Cover Story
Water rumors: Poor communication and lack of rainfall cause tension between the Cambria community and its CSD
Nestled behind the San Simeon campgrounds off Highway 1 is a collection of pipes humming gently with the flow of water. The system strips water of its impurities for the residents of Cambria—who can be rough and tumble in their views on the town’s water issues. Maybe the small community of 6,000 has always been…
Comfort food
Cheat day: You may be looking to cut a few calories for the New Year. If not, may I suggest Metro Brewing Co.’s Metro Cluk Cluk and Waffles, a Belgian waffle hand dipped in crème brulee batter and topped with three plump fried chicken wings? (metrobrewco.com) … The Apple Farm in SLO is continuing its…
Will act for rent
It’s tough scraping by as an artist. To make it a little easier on talent from outside of the area, the San Luis Obispo Little Theatre is asking people of the Central Coast to open their hearts and spare bedrooms to guest artists. Interested in being a host home for a thespian? If you have…
What’s your opinion on the death penalty?
Harold Lopez retired “I don’t like the death penalty. We’re not supposed to kill each other! Spiritual texts tells us that we’re not supposed to do that, but I think it’s a natural idea to.” Sheehan Bailey-Schmidt socialist “They shouldn’t use it. There should be another manner of consequence.” Mary Thielscher educator “I’m against it.…
Ancient Peaks 2013 Petite Sirah and DiFronzo’s 2014 Syrah
Bring on the darkness! Days are short, dinners are rich, and everyone’s snuggling into cashmere sweaters and thick wool socks. That’s right, folks. It’s the perfect time to crack open an inky black petite sirah—one of winter’s most luscious and lavish seasonal delights. With boysenberry, violet, and spicy mocha aromas on the nose and a…
How to build a pizza empire: Three decades and beyond with Woodstock’s wizards Jeff and Laura Ambrose
So you want to build a pizza empire? Listen up, punk. You might think a ’za is a ’za: sauce, cheese, dough, a handful of toppings. You’d be dead wrong. Pizza may be the universal symbol for “good times,” but it takes a lot more than a lot of high-fives and big dreams to get…
Guilty pleasures: Tokyo Gore Police
When? 2008 | What’s it rated? NR | Where’s it available? DVD, Streaming on Amazon. I first heard of 2008’s Tokyo Gore Police from a friend as we discussed movies during a long car ride. He mentioned it offhand and quickly, and I had to ask him to say the title slower. “Tokyo. Gore. Police,”…
Clubs 12/22/16 – 12/29/16
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 7:30-10pm. 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. 12/22: Jawz Karaoke; 12/23: Rumble at 9pm;…
Meet the wizard himself: Pancho and the Wizards will bust out of the garage in 2017
Editor’s note: Glen Starkey is on vacation so Flavor writer Hayley Thomas Cain is stepping in for a couple of weeks. The hardest thing about performing live music isn’t getting the chords right or remembering where the bridge starts. It’s not remembering to shout out the promoter or schmooze with the headliner. The hardest part…
A miniature Christmas: Partaking in holiday cheer with tiny tree shopping, people watching, and DIY ornaments
I’m as enthusiastic as anyone about Christmas trees and the rituals associated with them. There’s getting the tree: Gathering up the family, bundling up in the cold, bantering in the car, the smell of hundreds of firs, the nice people who help you pick one out, and the challenge of angling it through your front…
Rockin’ vino: Gary Kramer Guitar Cellars opens in Paso
He was a parts manager down in Reseda, with a friend who made really cool guitars. It was the 1970s. Gary Kramer couldn’t even play guitar, but he was about to begin a venture with future legendary guitar maker Travis Bean (his axes were favored by Jerry Garcia). It was a choice that would lead…
Baby it’s cold outside
It’s finally starting to feel like winter around the Central Coast! Which means it’s the perfect opportunity to stay inside and be cozy. Since the weather outside is frightful, warm up with mulled wine, hot cocoa, and holiday sweets at Oso Libre Winery in Paso Robles. Stay warm with a wine tasting that’s complimentary for…
Third life: Trees turned books turned art on display at SLOMA
She didn’t care much for reading growing up, but books themselves somehow held a special fascination for artist Lisa Occhipinti. “I’ve always been interested in books as objects,” Occhipinti said. “But I like how they contained words, pictures, an entire universe.” The now twice published Los Angeles-based author enjoys reading a good autobiography today, but…
Col. Mustard in the library
Murder. Mystery. Intrigue. Clue The Musical has it all. This family favorite board game turned play written by Peter DePietro is showing at the Pewter Plough Playhouse in Cambria through Dec. 31. Ring in the New Year with a showing of the musical on Dec. 31 at 7 p.m. and a special dinner and wine…
Sassy pants
If Santa had a list of sassy and sweet, I’m pretty sure I’d make the sassy—never classy—index. But he doesn’t. So I figured I’d create one of my own, especially for you, avid New Times readers and rabid liberal rag haters (who read the paper, purely to be mad at it). Haters gotta hate. You…
President Trump and progressive defeat
As I write this, the Electoral College has elected Donald Trump as the next president despite much anguish from the “alt-left.” From the extreme rhetoric, one would expect global coverage of the resurrection of Adolf Hitler with Nazi hordes marching on the bastions of progressivism. In actuality, I think Trump will be somewhat conventional in…
President Trump–a reality
I want to respond to two of your readers’ comments about how ignorant Republicans and conservatives are when it comes to acquiring and digesting knowledge and the issues of the day. For anyone who missed the Dec. 15 edition, let me bring you up to date. In Ron Holt’s letter titled, “Political con artists are…
Journalists should call it what it is
The term/phrase “alt-right” should not be in any reputable journalist’s lexicon. These are fascists and racists that should not be permitted this euphemism to attempt to normalize their vitriolic behaviors and über beliefs. Just call them what they are: white supremacists.
