The state of Lompoc is safe, Police Chief Kevin Martin said Thursday.
Martin provided an update during a State of the City luncheon at the Dick DeWees Community & Senior Center. The Lompoc Valley Chamber of Commerce organized the event, which also included updates on the Lompoc Unified School District and the Lompoc Valley Medical Center.
Armed with crime statistics, Martin presented details of the department’s 2024 report, showing rates of serious crimes against people such as homicides and assaults 1% lower in 2024 than 2023. Property crimes were 21% lower for 2024 compared with the prior year.
The data also showed Lompoc’s crime rates lower than Santa Maria and Santa Barbara, he added.
“I don’t show these stats in any way to take away or throw mud at my partner agencies,” said Martin, who became Lompoc’s police chief two years ago.
“But if there’s anything that you take away from my presentation today, I want it to be this, because people’s perception of our community is so wrong. I would argue (Lompoc is) the safest place in the county to raise a family, to run a business and to live your life, and I think the numbers back that up.”
Crime-fighting measures implemented include the addition of Flock Safety license plate reader cameras, with approximately 60 across the city. Other communities such as Santa Maria have seen reductions in stolen vehicles after installing the cameras, Martin said.
After years of operating with multiple vacancies, the department now has 50 of its 52 sworn police officer slots filled.
Lompoc emergency responders also are in the middle of a much-needed update to their radio communication system, which should be fully in use by the end of the year.
Officers have been issued body-worn cameras, providing “a great tool,” Martin said. Along with officers, the body-warn cameras have been issued to community service officers, and the city jail staff also wear the cameras to capture their interactions with the public.
Before Martin spoke, City Manager Dean Albro provided a quick overview on the city’s budget, saying he’s excited that it’s much the same as the current financial blueprint.
“We’ll be able to maintain our service levels,” Albro said. “We’ve been running a balanced budget for the last four years. We’ve seen a lot of cities that are in deficit budgets, so it’s good to see we’re able to maintain service levels.”
Still, he noted that the uncertainties involving the economy need to be watched closely.
A shift to electric vehicles means lower revenue from gas taxes, which provide funding for road repairs.
“We’ll have to mitigate that moving forward,” Albro said.
State of Lompoc Schools
Months after voters approved Measure M, a $160 million bond, the work on the first projects for the Lompoc Unified School District could start as soon as this summer, Paul Bommersbach, assistant superintendent of human resources, said Thursday.
The successful passage followed several failed efforts in recent years.
“Our students, our staff, deserve the best facilities, the best environment to learn from,” Bommersbach said, expressing appreciation for the community’s support.
The district continues to work toward creating workforce housing for employees. He said he’s offered jobs to candidates who drop out because they can’t find a place to live locally.
“We’re really looking forward to our team investing in the workforce housing in the future,” he said, adding that they hope to create 100-plus units in the next four to six years.
Funding would involve public-private partnerships, and Measure M bond funds won’t be used for the housing, Bommersbach said.
The district has seen rising test scores for students at several schools and a 10% decrease in chronic absenteeism, Bommersbach added.
LUSD has roughly 9,000 students, about 1,100 employees and 16 schools.
State of Lompoc Hospital
The Lompoc Valley Medical Center has expanded from an acute care hospital with 60 beds and a comprehensive care facility to include additional primary care and specialty care options in the community.
Plans call for opening more offices in a portion of the former CoastHills Credit Union headquarters building in Vandenberg Village.
The Village clinic site, the 14th site for the Lompoc hospital district, will offer primary and special care and should be operational in 2026.
“At Lompoc Valley Medical Center, we continue to remain a standalone entity … with a focus on providing local access to health care to the Lompoc community, preventing our patients from having to travel outside the city to receive services,” said Lindsey Arevalos-Velasco, senior director of operations for the hospital.
The old hospital building at 303 South C St. was sold in February to Crestwood Behavioral Health, which has operated in the facility for a few years.
“We are quite proud of what we’ve been able to grow and do for this community,” said Dustin Cheney, chief financial officer.