The Solvang City met Monday, Feb. 24, for its regular meeting, most of which was devoted to a presentation reviewing the Brown Act, the law devoted to transparency in city government.

Councilmember Elizabeth Orona was absent for the meeting.

The meeting started off with the Pledge of Alliance led by Bridget Paris, whom City Manager Randy Murphy thenannounced was the city’s new public works director. Murphy said Paris would start the next day, and Paris took a few moments to address the council.

“This is kind of a homecoming, as I worked for the City of Solvang a while back,” she said. “I look forward to serving this community again.”

A change in the agenda was made to begin the meeting. Presentations usually become before the Public Comment on Non-Agenda and Consent Items, but knowing the Brown Act presentation would be rather involved, Mayor Dave Brown decided to switch the two and put Public Comment first. However, attendance was light for this particularmeeting and no one requested to speak, so council moved on to the presentation.

Assistant City Attorney Craig Steele made the presentation on the Brown Act, titled “Transparency Laws and Due Process — What You Need to Know.”

The Brown Act, officially called the Ralph M. Brown Act after the state Assemblyman who authored it, is a California law passed in 1953 that guarantees the public’s right to attend and participate in meetings of local legislative bodies.

Steele point out the three purposes of the act ensures: Public participation in the decision-making process for a legislative body, public oversight of the decision-making process, and protection of public agencies’ legitimate confidentiality interests.

“I liken it to the old ‘sausage-making’ analogy,” Steele said. “[That means] if people who have business before the city or observe the business of the city get to see how decisions are made in the city, participate in those decisions, and see the process, they have more confidence in the decision whether they agree with it or not, because they got to see it being made.” 

Steele went on to say the main gist of the presentation is to make sure a “meeting” isn’t held and defined what constitutes a meeting. The criteria, according to Steele, is to have majority present; putting it at same time and location;and hear, discuss, or take any action.

One emphasis on the presentation was the direction to avoid “serial meetings” in discussing city matters. Steele described those as a series of direct or indirect communications either in person or electronically by a majority of the body discussing city matters.

“We always caution about unintentionally committing a serial meeting violation,” Steele said. “That could be group emails and texts, comments on an article you read or someone else’s posts, or any social media posts.”

Steele added three takeaways from the serial meetings discussion: Don’t discuss city business with more than one other councilmember outside a meeting, avoid soliciting or airing views on a city matter with other members, and avoid interacting with other members on social media.

The presentation later moved to meeting agendas, which during council discussion harkened to a dispute in the council’s previous meeting on Feb. 10.

In that meeting, Councilmember Mark Infante started a motion to approve an item pulled from the consent calendar approving the contract for an environmental review concerning the controversial Wildwood development project on Alamo Pintado Road, but a speaker opposed to the project immediately called for a point of order, saying that council couldn’t pass something without it being on the discussion agenda. 

Infante brought that up during Steele’s Brown Act presentation for further clarification.

Steele said, as he did at the Feb. 10 meeting, that council was well within its rights to vote on the action, pointing out that the public had commented on it as part of the Consent Calendar comment before it had been pulled. He added that pulling a Consent Calendar item for discussion did not move it off Consent onto the regular agenda.

Steele wrapped up the presentation by noting the council has a higher responsibility than the general public to conducting government meeting correctly and must be above reproach.

In other actions for the meeting:

In his City Manager’s report, Murphy announced three public meetings to be held at Solvang’s council chambers: A discussion on homelessness Wednesday, March 12, at 5:30 p.m.; Measure U Citizen’s Oversight Committee on Tuesday, March 25, at 2 p.m.; and a fire awareness meeting on Monday, March 31, at 5:30 p.m.

The council passed the Consent Calendar, although one item concerning a contract extension worth $765,422 with Extreme Clean Janitorial for cleanup work in Solvang’s public areas.

Mayor Dave Brown asked why the contract was extended rather than put up for bid. City Administrator Wendy Berry said it was done to get the contract in line with the city’s budget cycle, and she and Murphy also expressed great satisfaction with Extreme Clean’s performance. The Consent Calendar was passed with 4-0 vote.

In the one discussion item on the night, the council appointed Councilmembers Louise Smith and Elizabeth Orona to the Ad Hoc Budget Committee with a 4-0 vote.

The City Council meets next on Monday, March 10, at 6:30 p.m.

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Wine lovers looking for vintages off the beaten path had plenty of small-production wines to sample in Solvang on Feb. 8, as the Veterans Memorial Hall hosted the 11th annual Garagiste Wine Festival: Southern Exposure.

The event had 31 wineries set up inside the building, all of which offer the best of limited-production wines on the Central Coast.

