Cover Story
Feet on the ground: Sanders, Warren supporters mobilize local Democratic voters ahead of the March 3 primary election
Inside the small community room at Maramonte Park in Santa Maria, about 10 classroom-style chairs are arranged to make a semicircle. As people and members of the press trickle in around 7 p.m. on Feb. 20, they’re greeted with smiles from women wearing Warren for President T-shirts, who sign them in at a folding table…
Affirmative action is about privilege, too
In response to John Donegan’s attack on affirmative action (“Affirmative action,” Feb. 13), I would like to point out a few things. Considering grades and test scores as the only “objective criteria” for college entrance is very misleading. In the internet era, purchasing academic papers has become quite common. Wealthy parents that can hire the…
Former Cal Poly student alleges Title IX procedures that led to his expulsion were unfair
A former Cal Poly student and Cal Poly Mustang Marching Band member, who was found guilty of engaging in non-consensual sexual activity, filed a petition against California State University (CSU) administrators on Feb. 6 to try and get his degrees back. The former student, referred to as John Doe, is alleging that the process he…
Courage and honesty
As this nasty personal attack campaign against SLO County 3rd District Supervisor Adam Hill continues to turn our local elections into a mud fight, I want to offer my own personal experience. I am the field operations manager for Adam’s campaign, a 20-year-old woman, and about to finish at Cal Poly. It’s been a pleasure…
The Call of the Wild is a rousing adventure
THE CALL OF THE WILD What’s it rated? PG What’s it worth, Anna? Matinee What’s it worth, Glen? Matinee Where’s it showing? Bay, Downtown Centre, Fair Oaks, Galaxy, Park, Stadium 10 Chris Sanders (Lilo & Stitch, How to Train Your Dragon, The Croods) directs screenwriter Michael Green’s adaptation of Jack London’s classic novel about Buck,…
Atascadero art committee member responds
I wish to set the record straight. I, like many of you in the 5th supervisorial District, received a mailer claiming Ellen Beraud is against veterans. I was on the Atascadero art committee that reviewed the Atascadero Veterans Memorial project. The committee did indeed vote 4-1 against the proposed project as it was presented in…
Caldwell mailer repeats false homeless claim
A recent campaign mailer paid for by 24th District Congressional Republican candidate Andy Caldwell is drawing criticism for repeating a debunked claim that California’s homeless population is causing a leprosy outbreak. The flyer, which recently hit residents’ mailboxes, includes a headshot of Caldwell and the headline: “California is on the wrong track.” “California residents pay…
Let’s get this county moving
The divide in the SLO supervisors’ chamber is less political than psychological. It is a question of fear versus courage, progress versus inertia. The conservative majority wishes to hold everything in check forever, maintain the old order of things, the established distribution of wealth and power. It is tempting to imagine that everything might always…
Bingeable: Abandoned
When? 2016 What’s it rated? TV-14 Where? Hulu, Amazon Prime On prom night my senior year of high school, a few of my friends and I bailed on a low-key gathering we were at to explore the remnants of an amusement park that had closed three years prior. Much of the infrastructure remained in place,…
Re: ‘I’m voting for Ellen Beraud and I’m a veteran’ (Feb. 20)
I am an independent voter and a Vietnam veteran, and I too am voting for Ellen Beraud, but for a different reason. After going through something like Vietnam, you really don’t give a damn about statues and other manifestations of so-called patriotism. Patriotism is for people who have never been in a war, and statues…
Morro Bay explores bringing in visitors
The Morro Bay City Council is taking a pause on the proposed visitor center relocation so it can research other options to increase the number of visitors and, ultimately, revenue for local businesses. “Visitors pay 70 percent of our sales tax and all of our transient occupancy tax. I need to see how our visitor…
Make climate No. 1!
