Cover Story
Significant and unavoidable
The mighty Greek deity Zeus presided over his council of gods atop Mount Olympus, dictating his divine wisdom to the mortals on Earth. In California, we have the California Coastal Commission, the ever-powerful independent and quasi-judicial regulatory body that overseas and enforces the Coastal Act, the legislation that ensures the pristine California coastline does not…
SLOMA hires a new assistant director
The San Luis Obispo Museum of Art (SLOMA) has found a new assistant director in Rebecca Leduc, who recently replaced longtime SLOMA assistant director Muara Johnston. Leduc, 32, grew up immersed in Boston’s artistic and cultural scene. She graduated from Harvard University with a B.A. in French literature, and says her interest in the arts…
Paso settles excessive force suit
The city of Paso Robles has settled a federal civil rights lawsuit filed last year by Rodi Bragg, who alleged that Officer Jeffry Bromby used excessive force to arrest her for a minor offense–shoplifting a bottle of juice or water–outside of Scolari’s Market on July 30, 2010. The city will pay her $50,000. New Times…
Defendant accuses Pismo Beach police department of skirting due process
When Robert Scott Sproston was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence on Sept. 15, a breath test showed that he had a Blood Alcohol Content of .21, well over the legal driving limit and just enough to earn him a special enhancement with more than the usual jail time, according to prosecutors. Sproston’s…
Doobie Half-Dozen files suit against state
Everybody knew it was coming, and here it is: Nearly a year after their cases were reluctantly dismissed by the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office, five of the medical marijuana collective operators arrested in 2010’s controversial “Operation Green Sweep” have filed a civil suit against the California Department of Justice. On…
SLO Library celebrates the queen of crime
Why read a book when you can watch the movie? I’m kidding! Nothing can beat the intimacy, immersion, and imaginative worlds offered by a good book. Nothing. Ever. Still, it is always a hoot to see our favorite authors’ works translated on the screen. That’s why the San Luis Obispo Library is starting a new…
Country or die!
L.A.-based Nocona, a country punk act rooted in the blues with a psychedelic and Mexicali twist, plays Frog and Peach on Saturday, Jan. 19. A side project for Paladino, the band features husband-and-wife team Chris and Adrienne Isom and their friends Annie Rothschild (also from Paladino) and Justin Smith (of Old Californio). Listen to their…
Don’t call him Kirk!
When I was six years old, I wanted nothing more than to be Captain Kirk. He was handsome, was a badass fighter, could make gun powder out of elements he found on a distant planet while fending off a scary reptile warrior, and he got all the ladies—even the green ones. Awesome! I was a…
Upgrade strikes back
Last summer, Louis Rosenberg released the first installment of Upgrade, a delightfully dystopian graphic novel adapted from his screenplay of the same name. Rosenburg, a former Cal Poly professor of mechanical engineering and education technology gone rogue, introduced us to the world of Avery J. Mankin, algorithms analyst, in the year 2058. Last month, he…
Easy writers, raging documentarians
This can’t be said of many films, but Kenneth Bowser’s Easy Riders, Raging Bulls is as juicy as it is educational. Based on Peter Biskind’s bestseller of the same name, Bowser’s documentary explores how the “sex, drugs, and rock’n’roll” culture revitalized American cinema in the late ’60s and early ’70s. At once entertaining and dizzyingly…
Clubs: 1/17
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…
In a fight between a sperm whale and a giant squid, who would you root for?
LaShawnda Clemons theater attendant “Probably the sperm whale, because it’s a mammal and we’re still the top of the food chain.” Stacy Shull grant analyst “Giant squid. It would be really cool to see the ink spray all over the sperm whale.” Karen Nielson retired “Sperm whale, so that they can create more whales. And…
Tercero 2009 Mourvedre Camp 4 Vineyard Santa Ynez Valley
One of the best Mourvédres I’ve had in the past year, this version is a rockstar. Reminiscent of the amazing Tablas Creek Mourvédre I recommended in the Aug. 16, 2012, issue, the bright fruit in winemaker Larry Schaffer’s wine is luscious and irresistible. I consider it an excellent value given the quality and its low…
Alta Maria 2010 Sauvignon Blanc Santa Barbara County
A rock-solid white wine from an exceptional team, this is produced by James Ontiveros and Paul Wilkins in Santa Maria Valley. It’s not your “Kiwi” style wine from New Zealand; this pretty Santa Barbara County white has elegant, delicious notes of sweet melon nicely offset by notes of green peppers, lemon, and minerals. Stainless steel…
Small but powerful
Many readers first learned of the outstanding Garagiste Festival in Cuisine (Nov. 1, 2012) when I covered their second annual tasting event at Windfall Farms in Paso Robles. During those interviews, the event organizers admitted they were planning to start another Garagiste Festival in Santa Ynez Valley, and it happened much faster than I ever…
Bites: Take that train
There have been several occasions (more than I am willing to admit here) when I, in an effort to be responsible, have ridden my bike great distances to taste wine. Sometimes, I’ve even gone so far as to walk all day to do so. Because driving drunk is stupid. We know this, and it ruins…
Thanks from a sister
For the last 10 months, I have been a volunteer “Big Sister” to a 12-year-old girl in Arroyo Grande. For National “Thank Your Mentor” Day on Jan. 17, I want to thank my mentors at Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Luis Obispo County, for all the ways they help me build a strong, positive…
Scale your responses, SLOPD
Among other environmental concerns, San Luis Obispo city ordinance Section 8, Chapter 8.22, the ban on smoking cigarettes, addressed second-hand smoke downtown. As a 15-year resident of the city, and as a smoker, I have watched as smoking has declined significantly. I believe the ordinance to be good for the city. Therefore, it came as…
Not all arms are created equal
The Second Amendment: “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” When the Second Amendment was ratified in 1791, the musket was the weapon: the “arms.” The musket is a single-shot, muzzle-loaded gun. The writers of…
Watch those amendments
The madness of senseless violence we’ve seen this past year is disturbing and unacceptable. In each event, we are left to wonder why this happened and how we can stop it. There is no simple solution. The “gun culture” in America permeates us and has taken root like crabgrass in our lawns. And no one…
Violence is in our nature–and the instruments we use
I read the New Times’ letters to the editor of Jan. 3; some of those opinions sadly prove and reinforce the malignant misinterpretation of facts that infest the thinking and actions of the N.R.A. and too many gun rights activists today. “… to disarm the people is the best and most effective way to enslave…
We found community and connection
My wife and I recently moved to SLO with our children. We came from a large eastern city where we were actively engaged in synagogue life. On our first visit to Congregation Beth David here in SLO, we were welcomed warmly and lovingly invited into the community. CBD offers us and our children engaging social…
Shredder says, ‘You’re welcome!’
