Santa Ynez Valley News · Nipomo, CA
After more than six decades of welcoming families to pick out Christmas trees, enjoy hot cocoa and make holiday memories, Holloway’s Christmas Tree Farm is preparing for its final season under the Holloway family.For co-owners Carl and Deborah Holloway, retirement follows years of operating the family business and an unsuccessful effort to find someone to carry on its Christmas tree tradition.Established in 1962 by Carl’s father, Delmer Holloway, the farm at 561 S. Oak Glen Ave. became a longtime holiday destination for generations of Central Coast families.When the couple announced their retirement plans in 2025, they initially hoped to sell the business to someone who would continue its operations.“We saw that a young group could come in and really put some energy into the farm and take it to the next level. That’s where it was ready to go, but it didn’t happen,” Carl said. A family walks through trees Sunday at Holloway's Christmas Tree Farm in Nipomo in 2025.
Lompoc Record · Santa Maria, CA
Nearby: Santa Maria, CAFuture for Lompoc Youth has received a $74,000 donation from CoastHills Credit Union following the 17th annual Rancho Vino fundraiser held Sept. 19 at Presqu’ile Winery in Santa Maria.
Santa Maria Sun · Santa Maria, CA
Nearby: Santa Maria, CAThree candidates vied for a seat on the Santa Maria Public Airport District board, including incumbent Michael B. Clayton. The local attorney garnered 3,390 votes—or 43 percent—of the 8,512 ballots tallied, as of Nov. 10. U.S. Army veteran Alejandro Arredondo led by 126 votes, scoring 45 percent of the votes counted, with 3,516 total. The Santa Barbara County’s Elections Division will issue updates on new vote counts Tuesdays and Thursdays around 3 p.m. Airport District Division 4 has about 17,600 eligible voters. In 2022, the last time Clayton ran, voter turnout in his race was a little more than 50 percent. Arredondo told the Sun that regardless of how the final election results turn out, he’ll continue advocating for what he wants to see implemented at Santa Maria’s airport in the future. “For the last 37 years, my family’s owned and operated a business here at the airport.
New Times · Pismo Beach, CA
Nearby: Pismo Beach, CAPismo Beach City Councilmember Scott Newton is the frontrunner to be the city’s next mayor, according to the latest vote counts in San Luis Obispo County’s election. A supporter of the Central Coast Blue project, Newton’s served on the City Council since 2020. As of Nov. 10, he’d won almost 68 percent of the vote share, widening the margin between himself and his most vocal challenger, Cynthia Replogle. Replogle earned 27 percent of the votes, while the third candidate, Shelby Bowen, won 5 percent. Newton didn’t respond to New Times by press time. On Facebook, he celebrated his early lead hours after polls closed on Nov. 3. “Thank you to the voters of Pismo Beach, the early results are looking extremely promising,” his Nov. 4 post read. He’s endorsed by Mayor Ed Waage, fellow Councilmembers Mary Ann Reiss and Marcia Guthrie, and the Republican Party of SLO County.
Buffalo News · San Luis Obispo, CA
Nearby: San Luis Obispo, CAA Lee Enterprises, Incorporated newspaper. Majority shareholder: David Hoffmann, Hoffmann Media Group. The designation comes months after a family unearthed apparent industrial waste digging for a pool near Love Canal. Tests found unsafe lead and hexavalent chromium levels in their backyard soil. Nov 13, 2026• 3 min read Mackenzie Shuman Environment and climate reporter Share Copy Link Email Facebook Bluesky Post Print After months of public outcry over possible pollution near Love Canal, the state will investigate a Niagara Falls neighborhood for hazardous waste. New York State has declined requests even after a family living about 100 yards north of the former dumpsite discovered contaminated fill in i… Digging for a pool for their three young children in July, the McKiernans discovered industrial waste in their backyard. See DEC soil test res… The U.S.
Times West Virginian · San Luis Obispo, CA
Nearby: San Luis Obispo, CAOne person has died in an E. coli outbreak that spread at a pumpkin farm in San Luis Obispo County last month, health officials confirmed Tuesday.
Pacific Coast Business Times · San Luis Obispo, CA
Nearby: San Luis Obispo, CABy Stephen Ellison Special to the Business Times Economic growth in San Luis Obispo County has slowed compared with growth in neighboring counties, as well as statewide, and lack of housing is a key reason, according to economists at the Central Coast Economic Forecast event Nov. 6 in San Luis Obispo. While there have been positives in recent years – rising household incomes, gains in tourism and continued operations at the Diablo Canyon Power Plant – SLO County’s gross domestic product (GDP) has lagged since around the mid-2010s, according to data presented at the event. Before that divergence, the county’s GDP was on the same gradual trajectory as California’s. Some of the bad news includes a shrinking labor force, stalled population growth and declining small businesses, according to Niree Kodaverdian, a research manager with Beacon Economics. Kodaverdian and her colleagues agreed there is potential for greater economic growth in the years to come if more housing is built.
