SOUND OFF SANTA MARIA

POLICE CHIEF DANNY MACAGNI: "Stupid Wetbacks" - "Damned Mexicans" - "Niggers" and "Chinks"

2009-06-01T22:32:30-07:00

What does a person even begin to say after the revelations in the November 30, 2006, issue in the Santa Maria Sun about the racist comments of the current Santa Maria Police Chief, Danny Macagni? The accusations are shocking and...

SM TIMES Never Reported on Police Chief Danny Macagni's Racist Comments

2007-05-16T23:25:03-07:00

Donna McCoy recently commented on this blog about Police Chief Danny Macagni's racial slurs of "stupid wetbacks", "damned Mexicans", "niggers" and "chinks". She came to the defense of citizens who didn't object loudly and demand Police Chief Danny Macagni's resignation...

TORU MIYOSHI: Marty Mariscal Grandstanding for City Council Seat

2007-04-15T02:11:51-07:00

Looks like the citizens voted former Santa Maria City Councilmember Marty Mariscal off the council last year, but he can't resist hanging around and giving his $.02. Seems former Santa Maria City Councilmember and former County of Santa Barbara Supervisor...

ANONYMOUS COMMENT: "Police Chief Danny Macagni Should Resign"

2007-04-15T01:36:47-07:00

Under Recent Comments in the right column of this blog, you'll find this comment (referring to the November 30, 2002, Santa Maria Sun article about Police Chief Danny Macagni's racist slurs, demeaning language and use of patronage to officers showing...

LARRY LAVAGNINO: "As long as I'm physically able," I'll remain mayor

2006-12-01T02:07:34-08:00

Will he or won't he? What an interesting couple of weeks it's been. It seems folks in Santa Maria aren't as forgetful -- or as stupid -- or as forgiving -- as Mayor Larry Lavagnino and Supervisor Joe Centeno thought...

TORU MIYOSHI Demands City Council Suspend Guad Soil Program

2006-11-27T04:21:23-08:00

The Monday, November 27th, issue of the Santa Maria Sun again proves how valuable it is to have an independent newspaper in our town. It contains a letter to the editor from former County of Santa Barbara Supervisor Toru Miyoshi,...

DEBORAH BRASKET: Rumor That Mayor Larry Lavagnino May Resign

2006-11-27T03:56:17-08:00

Just when we were starting to relax from a hard-fought city council election, here comes the rumor swirling through town that current Mayor Larry Lavagnino will resign, allowing Alice Patino to be appointed as mayor and currently unelected Marty Mariscal...

LYNN MELVILLE Says Guad Dirt Not Just "Dirty Dirt"

2006-11-11T22:13:16-08:00

As was mentioned in an earlier post on this blog (SANTA MARIA TIMES BLACKOUT ON CANCEROUS GUADALUPE SOIL), the Santa Maria Times refused to print Lynn Melville's commentary that quoted the 1998 Environmental Impact Report as saying that the thinner...

TIM NESS: "Should Be a Tobacco Executive"

2006-11-06T22:02:00-08:00

Well, well, well. More skeletons are coming out of the closet about Santa Maria City Manager Tim Ness. From person to person to person -- and finally handed to me -- comes an article published in 2000 in the news...

MARTY MARISCAL: His Wife Loves Him

2006-11-06T18:04:20-08:00

A-a-h, the night before the election, and the letters to the editor at the Santa Maria Times just keep coming. First there's the letter on November 6, 2006, from Nancy Orchard, a Santa Maria property owner who lives in Solvang....

ALICE PATINO: Pretends She's a Democrat

2006-11-05T22:40:42-08:00

Looks like up for Santa Maria City Council re-election Alice Patino must be getting pretty desperate. I've been handed a mailer that landed in Santa Maria residents' mailboxes November 4th. It's titled "Attention Democrats !!" -- with a big picture...

MIYOSHI, BRASKET, MELVILLE: Vote for Joan Leon and Hilda Zacarias

2006-11-03T02:28:47-08:00

Well, it's been a busy couple of days here in our little town. In two days, Deborah Brasket, Lynn Melville and Toru Miyoshi all chimed in with their voices to urge citizens to vote for Santa Maria City Council candidates...

