Cover Stories
Dining Out: Best of SLO County 2016
BEST NORTH COUNTY RESTAURANT (San Miguel, Paso Robles, Templeton, Atascadero, Santa Margarita) The Range 22317 El Camino Real, Santa Margarita The Range is the kind of place that even the most in-the-know foodie may not know. That is until the word-of-mouth reputation comes around. Owners Jeff and Lindsay Jackson consider this haven to be “honky-tonk…
Community Watch: Best of SLO County 2016
BEST CONTROVERSY OR SCANDAL John Wallace and the South SLO County Sanitation District South SLO County John Wallace’s tenure as the South SLO County Sanitation District’s top administrator ended on a sour note in 2015. Wallace left the district amid allegations that he used his position to send millions of ratepayer dollars to his own…
About Town: Best of SLO County 2016
BEST NEW COMPANY OF 2015 The Junk Girls 2024 Main St., Cambria Junk Girls Jenny Kompolt and Melissa James have a passion for creating treasures. They have been fashioning art out of found objects, vintage, and repurposed items since 2009. “Most of the stuff we do had a previous life,” Kompolt said. Their store is…
Lifestyle: Best of SLO County 2016
BEST HAIR SALON Bluebird Salon 742 Marsh St., SLO Bluebird Salon owner Ariel Shannon says the key to success at this downtown salon is the positive, fun atmosphere fashioned by her great staff and clientele. They’ll greet you by name and offer you something to drink as soon as you walk in. The place is…
Gettin’ Goods: Best of SLO County 2016
BEST BOOKSTORE Phoenix Books 986 Monterey St., SLO Longtime Phoenix Books Owner Bruce Miller is turning the store over to his son, Evan Miller-Donnelly, after 35 years. “It will be a great challenge but I’m up for it!” Evan said. They source many of their volumes through purchase and trade with the local community. The…
Arts Scene: Best of SLO County 2016
BEST FESTIVAL Arroyo Grande Strawberry Festival arroyograndevillage.org/strawberry_fest.shtml The gorgeous May weather and historic charm of the Village of Arroyo Grande definitely add to the Arroyo Grande Strawberry Festival experience. Arroyo Grande Mayor Jim Hill said, “We always look forward to the annual Strawberry Festival, highlighting our local strawberry growers. This year we will have more…
Get Out: Best of SLO County 2016
BEST WEEKEND GETAWAY IN SLO COUNTY Cambria Pines Lodge 2905 Burton Drive, Cambria Need a break from the week-to-week grind? Book a stay at Cambria Pines Lodge and let the tranquility of SLO County’s North Coast reinvigorate you. Whether your vacay is spent at the beach with the elephant seals, dining and shopping in town,…
After Hours: Best of SLO County 2016
BEST NORTH COUNTY BAR (San Miguel, Paso Robles, Templeton, Atascadero, Santa Margarita) Pappy McGregor’s Irish Pub & Restaurant 1122 Pine St., Paso Robles Pappy McGregor’s has held out as a neighborhood bar among a land flush with wine bars and fine dining. That doesn’t mean that they don’t bring a bit of class—they’ve got…
Best Of SLO County 2016: New Times’ 30th Annual Readers Poll
New Times’ readers shredded it in this year’s annual Best Of SLO County readers poll. They told us who their faves were and we put them together in this outrageously massive issue for you to enjoy. And to make things just a skosh sweeter, it’s our 30th Best Of issue, so we decided a…
What diet?
Instagram double tap of the week: Want to make your own batch of Chocolate Cherry Firestone Stout Cupcakes with cream cheese frosting? If you’re already following @firestonewalker then I know you do! Email marketing@firestonebeer.com to get the recipe, which is, of course, worth a few extra jiggles around your middle … Alle-Pia, purveyor of fine…
If you could bring back one thing from the 1980s, what would it be?
Jeremy Anderson from Ohio “I wish windbreakers were cool again.” Ed Griffith SLO native “Social accountability and respect of quiet in public.” Vlad Gherghiceanu student “I don’t know much about the ’80s. I was born in 1993.” Fr. Junipero Serra statue “Hair metal. Twisted Sister freakin’ RULES!”
