Cover Story
RV there yet?
Near Port San Luis and the entrance to the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, where an RV camping spot without water, sewer, or electric hook-ups is only $25 per night, the weeds don’t have much time to grow through the packed dirt between the time one camper rolls away from the oceanside parking and another…
Are you worried that smoke from the La Brea fire might contain traces of marijuana?
Phil Strong bike mechanic “No. I’m already hungry anyway.” Robert Vollmer retired “It might, and a lot of people might be getting loaded when they don’t want to.” Katie Kenlon caretaker for elderly people “No, it’s not enough to do anything. I think they should just legalize marijuana anyway, then we wouldn’t be having these…
Fermenting fossils
Dr. Raul Cano’s flip flops smacked on the concrete as he walked from his office in the Cal Poly north science building to his lab. A sign above the door read “Extant DNA Lab.” Inside, Cano walked to a dull metal incubator tucked in the far corner. He opened its doors and stuck his head…
HART takes heat
A longtime Cambria animal rescue organization is facing criticism from animal lovers who accuse the center of bringing in animals from out of the county and improperly adopting out animals that haven’t been spayed or neutered. “[Homeless Animal Rescue Team] is bringing hundreds of these animals into our county each year,” said Bud Tanner,…
Women’s shelter: One step back, a partial step forward
The SLO Women’s Shelter was among the countless nonprofits to lose critical funding when the state budget was approved in late July. The agency, which serves local victims of domestic abuse through counseling, emergency shelter, and transitional housing programs, lost more than $200,000 in funding for the current fiscal year. It’s unknown whether that funding…
Williamson Act OK in SLO
Local farmers and ranchers will likely keep their tax breaks provided under the Williamson Act, even though state officials have yanked funding for the program. The Williamson Act, enacted in 1965, gives property tax breaks to people who use their land for active agricultural production. To make up for the lost property taxes to…
Grant’s not going anywhere
Jim Grant will extend his interim stay as SLO County administrator by more than a year. Grant, a 29-year veteran of county government, was brought out of retirement to fill the administrator position after David Edge was fired on May 19. Grant was supposed to take over just long enough for the county to…
Get ready to rumble: health care meetings in SLO
Across the country, as members of Congress have held town hall meetings on health care, the events have turned into cable-news-friendly flashpoints over President Obama’s reform plans, with organized opponents and supporters competing for attention. Now SLO County will get its own moments in the spotlight, with both of its U.S. representatives holding upcoming…
Ogren is Ogren is OK
Public Works Director Paavo Ogren has been all but cleared of having an improper relationship with contractors slated to build a new sewer in Los Osos. County Counsel Warren Jensen issued a preliminary response on Aug. 18 to complaints from former Los Osos Community Services District President Lisa Schicker. According to Jensen, Schicker didn’t…
Act fast: SLO’s own ‘Clunkers’ program has limited numbers
The federal government’s Cash-for-Clunkers program, which gives people up to $4,500 toward a new car when they scrap less fuel efficient ones, has proven so popular Congress rushed more money into the program before leaving for summer break. But for local clunker owners who can’t afford a new car just yet, SLO County is…
Beer fans, rejoice!
Get ready to thoroughly wet your whistle with some of the finest local beers ever poured in SLO County, when the newly formed San Luis Brewers Guild presents its first-ever Brews and Bites in SLO’s Mission Plaza on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 5. With the theme, “Think globally, drink SLOcally,” this special festival will showcase…
Health care reform must include a public option
Health care reform must include a public option like Medicare and Medicaid for all Americans. The proposal for co-ops is idiotic. Co-ops, like communes, always fail. When the co-ops fail, they will be eaten up by the health insurance industry for pennies on the dollar. Those who have proposed co-ops must subconsciously be corporate communists. …
Atascadero City Council denies insight on campaign expenditures
Atascadero voters will know less about large, last-minute political donations the next time they vote for city council candidates. They also won’t be able to vote for any candidate recognized by the city for conservative campaign spending, or know how many such candidates might run. Both are results of the council’s August 11 repeal of…
Revisionists and the bomb
Paul Kawika Martin states in his commentary “Work for nuclear disarmament” (Aug. 6) it is a “revisionist morass of arguments” that contend “atomic bombs ended World War II sooner and saved lives.” Japan in August 1945 still held most of the territory it had captured in Asia and Indochina. Emperor Hirohito felt they could secure favorable…
Drivers who call and text cause tragedies
People who talk on the phone while driving, or crazier yet, type messages while driving, or eat a Big Mac while putting on make up in the fast lane; stop and think about this: First, you’re breaking the law; second, your insurance policy probably has wording that eliminates your coverage if you are involved in…
Saw-happy SLO County