SM TIMES BLACKOUT ON CANCEROUS GUADALUPE SOIL

2006-11-01T12:35:34-08:00

I've just been handed the smoking gun material on the issue of the diluent-contaminated Guadalupe soil being transferred to the SM landfill, which sits over the water basin for the Santa Maria Valley. It seems up-for-re-election City Councilman Marty Mariscal...

GUADALUPE DUNES SOIL IS CANCEROUS

2006-10-29T01:19:00-08:00

Up-for-re-election City Councilman Marty Mariscal wrote a guest commentary in the Santa Maria Times on September 24, 2006, claiming that the diluent-contaminated Guadalupe Dunes soil is "safe". Lynn Melville wrote a guest commentary in rebuttal which the Santa Maria Times...

SM LANDFILL: Plastic Liners Always Leak

2006-10-27T12:03:00-07:00

I've just been handed a document titled The Failure of Plastic Liners in landfills. Anyone reading the Santa Maria Times or the Santa Maria SUN will remember the voluminous articles that have been printed praising the transfer of (what we...

JOAN LEON: Police Officers' Association Endorses . . . sort of

2006-10-24T00:21:00-07:00

How very interesting this year's Santa Maria City Council race is. Now we have an October 22nd, 2006, letter to the editor in the Santa Maria Times from the Santa Maria Police Officers' Association regarding challenger Joan Leon. After noting...

SM TIMES: Marty Mariscal and Alice Patino Not Endorsed

2006-10-23T00:06:00-07:00

The Sunday, October 22, 2006, issue of the Santa Maria Times held an interesting opinion piece from the editorial staff. For the first time in all the years the Tin Soldier has lived in Santa Maria, the encumbent Santa Maria...

MARTY MARISCAL Says Toxic Guadalupe Soil is "JUST DIRTY DIRT"

2006-10-19T00:33:00-07:00

I can't resist this. Someone by the name of 'Conroy' posted an email comment on this blog regarding George Dailey's letter to the editor printed in the Santa Maria Times a couple weeks ago. (Read Conroy's email in its entirety...

HILDA ZACARIAS: Endorsements from Santa Maria Police Officers' Association and City of Santa Maria Employees' Union (S E I U)

2006-10-14T21:30:00-07:00

Looks like Hilda Zacarias has racked up some more supporters. My informants tell me that the Santa Maria Police Officers' Assocation voted this week to endorse Zacarias for election to the Santa Maria City Council in November. The POA held...

LYNN MELVILLE ON CONGALTON SHOW RE GUADALUPE SOIL

2006-10-08T01:38:00-07:00

I heard Lynn Melville on the Dave Congalton talk show last Wednesday, lambasting the city again for allowing diluent-contaminated Guadalupe soil into the Santa Maria landfill. She revealed information that should concern us all. Listen to the interview yourself at...

JOAN LEON: Candidate for City Council

2006-10-04T21:53:17-07:00

JOAN LEON -- Candidate for Council Member -- City of Santa Maria (Check Smart Voter's web site for full biographical highlights and political philosophy) -- Contact Joan at www.joanleon.com Biographical Highlights (1) Occupation: Writer/Researcher (2) Member of League of Women...

HILDA ZACARIAS: Candidate for City Council

2006-10-04T19:59:59-07:00

HILDA ZACARIAS -- Candidate for Council Member -- City of Santa Maria -- Contact Hilda at www.hildaforcitycouncil.com Hilda's accomplishments and accolades go on forever. She seems to be particularly shy about tooting her own horn, as her web site doesn't...

CITY COUNCIL ELECTION: Mariscal and Patino Decline to Attend Forums

2006-09-28T23:53:00-07:00

Well, it's been an interesting week in Santa Maria. Two evening candidate forums were scheduled this week by the League of Women Voters. One Tin Soldier is informed that both of the two incumbent city council members who are up...

CITY COUNCIL ELECTION: Melville Letter to Editor

2006-09-27T23:42:00-07:00

The drum beat continues, as Lynn Melville chimed in with her Santa Maria Times letter to the editor on September 24, 2006. While agreeing with Dailey's previous letter regarding the "county split debacle and the trucking of contaminated (Guadalupe) sand...

