Cover Story
Soldiers of misfortune
It seemed so easy. All they had to do was give a little money, and then sit back and watch their dollars, their savings, their dreams, grow. And so about 15 local soldiers and their families wrote checks. The young ones, the older ones, the ones on their way to Iraq, the ones teaching local…
Wake-up call to Grover Beach
On April 4, the city manager provided a big preview for the upcoming Grover Beach budget regarding our fee schedules. Part of the pitch was a $2 million expense to be incurred by replacing all of the existing residential water meters over a two-year period. His excuse was that the meter readers couldn’t use them…
Picking up the pieces
Parolees are used to waiting in lines. That’s nearly all they do. Lines for food, lines for the bathroom, lines in court, and today a line outside SLO’s Creekside Career Center on Broad Street for this month’s Police and Corrections Team (PACT) meeting. These parolees – car thieves, drug dealers, gang members, and other assorted…
Animals before people?
I’m appalled at the treatment our legal system has given Mr. Charles Nurss (“Cat killer pleads no contest,” News, April 7-14). He should have been reimbursed for his ammunition, not prosecuted. It never ceases to amaze me how absurdly people behave when it comes to their relationship with animals. I work in an area where…
When is enough enough?
We wanted a Costco and a Home Depot to eliminate loss of tax revenue to Santa Maria and save gasoline needed for the round trip. Now we have Home Depot. Costco is under construction. Those out-of-town shopping trips are now unnecessary and the city has its source of extra tax revenue. So why the campaign…
Developers violated our trust
The major reason to vote against The Marketplace is the subterfuge being used by the Texas developers. As The Shedder states (“Don’t mess with us, Texas,” March 31-April 7), SLO Associates, a Marketplace backer, has the same Texas address as Scott Dabny, the Texas developer pushing to have his way with SLO. SLO voters, don’t…
Cool as can be
Movie fans might recognize him from the action flick “Cradle 2 the Grave,” local drinkers would remember him from his days of bartending at The Library, and some San Luis Obispoans may look up to him as their coach and owner of the SLO Kickboxing studio on Foothill Boulevard. Now the entire sporting world knows…
Setting the record straight
As we approach voting day, April 26, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the thousands of supporters we’ve heard from, both within and outside the city of San Luis Obispo. It is gratifying to receive such strong support for the Dalidio Ranch Marketplace project. Kristie and I have worked extremely hard to bring…
What the County’s Talking About This Week
Wife arrested in 2004 Goleta killing Santa Barbara County law enforcement officials are saying that Kelee Davidson concocted a chilling scheme with her parents to kill her husband as a way to get custody of their then-3-year-old child. Last week police arrested the Oceano woman and charged her as being part of a murder-conspiracy plot…
Marketplace voting made simple
I noticed a great deal of confusion about The Marketplace, so I came up with a simple questionnaire to help the undecided make up their minds: Do you believe that out-of-county developers have SLO’s best interests at heart? Do you believe that it is okay for out-of-county developers to try to block a special election…
Don’t confuse wants with needs
I can’t vote, but here’s my opinion anyway: The real issue is, do we preserve open space for its own sake? Or do we, as humans have always done in the face of various pressures (increasing population, needed infrastructure, expanded revenue etc.), find a “higher” use for it? The value of open space is it…
Nobody’s fault but mine
Savage beasts of Paso Robles, prepare to be soothed; Faultline Music is coming to town. Owner John Kenny recently escaped a high-tech job in the fast-paced Bay Area and is adjusting well to the charms of the Central Coast. He and his wife Patricia moved to Paso Robles in 2003 with their 8-year-old daughter, and…
Growth can be done well
There is a third choice other than voting for no growth or bad growth: smart growth. SLO could become a much more vibrant commercial center while keeping its uniqueness by bringing chain retailers into the downtown sphere. Imagine the downtown being a vibrant mix of local and chain merchants with the ambience of the historic…
Facing music of a different tune
I admire Andy’s pay-as-you-go sentiment (“Los Osos: It’s time to face the music,” Letters, April 14-21). However, he is way off base in stating that “the rest of us, at our own expense, (have) taken care of our own mess.” In fact, at the time Morro Bay’s sewer was built, the federal govt. picked up…
It’s not just the homeless …
I would like to add to Rev. James Shaffer’s letter concerning the homeless (“Homelessness is a reality for us all,” April 14-21). The reverend states, “Since racism is no longer politically correct (or legal), the small-minded have turned to the last bastion of bigotry: homelessness.” To which I add: It is sad for me to…
Alcohol you sometime
I’m all for my right hand not knowing what my left hand is doing – especially on Tuesday evenings – but I’m less forgiving when other people’s hands get out of control. I’m even less forgiving if the two hands in question do know what the other is doing, disapprove of it, and keep on…
Morro Bay is being unreasonable
The California Public Utilities Commission has approved an agreement between Duke Energy and PG&E. This new partnership between an investor-owned company and a public utility will potentially bring much-needed revenue to Morro Bay over the next three years. There has been a lot of discussion recently about the stalemate between Duke Energy and the city…
CSD meetings need to be shortened
Much criticism has been leveled against the Los Osos CSD for the very late meetings, and a cry is made for two meetings a month. Believe me, nothing would change! When they did meet twice a month, it was not unusual for meetings to last until the wee hours of the morning. On April 7,…