The Garagiste Festival premiered in Paso Robles in 2011 and is the only wine festival that exclusively features high-quality wines from commercial California “garagiste” winemakers. Unlike other festivals, the wines are poured by the winemakers/owners themselves, offering a rare opportunity to interact with the creative forces behind the wines, while making brand new wine discoveries. The festival expanded to the Santa Ynez Valley in 2013 to highlight the wines of Santa Barbara County and surrounding AVAs, as well as small production wineries from across California.

With that all set up at the Veterans Memorial Hall, wine connoisseurs got to get face-to-face with many small winemakers explaining their creations.

Like BeckersChild Wines, which has found popularity with its Black Widow vintage.

“We have experimented with many varietals, but this Black Widow is our most profitable right now,” said co-owner Greg Becker, who talked about his how he came up with his creation. “It came to the point I hit something that made it silky smooth; the material I use to make it almost has the texture of a Fruit Roll-Up”

Also on hand was Kristin Fione, founder of Adarato Wines. Fione along with many of the other vintners in the building, does her wine business as a side gig.

“I work in the entertainment business, so a small-production operation like this is perfect for me,” she said.

Growing up outside Philadelphia, Fione eventually made her way to California, and then developing a passion for winemaking. She appreciates the chance to come to events like these.

“It’s just a chance to try small wines, and compare the different tastes,” she said. “It’s an amazing source, and I get a great reception when I come out here. And I like to show everyone that Central Coast wines are the best.”

Another winemaker at the festival represents Solvang, as she just opened a tasting room in town. Anna Lancucki runs Final Girl Wines along with her husband Peter. Although she said she was inspired by the Meg Ryan rom-com “French Kiss” to become a winemaker, it’s the couples love of horror movies that brings the winery products their theme.

“We just love the horror movies, and in each one there’s always one girl remaining who fights the bad guy and survives, so we named the company ‘Final Girl,'” said Anna, who was wearing a T-shirt of the movie “Scream.” “It’s just our way to keep it fun; I like to take out the pretentiousness and make it less serious.”

That sense played out at the Final Girl table which included a skull candle and all sorts of other horror memorabilia.

Although, it was a wine festival, there were other kinds of vendors also, like Shaana Rahman, who was selling her Boccabella Olive Oil from her San Miguel farm.

“We visited San Miguel and saw the farm, and I decided we had to move there and buy the farm,” said Rahman, who owns the business with her husband Johnny Jantz. “Making the olive oil is a lot like winemaking. You’re taking things off the vine and making a delicious product out of it.”

Also, at the festival was Mira Honeycutt, the wine columnist from the Santa Ynez Valley Star’s sister publications in Paso Robles. Her and her husband Kirk Honeycutt have authored a book, “Sideways Uncorked,” about the making of the memorable movie that spotlighted the Valley’s wine scene.

Wineries participating in this year’s Garagiste Festival: Southern Exposure included Absolution Cellars, Adorato Wines, Beckerschild Wines, Bocce Ball Wines, Cote of Paint Wine, Decemil Estate Wines, Detente Wines, Diablo Paso, Dusty Nabor Wines, El Vinero Wines, End of the Day Wines, Etnyre Wines, Exprimere Wines, Final Girl Wines, Fuil Wines, Kaleidos Wines, Mastro Scheidt, MCV Wines, Montagne Russe, Pars Fortuna Wine, RF Fine Wines, Sapien Wines, Slouch Hat Wines, Stiekema Wine Co., Sycamore Ranch, Tabalipa Wine Co., Tomi Cellars, Trois Le Fou, Vigo Cellars, Winespread Panic Cellars, and Zanoli Wines.

The Solvang stop is the first for the Garagiste Festival in 2025. Organizers have scheduled events for April (in Sonoma), June (in Los Angeles), and November (in Paso Robles). For more information on the festival, and its 2025 schedule, go to garagistefestival.com.

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UPDATE: The Santa Ynez High boys basketball and girls soccer teams were eliminated in the second round from their respective CIF Central Section playoffs on Wednesday night, Feb. 19. The boys basketball team lost 61-43 to North High in Bakersfield in Division III. The girls soccer team fell 4-1 at Santa Maria High, also in Division III. In both cases, the SYHS teams lost to the top seeds in the division. The SYHS girls basketball team won their second-round matchup on Tuesday, Feb. 18. For the story on that, go to santaynezvalleystar.com/santa-ynez-girls-basketball-beats-coalinga-moves-into-cif-division-iv-semifinals/

Santa Ynez High winter sports teams had a successful weekend to start the CIF Central Section postseason on Feb. 14 and 15, as the girls basketball, girls soccer and boys basketball squads all earned first-round wins.

Pirates boys hoops gets by Lemoore

After winning the Sunset League with a perfect 8-0 record, the Santa Ynez boys hoopsters earned an eighth seed in Division III and hosted No. 9 Lemoore in its first-round game on Feb. 15.

The Pirates rode a strong fourth period to a 55-52 win over the Tigers for their 11th straight win. The game was a tight one through the first three quarters as SYHS held a 37-36 lead going into the last period. In the fourth, the Pirates rallied to open up as much as a 10-point lead before a late Lemoore run made it close at the end.