CITY COUNCIL ELECTION: Dailey Letter to Editor

2006-09-12T01:30:00-07:00

Well, it looks like the Santa Maria City Council election is off and running. The first cannon shot has been fired. George Dailey states in his Santa Maria Times letter to the editor of September 10, 2006, that both Joan...

COUNTY SPLIT: SM Times Comes Down Hard

2006-05-24T01:47:19-07:00

With June 6th right around the corner, the Santa Maria Times has done a thorough job of looking at the proposed Mission County split proposal. Starting with Randi Block's Creation of New County Would Trigger Big Changes on May 16,...

COUNTY SPLIT: Jim Diani is Major Financial Backer

2006-05-17T17:31:44-07:00

Well, at last we know. County Split opponents Joan Leon and former County Supervisor Toru Miyoshi called a press conference recently to announce that the 2003 and 2004 income tax statements had become available for Citizens for County Organization (CFCO),...

GUAD DIRT: Lavagnino Undermines Kirk

2006-05-16T10:55:55-07:00

Bad news for Santa Maria citizens -- On February 7, 2006, the San Luis Obispo board of supervisors voted unanimously to deny the appeal of Santa Maria resident Dan Kirk to prevent 860,000 cubic yards of oil diluent-contaminated soil from...

COUNTY SPLIT: CFCO Board Members Revealed

2006-05-09T00:21:00-07:00

The September 3, 2002, article in the Santa Maria Times revealed the names of the Board members of the Citizens for County Organization (CFCO) -- the same names that Jim Diani refused to reveal in recent County Split forums in...

COUNTY SPLIT: Jim Diani Fudges

2006-05-08T00:09:56-07:00

The September 3, 2002, article in the Santa Maria Times quotes Jim Diani as saying that "The organization (Citizens for County Organization -- supporting the proposed County Split) will back off from the split movement if the study finds a...

COUNTY SPLIT: Joan Leon Says "No Grassroots Effort"

2006-05-07T23:33:40-07:00

Friday's May 5, 2006, issue of the Santa Maria Times presented an interesting commentary from Joan Leon titled County Split: No Grassroots Effort. She begins her commentary by pointing to the example of government process in the movement of Measure...

COUNTY SPLIT: Joan Leon and Don Ward Sound Off

2006-03-19T22:37:46-08:00

Today's March 19, 2006, issue of the Santa Maria Times contains more anti-County Split sentiment. Joan Leon has a commentary titled Split a bad idea, for many reasons, while Don Ward chimes in with his letter to the editor --...

COUNTY SPLIT: SMTimes and Board of Supervisors Vote No

2006-03-12T23:31:47-08:00

The Santa Maria Times has issued its recommendation: Vote no on the County Split (March 12, 2006). Also mentioned in this opinion piece is the fact that the five-member Santa Barbara Board of Supervisors also recently unanimously recommended a no...

MORE DIRT: A. J. Diani Co. Advertises Landfill to Accept Other Cities' Hazardous Waste

2006-03-06T23:59:00-08:00

Toru Miyoshi, former member of the Santa Maria City Council and Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, landed another bombshell in his commentary published in the Santa Maria Times on December 20, 2005. It seems Santa Maria's City Council has...

COUNTY SPLIT: SM Times Wonders Why We Need It

2006-03-02T01:38:00-08:00

In its January 15, 2006, opinion commentary on the county split, the Santa Maria Times states that the ". . . reason for splitting appears to have diminished if not evaporated." After stating its concern that, "The idea that a...

COUNTY SPLIT: Proponents Refuse to Disclose Names of Donors

2006-03-02T00:49:47-08:00

The February 17, 2006, Looking Forward commentary in the Santa Maria Times by Deborah Brasket, North County vice-president of the Santa Barbara County Action Network (SB CAN), brought to light an interesting issue regarding the proponents of the proposed county...

COUNTY SPLIT: Brasket Says, "We Don't Need It!"

2006-03-02T00:39:03-08:00

In her well thought-out Looking Forward commentary in the Santa Maria Times on January 20, 2006, Deborah Brasket, North County vice-president of Santa Barbara County Action Network (SB CAN) poses important questions for citizens regarding the proposed county split. In...

