Paso Robles moves to lift cap on cannabis delivery businesses
On May 19, the Paso Robles City Council unanimously moved to eliminate the city’s cap on cannabis delivery businesses, directing staff to repeal limits that have restricted locally based non-storefront operators since 2022. The recommendation could reverse a policy the city put in place four years ago, when it first allowed a small number of…
SLO City Council upholds AEPi frat’s permit revocation
Planning Commission’s decision to revoke Cal Poly fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi’s (AEPi) conditional use permit—doling a double whammy to the appealing students. “We disagree with the commission’s conclusion that no set of conditions could ensure compatibility with the surrounding neighborhood or protect public health, safety, and welfare,” Joshua Pinsky, president of AEPi’s Sigma Omega chapter,…
Atascadero Unified sued over alleged violation of voting rights law
Atascadero Unified School District (AUSD) is facing a lawsuit that seeks to overturn its at-large election system, alleging the method dilutes Latino voting power and violates the California Voting Rights Act. The lawsuit, filed May 8 in San Luis Obispo Superior Court on behalf of the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project, argues that the way…
Second District supervisor candidates discuss campaign differences
San Luis Obispo County’s 2nd District voters will elect a brand-new supervisor to represent them for the first time in 20 years come June 2. Thanks to long-serving 2nd District Supervisor Bruce Gibson stepping down, constituents will choose between Morro Bay civil engineer and former Fresno City Councilmember Michael Erin Woody, and Gibson’s freshly picked…
Local Masonic Lodge, American Legion aim to curb food insecurity among veterans
One in nine working-age veterans experience food security in America. Zoom in on ex-servicewomen and aged veterans, and the problem appears more severe. “Then it gets even worse when you start to bake in some of the other stuff,” Michael Hammons, the master mason at the San Luis Obispo King David’s Masonic Lodge, said. “Like…
Do right
Up until a year ago, Cal Poly had the remains of 10 Indigenous people in their “collection,” Native Americans who had been dug up from their graves and taken for “study.” Cal Poly finally returned the remains to the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians after a toothless 1990 law demanding repatriation was given teeth…
Oceano and endangered species deserve a permanently safe beach
It doesn’t happen often, but it’s happening now: The Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area (ODSVRA) south of Arroyo Grande Creek is closed to off-highway vehicles and has become a safe place for pedestrians. But the closure is temporary. A few days after you read this, the Oceano Dunes may or may not have re-opened…
We’ve already paid for Sunnyside School
I’ve been waiting for this subject to wake up, so here goes. I have lived in Los Osos since 1974, started and owned three businesses, and love this community. The subject of this letter being Sunnyside School/park. My children both went there, I played baseball there, and we all watched Halley’s Comet there. I do…
Support Measure B-26
As proud Los Osos residents of 46 years, we are thrilled at the recent influx of babies and young children—bringing smiles to all of our faces. While those of our vintage can enjoy the cordoned pathways of the Elfin Forest and Sweet Springs Nature Preserve, kids need space to run and play. That’s why we…
Community parks are different than open space
Barbara Boniface (“Los Osos has plenty of parkland,” May 7) says Los Osos already has 618 acres of parkland and does not need a better community park. Yes, we are fortunate to have many acres of protected open space, beautiful reserves that safeguard habitat and offer opportunities for passive recreation. Here’s the thing: Community parks…
Dead seabirds are the harbingers of a preventable future
It turns out that most of these birds starved to death. The reason, according to International Bird Rescue, is warmer ocean surface temperature. We’ve been experiencing a record-breaking blob of warm ocean water stretching from the Bering Sea to Mexico, from Korea to California. That’s driving baitfish into cooler, deeper water, where our friends the…
Central Coast tribes push to reclaim ancestors’ remains and belongings
Salinan Tribal Councilmember Robert Piatti remembers when he realized that what was sitting beneath a university campus wasn’t just archival material—it could also be people. “I was a reporter at Cal State Long Beach,” he said. “In the humanities building, down in the basement, there were boxes and boxes of bodies. And it was awful,…
Groundbreaking LGBT film Brokeback Mountain screens May 23 at the Palm
Ang Lee (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; Life of Pi) directed this groundbreaking 2005 neo-Western romantic drama adapted by screenwriters Diana Ossana and Larry McMurtry from Annie Proulx’s 1997 short story about two young cowboys—Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) and Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal)—who in 1963 Wyoming fall in love one summer when they’re hired to…
Remarkably Bright Creatures is a sweet story about finding joy
Olivia Newman (Where the Crawdads Sing, First Match) directs this script she co-wrote with John Whittington adapting Shelby Van Pelt’s 2022 novel of the same name about Tova Sullivan (Sally Field), an elderly cleaning lady at an aquarium in Sowell Bay, Washington. Her best friend is Marcellus (voiced by Alfred Molina), an arrogant and dismissive…
#Skyking is a documentary about taking a commercial plane for a joyride
Richard “Beebo” Russell knew the ins and outs of SEA-TAC airport—after all, he was ground crew. He knew the hierarchy, that the pilots frequently made dismissive remarks about the “ramp rats.” The hours were long and the pay meager, but Beebo was a glass-half-full guy. He had a family that loved him, a wife he…
The 115th Portuguese Festival returns on May 30 and 31
In addition to Catholicism and cultural identity, family and tradition are priorities in the Portuguese community, which will be on full display at the Portuguese Holy Spirit Society’s (PHSS) 115th annual Portuguese Festa on Saturday and Sunday, May 30 and 31, where Adelle Lima will be crowned senior queen. “My oldest daughter is going to…
Cayucos children’s novelist Debbie Black scores more awards
Award-winning Cayucos-based tween book author Debbie Noble Black just scored two more accolades at the Chanticleer International Book Awards banquet in Bellingham, Washington. “Besides the thrill of winning those prestigious awards, just getting all dressed up for an event like that was a blast,” Black said. “It was quite the departure from my normal beach-vibe…
Concert violinist Brynn Albanese now uses music as medicine
Not to be a downer, but we’re all going to die. Three in four adults have at least one chronic condition, and more than half have two or more. In other words, most of us will see our deaths coming. For Cambria musician Brynn Albanese, her job is to make the transition from life to…
Kyle Gass of Tenacious D brings The Kyle Gass Company to The Siren
Well heck. Let’s just clear the air. Back in July of 2024, Kyle Gass found himself in hot water during a Tenacious D concert in Sydney, Australia, after he tastelessly joked about the attempted Donald Trump assassination. Asked to make a birthday wish onstage, Gass said, “Don’t miss Trump next time.” Bandmate Jack Black said…
The duo on a mission to make the best bubbly on the Central Coast
Legend has it that when Elizabeth Stilson first interviewed with her now-business partner, she said, “If I never have to make another red wine again, I’ll be happy.” As soon as the statement came out of the winemaker’s mouth, PasoSecco founder Chris Kern knew she was the perfect candidate for his sparkling brand. “That sold…
