Cover Story
Field of broken dreams
The California Valley drops like a sinkhole at the eastern edge of San Luis Obispo County. Off the main stretch of Hwy 58, onto the crisscrossed dirt roads that weave through seemingly endless fields of overgrown grass, it looks as though a tornado dumped hundreds of trailers, RVs, and crumbling homes onto the barren lots…
Stories by chance
Loteria: It looks like Tarot but plays like Bingo. Birds trill, shrimps scuttle, and cloven-footed devils stalk across each deck of 54 cards. The traditional Mexican game of chance usually prompts players to hope a caller will shout out the pictures they need to mark off a row and win (think of someone shouting “la…
Initiative could put voters in charge of fees
A secretive group is inching closer to gathering enough signatures to qualify an initiative for the November general election that, if approved, would force city officials to put every change to city fees to a popular vote. Backed by the San Luis Obispo Property Owners Association, the User and Regulatory Fees Initiative has about 2,000…
Have you had a bad rental experience?
Megan McCullough associate producer “I was charged a nonrefundable $500 deposit for my pet Chihuahua.” Samantha Keller student “Our landlord raised the rent from $3000 this year to $3300 without doing any repairs on our three-bedroom house near campus, and converted the garage into two more bedrooms, which have no heat and the roof…
Wc 243
San Luis Obispo has many temporary residents. They arrive by bus or train and are gone in a matter of days, weeks, or even months. Matthew Monsen is one such transient (he doesn’t like the term homeless). He arrived in mid-April, wrote a flurry of poems, offering to recite them at local businesses in exchange…
Wheels of fortune
Bike parts are everywhere: a bucket of front forks, a pile of frames, a box of brakes and derailleurs and chains and sprockets. Half a dozen men confer amidst a welder and various power tools. Then Bill Mulder suddenly grabs a bike frame and wrestles it to the ground, holding it down as Tom Smith…
Rushing the norm
To think of playing cricket for hard cash! Money and gentility would ruin any pastime under the sun,” bemoaned English novelist Mary Russell Mitford. And she made that statement in 1823, a full century and a half before multi-million dollar salaries and endorsement contracts. Czech long-distance runner Emil Zátopek said, “An athlete cannot run with…
Solar grievances
Though San Luis Coastal Unified School District is being applauded for its efforts to install solar panels on nine campuses, some critics consider the plan less than sunny. The project was first criticized because many trees would be removed to make room for 10-foot carports on which the solar arrays would be built. But several…
Maldonado confirmed as lieutenant governor
A Santa Maria native will soon fill one of the top positions in California government. The Assembly and the Senate voted to confirm Republican Sen. Abel Maldonado as the state’s lieutenant governor on his second attempt. “I thank my colleagues in the Assembly for confirming me to the office of the Lieutenant Governor today and…
Santa Margarita Ranch LLC loses lawsuit
A couple in Santa Margarita prevailed in court over the Santa Margarita Ranch, LLC. Ranch owners Doug Filipponi, Karl Whittstrom, and Rob Rossi lost a lawsuit they filed in mid 2007 against Michael and Miranda Joseph. The lawsuit claimed the Josephs had trespassed on ranch property and asked the court to deny the Josephs and…
Robbery suspect apparently dislikes sex offenders
A robbery suspect who was shot by Grover Beach police may have targeted sex offenders, police said. According to police reports, Grover Beach police officer Lt. John Peters shot Davis Jordan Griffin April 23 as he was trying to flee after allegedly robbing a gas station. After a brief stay in the hospital for a…
AG Councilman Arnold has left the building.
Arroyo Grande’s protracted civic nightmare is over: Councilman Ed Arnold has resigned. The embattled Arnold, who’s charged with felony battery and child pornography, abruptly announced his resignation at the beginning of the April 27 city council meeting. “It’s a very sad time for me,” said Arnold. “I hope that everyone will see that I am…
Rev it up!
Like fast cars? So does Matthew Richardson. This youngster is on the fast track to raising some serious cash to help kids his age make it to summer camp. Matthew had a blast during the week he spent at Camp Ocean Pines. Afterward, he and dad Jim sat down to figure out how they could…
Seven signs of addiction
It’s like a train wreck. We want to look away, but we can’t. We sit stunned as they flash mug shots of favorite movie stars drunk and disheveled across the television screen. Beloved talk show hosts are fighting obesity in public. Super models, every bone visible, are speaking about eating disorders. The story of the…
Try these courts
Whether you grew up on the Central Coast, recently moved here, or find yourself passing through, you’ll find there’s one sport that exemplifies the pace of life here: It’s that age-old, one-on-one battle known as tennis. I’ve taken time to seek out and list some local venues that provide excellent playing surfaces, consistent competition, free…
Pay government employees the county average salary
I read the article about how government employees at the airport decided they were tired of a local cab company, so they no longer allow the outfit to deliver passengers to the airport (“Taxi company sues county,” April 8). Outdoor cigarette smoke, unruly gatherings, sand from sand dunes, farmers plowing incorrectly: Give me a break.…
Where was the Shredder?
