Cover Story
The troubled times of Al Moriarty
Al Moriarty spent the last few decades as the darling of the local financial services circle. A homegrown small business success story, Moriarty rubbed elbows with city and county officials, attended fundraisers, and quickly ascended to the coveted list of Who’s Who in San Luis Obispo County. All blue eyes and confidence, the 79-year-old, Teddy…
Former CoreClean president accepts plea deal
The former head of a South San Luis Obispo County agricultural chemical company has tentatively agreed to accept a plea deal with federal prosecutors after being accused of forging loan documents in his family members’ names at a number of local banks. According to a plea agreement filed in U.S. District Court in…
A night to remember
It’s Sunday, Feb. 24, and I’m all dressed up for an Oscar Party at the SLO Elks Lodge. Well, actually, I guess my neck is dressed up, because even though I’m wearing a black bowtie, I’ve got on a T-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops. Classy, right? I think there are about 60 of us here, and…
Obama targets Proposition 8
News surfaced the afternoon of Feb. 28 that the Obama administration planned to file an amicus brief in support of efforts to overturn Proposition 8. Within hours, a copy of the brief, which calls for the U.S. Supreme Court to strike California’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, appeared on the Internet. The administration…
Calling all cars!
My pal Tony Balbinot of the Cadillac Angels is a real humanitarian. He’s always playing benefit shows or recording albums whose profits go to one cause or another. He shows you don’t have to be rich to make a difference, and now he wants to make a difference for the Boys and Girls Club of…
If you can dream it …
Hey, all you tinkerers, hobbyists, builders, dreamers, schemers, techies, and crafty mamas! Don’t you ever wish you could go to back to your elementary school science fair without it being super weird, seeing as how you’re an adult now and stuff? Well, there’s hope, and it’s called the San Luis Obispo Mini Maker Faire. A…
Standing up
David Sedaris–author, man of humor and brilliant depravity–once said of the art of stand-up comedy, “People ask me, ‘Have you ever considered doing stand-up?’ To me it would be less offensive if someone asked me, ‘Have you ever considered dental implants?’” And, that, ladies and gentlemen, is a punch line. But maybe Sedaris is getting…
Art collecting: a love story
To really take in the exhibit “American Scene: The Arthur and Marilynn Rosenberg Collection” is to receive an education in a long undervalued area of art history. Curated by Ruta Saliklis and hanging through March 31 at the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art, “American Scene” represents decades of thoughtful collection by the Rosenbergs, a…
Flies and fungus vs. jobs and prosperity
We need to support Governor Brown in his efforts to reform CEQA, the California Environmental Quality Act. CEQA requires that all projects be analyzed to determine if the potential exists for the project to have a significant impact upon the environment. The devil is in the details! Just what constitutes a significant impact and what…
Clubs: 2/28
Goin’ South … BRANCH ST. DELI: 203 E. Branch St., Arroyo Grande, 489-9099. Live music Fri. from 5:30-8:30 p.m. THE CLIFFS RESORT: 2757 Shell Beach Road, 773-5000 or cliffsresort.com. F. MCLINTOCKS SALOON: Two locations: 750 Mattie Road in Pismo Beach and 133 Bridge St. in Arroyo Grande. 773-1892 or mclintocks.com. Live music at the Pismo…
Foot in mouth disease
Ever since my cable got cancelled and my jerk mom blocked all the good Internet sites, I’ve been reduced to watching government meetings to get my fix of human drama and petty insults. Most of the get-togethers are boring as hell, but gee willikers does my neighbor’s Wi-Fi pay off when public comment sessions roll…
We do need librarians
There are people who believe that libraries are no longer relevant now that we have access to astonishing amounts of information at the touch of a pod or pad. Reading is a thing of the past now that we can just plug our brains into the Internet—oh, wait, we can’t do that yet? So, we…
Don’t forget the Golden Rule
I was saddened to see the way so many parents in our community have treated the San Luis Coastal Unified School District trustees, our elected public officials, over the last few weeks. Many of these parents claim they are just “passionate” about their children’s education. While they may be passionate, this is not how they…
Let me Teach you something, Shredder
While I often feel, as you seem to, that the state of the education system in America is terrible, I take issue with a statement in your most recent Shredder post, “Sad new world” (Feb. 21). Teach does not cost SLCUSD anything extra to operate. In fact, according to the State of California Accountability Report…
Check out this ancient history
I, for one, appreciate getting the ongoing bulletins from an alternate universe warning us about the terrible dangers of electing Barack Obama president, as in the back-to-back letters from Larry Bargenquast (“Here’s the difference Obama makes”) and Richard Neufeld (“By his own words, Obama is a failure of a president”) in your Feb. 21 edition.…
We’re not alone!
