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Sidewalk groceries: HelpSLO and Central Coast Rotary clubs collaborate to make food accessible in little pantries across SLO County
Dry goods, fresh produce, and sometimes hygiene products fill the shelves of a medium-sized white cabinet on the corner of Broad and Pismo streets in San Luis Obispo. This little free pantry has one rule: Take what you need and leave what you can. Similar to the little library concept, little free pantries aren’t unique…
SLO and Santa Barbara counties stay in purple tier
San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties will both spend at least another two weeks in California’s most restrictive purple tier, according to new state COVID-19 metrics released Feb. 16. SLO County nearly qualified to move into the red tier—which would’ve opened indoor spaces at gyms, restaurants, and movie theaters—but a spike in the positivity…
Bill giving pandemic assistance to special districts is reintroduced
Special districts throughout California are still ineligible for federal assistance, as the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis continue, but federal legislation to fix that was recently reintroduced in Congress. Rep. John Garamendi (D-Walnut Grove) and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) reintroduced House Resolution 7073—the Special Districts Provide Essential Services Act—which U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara)…
Coastal Commission to consider eliminating off-roading at Oceano Dunes
The California Coastal Commission is considering a proposal that would stop off-roading in the Oceano Dunes while still allowing drive-up camping on some portions of the beach. Though it’s an attempt to strike a compromise between off-roaders and environmentalists in the decades-long battle over the dunes, neither side is confident in the plan. In a…
Conserve Oso Flaco Lake
I’ve lost track of how many times I have written this kind of letter to the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area (ODSVRA) and the California Coastal Commission. It is in opposition to ODSVRA Public Works Plan to develop the area around Oso Flaco Lake for further off-highway vehicle (OHV) activity. The plans are counter…
Natural Healing Center cannabis grow clears appeal
A large cannabis farm proposed near San Miguel overcame a neighbor’s appeal on Feb. 9—earning a 3-2 vote of support from the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors—but words exchanged during the hours-long hearing indicated a lawsuit may be coming next. SLO County supervisors narrowly denied Kenneth Cottrell and Stephanie Shakofsky’s appeal of the…
Protester facing charges asks court to enforce judge’s order against DA
One of seven Black Lives Matter protesters facing criminal charges accused the San Luis Obispo District Attorney’s Office of not complying with a superior court judge’s order. “Enforcement and sanctions are necessary to send a message to the prosecuting agencies that the superior court’s orders are serious, and they are not to be ignored—the courts…
SLO City Council to discuss report on June 1 police use of tear gas
Eight months after a local Black Lives Matter protest ended with law enforcement using tear gas, pepper balls, and flash bangs on a crowd of demonstrators, the San Luis Obispo City Council will discuss the findings of a recently finished “after-action report” that breaks down the June 1 events. The 40-page report is an item…
Residents aren’t happy with the Morro Bay Waterfront RV camping program
Morro Bay’s waterfront recreational vehicle camping pilot program, established to generate more revenue for the city’s Harbor Department, is getting an extension beyond its four-month trial period, but some residents aren’t happy about it. In an email to the City Council, resident Alex Beattie said the project is clearly about money. “The Harbor [Department] needs…
Cunningham joins effort to bring youth sports back
Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham (R-San Luis Obispo) recently joined a statewide initiative to get outdoor youth sports back up and running amid the pandemic. In a Feb. 5 letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom, Cunningham and more than 30 other state legislators from both sides of the aisle argued that California’s kids are in dire need of…
Ag-backed study says potential water cutbacks in Paso Robles could cost thousands of local jobs
In the debate over how to bring the overpumped Paso Robles Groundwater Basin back into sustainability, two diverging paths have emerged. There are locals and officials who’d like to see policies that force the North County wine and agricultural industries to reduce their groundwater pumping. And there are others who say those cutbacks would be…
SLO and Santa Barbara libraries co-host virtual Day of Remembrance event, featuring George Takei
Starting on Feb. 12, the San Luis Obispo Public Library and Santa Barbara Public Library will join other California library systems in streaming the documentary, And Then They Came For Us, for the public to access online for free. This documentary details the forced removal and incarceration of 120,000 Japanese Americans in the U.S. during…