Jude Pritchard, the Pirates’ top scorer for the season at 15.9 points per game, put in a team-high 17 points against Lemoore, while Jaydon Mendoza added 11. Lucas Ollenburger, who had a key three-pointer in the fourth period of the playoff game, ended up with 8 points and 7 rebounds, while Ikenna Ofiaeli had 9 points and a team-high 9 rebounds.

“It was a heck of a matchup,” head coach Rod Caughell said about the contest. “I was concerned going in because they’re strengths tend to be our weaknesses, but we were able to break their press, and hit some big 3’s to pull it out.”

The Pirates now get an even bigger test in the second round, facing No. 1 seed Bakersfield North on Wednesday, Feb. 19. The Stars finished 24-6 and placed second in the South Yosemite Mountain League with a 24-6 record. Game time in Bakersfield is 6 p.m. 

Girls hoops handles Pioneer Valley

The Santa Ynez High girls basketball team, after finishing third in the Sunset League with a 5-5 record (15-10 overall), earned the No. 2 seed in the Division IV bracket and in its first-round game on Friday, Feb. 14, defeated nearby No. 15 seed Pioneer Valley 52-33.

The Lady Pirates defeated the Jaguars from Santa Maria with a balanced attack, as Kailani Ladera scored a team-high 11 points, along with 8 rebounds, and Lexi Molera added 10 points and 5 steals. Helina Pecile totaled 9 points, 5 rebounds and 5 steals, while Elena Sleiman pulled down a team-high 14 rebounds.

“The girls came out strong tonight,” said head coach Jennifer Rasmussen, whose team made it to the second round of the postseason for the third straight year.

SYHS will return to the Pirate gym Tuesday, Feb. 18, for its next game, against No. 7 seed Coalinga at 5 p.m. Coalinga, known as the Horned Toads, finished 24-5 with an 8-2 record (second place) in the West Sierra League.

Girls soccer overpowers Sierra Pacific

The Santa Ynez High girls soccer team finished the regular season with a 7-9-2 record and 2-5-1 in the Sunset League, placing third. The Lady Pirates were one of four Sunset team to be placed in the Division III bracket.

In its first-round game, the No. 8 seed Pirates excelled with a 4-0 victory over No. 9 Sierra Pacific of Hanford on Saturday, Feb. 15, at SYHS.

Ella Gotschall, Grace Vazquez, Isabella Rubio, and Hannah Ricci scored for SYHS.

“Everything just came together tonight,” said head coach Rob Cantrell. “We’re good at generating opportunities, but we’ve haven’t finished them in recent games. Tonight, we did.”

The win moves the Lady Pirates to a second-round matchup on Wednesday, Feb. 19, with a familiar opponent — Sunset League rival and No. 1 seed Santa Maria. The Saints won the league with a 7-1 record, and were an impressive 20-2-2 record overall. The Saints have beaten the Pirates twice this season, 5-1 decision in Santa Maria, and 3-1 at Santa Ynez earlier this month.

“They’re going to be tough, and they’re definitely a No. 1, but I don’t worry about seeds, we just play whoever comes against us,” Cantrell said. “They handled us pretty well at their place, but we played them pretty tough in our second match, so you never know.”

Game time Wednesday at Santa Maria High will be 6 p.m.

Boys soccer finishes second in Sunset League

The SYHS boys soccer team ended its season with a 2-1 loss to Lompoc, with Jackson Elliott tallying to lone Pirate goal.

The Pirates finished with a 3-3-2 record in the Sunset League, placing second, and a 5-12-3 record overall. They did not receive a postseason berth.

For the season, Elliott was the top scorer with 7 goals and 14 points. Marcos Rivera tallied 6 goals with an assist for 13 points, and Evan Ellason had 3 goals and a team-high 3 assists for 9 points. In goal, Diego Medina had an 0.863 goals against average.

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There’s a new resident in Solvang, at the corner of Mission Drive (also Highway 246) and 5th Street. She’s rather large and scary looking, but very quiet. She’s in rather cramped quarters, but she’d better get used to it — she’s going to be there at least 10 years.

Her name’s Lulu Hyggelig, and she lives inside the Michele Kuelbs Tower Gallery at the California Nature and Art Museum. She’s the latest wooden trolls created by Danish artist Thomas Dambo, who at the end of 2024 had created 154 trolls around the world, all made from recycled materials.

Solvang’s new troll is special in a couple of ways: One, she’s the first permanent one to be located in California and,two, she’s the first one to be built completely indoors.

“I remember when we starting talking to him about building one of his trolls here to Solvang,” said Stacy Otte-Demangate, executive director of the CNAM. “He had done all of this works outdoors, but when he saw our circular room, he liked the challenge of getting one of his trolls to fit inside.”