Stealing signs is no way to support your candidate
Over the weekend, Eric Michielssen yard signs were stolen in select neighborhoods around Santa Margarita. Michielssen is challenging Debbie Arnold for 5th District supervisor on a platform of tolerance, civility, and fact-based decision-making that considers the needs of ALL residents. If yard signs are any indication, Michielssen has strong support within the community of Santa…
Eric Michielssen’s the guy for District 5
The District 5 incumbent SLO County supervisor has the big money and the big signs, and it shows when she is deep in the pockets of developers and corporations. Debbie Arnold’s mantra is “profit rights”—if it means making big profits, she is all for it, no matter the cost to the community. Take, for example,…
Sign of the times
Driving north through Atascadero yesterday, I suddenly felt like getting stoned and checking out the Charles Paddock Zoo. That’s because advertising works! On the east side of Highway 101, there’s a big billboard that says Diamond Cannabis with a stony green crystalized pot leaf, and on the far right is a city of Atascadero-sponsored ad…
Debbie Arnold’s the one for District 5
As a resident, I care deeply about our government’s obligation to remain fiscally responsible—particularly at the local level. If local government is going to spend our money, it must ensure the people are fully aware of how and where public funds are being used. San Luis Obispo County Supervisor, Debbie Arnold has done a wonderful…
California is unfairly represented in U.S. Senate
The democratic authority of a single vote which is, at its heart, “about each individual American’s political power” is institutionally tainted. It is gerrymandered, misrepresented, and traded for financial gain. These failures provide the medium for the sad condition of political representation we see today and the potential for its gaming by those financially powerful…
Uebersax is an antiwar candidate
In a cover story (“Cash grab,” May 5) that only states the obvious—money ruins politics—New Times tells readers all about the offenders, but ignores a solid candidate who campaigns without begging for bucks. Thus, 13 paragraphs are awarded to “Big Spender” Salud Carbajal and 17 to “Deep Pockets” Justin Fareed—while yours truly, the plucky antiwar,…
District 5 residents: Listen to people in Santa Margarita
What do residents of Santa Margarita know about the District 5 Supervisorial race that you may not? They’ve witnessed firsthand how the incumbent’s extreme partisan ideology and loyalty to a few moneyed interests prevent her from objectively representing all her constituents. When Margaritans packed the Board of Supervisors chambers last May, they figured the applicant…
I’m not ignorant
Please allow me to respond to the commentary “Democracy needs an educated electorate” by Zaf Iqbal in the May 5 issue of New Times. I’d like to start by saying that my general takeaway from Mr. Iqbal’s writing is that he is obviously much smarter than the rest of us “average Americans” and he think’s…
Guilty Pleasures: Avalanche Sharks
When? 2014, unrated | Where? Netflix If you dare to move past the safe and comfortable haven of the popular big budget movies on Netflix you’ll find that part of the streaming service is the digital equivalent of digging through the bargain DVD bin at your local grocery store. You know the one’s I’m talking…
97.3 The Rock hosts a fundraiser for anti-commercial radio in Morro Bay
It says a lot when somebody gets up at 6 a.m. for the passion of the music,” said a slender man with graying hair. After speaking, a smile drifted across Hal Abrams’ face. For the past five years, he’s worked to create his idyllic radio haven. Even though he was the host of the nationally…
Cougars & Mustangs
Cal Poly’s attempts to make good on its Learn By Doing philosophy lead it to continuously improve the school and offer more that will help its students keep up in this extremely competitive world. Among the latest scholarly additions to the school is Kyle Hofer, former director of business analytics at Insight Investments, who has…
Two lawsuits rock the harbor in Port San Luis
A pair of lawsuits filed by former business owners in Port San Luis levels accusations of collusion against the Port San Luis Harbor District and a key business in the small harbor community. The Alcove Unique Gifts Inc., which operated the Port Harford Chanderly and Pub in a building owned by the harbor district, accuses…
EPA wants more data in Freeport McMoRan’s Arroyo Grande aquifer exemption
The U.S. EPA is asking for more information from the Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) regarding an application to exempt a larger area of the Arroyo Grande oil field from the Safe Drinking Water Act. The recent application—put forth on behalf of Freeport McMoRan, the oil company operating on the fields in…
SLO PD seeks funds for body cameras
