Food and Drink 2020
San Luis Obispo County’s News and Entertainment Weekly. Annual Food and Drink issue!
Cover Story
We’re open: Wineries, restaurants, bars, and other adult-beverage makers are now open for your business. We talk about it in this year’s Food & Drink issue
Even though it seems as if we’re heading down the road back to normalcy, “normal” is going to look very different than we’re used to—at least for the time being. But, to look on the bright side, there will be more outdoor seating at your favorite dine and drink establishments, and they will also be…
Northern Santa Barbara County libraries to offer curbside service
Santa Maria announced on June 24 that the Santa Maria Public Library and its county-wide branches will start offering no-contact sidewalk pick-up services beginning on June 29. Normal library operations remain closed due to public health orders. “We were able to get approval from the city manager’s office to offer the sidewalk service,” Librarian Joanne…
Local reps slam water board for delaying Salinas River work after destructive fire
Two days after a Paso Robles vegetation fire escaped the Salinas Riverbed and destroyed two homes, 35th District Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham slammed regional water officials in a letter alleging that regulators had “stymied” city efforts to clear the river of flammable vegetation. The 15-acre blaze that started in the afternoon of June 22 jumped South…
SLO County Public Health Department warns of fake face covering exemption cards
The SLO County Public Health Department is warning residents that various cards claiming to exempt the holder from California’s face covering ordinance are fraudulent and not endorsed by the U.S. Department of Justice. In a “rumor alert” posted to the department’s Facebook page on June 22, county staff linked to a recent press release posted…
Santa Barbara County announces dates for retail cannabis meetings
Residents looking to have a say in Santa Barbara County’s cannabis retail selection process will have a chance during multiple meetings scheduled for July. Under the county’s existing regulations, six cannabis retail stores can open in unincorporated parts of the county with one in each of Isla Vista, Santa Ynez, Summerland, Orcutt, Eastern Goleta Valley,…
Santa Barbara County sees sharp increase in cases, hospitalizations
According to a June 19 update from Lompoc Valley Medical Center (LVMC) CEO Steve Popkin, the county witnessed a significant spike in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations from June 13 to 18. “During this week, there were five new positive cases from the Lompoc Valley; 43 cases from Santa Barbara; and 183 cases from Santa Maria,”…
Travel Paso wants locals to head to Paso Robles for a visit
As San Luis Obispo County’s hospitality industry reopens, Travel Paso wants locals to know that businesses in the Paso Robles area are ready to serve them. On June 18, Travel Paso issued a press release reminding the community that it’s a place where people dream of vacationing, and the city’s attractions, including restaurants and wineries,…
SLO County COVID-19 cases rise amid reopening
As SLO County makes its way through a phased reopening process, it’s seeing a significant jump in cases of COVID-19. But Public Health Officer Penny Borenstein says she doesn’t plan to reverse course any time soon. “As I have continuously said, we need to support the reopening of our community,” Borenstein said at a county…
Litigators write letter responding to recent Santa Barbara County Jail staff COVID-19 cases
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office announced on June 18 that nine jail custody staff members have tested positive for COVID-19, and that the office is awaiting test results for nine additional staff members who experienced symptoms, according to a press release. The nine infected staff members include four civilian staff who don’t have contact…
Cunningham joins legislators asking for support of state’s clean energy industry
Assemblymember Jordan Cunningham (R-San Luis Obispo) is one of more than 50 state legislators to sign a letter urging federal lawmakers to support California’s clean energy industry and its workers amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino) led the effort to craft this letter, which is addressed to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi…
Take it outside: SLO and Santa Maria test parklets and street closures
San Luis Obispo had a long-term vision to make its downtown a more pedestrian friendly place by closing streets to traffic, but thanks to COVID-19, those plans are about to get fast-tracked. In an effort to accommodate social distancing and allow restaurants to expand their outdoor seating, SLO will begin closing Higuera and Monterey streets…
Just Mercy