Dambo likes to give each of his trolls a unique name and backstory, and with CNAM’s new resident, he was inspired by the many bakeries in town, he named her Lulu Hyggelig, and envisioned her as someone who scavenged for the local bakeries’ leftover breads and pastries and eat them back in “her” tower until she got too big to get out.

Dambo and his team arrived in Solvang on Jan. 20, and with the help of almost 50 volunteers during the museum’s temporary closure, Lulu was complete less than two weeks later. The museum reopened on Feb. 2 with Lulu on full display in the tower, portrayed as a whimsical creature trying to get comfortable in her cramped space. Also included on the room’s wall is the poem explaining Lulu’s story (which is also included on this page).

Otte-Demangate was thrilled with the result as museum patrons observed the sculpture and posed for photos in front of it. 

“I thought he did a wonderful job working the characteristics of the city, and especially the bakeries, into the character’s story,” she said. “He was able to get recycled wood from this area and even got some twigs and branches from local nurseries to make up her hair.”

Otte-Demangate said Lulu looks to be a permanent attraction at the museum, and confirms that “it will be here for 10 years at least”

People can observe Lulu and CNAM’s other exhibits during the museum’s regular hours: Monday, Thursday, and Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Museum is closed Tuesday and Wednesday).

To learn more about Dambo and see photos of all his trolls, as well as other projects, go to www.thomasdambo.com

Lulu Hyggelig By THOMAS DAMBO

THIS STORY HAS A HISTORY

THAT STARTS BEFORE THE PAST.

A TINY TROLL FROM FAR AWAY,

SHE SWAM THE OCEAN VAST.

SHE FOUND A COZY CITY AND

TOOK SHELTER IN A TOWER.

ON A STREET THAT SMELLED OF

DANISH PASTRIES, YEAST AND FLOUR.

AT NIGHT SHE SEARCHED THROUGH

ALL THE TRASH CANS PATIENTLY FOR 

PASTRY.

AND ATE THE CAKES THEY MADE TOO MUCH,

BEHIND THE LOCAL BAKERY.

THEN SLID BACK THROUGH THE TOWER DOOR,

BEFORE THE NIGHT WAS GONE.

AND SO SHE DID, DAY AFTER DAY,

A HUNDRED YEARS WENT ON.

BUT THEN ONE DAY, HER TUMMY RUMBLED LOUDER THAN A THUNDER.

SHE NO LONGER COULD SQUEEZE IT THROUGH THE DOOR TO FEED HER HUNGER.

TRAPPED INSIDE THE TOWER LULU LIVES A LIFE ALONE.

SO BRING A LITTLE CAKE, IF YOU 

INTEND TO SAVE YOUR OWN.

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SANTA BARBARA — Santa Barbara Community Rowing’s junior racing team enjoyed a strong start to their 2025 spring racing season, finishing with notable wins at the President’s Day Invitational Regatta in Long Beach on Feb. 1.

Diego Stephenson, a Dunn school junior, brought home gold in the Youth Men’s Single, which is a testament to his hard work and focus, said Coach Gracie Barbara.

“He’s picked up a lot of speed this year,” Barbara said. “The youth category is tough and Diego has been putting in extra work outside of our scheduled practice, and it’s great to see it showing in his results. We’re all really happy for him and excited to see what he can do the rest of the season.”

SBCR’s Jacie Dingman, a Santa Ynez High School freshman, came home with gold, winning the U17 Women’s Single.

And then Dingman and her longtime doubles partner, Elsa Loya (homeschooled and Classical Resource Learning Center junior) added another gold medal to the tally for SBCR, winning the Youth Women’s Double. 

Dingman and Loya finished seventh in the nation at the 29th Annual USRowing Youth National Championships in Florida last year, and appear to be on track to reprise another successful racing season this year. 

Equally as exciting was the debut race for SBCRs five new novice rowers, who took silver in Men’s U15 Quad. They include brothers William and Campbell Allen, (Goleta Valley Junior High), John Asher (Laguna Blanca), Finn McCauley (Montecito Academy), and Aidan Chase (Montecito Academy).

As Barbara said, “Their success is noteworthy because this is the first time these kids have raced together in this lineup, and it can be intimidating, especially when their average age is 2 years younger than their competitors. These are 12- and 13-year-olds going up against some 13- and 14-year-olds, which is tough. But they worked together and came away with a terrific result. And I hope it inspires other kids to join their ranks.”

“We are still a small team and we are always looking for more middle and high schoolers,” Barbara continued.”Rowing is still relatively unknown in Santa Barbara County, but it’s a great community; we row on a beautiful lake;and our kids are fast. What more do you need? And a lot of these kids will go on to row in college, so it’ll be fun to see what the future holds for them. 

“There’s a lot of potential here to build a bigger, top-tier junior team, and I’d love to see our program grow to 20 or 30 kids out on the water all together.”

