Cover Story
Damage control: Some SLO County storm victims don’t qualify for FEMA help
For San Luis Obispo resident Beth Wagner, shock stifled any other emotion while she watched helplessly from Los Angeles as rising water wrecked the interiors of both her house and rental property near San Luis Creek on Jan. 9. “Our neighbor called us in a panic. We looked at our cameras and watched as our…
Bones and All
What’s it rated? R When? 2022 Where’s it showing? Redbox Luca Guadagino (Call Me by Your Name, A Bigger Splash) directs David Kajganich’s screenplay based on Camille DeAngelis’s 2015 novel about Maren (Taylor Russell), a young woman who’s beginning to confront her penchant for cannibalism. Part road trip, part horror, part romance, the story follows…
SLO County mulls changes to Monarch Dunes buildout
More housing and a smaller hotel could be in store for the Trilogy at Monarch Dunes development in Nipomo—part of a slate of proposed revisions to the next phase of the project’s buildout. Trilogy residents filled the SLO County government chambers on Feb. 9 as the county Planning Commission deliberated the changes proposed by builder…
Leah Rosenberg uses colors to explore and celebrate SLO in a new mural at SLOMA
Exciting evolution Stop by 1010 Broad St. in San Luis Obispo until Feb. 25 to watch Leah Rosenberg bring her mural, SLO(W) Rainbow, to life at SLOMA. For more information, follow her on Instagram @leahmartharosenberg. Find SLOMA online at sloma.org. For artist Leah Rosenberg, picking the hues for her latest work is akin to a…
SLO Rep’s youth academy is set to its double enrollment thanks to new building, donations
The San Luis Obispo Repertory Theatre’s dream to build one three-story theater, academy, and headquarters in downtown SLO might not have panned out, but the nonprofit is wasting no time making the most out of its backup plan. Since moving its offices and youth classes to a building on Empleo Street last year, while continuing…
Monday Clubhouse Conservancy holds annual Fine Arts Awards Competition
For the first time since 2020, the Monday Clubhouse Conservancy is holding an in-person event for its annual Fine Arts Awards Competition. The program was held virtually in 2021 and 2022, and this year’s event is scheduled to take place at the Historic Monday Club in San Luis Obispo on Sunday, Feb. 26, from 1:30…
Paso school board adopts science curriculum, despite skepticism
A new K-5 science curriculum drew skepticism from Paso Robles Joint Unified School District board and community members who claimed that it presented false information and promoted social emotional learning. Initially introduced at the Jan. 24 board meeting, trustees Laurene McCoy and Dorian Baker expressed hesitation over adopting the curriculum created by TWIG Science. During…
Wildling Museum seeks environmental art proposals for upcoming 10-month installation
Over the past two years, the Wildling Museum of Art and Nature in Solvang has periodically commissioned artists to develop environmentally themed art installations in the venue’s Michele Kuelbs Tower Gallery. The museum is currently seeking proposals for its next tower installation, and artists who reside in the counties of San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara,…
Grover Beach reaches tax evasion settlement with former short-term rental owner
The punishment for evading bed taxes in Grover Beach just got heavier for one former short-term rental operator. On Feb. 14, the beach city reached a settlement with resident Allen Thompson who skipped paying transient occupancy taxes (TOT) for two years while he ran a vacation rental. The agreement concluded a months-long deliberation between Thompson…
Get your Mardi Gras on with Fat Tuesday at the Siren on Feb. 21
Mardi Gras used to be the biggest party in the county, so big that it blew itself up in 2004 with a quasi-riot in downtown SLO that probably could have been avoided with more thoughtful policing and better event planning. Underground pockets of that formerly glorious tradition continue in the county, often with small private…
Pardon My French in Grover Beach continues its long-running mission of giving back to community members in need
Treats for all Indulge your sweet tooth at Pardon My French Bakery, 1544 W. Grand Ave. in Grover Beach. Want to donate a Spread Love box? Email the bakery at info@pardonmyfrenchslo.com, or call (805) 481-3255. Keep up with their events on Instagram @pardonmyfrenchslo. Twenty days after a string of destructive storms slammed San Luis Obispo…
SLO County’s response to Los Osos mudslide highlights a lack of representation
Los Osos is a beautiful place, but it’s woefully underappreciated and underrepresented. It’s time to change that. In January, I had the opportunity to observe the devastation at Vista de Oro Estates, an area ravaged by floods and a mudslide that occurred on Jan. 9. Residents showed me photos and videos including several feet of…
Be careful what you wish for when it comes to Diablo
It has been said that the simple believe anything, but the wise think about what they do. This is clearly evident in a recent opinion letter about Diablo Canyon, which the author believes poses a viable existential threat to our community and the world, despite that fact that for nearly three-quarters of a century nuclear…
Government intervention in end-of-life care is not a good thing
No, this isn’t a confessional in which I disclose that I am under the influence of drugs, something that my liberal detractors figure must surely explain all of my wrong-headed views. But it does address the issue of social and political influences in regulating drugs. I was paging through the January 2023 AARP Bulletin, a…
Critical thinkers
Chicken or egg? In the case of my favorite Grover Beach renegade, Allen Thompson, he thought he could keep both the chicken and the egg when it came to the short-term rental property he owned. Turns out, the city wasn’t down with that. Grover Beach wanted a portion of the eggs that Thompson’s rental property…
SLO city to add new areas to cannabis zone, allow longer dispensary hours
Amid lagging tax revenue, the city of San Luis Obispo wants to add new areas to its cannabis zone—the parts of town where cannabis businesses are allowed to operate—while also relaxing some of its rules for dispensaries. At a Feb. 8 meeting, the SLO Planning Commission unanimously endorsed adding the “east airport area” to the…
Illegal mushroom foraging on the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve sparks a conversation about sustainability
The morning starts with a brisk hike. Club President Kevin Perez-Norwood leads the pack, and everyone’s eyes are peeled for concealed fungi. Perez-Norwood explains the differences between edible mushrooms and their poisonous counterparts, while also demonstrating proper, sustainable techniques for foraging mushrooms. The group stumbles upon one hidden among tufts of grass, crouching to get…
All That Breathes tells the inspiring story of men who run a bird hospital in New Delhi
ALL THAT BREATHES What’s it rated? Not rated What’s it worth, Glen? Full price What’s it worth, Anna? Full price Where’s it showing? The Palm Theatre in SLO and HBO Max Shaunak Sen directs this 2023 Best Documentary Feature Academy Award nominee about brothers Mohammad Saud and Nadeem Shehzad, who have taken it upon themselves…
Community partners propose conservation plan for Diablo Canyon
While the passage of Senate Bill 846 might enable Diablo Canyon Power Plant to continue operating past its original closure date, it hasn’t stopped local organizations from envisioning a future of conservation for Diablo Canyon lands. The Land Conservancy of SLO County, Cal Poly, Regional Economic Action Coalition (REACH) and the yak titu titu yak…
Cunk on Earth
What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2022 Where’s it showing? Netflix My world has been opened to Philomena Cunk and the glorious hilarity that Diane Morgan brings to the character. I didn’t know of Diane until I watched Ricky Gervais’ After Life and saw her performance as his gloriously obtuse coworker. Little did I know that…
Prices soar for SLO County wine grapes
California’s winegrape crushers squished less and charged more in 2022 compared to the year before. According to the 2022 preliminary Winegrape Crush Report issued by the state’s Department of Food and Agriculture, 3.3 million tons of grapes were crushed for wine last year across the 17 districts in California. That’s a 7.8 percent decrease from…