Art Central presents Rosey ‘N’ Barb: Still At It After All These Years
On Feb. 4, Art Central Art Supply in downtown SLO premiered its latest exhibition, Rosey ‘N’ Barb: Still At It After All These Years, which is scheduled to remain on display through March 29. This duo show features art by husband and wife Robert “Rosey” Rosenthal and Barbara Rosenthal. Both Rosey and Barbara are award-winning…
Rise up
Thanks to Glen Starkey for printing so many of the lyrics to Ted Waterhouse’s “Woody’s Ghost” (“Ted Waterhouse re-releases his timely political song, ‘Woody’s Ghost,’ Jan. 28)! As Starkey points out, Waterhouse’s musical reflections strike a timely chord. And lines like “I’ve seen mother’s lose their babies and you know I wondered why” certainly show…
Let Him Go delivers a suspenseful neo-Western crime drama
LET HIM GO What’s it rated? RWhat’s it worth, Anna? Full priceWhat’s it worth, Glen? Full priceWhere’s it showing? Redbox and on demand Writer-director Thomas Bezucha (The Family Stone, Monte Carlo) brings Larry Watson’s 2013 novel to the screen. A couple—Margaret (Diane Lane) and George Blackledge (Kevin Costner)—grieving the untimely death of their only son,…
No tolerance for hatred
As residents, home owners, and community members of San Luis Obispo County, we are upset, but not shocked, by the tragic hate crime perpetrated on the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity on the Cal Poly campus. The hate crimes on the campus are ongoing, a cyclical targeting of one group after another who claim individual and/or…
One Mississippi
What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2015-2017 Where’s it showing? Amazon Prime Running two seasons, comedian Tig Notaro’s One Mississippi offers a semi-autobiographical account of her return to her hometown after the sudden death of her mother. She’s recovering from breast cancer and a double mastectomy, stuck in a relationship with someone who’s nice but clearly…
We all need more spinach
I did somewhat enjoy Al Fonzi’s “Will America heal?” (Jan. 28) opinion concerning the Jan. 6 events in D.C. The attempted insurrection was well organized by right-wing groups. Like the Proud Boys, who remind me of the Bluto character in the old Popeye cartoons. Bluto likes to use brute force when battling Popeye, and Popeye…
Lu Lu and the Cowtippers rock the pandemic with their new EP Just Keep Going
“These times are getting scary. It’s true. We must do what we can do. Careful what you say anymore, careful what you do. Careful where you go around here. What do you do when you’re in hell? You just keep going! You. Just. Keep. Going,” Donna Lu of Lu Lu and the Cowtippers sings on…
Painting with John
What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2021 Where’s it showing? HBO Max Think of HBO Max’s quirky new series Painting with John as the anti-Bob Ross and his The Joy of Painting PBS series. In fact, in the opening episode, star John Lurie says, “Bob Ross was wrong. Everyone can’t paint.” The antithesis of Ross and…
Who will stand?
It’s ironic, really. On June 1, 1950, Margaret Chase Smith, a freshman senator from Maine, spoke against Sen. Joseph McCarthy’s inflammatory and anti-American rhetoric, the first senator to do so. For Trump to be impeached, at least 17 Republicans will need to stand and support Trump’s impeachment, or will they all bend over and do…
Chef Antonio’s Italian Kitchen delivers fresh pasta for your dinner
Fresh and ready Chef Antonio’s Italian Kitchen is open for Wednesday dinner delivered to you. Find the menu and order at chefantonios.com and look for @chefantoniositaliankitchen on Facebook and Instagram. Antonio Ramos III was helping to build a shed in his brother’s backyard during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, when he had a vision.…
Selective indignation
Trigger Warning: The following column contains a lot of “whatabout-isms” directed at the left. Read under adult supervision. They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so the murderous assault on Congress should have the Democrats beaming with pride. The shameful right-wing attack on the U.S. Capitol, with the murder of the Capitol…
SLOPE painters chronicle the Land Conservancy’s most recent acquisition, Santa Rita Ranch
Catch the visionCatch the vision View the SLOPE, San Luis Outdoor Painters for the Environment, virtual exhibition—titled SLOPE Paints the Serene Magic of Santa Rita Ranch—at slope-painters.com/collections/155114. The exhibition will be available for online viewing through Feb. 28. The Land Conservancy will receive a portion of art sale proceeds. You can also make a tax-deductible…
Of racism and off-roaders
Let’s address the elephant in the room first. Does Cal Poly’s motto, “Learn by Doing,” apply to racism? I mean, after all its talk of addressing racism and fostering diversity and cultural sensitivity, it looks like Cal Poly is as racist as ever. I haven’t seen this much unmitigated policy futility since the wars on…
Our better angels
This week I was fortunate to have been blessed in receiving my first COVID-19 vaccination. But with it came an additional blessing, heartwarming enough that it still has me smiling, and one that I need to share. My appointment was scheduled at the Paso Robles Events Center at the fairgrounds, on what what turned out…
