa Rosa Road, Buellton.
SANTA YNEZ VALLEY SCARECROW FEST Head to the 16th annual Solvang Scarecrow Fest, part of the larger SYV Scarecrow Fest, running through Oct. 31.
Solvang businesses and organizations will participate in the contest by featuring a scarecrow of their own creation posted at their location, upon which locals, tourists, and area merchants may vote. Through Oct. 31 Free. (805) 688-0701. syvscarecrows.com/. Solvang Chamber of Commerce, 485 Alisal Rd #245, Solvang.
SPEAKER SERIES: AUTHOR GARY ROBINSON Presented by Friends of the Buellton Library, this event is based on Robinson’s book, Warriors to Soldiers about Native Americans’ service in the United States Armed Forces. Oct. 11 7 p.m. Free.
The Solvang Farmer Pumpkin Patch will reopen for the 2025 season beginning on Sept. 26, growing more than 50 different varieties of pumpkins ranging in size from Wee-B-Littles up to several hundred pounds. The pumpkin patch also features a corn maze with a scavenger hunt for
hidden symbols throughout, as well as freshly-grown, freshly-popped popcorn and kettle corn. Through Nov. 2 Solvang Farmer Pumpkin Patch, 1035 Alamo Pintado Road, Solvang. LOMPOC/VANDENBERG
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. GO TO HALE QUIPS & CLIPS – MUSIC: ALL THE YEARS COMBINED Lobero LIVE and Panda Man present Go To Hale Quips & Clips – Music: All The Years Combined. Oct. 18 , 6:52-9 p.m. $30 - $75. (805) 9630761. lobero.org/. Lobero Theatre, 33 E. Canon Perdido, Santa Barbara. RANCH TABLE Hosted by Elizabeth Poett, enjoy a farm-to-table dinner inspired by her Ranch Table cookbook. Every ticket supports the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County. Oct. 11 , 4-8 p.m. $250. (805) 6980598. donate.foodbanksbc.org. Rancho San Julian, 6000 San Julian Rd, Lompoc. SOUTH COAST SLO COUNTY
ADVENTURES WITH NATURE- OCEANO’S BEAVERS Join State Park Docent Dan to learn about Oceano’s beavers and enjoy a walk around Oceano Lagoon. Space is limited. RSVP by calling the number provided. Oct. 11 10 a.m.-noon Free. (805) 474-2664. centralcoastparks.org/awn/. Oceano Dunes Visitor Center, 555 Pier Ave., Oceano.
BIG BOOK SALE This library book sale will feature paperbacks for 50 cents an inch, and hardbacks $1 an inch. The bag sale will begin at 1 p.m. for $2. Cash only. Oct. 11 9 a.m.-3 p.m. (805) 481-4131. Grover Beach Community Library, 240 N 9th St., Grover Beach.
CAT ADOPTION DAY Drop by to meet some fluffy cats available for adoption through the Cal Poly Cat Program. Say hello to your next fur-ever friend. Oct. 11 10 a.m.-2 p.m. monarchbooks805.com/ events. Monarch Books, 201 E. Branch St., Arroyo Grande.
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.
NIPOMO SENIOR CENTER MEMBERSHIP
SIGN-UP & POTLUCK
Bring a dish
to share and join for a potluck, along with general meeting updates and local informative guest speakers. Third Wednesday of every month, 12:30-2 p.m. (805) 929-1615. nipomoseniorcenter.org.
Nipomo Senior Center, 200 E. Dana St, Nipomo.
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
1ST ANNUAL HEARTS & HOOVES
FUNDRAISING GALA AT RANCHO
BURRO DONKEY SANCTUARY Join our
“Hearts and Hooves” Gala for an evening of dinner and auctions to support the lifelong care of rescued donkeys. Oct. 11 4:30-8:45 p.m. $150. (805) 710-8445. app.betterunite. com. Rancho Burro Donkey Sanctuary, 4855 Righetti Road, San Luis Obispo.
AI SEMINAR FOR SENIORS A senior will present the fundamentals of this daunting technology for those needing answers. Come learn, lament, and laugh about the limits of the limitless AI. Oct. 9, 1-2:30 p.m. Free. (805) 709-6234. Marty Mimmack, 1255 Orcutt Rd., SLO.
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.
CALIFORNIA RETIRED TEACHERS
ASSOC. DIVISION 23 LUNCHEON AND GENERAL MEETING K-12 and law school educator Howard Gillingham will help you understand the history, structure, and application today of the U.S. Constitution to be better informed. RSVP by Sept. 30. Oct. 9 10 a.m.-1 p.m. $25. (805) 748-6853. Madonna Inn, 100 Madonna Rd., San Luis Obispo.
