Crime · Santa Maria, CA
Santa Maria police are investigating a shooting that occurred around 6 p.m. Sunday night on the 1800 block of South Broadway near Plum Tree Plaza, where a bullet struck one vehicle. No injuries were reported. The investigation remains ongoing, and residents with information are urged to contact the Santa Maria Police Department Communications Center at (805) 928-3781 ext. 2277 or the Anonymous Tip Line at ext. 2677.
Education · Santa Maria, CA
Federal immigration agents arrested the father of a student in an Allan Hancock College parking lot in Santa Maria on Oct. 6, 2026, one of at least 17 arrests in the area that day, according to Assemblymember Gregg Hart. Similar incidents occurred at San Diego City College (September), Santa Barbara City College (December), and Santa Monica College (May). Affected districts have installed signs restricting enforcement operations on campus—San Diego spent $71,000 on 68 signs—and adopted policies requiring prior approval for law enforcement activity, though college presidents acknowledge limited legal authority over public-access areas like parking lots.
