Cover Story
Central Coast counties await state, federal guidance on COVID-19 vaccine distribution
Nine pharmaceutical companies are currently doing human clinical trials for their COVID-19 vaccines, including Pfizer and Moderna. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has yet to approve a vaccine. However, during a virtual coronavirus briefing on Nov. 30, Gov. Gavin Newsom said that California will receive a specific allocation of the vaccine. He said…
Central Coast Community Energy to host public forums on upcoming enrollment
In January, four San Luis Obispo County cities as well as Santa Maria, Guadalupe, Solvang, and unincorporated Santa Barbara County will switch electricity providers to Central Coast Community Energy (3CE)—a budding regional alternative to PG&E. Local residents interested in learning more about the transition or asking questions can log onto two 3CE public forums scheduled…
Santa Barbara County Animal Services explores a new approach to animal sheltering
The Santa Barbara County Animal Services Department is using the pandemic as an opportunity to overhaul what Animal Services Director Angela Walters Yates called “an industry stuck in brick and mortar.” “When you find an animal or you can’t take care of an animal, you just bring it to the shelter, and the shelter warehouses…
Los Osos residents and water purveyors raise concerns about county plan to allow new development
Is Los Osos finally ready to break out of its 32-year-old building moratorium? That is a debate playing out right now—with some groups expressing serious doubts—as the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors gears up to review and possibly approve a long-awaited Los Osos Community Plan on Dec. 15. Eight years in the making,…
Tri-County Regional Energy Network (3C-REN) offers resources to boost energy efficiency
Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties have some of the most ambitious climate goals in the state: Santa Barbara County’s new 2030 Climate Action Plan will seek to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent over the next 10 years, and the city of San Luis Obispo aims to reach carbon neutrality by 2035.…
COVID-19, lack of drivers could mean diminished busing for Paso Unified students
When Kelly Stainbrook first started working as a bus driver for the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District nearly 25 years ago, the district had about 24 drivers on staff. By March of this year, that number had dwindled to 11. When COVID-19 hit and early safety mandates required government employees 65 and older to…
SLO’s active transportation plan charts ambitious course for bike and pedestrian projects
Within the minutiae of San Luis Obispo’s 157-page draft active transportation plan, one statement jumps out. In the next 10 years, the city expects to complete 100 percent of its highest priority bike and pedestrian projects. That high-priority list is long and only 6.5 percent complete—it includes 52 projects, stretching dozens of miles and potentially…
Templeton will take a deeper look at its water policies
The Templeton Community Services District recently looked at a set of potential water policy priorities that were brought to their attention back in February—opting to look further into policies that differ from what the community wants. It includes an incentive program for property owners who want to sell back or “relinquish” their water units, the…
Cal Poly considers testing campus wastewater for COVID-19
Poop can be very telling, and Cal Poly is hoping to take advantage of that. As Cal Poly prepares for its winter quarter amid escalating cases of COVID-19 locally, it plans to up the ante on testing and screening after winter break, particularly among students living on campus. That could include a wastewater surveillance program,…
SLO County avoids COVID-19 hospitalization spike for now
With COVID-19 exploding across the state and sending more patients to the hospital than ever, San Luis Obispo County hospitals are comparatively less busy battling the virus—at least for now. At press time, SLO County had 12 residents hospitalized with COVID-19, with one in intensive care, despite having more than 800 active cases. Thirty-eight people…
Paso Robles approves its housing element update
After a year of work that involved community and committee input, the new housing element for the city of Paso Robles was unanimously approved by the City Council on Dec. 1. The work began, MIG consultant Genevieve Sharrow said, with a public workshop in January where participants focused on finding creative solutions for financing and…
Wine Enthusiasts’ 2020 Winemaker of the Year Greg Brewer is disciplined about doing things the same way
Drink some Find Greg Brewer’s wines at Brewer-Clifton, where Brewer-Clifton, Diatom chardonnays, and Ex Post Facto syrahs are made. The winery is located at 329 North F St. in Lompoc—where visits are by appointment only (info@brewerclifton.com)—and the tasting room is in Los Olivos at 2367 Alamo Pintado Avenue. Contact the winery for current hours at…
