SLO firefighters’ union files unfair practice charge against city
The firefighters’ union in San Luis Obispo filed an unfair practice charge with the California Public Employment Relations Board (PERB), alleging the city and City Attorney Christine Dietrick imposed an unlawful gag order. The Aug. 31 complaint claims that Dietrick violated the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act, which regulates labor-management relations in California local government. Under that act,…
San Miguel receives $1 million in federal funding for new Emergency Operations Center
San Miguel is set to put more than $1 million in federal funding toward a new emergency operations center as the North County community prepares for continued population growth. U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-Carmel Valley) announced the funding on Sept. 29 alongside San Miguel Fire Chief Scott Young, Assemblymember Dawn Addis (D-Morro Bay), and local…
Pismo Beach City Council adopts new resolution to rename park after Brown Act cure and correct request
Pismo Beach City Council held a special meeting on Sept. 29 to discuss a fresh resolution to rename South Palisades Park after sitting Councilmember Mary Ann Reiss. The 4-0 approval, with Reiss abstaining, mirrored a vote that took place nearly a month ago when the City Council first deliberated renaming the park. The second look…
Morro Bay supports historic status for former elementary school
Morro Bay is backing an effort to place the former Morro Elementary School on the National Register of Historic Places, just weeks before the city expects to take ownership of the property. The City Council unanimously directed staff on Sept. 22 to send a letter supporting the historic nomination and ask the San Luis Coastal…
Ten candidates compete for three Lucia Mar seats during a charged election cycle
National politics and internal discontent have played out in Lucia Mar Unified School District since the pandemic, and that discord is impacting this election cycle, too. Four of the district’s seven trustee areas have seats up for grabs in November. On Sept. 21, 10 school board candidates representing parts of Arroyo Grande, Nipomo, and Oceano…
Vote Michael Glavan for San Luis Coastal school board
I don’t usually like to write about politics, but this one is personal for me! Michael Glavan is my partner in life, and I’ve had a front row seat to all the work, the conversations, and the thought he’s put into running for San Luis Coastal Unified School District board—Trustee Area 2. What you see…
Take your seat
Who knew the Lucia Mar Unified School District board of trustees race would be so spicy! It’s playing out like a student body president race in an ’80s teen comedy with allegedly stolen campaign signs, accusations of distorting the truth, candidates not showing up for a public forum, and one forum attendee (a candidate for…
Don’t throw your votes away in SLO’s municipal election
Admittedly, I’m a recovering politician. I will always be “in recovery” from this terrible addiction. As the midterm election looms, I’m likely to fall off the wagon and into that dismal swamp. Why fight it? Here in San Luis Obispo, voters get to choose a mayor and two council members in nominally nonpartisan contests. Usually…
The Shredder is outrageous
The Shredder is outraged that one of the candidates for a school board is a member of “The SLO County chapter of Moms for Liberty, an organization whose goal is to protect ‘parents’ rights.’ They want schools to notify them if their kids are going gay or trans. Rat kids out about their pronouns!” (“Read…
Get educated on local races, and cast your votes
The Nov. 3 election is fast approaching. Now is the time to find out who is on your ballot and where they stand on the issues. The League of Women Voters of San Luis Obispo County is joining with community sponsors to moderate candidate forums throughout the county. Candidate forums provide the public with an…
The oak trees in Nipomo are worth saving
While Jim Crouch (see the LA Times article on oak tree preservation, Sept. 19) has dedicated himself to planting oak trees to help the environment, San Luis Obispo County is going in the opposite direction. The county supervisors approved the “Dana Reserve,” a proposed massive development in Nipomo where there are plans to destroy 3,000-plus…
Vote Marilyn Rodger for San Luis Coastal school board
School board elections used to be straightforward enough. Just select a candidate that had the will and experience to improve our schools and keep them current in this changing world. Now, national political and/or religious factions are targeting school board elections. Their aim is to control boards and thereby control the learning agenda. Look around…
Every student deserves protection in school