CENTRAL COAST POLYAMORY Hosting a discussion group featuring different topics relating to ethical non-monogamy every month. Third Wednesday of every month, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Free. galacc.org/events/. Online, See website, San Luis Obispo.
CHICANOS AT CAL POLY: WHO WE ARE AND HOW WE SHOW UP This exhibition honors the history of Chicane students at Cal Poly, focusing on their expressions of cultural identity while recognizing the challenges of placemaking. MondaysFridays, 8 a.m.-8 p.m. through Dec. 12 Free. (805) 756-2305. library.calpoly.edu/ events/chicanos-cal-poly. Cal Poly, 1 Grand Ave., San Luis Obispo.
KCPR: THE MAGIC OF COLLEGE RADIO
This exhibition narrates a history of KCPR, Cal Poly’s home-grown radio station, focusing on the impact students have had building and sustaining the station.
Mondays-Fridays, 8 a.m.-8 p.m. through Dec. 12 Free. (805) 756-2305. library. calpoly.edu/events/magic-college-radio. Cal Poly, 1 Grand Ave., San Luis Obispo.
LGBTQ+ FED THERAPIST LEAD SUPPORT GROUP (VIRTUALLY VIA ZOOM) A pro-recovery group offering space to those seeking peer support, all stages of ED recovery. We understand recovery isn’t linear and judgment-free support is crucial. Share, listen, and be part of a community building up each other. Third Wednesday of every month, 7-8 p.m. Free. galacc.org/events/. Online, See website, San Luis Obispo. PLUG-IN TO LOCAL CLIMATE ACTION
Get inspired by local action, connect with others, and discover more ways to get involved with the SLO Climate Coalition. Attend virtually or in-person. Sustainable snacks and childcare will be provided. Third Thursday of every month, 6-8 p.m. sloclimatecoalition.org/events/. Ludwick Community Center, 864 Santa Rosa, San Luis Obispo.
RAISE A SMILE Join at Wolff Vineyards for wine, music, and a silent auction, raising funds to bring free dental care to uninsured adults through Noor Dental Clinic. This event is co-sponsored by the Wolff Vineyards & Central Coast Women’s League. Oct. 11 12-4 p.m. wolffvineyards.com. Wolff Vineyards, 6238 Orcutt Road, San Luis Obispo, (805) 781-0448.
heard, share your story, and hear stories that may sound surprisingly like your own. Second Tuesday of every month, 6-8 p.m. Free. GALA Pride and Diversity Center, 1060 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, (805) 541-4252.
NORTH COAST SLO COUNTY
END POLIO NOW: 5K WALK OR RUN The Cambria Rotary Club is asking you to help us raise vital funds that will eradicate and prepare us for a Polio free world. The event is a 5K walk or run, and will traverse Fiscalini Ranch from Shamel Park. Outstanding ocean views as you walk with family and friends. Oct. 11 , 9 a.m. $25. my805tix.com. Shamel Park, 5455 Windsor Blvd., Cambria.
SPIRITS OF THE SQUIBB HOUSES
Take an enchanted tour through the Squibb House gardens and meet the historical spirits of Cambria’s colorful past and previous owners. Proceeds go to Greenspace. Oct. 11 , 6-8 p.m. $25. (805) 927-9600. The Squibb Houses, 4063 Burton Dr., Cambria, squibbhouses.com.
WHIMSICAL WINTER WONDERLAND
SLO LIBRARY COMIX FAIR
Come to our free, family friendly Comic Book Fair. Meet artists, buy comics, and enjoy fun kids activities, an artist lecture, costume contests, and Magic the Gathering games. Oct. 11 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. (805) 781-5991. sanluisobispo.librarycalendar.com/event/ comix-fair-slo-library-2025-22543. San Luis Obispo Library Community Room, 995 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo. TECH BREW MEETUP Tech Brew is a free networking event where people interested in technology can hang out in an informal environment with a small TEDtalk-like presentation from an interesting speaker. Learn more online. Second Monday of every month, 5-7 p.m. (805) 323-6706. meetup.com/softec/. StoryLabs, 102 Cross St, Suite 220, San Luis Obispo.
