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Language barrier: Information about the coronavirus isn’t as accessible to the Central Coast’s non-English speakers
Recursos en Español y Mixteco • Las sesiones informativas del coronavirus del Departamento de Salud Publica del Condado de San Luis Obispo estan traducidas al Español y se puede acceder a ellas en emergencyslo.org/en/daily-press-briefing.aspx.• Si esta viendo las sesiones informativas diarias de coronavirus del Departamento de Salud Publica del Condado de San Luis Obispo en…
Latino residents in Santa Barbara County disproportionately affected by COVID-19
Despite making up slightly less than half of Santa Barbara County’s population, almost two-thirds of the COVID-19 cases in the county involve Latino residents. This is according to data county Public Health Department Director Van Do-Reynoso presented to the Board of Supervisors during its April 21 meeting. Over the past few weeks, county public health…
Central Coast mountain lions receive protections as endangered species candidates
Central Coast mountain lions are now candidates to receive permanent protections under the Endangered Species Act—including a possible ban on depredation permits—following a recent decision by the California Fish and Game Commission. Responding to a petition that made the case for the mountain lion’s threatened status across six coastal regions from Santa Cruz to San…
Port San Luis cuts rent in half for struggling businesses
Several businesses and organizations in the Port San Luis Harbor District are getting a 50 percent discount on three months worth of rent amid the coronavirus pandemic. At a special meeting on April 16, the Port San Luis Harbor Commission voted to approve a 50 percent reduction in base rent for the months of March,…
Projected coronavirus-related unemployment could reach 28 percent, analysts say
Unemployment rates in Santa Barbara County are already seeing an impact from COVID-19, with Santa Maria’s March rate topping the county at 10.7 percent. But according to data analysts, that number could nearly triple by the height of the crisis. “Our forecasted peak, 28 percent, that’s around 60,600 unemployed workers in Santa Maria,” Hillary Adler,…
Santa Barbara County releasing demographic data for COVID-19 cases
Following the state’s lead, Santa Barbara County public health officials have spent about the last two weeks combing through local confirmed COVID-19 cases to compile demographic data on the people infected. Officials will release this information during the next Board of Supervisors meeting. County Public Health Department Director Van Do-Reynoso announced this effort during the…
Local calls for a protest against the COVID-19 ‘lockdown’
On the morning of April 20, Dylan Neff posted a SLO County – Protest the Lockdown event slated for April 26 on the Paso Robles Now community Facebook group. It was taken down before noon. Neff, a Paso resident, told New Times that he created an event, time, and place for a peaceful protest of…
Governor approves funding for undocumented workers, advocacy groups call for more
As the federal government pours more money into unemployment insurance programs and sends $1,200 checks to millions of Americans for assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic, there are thousands of Central Coast residents who won’t receive any of this help. Undocumented workers aren’t eligible to receive this sort of assistance, despite dealing with the same economic…
Small business loan programs run dry, await congressional action
When the COVID-19 crisis first arrived on the Central Coast, SESLOC Federal Credit Union worked with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to fast-track an application to become a certified SBA lender, so it could help provide low- to no-interest SBA loans to struggling local businesses. But SESLOC has yet to approve a single loan,…
Thanks to county leaders!
I was dismayed to see last week’s Shredder (“Five stages,” April 9) poke at SLO County Health Director Dr. Penny Borenstein, who, in my opinion, has been nothing short of heroic managing the local COVID-19 crisis. She has been forthright in an unprecedented and fast-changing situation, and deserves our accolades and deep gratitude, not a…
To all hospice care workers
Many thanks to the extraordinary thoughtfulness and kindness that all the hospice care helpers gave us through my husband’s illness. Everyone of them were so sympathetic and helpful to both of us. It is so impressive that they can give so much especially in this time of social distancing due to the COVID-19 problem. I…
Can we see clearly now?
In “Keeping Quiet,” published in 1957, Chilean poet Pablo Neruda is astonishingly prescient about this unprecedented moment in which the entire world has paused: It would be an exotic moment without rush, without engines … … If we were not so single-minded about keeping our lives moving, and for once could do nothing, perhaps a…
Smooth sailing?
