🌱 How did Santa Barbara County invest in Santa Maria and Orcutt in 2025?

Hello again Santa Maria! We’re bringing you the latest town highlights. Don’t miss out, keep going! ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

• How did Santa Barbara County invest in Santa Maria and Orcutt in 2025?
• Why this child murder case is landing in a Santa Maria courtroom
• Why did this 101 breakdown near Santa Maria suddenly fix itself?

Also on today's calendar: Crossing Over with Psychic Medium John Edward live in San Luis Obispo, CA and 6 more events.

Today's riddle: What did the little needle say to the mother needle when it brought home a failing report card? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

• Thursday: Windy with rain, some heavy, with a high of 64 and low of 53 degrees.
• Friday: Mostly cloudy, showers around, temps: high: 59, low: 45.
• Saturday: Times of clouds and sun, with a high of 61 and low of 41 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

• County of Santa Barbara Highlights Major Accomplishments in 2025 (independent.com) — Santa Maria residents are seeing direct benefits from the county’s 2025 work, including interim housing at Hope Village, a new solar array at the Betteravia Campus, and design work for the Bonita School Road Bridge and Fire Station 25 serving Orcutt. County leaders also highlighted broader gains in housing approvals, public safety technology, and health and social services across Santa Barbara County.
   

• Lompoc Valley Mother Charged with Murder for Melodee Buzzard's Death (noozhawk.com) — A high‑profile murder case tied to the death of 9‑year‑old Melodee Buzzard is now headed to Santa Maria, where her mother is set for arraignment in Department 9 of Superior Court. Investigators and FBI agents from the Santa Maria office coordinated a multi‑state search, gathering ballistic and forensic evidence they say links the child’s Utah death back to the family’s Vandenberg Village home.
   

• Engine Shutoff after rattling noise on the freeway (benzworld.org) — A driver describes a scary mechanical breakdown while traveling on Highway 101 near Santa Maria, with the engine shutting off and smoke appearing under the hood before mysteriously returning to normal. After a brief inspection by a local shop, the car behaved fine on test drives, leaving the owner seeking advice on what might be wrong. Local readers may relate to the situation and the concern about finding a trustworthy mechanic.
   

📸 Around Santa Maria

Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!

🗓 Upcoming Events in Santa Maria

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

★ Featured events ★

Tuesday January 13

• Crossing Over with Psychic Medium John Edward live in San Luis Obispo, CA
  Embassy Suites by Hilton San Luis Obispo, 333 Madonna Rd, San Luis Obispo
  7:00 pm

Want to see your event featured? Click here!

Other local events

Friday December 26

• Chamber Office Closed for the Holidays
  Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce and Visitor & Convention Bureau , 614 S Broadway , Santa Maria
• Live Music & Dinner
  Steller's Cellar , 400 E Clark Ave , Orcutt
  5:30 pm
• Live Music Fridays
  Lark + Sparrow , 155 E. Clark Ave. Ste. 110 , Orcutt
  7:00 pm

Saturday December 27

• Chamber Office Closed for the Holidays
  Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce and Visitor & Convention Bureau , 614 S Broadway , Santa Maria
• Intermediate Archery
  Los Flores Ranch Park , 6245 Dominion Rd , Santa Maria
  10:00 am
• Saul Trujillo @ Giafunni's
  Giavanni's Pizza , 1108 E Clark Ave , Santa Maria
  8:00 pm

Sunday December 28

• Chamber Office Closed for the Holidays
  Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce and Visitor & Convention Bureau , 614 S Broadway , Santa Maria

Monday December 29

• Trivia Night
  Lark + Sparrow , 155 E. Clark Ave., Ste. 110 , Orcutt
  7:00 pm

📣 Santa Maria Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!

🗓 Events Nearby

Thursday December 25

• WIC Pop Up Event
  Nipomo Library · Nipomo , CA , Nipomo
  9:00 am
• Bar Takeover at Steller's Cellar
  Steller's Cellar , 400 E Clark Ave , Orcutt
  4:00 pm
• 260 Group – Women
  Panera Bread , 540 Betteravia Rd Suites , A , Santa Maria
  6:00 pm
• Woodland Traditional
  Woodland Group , 96 W Main St , Woodland
  7:30 pm

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

Thank you 👏👏👏 to the local businesses for making Santa Maria PatchAM possible:

• Mobile Detailing — (805) 668-7518
  Professional mobile detailing services
• Mindsee.it — (646) 663-8317
  Teach your kids they can achieve the impossible!

Click here to show your appreciation! 💚

Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.

💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

• Copied⬅️⬅️⬅️
  When the doctor told him it was time to replace the battery in his pacemaker, the 88-year-old Hollywood legend calmly refused. He had already made… (Nextdoor Downtown District)
• Make sure the flow is running the correct direction not away from the downspout rain gutter out of a alignment.
  Make sure you get your gutters,Inspected once a year or risk the chance of roof damage Windowcleaning805gmail.com Davidstearswindowcleaning.com (Nextdoor Quail Meadows)

• Government Jobs posted a job opening for Recreation Activities Leader in Santa Maria. Apply here.
• In-Shape Solutions, LLC posted a job opening for Club Custodian in Santa Maria. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Santa Maria here.

🗞 Nearby News

Orcutt

• New Hours Coming to Los Alamos Library in 2026 (noozhawk.com)
• Lots of Rain but No Major Problems as Storm Soaks Santa Barbara County (noozhawk.com)
• Feds Assert Oversight Authority over Sable Offshore (independent.com)

Nipomo

• Winter storm drenches SLO County. See how much rain fell so far (sanluisobispo.com)

Mission Hills

Ok Santa Maria! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I guess I’m not as sharp as I thought.
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

👉 Help make Patch AM better

• Help us grow by suggesting local news sources.
• Shape this newsletter with your feedback.
• List items for sale or services offered

We use a combination of real people and machines to tell you what’s happening around town. Learn more about Patch AM.

Share to NextDoor     Share to Facebook