TEEN MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT
GROUP Learn more about mental health and coping skills to help you through your journey towards wellness and recovery. Thursdays, 4:30-6 p.m. Free. (805) 5406576. t-mha.org. Hope House Wellness Center, 1306 Nipomo St., San Luis Obispo. TRANS* YOUTH PEER SUPPORT GROUP
This group is a safe place for trans* and gender non-conforming people, as well as those questioning, from ages of 11 to 18. A facilitated emotional support group to be
Step into the Whimsical Winter Wonderland at Cambria Nursery—where the magic of the season comes to life through light, design, and imagination. Through Jan. 15, 2026 (805) 927-4747. cambrianursery.com/events/. Cambria Nursery and Florist, 2801 Eton Rd., Cambria. ZONGO YACHTING CUP - 2025 Join for the Zongo Yachting Cup, where racers and cruisers will be making their way down to San Diego for the start of the Baja Haha. Your race entry includes complimentary dockage and mooring at Morro Bay Yacht Club, the Zongo Cup Launch Party, water taxi service in Port San Luis a post-race party at the Point San Luis Lighthouse, and trophies. Oct. 10-11 $50. my805tix.com. Morro Bay Yacht Club, 541 Embarcadero, Morro Bay, (805) 772-3981.
FOOD & DRINK
SANTA MARIA VALLEY/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.
JOIN THE MOVEMENT!
Hot Stuff
BOOKS GALORE
The Big Book Sale will occur on Saturday, Oct. 11, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Grover Beach Community Library, where a selection of paperback and hardcover novels will be for sale. A bag sale for $2 will begin at 2 p.m. The event is cash only. Visit groverbeachlibrary.org for more information.
FOOD & DRINK from page 15
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/.
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/.
SANTA YNEZ VALLEY
BATCH COOKING CLASS WITH A-Z
COOKING SCHOOL Work with seasonally available local produce, and learn a variety of techniques and recipes. Take home what you cook after this class, geared towards adults and teens, 14 years and older. Second Sunday of every month, 2-3:30 p.m. through Nov. 9 $55. (805) 214-1213. santaynezvalleygrange.org/mcevents/adult-and-teen-cooking-classeswith-a-z-cooking-school/?mc_id=222. Santa Ynez Valley Grange Hall, 2374 Alamo Pintado, Los Olivos.
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 COUNTY
MONTHLY FERMENTATION 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/. 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) 8016627. 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.
NAME THAT NOISE: MUSIC TRIVIA
A monthly special music-only trivia at Oak and Otter Brewing Co. Call ahead to reserve a table. Second Thursday of every month, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Oak and Otter Brewing, 181 Tank Farm Road, suite 110, San Luis Obispo, (805) 439-2529.
SAN LUIS OBISPO VEGAN CHEF
CHALLENGE Businesses across the region will showcase exciting special vegan menu items. This event is open
to everyone, not just vegans! Through Oct. 31 veganchefchallenge.org/slo/. At participating businesses, All over the region, San Luis Obispo, (480) 954-1257. SLO FARMERS MARKET Hosts more than 60 vendors. Saturdays, 8-10:45 a.m. World Market Parking Lot, 325 Madonna Rd., San Luis Obispo.
MUSIC
SANTA MARIA VALLEY/LOS ALAMOS HAPPY HOUR MUSIC SERIES Enjoy live music at the winery most Friday evenings. Check site for concert schedule. Fridays presquilewine.com. Presqu’ile Winery, 5391 Presqu’ile Dr., Santa Maria, (805) 937-8110. HAWAII IN OCTOBER Santa Maria Valley Senior Citizens presents a “Hawaii in October” dance with Riptide Big Band. Oct. 12 , 1:30-4 p.m. Free. (775) 813-5186. RiptideBB.com. Elwin Mussell Senior Center, 510 Park Ave., Santa Maria. LADIES NIGHT OUT Music by DJ Van Gloryious and DJ Panda. Features delicious daiquiri specials. Thursdays, 8 p.m.-midnight Roscoe’s Kitchen, 229 Town Center E, Santa Maria, (805) 623-8866. LIVE MUSIC AND FOOD BY LOBO BUTCHER SHOP Check out live music every Friday night from a variety of artists at Steller’s Cellar in Old Orcutt. Dinner served by Lobo Butcher Shop between 5 and 7:30 p.m. Fridays, 5-9 p.m. Varies according to food options. (805) 623-5129. stellerscellar.com. Steller’s Cellar, 405 E. Clark Ave., Orcutt. 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 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.
—A.S.
SANTA YNEZ VALLEY
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
FLEETWOOD MASK Honor the legacy of Fleetwood Mac’s 50year history with Fleetwood Mask on Friday, Oct. 17, at Lobero Theatre. Oct. 17 7:30-9:30 p.m. $42 - $62. (805) 963-0761. lobero.org/. Lobero Theatre, 33 E. Canon Perdido, Santa Barbara.
