Cover Story
Shades of gray
All right, for the sake of argument let’s make some assumptions in the races for Districts 2 and 4 San Luis Obispo County supervisors. First, a county supervisor is supposed to be nonpartisan, though the races include three registered Democrats and two registered Republicans. “First of all, the whole idea of a nonpartisan politician is…
Blackstone 2008 Merlot California Winemaker’s Select
This simple but tasty Merlot will please those looking for bargains. It has aromas and flavors of cherry and plums, with a thread of herbs and earth from the addition of small percentages of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a wine meant for the table, and a good choice for herb-roasted leg of lamb…
Fresh baked goodness
A bread-baking class at the House of Bread (HOB) in SLO provided me the joy of making a soulful loaf of bread and, equally important, enlightened the class about the health aspects of the loaf meant for sharing at the table. If you love bread and pastries as I do, just walk into HOB and…
County bus fares are going up
Jorge Jimenez loves to ride the bus instead of driving his car to work in San Luis Obispo from his home in Santa Maria. He pays $4.50 for a day pass. “My car is always kinda iffy,” Jimenez, said. “If something goes out on the car I don’t have the money to fix it.” Jimenez…
Garden plots grow
Bring on the blossoms. The Rotary Community Garden at Meadow Park in SLO will be dedicated June 8 to the groups that took the idea from a seed to fruition—the Rotary Clubs, City Council, Parks and Recreation, Joint Use Committee, and adjacent homeowners board. Already renting out its 40 plots, the 5,600-square-foot garden sits at…
SLO fee hikes: yes and no
In a rare show of fiscal tax and fee restraint, the San Luis Obispo City Council rejected fee hikes requested by city staffers. The council unanimously rejected raising golf and parking fees, but did let stand previously approved hikes for water and sewer and set the stage for potential bus fare hikes that will be…
SLO Council approves Garden Street Terraces environmental report
The San Luis Obispo City Council unanimously certified the Garden Street Terraces project’s environmental impact report and gave its approval for the development to move forward in the approval process. The council also approved a new financial deal to allow Hamish Marshall, the developer, to build over a 62-space public parking lot without providing any…
Diablo safety concerns raised at NRC hearing
Judges from the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board, the independent trial-level adjudicatory body of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, heard arguments from attorneys of San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace (SLOMFP) and Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) regarding the pros and cons of license renewal for Diablo Canyon power plant on May 26. SLOMFP attorney Diane…
No Cal Poly president
The Cal State University Trustees voted unanimously to restart the process to fill the presidency of Cal Poly, saying none of the candidates were “a good fit for the campus.” Cal State University Chancellor Charles B. Reed said financial issues are a major problem; he said he did not realize how non-competitive the compensation is…
Mailer riles Dems
An election mailer sent to Central Coast residents under the guise of a Democratic Party endorsement has Democratic voters alledging that someone is trying to dupe them into voting for a Republican. The slate mailers received by registered Democrats in the county’s 2nd and 3rd supervisorial districts list recommended candidates under the heading, “The Best…
Anything goes at Social Services
In Matt Fountain’s article “Aid to poor cut” (May 20), Lee Collins [SLO County Director of Social Services] is quoted as saying about the state budget cuts, “They’re willing to yank away the walkers and canes of the old, but not the golf clubs of the wealthy. Where’s the shared sacrifice?” Collins should cut the…
Mills Act tax breaks help preserve history
Regarding the commentary “Scrutinize Mills Act tax breaks” (May 20) I see Richard Schmidt is yet again criticizing the city he has enjoyed for the past 40 years. He publicly criticizes the great work of the Cultural Heritage Committee who gives up time to help preserve the community’s history. The Mills Act encourages residents to…
Mills Act subsidies are improperly administered
I thank Dan Carpenter for his rejoinder (“Dan Carpenter responds,” May 27) to my commentary on the city’s maladministration of Mills Act historic preservation tax subsidies, which go mainly for rich people’s houses (“Scrutinize Mills Act tax breaks,” May 20). By not refuting any of my substantive points, he acknowledges their substance. Carpenter is mistaken…
PG&E distorts why it backs Prop. 16
I read your “Green bait” story (May 27) about the way PG&E is urging who it hopes are naïve folks to vote for Proposition 16. The proposition, for anyone who hasn’t heard, would in effect allow PG&E and other giant energy companies to keep their monopolies on providing electricity to Californians. Lo and behold, on…
Mad about mailer
Thank you for informing the people about PG&E’s fraudulent ads (“Green bait,” May 27). I’m a Democratic voter and I’m mad as hell that PG&E is advertising this scam as though it were a Green energy piece of legislation when it’s a vote YES for PG&E to monopolize the energy industry in California. In fact,…
What makes Lynch so special?
