San Luis Obispo County is working to close a more than $35 million budget deficit heading into the 2025-26 fiscal year, prompting proposed service cuts across several departments.

Starting July 9, wastewater rates in Grover Beach will go up by 17.8% each year for the next five years. That’s about $2.28 more per month for a typical single-family home.

Protests are continuing in Los Angeles in response to immigration enforcement operation and community leaders along the Central Coast are paying attention. Santa Barbara Mayor Randy Rowse talks about how local families can prepare.

In a post on X, Assemblymember Dawn Addis encouraged people to call Rapid Response hotlines if they find themselves facing immigration enforcement.

The Los Osos Groundwater Basin—the sole source of water for the community—has been under pressure for decades, challenged by overuse, seawater intrusion, and California’s persistent droughts. This week, local officials took stock of the situation as the District released its annual water report.

A UC Santa Barbara professor helped create the largest map of the universe ever made. The interactive map, spanning almost the entire history of the universe, was released to the public on Thursday.

This week the board voted to reduce the amount of funding going toward cannabis-related programs for the next fiscal year, such as the sheriff’s cannabis enforcement team and public health education, to close a $1.2 million dollar overall budget deficit.

Five pro-Palestinian activists vandalized parts of the Cal Poly campus this week—that’s according university officials. It’s the latest incident as tensions rise on campus over Israel’s war in Gaza.

The City of Goleta is moving forward with a new tool to help manage emergency evacuations. This comes after the City Council unanimously approved a partnership with Santa Barbara County on Tuesday.

Public transit in Northern Santa Barbara County is getting a major boost. Guadalupe’s bus service will soon merge with the Santa Maria Regional Transit system (SMRT).