Cover Story
Imprisoning our own: SLO County families and Executive Order 9066
He sat on a school bus, looking out at Arroyo Grande High School. But he was sitting by his parents and little brother while the friends and schoolmates he usually sat next to were all standing outside, watching him leave. “I was kind of sad,” Haruo Hayashi said of that day in the spring of…
Inmate spent nearly two days in restraint chair prior to death
A 36-year-old SLO County Jail inmate died of a blood clot after spending nearly 48 hours in a restraint chair, according to documents obtained by New Times Andrew Holland was found unresponsive in one of the jail’s observation cells on Jan. 22. He died less than an hour after he was released from the restraint…
What kind of transportation do you use? App, taxi, or your car?
Kynsi Deirdre Tores’ dog “My human and I only use Uber. It’s easier to use an app to get a ride than to call a taxi.” Andy McGunagle personal trainer “To be honest, I’ll occasionally use Uber, but I prefer to just drive myself around.” Alicia Call self-employed “We have our own vehicles that we…
The buzz is at Red Bee: The owners of this cozy Grover Beach coffee spot love Jesus and Joe
We’ve all felt lost and we’ve all searched for meaning in our lives. Somehow, through the storm, we find our way home. And, if we’re lucky, there’s a steaming cup of hot coffee waiting for us at the end of that long journey. Crosby Moreton, who owns Red Bee Coffee alongside his wife, Miria, would…
Rock lifter
On March 25, Cal Poly graduate Andrew Wickham won first place in the annual California’s Strongest Man contest at Huntington Beach, despite many of his competitors being both taller and larger than he. “I think a lot of it was practicing getting really good at the events, training skill, and speed,” Wickham said. “I definitely…
Right to know: State court says officials’ private emails can be public records
In a world where texts and emails can be haphazardly sent, received, and stored across a litany of devices and accounts, the California Supreme Court has a firm new message for government officials: When it comes to the public’s business, all communications—regardless of the device, medium, or account they originate from—are public records subject to…
Fire fuel: Cambria still trying to reduce the hazard that dead Monterey pines pose
Made up of 3,200 acres, Cambria is overshadowed by towering and dried out Monterey pines nearing the end of their lifespan, creating fuel for potential wildfires. That was the No. 1 bullet point on the San Luis Obispo County grand jury’s report released in March—titled Is It Five Minutes to Midnight in Cambria: An Update…
SLO pushes back on Trump’s immigration policy
While President Donald Trump and his administration are pushing the federal government to take a more hardline stance on undocumented immigrants, the city of SLO says it will continue its current policy of not directly enforcing federal immigration law. Members of the City Council approved a resolution April 4 affirming a current directive that instructs…
SLO development moves past neighbors’ appeal
A controversial housing development proposed on a site with a historic building is now cleared to obtain building permits after the SLO City Council voted 3-1 on April 4, with Mayor Heidi Harmon dissenting, to deny an appeal of the project brought by two neighbors. City Councilwoman Andy Pease recused herself from the discussion due…
SLO Supes vote ‘no’ on investigation, ‘yes’ on groundwater subsidies
Shrugging off weeks of public criticism and acrimony, the SLO County Board of Supervisors on April 4 stood by a decision it made on March 7 but had to make again due to a lack of public noticing: to allocate millions in general funds for the purpose of subsidizing groundwater management under the Sustainable Groundwater…
Majority fools
Well, it’s official. A majority on the SLO County Board of Supervisors thinks you’re a bunch of rubes, bumpkins, and fools. On April 4, 1st District Supervisor John Peschong, 4th District Supervisor Lynn Compton, and 5th District Supervisor Debbie Arnold voted not to have the SLO County District Attorney investigate their potential Brown Act violations.…
Ethics, integrity, and public life
In previous columns, I have reflected on the emergence of a “new” political center and the resurgence of democratic engagement in public life that we see all around us as a result of our authoritarian 2016 electoral results. During a recent radio interview, however, a caller reasonably questioned whether, in the face of unprecedented partisan…
Personal bias
Not only is Kari Frietas-Field’s commentary in the opinion section of the March 30 edition of New Times (“A plea for fairness”) a biased account of the circumstances surrounding her dispute with county Code Enforcement, it also presents a number of unanswered questions related to her business. Instead of detailing the inaccuracies contained in her…
Road accountability
In the first week in April, the California Legislature was supposed to vote on a transportation funding package that would generate $5.2 billion a year for the next 10 years. The proposed bill, known as the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 or Senate Bill 1 (SB 1), would provide funding to the state,…
Bingeable: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
When? 2017 | What’s it rated? NR | Where’s it available? Streaming on Amazon. Is it technically considered a binge if you gleefully gobble up the only cookie in the package? It is if you sit there dazed, confused, and delighted, wondering how and when you’ll get your next fix. Enter Amazon’s pilot program: Every…
Word to your mother (Earth)