Dear Shredder, what a pleasure to read your column about Adam Hill and, on another subject, women (“Put a cork in it,” Jan. 10). As a former supervisor, there is nothing more frustrating than spending some three years meeting with a group, coming to an agreement, and then having someone from the extreme edges of…
Stop the shredding
The time has come to terminate the “Shredder.” He slams me about a letter that was never printed (“Put a cork in it,” Jan. 10). He puts things in his writing that offend me: “shove a cork up their wombs.” I agree my letter had many faults and was poorly written—but it was never printed.…
Questions For: Sallie Tonascia
NEW TIMES What is the purpose of [the Nerdy New Year] workshop? TONASCIA So many people, especially over the holidays, have been getting these new e-readers. Not everybody knows how to use them, and we can help with that. NEW TIMES When do the workshops take place? TONASCIA They run from 6:30 to…
Put a pacifier in it
I’ve been called a lot of things. In fact, I’m pretty sure the advent of this column coincided with a boom in thesaurus sales—all so the good folks of SLO County could think of new stuff to call me. But I’ve never been called discriminating. And—mostly—that’s fair. Except when it comes to play dates. I…
On population
Ed. note: In last week’s issue, the Shredder took on Bill Denneen for an opinion piece he’d submitted. In this week’s letters section, the local elder noted that his piece never ran, but was still criticized. Here, now, is the commentary that irked the Shredder, presented to allow you, the readers, to make your own…
Cougars & Mustangs
Well, it’s the last Thursday before you begin classes again, Cougars, and—what? You’ve not even registered yet? Well, better do that fast! If you don’t want to just do it online, walk-in registration is an option—but today (depending on when you read this) is the last day for that: from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.…
Farmers gone wild
A lively young group of farmers and food lovers is showing a little skin and getting tattoos dirty in order to help a new organization bear fruit. Meet the New Farmers of the Central Coast, presenting a 2013 calendar featuring 12 glossy photos of San Luis Obispo County’s finest sharing their love and dedication to…
Interview with a chief
Dec. 18 was an emotional evening in Santa Maria, at least for the 100-plus people crammed into City Council chambers on South McClelland Street. After a turbulent year that included eight officer-involved shootings, lawsuits, and the retirement of longtime Police Chief Dan Macagni, the city finally got a new leader in retired Los Angeles Sheriff’s…
SLO police have a busy middle of the month
San Luis Obispo police officers arrested four males and two females after serving search warrants at two locations on Lima Street and Los Osos Valley Road in the early morning hours of Jan. 15. According to a press release, most of the suspects were taken into custody for drug-related offences, but police reported finding Sean…
Paso goes orange and black for a day
San Francisco Giants fans will get another chance to gloat when the 2012 Major League Baseball World Series trophy lands in Paso Robles next month. The championship trophy will be on display Feb. 15 in the city park gazebo in downtown Paso Robles. This comes after a Jan. 15 City Council vote to bring it…
Public spars with Price Canyon developers before Pismo council
Residents packed the Pismo Beach City Council chambers Jan. 15 to share their overwhelming disapproval of the Spanish Springs project, which seeks to develop 961 acres of oak woodlands near Price Canyon Road with hundreds of homes, a golf course, apartment buildings, an arterial road connecting Price Canyon Road to Oak Park Boulevard, and a…
Grover hesitantly approves Wallace contract
The list of city officials squeamish about hiring the Wallace Group grew as members of the Grover Beach City Council voiced their apprehension of entering into a contract with the engineering and design firm. Ultimately, city officials awarded the company a roughly $104,000 contract for construction management for the second phase of the city’s West…
Medical pot driver busted, questions remain
What led to the arrest of a medical marijuana delivery driver following a routine traffic stop in Oceano on Jan. 5? Few facts have been made public at this point, but one thing is certain: Medical marijuana advocates were quick to allege that the SLO County Sheriff’s Department is cracking down, once again, on pot…
Issues on the table
San Luis Obispo County was host to new Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Allison Macfarlane (center), who spent the day touring Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant and meeting with local watchdog groups SLO Mothers for Peace and the Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility, as well as county supervisors Bruce Gibson (left) and Adam Hill (right) on Jan.…