Barbara herself rowed in high school and college and knows that rowers are admired for their discipline, work ethic, and leadership skills.

Santa Barbara Community Rowing is the only rowing organization in Santa Barbara County, based at Cachuma Lake. If you are interested in donating to the club, or learning more about rowing, SBCR offers summer camps for youth ages 11 and over, as well as Learn to Row programs throughout the year for adults and kids. For more information visit rowsbc.org

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Five years after purchasing the former Willemsen Dairy property for public use, the City of Buellton and its residents got to see a big result of that acquisition on Feb. 8 with the grand opening of the new Buellton Library.

City, county and Goleta Valley Library officials were on hand to usher in the new facility in the refurbished building on 202 Dairyland Road, down the street from River View Park and right next door to the developing Santa Ynez Valley Children’s Museum.

In fact, Ashley Jenkins, the founder and board president for the museum was able to bring out a few games and activities for the kids outside the library, which also had an inflatable slide for entertainment. Also outside the building was a used book sale, a bookmobile from the Isla Vista Library, and staff inside to anwer any questions about the new place.

Leading a quick view of the inside, Buellton City Manager Scott Wolfe pointed out the main area, with the big picture windows offering a view of the hills above the Santa Ynez River, as well as the main conference room that can be divided with a temporary barrier if need be, and a smaller room which will eventually be a store for the Friends of the Buellton Library.

Wolfe said the library was an example of the city trying to expand its focus.

“What I’ve been working on since I’ve been here is going beyond just the basics — filling the potholes, making sure the water turns on — and working more on community amenities,” he said. “Purchasing this [Willemsen] property reallyenabled us to dream big.”

Wolfe said the location of the new library opens up a new area of activity.

“It’ll really be much more of a social hub, and we will have activities going on in here,” he said. “Also, we have it in a nice neighborhood, and with the proximity to the [River View] park and the upcoming Children’s Museum, the Botanical Garden, we really have a nice row of facilities here.”

Holly Sierra, the former Buellton mayor, is now the president of the Friends of the Buellton Library organization and has served as a point person of sorts with the project.

“I think this started about three years ago; we decided to have the library here, and we were planning to have it openabout a year and a half ago,” Sierra said. “However, they ran into problems with the house that needed to be fixed, and it just kept getting extended.”

Sierra said the former library, located on Highway 246 next to the police station and City Council chambers, was closed in September to start the transition, and she is happy the new library is ready.

“I’m just so pleased with it,” she said. “This is, libraries are, the center of the community. People keep saying libraries are a thing of the past, and I couldn’t disagree more.

“I mean, we are planning so many incredible community activities here. We are going to be working with the city to put on some amazing programs.”

The opening culminated in a ceremonial ribbon-cutting in front of the library entrance, with Wolfe and Sierra beingjoined there by Mayor David Silva, Vice Mayor Elysia Lewis, City Councilmember John Sanchez, and library officials and staff members.

Silva told the crowd to give themselves a round of applause for being able to celebrate the birth of a new library, which came to fruition after being first proposed five years ago.

“This is something our little community can be proud of,” he said. “It feels like you’re invited into someone’s home to come and read a book, sit by the fireplace, and have these wonderful views, and this wouldn’t have been possible without so many people to make this happen.”

In her turn addressing the crowd, Lewis admitted she was skeptical of the library proposal at first.

“I stand very humbled. I don’t know if you guys followed the progression of this library, but I was one of the ones that was like ‘Huh? You’re going to take a house on a ranch and you’re going to make it a library?'” she said. 

However, Lewis admitted that the efforts of Sierra and the other proponents of the library proved to be right.

“As I stand here this morning, walking in, and seeing it last night, it is stunning,” she said. “And, I could not think of a better way to utilize the property and make it a gem for the city.”

The library is now in operation and open five days a week: Monday and Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The library will be closed on Thursday and Sunday.

For more information on the library and its programs and events go to goletavalleylibrary.org/about/santa-ynez-valley-libraries or facebook.com/BuelltonLibraries/

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In its Thursday, Feb. 13, meeting, the Buellton City Council voted to draft a letter of appeal to Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors over the transfer of pipeline permits granted to Sable Offshore by the County Planning Commission.

Vice Mayor Elysia Lewis attended the meeting remotely, with City Manager Scott Wolfe explaining that by emergency Brown Act rules, she would be able to participate in the meeting despite not being present. 

The County Planning Commission granted the pipeline permits allowing the transfer of the pipeline from Exxon Mobil to Sable Offshore. This would allow Sable to re-activate the pipeline running through the city, subject to other approvals from state agencies. A significant question that remains unanswered is what, if any, testing, repair, or re-alignment of the existing pipeline will need to be completed to ensure the safety of the pipeline. This question is a central point of the appeal to the Board of Supervisors.

