Cover Story
Down the drain: Some Cambria residents are wondering where money from their past water rate increases has gone as a new proposed increase looms
In the two decades she’s lived in Cambria, Elizabeth Bettenhausen has heard a lot of talk about Cambria’s aging water and sewer infrastructure. To address this looming issue, the Cambria Community Services District (CCSD) is proposing a rate increase of 19.2 percent for its water services and 24.2 percent for sewer services, spread out over…
A party that needs to reevaluate itself
One has to ask if a group of people has to “cheat” to win an election, what’s wrong with their party’s platform or core values? If they have to gerrymander to an extreme, that says a lot about them and the direction of ultra-conservative views. If their constituents agreed, they would not have to succumb…
Off-roaders’ swan song
On March 21, 2022, the SLO County Superior Court denied our motion requesting to intervene as defendants in the suit brought forth by Friends of the Oceano Dunes and EcoLogic against the California Coastal Commission challenging its 2021 decision to ban most vehicle use in the ODSVRA (Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area). The Oceano…
Thanks for writing about Miossi Open Space!
I’m writing to give kudos to Peter Johnson for his article regarding Miossi Open Space and the city of SLO’s conservation program (“Connecting Trails,” Get Outside, Spring 2022). Last Sunday, March 27, I was working out at Miossi and saw more hikers than I have ever seen. I asked a woman from Arroyo Grande how…
Wind across the sanctuary
Two primary environmental crises threaten the survival of life on Earth: climate change and biodiversity loss. We commend the Biden administration’s leadership in directing an urgent transition to clean energy sources and the protection of natural habitat. Offshore wind energy is a vital part of that program, and the Sierra Club supports responsibly developed offshore…
Sunset musings
You know who’s really into nature? It’s 2nd District SLO County Supervisor Bruce Gibson. His first campaign flyer of the season featured a photo of an oak tree behind a barbed wire fence with the words, “Bruce Gibson: Solid as a native oak,” printed below it. I’m not sure if it was Gibson’s way of…
You Won’t Be Alone offers philosophical folk horror
YOU WON’T BE ALONE What’s it rated? R What’s it worth, Anna? Full price What’s it worth, Glen? Full price Where’s it showing? Palm Theatre in SLO In his feature-length debut, writer-director Goran Stolevski helms this horror story set in a secluded 19th century Macedonian mountain village. An infant named Nevena is promised to Maria…
Undercurrent: The Disappearance Of Kim Wall
What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2022 Where’s it showing? HBO Max In 2020, HBO released The Investigation, a six-part Danish series detailing the investigation of journalist Kim Wall’s mysterious murder onboard a privately owned submarine. It must have gone over well because the story comes once again to HBO in Undercurrent: The Disappearance of Kim…
Creator of SLO County redistricting map questioned local election’s ‘validity,’ sought ballot and voter records
The Arroyo Grande resident behind San Luis Obispo County’s new redistricting map is alleging local election fraud following a months-long, unsuccessful probe to try to gain access to confidential county voting records in the 2021 recall election against Gov. Gavin Newsom. Richard Patten—whose redistricting map earned the support of a majority of the SLO County…
Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives.