After reading the letter “‘Pruning’ is a disgrace” (Aug. 13), we agree that SLO County is not tree friendly. A limb fell off one of the most beautiful trees in Paso Robles after dark on a calm night. Many neighbors were shocked to see the tree had been cut down to the ground the next…
Supervisors and Christie should go
I want to commend New Times and Andy Caldwell on his excellent commentary (“Remove Sarah Christie from the planning commission,” July 23). One has to wonder how long the supervisors of SLO County can leave their head in the sand about this issue. Not only is it unconscionable for Supervisor Patterson to continue to support Sarah Christie as an…
SLO could learn from Santa Maria
After reading W. Henry Powers’ letter (“Caldwell’s a corporate shill,” July 30) I had to respond to his incorrect statement that “Santa Maria overbuilt its way into foreclosure-driven oblivion.” It’s sad people can only justify their position by incorrect information. The foreclosure situation in Santa Maria is not as a result of overbuilding as Mr.…
Medical cannabis should be priced justly
I read with interest the story “Witness to a death” (Aug. 6) regarding an alleged home invasion to steal medical marijuana. If the price for the medicine weren’t so outrageous, people wouldn’t be killing each other over it. I pay rip-off prices for my pot from greedy growers/ providers: $50 for a small amount.…
A public option is imperative
As a middle-income couple approaching the years when we should be thinking about retirement, we can’t. Like so many others, retirement is out of the question for us, not because of our stock-market losses, a foreclosure, or unchecked debt, but because without my husband’s primary job—we both work about 60 hours a week—we couldn’t afford…
Paint it black
It sure is hard to keep things straight these days when it comes to the difference between waste and stimulus at the county level. Are we watching every penny or priming the pump? The answer, dummy, depends on where the money comes from. If it comes from you as a county taxpayer, any dime of…
Regarding bias, and activism
Demands by anti-government ideologues to remove me from the SLO County Planning Commission are based on the premise that “activists” are unfit for public service because they bring an unacceptable level of “bias” to their work. Their arguments present an opportunity to discuss the role of activism in public life and the nature of bias…
Chateau Ste. Michelle 2008 Pinot Gris Columbia Valley
This flavorful white offers prominent aromas and flavors of Mandarin orange and honeydew melon with nuances of floral and spice notes. A good choice for people who only drink white wine, it’s simple but easy sipping on its own. A lighter style good for lunch with main dish salads, pasta with seafood, or fruit salad.…
Torbreck 2008 Cuvee Juveniles Barossa Valley
This intense, fruity red, a blend of 60 percent Grenache, 20 percent Syrah and 20 percent Mataro (Mourvedre), is deeply flavored yet balanced and quite drinkable despite its youth. Rich notes of plums and briary blackberries are highlighted with bright notes of blueberries, violets, and spice. It’s a great choice for grilled lamb, quail, or…
Mike White
New Times: Are people still buying vinyl, or do you see CDs and MP3s wiping them out in the near future? White: Yes, people are still buying vinyl. The format has actually been enjoying a bit of a renaissance over the last several years and as more people have discovered it or returned to it and created…
Barbecue, California style
I first heard about the excellent food at Rancho Nipomo from winemaker Ardison Phillips of McKeon-Phillips winery. Sometime later I was reminded of it by winemaker Ariki “Rick” Hill of Labyrinth, who spoke highly of it. Then I read a glowing review by Teri Bayus in Grover Beach, and I thought, ‘I’ve got to try…
The Clark Center announces its 2009-2010 season
The Clark Center is known for stellar performances and recognizable acts that include a diverse and entertaining selection of world-class performers in a variety of musical genres such as bluegrass, big band, Celtic, jazz, contemporary, and country, as well as comedy, acrobatics, and theatrical productions. The 2009-2010 season begins Sept. 12 with the…
A Hollywood spectacle
New Times Tell me something about Damon Castillo that we may not know. Damon Castillo I have no idea—I think most know everything they want to know about me, and some things they don’t want to know about me. New Times The SLO Symphony has some kind things to say about you, and…
Everybody needs a Friend
Ashley Friend is back in San Luis Obispo. The modern dancer, a SLO native but New York City resident, spent eight months on the road between May 2008 and January 2009 driving an RV from east to west coasts. A soft-coated wheaten terrier named Isadora was her sole companion. She returned to New York only…
Expand your consciousness
By public consensus, artists are full of strange quirks and fancies. It’s impossible to predict what commonplace item or philosophy may seize hold of their imagination and demand creative interpretation. In the case of local artist Pacha Hornaday, that might be a pregnancy test strip that came back positive, a plethora of photo IDs—she moved…
True grit
Don Lampson is to Americana music what John Wayne was to Westerns—larger-than-life, authentic, and 100 percent heart and soul. In fact, the only difference between Lampson and Wayne is that Lampson’s still alive (For now! Watch your back, Lampson!), and he has bigger feet (Wayne wore a size 6, which at 6’ 3” explains why…
