Cover Story
Leave it to beavers: Mimicking nature’s dam-makers is one way San Luis Obispo is reinvigorating its natural spaces
On a warm May day at the Johnson Ranch trailhead, Cooper Lienhart extends a hug and looks at the infographics displayed on a large sign describing the area. Shielding his eyes from the sun, Lienhart gestures northwest and says that the creek bed ahead lives up to its name upon first glance: Dry Creek. “It…
Construction started on a new $7 million SLO wildlife rehab center
From pelicans to barn owls, raccoons to beavers, Pacific Wildlife Care has seen it all. It treats and releases more than 3,000 critters back into the wild each year. But according to Executive Director Kristin Howland, its building is “falling down” around them. Thanks to $11.7 million in donations, construction recently broke ground on Aug.…
San Luis Obispo County gets its first Waldorf-accredited school in Los Osos
When the bells ring for algebra class, most schools require students to crack open their textbooks and practice equations. But at Central Coast Waldorf School, the lesson can begin with an introduction to the history of the Arabic word “algebra.” “They’ll pull in these different stories and this history and create this rich narrative behind…
Better management of local wild horses could mean better outcomes when a wildfire breaks out
With the Gifford Fire having burned through 132,000 acres on California’s Central Coast, the Black Mountain wild horses, the only wild horse herd on the Central Coast, have been spared. Their designated territory includes 13,215 acres of Los Padres National Forest and 635 acres of private land about 20 miles east of San Luis Obispo.…
Trees do so much for San Luis Obispo; we need to do more to keep them thriving
Wow, I love this edition of the New Times (Aug. 21, “Canopy hazards”) about trees, one of my favorite living things. Your writer did such a great job—I learned a lot I didn’t know and can now use to try harder to fight for keeping our trees. I’m so glad to know there are others…
The revealing ink blot
The Rorschach ink blot is a curious thing. A random, meaningless shape, it has no significance in itself. Instead, it acts as a prompt or catalyst to draw out and reveal the obsessions and fixations of the viewer who is asked to interpret it. The interpretations are useful in psychotherapy to diagnose any mental pathologies…
A new family-run brunch spot in Grover Beach serves American classics with a Mexican flair
Cindy Flores never pictured herself running a restaurant. Instead, she was thinking of opening her own hair salon when she found a restaurant space for rent in Grover Beach last October. Flores sent the link to two of her brothers, who have worked in the food industry for decades, and they visited the spot soon…
If it’s broken
Remember when you used to be able to actually slide down the concrete slides at the Pismo Beach pier’s entrance? In 2020, right after the slides made their debut, they were closed “temporarily” thanks to a series of injuries experienced by adults and children alike. Well, apparently, temporary turned into permanent because the city didn’t…
Honey Don’t! is violent black comedy with a twist
HONEY DON’T! What’s it rated? RWhat’s it worth, Anna? Full priceWhat’s it worth, Glen? Full priceWhere’s it showing? Bay (Sept. 5 through 10), Palm, Stadium 10 Co-writer and director Ethan Coen has reteamed with co-writer Tricia Cooke (Drive-Away Dolls) on this second installment of their planned “lesbian B-movie trilogy.” This time around, the neo-noir comedy…
Old-school blues trio GA-20 returns to The Siren on Sept. 3
On GA-20’s new four-song EP, Volume 2, right from the opening guitar riff of the lead track—a cover of Billy Boy Arnold’s 1966 classic “Cryin’ & Pleadin'”—the band reassures fans that despite their recent personnel changes, the trio remains committed to delivering an authentic, 1950s and ’60s stripped-down Chicago blues sound. Formed in Boston 2018,…
Smoke follows a corrupt arson investigator and a police detective assigned to help him
What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2025 Where’s it showing? Apple TV+ It seems Smoke has taken notes on John Leonard Orr’s journal entries for Apple TV’s new series. Orr is a former arson investigator who was convicted of perpetrating the very fires he was investigating back in the mid ’80s and early ’90s. Arson investigator…
Dept. Q is British crime thriller about marginalized law enforcement working a cold case
What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2025 Where’s it showing? Netflix Created by Scott Frank and Chandni Lakhani based on Danish writer Jussi Adler-Olsen’s book series, Dept. Q is about law enforcement workers dealing with trauma. At the center is formerly top-rated investigator Carl Morck (Matthew Goode), who was badly injured in a shooting that paralyzed…
Cal Poly Arts announces its 40th anniversary season
See the program, buy your tickets Cal Poly Arts presents its diverse 2025-26 season with events beginning Sept. 6, 2025, and running through May 28, 2026, in various venues such as the Performing Arts Center San Luis Obispo, Spanos Theatre, and Sensorio Paso Robles. Visit calpolyarts.org to see this year’s programming. Want some laughs? How…
Festival Mozaic extends Music Director Scott Yoo’s contract
Festival Mozaic announced that it has extended Music Director Scott Yoo’s contract through 2030. Yoo joined the festival in 2005, and according to the announcement, he “has transformed the summer festival into a nationally recognized destination for classical music, celebrated for its world-class performances, adventurous programming, and intimate audience experiences in stunning venues across San…
SLOPE artists raise funds for Carrizo Plains National Monument
In July, SLO County experienced the Madre Fire that burned more than 80,000 acres and swept through a large portion of the Carrizo Plain National Monument, damaging its sensitive ecosystems. According to the Carrizo Plain Conservancy, “Damage to the area is still being assessed, but large-scale restoration efforts will be needed over much of the…
SLO County taps into HHAP funds rotating safe parking program
San Luis Obispo County is reaping the benefits of interest generated from Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) program funding, trying to make a dent in its goal of reducing the homelessness rate by half by 2027. Thanks to a 4-0 Board of Supervisors vote on Aug. 19, with 1st District Supervisor John Peschong absent,…
Paso Robles ECHO transitions to 90-day stays
Statistics show that by providing unhoused residents with reliable, secure shelter for three months, they are more likely to get back into permanent housing. That’s what El Camino Homeless Organization (ECHO) CEO Wendy Lewis told the Paso Robles City Council at its meeting on Aug. 19, announcing that the nonprofit hoped to fully transition its…
Sunsets at Pismo pays the price for Pismo Beach’s zoning error
Pismo Beach city staff’s discovery of a years-long zoning error for its iconic pier has elbowed out Rib Line’s Sunsets at Pismo food truck that operates out of a city-owned vintage Airstream trailer. Rib Line owner Brian Appiano told New Times he found out about the City Council’s Aug. 19 decision to stop commercial activity…