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 COUNTY
BLANK SPACE - THE UNOFFICIAL TAYLOR SWIFT TRIBUTE
STARRING OLIVIA MORETTI Clark Center Presents: BLANK
SPACE - The Unofficial Taylor Swift Tribute, starring Olivia Moretti. Oct. 11 2-3:30 & 7:30-9 p.m. $49-$69, Platinum $79; Senior & Student Discounts. (805) 489-9444. clarkcenter.org/. Clark Center for the Performing Arts, 487 Fair Oaks Ave., Arroyo Grande.
CENTRAL COAST HARMONY CHORUS INVITES SINGERS TO JOIN FOR HOLIDAY PERFORMANCES Men and women are invited! No prior experience is necessary - just a love of music.
Call or email for more information. Thursdays, 6:30-8:30 p.m. through Dec. 18 $20. (805) 736-7572. ccharmony.org. Nipomo Senior Center, 200 E. Dana St., Nipomo.
KARAOKE EVERY WEDNESDAY A weekly event with barbecue offerings and more. Wednesdays, 4-8 p.m. Rancho Nipomo BBQ, 108 Cuyama Ln., Nipomo, (805) 925-3500.
THE LOUNGE AT BESO An upscale after-hours nightclub experience. With limited capacity and a dress code. For ages 21 and over. Fridays, 10 p.m. my805tix.com. Beso Cocina, 1050 Willow Road, Nipomo.
MUSIC WITH A VIEW - OPEN GATES AT THE CHAPMAN
ESTATE GARDEN Enjoy Open Gates at the seaside Chapman Estate in Shell Beach. Bring a picnic dinner and music, tables, chairs, and views will be supplied. Docent-led garden tours are available. Fridays, 5-7:30 p.m. through Oct. 24 $5/person + $5 for Docent tours (optional). chapmanestatefoundation.org/. Chapman Estate, Private residence, Shell Beach.
REELIN’ IN THE YEARS - CELEBRATING THE MUSIC OF STEELY DAN Minerva Presents: Reelin’ in the YearsCelebrating the Music of Steely Dan. Oct. 9 7:30-9:30 p.m. $39-$65. (805) 489-9444. clarkcenter.org/. Clark Center for the Performing Arts, 487 Fair Oaks Ave., Arroyo Grande.
SAN LUIS OBISPO
ALBA FRANCO-CANCÉL RECITAL OF LATIN AMERICAN ART
SONG The guest soprano will present a program featuring works from Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, Mexico, Peru, and Puerto Rico. Paul Woodring will accompany on piano. Oct. 16 11:10 a.m. Free. (805) 756-2406. music.calpoly.edu/calendar/ special/#franco. Cal Poly Davidson Music Center, Room 218, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.
THE EMO NIGHT TOUR The Emo Night Tour Band will play some of the biggest emo songs in existence with the ENT DJ’s spinning all the angst your teenage dirtbag heart desires all night long. Oct. 11 8 p.m. $27.78. fremontslo.com. The Fremont Theater, 1035 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo, (805) 546-8600. FOR THE LOVE OF MUSIC Enjoy an afternoon of beautiful music, featuring Peter Girardot on tenor, Beverly Arnold on harp, Nancy Nagano on cello, and Jim Riccardo on violin. Oct. 12 , 2:30 p.m. Free. (805) 550-3529. morrobayumc.org. San Luis Obispo United Methodist Church, 1515 Fredericks Street, San Luis Obispo.
LUCÍA Winner of the 2022 Sarah Vaughan Jazz Vocal Competition, blends jazz and Latin influences. Her debut showcases stunning vocals and a style redefining global jazz. Oct. 9, 7:30 p.m. (805) 756-4849. calpolyarts.org/20252026season/lucia. Spanos Theatre, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.
PLAY IT FORWARD AT THE ROCK Experience Play it Forward at The Rock, an exciting public celebration featuring local artists in celebration of our wonderful donors and community here on the Central Coast. Proceeds will directly support CAPSLO’s local programs, including the 40 Prado Homeless Services Center—a year-round facility offering shelter, meals, medical care, case management, and more for those experiencing homelessness. Your support helps sustain vital services that move individuals and families toward health, stability, and long-term self-sufficiency. Oct. 11 7-10 p.m. $10-$30. my805tix.com. Rod & Hammer Rock, 855 Aerovista Pl., San Luis Obispo, (805) 543-1843.