The San Luis Obispo Police Department will be one step closer to body cameras should it get SLO City Council’s blessing on May 17 to move forward to seek a grant to fund them. The department has already submitted the grant proposal to the U.S. Department of Justice, requesting funds to purchase 50 body cameras.…
Grover Beach mayor hit with campaign complaint
Grover Beach Mayor John Shoals is accused of violating campaign finance rules during his last mayoral campaign in a recent complaint filed with the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission May 11. The complaint, authored by SLO County resident Kevin P. Rice, alleges that Shoals failed to report donations to his 2014 campaign for mayor in…
Contractor to SLO County Coroner gets probation for DUI
A doctor contracted to conduct autopsies and other forensic pathology work for the SLO County Sheriff’s and Coroner’s Office was sentenced to probation after he was arrested for drunk driving in early March. Dr. Gary Alan Walter, 68, was sentenced to three years of probation and fined more than $2,400 after he pleaded “no contest”…
Arroyo Grande mayor faces flak for letter to FTC
Friction between the mayor of Arroyo Grande and a City Council member has once again spilled out into the open. An email from Mayor Pro-Tem Barbabra Harmon raised concerns after Mayor Jim Hill sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission regarding a vacant Haggen grocery store location in the city without notifying the council.…
Dozens of campaign signs stolen, vandalized in Santa Margarita
Santa Margarita resident Janice Carter awoke on May 7 to discover that campaign signs on her and her neighbors’ properties on I Street had vanished. The signs supported Eric Michielssen, a candidate running for the 5th District seat on the SLO County Board of Supervisors. Only their wiry, metal frames remained. “There was mine, two…
Still Waters’ 2014 Sauvignon Blanc and Kenneth Volk’s 2013 Verdelho
Did you know that there was once a giant man-made lake located out where Still Waters Vineyards is today? It may have dried up and given way to rows of prized wine grapes, but its presence is still felt in every bottle of Still Waters wine. How? Thanks to the subsequent dip in the soil…
New dinner series from Thomas Hill Organics focuses on food grown, cooked, and consumed on the farm
Longtime farmer Bill Spencer has a habit of calling his sheep “kids.” It’s watering time out at Windrose Farm in east Paso Robles, and the whole fluffy flock—one-week-old lambs, nursing moms, and shaggy old maids—trot happily to a big, plastic bucket filling rapidly with cool water. In his straw hat and dusty blue jeans, Spencer…
2016 Central Coast Writers Contest is accepting entries
It’s so satisfying on those rare occasions when an argument or tense situation reaches its peak and you’re the one to walk away having said the last biting word. Building off that concept, writers are invited to ruminate and create going off of the theme The Final Word for the 2016 Central Coast Writers Contest.…
Studios on the Park kicks off Paso ArtsFest with artsy dress-up party
They say art mimics life, but for one evening life will mimic art. Art aficionados can dress up as their favorite artist or work of art for the Come As You Art party on May 27 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Studios on the Park in Paso Robles. The event is part of the…
Competitive eaters gobble flapjacks to raise money for AmpSurf at Penny’s All American Cafe
It’s a warm and sunny Saturday, May 7, and I’m at Penny’s All American Café in Pismo Beach, where I’ve just met the first two people to register for the seventh annual Pancake Eating Contest. “I’m just up to see Melanie,” Chris, a tall blond Pepperdine student said, “and we saw the sign and thought…
Central Coast artist Pat Robert captures beauty of horses through sculpture
The white walls were overwhelming. At age 30, Pat Roberts, along with her husband and three children, moved into what would be her forever home on a sprawling horse ranch property off Highway 246 in between Lompoc and Solvang, and was confronted with the problem of bare, white walls. “I looked at all these white…
A ton of live music descends on SLO County
Let me apologize in advance to anyone who sent information about a show I didn’t have space to cover this week, but there’s so much going on, it’s nuts! Let’s start with Vina Robles Amphitheatre and its season debut, Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience on Saturday, May 14 (8 p.m.; all ages; $35 to $45…
Clubs 5/12/16 – 5/19/16
Goin’ South THE CLIFFS RESORT: 2757 Shell Beach Rd., Shell Beach, 773-5000, cliffsresort.com. F. MCLINTOCKS SALOON: Two locations: 750 Mattie Rd. in Pismo Beach and 133 Bridge St. in Arroyo Grande. 773-1892 or mclintocks.com. Live music at the Pismo Beach location every Fri. and Sat. from 6-9pm. Tennessee Jimmy Harrell and Doc Stoltey play on…
