Cover Story
Barred: Local families grapple with the effects of losing a family member to deportation
OUTREACH AND INFORMATION • To learn more about what Allies for Immigration Justice is doing at a local level to educate and reach out to the community, email alliesslocounty@gmail.com. • Find local resources for immigrant families, such as promoting healthy immigrant communities and an immigrant rights resource list, at slohealthaccess.org. • If an individual is…
Gallery at Marina Square holds reception for new artists
Starting Wednesday, May 1, Gallery at Marina Square in Morro Bay will be showcasing paintings by featured artist Ardella Swanberg and guest artist Hope Myers. A joint reception for both artists will take place on Friday, May 10, from 5 to 8 p.m. Many of Swanberg’s paintings are inspired by the places she’s lived, including…
Full restoration of the Avila Pier could cost the Port San Luis Harbor District $1 million
Port San Luis Harbor District commissioners questioned whether re-opening the Avila Pier would be a revenue-generating investment after receiving its estimated cost at the April 23 meeting. Long Beach-based construction engineering firm Moffatt & Nichol estimated that a complete restoration of the pier would cost the district $1 million. Drew Brandy, district commissioner, said he…
CCWS hosts a one-night pop-up gallery
The Central Coast Watercolor Society (CCWS) hosts its Pop-Up Gallery and Potluck Dinner at the United Methodist Church in SLO on Tuesday, April 30, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Current and prospective members should bring one matted or framed original painting and one potluck dish to share. Attendees with last names beginning with A through…
County supervisors allow affordable housing development in Cambria
Cambria residents urged the SLO County Board of Supervisors to deny the appeal of an affordable housing project at supervisors’ April 23 meeting. During public comment, Cambria resident Susie Sigler said that having affordable housing in Cambria would be good for the greater community. She said restaurant and hotel workers, housekeepers, and assisted living workers…
Backyard super bloom: We only have to hop our fence to explore SLO’s own poppy explosion
It’s almost 2 o’clock on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon in April, and I’m delighted to be helping my daughter with her research project. We’ve smeared sunscreen on our ears and arms, sprayed bug repellent on our ankles, and filled our water bottles. It’s go time, and I hope the poppies on the hill behind our…
Mapping the future: County pours $300,000 into private sector led Hourglass Project
Local governments tend to write a lot of plans. Cities and counties have general plans, infrastructure plans, housing plans, economic plans, master plans, and more. But merely having a blueprint doesn’t necessarily guarantee the outcome it envisions. Sometimes a plan can sit on the proverbial shelf, collecting dust, while the problem it’s supposed to solve…
Informed public comment
Five Cities NIMBYs were out in full force on April 23, railing against the SLO County Board of Supervisors to not fund a project that the county’s Homeless Services Oversight Council recommended it fund. And it was a sight to behold. I’m sure 3rd District Supervisor Adam “I Miss My Little Minx” Hill would have…
Central Coast Senior Center hosts its first Custom Walker Show
When you hear about a cruise event, what first comes to mind might naturally be shiny vintage cars with flame decals, whitewall tires, and loud mufflers. The Central Coast Senior Center is making noise with its version of such an event with the first ever Custom Walker Show and Cruise slated for April 28 from…
Aretha Franklin: Amazing Grace offers a transcendent experience
ARETHA FRANKLIN: AMAZING GRACE What’s it rated? G What’s it worth, Anna? Full price What’s it worth, Glen? Full price Where’s it showing? The Palm Theatre Alan Elliott and Sydney Pollack co-direct this documentary about soul singer Aretha Franklin with the choir at the New Bethel Baptist Church in Watts, Los Angeles, in January of…
Bingeable: Faerie Tale Theatre
When? 1982-87 What’s it rated? Not rated Where? DVD, VHS Good luck trying to find the ’80s Showtime series Faerie Tale Theatre anywhere other than YouTube or on a hard copy (the complete series on DVD starts at more than $100 on Amazon with few alternative options). There’s always eBay, though. I can’t be the…
They won’t work
On March 20, 2019, a meeting was held at Los Ranchos Elementary School to tell attendees about the solutions to traffic congestion on Highway 227 between the San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport and Los Ranchos Road. At least 300 to 350 or more local residents attended. The solution we were given was to install…
Film Listings, 4/25/19 – 5/2/19
ARETHA FRANKLIN: AMAZING GRACE What’s it rated? G What’s it worth? Full price Where’s it showing? The Palm See Split Screen. AVENGERS: ENDGAME What’s it rated? PG Where’s it showing? Downtown Centre, Fair Oaks, Galaxy, Park, Stadium 10, Sunset Drive-in New Anthony and Joe Russo (Captain America: Civil War) co-direct this follow-up to their 2018…
No one seems to think much of Oceano’s future
Regarding the April 11 news story, “Visitors to county parks want ‘dynamic experiences,’ report says”: Many kids in Oceano already have “dynamic experiences” accessing parks. One involves jumping a locked fence to play on a half dirt field with one worn goal post. It’s the only park available to most people in Oceano. It’s not…
Crushin’ it: As demand for grapes softens, growers are leaving clusters on the vine, fallowing fields, and pulling out older vines
Before you freak out about the headline on this story, hear me out: Markets swing. It’s just a fact of economic life. That swing played out in the housing industry, moving it from a buyer’s market to a seller’s market in the last decade. And it’s doing the same in the grape industry, which was…