THE SPICY SINGER The Spicy Singer is a game show where contestants must beat the heat by singing through it. Watch artists sing their heart out for a cash prize and a chance to be this episodes “Spicy Singer”. Oct. 18 8-10 p.m. $9.34. libertinebrewing.com/. Libertine Brewing Company, 1234 Broad St., San Luis Obispo, (805) 548-2337. m
WELCOME TO THE SOUNDTRACK OF FREEDOM
JEFFERSON STARSHIP
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17 / 8PM
TICKETS START AT $29
VOZ DE MANDO AND LOS NUEVOS REBELDES
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7 / 8PM
TICKETS START AT $49
DSB WORLDS GREATEST JOURNEY TRIBUTE BAND
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21 / 8PM TICKETS START AT $25
COLBIE CAILLAT AND
GAVIN DEGRAW
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12 / 8PM
TICKETS START AT $59
ARTS BRIEFS
Art Spot hosts two more Paint in the Vineyard sessions this year
Enjoy an afternoon sipping on a glass of red or white while working some magic with a paintbrush in Santa Barbara County wine country.
Art Spot on Wheels is set to host two more Paint in the Vineyard events this year.
Hit the Koehler Winery vineyards on Oct. 11 from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. for a painting session among rolling hills at 5360 Foxen Canyon Road in Los Olivos. The event is almost sold out, but tickets are still available for future sessions.
On Oct. 25, Buttonwood Farm and Vineyard will host painters from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 1500 Alamo Pintado Road in Solvang.
“Our painting in the vineyard classes provide a beautiful, stress-free environment that will both inspire your creative spirit and indulge the wine-lover in you,” according to Art Spot’s website.
Christi Belle, the organization’s owner and founder, is looking forward to planning more events for next year including indoor events this winter, Belle said in an email to the Sun
Buy tickets online for $89, which include art materials, step-by-step painting instruction, and wine tasting. Beginners and experienced painters are welcome to attend.
Call the Art Spot at (805) 325-8092 or email info@ artspotonwheels.com for more information about the organization’s events.
Santa Maria library hosts monthly book club meetings
Book clubs for adults at the Santa Maria Public Library cater to readers who enjoy all genres. Monthly discussions are held in the library’s learning loft and include light refreshments.
The Junk Journal Book Club combines reading with crafting, giving members the opportunity to discuss novels of different genres and journal with craft materials. On Oct. 18 at 3 p.m. the club will discuss The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern. Next month, The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley will be the topic of discussion at the Nov. 15 meeting.
For fans of romance novels, the Flirty Fiction Book Club is set to meet at 5:15 p.m. on Oct. 20 and Nov. 17. In October it’ll discuss Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison and Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld in November.
The Valley Reads group will meet on Nov. 22 at 2 p.m. to discuss Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. Call (805) 925-0994 to register. Participants must be 18 years or older. Follow the library on Instagram @santamaria_ publiclibrary for updates. The library is located at 421 S. McClelland St. in Santa Maria. m
Showtime! Send gallery, stage, and cultural festivities to mwhite@santamariasun.com.
Chalkers unite
Lompoc Chalk Festival draws professional and amateur artists
BY MADISON WHITE
Katherine Taylor can look at an animal and imagine it talking. The skill has helped the illustrator and muralist create her original creatures with human emotion, namely humor, which comes from the animals’ eyes.
“You can’t do funny without having a great eye. It just doesn’t work if the eye’s flat,” Taylor told the Sun. “You have to put a soul behind it.”
As she put it, her work is big, silly, and fun. She’s known for drawing bugs, reptiles, amphibians, and fish because she likes the texture of their skin.
“I know it’s weird,” she added.
Taylor is going to make her third appearance at the annual Lompoc Chalk Festival. She said she’s done nine chalk festivals this year. In Pasadena she made a “giant weenie dog,” in Palo Alto a lizard, and a porcupine in Zion National Park.
“The purpose of my work is to create spontaneous smiles that make the world happier,” Taylor said.
Local kids and experienced professionals will participate in the festival from Oct. 17 to 19, filling in their concrete squares at the Veterans Memorial Building. “Chalkers” will travel from as far as Southern California and San Francisco for the festival. The weekend is set to feature entertainment, food, and plenty of chalk.
Taylor plans to spend 16 hours during the weekend on her Lompoc square, but the hours started accumulating before the festival. She starts off visualizing a concept, then repeatedly draws it on her iPad. Sometimes she prints out the digital drawing to bring to a festival, but she usually has the drawing memorized. Taylor compared her process to the way some musicians learn music by ear, except she is visual.
“Most people use a grid. … They look at a photo. It’s very planned out,” Taylor said. “Mine is very planned out in my brain.”
Chalking is easy for Taylor once she’s down on the ground.
“I don’t find any of it difficult,” she said.
