Cover Story
Building out: The city of SLO has enough housing under construction to reach its growth cap ahead of schedule
San Luis Obispo could lose its “slow growth” moniker over the next several years, as pent-up demand for housing propels a building surge across town. Five large, new neighborhoods are either under construction or about to break ground in the city, and officials say their product alone will push SLO close to its “build-out” population…
Economic Recovery Initiative aims to repair local economy after pandemic, power plant closures
A group of local elected officials recently launched an initiative aimed at patching up the Central Coast’s post-pandemic economy, but the effort doesn’t appear to have much Republican support so far. The Central Coast Economic Recovery Initiative is a set of policy concepts, program ideas, and proposals aimed at stimulating the local economy and creating…
SLO gears up for new downtown parking policies
Parking is going to become more expensive in downtown San Luis Obispo in the coming months and years, as city officials say more parking revenue is needed to cover the rising costs of a new parking garage. Starting this summer, hourly parking rates will increase 25 cents, and parking enforcement hours will be extended from…
San Luis Coastal’s learning pods help students to rebound after struggling with distance learning
A few months into the second semester of the 2021 school year, San Luis Obispo High School student Alex Rayas was, like so many students, completely floundering. He was quite literally failing all of his classes. Rayas had never struggled with school much before the COVID-19 pandemic, but virtual learning just didn’t click for him.…
An honest conversation
Gibbons are small, endangered arboreal apes. They live in small, tight-knit family units and sing each morning to strengthen their pair and family bonds. The Gibbon Conservation Center (GCC) is a small nonprofit whose mission is to promote the conservation, study, and care of gibbons through public education and habitat preservation. After 40 years at…
A series of neighborhood concerts resulted in a new album for pianist and composer Lee Ann Vermeulen-Roberts
This pandemic has basically sucked in so many ways, but it’s also brought many neighbors closer together. Instead of a brief wave as we go about our business, many of us have spent a lot more time at home, in our yards, and on our porches. “While in lockdown, I started doing a concert series…
Cambria resident Kathryn Dickason’s new book upends traditional thinking regarding dance in the medieval Christian church
Lose your blues Ringleaders of Redemption: How Medieval Dance Became Sacred by Cambria resident and scholar Kathryn Dickason is available through Amazon and Walmart online. In the 1984 Kevin Bacon film, Footloose, Rev. Shaw Moore (John Lithgow) explains to Bacon’s character, Ren, why dancing is forbidden: “Even if this was not a law, which it…
Gallery at Marina Square to showcase Jeff Odell and Brett Harvey, starting in May
Gallery at Marina Square in Morro Bay presents two new exhibitions, showcasing oil painter Jeff Odell and photographer Brett Harvey, starting on May 1. Both exhibits are scheduled to remain on display through May 29. Odell is a Morro Bay-based plein air artist who seeks to capture the beauty of quaintness of his small hometown.…
Wildling Museum highlights art from SLOPE and other artist groups
The Wildling Museum of Art and Nature presents Art from the Trail: Exploring the Natural Beauty of Santa Barbara County, which premiered on April 17 and is scheduled to remain on display through Oct. 3. Featured artists in the exhibit include members of the San Luis Outdoor Painters for the Environment (SLOPE), the Oak Group,…
Academy Award nominee Another Round mixes midlife crises with lots of booze
ANOTHER ROUND What’s it rated? Not rated When? 2020 Where’s it showing? Hulu, Amazon Prime What’s it worth, Anna? Full price What’s it worth, Glen? Full price Co-writer/director Thomas Vinterberg (The Hunt) helms this story about four friends, all high school teachers, suffering various levels of midlife crises. They decide to test a theory that…
Barb and Star go to Vista Del Mar
What’s it rated? PG-13 When? 2021 Where’s it showing? Redbox Directed by Josh Greenbaum (Becoming Bond) and written by stars Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig, this film mixes buddy comedy with supervillain spoof, with mixed results. If you have any hope of finishing this flick without eye-strain from rolling your peepers, then put on your…
SNCC
What’s it rated? Not rated When? April 24, 7 p.m.; $16 in person or $10 virtually via slomotionfilm.com Where’s it showing? A Satellite of Love, 1335 Walker St., SLO The San Luis Obispo Museum of Art (SLOMA), R.A.C.E. Matters SLO, and SLO Motion Film present SNCC, a film by Danny Lyon, on Saturday, April 24,…
Chapman Estate to host more, smaller events in coming years
The Chapman Estate in Shell Beach could soon begin hosting more than five times as many events a year as it has in the past, which worries many neighbors who say events there already regularly cause traffic, noise, and parking issues. At a meeting on April 20, Pismo Beach City Council voted 3-2 (with Marcia…
Bred for California: Corberosa teams up with farmers to grow coffee trees in the shade of avocado orchards
Trees and beans Find Corberosa coffee at The Avocado Shack in Morro Bay and Cambria Pines Lodge in Cambria or visit corberosa.com to figure out how to order your own. Look for Cali Mokka coffee trees at Farm Supply Company in SLO, 224 Tank Farm Road. If you’re a farmer interested in learning more about…
Interpretation services during school board meetings depend on the district and its unique community
Paso Robles community activist Yessenia Echevarria founded Paso People’s Action and Mujeres de Acción (Women of Action) as a way to inform and support the Latino and Spanish-speaking residents in the city. She worked with the city to get the word out about COVID-19 safety and used social media to spread the news about a…
A republic in peril
As a boy, I loved America. It was a time of innocence; we were the good guys. We rescued nations from the iron heal of tyranny. We had never lost a war; we were the nation every other nation envied, the one place on Earth that was an island of refuge for the downtrodden. To…
Arroyo Grande sets ultimatum for Central Coast Blue project
A long-planned water resiliency project in South County now hangs in the balance after the city of Arroyo Grande made a formal demand to Pismo Beach and Grover Beach to amend a shared operating agreement—threatening to otherwise withdraw from the project. The Arroyo Grande City Council voted unanimously at its April 13 meeting to send…
Kick ’em when they’re down
You know what I like to do when I see a homeless person lying on the ground in a city park? I like to kick ’em. You know, to make sure they’re still alive. If they’re in a tent, I wouldn’t know they were dead until they really start to stink. Surely that’s the reasoning…
Rehab facility is OK but not here, Morro Bay residents say
The Morro Bay Planning Commission rejected an appeal opposing the conversion of a hotel to a drug and alcohol recovery facility, despite public objection to the project on April 20. During the commission meeting’s public comment period, resident Tim Gailey said he’s responded to facilities similar to what’s proposed while on duty as a fire…
Dan Rushing appointed to Grover Beach City Council
After an unsuccessful campaign for Grover Beach City Council in the November 2020 election, things didn’t look good for Dan Rushing’s political career. But good things come to those who wait. Grover Beach City Council voted unanimously at a meeting on April 19 to appoint Rushing to the council, where he’ll serve until his term…
Financial assistance is available for funeral expenses due to the coronavirus
Central Coast residents who lost a loved one to COVID-19 and incurred funeral expenses can now apply for financial assistance through a federal aid program. U.S. Rep Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) announced on April 14 that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) began accepting applications for funeral assistance through its COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Program. The…