I have to ask, why does Charles Lynch get special treatment by New Times about his endorsement of certain candidates (“Charles Lynch’s endorsements,” May 27)? It is very apparent in reading his letter that marijuana, smoking marijuana, laws about marijuana, being able to sell marijuana in a storefront, and promoting the sham that is medical…
Blame environmentalists for the gusher in the gulf
Anyone who’s an environmentalist, member of the Sierra Club, or a liberal Democrat is partly responsible for the BP oil spill in the gulf. Had they allowed the oil companies to drill onshore in the lower 48 states and offshore in shallow waters off California and Alaska, the oil companies would not have been forced…
Fishermen seek a better a relationship with marine sanctuary
I am the commercial fishing representative on the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council, although I am not representing the SAC in my remarks about your recent story about expanding the sanctuary (“Drill, spill, or chill, baby,” May 27). When the sanctuary was created, a clear promise was made to fishermen by NOAA and…
Shenanigans
Hello to all my loyal Shreddidians! I’m just beaming with pride and patriotism after the Memorial Day weekend. Even my vomit is coming up red, white, and blue. Ooh, wait, that may be combining my patriotic cake and a jug of apple schnapps. Excuse me for a moment. Hoogaaaash! I just lost a patriotic gutful…
What do you think of the health legislation?
Amelia Miller student, San Luis Obispo “I don’t know too much about it to have formulated an opinion.” Ruth Travis retired teacher, Arroyo Grande “I’ve read very little about it; only what the papers let us read.’” Tony Thorseorne Painter, San Luis Obispo “I really don’t have much of an opinion because I don’t have…
Clubs
Goin’ South … CAFÉ ANDREINI: 131 E. Branch St., Arroyo Grande, 481-6117. Thurs.: Live music at 6pm. COFFEE BEAN AND TEA LEAF: 750 Five Cities Dr., Pismo Beach, 773-6420. Music Night every Sat., 6:30-8:30pm. DOLPHIN BAY/LIDO: 2727 Shell Beach Road, Shell Beach, 773-4300 or TheDolphinBay.com. ELMO’S NIPOMO SALOON: 131 South Thompson Road, Nipomo, 929-5362. Karaoke…
Pablo Aguirre
Owner – Precision Machine Company 3055 McMillan Avenue, San Luis Obispo NEW TIMES: What does Precision Machine Company do? AGUIRRE: We are one of the oldest machine shops on the Central Coast, having opened around 1969. We’re capable of fabricating all kinds of machines and parts for personal use and small businesses. NEW…
Don’t be bamboozled by Prop.16
There is chicanery afoot in California to thwart us from getting electric power at the least expense. We must be free to choose alternatives to such monopolies as PG&E that currently dominate service. Many communities are choosing to buy energy at wholesale prices from green suppliers or create their own utilities, to gain electricity at…
DVD for young yogis wins national award
Storyland Yoga is an interactive yoga DVD for children. The production features nine local children being led through yoga exercises keyed to lessons for helping the planet, as illustrated by two stories: Condor Trek and Save the Whale. Ahmed Fahmy, an instructor at Smiling Dog Yoga in San Luis Obispo, guides the children in movement…
Integrity and intensity!
If you’re looking for an artist with an ass-load of street cred, look no further than Henry Rollins. The former Black Flag frontman is as authentic as they come, a rip-roaring, take-no-prisoners, in-your-face performer whose spoken word rants are cutting to the core yet surprisingly funny and self-deprecating. The musician, actor, and activist brings his…
Art After Dark
ARTS Space Obispo: 570 Higuera #165 (SLO Creamery) 544-9251. “KIDNEY DAZE: Paintings by Isaac Wollman” features colorful paintings by a local artist awaiting a kidney transplant. More info: caringbridge.org/visit/isaacwollman. Body Centered Therapy/Energy In Motion: 1023 Nipomo Street, Suite 50 (Soda Works Building) 305-5197. “Bold Embrace,” a journey into her story featuring acrylic paintings and mixed…
Wretched, wretched word count
Here are 55 rules for New Times’ annual 55 Fiction contest: Rule one: 55 words or less. Two: Contractions count as a single word. So go to town with the shouldn’ts, wouldn’ts, won’ts, and can’ts. Trois: Hyphenated words don’t count as a single word. Star-studded-sky? Three words. Shi: Standard acronyms are a single word. Wanna…
The freedom to forget
I’m riding past the graveyard on my way to the Elks Lodge to meet some friends for a swim—the perfect opener to a fun-filled summer. It’s Monday, May 31, Memorial Day, and as I look to my left, small American flags are planted next to headstones presumably belonging to fallen soldiers. I make a mental…
Moriarty in the broom closet with a flowerpot
SLO Little Theatre’s production of Sherlock’s Last Case—which runs through June 20—couldn’t possibly be a flop. Playwright Charles Marowitz knew one very important thing about American audiences: their appreciation for a character with a British accent delivering acidic one-liners about Americans is boundless. In fact, I rather suspect that the entire play was written as…
Here. Now. Dance.
Choreographers—and armchair philosophers—Diana Stanton and Jude Clark-Warnisher theorize that presence is not always a given. That is, a being might be physically present, but mentally or emotionally absent. In fact, when people are constantly pressured to accomplish more, faster, it makes sense to lapse into a kind of autopilot. Their hope with Variable Velocity’s ninth…