What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2022 Where’s it showing? Netflix It seems stories of cons, crime, and deception are hot now with the popularity of documentaries like The Tinder Swindler and The Puppet Master: Hunting the Ultimate Conman, as well as the dramatized true stories portrayed in Inventing Anna and The Dropout (just to name…
Homeless participants of the renamed Kansas Avenue parking site want more robust care after the county and CAPSLO introduced case management
A tornado is brewing in San Luis Obispo County’s very own Kansas. The eye of the storm contains homeless residents living out of their vehicles at a safe parking site on Kansas Avenue who are frustrated with county officials for the way the program is being run. “I want to thank Dan Dow, the county,…
Two very different artists explore similar female themes in Poem of the Body
Bodies of work Artists David Limrite and Lena Rushing explore female-centric themes in Poem of the Body, their new two-person show in the Nybak Wing of the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art. The exhibit hangs through May 29. For more information, visit sloma.org. Three years ago, artists David Limrite and Lena Rushing began discussing…
Rural North County internet speeds don’t meet state standards
Internet access doesn’t just cost more in Northern San Luis Obispo County—it’s also slower. A San Luis Obispo Council of Governments (SLOCOG) report released at the beginning of April found that the urban areas of SLO County meet the minimum speeds for the federal definition of broadband internet, “while moving away from the urban areas…
Jason Mayr leads upcoming sketching workshop in Atascadero
Professional artist Jason Mayr will host a three-day workshop, Sketching Trees with a Sense of Life, in Atascadero, Friday, April 29, through Sunday, May 1, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day. The series will be held on a 2-acre private property with a park-like setting (attendees will receive the location’s address upon registration).…
San Luis Obispo can’t get enough of Bing’s Bao Buns
Bao and more Bing’s Bao Buns serves Korean fried chicken on “Fried Chicken Friday” from noon to 5 p.m. On Saturday and Sunday, bao sales begin at noon and last until 2 p.m., or until they’re sold out. Plus other options are available during dinner service from 4 to 6 p.m. Bing’s updates its menu…
SLO County-based nonprofit hosts inaugural Carrizo Plain Photo Contest
Ecologistics is seeking photographers to enter its first Carrizo Plain Photo Contest. Contestants may submit up to three different photographs in each of the competition’s three categories (flora, fauna, and open). The entry fee is $5 and the deadline to submit photographs is Sunday, April 10. The contest will be judged by three professional photographers,…
Pismo Beach authorizes military equipment policy for Police Department
Pismo Beach’s municipal code thickened by one chapter when its City Council unanimously approved an ordinance approving local law enforcement’s use of military equipment. At its April 5 meeting, the City Council approved a second reading of the ordinance as part of Assembly Bill 481. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the bill into law in September…
Paso Robles City Library showcases art quilts by Jeanne Aird
A new solo art exhibit debuted at the Paso Robles City Library during the first weekend of April and is scheduled to remain on display through the remainder of the month. This colorful showcase highlights a collection of art quilts created by Jeanne Aird, who utilized a variety of quilting techniques to create her work.…
Atascadero Senior Center faces financial struggles
Among the many activities and resources the Atascadero Senior Center provides for older community members, a fan favorite is Bunco night. Members gather to play the fast-paced dice game once a week. “I got hooked on Bunco, so I’m in there with the little old ladies rolling the dice every week,” John Crippen said with…
Puddles Pity Party plays the Fremont Theater on April 10
The first time I experienced Puddles Pity Party was when someone turned me on to the YouTube video of “the sad clown with the golden voice” performing a cover of Lorde’s “Royals” with Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox. It was so weird and charming. This 6-foot-8 baldheaded man in a white clown suit, white makeup, and…
SLO County supervisors debate gas tax pause
Reports of San Luis Obispo County’s rank when it comes to the most expensive gas in the country compelled its supervisors to request a pause on the state gas tax that’s set to increase this summer. In a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom dated April 5, signed off by Board of Supervisors Chair Bruce Gibson,…
We need better public transit options
I appreciate Kristin Tara Horowitz’s well written opinion piece (“A real drag,” March 31), and I am in total agreement with her assessment of the county’s public transportation system. As a fellow Los Osos resident, I have had the same thoughts. I called the bus company years ago to request better service and got lame…
SLO County seeks charter to address elected office vacancies
San Luis Obispo County supervisors took a step on April 5 toward putting a county charter on the November election ballot that would establish new processes for filling vacancies in local elected offices. A majority of the Board of Supervisors directed county staff at a special evening meeting to move ahead on a proposed charter…
The Nipomo Vons does have fresh produce
The New Times March 24 news section contained an article by Bulbul Rajagopal (“Out of Reach: For residents in some of SLO County’s unincorporated areas, fresh fruits and vegetables can be hard to find”) included a description of produce in the Nipomo Vons supermarket, which is very different from what I’ve seen on weekly visits…
The Boys and Girls Club launches a new lunch and after-school program at Laguna Middle School in SLO
Given The Boys and Girls Club’s robust programming on the Central Coast—nearly 3,000 youth served by 14 after-school clubs from Paso Robles to Santa Maria—one could easily assume that the city of San Luis Obispo had at least one of those clubs. But that’s actually not the case—until this month. On April 18, the national…
Affordability and subsidized housing
People say they want more affordable housing, but what they are really saying is, “I want to live here because it’s nice, but I don’t want to (or can’t) pay the market price for housing here.” I’m not talking about the homeless, or people caught in temporary difficulties who need outside help. I’m only talking…