District 1 City Councilmember Hudson Hornick recused himself from the item because of his status as a county employee, so it was up to Silva, Lewis, and District 3 Councilmember John Sanchez to debate the item.

The subject has been raised in previous Buellton City Councils meetings by residents Larry Bishop and Len Fleckenstein, who both also spoke at the Feb. 13 meeting.

“What I am hoping what the city will do is appeal to the county and even the state to do whatever they can to stop the startup of this pipeline,” Bishop said. “This remedy is important to us because it goes under our city and is unsafe; there’s a lot of corrosion issues they’re not addressing and haven’t addressed for 35 years.”

Fleckenstein spoke later, encouraging the City Council to support the appeal, and also to convince officials to reroute the pipeline around Buellton.

“I ask that the city insist on the oil industry making good on Exxon’s own proposal in 2017 to change the alignment for the pipeline to go around Buellton,” he said. “Residents of the city expected the pipeline to be relocated. The City Council should reject this bait-and-switch scheme by the oil companies.”

Bishop and Fleckenstein were two of four speakers on the item, all of whom supported the appeal of the transfer.

Going back to council, Lewis had mixed feelings about the item.

“I want to be cognizant of the fact that we need to protect our residents, but I don’t want to cut off my nose to spite my face,” she said. “We get a lot of tax revenue, for our city and our schools, from the products these companies produce.”

Silva said he had concerns about the pipeline through personal experience.

“My No. 1 concern is safety for our city,” he said. “I grew up in Santa Maria’s Sunrise Hills where there were 

houses built on sumps and caused health problems although they were up to code.

“It gives me pause that we have a pipeline up to code for 1989. It’s not much to ask council to have this position not to have crude oil running though town.”

However, Sanchez said the city should stay out of it.

“I don’t think we should get into this fight,” he said. “For the safety things that happened, they have check valves now. [Sable] is going to be protective as anyone for that. They’re going to take good care of it.”

However, Lewis and Silva both answered that the city should at least make a statement to let people know where they stand.

“What message do we send if we don’t even give our input,” Silva said. “We can’t sit here and there will be no leak. I’drather take that position, we owe it to our city.”

“I prefer not to take a stance,” Sanchez said.

Silva eventually made a motion to submit a letter supporting the appeal, and Lewis seconded. The motion passed 2-1, with Sanchez appealing.

The City Council will meet next on Thursday, Feb. 27, at 6 p.m.

District 4 Special Election ratified

As part of its Consent Calendar for the Thursday, Feb. 13, meeting, the Buellton City Council passed three items to establish a Special Election for the District 4 council vacancy. The seat became vacant when District 4 City Councilmember David Silva was elected mayor in November.

The council voted in the Jan. 23 meeting to establish a special election for the seat when the remaining councilmembersdeadlocked on appointing to the seat to either Carla Mead or former Mayor Dave King.

The election will be mail-in only and take place on Aug. 26 for a partial two-year term. The nomination period will run from May 5 through May 30.

To run for City Council District 4, you must be a registered voter in District 4. The Buellton District Map can be foundat cityofbuellton.com/government/district-elections/. To take out candidate papers, please contact City Clerk Linda Reidat lindar@cityofbuellton.com or call (805) 686-7424 to schedule an appointment. 

VOTER REGISTRATION

To be eligible to vote at the Mail-In Special Election on Aug. 26, you must be registered to vote no later than Monday, Aug. 11. For more information regarding voter registration or to obtain a vote-by-mail ballot, visit countyofsb.org/164/Elections

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The Solvang City Council met on Monday, Feb. 10, for its regular meeting, and it was an item on the council’s Consent Calendar that seemed to get the most attention.

Of course, it was a subject that’s been on the minds of citizens speaking out on the non-agenda Public Communication: The “Builder’s Remedy” application to build a 100-unit apartment complex on Alamo Pintado and Old Mission Road in Solvang, known as the Wildwood development.

The Consent Calendar item was to approve an agreement with Rincon Consultants, Inc. to prepare an Initial Study and prepare documents for California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) compliance in connection and start toward an Environmental Impact Report for the total amount not to exceed $252,272. 

Public Communication, as usual came before the Consent Calendar, and residents who have repeatedly voiced their opposition to the Wildwood project, objected again on two counts.

The first speaker, Dennis Beebe, expressed his disappointment that the subject was relegated to the Consent Calendar, which are items usually meant to be approved without any discussion and as he said, “you can’t engage with the public on this, as we would like to.”

Beebe then continued on to his second objection: The choice of consultant for the study up for approval, Rincon Consultants.

“I don’t think the contractor, Rincon, has a good understanding of the scope of the project,” he said, pointing out that Rincon proposes just two parcels of the property, when the development is actually planned for five parcels; and that there were 12 studies Rincon planned for peer review, but Beebe said he couldn’t find those studies in the submitted application.

“So, I don’t think this contract is ready for prime time, and I hope you’ll ask the appropriate questions to resolve my concerns,” he concluded.