Santa Maria Sun · Lompoc, CA
Nearby: Lompoc, CAAfter five years as a Lompoc City Council member, it looks like Jeremy Ball will serve his town as mayor. “It’s just really great that a lot of people have put their trust in a new direction,” Ball told the Sun. He had 61 percent of votes counted as of Nov. 10. Sitting Mayor Jim Mosby had accumulated 38.3 percent. The margin was 2,018 votes. Running on a “laser focused” goal to make Lompoc “a little bit more attractive,” Ball said his campaign resonated with voters without necessarily being politically charged. He thinks residents want to take more pride in their city. “I think a lot of people share that understanding that Lompoc has so much potential but at the same time just watching nothing happen,” Ball said. “I think a lot of people just want to see what happens if we shoot for the stars and get halfway there. What might that look like?
Santa Maria Sun · Lompoc, CA
Nearby: Lompoc, CAAndrew Velikanje and the group he created have removed around 700,000 pounds of trash from the Central Coast in the past six years. “Most of that is ocean-bound waterways, too,” Velikanje told the Sun. “It’s amazing to think how much trash that would look like if it was above ground, … how big it looks underwater.” Collective cleanups To learn more about Heal the Ocean’s and Earthcomb’s missions and ongoing projects throughout the Central Coast, visit healtheocean.org and earthcomb.org. For him and the small team at Earthcomb, every day that they increase the total number is a good day. In October, the organization removed nearly 37,000 pounds of trash and hazardous materials from Lompoc’s Santa Ynez Riverbed thanks to financial support from Heal the Ocean. Some of the help came from two unhoused individuals. Velikanje was homeless from 2017 to 2020, he said, and he remembered being embarrassed after moving into an encampment on a beach that was littered with trash.
Santa Maria Sun · Lompoc, CA
Nearby: Lompoc, CAThere is a pungent odor in Lompoc, and it isn’t from the broccoli fields after they have been mowed and before they are plowed under to enrich the soil. Several months ago, one of the City Council members was charged with multiple felonies related to his applications for utility rebates. Then the council was informed that there had been other errors in the rebate program. Following these charges, the Santa Maria Times reports that “the city hired RSG under a contract of up to $38,895” at the City Council’s direction to conduct an impartial review (“Lompoc utility rebate review finds recordkeeping deficiencies, urges tighter oversight,” Oct. 20). The innocent explanation is that they were exercising their oversight responsibilities and simply wanted to know how many other applications were defective, since an in-house review had already identified about a dozen erroneous submittals.
Santa Ynez Valley News · Lompoc, CA
Nearby: Lompoc, CARenovation work at the historic H Street Lompoc Theatre building continues with the completion of a major roof replacement, asbestos abatement and removal of the original stage as part of the project's Phase II efforts.The roof job, which included retrofitting, cost $850,000, finished ahead of the rainy season, and came in below budget, according to Mark Herrier, executive director of the Lompoc Theatre Project (LTP). The group intends to direct the remaining funds to other restoration tasks, he said.Crews have also cleared out the last asbestos from the structure, and excavation has begun around the theater’s foundation to prepare for seismic retrofits.Inside the building, workers have taken out the original stage as preparations continue for a new one. Basement work and wall work are also in progress, and several original stage components, fixtures, and architectural elements have been gathered for preservation.
Santa Ynez Valley News · Buellton, CA
Nearby: Buellton, CAUpdated vote totals Thursday for Lompoc and the Santa Ynez Valley saw one candidate’s lead widen, another's narrow and a change in the order of candidates competing for three seats on the Los Olivos Community Services District board.In Lompoc City Council District 2, Sharlameigne Segovia widened her lead over incumbent Victor Vega. Segovia received 915 votes, or 50.75%, in the latest count, compared with Vega’s 877 votes, or 48.64%. Segovia led by 12 votes in Tuesday’s update; the Thursday count increased her margin to 38 votes.In the Santa Ynez Valley, Mark Williams maintained his lead over Billy Silvola in the Buellton City Council District 1 race, although the margin narrowed. Williams had 456 votes, or 51.35%, compared with Silvola’s 429 votes, or 48.31%. Williams’ lead decreased from 32 votes Tuesday to 27 votes Thursday.The latest count also changed the order of candidates in the Los Olivos Community Services District race, where voters are choosing three directors.