What’s it rated? PG-13 When? 2019 Where’s it showing? YouTube, Amazon Prime Just Mercy is one of several films about American racism that have been made available to the public for free. Co-written and directed by Destin Daniel Cretton (The Glass Castle) based on the autobiographical book by attorney Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan), it…
Big Bubba’s Bad BBQ brings gratitude and delicious food in precarious times, and spreads the love to SLO with new restaurant
Taste the love Big Bubba’s Bad BBQ is located at 1125 24th St., Paso Robles. Call (805) 238-6272 or visit bigbubbasbadbbq.com. Roger Sharp also owns Tortilla Town, with one location at 1145 24th St., suite B, Paso, (805) 239-3033, and a new Tortilla Town location as of June 12 at 892 Marsh St., SLO. Roger…
Puffers in Pismo presents Burning James and Dorian Michael live on June 18
Ready for some live music? In what may be the first advertised live concert since the shutdown, Puffers of Pismo will present Burning James Scoolis and Dorian Michael this Thursday, June 18, from 6 p.m. “until it gets dark.” Burning James is the frontman and guitarist of The Funky Flames, a terrific horn-driven New Orleans-style…
Hemp growers sue SLO County to overturn ‘de facto ban’
Industrial hemp farmers are pooling their resources to sue San Luis Obispo County, attempting to overturn a controversial new ordinance that both growers and county officials have said is a virtual ban on local hemp production. The SLO County Board Supervisors passed a hemp ordinance on May 5, and according to stakeholders, it severely limits…
Remembering Paso Robles homicide victim, James Watson
On June 10, Mason James Lira opened fire on the Paso Robles Police Department, injured a responding SLO County Sheriff’s Deputy, and is believed to have killed 58-year-old homicide victim James Watson at the Amtrak station. When law enforcement first referred to Watson in press briefings, they called him a transient, which his sister-in-law Andrea…
GDB! Benny’s Pizza is SLO’s best kept secret
Getting one of Ben Arrona’s Detroit-style pizzas is sort of like finding the trench-coated guy selling hot watches in a dark alleyway. You’ve got to know the right people. Even the right people might say, “You can’t get there from here.” The only way to get a Benny’s is to join the Benny’s Pizza Facebook…
State Parks stops interfering with plover nesting at Oceano Dunes
California State Parks says that it has stopped discouraging snowy plovers from nesting in open vehicle riding areas of the Oceano Dunes, a decision that came after local conservationists raised concerns about the issue with the California Coastal Commission in early June. During virtual Coastal Commission meetings on June 10, 11, and 12, Executive Director…
Saving citrus: Bee Sweet Citrus unveils washing facility to help fight Asian citrus psyllid and reduce pesticide use
It’s not just humans who are battling a life-threatening and devastating illness. For nearly 15 years the U.S. citrus industry has been fighting its own relentless disease—huanglongbing—through measures reminiscent of those we’re using to prevent the spread of COVID-19: quarantine, cleanliness, and travel restrictions. More commonly known as HLB or citrus greening disease, huanglongbing is…
County eases restrictions on farmworker housing
After nearly three years of work with the agricultural industry, SLO County recently passed a series of amendments to its land use ordinances that are intended to make it easier for farmers to build housing for their workers. But last-minute changes to the proposals made some in the local farming community less enthusiastic about the…
Precautionary steps: Hapy Bistro wasn’t in a rush to reopen, stating the safety of customers and employees was more important
Hapy Bistro in Pismo Beach is a tasty medley of Mediterranean-style cuisine with a touch of Greek flare. Taking a moment to dine in the bistro felt like visiting family—while enjoying a meal with tender cuts of filet mignon steak bites, button mushrooms sautéed with onions, and a side of pita bread. Or having a…
Glasshead Studio’s new in-person workshops implement social-distancing protocols
Glasshead Studio in Atascadero hosts its next fused glass plate or bowl workshop on Saturday, June 20, from 10 a.m. to noon. In accordance to CDC guidelines, the class will be limited to six participants, who will be required to wear face masks. Students will learn the basics of fusing and slumping glass during the…
Foundation for the PAC helps performing arts groups get ready for the stage—when it reopens
The Performing Arts Center of San Luis Obispo (PAC) isn’t expected to host shows again until at least November or December due to COVID-19, but the theater’s private foundation is already putting money into the pockets of struggling local companies so that they’re ready when the lights turn back on. The Foundation for the PAC…
Raytoons holds online drawing program for children
