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Elephant in the boardroom: Paso Robles school district trustee appointment process gets too political for some
School boards are nonpartisan governing bodies. But in Paso Robles, that doesn’t prevent some board members from getting political. “Nonpartisan office means you don’t elect based on Democrat or Republican,” Chris Arend, Paso Robles Joint Unified School District board president, told New Times. “But it is definitely a political office.” Arend didn’t shy away from…
I hate that Compton hates Oceano
Thanks for the shout-out from The Shredder last week (“Facts and facts,” Dec. 16), regarding when I spoke before the Board of Supervisors in November about redistricting and Oceano being abandoned, yet again. For the record, I don’t “hate” Supervisor Lynn Compton. I don’t have enough emotional investment in her personally to drum up hate.…
Nate’s on Marsh dishes up Central Coast cuisine with ‘Italian soul’
Buona notte For more details, visit natesonmarsh.com or follow the company on Instagram and Facebook @natesonmarsh. Nate’s will be open on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, and closed Dec. 25 to 28, and Jan. 1 to 11. Regular hours are Wednesday through Sunday, from 5 to 9 p.m. Nathan Long is a San Luis…
Make good choices
The ability to focus on what’s essential helps us weave a strong life fabric. We must concern ourselves with what’s truly important and let the rest fall by the wayside, unburdening us so we can keep a strong pace on our path through life. It’s easy to become complacent, doing what’s expected because we’re surrounded…
Sailors across San Luis Obispo County want Port San Luis Harbor facilities to be more inclusive, less strenuous
Seventy-seven-year-old Doug Morris belongs among San Luis Obispo’s smattering of sailing aficionados. But the absence of an accessible sailboat launch facility at the Port San Luis Harbor put the brakes on a passion he’s pursued from fourth grade. “I’d like to sail down there before I die. Wouldn’t that be nice?” he laughed. Morris’ determination…
Illegitimate opinions
Who the heck is editing the opinion section of New Times? In a week that saw an outrageous, partisan power grab by the Board of Supervisors, New Times decides to print an irrelevant tale of a past (I hope) commentator’s move from California to Tennessee (“From over here,” Dec. 2). I for one won’t miss…
Templeton Farms founder donates horse ranch to UC Davis
After spending nearly 15 years turning a modest North County ranch into a premier sport horse training and breeding center, Gina Bornino-Miller is retiring from Templeton Farms. As for the thriving equine hub that she helped create—that’s far from finished. In an “extraordinary” move, Bornino-Miller is donating her entire 52-acre ranch in Templeton and its…
Protect liberty
Preamble to the Constitution: “Secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.” Choice for women and our daughters is securing the blessing of liberty to decide for ourselves what our bodies shall experience. Additionally, separation of church and state is being tested. Women’s bodies have suffered male dominance through rape, domestic violence, fighting…
Nor-Cal rock act The Coffis Brothers & The Mountain Men play Dec. 30 at The Siren
With the holiday fast approaching, this week is pretty thin for concerts, but Numbskull and Good Medicine have one very fine show lined up next Thursday, Dec. 30, when The Coffis Brothers & The Mountain Men play The Siren (7 p.m.; 21-and-older; $13 plus fees presale at eventbrite.com or $15 at the door), with Morro…
Citizens for Good Government
As the year comes to a close, so does SLO County’s redistricting process that has spanned many months and thousands of pieces of communication from concerned citizens. The Board of Supervisors majority gaveled a decision on Dec. 14, adopting a map defining the new county district boundaries to be drastically different than those that currently…
Emo action
While 100,000 SLO County residents will be voting in strange districts during their next local election cycle due to the partisan inclinations of our very own local body of electeds, the state’s nonpartisan, independent redistricting commission split SLO County up for both state and national representation. According to CNN, the commission didn’t take into account…
Visual poet Karl Kempton’s new photography book offers unique meditations on the Oceano Dunes
Oceano eyes For more info on Oceano-based poet and photographer Karl Kempton, visit karlkempton.net. Copies of Kempton’s books are available at the Place on PCH, an art gallery located at 1699 Front St., Oceano. Nearly two decades after his first poem was published, Oceano resident Karl Kempton envisioned a new way for Central Coast locals…
Nightmare Alley delivers film noir thrills through the rise and fall of a con man