The last two Jerry James cartoons were spot on. He expressed our sentiments 100 percent regarding “SLO drivers” (Feb. 14) and folks checking out in the grocery store line (Feb. 21). And to think we thought we were the only ones who observed the type of behavior he depicted. Ha! Happy trails!
Stay off of their tails
Regarding Jerry James’ four-part cartoon on Feb. 14: There are many possible reasons why the car ahead of you may be going slower than you want. The car or the driver may be old and they’re just being careful. Maybe they want to save fuel. Maybe they’re looking for an address or destination in an…
Something is wrong
I am sure that you will get a lot of criticism about your opinion piece in the Feb. 21 issue (“The fish rots from the head down). People tend to defend their sacred cows. But I, for one, have come to the realization that neither the Democrats or Republicans are trying to do anything to…
Hopefully you helped at least one person
I’m one of the therapists at the SARP Center, and I wanted to personally thank you for your article (“Behind closed doors,” Feb. 14). I can’t imagine how many lives will change because of it, but hope that you can imagine that it could help to relieve at least one person’s agony by just an…
People should know the myths of sexual assault
Thank you very much for your article, “Behind closed doors” (Feb. 14). I used to work the Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Unit here at the SLO DA’s office. It was an assignment that tormented me, mostly because victims of sexual assault are so often revictimized in a society that, for some of the reasons you explained,…
Greywacke 2012 Sauvignon Blanc New Zealand
For those of you who don’t care for the potent acidity usually found in this Kiwi staple (Kiwi, a flightless New Zealand bird, is the nickname for those who hail from this country), you just might find that this white fits the bill. Grown in the Marlborough appellation of New Zealand, it’s bold with grapefruit…
Dry Creek 2010 Zinfandel Heritage Sonoma County
This delightful Zin is totally pleasing on its own and with food—it’s so perfectly balanced. Rustic, ripe, and bold thanks to 12 percent Petite Sirah, it opens with rich flavors of wild blackberry, boysenberry, and spice notes that are beautifully offset by a bright thread of tangy raspberry. Serve this food-friendly Zinfandel with pasta covered…
Revisiting old favorites
It’s been nearly two decades since I started writing this column, but I’ve rarely done many second reviews about restaurants as there’s always some new eatery opening that I want to investigate. Any revisits have usually been motivated by a changing of the guard, a 40th anniversary, or a complete redux of the restaurant and/or…
Seeing red can be good
Strawberries are sweet without being cloying. They’re packed with Vitamin C, despite citrus’ claims staked on that corner of nutrition. They wear their seeds on the outside, as if to say, “Yes, look and see that which other fruits hide. I am not ashamed.” While we could all take a page from the strawberry’s confidence-packed…
Favor it
Zac Maurais and Ben Doherty had an idea. The two had been friends since attending the same high school in New Hampshire. After college—Doherty moved west to Cal Poly; Maurais went to school in South Carolina—they reconnected and decided to start a company. So they read books, learned code, and aimed to find a business…
County takes Pirate’s Cove
Regular visitors describe the isolated stretch of coastline between Avila and Shell Beach as a bluff-protected paradise, and on sunny days, sunbathers will eagerly pack the dirt parking lot and crumbling access road with roughly 100 vehicles before descending the volunteer-maintained trail to Pirate’s Cove, where the clothing is optional, the sand is clean, and…
On deck
Logan Schafer languished in Class AAA ball for most of the 2012 season before he got a call in early September telling him to pack his bags and report to Milwaukee. A few days later, he found himself pinch-hitting for Brewers starting pitcher Shaun Marcum in the bottom of the fourth inning. Milwaukee trailed the…
Corrections
• A Feb. 21 article, “Public ire grounds school closure,” incorrectly cited San Luis Coastal Unified School District’s budget deficit as a reason for the proposal to shutter Teach Elementary. In fact, the district looked at closing the school because of limited physical space, and the budget situation precluded the solution of expanding the campus.…
Grover picks Molnar’s replacement
