Cover Story
Growing pains: San Luis Obispo grapples with change, development, and character
Pale yellow and beige campaign signs litter the front yards of homes along Broad Street west of Highway 101. That glossy paper on short metal stakes advocates for San Luis Obispo mayoral candidate Keith Gurnee in thin blue letters near the sidewalk of the homes next to his. The hue is almost an exact match…
Fire up the grill: Central Coast Meats delivers fresh and local to your door
Choice cuts Visit the farm, check out the subscription box options, learn about the Central Coast Meat values, and order your own meat box at centralcoastmeats.com. Kyle Clement grew up in a farming family in Santa Maria. He eagerly raised 4-H and FFA livestock, mended barbed wire till his fingers callused, and wielded a branding…
Greener grub
Burgers on the brain: Plant Ivy Catering will be bringing the Impossible Burger to The Fig at Courtney’s House in Templeton on Sept. 8! What’s the Impossible Burger, you ask? Well, it’s an impossibly delicious “burger” sans all the meat. Choose yours “Ortega style,” “fig chutney” style, or just plan “cheeseburger” style with tater tots…
Blind Melon with local singer Travis Warren plays SLO Brew on Sept. 5
I can’t watch the video for Blind Melon’s song “No Rain” without smiling. The bumblebee-costumed little girl who gets mocked at her talent show but then runs into the world to find her people is utterly charming. It’s Little Miss Sunshine (2006) meets triptastic neo-psychedelic alt-rock, and it made Blind Melon a household name. Sadly,…
New nibbles
Wine, cheese, and ice cream: New biz Farmhouse Corner Market is looking to open at 1025 Farmhouse Lane in Edna Valley, with plans to open an eatery/market hybrid fit for a wine country picnic (a vintage Airstream trailer is involved). The new 5,500-square-foot business will be located near Tolosa Winery and across Highway 227 from…
‘Of Mice and Men’ explores the loneliness of human existence
On stage By The Sea Productions’ take on Of Mice and Men will show in Morro Bay at St. Peter’s By the Sea Episcopal Church through Sept. 16. Tickets range from $15 to $20. Visit bytheseaproductions.org for more information. You can live off a dream. For years and years it can keep you going as…
Do you know who I am?
Keanu’s excellent wine-venture: Shot largely at Paso Robles’ Dubost Winery, the feature film Destination Wedding opens in limited release on Aug. 31 before spreading to more theaters on Sept. 7. However, local moviegoers have a chance to see the film a day early with a special Sept. 6 screening in Paso Robles. The film stars…
From the grave: Central Coast author delves into the insanity of grief
Read on Grievance by Christine Bell is available on Amazon for $10.99 for paperback and $3.99 for the Kindle version. For more information on Bell’s work, visit christinesaintbell.com. “We don’t say ‘died’ anymore, we say ‘passed.'” Just that one sentence shook Central Coast author Christine Bell’s world a bit when her neighbor said it during…
Drink it up!
When preparing for a monthlong festival celebrating local spirits, I have one big piece of advice. That would be, of course, “Pace yourself, people!” With so many craft spirits to choose from all month long, it’s easy to get your head spun around (and to piss off your designated driver with your flat rendition of…
A family festival: Apples and Honey at Mitchell Park
The JCC-Federation of San Luis Obispo presents the Apples and Honey Festival on Sunday, Sept. 16, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Mitchell Park. The festival will feature more than 50 vendors of food and art. Guests will have a wide range of live entertainment and family activities to choose from, including a Charles…
Agony and loss
The fireman’s house just sold to an investor from Palo Alto. Almost a million dollars and it was gone in less than two weeks. It’s the fifth house in a year. The Barbosas’ sold to a San Francisco investor, and the pastor’s to one from Portland. All turned into student rentals. The other two are…
Film Listings, 8/30/18 – 9/6/18
A.X.L. What’s it rated? PG What’s it worth? Stream it Where’s it showing? Park In his feature-length debut, writer-director Oliver Daly helms this family-friendly sci-fi adventure about Miles (Alex Neustaedter), who discovers a top secret robotic dog named A.X.L., which stands for Attack, Exploration, Logistics. Miles is a shy outsider, but after he and A.X.L.…
Glam for a cause at Wine, Women and Shoes
The fourth annual Wine, Women, and Shoes will be held at Avila Beach Golf Resort on Sunday, Sept. 9, from 1 to 5 p.m. This event, which benefits RISE, puts the fun in fundraising and features shopping vendors, wine tasting, a fashion show, and an auction. “Sole men,” carrying shoes or wine, will be working…
Don’t protest the Cayucos fire dissolution
If you are a Cayucos voter or property owner, you have probably received a notice from Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) about the pending dissolution of the Cayucos Fire Department due to funding and staffing issues. Please do not fear this transition, and please do not file a protest. San Luis Obispo County will add…
Birds and binoculars at SLO Botanical Garden
The San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden (SLOBG) is offering its Fall Audubon Bird Walk on Saturday, Sept. 8, from 9 to 11 a.m. This educational walk takes participants through the botanical garden, El Chorro Regional Park, Dairy Creek, and the Bluebird Trail. The entire trip will be approximately 1-mile long and walked at a leisurely…
Conservatives are driving the bus
I was struck by the argument made by John Texeira in his commentary “Life in America” (Aug. 16). Let’s start with the premise “Conservatives to the back of the bus in 2018.” This, I assume, refers to Rosa Parks. She was a black woman who refused to accept discrimination in bus seating. Conservatives are hardly…
Morro Rock, Montaña de Oro, Irish Hills among areas reviewed by feds for fracking and oil drilling
State parks, historic landmarks, and open spaces throughout San Luis Obispo County are currently under review as potential fracking and oil drilling sites by the Trump administration. More than 123,000 acres of land in SLO County are subject to federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) control. As a result they have been included in a…
A trip home: Visiting the Bay Area triggers nostalgia, but also affirmation