I was down by Avila Beach the other day, and the sky was so clear I could easily see 30 miles south to Point Sal. I’ve been told the air on the Nipomo Mesa and along the Oceano dunes has also become markedly clearer thanks to the dunes being closed to off-road vehicles. Apparently, the…
Food to go in SLO County
Would you like to get the word out about what your restaurant is highlighting during this health crisis? We’re building an online directory of local restaurants with their locations and any updated descriptions of their latest offerings and hours. You can add your information by filling out the form. Add my restaurant’s info (function() {…
Amazon Prime’s Troop Zero offers a charming distraction
TROOP ZERO What’s it rated? PGWhere’s it showing? Amazon Prime Bert & Bertie (Dance Camp) direct this screenplay by Lucy Alibar (Beasts of the Southern Wild) based on her 2010 play Christmas and Jubilee Behold The Meteor Shower. Set in 1977 rural Georgia, the story focuses on klutzy, unpopular “bedwetter” Christmas Flint (an utterly charming…
Sister of man killed on North Oak Park criticizes police investigation
The family of an Arroyo Grande man who was hit and killed earlier this year while trying to cross a Grover Beach roadway on foot is questioning the results of a police investigation into the incident, which the family says is one-sided and erroneous. In an April 9 press release, the Grover Beach Police Department…
Blow the Man Down
What’s it rated? R When? March 2020 Where’s it showing? Amazon Prime Co-writers and directors Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy helm this dramedy about sisters, Priscilla (Sophie Lowe) and Mary Beth Connolly (Morgan Saylor), whose mother recently died. Mary Beth had planned to leave town to attend college, but the sisters soon discover their…
‘A new emergence’
Build your immunity Bliss Café is currently closed to the public but is offering pickup orders and delivery via GrubHub, DoorDash, and UberEats. To get discounts on the Wellness Menu, use promo codes ProbioticBoost for food items and JuiceForTwo for juices. Since its inception, Bliss Café has been all about promoting and supporting a healthy…
Local award-winning singer-songwriter Ted Waterhouse pens the tongue-in-cheek COVID-19 song we need
Some day when this quarantine is all over, I sure hope someone has the wherewithal to compile all the great songs being written in response to COVID-19. The most recent entry is “Six Feet Apart Or Six Feet Under,” written by award-winning singer-songwriter Ted Waterhouse of The Jump Jax. “Some music friends had been knocking…
SLO County’s food servers and bartenders now wait for unemployment checks with little to no work to be had
No checks, no tips, no service The National Restaurant Association calculated that in 2019 in California there were more than 1.8 million jobs in the restaurant and food service industry—equaling 11 percent of employment in the state. In San Luis Obispo County, city-data.com states that as of 2017, the number of full-service restaurants in the…
Whitmer Thomas: The Golden One
What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2020 Where’s it showing? HBO It may not sound like the makings of great comedy, but Whitmer Thomas was kidnapped as a child and rescued, and his mother “partied to death.” Both these sad events play a large role in this new one-hour HBO comedy special, which mixes his personal…
Amid low case numbers, COVID-19 testing and tracking remains a challenge in SLO County
Get tested Visit readyslo.org for complete information; below is a list of clinics in SLO County and Northern Santa Barbara County where you can get a COVID-19 test: • Med Stop Urgent Care (SLO) • Family & Industrial Medical Center (SLO) • Urgent Care of Pismo Beach • Dignity Health Urgent Care Pismo Beach •…
Online Earth Day Trashion Show on April 22 highlights our wasteful ways
As you may have heard, SLO County’s 30th annual Earth Day Fair has been postponed until (hopefully) Saturday, June 27, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do something cool for Earth Day, which falls on Wednesday, April 22. For her senior project, Cal Poly senior Elena “Laney” Richardson is organizing an online Trashion Show, where…
Morro Bay’s tobacco regulations could push one business owner to move
On April 14, the Morro Bay City Council introduced the first reading of its ordinance regulating tobacco, vaping, and secondhand smoke within city limits. One aspect of the ordinance may cause a local business owner to relocate his operation. Ben Akkare, owner and operator of Tobacco Plus, said he’s met with the entire City Council…
Clark Center offers annual performing arts scholarships and grants
The deadline for students to apply for the Clark Center for the Performing Arts’ 2020 scholarship program is April 24. This annual program is open to high school seniors who attend schools in the Lucia Mar Unified School District. Applicants must have a minimum of a 2.0 grade point average and have plans to continue…
SLO County DA’s Office fights jail inmate releases
SLO County District Attorney’s Office prosecutors spent a busy week of April 13 in court fighting several “zero bail” jail inmate releases that fell under a recent California order meant to reduce jail populations amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The order, issued by the California Judicial Council on April 6 in response to concerns about virus…
Studios on the Park founder hosts online series of painting workshops
Artist Anne Laddon, founder of Studios on the Park in Paso Robles, is currently hosting her own painting workshop series online, titled Springtime in Paso. The series premiered on April 11 and upcoming dates include April 18, 25, and May 2, each from 10 a.m. to noon. Admission is $50, and participants will need to…
SLO County to convene ‘panel of experts’ to chart life after sheltering
While all eyes are on Gov. Gavin Newsom to decide how and when California will lift a statewide shelter-at-home order, it’s individual counties that will be left with many of the decisions about life after the COVID-19 lockdown. “Because of the scale and scope of California … we’ll be guided by local decision-making,” Newsom said…
Art Center Morro Bay seeks oceanic art for Beyond the Sea exhibition
Art submissions for Beyond the Sea, an upcoming two-dimensional multimedia exhibition at Art Center Morro Bay, are due May 12. Although an official opening date for the exhibit has not been confirmed, amid COVID-19 concerns, the show is seeking seascapes that help promote marine pollution awareness. Visit artcentermorrobay.org for more info. Δ
Arroyo Grande plans for coronavirus-related losses
Like many cities in SLO County, Arroyo Grande is expecting to see major revenue losses as a result of the coronavirus pandemic—losses that are expected to add up to more than $1.2 million this fiscal year. Between projected losses in property taxes, sales taxes, recreation fees, and transient occupancy taxes, and possible state and federal…
Protest rate increases
As homeowners and Los Osos Sustainability Group members, we oppose the Proposition 218 sewer rate increase and we encourage other homeowners in the sewer service area to send in a protest (“no” vote) to San Luis Obispo County before April 21, 2020. You can also drop it off at the County Government Center anytime before…
Don’t add to our anxiety
The fearmongering of San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow and Sheriff Ian Parkinson during the April 13 county COVID-19 press briefing was reprehensible—the state is forcing us to release dangerous criminals into the community! We’ve almost doubled deputies on the street to protect you all! Be afraid! Be very afraid! I’m surprised Parkinson…