Subsequent speakers echoed Beebe’s concerns, all requesting that the item be pulled from the Consent Calendar, and put on the main agenda for a future meeting.

Steve Martin agreed there were many factors lacking in Rincon’s proposal, calling it “incomplete” and saying it “could well decide the fate of Wildwood by setting up an unjustified, improper approval” of the project.

When it came time for the Consent Calendar, council did pull the item (6d) concerning the consulting contract while unanimously passing the other consent items.

Planning Manager Rafael Castillo stated that the approval of the contract is just the next step to move it forward so that the project does eventually go before the council, and ultimately is open to public comment.

“The reality is that this is the next step; we need to meet the requirement to move the project forward,” Castillo said. “The EIR is that avenue. We need to move the project along.” Castillo noted the process would take 9 to 12 months.

Ultimately, Councilmember Mark Infante started a motion to approve the contract, but Martin immediately called for a point of order, saying that council couldn’t pass something without it being on the discussion agenda. However, Mayor David Brown and Assistant City Attorney Craig Steele said council was well within its rights to vote on the action, pointing out that the public had commented on it, and it had been pulled from the Contest Calendar for discussion by council.

Infante’s notion stood and was seconded by Claudia Orona. The motion passed 4-1 with Councilmember Louise Smith dissenting.

In other business, council listened to a presentation from Management Analyst Olivia Uribe Mutal proposing increased public surveillance in Solvang.

“While we have a very nice town here in Solvang, there has been an influx of crimes: Theft of tourists, vandalism in public bathrooms, gas siphoned from cars,” Uribe Mutal said. “All are crimes of opportunity, but could have been prevented by increase surveillance. I am seeking direction of expansion of video surveillance.”

Uribe Mutal mentioned possibilities like AI and cloud-based systems that would improve and ease search efforts. She said that could include technology like license plate ID cameras, wi-fi cameras, and drones.

Councilmembers had concerns with cost; when Claudia Orona asked Uribe Mutal the costs, she said it depended on many details of what they might want. That’s why she was requesting direction from council.

Elizabeth Orona expressed concerns about cost and privacy issues, while Infante wondered how much the city reallyneeded license plate ID cameras.

At the end, council instructed Uribe Mutal to get a couple of specific options to study on improving surveillance andthey could move on from there.

The meeting started off with an appearance by young Audrey Smith, the Solvang School student who won the honor of being Mayor for a Day. She was introduced by Brown and led the council in the Pledge of Allegiance, and also sat in the mayor’s chair for City Clerk’s presentation on the ins and outs of her job before departing. Brown said she would take tour of city facilities.

The next City Council meeting will be Monday, Feb. 24, at 6:30 p.m. 

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By Mike Chaldu

After three straight home playoff wins, the Santa Ynez High girls basketball squad is headed to Fresno next Friday, Feb. 28, to play for the CIF Central Section Division IV championship.

The No. 2 seed Lady Pirates outlasted No. 3 Matilda Torres High of Madera 49-42 in the semifinal matchup Thursday, Feb. 20, at the SYHS gym.

SYHS started off strong, jumping out to a 7-0 lead in the opening minutes and went to halftime with a 28-19 lead. The Lady Pirates started the third period moving up the lead to 31-19. After that, though, the visiting Toros ran off a 12-2 run to pull within 33-31.

SYHS was able to stave off Torres’s charge and with 5:34 left, Helina Pecile made a layup with a foul shot for a three-point play, and then on the next trip down the floor, Lexi Molera hit a three-point shot to put the Pirates up 43-35. Pecile hit four clutch free throws to clinch it for SYHS.

The playoff run has been enjoyable for the team this year, according to head coach Jennifer Rasmussen, especially after the disappointment last year when the Pirates were the top seed and lost in the second round.

“After last year, we made a goal that we would get past the second round, and we did so,” Rasmussen said. “We definitelywanted to win tonight, but if we hadn’t, at least we had gotten past that level. And I think that took off the pressure tonight.

“We just fought, we played together, and the girls just really focused on what we worked on in practice and played like a team.”

That focus will be tested Feb. 28 in Fresno, as the Pirates face top-seeded Immanuel High of Reedley. Game time will be 2 p.m. at Selland Arena.

The Eagles have shown so far their No. 1 seeding has been earned as they have posted lopsided wins over McFarland (70-6), Fresno (53-25) and Atascadero (67-29) on their way to the title game. Immanuel was 26-5 in the regular season and placed second in the Tri-County-Kings Canyon League with a 7-1 record.

Two days before the win over Torres (Feb. 18), SYHS defeated Coalinga 48-33 in a second-round win over at the SYHS gym.

Sophomore Kailani Ladera led the way for SYHS against Coalinga with 15 points to go along with 9 rebounds and 3 steals. Junior Helina Pecile added 9 points and 11 boards, while senior Kylie LaPoint had 9 points and 4 assists and junior Rylan Agin chipped in 10 boards and 6 assists.

