Ron Fink

Many local governments are suffering budget deficits; we read about these budget shortfalls regularly as revenue (tax-based funds) decreases and expenses increase.

The city of Lompoc, like almost every other government from the federal level down to small towns like ours, has a problem managing how tax money is distributed to folks applying for rebates, grants, or any other form of government subsidy. This time it’s Lompoc’s conservation rebate program that’s being examined for what some think […]

On May 5, the Lompoc City Council received a sobering presentation by interim Fire Chief Kevin Shay. Chief Shay reported that the Lompoc City Fire Department has the two busiest fire stations in Santa Barbara County. The three fire units and nine crew members respond to more than 5,300 calls for service each year—that’s an […]

As everyone who pays attention to California politics knows, elections are never resolved on Election Day. It's always weeks and sometimes months before the final tally is complete.

All you people out there who worked hard all your lives to live in a single-family neighborhood or think you're safe from increased congestion in a homeowners association (HOA) managed development, get ready for a relatively new state law that can impact your quality of life.

There may be a political renaissance in the making in Lompoc . Sometimes change is good, and other times it may bring only chaos to a community. For the last couple of City Council meetings, there seems to have been an organized effort to undermine the traditional way our City Council, current and past, has been operating.

Imagine a world without fossil fuels; it would be dark, very few people, only foraged food, no houses, nothing but silence and emptiness.

“Deferred maintenance” is a term used to define things that need to be done but will have to wait until we can afford it.

The Lompoc Valley Community Healthcare Organization recently commissioned a report , the Community Health Needs Assessment, to assess the “health and well-being of Lompoc residents through four focus areas: financial stability and affordability, chronic illnesses, behavioral health, and healthy lifestyles.”

City Councilmember Steve Bridge faces “20 felonies and five misdemeanors. The charges include allegations of forgery, grand theft, fraudulent claims, identity theft, misappropriation of public funds, and fraudulent use of a contractor's license number,” ( Santa Maria Times , Aug. 13).