Every time I make a trip home to the San Francisco Bay Area, I’m reminded of both why I left and why I still love it so much. Driving north on Highway 101 on a Friday through Gilroy, seeing traffic backed up for miles in the other direction with people commuting out of Silicon Valley,…
A vision of the future includes high-speed rail
Yes, the Central Coast taxpayers deserve better, better that we are getting from Assemblymember Jordan Cunningham for sure! Mr. Cunningham rails against the high-speed rail project that will connect Northern California to Southern California and all points through the Central Valley because it will not serve San Luis Obispo County (“Central Coast taxpayers deserve better,”…
Arroyo Grande seeks to fix lengthy wait times for building permit review processes
California’s building market is booming, but those looking to capitalize on it in Arroyo Grande may find themselves growing impatient with the city’s building development processes. Faced with recent staff cuts, employee vacancies, and budget reductions, the city is attempting to address concerns from the community that its planning and development processes take too long,…
Parks should close at dusk
In 2008, a small group proposed to the city that lights should get installed at the Sinsheimer Park tennis courts. The neighbors countered, arguing that this effort would only satisfy a small group of people and would be a severe detriment to the residents whose homes sit less than a couple of hundred feet from…
Maldonado growing hemp—not cannabis—on his SLO ranch, county says, raising questions about rules for both crops
Former Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado’s large Central Coast ranch just happens to straddle the San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara county line. That’s a seemingly mundane fact—except when you’re talking about cannabis. Over the last three weeks, two developments have come to light about the man who was recently on the short list to become…
What will we do when all the businesses are gone?
With the impending closure of Diablo Canyon Power Plant, I’m starting to get worried about what this really means for San Luis Obispo County. More than 1,500 jobs will be lost when Diablo Canyon is gone. This not only impacts the lives of those workers and their families, but it also impacts the small-business owners…
SLO County joins opioid suit
SLO County will join hundreds of counties, cities, and states across the country in a massive federal lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies and drug wholesalers over their alleged role in fueling the nation’s opioid epidemic. During an Aug. 21 closed session meeting, the SLO County Board of Supervisors voted 4-0, with 5th District Supervisor Debbie Arnold…
The end of an era
The death of U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) is a loss for all those who served and fought in our nation’s wars. McCain, a self-described “maverick” in politics, evoked strong feelings across the political aisles of Washington and among the public. He seemed to revel in frustrating everyone with his apparent eccentricity and being predictably…
Residents try to save Morro Bay boat building
After five years of being in a boat-shaped building, Dockside 3 on the Embarcadero in Morro Bay is closing its doors, and the building is scheduled to be demolished—but some residents want to preserve the site. Mark Tognazzini, the owner of Dockside 3, a smokehouse and oyster bar, said he knew when he signed the…
Frack the rock?!?
Morro Rock … all it does is sit there, amirite? The volcano it’s supposed to be plugging is long dormant anyway, isn’t it? Well, good news? According to Los Padres ForestWatch, an environmental nonprofit, “The Trump administration is seeking to open more than 123,000 acres of federal land and mineral estate in the county to…
Police search son’s home, vehicles in connection to his father’s 2009 murder
SLO County Sheriff’s Office investigators continue renewed activity in the 2009 unsolved murder of 71-year-old Templeton resident Jerry Greer, and may be focusing on his 51-year-old son as a potential suspect. Just one day before announcing that Jerry’s son, Brian Scott Greer, had been named as a person of interest in the case, SLO County…
Social media sound off
New Times readers took to Facebook to share their thoughts our Aug. 23 news story, “All eyes on G: Campaigns for and against the initiative to ban new oil and gas wells in SLO County take shape.” Δ
Arroyo Grande approves disbanding three advisory bodies
The Arroyo Grande City Council finalized plans to disband three volunteer advisory bodies with the goal of saving money and freeing up time for city staff. The council voted 4-1 to dissolve the city’s Traffic Commission, Parks and Recreation Commission, and Historical Resources Committee at an Aug. 28 regular meeting. Councilmember Caren Ray was the…
‘Puzzle’ is lovely and heartbreaking with terrific performances
PUZZLE What’s it rated? RWhat’s it worth, Anna? Full priceWhat’s it worth, Glen? Full priceWhere’s it showing? The Palm Marc Turtletaub (Gods Behaving Badly) directs this story about put upon suburban mom Agnes (Kelly Macdonald), who discovers a love for solving jigsaw puzzles, leading to personal fulfillment she couldn’t have imagined. The film also stars…
Templeton Tennis Ranch wants to host more events
Residents raised traffic, noise, and parking concerns at an August 23 SLO County Planning Commission hearing on whether to allow the Templeton Tennis Ranch to host more events. Tennis Ranch owner Ralph Goehring requested a permit modification that would allow the event center to add 58 more events per year with up to 150 guests.…
Bingeable: Murder She Wrote
When? 1984-1996 What’s it rated? PG Where’s it available? DVD If you are familiar with my writing you might already know that I am a ride or die fan of the cozy mystery. There are many I love, but none can hold a candle to my favorite series of all time, Murder She Wrote. Once…
Templeton-based Wellness Kitchen and Resource Center supports healing through food education
When Nancy Walker went to culinary school in Phoenix, it wasn’t what she thought it was going to be. Every dish had salt on the ingredient list. Every time she finished a dish, she would take it to her chef instructor for review, and he would say it needed more salt. “I finally asked him,…
