Cover Story
The California exodus
Running a county seems as though it would be one of the best jobs around. If you’re one of the lucky 58 Californians who have this job, you oversee a vast area, control millions of dollars, and administer a multitude of helpful government programs. You’re at the top of your profession and in charge of…
Underinsured and overstretched
Congress is close to voting on a bill that potentially would enable all Americans to afford health care: legislation that could have great repercussions in San Luis Obispo County, where many residents have no health insurance. According to the most recent figures from the U.S. Census’ Small Area Health Insurance Estimates, which were released in…
Which musician speaks for your generation?
Katy Morse barista/student “Lady Gaga. She doesn’t seem to care, and our generation doesn’t seem to care” Paul Gentry student “Although I’m not a fan, Justin Timberlake. He has wide appeal. The boy band was huge for my generation, and he’s transitioned well.” Roger Paul retired teacher “Jose Feliciano. He’s one of the worlds leading…
Artifacts
Sites to behold: Regretsy.com Bearing the motto, “Handmade? It looks like you made it with your feet,” regretsy.com is the evil twin of etsy.com, the site dedicated to items handmade by artists and craftspeople the world over. Regretsy simply culls through the thousands of items sold on etsy.com and calls attention to the worst of…
Of females and fowl
Happy New Year!?! It’s Friday, Jan. 1, and the last thing I should be doing is working (or operating heavy machinery), but somehow I find myself parking and walking toward Linnaea’s Café to meet local artist Lena Rushing, who’s works will appear in a show, that opens on Friday, Jan. 8. She’s waiting out front…
Yee-haw!
Don Eaton does his best to avoid bald skies, and Renée Besta goes out of her way to travel off the beaten path. Over the past couple of decades they’ve scoured the nation’s west and southwest, independently of one another but with a shared goal: to capture the beauty and majesty of the region. They…
Dancers in orbit, playing baseball, with skis
For anyone still pondering why the chicken crossed the road, I’ve got a new livestock-based quandary: Why did the choreographer name his dance company after a milk supplement for veal calves? And how does he make dancers’ arms look like a flock of geese? Or incorporate pole-vaulting into a dance production? Moses Pendleton, founder and…
Drill baby drill–again
When Excelaron first proposed to drill for oil in the Huasna Valley in 2007, a group of residents didn’t buy it. A bunch of farmers and ranchers came together as one of the most effective activist groups in SLO County: the Huasna Valley Association. They effectively killed the project. Now Excelaron’s back. “We’re trying to…
Cheaper golf is on the way–and maybe booze, too
The San Luis Obispo City Council voted Jan. 5 to authorize alcohol sales at the city-owned golf course, as well as to offer monthly passes and discounted fees. The 3-2 vote paves the way for an off-peak rate of $10 per round—a dollar cheaper than the previous standard rate—for play between the hours of noon…
Breaking up is hard to do
Yearlong internal strife in the SLO County Sheriff’s Department is nearing its finale. Union members will soon vote on whether to chop their bargaining unit essentially in half. Actually the split has been a few years coming, explained Patrick Zuchelli, president of the newly recognized labor group the Association of San Luis Obispo County Deputy…
NRC: Take me to your leaders
Touting a focus on accountable and accessible government, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is coming to town in an effort to inform elected officials about the license renewal process for the Diablo Canyon power plant. On Jan. 4, officials from cities in the vicinity of the plant received e-mails and phone calls inviting them to…
Alleged beating victim files restraining order
The woman allegedly assaulted by Arroyo Grande Councilman Edward Arnold, Jr., said in a restraining order filed Dec. 25 that Arnold threatened to kill her and blamed her for the breakup of his marriage. She states in the document she once had sexual relations with him and refers to his estranged wife as her girlfriend.…
Downsizing? Think storage.
