Cover Story
Paging all vets: A national shortage of veterinarians strains SLO County’s animal health care system
San Luis Obispo County’s animal care system is feeling the burden of a national problem: a shortage of veterinarians. Animal shelters are struggling to keep up with an escalating demand for spay and neuter surgeries, and pet owners are feeling the sting. Carol Moore, who lives in Prefumo Canyon, tried to get her new puppy…
At Her Table spotlights female entrepreneurs in the Central Coast’s hospitality industry
Pull up a chair For the full slate of At Her Table events March 6 to 12, visit athertable.com. Follow the organization on Instagram and Facebook @athertableslo. Stay tuned for the grand opening of chef Rachel Ponce’s new Paso Robles restaurant on Instagram @the_frunchroom. Michelle Barrera founded At Her Table in 2021 with only 36…
Ukrainian-born artist Irene Pomirchy spreads joy through her paintings
See for yourself You can find Irene Pomirchy’s recent paintings on display at Old SLO BBQ, 670 Higuera St. in San Luis Obispo, or visit SLO Gallery, 1019 Broad St., to see her main featured work as part of the gallery. Follow her on Instagram @irenejoyfulart or visit her website, joyfulart.net. As birds serenade commuters…
Miossi Charitable Trust donates $1 million to support new SLO REP building
In late January, the Harold J. Miossi Charitable Trust announced it would contribute $1 million to support the San Luis Obispo Repertory Theatre’s (SLO REP) capital campaign to build a new theater venue in downtown San Luis Obispo. SLO REP’s goal is to raise $15.3 million. So far, $11 million has been raised, including the…
Minnesota-based exhibit showcases Los Osos artist Neal Breton
Pool scenes by Los Osos-based painter Neal Breton will be featured in an upcoming group show at Gamut Gallery in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The show, titled AstroTurf, marks the gallery’s first exhibition of 2023 and is scheduled to premiere on Feb. 17 and remain on display through March 18. Originally from New Hampshire, Breton has worked…
Knock at the Cabin explores Christian notions of the apocalypse
KNOCK AT THE CABIN What’s it rated? R What’s it worth, Glen? Full price What’s it worth, Anna? Full price Where’s it showing? Colony, Downtown Centre, Park, Stadium 10 M. Night Shyamalan (Signs, Lady in the Water, Old) co-writes and directs this apocalyptic psychological horror thriller about a family—husbands Eric (Jonathan Groff) and Andrew (Ben…
Indie-folk act The Lone Bellow plays Cal Poly’s Performing Arts Center Feb. 15
The Lone Bellow, a trio of Southerners who converged in Brooklyn and are now based in Nashville, have grown into a dazzling indie/folk/rock/Americana act whose songs can lift your spirits and break your heart, sometimes simultaneously. They’re currently touring in support of their fifth studio album, Love Songs for Losers, and there are still great…
The Recruit
What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2022 Where’s it showing? Netflix Think of protagonist Owen Hendrick (Noah Centineo) as a cheekier and less capable version of Jack Ryan. Owens is not former military or a fancy “analyst” for the CIA. He’s a fresh-out-of-law-school hire who’s immediately taken advantage of by the more experienced people in his…
The California Coastal Commission has protected the state’s shoreline for 50 years
February 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the California Coastal Commission (CCC). The governing body’s role as planning commission for the 1,100 miles of California coastline was authorized by California voters in November 1972 with passage of Proposition 20. The initiative was launched after efforts to pass coastal protection legislation had been approved in the…
All Quiet on the Western Front
What’s it rated? R When? 2022 Where’s it showing? The Palm Theatre, Netflix Edward Berger (Jack, Deurshland 83) directs this film based on Erich Maria Remarque’s celebrated 1928 novel about a young German soldier in World War I, who experiences terror and distress while stationed on the front lines of the Western Front. It’s currently…
Development in SLO could bring more issues than answers
Oh my, to develop or not? Allowing more dense development in downtown San Luis Obispo could bring increased vitality to a community, but without increased infrastructure supports, it can bring blight. Is there sufficient acreage in the landfill to address the increased garbage that will result if San Luis Obispo builds more housing? Is there…
SLO County supervisors repeal new Paso Robles planting ordinance
In yet another twist in the seesawing debate over the Paso Robles Groundwater Basin, the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors rescinded the county’s newly adopted Paso basin planting ordinance on Feb. 7—preempting it from taking effect. The board’s new governing majority voted 3-2 to gut the ordinance before its March 1 effective date,…
