Cover Story
Year in Review: SLO County is still recovering from 2023, starting with the historic damage wrought by January’s storms
January kicked us off with a rush of floodwater, and the rain didn’t stop until April. Certain areas of San Luis Obispo County are still dealing with the ramifications from all that water and concerned about what the rainy season ahead has in store. The tension that started the year continued throughout 2023, with fights…
Grant money brings recreational opportunities to Oceano
Elementary school field trips and a new public plaza are in store for Oceano residents, come 2024. Oceano Community Services District (OCSD) board president Charles Varni told New Times that next spring, Caltrans will begin construction on a public plaza at 17th Street and Beach Street. “It’s a $1.8 million project, and we’ve lobbied hard…
San Simeon CSD’s future is uncertain heading into 2024
The San Simeon Community Services District (CSD) may dissolve in 2024 following a meeting with county and state officials on Dec. 7. Representatives of SLO County 2nd District Supervisor Bruce Gibson and SLO’s Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) spoke with the district board that day about the CSD’s potential dissolution and future transfer of water…
South Higuera residents want CEQA review of planned homeless shelter
Crunched by time, the proposed Welcome Home Village temporary housing project isn’t so welcome by neighboring residents. San Luis Obispo County envisioned setting up the 80-bed shelter space on a gravel lot it owns behind the Department of Social Services headquarters on Higuera Street in the city of SLO. The county received $13.4 million from…
Lopez Lake is almost at capacity, but hasn’t spilled yet
With fresh memories of last year’s winter storm damage, many are looking to Lopez Lake and the possibility of it spilling over the dam so early in winter to determine how this season might go. San Luis Obispo County Public Works Utilities Engineer David Spiegel told New Times that Lopez Lake is currently 95 percent…
Local neurosurgeon named SLO County physician of 2023
The Central Coast Medical Association awarded 2023’s San Luis Obispo County Physician of the Year to a local doctor who’s spent most of his career ensuring residents get access to top-of-the-line care. “This award is for a physician who has worked to improve the quality of health care, contributed to the education of other physicians,…
Andrew Christie was nature’s superhero
Over the years, my approval of Andrew Christie, the erudite director of our local Sierra Club chapter, has developed into flat-out admiration. His thoroughly-researched articles and stirring public speeches have heightened my awareness almost without my realizing I was learning anything—to the point where I’m now better informed on environmental matters than most of the…
We must do our best to make the world better
I found Andrew Christie’s latest offering to be very moving (“Responding to unraveling,” Dec. 14). He and I have been at odds at times on these very pages, but I never once doubted his dedication to making the world a better place. I simply felt that he was headed in the wrong direction on some…
Oceano doesn’t need an airport
The Oceano County Airport administration sought approval from the California Coastal Commission for a permit to “improve” the airport, including an exclusive campground, entertainment stage, lounge, bathrooms, showers, and private parking. However, on Dec. 15, 2023, the Coastal Commission urged the airport administration to withdraw its application. Before permitting anything, the commission wants a comprehensive…
Varni is a changemaker for Oceano
I have known Charles Varni for about 10 years, first as a neighbor and later as a fellow supporter of Oceano’s quality of life. I’ve attended numerous meetings with him and have always found him to be respectful and interested in other people’s opinions, inviting exploration of divergent ideas. The Oceano Community Services District seems…
Celluloid dreams: Team Starkey picks their favorite films of 2023
Neither of us are typically a “my favorite (fill in the blank) is” kinds of people. We might have current favorites of the moment, but how can we pick an overall favorite band, writer, visual artist, or even a favorite color for that matter? We can obviously tell you if we like something or not,…
Varni epitomizes ‘leadership, compromise, and civility’
I recently read a letter by Kellie Myrick regarding the work of Charles Varni (“Not a team player,” Dec. 14), and I’d like to respond. I wholeheartedly agree with the opening sentence, “Serving on a government board is a team sport. It demands leadership, compromise, and civility.” The time I spent as a volunteer working…
Pick your NYE party!
When you think about it, celebrating New Year’s Eve is stupid. For starters, our calendar is almost entirely arbitrary. Yes, a year is considered 365 days (except leap years), and a day is 24 hours (except because of Earth’s elliptical orbit, it can vary by minutes). Our Gregorian calendar happens to mark Jan. 1 as…
Are we listening to the message from local Palestinians?
On a sunny Saturday afternoon in early December, I ventured into SLO PAL FEST, A Symposium on Palestine at Trinity Hall in the tiny community of Edna. It was my first visit inside that historic building, the property of the Portuguese Holy Spirit Society, founded in 1911. Hundreds were already gathered, most appearing to be…
Farm-to-table fare meets Spanish and Peruvian flair at revamped Paso restaurant La Cosecha
Focused on fresh La Cosecha Bar + Restaurant, located at 835 12th St., suite A, in Paso Robles, is open Wednesday and Thursday for dinner from 5 to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner from 5 to 11 p.m., and Sunday for brunch from 10 a.m.…
The fuss that will be
From the kerfuffle over the potential Dana Reserve tree slaughter to the ongoing wahmageddon of the Oceano Community Services District to the danger zone of the Five Cities fire funding to the avarice of the SLO Town parking fee-gouging to the NIMBYism of the SLO safe parking snafu to the barf-in-my-mouth-a-little white pride racism to…
The Bunker SLO showcases hawks, transformation, and creativity in new murals
See for yourself Check out the murals at The Bunker SLO by swinging by 810 Orcutt Road in San Luis Obispo. Tor more information on future art events, visit thebunkerslo.com. The Bunker SLO visitors may notice something different about the outer walls of the gallery in early 2024. “It’s honestly really hard to describe the…
Studios on the Park celebrates three new exhibits with First Saturday reception
The First Saturday program is a monthly tradition at Studios on the Park, and the first event of 2024 will be held on Saturday, Jan. 6, from 6 to 9 p.m. On the first Saturday of each month, the Paso Robles gallery welcomes the public to enjoy the venue’s latest art showcases with wine and…
Federal government sues Meathead Movers alleging age discrimination
Meathead Movers—the moving company headquartered in San Luis Obispo that emphasizes athleticism—is in a federal agency’s crosshairs over alleged age discrimination. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) sued Meathead Movers in September for reportedly intentionally not hiring people aged 40 and older since at least 2017. Started by high schoolers Aaron Steed and his…