Do-it-yourself moving from house to house can be a hectic, demanding chore that gets more exhausting, not less, with repeated moves. When downsizing to a smaller space is the goal, where to put treasured items that simply won’t fit becomes a major additional concern. Meathead Movers understands the quandary and is building modern, roomy, secure,…
Janna Nichols
NEW TIMES: Are you guys secretly vampires? NICHOLS: No, but we do appreciate healthy blood. NEW TIMES: What blood types are most needed right now? NICHOLS: All blood types, but 0- and A- especially. NEW TIMES: Are there any upcoming events we should know about? NICHOLS: Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the day…
Ten simple tax reforms could save $20 billion
Governor Schwarzenegger stated that all the “low-hanging fruit” in the budget—that is, the easy cuts—have been removed. But tax loopholes, untaxed windfalls, tax breaks that yield no benefits to the state, taxes on the very rich, and sin taxes (taxes with little or no impact on economic recovery) have not been seriously considered by the administration.…
Good riddance to the end of days
While at the Laundromat recently, I overheard two regular guys—they looked educated, in their late 50s or early 60s—say with pride how afraid they were of what will happen in 2012: Since when is it holy to be proud of cowardice caused by delusional non-science? Is it rational to hope for the destruction of the…
Don’t trifle with nature
Some 10 years ago when a massive iceberg as big as Rhode Island broke away from the Arctic ice sheet, the story appeared on page six of most newspapers. Now some people seem to be waking up. There are big problems to deal with in the wake of the oil tycoons who ran this country…
Hold the Twinkies and bourbon
How about a New Year’s resolution that works for everybody: Listen to what adults tell you! If they say no to some food you offer, don’t say just try it; or forget your diet, it’s the holidays; or I made this special; or I baked all day. Don’t keep insisting. There is a reason they…
Half a loaf is better than none
A perfect health-care bill is simply not possible. There are way too many lobbyists representing too many special interest groups putting pressure on our representatives and senators. There is a lot of money at stake. That being said, we do have an opportunity to make some major changes in the way health care is structured…
States should permit gay marriages
Now that same-sex marriage is legal in five states, what effect has it had in those states? Has the true meaning of marriage diminished? Have children in same-sex marriage homes been harmed? Is homosexuality spreading? Have divorce rates for traditional marriages increased? Are public schools forced to depict the intimacy of same-sex marriages to children?…
Choose solar panels for residential power
Having been involved in the field of wind energy and solar energy for the past 30 years, particularly residential wind turbines and solar-powered water pumping, I feel compelled to clear up Roy Berger’s misconceptions about wind power (“Wind-powered generators make sense,” Dec. 17), even though I probably won’t be gain any local customers by doing…
Smoking mad
On the good advice of a neighbor, I intended to start the New Year with a benign and endorphin-enhancing sense of being grateful. I practiced this benevolence for about five minutes before being completely derailed by what other people were doing—or not doing. At the clean-slate beginning of 2010, one could not ignore the fact that…
Ice-cream shop proprietor volunteers
Thank you for your enlightening article regarding the “labor dispute” irony (“I scream, you scream,” Dec. 31). Greg Steinberger, who owns Doc Bernstein’s Ice Cream Lab in Arroyo Grande, is an upstanding person who donates to charitable events. He always provides and serves his eggnog at the Jewish Community Center Christmas dinner for the homeless.…
It’s alive!
OK, imagine if Dr. Victor Frankenstein took parts from The Cure, Sting, Jane’s Addiction, and Trashcan Sinatras, then reassembled them into a tight, hooky alt-rock quintet. That’s what PK sounds like: monstrously, freakishly good! Featuring Robert Smith sound-alike vocalist Travis Hawley, Nick Fotinakes (guitar), Matt Depauw (guitar), Mikel Van Kranenburg, and Kevin Menesez (drums), PK…
Clubs
Goin’ South … CAFÉ ANDREINI: 131 E. Branch St., Arroyo Grande, 481-6117. Thurs.: Live music at 6pm. CLIFFS RESORT: 2757 Shell Beach Road, Shell Beach, 773-5000 or cliffsresort.com. Mon. and Tues.: Louie Ortega. Fri: Live music. COFFEE BEAN AND TEA LEAF: 750 Five Cities Dr., Pismo Beach, 773-6420. Music Night every Sat., 6:30-8:30pm. DOLPHIN BAY/LIDO:…
Prediction time
Is my mouth supposed to taste like this? Seriously, come over here and taste my mouth and tell me if it’s supposed to taste like this. No? Is that no, I won’t taste your mouth or no, it’s not supposed to taste like that? While doing my best Tom Cruise at my New Year’s Eve…
Claiborne & Churchill Straw Bale Red
Vintner Claiborne “Clay” Thompson told me I had to taste this inexpensive blend of Grenache, Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Pinot Noir. The blend is different each year, but it’s always tasty and value-priced. However, with this vintage, the blend is a knockout! It rocks with friendly wild blackberry and black cherry flavors with subtle spice…
Winemakers expect a good year
Many businesses have struggled to survive the recession, but last year was particularly hard on the wine and restaurant industry. We lost some good eateries in SLO County because they simply couldn’t make ends meet, and it was tough for our local wineries, even our most popular labels. Most survived by cutting costs; many simply…
