Good morning, here are the stories we are following on Daybreak:
- Missile launch from Vandenberg: An unarmed Minuteman-3 missile successfully launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base around 1:30 this morning. The Air Force says the test, planned years in advance, is part of Global Strike Command’s program to ensure the missile system’s readiness and accuracy.
- Proposition 50 passes: California voters approved Proposition 50 in the statewide special election. Governor Gavin Newsom praised the measure, which temporarily redraws the state’s congressional maps in response to Republican gerrymandering across the country. The new maps could give Democrats up to five additional seats in Congress, potentially holding 48 of California’s 52 districts by 2026.
- Sable Offshore update: The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors has postponed a decision until December 16 on whether to approve the transfer of a permit to Sable Offshore Corp. for the pipeline involved in the 2015 Refugio Oil Spill, citing the need for additional information and the possibility of an appeal process. Environmental groups opposed the transfer over spill-risk concerns, while Sable argues the pipeline is among the safest in the country and offers the environmental advantage of locally produced oil.
Three weeks into the investigation of nine-year-old Melodee Buzzard’s disappearance from Vandenberg Village, her maternal grandmother, Lori Miranda, is pleading publicly for Melodee to be brought home safely. Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office investigators say surveillance photos show Melodee with her mother, Ashlee Buzzard, at a car rental in Lompoc on Oct. 7, and then the mother made a multi-state trip, returning without Melodee on Oct. 10. The rental vehicle even had a changed license plate mid-trip, broadening the search area across Colorado, Utah, Arizona and Nevada. Miranda believes her daughter (Ashlee) knows where Melodee is, and is urging her to speak up.
Community leaders gathered in San Luis Obispo to mark the ribbon-cutting for the newly licensed hospice provider Aevum Hospice, a service poised to meet increasing demand in a county where about 23% of residents are over 65, well above the California average of 14%. The opening fills a gap left when Wilshire Health and Community Services suddenly closed, reducing options for end-of-life care. Co-owner Jeff Bariel stressed the urgent need for more hospice capacity in the region, as the baby-boomer generation ages. The ceremony also coincided with National Hospice Month, emphasizing awareness and support for hospice providers.
With a federal shutdown lingering and nutrition programs at risk, Congressman Salud Carbajal visited Meals That Connect in San Luis Obispo to bring attention to local food insecurity and senior-meal service funding concerns. Meals That Connect serves more than 2,000 seniors countywide, and its executive director, Laura Kelsay, warned that without SNAP/CalFresh funding, programs like theirs might disappear, potentially pushing vulnerable seniors into nursing homes. Carbajal said he’s deferring his congressional pay in solidarity with federal workers and is working with providers to assess their needs, noting that more than 100,000 people on the Central Coast use CalFresh.