Speak out against Diablo Canyon Power Plant operations
As a SLO county resident, I strongly oppose that Diablo Canyon Power Plant continue operation past the end of the plant’s federal licenses. The plant has violated environmental laws and plant safety rules numerous times. Using taxpayer money to buy the utility company a pass on safety and enormous fines that PG&E could have avoided…
Los Osos CSD braces for results of mudslide investigation as impacted residents wait for answers
When Ron Munds, general manager of the Los Osos Community Services District (CSD), first saw the mudslide that devastated a local neighborhood on Jan. 9, he couldn’t believe what he was looking at. “I jumped in the car and drove up there, and it was just beyond belief,” Munds recalled. “I walked up to where…
Tiny homes in SLO County can make housing affordable
Kudos to the SLO County Board of Supervisors for its work with tiny homes. Small homes can be located on large parcels or infill lots countywide. Infill lots can simplify commuting. I see a lot of businesses advertising for young workers. Allowing contractors to build tiny homes would be in the county’s best interest. Homes…
Grover Beach sues former short-term rental owner for tax evasion
Grover Beach proved that the price of skipping bed tax payments may be higher than remitting a cut of the rent to the city itself. Former local short-term rental owner, Allen Thompson, felt the financial pinch when the city sued him on Jan. 20 for failing to pay transient occupancy taxes (TOT) from 2019 to…
SLO developed over parking lots without mitigating loss
I was dismayed when the city of SLO sold to developers two downtown surface parking lots—one on Broad Street across from Big Sky and the other between Monterey and Palm—without having timely plans to replace those lost spaces. Around six weeks ago I contacted several City Council members with two questions: 1. How much in…
Atascadero sets out to repair storm-damaged creek bed
The storm systems that hit SLO County on Jan. 9 and 10 altered the course of Atascadero Creek, shifting it 30 to 40 feet in some places, according to Atascadero Public Works Director Nick DeBar. City officials held a special emergency meeting on Feb. 1, authorizing more than $260,000 to repair a portion of the…
The oil industry puts its profits ahead of your health, again
On Feb. 3, California’s secretary of state certified that oil companies got enough petition signatures to cancel the state’s oil well health and safety setbacks law until a referendum vote on the Nov. 5, 2024, ballot. Or, as state Sen. Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach), author of the bill that was going to become a law…
Pismo Beach sets new limit on water rebate program
A Pismo Beach resident discovered a loophole in the local water rebate program, compelling the city to close it. On Feb. 7, Pismo Beach leaders unanimously set a new limit on the reimbursement amount for an incentive scheme called Cash for Grass, which rewards residents for replacing their lawns with drought-resistant landscaping or artificial grass.…
Whiplash!
Now that there’s a new liberal majority on the SLO County Board of Supervisors, the perpetually dysfunctional governing body is flip-flopping like a suffocating fish on a dried out ag pond. Two months ago, on Dec. 6, 2022, the then conservative majority adopted a new planting ordinance for the Paso Robles Groundwater Basin that increased…
Some Paso residents call for school board member’s resignation
Paso Robles residents are alleging that one member of the local school board was illegally appointed to his seat. Sande Adkins, who spoke during public comment at the Jan. 24 Paso Robles Joint Unified School District board meeting, said that trustee Joel Peterson shouldn’t be sitting on the dais. “Joel Peterson did not receive one…
SLO County transportation plan identifies $2 billion funding shortfall
A San Luis Obispo County transportation plan looking to 2045 highlights a more than $2 billion funding shortfall for future road, highway, multi-modal, and public transit projects—and suggests a local revenue measure to help bridge the gap. Updated every four years, the 2045 Regional Transportation Plan compiles all planned state, county, and city transportation projects…
UndocuSupport awards grants to organizations helping undocumented families after January’s floods
The flooding that hit SLO County in early January impacted everyone, but one group is ineligible for most federal aid programs—undocumented families. “They don’t qualify for federal assistance programs because of that requirement that they need to be legally here,” said Mariana Gutierrez with Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo (CAPSLO). CAPSLO recently received…
