Cover Story
The art of politics: SLO artists tackle everything from The Donald to the local housing crisis
I want to touch it, but that sort of thing is frowned upon. Layers and layers of thick black, red, and white paint ebb and flow to create the likeness of none other than Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. At the top of the painting are the words “Can’t Even” and below is a direct…
What club(s) will you get involved in at Cal Poly?
Corina Gonzalez getting teaching credential Editor’s Note: This week’s Street Talk was compiled at the Cal Poly WOW Resource Fair on Sept. 23. “I’m in the SCTA (Student California Teacher’s Association). They do a lot of community outreach and you get to go to conferences for professional development.” Trevor Stocksick third year transfer “I’m looking…
Guilty Pleasures: Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation
What’s it rated? R | Where’s it available? Streaming on YouTube; DVD. The 1990s were an interesting time for horror films, to say the least. The 1970s and the 1980s were jam packed with some of the most well-known and well-loved horror franchises that spawned a host of sequels and imitators. But by the early…
Viewer Discretion: Protest it
Cheryl Storton from Arroyo Grande expresses her opposition to the Phillips 66 rail spur project at the SLO County Planning Commission meeting on Thursday, Sept 22. PHOTO BY JAYSON MELLOM
Pipeline or bust: Legislation allocates $10 million to connect San Antonio and Nacimiento lakes, but way more is needed
The crusty sand and pebbles that ring around the reservoirs of Lake San Antonio and Lake Nacimiento don’t really paint the picture of a future water surplus, but it could happen. And if it does, Sen. Bill Monning (D-Carmel) is pushing two counties to build something that could take advantage of it. The California Legislature…
Cash for grass: Arroyo Grande sets fees for marijuana services
If you are one of the medical marijuana delivery services hoping to operate in Arroyo Grande, you’d better be ready to fork over a different sort of green to City Hall. The city recently set its fees for mobile dispensary businesses that get approved to operate within the city limits under a new permitting structure…
Paso wastewater fines to pay for groundwater studies
Years of wastewater pollution violations have cost the city of Paso Robles nearly $500,000, but more than half of that fine will go toward an initiative to research management strategies for the Paso Robles Groundwater Basin. The Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board slapped Paso Robles with the penalty on Aug. 24, pointing to…
Anonymous post details alleged rape of Cal Poly freshman
As incoming freshmen celebrated the beginning of their college experience during Cal Poly’s Week of Welcome, an anonymous post to a popular internet message board described a disturbing account of a much darker experience. On Sept. 23, an anonymous user claiming to be a Cal Poly freshman posted to the Cal Poly forum of Reddit…
Plans for Atascadero footbridge draw ire, confusion
Atascadero resident Bruce Van Housen was walking through Sunken Gardens recently when he stumbled upon an architectural drawing posted outside of City Hall. It was a mock-up of a $3 million, city-backed pedestrian bridge and plaza that’s coming to downtown Atascadero. It depicts a footbridge crossing Atascadero Creek—from the Galaxy Theaters on El Camino Real…
Board members clash at South County Sanitation District meeting
Animosity between South SLO County Sanitation District board members Jim Hill and Mary Lucey boiled over at a recent public meeting, when the two attempted to formally censure one another over online comments. But despite a meeting full of acrimony and accusations, neither got what they asked for. Both Hill, the current mayor of Arroyo…
Drought stops Laetitia housing development
Even requirements to dry farm 50 acres of grapes, fallow land, and graze cattle couldn’t save Laetitia Vineyard and Winery’s housing development. Those were 5th District Supervisor Debbie Arnold’s suggested fixes to the water issues associated with the proposed agricultural cluster subdivision of 102 homes on 1,900 acres of Laetitia land between Arroyo Grande and…
Cuts with style: LVL Salon brings fashion industry flair to Nipomo
For many people, the relationship between a person and their hair stylist is an intimate one, especially when body image and a sharp pair of scissors are involved. Leila Vea Lewis knows a thing or two about this. Two years ago, Lewis moved from New York City to Nipomo. And in March, she opened the…
Pick your own poke: Whether in burrito or bowl, this tangy raw fish from Poke Chef is a total catch
Funny how true love has a way of bringing life into full, razor-sharp focus. Will Yan had worked in Bay Area kitchens for much of his youth and early adulthood when he made that fateful dish for his date, Pinky. Up until that night, he had considered cooking a hobby—something he happily did to help…
A thought on the student-to-resident ratio
Regarding the opinion piece “It’s not just about trees” (Sept. 22), the statement that “concerned citizens are simply requesting that the CalPoly student-to-resident ratio” be limited to one Mustang for every 2.5 residents is technically intriguing. One approach: at the beginning of each semester, an attractive electronic ankle bracelet would be placed on anyone enrolled…
Carrot farmers get no sympathy from me
Having just read the article regarding the plight of residents of New Cuyama (New Times, “Rooted beneath,” Sept. 22) I have to say that I have zero sympathy for carrot farmers. We lived in the little community for years and while we loved the town, the carrot people were a blot on it. Twice in…
Unwanted railway spur, how pathetic
The public has shown the SLO County Planning Commission time and time again that we do not want the Phillips 66 railway spur on the Nipomo Mesa. Hundreds of pleas from not only local residents, afraid of losing their health and home, but representatives from Los Angeles and other large cities, fire departments, etc., are…
Campbell should be removed from the county Planning Commission
At a Sept. 22 public hearing, 5th District Supervisor Debbie Arnold’s appointee to (and chairman of) the SLO County Planning Commission attacked American citizens exercising their First Amendment rights to speech, assembly, and seeking redress of grievances. Upon assuming office, Don Campbell swore an oath to uphold the U.S. and California constitutions, an oath he…
Food in the green waste bin
So I’ve been trying the food in the green waste bin program for a couple of weeks now. First week: the daily dumping of the counter top food bin into a green waste bin that had plenty of garden clippings. Three warms days later, the green bin was covered with maggots. I rolled the green…
SLO needs a proven leader
The recent—and successful—struggle to save the quarter-millennium-old mission aqueduct from casual destruction by a developer’s backhoe shows why experienced leadership is necessary for San Luis Obispo. Demolition began shortly after 7 a.m. one morning. The Chumash archaeological observer called the tribal chair, the tribal chair called me, we alerted Jan Marx, and the mayor immediately…
Besties on the brink!
