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District in disarray: The San Simeon CSD discusses divesting water and wastewater services due to millions in capital project costs
Since early 2023, the San Simeon Community Services District (CSD) has been in a tailspin. “We are in the middle of a crisis, and there is no way for this to work unless we get help,” interim General Manager Patrick Faverty told the board at the last meeting on Feb. 1. “I am urging the…
Nipomo artist Fred Ventura leads two-day digital art workshop in Morro Bay
Local art enthusiasts and artists of all skill levels can reserve their space at an upcoming digital art workshop led by Nipomo-based painter and digital artist Fred Ventura. Hosted by the Morro Bay Art Association, the two-day workshop includes sessions on Saturday, March 9, and Saturday, March 16, from 1 to 3 p.m. both days,…
A space for discussion
The fact that you offer residents the opportunity to discuss various points of view (not too outlandish) is one of the things I respect and enjoy the most about your publication. The Feb. 1 opinion pieces from Kathy Riedemann (“Trump and the insurrection”) and Kathi Mendes Gulley (“Lost faith”) presented entirely different viewpoints on two…
Great American Melodrama seeks short-term rentals for guest artists
As part of its goal in showcasing performing artists from around the country, the Great American Melodrama in Oceano is looking for local residents with an extra bedroom, ADU, or other spot to spare for short-term rentals. If “hosting artists while earning extra income sounds like a fantastic opportunity,” email stacy@americanmelodrama.com to be added to…
Moreno is the best choice
After reading the New Times article on 5th District supervisor candidates Susan Funk and Heather Moreno (“Funk vs. Moreno,” Feb. 15), researching their websites, and seeing them in person at two well-done forums, it is clear that Moreno is the best choice for the job. The balanced article identified several conservatives who donated to the…
Suncoast shines light on a dark experience
SUNCOAST What’s it rated? R What’s it worth, Glen? Full price What’s it worth, Anna? Full price Where’s it showing? Hulu Writer Laura Chinn (Grandfathered, Florida Girls) makes her directorial debut with this semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story about Doris (Nico Parker), a teenager helping her flinty mother, Kristine (Laura Linney), care for her seriously ill brother,…
Clarification
A representative from the State Water Resources Control Board requested that New Times clarify information included in Jean’ne Blackwell’s Feb. 8 commentary, “A right to clean air, water, soil.” According to the state water board, the piece incorrectly characterized the entity that extended operation of the Diablo Canyon power generating station. It was the Legislature,…
Plan B?
If you’re ruminating on the state of your personal affairs—your bills, commitments, and future—and you’re feeling overwhelmed, consider the San Simeon Community Services District (SSCSD), and I’m guessing you’ll feel much better about your situation, because holy Toledo, what a shitshow! The little hamlet of 462 permanent residents located along Highway 1 between Cambria and…
The spirit of Bob Jones
Last week, my wife and I took our infant grandson on a leisurely stroll over the Bob Jones Trail. Starting at the trailhead on Ontario Road, we spent two-plus hours on the trail, joined by hundreds of folks—some with strollers like us, and others on bikes, scooters, skates. It’s the most popular trail on the…
You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment
What’s it rated? Not rated When? 2024 Where’s it showing? Netflix What happens when you take two genetically identical people and track changes to their body on different diets? This new Netflix series follows several sets of twins as they navigate their health journey. One twin sticks to an omnivore diet while the other goes…
Kung Fu Hustle
What’s it rated? R When? 2004 Where’s it showing? The Palm Theatre on Feb. 24 and 25 (1:30 and 7 p.m.), and Feb. 26 (7 p.m.) Director Stephen Chow (Shaolin Soccer) helms this outrageously funny, action-packed, fantasy martial arts epic set in Shanghai, China, in the 1940s, where wannabe gangster Sing (also Chow, who co-wrote…
Novy’s Ark rescue in Atascadero hopes to find forever homes for its dogs