COUNTY SPLIT: New County Would Pay Employees Less

2006-03-01T23:57:52-08:00

At a January 18, 2006, meeting in Buellton where proponents of the county split were presenting their views, the Santa Maria Times quotes Dave Cross as saying, "Mission County could likely do things cheaper [than the current Santa Barbara County]...

GUAD DIRT: Dan Kirk Appeals Contaminated Dirt Decision

2005-09-10T22:15:52-07:00

The Santa Maria Times noted in its August 25, 2005, article that Santa Maria city officials had agreed to receive 860,000 cubic yards of contaminated dirt from the Nipomo-Guadalupe Dunes, dumping it at the city's landfill. According to retired attorney,...

City Council Appoints Ness as City Clerk

2005-08-30T23:06:06-07:00

When the Santa Barbara County Grand Jury filed its recent report, its main criticisms were that city manager Tim Ness had assumed too much power and that the city council had not overseen him properly. Retired City Clerk Dorothy Lyman...

Lavagnino Packs the Ballot Box

2005-08-27T16:45:18-07:00

It's interesting to note how the percentage numbers have changed since the Who Really Runs Santa Maria? post (Results from 08/24/05 )in the August 18 - 25, 2005, issue of the Santa Maria Sun was posted here on August 24th....

Guad Dunes: Official Site for Public Notice

2005-08-25T22:49:27-07:00

Regarding the issue of the Santa Maria landfill accepting tainted, oil-impacted soil, it was noted in today's issue (August 25th) of the Santa Maria Times that, "Before accepting any tainted soil, the city received the proper approval from the Regional...

SM CC: Who Really Runs Santa Maria?

2005-08-24T13:35:57-07:00

Check out the results of the Santa Maria SUN newspaper's poll re Who Really Runs Santa Maria? (Week of August 18 - 25, 2005) (Tin Soldier on 9/12/05: The SUN has concluded its poll regarding power in Santa Maria. Clicking...

SM Dirt Approval Three Years Ago

2005-08-24T00:46:34-07:00

In Santa Maria Public Works Director Paul Karp's commentary in the Santa Maria Times on August 23rd, he states, "Three years ago, the city obtained approval from state and local regulatory agencies to accept and encapsulate the non-hazardous volumes of...

SM Replies to Miyoshi

2005-08-23T17:50:09-07:00

Today's Santa Maria Times contains a commentary regarding the Cambria tainted water issue from Paul Karp, Director of Public Works for the City of Santa Maria. According to Karp, "This water that was accepted for further treatment in Santa Maria...

SM Water Accepts All Kinds of "Gunk"

2005-08-19T11:21:25-07:00

I just located that San Luis Obispo Tribune article regarding Cambria water that Toru Miyoshi was referring to in his commentary in the Santa Maria Times on August 11th. It seems that "10,000 gallons of water are being trucked daily...

Tim Ness' Hit List

2005-08-16T00:00:50-07:00

I just read the August 11 - 18, 2005, issue of the Santa Maria SUN newspaper. News Editor Andrea Rooks did a good job of summing up the criticisms of the 2004 - 2005 Santa Barbara County Grand Jury against...

SLO Dumps Toxic Dirt on SM

2005-08-14T00:32:18-07:00

So let me get this straight now. A few years back, retired Santa Maria city attorney Arther Montandon brokered a deal between Cambria and Santa Maria to dump toxic water into Santa Maria's water supply. (Why does this sound like...

Montandon Works for Cambria

2005-08-14T00:18:55-07:00

There's an interesting question regarding the issue of Cambria dumping its toxic water into Santa Maria's water system. Who brokered that deal? My information tells me that Santa Maria's former city attorney, Arther (yes, that's how he spells his name)...

Cambria Dumps Toxic Water on SM

2005-08-14T00:02:08-07:00

Former Santa Maria City Council and Santa Barbara Board of Supervisors member Toru Miyoshi landed a bombshell in the August 10th commentary section of the Santa Maria Times. It seems Cambria has a problem with Chevron Corporation pumping water from...