The last several days may rebrand sleepy Lompoc as De Happenin’ Place.
The week’s big event was No Kings, Saturday’s sequel to Lompoc Indivisible’s street theater series mocking the slash-and-burn policies of the President of the United States. Far from showing shrinkage from previous showings April 5 and 19, this version appearing at H and Central was larger still and bore signs for growing even more.
Gone are the days of empty corners. Fifty people populated the two corners on the west side of H, a hundred on the South East credit union corner, and at least 150 at the North East shopping center corner featuring the lending library for placards and the bubble machine. Maybe 400 total at one time and more counting late comers and early departures.
With more people came a wider demographic: more men, especially veterans, more young people with kids, more flags. It felt like Lompoc.
And with more people came more creativity. Chicken Woman’s blazing yellow outfit won my vote for Outfit of the Day, “Escucha, Escucha estamos en la Lucha” (“Listen, listen we’re in the fight”) my foreign language chant award. Motorists beginning to lay on their horns the entire time they were stopped awaiting green (fewer, timid, one-second taps), and the signs! They still offer literature by Emma Lazarus and quotes from The Founding Fathers, but the color and artwork are off the charts.
And it was soooo orderly. Demonstrators stayed on the sidewalks, even cautioning each other that some drivers like to come close. When switching corners even on green, they walked in convoys. Not a brick, nor a bottle flew.
“We’re very pleased,” said Tracy Van Wie of the Indivisible leadership. “It was our largest turnout to date. We estimate upward of 500 in attendance with an overwhelmingly supportive response from the community. It was peaceful, joyful, and engaging. With every event we’re building stronger community bonds that carry us forward and give us more momentum.”
More Launches
On Thursday, 50 folks showed up for a public hearing on a new launch pad at Vandenberg, which could make possible double the number of launches.
Judging by the tenor of a dozen speakers, expanded window-shaking is not popular in Lompoc.
Previous hearings have shown the same testimonies of growing cracks in homes, noise pollution, and the specter of sagging property values as thunderous SpaceX launches multiply.
This hearing may have been more consequential as testimony came from several well-known civic leaders and an attorney.
And a Rematch on Tuesday
The coming week will feature a rematch of City Council versus Chamber of Commerce.
The chamber is not accepting the council’s 4-1 slashing of funding and is calling on allies to fill council chambers on Tuesday.
CEO DeVika Stalling has called for reconsideration of the vote, which she says will force the chamber to close its doors June 30, leaving such community-serving programs as Olde Towne Market and Leadership Lompoc Valley hanging in the wind.
“This is more than a loss of funding — it’s a loss of a cornerstone institution that has stood alongside our business community for decades,” she said. “The Chamber is not just an office; it is a force for local progress and community support/engagement. Without this support, we will no longer be able to sustain vital programs and services that directly impact our community.”
The council meets at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday evening, June 17, at Lompoc City Hall (100 Civic Center Plaza).