Rock out and bring awareness to environmental issues on April 15 at the Earth Day celebration at Branch Mill Organic Farm in Arroyo Grande. Attendees can enjoy live music by Organic Family Tree, To Wake You, and Robin Liepman. There will also be activities like farm tours, dancing, yoga, arts and crafts, a workshop on…
Bicycles, bicycles …
Eroica California, the annual event celebrating all things vintage bicycles, is wheeling into Paso Robles April 8 and 9. Participants can enter their own vintage bikes in the Concours d’Elegance for a chance to win Best of Show, enjoy the dozens of one-of-a-kind bikes that range from the early 1900s up to the more modern…
Zen out
What’s even more relaxing than yoga? Free yoga! Harmony House Yoga in Pismo Beach will offer a full day of free classes to give new students a feel for the studio on April 15. Participants can check out vinyasa, hatha, gentle, and restorative yoga classes. The studio will also offer different deals each week in…
Bang the Drum Brewery’s Puppy Love night drew support for Woods Humane Society
After a long day spent in the sun traversing the beautiful Carrizo Plain on April 2, I couldn’t think of a better place to relax on Sunday night than at Bang the Drum Brewery, which was hosting its annual Puppy Love event to benefit Woods Humane Society. The concept: Bring your dogs and friends and…
Awkward: Little Theatre’s ‘The Nerd’ pokes at the line between loyalty and sanity
We’ve all been there. The friend who tells the horrifyingly inappropriate joke and keeps laughing while everyone else falls silent. The brother who comes into town to crash on your couch for a week, but is still there, eating all the cereal, three weeks later. When a debt is owed, whether one of blood or…
A single cell: ‘The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks’ brings her family to Cuesta
Growing up, Kim Lacks didn’t even know what kind of cancer killed her grandmother, Henrietta Lacks. Her family just didn’t talk about it. It wasn’t until 20 years after Henrietta’s death that Kim, and the rest of the world, learned the whole story. For years, the scientific community had known Henrietta—an African-American woman who was…
Punk heroes Joyce Manor play April 6 at Fremont Theater
Sometimes all you need is a name on a flier to have a band. Just ask Joyce Manor, a band conceived of in the back seat of a car parked at Disneyland in 2008. In press materials, co-founders Barry Johnson (guitar, vocals) and Chase Knobbe (guitar) explained that they were sharing a bottle of cheap…
Clubs 4/6/17 – 4/13/17
Goin’ South THE CLIFFS RESORT: 2757 Shell Beach Rd., Shell Beach, 773-5000, cliffsresort.com. FIGUEROA MOUNTAIN BREWING CO.: Singer/Songwriter Night every Wed. from 8-10pm. 1462 E. Grand Ave., Arroyo Grande, 474-8525, figmtnbrew.com. HARRY’S NIGHT CLUB AND BEACH BAR: Cypress and Pomeroy, downtown Pismo Beach, 773-1010. Thurs.: Front Row Karaoke. 4/6: JAWZ Karaoke; 4/7: The Little George…
Eat your calendar
There’s just too much to stuff yourself with this spring and summer: Here’s the lowdown on what you should be grubbing down on in the coming months … First off, Easter is Sunday, April 16, and Madonna Inn has fresh spring offerings. Brunch includes an omelet station, ham sausage, bacon, biscuits and gravy, French toast,…
L’Union Sacre’s 2016 Gewürztraminer and DIY Herb Butter
Made by two buddies from two continents and two different traditions, the SLO-based wine duo known as L’Union Sacre is, as the bottle says, “an homage to beauty’s strange ways.” It is also proof of what amazing things can happen when sleep deprivation melds with creative ambition. First, meet the two friends behind the winery’s…
Cambria switches off its water treatment facility
No longer in a water emergency, the Cambria Community Services District (CCSD) voted to lift a stage 3 emergency declaration that’s been in place since 2014. While water conservation is still in full effect within the district, under the new stage 2 declaration, residents will be able to irrigate their property and use potable water…
SLO County seeks help from state and feds for storm damages
San Luis Obispo County is applying for millions in disaster assistance funds to repair the damage wrought by the severe rainstorms that slammed the Central Coast at the beginning of the year. The state and federal funding will allow the county to be reimbursed for the cost of fixing damage to public roads and property,…
Thump Trump
I want to thank Kathy Riedman for her hysterical commentary (“Assigning blame,” March 16), which presents every imaginable (real, illogical, and made up) reason, whether justified or not, about why Donald Trump’s presidency will be a nightmare (for her). I say “hysterical” knowing full well that it may be perceived by some as a sexist…
Get him out!
I’m watching Brian Williams, listening to the Democratic and Republican pundits trying to figure out how these two parties can find a way to work too. Health care, they ask? Probably not as it stands. How about infrastructure? OK, now they’re excited. Infrastructure should mean jobs. Of course, despite the generations of Republicans giving breaks…
Another bad health care bill
I just looked online at California Senate Bill 562, a single payer health care bill sponsored by liberal Democratic legislators. Awful! One reason why our health care is the world’s costliest is because we are one of the most unhealthy countries in the industrialized world. Our notoriously unhealthy diet and drug and alcohol abuse is…
Water Madness!
Have the New Times editors gone mad, or was the paper recently sold to The Wonderful Company? To provide shiny quotes from the wannabe water pirates in favor of a private, for-profit takeover of the county’s water resources, and to bash the rightful role of county government in the management of such a precious resource,…