I’d like to add to Judith Bernstein’s important commentary on the climate crisis (“No. 1 priority,” Feb. 20). Food supply and disease are two dire climate threats to human existence. Whether it’s a huge corporate farm or a family’s subsistence plot, today’s farming is the result of trial and error that’s been going on since…
Arroyo Grande to make Soto ADA compliant
Arroyo Grande plans to fund another disability accessibility project with its allotted Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds in 2020, but City Council members say they hope to consider a wider variety of project applications next year. At a meeting on Feb. 25, Arroyo Grande City Council voted unanimously, although somewhat indifferently, to use $69,634…
Beraud’s vote
Last week, several pieces in New Times defended 5th District supervisorial candidate Ellen Beraud’s March 27, 2007, vote against building of the Faces of Freedom Veterans Memorial in Atascadero. Her supporters insist she really didn’t vote against the memorial, just the art. Such justifications are an obfuscation of facts. The Veterans Memorial Foundation was formed…
Port San Luis talks food trucks
The Port San Luis Harbor District Commission directed staff to explore the concept of having food trucks on or near Harford Pier at the Feb. 25 commission meeting, but one restaurant owner openly opposed the idea. Barbara Powers and her husband, Butch Powers, owners of the Olde Port Fish & Seafood Company as of 2017,…
Battle of snits
Ain’t political season a hoot? At the national level, Democratic candidates for president are engaging in a circular firing squad, and the thought of Bernie Sanders coming out on top as the Democratic nominee has centrist Democrats freaking out! Remember how in 2016 the Democratic National Committee did everything it could to undermine Sanders’ campaign?…
Film Listings, 2/27/20–3/5/20
All theater listings are as of Friday, Feb. 28. BAD BOYS FOR LIFE What’s it rated? R What’s it worth? Matinee Where’s it showing? Park, Stadium 10 Pick Detectives Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) team up one more time in this third installment of the popular Jerry Bruckheimer-produced action spectacle, this…
Sound off
New Times readers took to Facebook to share their thoughts on our Feb. 20 news story, “DA’s Office investigated Adam Hill as suspect in 2016 harassing emails case.”
DA investigates salacious robocall
Update (Feb. 28, 12:30 p.m.): The SLO County DA’s Office announced that it’s identified the identity of the robocaller as Kern County resident Kevin P. Rice. In a Feb. 28 press release, DA Dan Dow said that Rice came forward as the caller, claiming he had no affiliation with the Hill or Korsgaden campaigns. The…
Locals’ safari photography is on display at The Photo Shop
On display The White Lions and Other Cats of Southern Africa exhibit, featuring the photography of Cheryl and Richard Strahl, will be on display at The Photo Shop through March 14. The Photo Shop is located at 1027 Marsh St., San Luis Obispo. Africa is one of the fastest growing tourist destinations in the world,…
Now more than ever, we should be supporting SLO county’s small organic farms
Farmers talk shop The Central Coast growing region, which extends from Monterey to Santa Barbara County, is known for producing a number of key export crops including wine grapes, lettuce, and strawberries. The area has a good number of small organic farms, according to a recent study on our county food systems. To learn more…
Correction
• In the Feb. 13 news story, “Mountainbrook Church clarifies allegations against former pastor,” New Times incorrectly described Thom O’Leary stating that he may have spent money on personal expenses with a church-issued card. O’Leary was stating that there was a recent inquiry made about him regarding a church-issued card. Δ
Tap your toes to guitar, piano, and kitchen utensils with the Great American Melodrama’s Pump Boys and Dinettes
Pumped-up kicks The Great American Melodrama and Vaudeville presents Pump Boys and Dinettes through Sunday, March 8. Tickets to the show range from $24 to $32. The theater is located at 1863 Front St., Oceano. Call (805) 489-2499 or visit americanmelodrama.com for performance times and more info. “Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in…
Seasonal eats
Arroyo Grandeans can finally shop at the place where you can find the most affordable organics and gourmet food steals: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market. The new store is showing some love for its new customers by holding a grand opening on Feb. 27 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 1574 W. Branch St., Arroyo…