Point San Luis Lighthouse to offer virtual tours through December
Take the tour Virtual tours of the Point San Luis Lighthouse and grounds run every Wednesday and Saturday at 2 p.m. during December, and they last about an hour. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at My805Tix by searching “Point San Luis Lighthouse,” by calling (805) 540-5571, or by emailing sanluislighthouse@gmail.com. Thanks to GPS,…
Thank you
As term limits have brought my tenure in the state Senate to an end, I want to say thank you for the opportunity to serve you, the residents of the 17th Senate District. These past eight years in the Senate, four of those serving as Majority Leader, and my four years in the state Assembly,…
Upcoming studio event showcases glass art by Los Osos artist Rod Baker and other glassblowers
The Central Coast Glass Cottage in Los Osos hosts its sixth annual Holiday Gift Studio Sale on Dec. 6 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Face masks and social distancing will be required during this free event. Rod Baker’s functional and decorative glass art, including jewelry, dishware, and home decor, will be on display and…
A response to ‘Woke on the warpath’
I’ve been trying to fill my head with happy thoughts these past few months, and “Woke on the warpath” (Nov. 19) put a dent in that. I’m not sure how John Donegan derives his pronouncements if not from breathtaking naiveté. The now-scrubbed material from Pete Sysak’s social media went way beyond calling distant protesters “thugs,”…
Art Center Morro Bay accepts multimedia submissions for January exhibit, Flower Power
The Morro Bay Art Association is seeking artists to showcase in its upcoming exhibition, Flower Power, which is scheduled to debut on Jan. 7 and remain on display through March 8, 2021. The take-in date for art submissions will be Jan. 5 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Art Center Morro Bay. This upcoming…
This was a truly amazing election
The circumstances were challenging indeed, with new ways of voting made necessary by the COVID-19 pandemic: vote-by-mail ballots and Voter Service Centers in place of traditional polling places, health and safety precautions and social distancing to protect both the voters and the poll workers. Yet our local election officials, their staffs, the hundreds of volunteers…
SLO Motion Film screens Stoke Chasers and Unnur on Dec. 5
STOKE CHASERS AND UNNUR What’s it rated? Not rated What’s it worth, Anna? Full price What’s it worth, Glen? Full priceWhere’s it showing? Virtual or in-person screening on Dec. 5, from 5 to 8 p.m., through SLO Motion Film, either at Whalebird Kombucha or slomotionfilm.com/events/stoke-chasers Two local filmmakers—Jo Anna Edmison and Chris Burkard—will screen their…
Where’s the Morro Coast Audubon Society?
Even if you don’t like seagulls, evidence not hearsay should dictate human interference in nature. The Morro Bay City Council received no data, didn’t asked for any data, and presented none of their own that would justify their decision to overrule the city’s municipal code, allowing Bayshore Village to “expand the authorization to also allow…
Happiest Season
What’s it rated? PG-13 When? 2020 Where’s it showing? Hulu It’s the time of year to get your holiday rom-com on, and Happiest Season delivers with gusto. Driving out the usual Hallmark plotlines, this flick co-written and directed by Clea DuVall (The Intervention) delivers on the laughs and touching moments throughout. Abby (Kristen Stewart) and…
A conservative perspective
Being a conservative writing for a left-oriented publication requires the writer to strictly adhere to facts and provide abundant documentation. Editors are usually grudgingly skeptical, not surprising as they must endure the wrath of an angry readership. The letters expressing outrage that a conservative is even allowed to remain on the planet let alone have…
Evil
What’s it rated? TV-14 When? 2019 Where’s it showing? Amazon Prime Go ahead and file this show under guilty pleasures. Created by Michelle and Robert King (The Good Wife, BrainDead), the supernatural crime procedural mixes genres into fun and occasionally thrilling spectacle that traverses the razor’s edge between the occult and psychology. Kristen Bouchard (Katja…
Oversight means oversight!
The SLO County grand jury isn’t feeling the love these days. Its members are hurt that the community doesn’t recognize its value as a toothless government watchdog. Don’t you guys know that the grand jury is basically the same as a law enforcement civilian oversight committee? I didn’t, and it’s not. But the jury felt…
Discover Los Osos resident Chris Mariscal’s DIY gem Trial & Error & Error
In August 2019, Los Osos resident Chris Mariscal sent me a long Facebook Messenger note that read in part: “Hi Glen. I’m really bad at social things, so I’m really sorry if this isn’t cool to contact you here about work stuff. I was playing drums for Hot Tina most recently (I’m pretty sure I’m…