The only issues she runs into are with the weather. Spending hours in the heat takes a toll, like when she did the Zion festival. At the same time, she likes being out in the elements and the sport-like nature of chalking.
“Chalkers are the athletes of the art world,” Taylor said.
Festivals are kind of like tournaments, lasting for days and exposing artists to the elements. Taylor thinks chalkers have similar mentalities to athletes. They wake up early, stay focused, work within time limits, and ultimately want to have fun.
“It’s a solo sport, but we’re also all a really loving, supportive community,” Taylor said.
Artists help each other tighten up certain designs and photograph each other’s work.
Community also builds between the chalkers and onlookers.
“People love seeing the pieces come alive,” Taylor said.
In a large-brimmed cowboy hat, Taylor is usually easy to spot.
Chalk it up
She likes to talk with people walking by, so much so that fellow artists tell her, “Less talk, more chalk.”
Taylor admitted that she sometimes talks too much, but she likes engaging with visitors.
“You get to interact with people,” Taylor said. “That’s the fun part.”
The festival, organized by the Lompoc Theatre Project, is slated to welcome more than 40 professional artists. Barbara Satterfield, the board president, said roughly half of them are new to the Lompoc festival.
“It’s grown into a really nice community event,” Satterfield said.
The weekend begins on Oct. 17 with a reception for the artists and sponsors. The next morning, artists start arriving at 8 a.m. to begin chalking. Craft booths, food trucks, entertainment, and the silent auction take place between 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. At the kids’ corner, chalk squares and face painting are free.
Activities will start again at 10 a.m. on Oct. 19 and go until 4 p.m. Artists finish their squares, but the artwork typically lasts long after.
In past years, the festival was held at the airport, but this is the first year it’s moved to the Veterans Memorial Building. In a new location, it’s unclear how long the art will remain.
“Either we’ll power wash it off if the venue requires that,” Satterfield explained, “but at the airport we could just leave it, and it would be there for weeks. Literally.” m
PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRISTI BELLE
Staff Writer Madison White at mwhite@santamariasun.com.
EYE-CATCHING: Katherine Taylor travels to participate in chalk festivals and paints murals and other public art. In August she created a giant lizard at a Palo Alto festival in collaboration with artist Joe Mandrick.
COURTESY PHOTO BY GRACIELLA RODRIGUEZ
PHOTO BY MADISON WHITE
PHOTO COURTESY OF BARBARA SATTERFIELD
GET YOUR HANDS DIRTY: Delphine Anaya will be attending the Lompoc Chalk Festival for the sixth year in a row, according to event organizer Barbara Satterfield. The festival is known to attract professional artists from all over California.
IMAGE COURTESY OF KATHERINE TAYLOR
FROM IPAD TO CONCRETE: At the Lompoc Chalk Festival, Katherine Taylor will draw a fish and turtle in her square. She makes digital drawings first and re-creates them enough times that she can draw it on the ground from memory.
The Lompoc Chalk Festival will be held at the Lompoc Veterans Memorial Building (100 E. Locust Ave.) from Oct. 17 to 19. Sign up online to sponsor the event, which is free to the public. Follow Katherine Taylor on Instagram @poetry_frog or visit poetryfrog.com.
All too human
Writer-director Benny Safdie (Uncut Gems, Good Time) helms this biopic about pioneering mixed-martial arts and two-time UFC champion Mark Kerr (Dwayne Johnson). (123 min.)
Glen: “Human cockfighting” was the pejorative du jour used to criticize the mixed martial arts (MMA) fights of the 1990s, and this gritty biopic does nothing to soften that perception. What these guys do to each other is ghastly, but Safdie’s script goes a long way in helping us understand who guys like Kerr and his bestie, Mark Coleman (played with surprising nuance by real life MMA fighter Ryan Bader), are and what drives them to compete. Kerr is portrayed as a gentle giant, and Johnson disappears into the character under some facial prosthetics, but there’s no mistaking Johnson’s imposing physicality. The dude’s a straight-up monster. The film also dives into the often-rocky relationship between Kerr’s girlfriend and later wife, Dawn Staples (Emily Blunt). The film also stars former MMA fighter Bas Rutten as himself. Like Darren Aronofsky’s 2008 Mickey Rourke film, The Wrestler, Safdie takes us behind the scenes of a very unseemly form of “entertainment.”
