Cover Story
California’s silent oil rush
The Central Coast’s hills and plains are known for their beauty, their wildlife, and their isolation. Aside from the resident animals and the occasional vineyard, town, farm, or ranch, much of the land in Monterey, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties lacks human presence. Soon, that may all change. Underneath much of the area…
Artifacts
Josephine Crawford Studio 5-6 p.m. pre-party salon. Closes at 6 p.m. 873 Church St. (Railroad district); 543-2237. Art Central Glynis Chaffin-Tinglof, “When Reason Comes Round.” 1329 Monterey St.; 788-0887; artcentralslo.wordpress.com. ARTS Space Obispo Sean Beauchamp’s “Letters to the Universe.” 570 Higuera St., suite 165 (SLO Creamery); 544-9251; artsobispo.org. Bambu Batu Andrea Courier’s jewelry, Richard Fusillo’s…
Jazzin’ it up
Gypsies in SLO County? Sure, we’re a long way from India, Egypt, or Europe, where Gypsies have wandered for centuries. But local music fans still have quite an appreciation for the Gypsy-jazz stylings of say, 1930s Europe, like the sultry tones of Django Reinhardt. Perhaps that’s why this year’s Hope and Harmony benefit concert features…
Textual imagery
How dost thou intimidate me? Let me count the ways: First, Lena Rushing, the artist and organizer behind a group show of art inspired by literature, is a certifiable cyber stalker—the nicest one you’re likely to meet, but still. She knew what I looked like, when I got married, and how old my kid was.…
Viva La Guitarra!
Russ De Angelo describes classical guitarists as the computer nerds of the music world. “You have to have an analness to play this instrument,” he said. The director of the La Guitarra California festival, a biennial weekend devoted to classical guitar, De Angelo reckons no student of the craft would ever pick up the instrument…
Whispers of humanness
It’s not uncommon for Joanne Ruggles to work from nude models. But in her current show, “Hanging by a Thread: Mother Earth in Peril,” it’s the artist, and not her subjects, who is exposed. While her gray and black figures are charitably cloaked in abstraction and anonymity, Ruggles is the one whose dreams, hopes, and…
CLUBS
BRANCH ST. DELI: 203 Each Branch St., Arroyo Grande, 489-9099. Live music Fri. from 5:30-8:30 p.m. THE CLIFFS RESORT: 2757 Shell Beach Road, 773-5000 or cliffsresort.com. F. MCLINTOCKS SALOON: 750 Mattie Road, Pismo Beach and in the Arroyo Grande Village, 773-1892 or mclintocks.com. Pismo: Live music Mon.-Wed., 6-9 p.m.: Tennessee Jimmy Harrell, Fri.-Sun., 6-9 p.m.:…
Gruet NV Brut New Mexico
This delightful sparkling wine is a great value for the quality at $18 retail. I was impressed by its aromas and flavors of Granny Smith apples, citrus, and toast in a really nicely balanced package that’s creamy and crisp at the same time. It’s wonderful as an aperitif, and a great choice for kicking off…
Margerum 2010 Rose Vin de Pays de Vaucluse
Elegant and light, this pretty French Grenache Rosé is perfect for sipping on a summery night. It tastes of fresh strawberries and cherries, with subtle notes of minerals and raspberry liqueur. It’s the perfect refresher for our warm fall days, and a natural pairing for main dish salads with fruit, candied nuts, and baby greens,…
Twenty-five years of experience
I love the wine business, as do most people who work in satellite industries that complement it. Yet there is one thing about the wine world that I detest: snobbism. When I find some unwitting server directing it toward me, I won’t tolerate it. Neither should anyone else. My attitude started early in my career…
What makes us human?
Thomas Samford arborist “The ability to love someone and hate them at the same time.” Clayton Niznik freelancer “Life and death and all the emotion in between.” Larissa Ormonde diver “Abstract thought and the concept of self.” Spiderman John unemployed “Just being nice.”
Baby Naya, the warrior princess
On July 24, a happy family fell in love with a 7-pound baby girl. She had her mother’s eyes and her father’s nose, with a full head of his dark black hair. She seemed healthy. At the time, Jamie Maraviglia-Manalo was looking forward to a short maternity leave and getting to know her new daughter.…
Cougars & Mustangs
Leopard sharks aren’t the fastest fish in the sea. That fact might keep them from medaling in any speed-based shark competitions, but it makes them ideal candidates for tracking. Using money from the awesomely named National Science Foundation’s Robust Intelligence Program, a team of students and faculty from Cal Poly and CSU Long Beach recently…
ECO-woes
After nearly two years, Morgan Rafferty the former executive director of the Environmental Center of San Luis Obispo County, is scheduled to finally stand trial for charges that she pilfered tens of thousands of dollars from her own nonprofit group and Mothers For Peace. Rafferty was charged with three felony counts of embezzlement and grand…
Eating a loan?