Paso Robles City Library offers book kits to encourage education on common mental health illnesses
One focus of the California State Library—the central reference and research library for state government and the Legislature—is mental health education. Karen Christiansen, adult services librarian for the Paso Robles City Library, told New Times that in order to provide educational materials on a variety of common mental health topics, the California State Library’s Mental…
Art Center Morro Bay seeks new artists for Perspectives exhibition
The Morro Bay Art Association (MBAA) is currently seeking submissions for consideration to be displayed in an upcoming exhibition, titled Perspectives, at Art Center Morro Bay. This exhibit will showcase various styles of 2D art and is scheduled to open Thursday, April 2, and remain on display through Monday, May 11. The deadline for submissions…
Grover tackles ‘false alarms’
Grover Beach residents with residential and commercial alarm systems that aren’t registered with the city will start to face consequences in April. The Grover Beach Police Department announced on Feb. 14 that its new alarm system registration website, where residents and businesses can apply for alarm permits and pay false alarm fines, is up and…
Cal Poly Theatre and Dance reimagines Our Town
The Cal Poly Theatre and Dance Department’s production of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town at the Spanos Theater on Thursday, Feb. 27, at 8 p.m. The play has been described as both a literal and figurative journey, and its three acts are staged in various areas and configurations throughout the theater. Attendees should be prepared to…
Savor the flavor
The Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) is concluding their 32nd California Small Farm Conference with the seventh annual Agrarian Lovers Ball on Feb. 29 from 6 to 10 p.m. at Cuesta College North County Campus in Paso Robles. At the ball, awards will go to farmers and food system advocates from across California for…
Atascadero Library presents Celebrating Women in Art and Poetry
A new collaborative art showcase, titled Celebrating Women in Art and Poetry, opens at the Atascadero Library on Monday, March 2, and will remain on display through Friday, May 29. This exhibition commemorates the centennial of women’s suffrage through works of art and poetry, collected from local artists and poets. An opening reception for Celebrating…
Raise a glass
RateBeer announced its official ranking of the best brewers in the world on Feb. 17. Our very own Firestone Walker Brewing Company in Paso jumped up to take the No. 10 position on the list of 100 top brewers, compiled from more than 4.2 million customer and industry reviews with more than 33,000 brewers considered.…
All-female mariachi band Flor de Toloache plays Cal Poly’s Performing Arts Center on Feb. 28
If you really want to get a sense of what all-female mariachi band Flor de Toloache sounds like, I highly recommend you check out the group’s NPR Tiny Desk Concert available on YouTube. Bilingual vocal harmonies, sparse but sparking instrumentation (trumpet, violin, Mexican vihuela, and guitarrón mexicano), beautiful costumes, and fierce female energy combine for…
A SLO school district is en route to becoming more sustainable thanks to a few passionate high school students
Until recently, climate change wasn’t really on Quinn Brussell’s radar. It’s not all that unusual for teenagers to be politically inactive, and to this San Luis Obispo High School junior, the looming threat of the world’s end wasn’t all that fun to think about. But with the growing prominence of Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg…
Sanctuary problems
There are strong reasons why citizens should oppose a new federal bureaucracy operating in our offshore waters. A recent editorial by Andrew Christie (“Let’s get that marine sanctuary,” Feb. 6) takes a very low road in attempting to dismiss the fact-based concerns of citizens and agencies over a sanctuary designation for our region. Let’s fact-check…
2016 Austin Hope mourvèdre/syrah
Have you ever been to a Rhone Rangers Experience? Imagine the entire Paso Robles Event Center—80 or so mostly local wineries (and many of the winemakers themselves) all pouring their best American Rhone-style wines made from the same grapes that have flourished for centuries in France’s Rhone River Valley. At the 2020 Rhone Rangers Experience…