Home-based dog rescue Novy’s Ark and its affiliated foster families are looking for forever homes for the nine dogs in their care. Started in April 2022 by Woods Humane Society employee Anouk Novy, the Atascadero nonprofit looks after dogs from shelters in Bakersfield and Fresno who are facing imminent euthanasia. “I’ve seen the amount of…
SLO County’s 5th District race heats up with fiery mailers
Candidates in the San Luis Obispo County 5th District supervisor race leveled accusations against each other through flyers paid for by their respective political actions committees (PACs). “Tries to hide her true colors, but won’t stand up to her extreme right-wing allies, the Trump and MAGA-style Republicans who have made our Board of Supervisors a…
Cal Poly abruptly postpones its annual Social Justice Teach In
After Cal Poly announced a last-minute postponement of the eighth annual Social Justice Teach In, some faculty members decided to host a similar event anyway. On Feb. 20—the original teach-in was slated for Feb. 15—a coalition of Cal Poly’s faculty and staff hosted a Justice for Palestine-themed series of discussions, film screenings, and art events…
Paso offers up potential parking ticket refunds
Residents in one North County city will soon be able to request refunds for parking fees and citations incurred over the last year. “This will give residents an opportunity to communicate directly with the city on obtaining a refund on past parking fee charges while also complying with state law,” Paso Robles City Attorney Elizabeth…
More parking meters are coming to downtown Pismo Beach
Free weekend parking on Price Street could soon be a thing of the past with Pismo Beach’s recent purchase of more than 200 new parking meters. On Feb. 20, Pismo Beach City Council unanimously approved installing 210 new parking meters on the downtown street, although the city won’t be charging every day just yet. “Right…
Cayucos Pier closed indefinitely following storm damage
The Cayucos pier will be closed until further notice after it was battered by another intense storm. “I could just cry. … The end of Cayucos Pier is drooping this morning,” Cayucos resident Danna Dysktra-Coy said via Instagram on Feb. 20. That same day, the San Luis Obispo County Parks and Recreation Department—which manages the…
Americana singer-songwriter Sunny Sweeney plays The Siren
Texas-bred singer-songwriter Sunny Sweeney’s fifth album, Married Alone, developed like many of her albums—with a trip back into her vault of unreleased songs. Her career exploded in 2006 with her debut, Heartbreaker’s Hall of Fame, and the prolific songwriter has always written more songs than she could release. “I have a lot of older songs…
Correction
• In the article, “County officials say if Proposition 1 passes, it could mean less funding, fewer programs for SLO County Behavioral Health” (Feb. 15), New Times incorrectly stated the bond measure amount. It’s a $6.4 billion bond. New Times regrets the error. Δ
California mushroom growers are backing a bill that would only allow mushrooms that are fully cultivated in the state to bear ‘California Grown’ stickers
Mushroom wrangle Visit mightycapmushrooms.com or call (805) 674-3080 to book farm tours with Mighty Cap Mushrooms. Purchase mushroom subscription box service and grow kits online. Find Mighty Cap Mushrooms at Etto Pasta Bar in Tin City, Spice of Life in Paso Robles, SLO Food Co-op, Gather Natural Market in Atascadero, Avocado Shack in Morro Bay,…
Road to conserve
The Carrizo Plain Conservancy (CPC) was established in 2013 as an organization dedicated to continued conservation efforts in the Carrizo Plain area. It started as part of the establishment of two large solar power generating facilities there. These facilities created a fund held by San Luis Obispo County that can be used to purchase lots…
Arroyo Grande High invited to perform Silent Sky at international festival
Next stop, Indiana Follow Arroyo Grande High School Theatre Company on Facebook or Instagram @aghstheatrecompany to find out how you can help the group get to its summer performance at the International Thespian Festival. The moment was almost four years in the making for one Arroyo Grande High School (AGHS) Theatre Company member. “I thought…
Affordability, dignity, and a shorter commute
In making the argument that exclusive neighborhoods ought to remain socioeconomically segregated to preserve elite class bragging rights, John Donegan somehow manages to be both breathlessly condescending toward the less fortunate and also woefully ignorant of the types of housing policies that produce thriving communities (“Beverly hillbillies,” Feb. 15). Donegan ignores a mountain of sociological…
