Cover Story
Autumn Arts Annual 2023
The school year is back in full swing, and those lazy, summer days are in the rearview with vacations on hold until the holidays. But that doesn’t mean you have to stay in. Get out and about, and enjoy this place where others come to vacation. Don’t know what to do? We’re here for you—actually,…
Roots singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Valerie June plays Cuesta College on Oct. 4
Attendees are going to be in for something very special when KCBX, Numbskull, and Good Medicine present Grammy-nominated Valerie June in concert on Wednesday, Oct. 4, in the Cuesta College Performing Arts Center (7 p.m.; all ages; $37 at goodmedicinepresents.com). Born Valerie June Hockett, she’s a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist tour de force who envelopes a…
Significant protection
The Central Coast has the opportunity to become home to the first national marine sanctuary proposed by the Indigenous peoples who are the original and current caretakers of our spectacular ocean and shoreline. You have the opportunity of being part of history by making your voice heard during the public comment period. The designation of…
Democrats’ dilemma
As a Republican, I am getting a big thrill out of watching two of the Democratic tribe’s core constituencies start to square off against each other in what promises to be a lively internecine brawl over the posture of the party. Who’ll win? What will the loser do? Be good sports and maintain their allegiance,…
Stay sleepy
I don’t know if you’ve heard, but “the state of Florida is where woke goes to die,” Florida Gov. and 2024 Republican presidential nominee hopeful Ron “I Hate Disney” DeSantis declared during a campaign event. “We must fight ‘the woke’ in our schools. We must fight ‘the woke’ in our businesses. We must fight ‘the…
Lost film set to be part of the 100-year celebration of The Ten Commandments film
Back in time The Lost City Celebration, commemorating the centennial of The Ten Commandments, kicks off on Oct. 6 at Edwards Barn in Nipomo, 1095 Pomeroy Road, with a VIP dinner. On Oct. 7, the centennial will be honored during the Central Coast Entertainment Expo at the Clark Center for the Performing Arts in Arroyo…
Cuesta College holds 39th annual Central Coast Writers’ Conference
Authors, bloggers, screenwriters, and other writers in various fields—whether they’re established or aspiring—are invited to attend the 39th annual Central Coast Writers’ Conference, an upcoming one-day expo of writing workshops. The goal of the event is to “provide a nurturing yet challenging environment for creatives to take their craft to the next level,” according to…
Temple Beth El presents violinist Brynn Albanese, live in concert
Cambria-based concert violinist Brynn Albanese will perform at Temple Beth El in Santa Maria on Sunday, Oct. 8, at 3 p.m. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Temple. Admission is $18 in advance or $25 at the door (cash and checks will be accepted at the door, but not credit or debit cards). Doors…
Golda is an intense depiction of Golda Meir’s handling of the Yom Kippur War
GOLDA What’s it rated? PG-13What’s it worth, Glen? Full priceWhat’s it worth, Anna? Full priceWhere’s it showing? The Palm Theatre of San Luis Obispo Guy Nattiv (Strangers, The Flood, Skin) directs Helen Mirren as Golda Meir, Israel’s fourth prime minister, who led the country from 1969 to 1974, including through the 1973 Yom Kippur War…
Expend4bles
What’s it rated? R When? 2023 Where’s it showing? Colony, Downtown Centre, Fair Oaks, Park, Stadium 10 Scott Waugh (Act of Valor, Need for Speed) directs this fourth installment in the Expendables franchise, a series of comedic action flicks about a group of mercenaries. Its gimmick has been to blend aging and up-and-coming action stars.…
Atascadero revises its anti-camping ordinance
Atascadero and its partners will have a new tool to assist them as they continue to address large homeless encampments in the city. “The ordinance before you was written with the intent of dealing with camps and not the individuals,” Atascadero City Manager Jim Lewis said at the Sept. 26 City Council meeting. “These camps…
El Conde
What’s it rated? R When? 2023 Where’s it showing? Netflix Pablo Larraín (Spencer, Jackie, Neruda) directs this comedy-horror-historical satire that reenvisions fascist Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet (Jaime Vadell) as a 250-year-old vampire who says he’s finally ready to die, much to the delight of his wife, Lucia (Gloria Münchmeyer), and his five greedy, lazy children…
South County to get a permanent emergency shelter location
After almost a decade without a year-round shelter, the 5Cities Homeless Coalition (5CHC) just received the funding to set up an emergency shelter in a permanent location. During its Sept. 26 meeting, the Arroyo Grande City Council voted unanimously to allocate $100,000 to help 5CHC do just that. Janna Nichols, 5CHC’s executive director, said the…
A California task force calls for publishing companies to boost diversity access in school textbooks
San Luis Obispo mother Sara McGrath ventured into two separate school districts to find her son an inclusive foundation for education. McGrath’s son has Down syndrome. She first visited the neighboring Atascadero Unified School District when it was time for the then-4-year-old to enroll in preschool. But the tour ended sooner than expected when the…
Moms for Liberty attempts to restrict LGBTQ-plus books in local libraries
In the leadup to Banned Books Week, one parent-led organization launched a mission to avert kids’ eyes from literature about the LGBTQ-plus community. “Who here is upset with some of the trashy library books they have let into our children’s school libraries for our children to see?” San Luis Obispo County resident Erin Westmoreland asked…
Coastal Conservancy awards conservation grants to SLO County
Two regions in Morro Bay and Atascadero—one in need of environmental protection funds and one ravaged by winter storms—are beneficiaries of state grants. The grants were announced on Sept. 25 as part of $84 million the State Coastal Conservancy had authorized for projects across the state that aimed to protect and restore coastal lands and…
Public tells NOAA they want a larger marine sanctuary off Central Coast
“Mind the gap.” That’s what one Los Osos resident advised representatives of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on Sept. 25 as community members gathered to give input on the marine sanctuary designation process. Public comment for the proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary is underway until Oct. 25. NOAA is welcoming observations on…
Global nonprofit Lasagna Love has a San Luis Obispo County chapter that delivers the comfort food to anyone in need
On call Visit lasagnalove.org/request if you need piping hot lasagna delivered to your doorstep. Volunteer to cook and deliver lasagnas at lasagnalove.org/get-involved. Keep up with Lasagna Love on Instagram @wearelasagnalove. If you got your heart broken or lost your job and don’t know how to cover rent, you should definitely have some lasagna. That’s California…
SLO County is witnessing an uptick of private wells drying as groundwater lowers
Out in the rural countryside of the Arroyo Grande Mesa, on 8 acres of flowers, fruit trees, and animals, a zero-waste nonprofit ranch brings a feeling of freedom to those in the disabled community. Rancho de los Animales for the Disabled is a therapeutic, educational, and recreational ranch and is run by Beth Currier, who…
Grover Beach proposes water rate increase to pay for Central Coast Blue
Grover Beach is looking to raise water and wastewater rates almost 20 percent beginning in 2024 to help fund infrastructure improvements and Central Coast Blue project costs. Matthew Bronson, Grover Beach’s city manager, said that a recent rate study looked at the needs in the city’s water and wastewater system, what the operating costs were,…
SLO-based Food Empowerment Project informs and equips locals to make healthful, impactful choices
When you take a bite out of a sandwich or sip on a coffee, how often do you think about where that food comes from? It’s a question that served as the genesis for lauren Ornelas (Ornelas does not capitalize her first name) when she founded the Food Empowerment Project. “I founded the Food Empowerment…