AB 715 (“A Fine Line,” Sept. 3) is a well-intended proposal to protect Jewish schoolchildren in the state. But Jewish students aren’t alone in needing protection. The 25th anniversary of Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center was a timely reminder that, after the attack, Arabs and Muslims were stereotyped as terrorists and suffered…
Quality public libraries are worth it
Regarding “Slow renovation at Arroyo Grande Library leaves locals concerned about the wait” (Sept. 3): Area residents should keep expectations realistic and remember that quality investment now will mean an enhanced future for everyone. The aforementioned article highlights community member frustrations but fails to emphasize that original renovation estimates were overly ambitious. Anyone who’s ever…
Local tribe seeks to transform Cayucos’ Alexander Ranch into a conservancy
Via Creek cuts through 345 acres of grassland north of Cayucos before reaching the Pacific Ocean. Along the way, it passes through what was once an estuary, altered by berms built for duck ponds and concrete structures that interrupted the landscape. Closer to the water sits another relic of the property’s past: roughly 19 acres…
Atascadero CERT prepares residents for El Niño
California is gearing up for what could be a historic El Niño season, and San Luis Obispo County Emergency Response Team (CERT) wants residents to be prepared. “This is probably the worst El Niño,” CERT President John Spooner told New Times. “Forecasters are predicting a lot of rain. We’ve also already seen part of…
Queen tribute band Killer Queen plays Vina Robles Amphtheatre Oct. 4
Queen formed in 1970, but its original incarnation with Freddie Mercury on piano and lead vocals ended with Mercury’s death in 1991, which means that Killer Queen frontman Patrick Myers has been singing Queen songs longer than Freddie Mercury. In June 1993, Myers, a drama student at London University, played his first gig with Killer…
Photograph Lana Z Caplan chronicles the storied Oceano Dunes
There’s just something about Oceano, Guadalupe, and Nipomo that draws outside-the-box types. The first inhabitants were the Chumash tribe, who lived in harmony with nature. Then the Spanish showed up and changed everything. In 1903, Syracuse, New York-based theosophical organization Temple of the People established Halcyon, a utopian religious community that still exists in the…
Central Coast Shakespeare mounts Macbeth
William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Macbeth looks at the violence and psychological damage caused by political ambitions and power, and it’s not pretty. Macbeth, a brave Scottish general, is prophesized by three witches to become king. His wife encourages him to murder King Duncan, but guilt and paranoia compound, leading to more murders. The outcome?…
An oak tree and SLO REP will share space
Good news for the San Luis Obispo Repertory Theatre, theatergoers, and tree conservationists. SLO REP received a $1.5 million donation from local philanthropist Joan Gellert Sargen toward its planned new theater to be constructed on the corner of Monterey and Nipomo streets. Construction of the 215-seat mainstage and 100-seat black box theaters will begin this…
Heart of the Beast is a harrowing survival thriller
David Ayer (End of Watch, Fury, Suicide Squad) directs Cameron Alexander’s script about retired Special Forces soldier James Belmont (Brad Pitt) and his beloved but PTSD-suffering military combat dog Odin, (played by Uber, Seeka, Ryker, or Hondo), fighting to survive the Alaskan wilderness after narrowly surviving a plane crash. They must hike 58 miles through…
The Predator of Seville follows a woman’s quest for justice against a sexual predator
Full disclosure: I’m flying to Spain the day after this is published, and I won’t be taking any tours. This series was likely not the best watch before a semisolo journey, but we true-crime junkies can’t get enough of this stuff. This three-part Netflix miniseries introduces us to Gabrielle Vega, a student studying abroad who…
They Will Kill You is an action-packed, blood-soaked comedy
Co-writer Kirill Sokoloz (No Looking Back, Why Don’t You Just Die!) directs this batshit-crazy horror flick about Asia Reaves (Zazie Beetz), who’s riddled with guilt over not being able to save her younger sister, Maria (Orefile Moloi when young and Myha’la when older), from their abusive father, Ritchie (Darron Meyer). Years later, after a decade…
Alban Vineyards founder John Alban is San Francisco Wine Auction’s Winemaker of the Year
At Alban Vineyards in Arroyo Grande, winemaker John Alban is immersed in the daily grind of harvest season, covered in grape skins and yeast while monitoring daily operations. He swapped his work clothes for formal attire to attend the 49th annual San Francisco Wine Auction at The Palace Hotel on Sept. 19, where The Guardsmen…