Thanks to a Freedom of Information Act request, New Times recently acquired this email exchange between SLO County Board of Supervisors Debbie Arnold (District 5) and Lynn Compton (District 4), which also references supervisors Frank Mecham (District 1) Bruce Gibson (District 2), and Adam Hill (District 3). It’s definitely for realsies, people! I would never…
Sometimes we agree
Like the words of the police inspector in Casablanca who was “shocked that gambling was occurring here” (as he collected his winnings) so too was I surprised that Professor Latner and I agree on a few things. For instance, the assertion that conservatives are routinely excluded from college campuses or if present, must remain incognito…
What’s next?
Every year, as the California population increases, the amount of “beach per person” in California goes down. Inversely, the value of coastal real estate goes up, especially near population centers. This creates an ever-increasing incentive for developers to build on undeveloped coastal land, where potential profits far outweigh projects inland. It was to prevent rampant…
Per Cazo’s 2013 Albarino and Flour House’s Limoncello
Legendary Paso Robles winemaker Steve Glossner had been making stunning wines for Per Cazo Winery for nearly a decade when he and his wife, Lola, purchased the winery as their own in 2014. Now, you can taste these delicious mostly Spanish varietals alongside the couple’s other offerings, Paso Port and Pendray’s Distillery. All three share…
A beautiful day
Inside is overrated: The SLO Botanical Garden is celebrating harvest season with a slew of fun outdoor events that meld education and deliciousness in a natural setting. Love the idea of producing your own local honey? Sign up for a class on backyard beekeeping, kicking off Oct. 8, or grab the kids and partake in…
Core Dance Studio in SLO hosts workshops by Flow 40 Dance
Local dancers can pick up a new move or two on Oct. 7 through 9 from guys who can dance, the men of Flow 40 Dance from Los Angeles. Core Dance Studio in SLO will host Flow 40 Dance workshops each day from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Students will be split into four levels…
Preview the Open Studios Art Tour on Friday Oct. 7 at Art After Dark
Getting a little antsy waiting for the upcoming Open Studios Art Tour (Oct. 8, 9, 15, and 16)? Well get a look at what’s to come a day early at Art After Dark on Oct. 7 from 6 to 9 p.m. The night will include 34 venues, making it one of the biggest Art After…
Cuesta screens PBS series ‘Art21’
While SLO has its own burgeoning art scene, it’s easy to crave more. Now, art aficionados can get their fill without leaving SLO. Starting in October, Cuesta College’s Harold J. Miossi Gallery will kick off free monthly screenings for the fall semester of the PBS series Art21: Season 8. The program provides an in-depth look…
Dessert mission: Spend a day outside so you don’t feel guilty about the part that comes after dinner
Dust and smudged fingerprints stare out at the fog from my dashboard, almost willing the moisture to dissipate. The rounded cement pillars of abandoned smokestacks are all that sits above a thick layer of white in Morro Bay, but I’m not stopping there. My nostrils are leaking, my throat feels like a cat ran its…
Love, refound: SLO Little Theatre’s Tuesdays with Morrie gets at the heart of life
Unless your cold, cold heart is barely beating, odds are you will cry (at least a little) during a viewing of San Luis Obispo’s Little Theatre’s Tuesdays with Morrie. But crying gets a bad rap. After all, everyone can use a good, cathartic cry from time to time. As Morrie Scwartz (Tom Ammon), the titular…
Relatable: Comedian Anjelah Johnson brings the funny out of everyday experiences
Growing up, comedian Anjelah Johnson just couldn’t sit back and have a good time at the movies. “I would just go to the movies and I wouldn’t enjoy the movie because I was mad I wasn’t in the movie,” Johnson said. While Johnson has yet to star in a feature film, her career has taken…
The Suitcase Junket brings his raw, one-man-band blues to Bang the Drum Brewery on Sept. 30th
In his video for “Eileen,” Matt Lorenz (aka The Suitcase Junket) sits in the woods behind The Amity House of Amherst, Mass., surrounded by refuse—discarded lumber, errant bricks, an ice chest, an old bicycle, and an upended wheelbarrow. In his hand is an acoustic guitar with a sunburst paintjob and what looks like a homemade…
Clubs 9/29/16 – 10/6/16
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…