THE SMASHING MACHINE
What’s it rated? R
What’s it worth, Anna? Full price
What’s it worth, Glen? Full price
Where’s it showing? Regal Edwards RPX Santa Maria, Movies Lompoc, Regal Edwards Arroyo Grande, Fair Oaks Theatre
Anna: Admittedly, this sport just isn’t my scene, but it’s always interesting to get into
THE PAPER
What’s it rated? TV-14
When? 2025
Where’s it showing? Peacock
Greg Daniels, creator of The Office has given fans of the iconic show a treat with this follow-up mockumentary series, The Paper Our documentary team from 20 years ago is now in the Midwest following scrappy local newspaper the Toledo Truth Teller
The first episode is also the first day for the paper’s new editor-in-chief, Ned (Domhnall Gleeson). His arrival is much to the chagrin of Esmerelda (Sabrina Impacciatore), the managing editor who’s gotten a little too comfortable at the boss’s desk in his absence.
There’s one familiar face in the crowd: Oscar Martinez (Oscar Nunez) is an employee at the Truth Teller, and he’s less than thrilled to be filmed once again. There’s also Mare (Chelsea Frei), the paper’s compositer, who Ned quickly falls for.
The beauty of The Office is that it’s an ensemble show, and The Paper is doing its darndest to be the same collaborative type of comedy. I heard that it’s already been renewed for a second season, and I see why. It’s charming and familiar and a great dose of 30-minute fun. The whole first season is out, so you can easily make this one a binge watch. (Ten 26- to 32-min. episodes) —Anna
the heads of people who do things that I would never do and find the common threads of humanity. Kerr had a rocky road; his relationship with Dawn was hot and cold and he found himself in the throes of addiction to opiates. It nearly took the giant down, but once he was able to get sober, he faced all new battles. Would he be able to win back his audience? Would he be able to live with Dawn whose temper and new sense of adrift-ness from being Kerr’s caretaker were exploding all over? The guy Johnson is portraying seems genuinely sweet, and I loved the friendship portrayed between Kerr and Coleman, another fighter and a constant life raft for Kerr. I don’t necessarily like to watch the fighting, but Safdie’s tale is mostly about the humans and their lives outside of the ring. Glen: Ultimately, Kerr’s story is a sad one. We do see at the end he’s alive and well and living in Arizona. The good news is he’s a survivor, but there’s no sense of triumph. This story is based on the 2002 HBO documentary The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr One thing the documentary got into that this drama only nods to is how the MMA rules were changed due to Kerr’s ability to end fights quickly with his signature weapons (headbutts and knees to the head of grounded opponents). Fight organizers wanted the fights to last
longer for TV audiences. In 2019, Kerr started a GoFundMe page, revealing he was battling peripheral neuropathy. I’m not sure there are any winners in sports like MMA and/or boxing.
Anna: I agree. You would think with the amount of evidence we have about the devastation of chronic traumatic encephalopathy that many of these sports would lose both participants and viewers, but they seem more popular than ever. The prize for the big fight that Kerr is preparing for in the film is $200,000, and the film lets
LITTLE BIG MAN
What’s it rated? PG-13
When? Monday, Oct. 13, at 5:30 p.m.
Where’s it showing? The Bay Theatre of Morro Bay
Arthur Penn (The Left Handed Gun Bonnie and Clyde The Missouri Breaks) directs Calder Willingham’s screenplay based on Thomas Berger’s 1964 novel of the same name about Jack Crabb (Dustin Hoffman), who lives through a series of Wild West misadventures. The film is framed as a 121-year-old Crabb narrates his life story to a historian (William Hickey) as his memories play out in flashback.
We meet Crabb in 1859 as a 10-year-old surviving an Indian massacre. Through his long life, he’s taken in by the Cheyenne and raised by tribal leader Old Lodge Skins (Chief Dan George). Later he returns to “white” society and goes through a series of reinventions including an apprentice snake oil salesman, a gunslinger, a merchant, a muleskinner, a trapper, and a hermit. We follow as he meets Wild Bill Hickok (Jeff Corey) and George Armstrong Custer (Richard Mulligan). The sweeping revisionist Western epic also stars Faye Dunaway, Martin Balsam, and M. Emmet Walsh.
The tall tale mixes farce with (often inaccurate) history and is consistently amusing as it follows the less-than-brave
us know that now fighters can make millions from fights. Hopefully the success of this film and the fame of Dwayne Johnson will trickle its way down to the real people portrayed in The Smashing Machine. At least it got their story out there to people like me who know nothing of this world or those in it. m
New Times Arts Editor Glen Starkey and freelancer Anna Starkey write Sun Screen. Comment at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
THE FIGHT GAME: (Left to right) Bas Rutten (playing himself), Ryan Bader (as Mark Coleman), Dwayne Johnson (as Mark Kerr), and Emily Blunt (as Dawn Staples) star in The Smashing Machine, screening in local theaters.
exploits of Crabb as it re-examines Old West mythology. It’s also notable, for its humanizing portrayal of Native American culture. (139-min.) m
PHOTO COURTESY OF PEACOCK
THE OFFICE REDUX: Like The Office, The Paper features an ensemble cast being followed by a documentary film crew, streaming on Peacock.
