Santa Barbara County
Winds prompt air quality watch
High winds have increased particle levels in Santa Maria and Santa Barbara and the county Public Health Department and the county Air Pollution Control District have issued an air quality watch Friday.
Forecasted high winds may continue to result in higher particle levels and poor air quality, and people with heart and lung disease, children and the elderly are urged to use caution while outdoors.
When high concentrations of dust or particles are in the air, limit the time spent outside and avoid outdoor exercise, according to county health officials.
For more information, visit
sbcapcd.org or for recorded advisory updates, call 961-8802.
Santa Maria
Target donates software to police
Target in Santa Maria recently donated statistical computer software, called SPSS, valued at $1,600 to assist the Santa Maria Police Department in producing better and more accurate crime statistics, according to Lt. Dan Ast.
The information will allow for quicker recognition of crime trends within the city and be useful in identifying local problem areas, Ast said.
Nipomo
Children taken into protective custody
While investigating the suspected sale of narcotics on Leaf Street in Nipomo, detectives placed two children under the age of 15 into protective custody Wednesday, according to the San Luis Obispo Sheriff's Department.
The children were released to Child Protective Services after evidence was found the children had been exposed to narcotics activity while under the care of people who were not their biological parents, said Sheriff's spokesman Rob Bryn.
During a traffic stop Wednesday, Bryn said deputies found methamphetamine, oxycontin and a small amount of marijuana in a car driven by Nathan James McGee, 21, on probation for previous drug sales, and his passenger Ryan Mitchell Kimball, 22.
At McGee's residence in the 100 block of Leaf Street off Thompson Avenue, detectives found the two children in the care of 19-year-old Yvonne Marie Garcia, Bryn said.
Garcia was booked into the San Luis Obispo County Jail on suspicion of child endangerment. McGee was booked on suspicion of child endangerment, possession of a controlled substance and marijuana for sale, officials said.
Kimball was also booked on suspicion of being under the influence and in possession of a controlled substance, according to authorities.
It is unknown whether the children have been reunited with their biological parents or are still in CPS custody, Bryn said.
Santa Maria
Man found dead in Main Street road
A Santa Maria adult was found dead on the roadway in the 600 block of West Main Street early Friday morning and is believed to have been hit by a vehicle,
according to the Santa Maria Police Department.
The first officer on the scene at 2:32 a.m. determined the victim - whose name is being withheld until the family is notified - had been struck by a vehicle and wasn't sleeping in the westbound lane closest to the curb, police said. The vehicle involved was not at the scene. The incident is under investigation and police are asking for anyone with information to call (877) 800-9100.
Santa Maria
Release of tobacco plan details delayed
Details on proposed designated tobacco use areas planned for Santa Maria parks and recreation facilities will come before the Recreation and Parks Commission next month, not on Tuesday as previously scheduled.
The Oct. 14 meeting has been canceled and the issue will be taken up at 6:30 p.m. during the Nov. 11 meeting in City Council Chambers, 110 E. Cook St., Santa Maria.
At the Sept. 9 meeting, the panel directed city staff to develop a proposed ordinance to designate areas where tobacco products can be used, rather than adopt an outright ban - an option that was on the table.
Santa Maria
Homebuyer seminar scheduled for Oct. 22
People's Self-Help Housing is scheduled to host a free first-time homebuyer education seminar from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 22 in the community room of the Los Adobes de Maria apartment complex, 1148 West Boone St.
The seminar facilitated by Brian Kerrigan, housing counselor for People's Self-Help Housing, will present alternatives and loan options for first-time homebuyers. Kerrigan is fluent in Spanish and multilingual.
Founded in 1970, PSHH is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing affordable housing and programs for low-income families, seniors and other special needs groups.
To reserve a space at the seminar call 781-3088, Ext. 440. For a complete schedule of first-time homebuyers seminars or home foreclosure prevention seminars on the Central Coast, visit
www.pshhc.org.
Santa Maria
PUEBLO to begin ‘Vote' campaign
People United for Economic Justice Building Leadership Through Organizing is scheduled to begin its “Vote Local: Your Vote is Your Voice” campaign this weekend in Santa Maria.
The group is supporting Measure A, renewal of a countywide half-cent sales tax for road improvements now known as Measure D, and is seeking community involvement to pass the measure on Nov. 4.
Precinct walkers are scheduled to meet every Sunday from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. until the election at the PUEBLO office, 500 S. Broadway, Suite 237. Saturday times have yet to be determined.
For more information, call 922-4447.
Central Coast
Vote registration deadline Oct. 20
Oct. 20 is the deadline to register to vote for the Nov. 4 election. It is also the deadline for change of address. Completed voter registration forms must be received by or postmarked by Oct. 20 to the county registrar of voters or the secretary of state's office.
Guadalupe
Measure A on council agenda
How Guadalupe could benefit from the passage of Measure A is on the agenda for Tuesday's City Council meeting.
The council will hear a report from City Administrator Carolyn Galloway-Cooper on examples of funding the city would receive if the countywide half-cent sales tax, a renewal of Measure D, is approved on Nov. 4.
Under the Measure A plans, the city would receive $400,000 a year for 30 years - a total of $12.5 million. In addition, the city would get $3 million for circulation improvements, including road widening, traffic signal installation, improved bicycle and pedestrian safety and improved intersections.
The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. in City Hall Council Chambers, 918 Obispo St.
Santa Maria
Source of odor still a mystery
City officials have yet to determine the source of foul odor complaints in the city.
More than a dozen complaints have been received by the city's Utilities Department of a rotten egg smell, according to a press release. Some complaints were from the Westgate development and from neighborhoods in the northwest part of the city. It has been concluded the smell is not from municipal sewer pipes or the wastewater treatment plant. Two agencies - the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District and the Santa Barbara County Agricultural Commissioner's Office - have been assisting the city.
To report foul odors, call the Air Pollution Control District at 961-8800. For more information, call the Utilities Department at 925-0951, Ext. 7416.
- From staff reports
Email a friend
Printer friendly