🌱 How thieves nearly derailed Santa Maria’s Christmas toy giveaway—and how to help

Hi there, Santa Maria! We've got your morning read ready! Read on to stay connected. ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

• How thieves nearly derailed Santa Maria’s Christmas toy giveaway—and how to help
• How did Santa Maria High stack up in Monday’s hoops action?
• How a county vote may reshape offshore oil near Santa Maria

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: My brother swallowed a box of firecrackers. - Is he all right now? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

• Thursday: Partly sunny and pleasant, with a high of 73 and low of 45 degrees.
• Friday: Areas of fog, then sun, temps: high: 65, low: 47.
• Saturday: Clouds and sunshine, with a high of 66 and low of 56 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

• Scrooge Steals From Catholic Charities Toy Giveaway in Santa Maria (noozhawk.com) — A major toy giveaway for low-income families in Santa Maria was disrupted after thieves stole bikes, toys, clothes, and blankets from Catholic Charities’ storage at the Knights of Columbus Hall. Santa Maria Police investigated but made no arrests, and organizers are urgently seeking replacement donations at 507 S. McClelland St. so about 50 pre-screened families can still receive Christmas gifts.
   

• High school basketball: Monday's scores (latimes.com subscription) — Santa Maria High’s boys and girls basketball teams both posted solid wins, with the boys topping Valley Christian Academy 86-69 and the girls winning 61-37. The roundup also lists dozens of other Southern and City Section high school scores, giving local fans a quick look at how regional rivals are performing this week.
   

• County Board of Supervisors officially deny permit transfers necessary to restart local oil production (keyt.com) — Santa Maria–area readers should know the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors has officially denied transferring key oil permits from ExxonMobil to Sable Offshore, blocking a major restart of offshore production tied to local pipelines and facilities. The decision follows years of legal wrangling, environmental concerns, and federal-state tensions over how and where oil from the Santa Ynez Unit could re-enter the market.
   

📸 Around Santa Maria

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🗓 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

Thursday December 18

• Karaoke Night
  Lark + Sparrow , 155 E. Clark Ave., Ste. 110 , Orcutt
  6:30 pm

Friday December 19

• Live Music & Dinner
  Steller's Cellar , 400 E Clark Ave , Orcutt
  5:30 pm
• Holiday Vibes- Teen Takeover: Pj's Holiday Hangout
  Abel Maldonado Community Youth Center , 600 S McClelland St , Santa Maria
  6:00 pm
• Live Music Fridays
  Lark + Sparrow , 155 E. Clark Ave., Ste. 110 , Orcutt
  7:00 pm

Monday December 22

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

Wednesday December 24

• Wine Wednesday BINGO!-Wine Stone Inn
  Wine Stone Inn , 255 W. Clark Ave. , Old Orcutt
  5:00 pm

Thursday December 25

• Bar Takeover at Steller's Cellar
  Steller's Cellar , 400 E. Clark Ave. , Orcutt
  4:00 pm

Friday December 26

• Live Music & Dinner
  Steller's Cellar , 400 E. Clark Ave. , Orcutt
  5:30 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

Friday December 19

• Pet Wellness Clinic, SBCAS Santa Maria shelter
  County of Santa Barbara: Santa Maria Animal Shelter , 548 W Foster Rd , Santa Maria
  10:00 am
• Saint Joseph Knights vs Sanger Apaches
  St. Joseph High School , 4120 S Bradley Rd , Santa Maria
  4:15 pm

Monday December 22

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

Wednesday December 24

• Wine Bingo Wednesday's!
  Wine Stone Inn , 255 W Clark Ave , Orcutt
  5:00 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

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

• I Love my Neighborhood because all of the Homeowners here are so nice.
  I love the Location as we are out of the way of the busy part of the City, yet close enough to get to all of the places we love to shop. #10 Nextdoor… (Nextdoor Legacy at La Ventana)
• My little black cat got out of the house!
  Ocotillo Ave. He’s all black no collar. I’m sick!! 805-332-6165. He isn’t social at all. Any info will help! Ozzy is his name. (Nextdoor Country Club Gardens)

• City of Santa Maria CA posted a job opening for Building Attendant in Santa Maria. Apply here.
• Allan Hancock College posted a job opening for Part-time Faculty - Music in Santa Maria. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Santa Maria here.

🗞 Nearby News

Orcutt

• Veterans Stand Down 2025 Helps Some 420 Former Service Members (noozhawk.com)
• Mark your calendars: Weekly sports schedule for Dec. 15-21 (lompocrecord.com)

Nipomo

• One of SLO County's premier golf resorts plans a 125-unit housing expansion (sanluisobispo.com)
• Basketball Game Preview: Reedley Pirates vs. Mt. Whitney Pioneers + Official Tickets (maxpreps.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 don’t know. I haven’t heard the last report.
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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