Community News · Lompoc, CA
More than 100 students at Lompoc High School walked out of class Friday to protest the federal immigration detention of Erik Zepeda, a Santa Maria High School student detained while walking to school the previous week. The Santa Maria Police Department and the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office are coordinating with other agencies to review the incident. An ICE spokesperson said agents believed Zepeda matched the description of a person they were seeking. A federal court ruling in Vasquez Perdomo v. Mullin restricts immigration agents from conducting stops based on racial stereotyping without individualized reasonable suspicion across seven counties in the Central District of California, including Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties; the government has appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Community News · Santa Barbara County
Santa Barbara County residents planning Halloween trick-or-treating on Saturday should expect rain in the late afternoon and evening, meteorologist Ryan Kittell told Noozhawk. The county faces on-and-off showers Friday through Sunday with roughly a quarter to three-quarters of an inch expected, though there is a 10% to 20% chance totals could double or halve. Downtown Santa Barbara received .44 inches over two hours early Friday, while other areas saw up to a quarter inch. A coastal flooding advisory was in effect through 2 p.m. Friday, and the risk of significant flooding remained low.
Public Safety · Lompoc, CA
Cory Smith, 41, of Lompoc was struck from behind by a vehicle in the 600 block of North H Street after sunset on Oct. 20 and died days later at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, according to his father Terry Smith. Sgt. Scott Morgan of the Lompoc Police Department said Smith was not in a crosswalk when hit; police are continuing to investigate. The victim's wallet and cellphone had been stolen before the incident, complicating identification until officers worked with a social worker and a friend contacted the family via social media. The death is one of at least three recent pedestrian-vehicle incidents in Lompoc, including a 96-year-old man killed Monday.
Community News · Lompoc, CA
The Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District has completed five Clean Air Fund projects in Lompoc, upgrading three community facilities — the Lompoc Boys & Girls Club, Lompoc Family YMCA, and Dick DeWees Community and Senior Center — to serve as Clean Air Centers with MERV-13 HVAC filters during wildfire season. Two elementary schools, Clarence Ruth and Leonora Fillmore, received new classroom furniture replacing 60-year-old pieces for approximately 370 students. The $325,000 in projects was approved by APCD's Board of Directors in June 2025 and funded through a $1.3 million settlement with a Lompoc cannabis manufacturing facility that violated air quality rules. Each Clean Air Center operates under a five-year grant agreement covering filter replacement and preventive maintenance.
