Esparza Expands Lead Over Adams in Judicial Race
Not since the 1970s has a challenger upset an incumbent judge in Santa Barbara County.
Nick Welsh
Recent Stories
Challenger in Santa Barbara Judicial Race Eclipses Incumbent in Latest Ballot Count
Attorney Luis Esparza is now 230 votes ahead of Judge Thomas R. Adams, but nearly 35,000 ballots remain to be counted.
June Gloom Elections in Santa Barbara
Steyer, Measure A, Capps, Hart, Greene, and Slattery win big in the county.
High-Ranking White House Officials to Visit Sable Offshore’s Legally Embattled Pipeline Project in Santa Barbara County
The trip comes as Democratic leaders call for an investigation into Sable executive James Flores’s possible backdoor communications with Donald Trump.
Not All Wine Glasses Tinkling Happily over Santa Barbara County’s Business Improvement District
The Goldwater Institute sues County Board of Supervisors and vintners association on behalf of Lompoc’s Flying Goat Cellars.
Bill Giving Supervisors Greater Control over Jails Moves Ahead
Santa Barbara Assemblymember Gregg Hart’s much-amended bill passes Assembly and heads to State Senate.
Voter Turnout Still Pretty Low in Santa Barbara County
Tuesday is the deadline to get ballots turned in for the 2026 midterm elections.
AI Nasti-Gram Riles 5th District Race
The social media post transformed Santa Maria into a Gotham City apocalypse populated by hordes of non-white urban zombies standing in ominously long food lines.
Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ Threatens Santa Barbara County with $11 Million a Year in New Indigent Care Costs
An estimated 4,500 people now receiving Medi-Cal in Santa Barbara will cease to be eligible once the budget bill goes into effect later this year.
Santa Barbara Supervisors Tap Boulder County Tsar to Replace Mona Miyasato
Boulder County Administrator Jana Petersen has been selected as S.B. County’s new executive officer.