On a recent sunny August afternoon in Atascadero, the Carlton Hotel lobby sat silent and empty, save for one lone concierge. The former gift shop where North County developer and owner David Weyrich has set up an office space—where he usually works on weekdays—was dark, with bottles of Fiji water and various papers scattered atop…
SLO courts unions to vote on cutbacks
Tough choices are on the table for the San Luis Obispo Superior Court, which is facing more than a $1 million shortfall in its 2011-12 budget. The court is looking to shave approximately $800,000 in salary expenditures, which account for 80 percent of its expenses. According to Susan Matherly, executive officer for SLO County Superior…
Seal lions suspected in pelican deaths
Despite some contrary reports, local wildlife officials believe sea lions and the chaos of feeding frenzies are responsible for at least three dead pelicans. On Aug. 24, officials from the local branch of the California Department of Fish and Game began receiving reports from the Harford Pier in Avila Beach that pelicans were turning up…
SLO firemen and cops lose big time
After a citywide municipal nightmare leading up to an election, the vote over binding arbitration is over, and San Luis Obispo voters overwhelmingly elected to repeal the controversial labor policy. SLO voters approved two election measures on Aug. 30, ending binding arbitration for safety officers and clearing the way for the City Council to negotiate…
Sunny Acres evicted
On Aug. 25, San Luis Obispo County Superior Court Judge Charles Crandall effectively shut down Sunny Acres. And after court, Dan De Vaul went back to the ranch to tell residents to get out, one by one. Under Crandall’s order, many of the residents at Sunny Acres, a working ranch and sober living facility for…
Are we going to accept the ‘justice’ served on Dan De Vaul?
Recently a judge acted on a personal vendetta against that outlaw who lives on LOVR. Is our judicial system so corrupt they ignore a law mandating governments provide housing for the indigent? With a judge who doesn’t do his homework, but relies on false information provided by county counsel? With county counsel so inept that…
We’ve had some legislative coups
State constitutional law has usurped the local laws of the counties of California. This was done at the ballot box on June 6, 1978, on a rider that went with Proposition 13. The rider was a deal made between the county supervisors and our state supervisors. There was not enough money in the coffers to…
Don’t blame our weak-kneed, so-called ‘leaders’
So, the late, great U.S. of A. endured months-long bloviating with a manufactured crisis revolving around “raising the debt ceiling”—a process so formulaic, so perfunctory, that it has been done more than 100 times in our nation’s history with no fanfare whatsoever. Even the idol and hater of government, Ronald Reagan, did it 18 times…
Celebrate otters whose presence shows a healthy ocean
“Morro Bay snubs sea otters” reads the headline from New Times (Aug. 11). We don’t understand the opposition to Sea Otter Awareness Week by the Morro Bay Commercial Fisherman’s Association and the Morro Bay City Council. The California otter population (not to be confused with the northern Pacific subspecies found from Washington to Alaska) stands…
A lack of humans doesn’t mean it’s vacant
I object to your characterization of the subdivision north of the Carrizo Plains as “vacant” (“Going once …,” Aug. 25). People generally consider land “vacant” if it isn’t built upon or inhabited by humans. But there is very little truly vacant land in the United States. I, too, once believed that terrain such as deserts…
Hungry for torture, huh Shredder?
Regarding Shredder’s “Shea’s DA man!” on Aug. 25: On the Scales of Justice, Dan De Vaul’s reputation may be shaded by his misdemeanor, but he is honored for defending the poor, while Ed Arnold is irrevocably trashed forever because of his conviction of gross misdeeds. The irony is the Shredder confirms this judgment while unfairly…
Our voices mattered on the worst bill ever
In his letter (“Cut the propaganda,” Aug. 25), it’s clear that Ian Tanner missed the point of our Aug. 18 commentary, “Worst. Bill. Ever.”—namely that a Congressional spending bill freighted with non-budgetary anti-environmental amendments has nothing to do with spending and everything to do with corporate kowtowing, making Mr. Tanner’s retort (“the USA can’t afford…
Hospice volunteers are positive people
I was disappointed in Robert McDonald’s introduction to the article on Hospice of San Luis Obispo’s Pet Peace of Mind Program (“A home after death,” Aug. 25). While the article was generally positive, I thought he mischaracterized both the facility and the people who work there. I have been a volunteer for almost two years…
Bring on the metal!
Would you mind celebrating your 25th anniversary some more, so I can hold another stapled New Times? Ed. note: Stop by our offices, Joe. We’ll staple any issue for you. Or check out any of our special publications, which come stapled, too. Our next is the Student Guide, set for Sept. 15.
Hear Dr. King
A recent hurricane postponed the dedication ceremonies in Washington, D.C., for the long-awaited monument to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.—the first time a man who was not a president, not white, not a war leader has been so honored on the National Mall of the Capitol. Major corporations contributed to the monument, which raises the…
Get your whirlybird on
I’ve got a thing for helicopters—attack helicopters, in particular.* Maybe it’s a boy thing, but flying tanks are bitchin’. That’s why I got excited when I came across Apache Air Assault. At first I was going to pass it up, figuring it was just another arcade shooter with the flight physics of a buffalo on…
Matt Mallon
NEW TIMES How long have you been bartending? MALLON I have been bartending for nine years, going on 10 in June. NEW TIMES What is your favorite thing about bartending in San Luis Obispo? MALLON SLO is a hub; people love to stop here. I like to meet all the people traveling through town.…
The Weyrich way
I was sneaking into church the other day, making a beeline toward the sacramental wine when I unintentionally learned a lesson about making money. I dunno why the Bible has a passage about how to make lots of money, what with all that nonsense about poor people entering heaven but rich people being camels and…