NIGHTMARE ALLEY What’s it rated? R What’s it worth, Anna? Full price What’s it worth, Glen? Full price Where’s it showing? Galaxy, Palm Theatre, Park, Stadium 10 Co-writer and director Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, The Shape of Water) helms this neo-noir psychological thriller film adaptation of William Lindsay Gresham’s 1946 novel about Stan Carlisle…
Atascadero High students speak out about culture of assault, bullying
In early December, an Instagram page began posting testimonies from students at Atascadero High School. The anonymous stories range from allegations of homophobia and transphobia, to racism, to sexual assault happening at the North County school. A common theme among the posts is an alleged lack of action taken by school administrators. “I’m a junior…
The Shrink Next Door
What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2021 Where’s it showing? Apple TV Plus While the television series doesn’t seem to be quite the hit its podcast predecessor was, The Shrink Next Door manages to stay compelling (and infuriating) in this eight-part miniseries. Do audiences not want to see America’s sweetheart and People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive…
Annual SLO Jewish Film Festival kicks off in January
Tickets are now available for the 12th annual San Luis Obispo Jewish Film Festival, which is scheduled to start on Sunday, Jan. 9. This year’s virtual event will stream its featured films through Sunday, Jan. 30. The theme of the 2022 festival is Our Global Mishpacha (Mishpacha is the Hebrew term for family and friends),…
The Great
What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2020-present Where’s it showing? Hulu If you liked the tone and vibe of writer-director Sofia Coppola’s 2006 film Marie Antoinette, you’ll dig this not-very-accurate “historical biography” of Catherine the Great (Elle Fanning), a Prussian princess married off to Peter III (Nicholas Hoult), the depraved and dangerous ruler of Russia, titled…
OHV driving ban temporarily lifted while Superior Court weighs lawsuit
California State Parks settled on an agreement with Friends of Oceano Dunes on Dec. 17 to temporarily prevent the closures of the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area (SVRA) and the entrance to Pier Avenue. Officials also agreed to pause the ban on crossing Arroyo Grande Creek. This agreement will stay in place until a…
Paso Robles City Library hosts virtual group discussion of novelist Kristin Hannah’s Winter Garden
The Library Book Group of the Paso Robles City Library hosts its first meeting of 2022 on Thursday, Jan. 20, from 6 to 7 p.m. Participants of this Zoom meeting are invited to discuss Winter Garden, a novel by Kristin Hannah, which follows two estranged sisters who are reunited after their father becomes fatally ill.…
SLO County gets split up in state redistricting
The California Citizens Redistricting Commission wrapped up its work on Dec. 20, making major changes to how San Luis Obispo County will be represented in Sacramento and Washington, D.C., for the next decade. New state Senate, state Assembly, and congressional district boundaries split SLO County into multiple districts—an outcome that locals had hoped to avoid…
Cambria vets lose ADA parking spot to new EV charger
A few weeks ago, Cambria resident Brian Griffin went down to the local Veterans Memorial Hall to enjoy some baked potatoes and hot dogs at the weekly meal provided for veterans like him. But when he arrived, something was different. “I went down there, and here’s these two electric vehicle charging stations in the place…
Demand for rapid COVID-19 tests soars amid holidays
As locals scramble to protect themselves against the omicron variant of COVID-19 ahead of the holidays, the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department announced that it’s hosting a one-day, free rapid testing clinic on Dec. 23 in Grover Beach. Demand for COVID-19 testing has soared due to omicron and the holidays, but most community…
Grand jury dispatch proposal unanimously rejected
San Luis Obispo County vouched to keep emergency responses separate when five of its cities, the Sheriff’s Department, and the Board of Supervisors rejected grand jury recommendations for a collaborative dispatch center. The follow-up to a 2019-20 grand jury report called “Joint Agency Dispatch: Better Together?” noted several local agencies and officials unanimously shrugged off…
Sanctuaries aren’t working
One of the things I am not seeing in the discussion over a new marine sanctuary off our coast is how well are the ones we have working? As written by Lori French (“Unnecessary protection,” Dec. 16) there are four national marine sanctuaries designated in California since 1980. Also, there are 124 state marine protected…