THE SODA POP KID: Dustin Hoffman stars as Jack Crabb, who at the ripe old age of 121 narrates his life story to a historian in Arthur Penn’s 1970 classic revisionist Western, Little Big Man, screening on Oct. 13, in the Bay Theatre.
‘On the map’
A Grover Beach chef, who competed on national TV, is gearing up for the next phase in his career
BY MADISON WHITE
When the Food Network called chef Jacob Town, he thought it was the greatest gift he’d ever received during his 30 years in the industry. After a two-hour interview and a couple of days in limbo, Town and his wife, Brooke, found out their restaurant, The Spoon Trade, was cast on season 49, episode 11, of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, a show hosted by Guy Fieri
In March last year, the restaurant shut down for two days to film hours of content in the dining room and kitchen. Crew members filmed and photographed everything about the food, down to the spatulas and equipment required to cook it, Town remembered.
“There is an energy to people that are that famous,” Town said. “It is cool to have somebody like that here.”
He said Fieri genuinely loved The Spoon Trade’s featured dishes, a bologna sandwich and chicken and dumplings. Part of the restaurant’s draw is homemade ingredients like bologna, American cheese, and burger buns.
Since the episode aired in September 2024, Town has welcomed customers who discovered the restaurant from the show. One time, he recalled, a guest came in because they saw Town’s episode on TV in their nearby hotel room.
“It’s been amazing to put Grover Beach on the map,” Town said about the national spotlight.
After appearing on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Town competed and won two episodes of Guy’s Grocery Games. Then Fieri handed over an invitation to the Tournament of Champions, a special moment for Town.
Rise and shine
Grover Beach Sourdough, located at 236 W. Grand Ave., is open from Wednesday to Sunday between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. or until it sells out. Follow the bakery on Instagram @ groverbeachsourdough.
“They aired that part, and that was 30 seconds of national television dedicated just to me and that moment, and they didn’t have to do that,” Town said. “I just felt really recognized by them.”
This year, Town’s episodes finished airing not long after he celebrated the 10th anniversary of opening The Spoon Trade. Then a developer bought the building, and Town planned to downsize the restaurant into the space beside Grover Beach Sourdough, the couple’s bakery across the street.
However, on Oct. 5, Town made the formal decision to close the restaurant for the remainder of the year due to financial reasons. After that, he and his wife will decide whether they want to reopen The Spoon Trade and combine it with
NATIONAL STAGE: In 2024 Jacob Town competed on Food Network shows hosted by Guy Fieri. Town won two episodes of Guy’s Grocery Games, earning himself a spot in a Tournament of Champions contest.
FLAVORTOWN: Jacob and Brooke Town welcomed Guy Fieri to their Grover Beach restaurant, The Spoon Trade, to film an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives in March 2024. The restaurant recently closed after a decade of serving the community.
SCORED AND PROOFED: Grover Beach Sourdough, run by Jacob and Brooke Town, uses the original sourdough starter from when it opened to make bread, bagels, pretzels, burger buns, and more.
Grover Beach Sourdough like they originally intended.
“The hardest part was getting through our last service [that] night and serving our last plate of food,” Town said.
Despite the changes, Town said he’s looking forward to the next chapter. In the coming months he’ll decide if he wants to expand the bakery to include some of The Spoon Trade’s signature dishes.
“We’re going to have a real hard time not serving chicken and dumplings and bologna and tri-tip tartare,” Town said.
Since opening in 2017, Grover Beach Sourdough’s menu has grown to include baguettes, pretzels, bagels, and six types of sourdough. Also featured are buttermilk biscuits, brown butter cookies, bread pudding, and brioche buns.
For the rest of the year, Town will focus on production at Grover Beach Sourdough. With seasonal options like stuffing kits and pumpkin cheesecakes, the holidays are the bakery’s “Superbowl.”
Town said The Spoon Trade’s legacy will live on through him and his wife no matter what ventures they pursue in the future.
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“We’re also extremely excited for the future,” Town said. “This is an opportunity for us to close the door and open another one.” m Send sourdough slices to Staff Writer Madison White at mwhite@ santamariasun.com.
KNEAD A LOAF? Six variations of sourdough bread are baked and sold at Grover Beach Sourdough. Select from flavors like cheddar, garlic, and rosemary.