Lesson to be learned
I recall the story of the old woman walking down the road who came upon a dying, poisonous snake. She rescued the snake, carried it to her home, and nursed it back to health. They became friends and lived together for many months. One day, as they were going into town, the old woman picked…
It’s important to look at motive
As I complete my graduate degree in psychology, I reflect on how difficult it was to file those first few mandated child abuse reports. The conversations behind child sexual abuse, in particular, are highly confidential—but they are sometimes filled with years of endured agony and a great deal of toxic shame. This type of abuse…
You decide
I read the recent commentary by Al Fonzi (“America then, America now,” Dec. 8) with disappointment in his rhetoric and baseless claims. Unfortunately, he also represents the Republican Party, and honestly, I am unsure of what they actually stand for after the most recent election. According to Fonzi we (liberals, I assume) are to blame…
Gift giving: Students from St. Patrick spread the joy
Waking up on Christmas to a mountain of colorfully wrapped gifts under the Christmas tree isn’t always the reality for some children, but the fifth-grade students at St. Patrick Catholic School in Arroyo Grande are trying to change that. Camille Zumbro teaches fifth grade at the school, and her class was given a project to…
Justice for all: The death of Dennis Webb and the future of California’s death penalty
Some people are salvageable, you know. I’m not. What do you do with a man that does [not] have any feeling?” Dennis Duane Webb’s words are just as chilling today as when he spoke them in a San Luis Obispo courtroom 28 years ago. He said them to a jury that just found him guilty…
Undermanned: As Paso Robles grows, its fire chief argues for a bigger department
Paso Robles is rebounding nicely from the gut punch of the Great Recession. Tourism is booming thanks to the North County wineries. City officials have their hands full with new housing and hotel developments, fitting nicely into the City Council’s long-term plan to grow Paso Robles to 44,000 residents by 2045. The city currently has…
Firefighters’ labor lawsuit against SLO city is one of many
A labor dispute between the city of San Luis Obispo and a group of its fire department employees isn’t the only one of its kind. The case is just one of dozens in California currently filed in federal court. The lawsuit was filed by 22 members of the SLO Fire Department in late November, and…
Cambria fights to have its say in CCSD leadership
The urgent voices of some Cambria residents were finally heard as they rallied behind re-elected board member Amanda Rice, who was nearly looked over to become the new Cambria Community Services District (CCSD) board president at the Dec. 15 meeting. With the missing presence of former CCSD board President Gail Robinette and the titles of…
Upcoming housing projects vex SLO’s planning commissioners
On Nov. 4 and Nov. 16, two respective 45-day clocks started ticking. It’s the window of opportunity for San Luis Obispo city residents and the SLO planning commissioners to weigh in on the draft environmental impact reports (EIRs) for two substantially sized housing developments coming down the pike: Avila Ranch and San Luis Ranch. Together,…
Judge upholds supervisors’ decision to deny dispensary permit
After initial indications that it might be victorious in an attempt to open a medical marijuana dispensary south of Nipomo, Ethnobotanica suffered a serious legal defeat in SLO County Superior Court. After a Dec. 5 tentative ruling that appeared to favor Ethnobotanica’s argument that the SLO County supervisors abused their discretion when they denied a…
San Luis Coastal gives home loan to superintendent
The San Luis Coastal Unified School District (SLCUSD) is dipping its toes in the lending business. In a move that’s turned some parent and teacher heads, the SLCUSD board of trustees on Dec. 13 voted to use district funds to loan Superintendent Eric Prater up to $950,000 to buy a home, in a stated effort…
From Russia with love: Spikes in web traffic originating overseas
As the nation discussed Russia’s potential influence on the results of the presidential election, New Times saw a significant spike in web traffic from Russia to its website. According to metrics from New Times’ site, traffic from Russia dramatically increased in November and December, totaling more than 2,600 web sessions originating primarily from Moscow and…
