Crunch time for cannabis growers - Santa Barbara News-Press

We want to hear from you.

In the two months since I returned to the Santa Barbara News-Press, our inbox has filled with letters, columns and announcements. It’s wonderful to feel the spirit of the public square reanimate the News-Press.

We want the News-Press to reflect the community it serves. If you have something to say, or just want us to publish your announcement, we are now poised to make your voice heard. Already, you will find a plethora of public notices you have sent to us.

We are building out our Voices section with new columns, guest essays and letters to the editor. Keep them coming. A nonprofit newsroom thrives on community engagement. Journalists report the news, but the News-Press is also here to share your opinions and thoughts.

This week, we’re excited to share a column by Lynn Montgomery. She’s a skilled writer and has written a multipart essay on her 161 nights in a Kyiv Airbnb. It’s a fascinating read, and the first installment appeared Sunday.

We are also pleased to publish commenary this week related to immigration enforcement, including a guest editorial by Dos Pueblos High School’s Charger Account (a newspaper my son, Jacob, and another student relaunched in 2022), a commentary by Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE), and pieces by Mayor Randy Rowse and Santa Barbara Planning Commissioner Devon Wardlow, to name a few.

Of the community. For the community. By the community.

Joshua Molina

News-Press Editor

Local voices

Woman with her hand on the wide-brimmed hat she is wearing, in front of the Old Mission Santa Barbara — Local screenwriter, author, radio host and columnist, Lynn Montgomery.

“At night, I see nothing but blackness. All the lights have been sent away. In the day, I hear nothing of joy and laughter. All the children have been sent away. It is quiet until it’s not. “
— Lynn Montgomery in her essay, My 161 Nights in a Kyiv Airbnb