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Santa Ynez High School got to celebrate some more CIF championship athletes on Jan. 23 as members of the Pirates girls golf team received their championship rings during a lunchtime ceremony in the high school’s meeting room.

The ceremony was anything new to the team, as they had the same ceremony last year after winning the title in 2023.

Administrators and family members, joined the golfers as they were introduced one-by-one by head coach Sara Ovadia and assistant coach John Nicholas and given their rings. The team members were Caralyn Barber, Katherine Becerra, Kacy Caplan, Sierra Freedman, Savannah Hudley, Mackenzie Phelan, and Addison West.

The squad successfully defended its CIF Central Section Division 2 title Oct. 29 in Visalia. The Pirates beat runner-up Atascadero by five shots, shooting a team score of 483. Cabrillo (522) and Lompoc (523) finished fourth and fifth, respectively. 

Ovadia also coaches the boys golf team, who has also won the last two CIF Central Section championships. The boys will soon start their season in hopes continuing the Pirates golf program’s amazing run.

The coach said her program is fortunate to have players coming in with prior golf experience.

“We had a few kids who played before high school, and that experience has built a solid nucleus for our team,” Ovadia said. “Then as they progressed, freshman would come in and our established players have been good at pushing them along. We’ve also had a couple who came from other sports who realized, if they put the effort in, could find success in this sport rather quickly.”

Ovadia will soon get started with the boys golf season, which starts March 4 with a match against Santa Barbara atSanta Barbara Golf Club. The Pirates play their first home match on March 6 against Cabrillo at the Alisal River Course in Solvang.

Boys basketball beats Nipomo for seventh straight win

The Santa Ynez boys basketball team is on a roll, as the Pirates defeated Nipomo 76-25 at home. Lucas Ollenburger led SYHS with 18 points in that game, along with 7 rebounds, while Jude Pritchard and Wesley Satterthwaite added 11 points each.

Before the Nipomo game, the Pirates posted a couple of non-league victories. On Jan. 28, they beat Orcutt Academy 78-42, with Ollenburger scoring 18 points in that game, while Pritchard (16 points) and Ikenna Ofiaeli (15) also had high scoring ouputs.

SYHS (15-8, 5-0 in the Sunset League) will return to action tonight (Feb. 4) at Righetti, who is just one game behind the Pirates at 4-1 in league. The Pirates close out the regular season with home games against Morro Bay (Feb. 7) and Cabrillo (Feb. 11). After that, Santa Ynez will find out its postseason seeding.

Pirates boys wrestling finishes dual-match schedule undefeated

The Santa Ynez boys wrestling team defeated host Nipomo 46-35 in its final dual match, finishing 5-0 in duals. The Pirates’ Carter Franson (pin), Curren Lane (pin) and Neal Cunningham (tech fall) posted wins, while the other SYHS winners were by forfeit.

On the girls side, Santa Ynez held an exhibition dual match against Nipomo. Team captains Malia Ortiz and Ariela Contreras, as well as junior Mary Carpenter, picked up wins for the Lady Pirates.

It was an emotional night for the Lady Pirates as they wrestled their final team event with Ortiz, the sole senior to take the mat against Nipomo, picking up a first-round fall, finishing her career undefeated in league duals. 

“Malia has been a captain, role model and dominant force on the team throughout her high school career and has set the bar high for future Lady Pirates,” girls wrestling head coach Chantalle Castellanos said.

Girls basketball battling in Sunset League

The SYHS girls basketball team played the two best teams in the Sunset League and unfortunately, lost them both.

The Lady Pirates fell to first-place San Luis Obispo 58-48 on Jan 31. However, SYHS got a good effort from Helina Pecile, who had 15 points and 12 rebounds, while Kylie LaPointe added in 9 points and 6 rebounds.

Three days before that, the Lady Pirates fell to second-place Cabrillo 47-27, with LaPointe leading SYHS with 10 points.

Santa Ynez (12-9, 3-4 in the Sunset League), will play their final home game tonight, against Lompoc, and will close out the regular season with road games at Paso Robles (Feb. 7) and Templeton (Feb. 11).

Soccer programs get mixed results last week

The Pirates boys soccer team defeated St. Joseph 2-0 on  Jan. 31, with goals scored by Cristian Sandoval and Abraham Corrales. SYHS (5-11-3, 3-2-2 in Sunset League). The team is in second place in the league, pending its regular season finale Feb. 7 at Lompoc.

On the girls soccer side, SYHS lost a close one to Cabrillo 3-2 on Jan. 28, with Hannah Ricci and Grace Vazquez scoring the Pirate goals. SYHS (6-8-1, 2-4 in the Sunset League) closes out its regular season with home games against Pioneer Valley (Feb. 4) and Santa Maria (Feb. 7). 

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