Only the most interesting people are singled out as hapless victims by the Shredder (“Bummer,” April 22), and so, in spite of ourselves, we are slightly flattered to have been recently slandered at his/her hands. At first we thought, “The Shredder is goin’ down!” but then we realized it could be difficult to shame a…
Lenthall’s the one
As a lifelong resident of San Luis Obispo, I care about our future and our safety. I’m voting for Jerry Lenthall to be our next sheriff. Let me tell you why. Take a moment and look at his qualifications and accomplishments. Compare them to the other candidates. Jerry’s education and experience is unparalleled. Over the…
Dune drivers are a special interest group
In response to former “Valley Rat” Michael Agular’s letter (“Don’t diss duners,” April 22), I have a few observations regarding his alleged right to use the Oceano Dunes as he sees fit. First, I agree “the time for compromise is over”. But not in the way he thinks; just the opposite, in fact. Why should anyone have to put up…
If barbecues are OK, why aren’t cigarettes?
It is unbelievable and inconsistent that a city that has for years promoted farmers’ markets filled with barbecue smoke is now severely restricting tobacco smoke in the same area. The San Luis Obispo City ordinance to restrict smoking is as illogical as prohibiting tobacco smoke at SLO city parks, where there are barbecues. Smoke from…
Medical cannabis dispensary should be allowed
I am deeply concerned that a few bigoted demagogues want to seize control of the City of Morro Bay and prevent a medical cannabis dispensary from opening here. I spoke at the city council meeting on March 8 in support of the dispensary. Each city council member spoke in support of this dispensary at that…
More than water rates is at stake
City representatives and the local media have done a good job making everyone believe the debate we are having in Paso Robles is over water. It is not. It is and always has been about the law and our Constitutional rights as citizens. The rules, regulations, and guidelines in place to finance such projects as…
Proposition 16 is a power grab in disguise
Most of us just received a mailer from the supporters of Proposition 16: Taxpayers Right to Vote. It is an initiative to require any city wanting to start or purchase alternative energy, instead of from PG&E supplies, to get a two-thirds majority of its voters to approve a project. As we have seen recently, it…
Big displays of nothing
So, um. How ‘bout that weather? Sorry, guys, but I got nothing. My snarky news well runneth dry. Instead I’ve decided to regale you all with excerpts of Michael Ondaatje’s The English Patient. Hold on. The mail’s here. Bill, bill, cease-and-desist order, bill, a Pottery Barn catalogue. Wait, what’s this? “Shredder, you remember the sound…
Jeff OldS, District Manager, San Luis Obispo Jamba Juice
NEW TIMES: Congratulations on your 20th anniversary. How was the celebration throughout SLO? OLDS: It was great! The weather worked out for us and the mayor and the Chamber of Commerce showed up to congratulate us and celebrate. Managers from the Central Coast and Jamba Juice Headquarters in Emeryville helped us give away 1,000 smoothies…
Clubs
Goin’ South … CAFÉ ANDREINI: 131 E. Branch St., Arroyo Grande, 481-6117. Thurs.: Live music at 6pm. COFFEE BEAN AND TEA LEAF: 750 Five Cities Dr., Pismo Beach, 773-6420. Music Night every Sat., 6:30-8:30pm. DOLPHIN BAY/LIDO: 2727 Shell Beach Road, Shell Beach, 773-4300 or TheDolphinBay.com. ELMO’S NIPOMO SALOON: 131 South Thompson Road, Nipomo, 929-5362. Karaoke…
Stephen Ross 2008 Pinot Noir Central Coast
This delicious Pinot offers good value in every glass. Winemaker Steve Dooley described it as, “delicate garnet in color, which belies its intensity and complexity.” Delicious aromas and flavors of cranberry and tangy cherry are nicely woven with floral notes and nuances of cedar. Quite drinkable alone, it’s also a great choice for the dinner…
It was a very good year!
After talking with several winemakers in the Edna Valley—our south-county wine growing region that’s known worldwide for the quality of Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs—I can’t wait to taste their new spring releases. Most wineries in the Arroyo Grande, Avila Valley, and Edna Valley regions will introduce their 2008 wines during the upcoming Roll Out the…
Putting the
The Capital Steps are equal-opportunity musical satirists, a group about which writer P.J. O’Rourke famously quipped, “The Capitol Steps are what Washington would be like if everyone were smarter and could sing.” Considering the state of Washington D.C., The Capital Steps have had no shortage of skewer-worthy topics, and skewer they will when they provide…