The Grover Beach City Council welcomed a new member on Feb. 25. Glenn Marshall, who works as a civil engineer with San Luis Obispo County Public Works and has served as a Grover Beach planning commissioner, was unanimously approved to fill the seat left vacant by Phyllis Molnar, who resigned abruptly in January after moving…
Seismic review panel returns to low energy
A group of appointed scientists and industry experts tasked with scrutinizing Pacific Gas and Electric’s efforts to map the geological landscape surrounding Diablo Canyon is back to tech talk. It was the Independent Peer Review Panel’s (IPRP) first meeting since the state Coastal Commission denied PG&E a permit to conduct controversial high-energy seismic surveys in…
Eagle Ranch is in motion
Plans to build a 3,430-acre housing development in the North County moved forward during a Feb. 26 special joint meeting of the Atascadero City Council and Planning Commission. City officials directed staff to begin preparing an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the latest edition of Eagle Ranch. Billed as environmentally friendly by developers Greg and…
Jury finds Shumey legally sane
In the second phase of his murder trial, a 34-year-old San Luis Obispo man was determined to be legally sane at the moment he killed his mother outside of his downtown SLO apartment in September 2011. On Feb. 16, jurors found that Christopher Shumey was able to differentiate between right and wrong when he shot…
Remaining Dystiny Myers defendants head to trial
Jury selection began Feb. 27 in the long-awaited trial for two of the five people originally accused in the 2010 murder of 15-year-old Nipomo resident Dystiny Myers. Rhonda Maye Wisto, 49, and her son, Frank Jacob York, 21, both of Nipomo, are each facing counts of first-degree murder and conspirancy with various enhancements for their…
Arroyo Grande settles a sexual harassment suit
A civil lawsuit filed in 2012 against the city of Arroyo Grande and its chief of police, Steve Annibali, has vanished with the waving of a checkbook. In a mediated settlement agreement signed Jan. 16, the city agreed to pay $162,500 to former senior officer Kimberly Martin; during a Feb. 12 closed session meeting, she…
Five Cities Fire Authority seeks special tax
Facing a September 2014 expiration date on a federal grant that covers six of its 14 full-time field positions, the misleadingly named Five Cities Fire Authority (FCFA) is seeking direction and approval from the three communities it covers in regard to implementing a special tax that would make up the difference, and then some. According…
Democratic supermajority fades
Shortly after the Nov. 6, 2012 election, California Democrats pledged not to abuse the privileges of their newfound supermajority status. Now it appears they may never get the chance. Sen. Michael Rubio (D-Bakersfield) abruptly resigned his California Senate seat on Feb. 22. His departure reduced the roll of party legislators to less than the two-thirds…
Supes spar on initiative reform
An item on San Luis Obispo County’s legislative platform sparked disagreement between two elected officials during the Feb. 26 Board of Supervisors meeting. The debate started when Supervisor Debbie Arnold asked to remove a proposal to lower the percentage of votes needed to approve some kinds of new taxes by ballot initiative. The California initiative…
South County wastewater plant earns crappy marks
An inspection report made public Feb. 21 revealed several deficiencies–including poor maintenance, chemical spills, improper storage of chemicals, failure to certify reports, floating solids remaining in later stages of the treatment process, and inadequate staffing levels–at the South San Luis Obispo County Sanitation District’s wastewater treatment facility, which serves the 38,000 residents of Arroyo Grande,…
Wallace retires from Sanitation District
John Wallace, who played a dual role–administrator of the South County Sanitation District and president of its contracted engineering firm–announced on Feb. 20 his retirement from his part-time employment with the district. He served with the district for nearly 28 years. Following a brief opening by board member and Arroyo Grande Mayor Tony Ferrara, Wallace…
If you could learn any new skill, what would it be?
Kaitlyn Cutler Splash Cafe employee “Learning to play guitar; I really appreciate when people can pick up a guitar and bust it out.” Tim Wilkenson Cambria Bicycle Outfitters “Learning a foreign language–sign language–would be cool. Though I’d also want someone to learn with me.” Taylor Tillinghast Central Coast Brewery bartender “I would love to learn…