Do your homework
To equate hazardous waste from the manufacture of solar panels with the extremely toxic radioactive waste generated by nuclear power stations–which will continue to require constant monitoring, redundant safety features and security, long after shutdown–is simply ludicrous (“Nuclear is the way to go,” April 18). Reprocessing opens up a whole new toxic can of worms.…
Celebrate and give
Tiny brewskies: Eight local breweries are planning a Small Batch Brewers Festival on June 2 to celebrate family-owned businesses and raise funds for the Humane Society. The festival will take place at Hacienda Antigua, a new hop farm and event center located at 4900 Davenport Creek Road in San Luis Obispo from 2 to 5…
Taxis worked for me
Just wanted to comment on the article regarding Central Coast Taxi and thank you for calling it to the attention of everyone (“Local shares his experience of owning one of SLO County’s last taxicab services,” April 11). I had not needed a taxi for years and couldn’t find information regarding them. I asked the information…
Locally provided
Sunday Funday starter: SLO Brewing Co. is introducing a line of micheladas to its portfolio with the launch of Tío Rodrigo Craft Beer Micheladas—SLO Brew Hefeweizen with tomato juice, lime, and spices. Maybe someday they’ll make one with Clamato juice. I know you think I’m gross, but I know it’s good—you just haven’t figured it…
Stop the insanity
Call it what you will—outrage fetishism, outrage exhibitionism, outrage porn—but that’s what we see happening in the majority of today’s political discourse. Conflating seemingly benign comments into crisis memes and using them to obfuscate what’s actually happening. And yes, there is no bothsidesism to it—Fox News and the “alt-right” and white nationalist rhetoric they co-opt,…
Picnic-bench sitting
A trip to Barrelhouse Brewing Co. at Tin City in Paso Robles always puts a smile on my face. On a recent Sunday, I spent an hour lounging on their picnic benches in the sun, sipping a beer, taking it all in as I chatted with my cousin. I use plural (benches) because it was…
Save future super blooms
We have gone to see the local super bloom, out Highway 58 to Soda Lake Road and along Shell Creek Road two times. It is such a treat for our eyes and mind-boggling to see such a force of timing in nature to produce such an extraordinary bloom. In some places, a bright yellow meadow…
They just can’t say it
Have you noticed that the mainstream American media just can’t say certain words or express certain ideas anymore? You know, like “Trump is innocent” or “Islamic terrorists”? I know, Trump is often an obnoxious, self-absorbed boor, intemperate and vindictive toward his enemies, but that doesn’t mean he’s a criminal. The main reason so many—including myself—voted…
Grover Beach dispensary owner faces charges in cannabis probe
One of 805 Beach Breaks’ owners is facing criminal charges in Santa Barbara County as part of an investigation into a cannabis farm in Los Alamos that was raided by law enforcement last month. Brian Touey is one of three growers being charged in connection to the site at 9676 Harvest Road, which housed hundreds…
Sound off
New Times readers took to Facebook to share their thoughts on our April 18 news story, “SLO city employee put on leave after video release of bar assault.”
Local author’s new novel, ‘Clover Blue,’ mixes the desires for home and for truth
Read on Clover Blue, by San Luis Obispo author Eldonna Edwards, is available on Amazon for $17.10 for hardback, $12.99 for the Kindle version, and $34.99 for the audiobook. Edwards’ other books, Lost in Transplantation and This I Know, are also available on Amazon. At 12 years old, Clover Blue has no idea when his…
SLO County DA charges driver of fatal El Campo accident with manslaughter
The San Luis Obispo County District Attorney is charging Richard Giuli with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter in the death of former Cal Poly freshman, Jordan Grant. According to court documents, Richard Giuli allegedly unlawfully killed Grant, without malice, while making a left turn across Highway 101 at El Campo Road. Assistant District Attorney Eric Dobroth said…
Untamed: Studios’ Wild Side art show portrays a variety of media
On display Paso Robles Art Association’s exhibit On The Wild Side will be on display at Studios on the Park through May 1. Visit studiosonthepark.org for more information. When the wildflower boom hits on the Central Coast each spring, most looky-loos take scores of photos. But Paso Robles artist Roberta Fisher took inspiration to create…
Celebrate Earth Day on April 27 with The Mighty Croon Dogs, Jill Knight, and more
With a Climate-Change-Denier-in-Chief in the White House, record breaking temperatures, increasingly violent storms, melting glaciers, and worsening ocean acidification, it’s easy to become overwhelmed about our impending environmental disaster, and maybe even feel like it’s all pointless and give up. But Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old Swedish activist leading a worldwide school strike to demand action…
SLO Rep presents ‘Blithe Spirit’
The San Luis Obispo Repertory Theatre’s production of Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit opens Thursday, May 2, at 7 p.m. Performances continue through May 19—Wednesday through Saturday at 7 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. Kevin Harris directs this rendition of the popular British comedy that centers on novelist Charles Condomine, who becomes haunted…
County OKs funds for Grover Beach homeless project
Bucking a roomful of unhappy Five Cities residents, San Luis Obispo County supervisors narrowly voted on April 23 to allocate $2.7 million to aid a low-income housing and homeless services project planned in Grover Beach. The funds—made available to SLO County through state grants—will help pave the way for the 5Cities Homeless Coalition and Peoples’…