Raytoons Comics and Games in Templeton will host an online drawing program for children, Drawing Wacky Animal ‘Toons, starting Monday, July 6, and through Thursday, July 9. Classes will run from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. each day. Throughout the program, students will learn how to draw various sorts of animals in a humorous “Sunday funnies”…
We deserve better
It’s difficult to be clear-eyed during an emotional time, when our human instinct is to focus on our survival and to adulate those who have seemingly protected us. Such is the case with the recent ordeal in Paso Robles involving a murder and the subsequent manhunt for the perpetrator. Once the killer was eliminated, the…
SLO city approves new building code; county rejects Community Choice Energy
On June 16, the SLO City Council passed its hotly contested “clean energy” building code that favors all-electric development over buildings with natural gas, while earlier the same day, the SLO County Board of Supervisors officially walked away from Monterey Bay Community Power. SLO’s new building code, adopted unanimously by the City Council on June…
Get with the mask program
It is very disturbing that SLO County is reopening and welcoming crowds of tourists from virus hotspots without a mask order in place. A business may request that patrons wear masks, but there is no way to legally require them. Anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of disease should be alarmed at the crowds in Pismo…
Art Center Morro Bay presents Beyond Boundaries
Beyond Boundaries, a new group multimedia show at Art Center Morro Bay, opens on Thursday, June 25, and is scheduled to run through Sunday, Aug. 2. Visit artcentermorrobay.org for the full lineup of this exhibition’s various featured artists and artisans, or call the gallery directly at (805) 772-2504 for more details. Art Center Morro Bay…
Civility in these days of plague and pestilence
During the fall holidays of 2019, I made a prophetic comment to my friends regarding 2020. What was this prophetic phrase? “2020 will be a fascinating year.” That comment was not meant to be positive or negative, just a deep feeling, deep in my soul. Never in my life could I have foreseen the historic…
Paso Robles Gateway Project gets initial approval
The Paso Robles City Council approved the initial plans for the Paso Robles Gateway Project June 16. The development includes three hotel resorts, three commercial centers, 17 multi-family residential units, and roughly 98 acres of agricultural and open space areas. Although the project has been in the works for several years, it hit a roadblock…
2020
Wow, what a year it’s been, and it’s only half of the way through. Perhaps, 2020 was a 20/20. The world had to experience a truly rare event, the COVID-19 pandemic. What makes this different from other epidemics is that it directly affected every person on the face of this Earth. Our daily lives changed,…
Food & Drink 2020
Even though it seems as if we’re heading down the road back to normalcy, “normal” is going to look very different than we’re used to—at least for the time being. But, to look on the bright side, there will be more outdoor seating at your favorite dine and drink establishments, and they will also be…
After the anger
After watching the video of the George Floyd murder at the hands of a callous police officer, the word “outraged” is totally inadequate. What can you do at that moment? The law doesn’t have any provision for citizens to intervene in police operations and anyone who attempted to do so would likely be in greater…
Four female artists join forces in ‘Reweaving Our Social Fabric,’ a new show at Paso’s Studios on the Park
Open as of June 15 Studios on the Park is located at 1130 Pine St. in Paso Robles. For more info, call (805) 238-9800 or go to studiosonthepark.org. Art can be an inspiration, a distraction, and an interaction. Studios on the Park’s first show since being closed for nearly three months due to the COVID-19…
Movement culture
I’ve been thinking a lot about social movements, which seem like bowel movements. Pressure builds up until release is imminent, and then shit hits the fan … for a while. Maybe the pressure was caused by Taco Bell’s Chalupa Supreme® or may be by the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. Suddenly people are in…
Da 5 Bloods is an epic exploration of race, colonialism, and brotherhood
DA 5 BLOODS What’s it rated? R What’s it worth, Anna? Full price What’s it worth, Glen? Full price Where’s it showing? Netflix Spike Lee (BlacKkKlansman, Malcolm X, Do the Right Thing) directs this story about four Vietnam Vets—Paul (Delroy Lindo). Otis (Clarke Peters), Eddie (Norm Lewis), and Melvin (Isiah Whitlock Jr.)—who travel back to…
13th
What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2016 Where’s it showing? Netflix Ava DuVernay (Selma) directs this incisive look at the prison industrial complex and how the Constitution’s 13th Amendment created a loophole that allowed and continues to allow the enslavement of people convicted of a crime—largely African Americans and other people of color. If you missed…
