Cover Story
Viral wave: SLO County struggles to keep up with record COVID-19 cases, contact tracing, and vaccine rollout
In late June, as COVID-19 cases ticked up on the Central Coast, the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department announced it was tripling its contact tracing team to about 25 people—a move that enabled it to continue to contact trace in each and every new COVID-19 case. “Since the pandemic began, the county Public…
Hagerman Sports Complex reopens with new pickleball courts; Paul Nelson Aquatic Center remains closed
While the Paul Nelson Aquatic Center in Santa Maria will remain closed for at least another week, the city’s Recreation and Parks Department just unveiled another athletic option for those looking to stay fit. The Hagerman Sports Complex reopened Jan. 12 on a reservation-only basis, a city statement said. Local teams will be able to…
SLO County Sheriff asks for help finding potential witness in 2019 Oceano homicide
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help locating a man who it believes is a possible witness in the unsolved murder of Oceano resident Larry Bross. Investigators are searching for “a male subject who was observed visiting Bross” two days before the 90-year-old’s body was found in his Oceano…
Pismo Beach to fund needed repairs at Chapman Estate
Pismo Beach is planning to put about $650,000 of its general fund toward what staff say are much-needed repairs at the Chapman Estate, a well-known oceanside event venue and museum in Shell Beach that’s struggling to turn a profit amid the coronavirus pandemic. The estate at 1243 Ocean Boulevard was gifted to the city of…
Central Coast unemployment remains about twice as high as last year
While local employment has steadily improved since the spike in joblessness that occurred in April, the most recent data released by the state Employment Development Department (EDD) shows some stagnation. But state labor market consultant Andriy Moskalyk said it’s too early to say definitively whether this marks the beginning of a trend or if it’s…
Ode to Elmer Fudd
I must admit that I am often easily amused, though perhaps for the wrong reasons. Reading Al Fonzi’s recent column, “The divisive, delusional left,” (Dec. 31) reminded me of that rabbit-hunting cartoon character, Elmer Fudd, who is remarkably out of touch with reality. It seems obvious, to me, that the Trumpist right-wingers have been the…
Local NAACP branch points to racist graffiti as evidence of racism in SLO County
The NAACP SLO County Branch says racist graffiti in Santa Margarita Community Park indicates a larger issue of microaggressions and racism in the county. Ryan Alaniz told New Times, he took his 4-year-old son outside to play at the Santa Margarita Community Park on Dec. 23 to get some energy from being outdoors. Alaniz, a…
Going big
We are facing twin crises of climate and extinction. The numbers aren’t good. The planet has seen a 60 percent decline in wildlife over the past 40 years. In the U.S., we are losing one million acres of natural habitat to development every year. Of the millions of acres of public land under the purview…
Business owners question health permit discount
San Luis Obispo County is offering a discount to some businesses that are required to pay an annual health permit fee in an effort to help ease the financial strains of the pandemic, but some local business owners say its not enough. At a meeting on Dec. 15, 2020, the SLO County Board of Supervisors…
Amy and Jaime’s Place in Templeton serves a simple, fresh menu and offers locally crafted gifts
Grab a bite Visit Amy and Jaime’s Place at 1255 Las Tablas Road, No. 102, in Templeton. Visit amyandjaimesplace.com for more information. When the Wellness Kitchen’s Nancy Walker asked Amy and Jaime Paniagua to take over in mid-2020, Amy said her first thought was “Take over what?” She and her husband launched a frozen juice…
State water board worries Paso Robles groundwater decline will impact domestic wells
As North County water stakeholders wait for the state’s approval of a 20-year Paso Robles Groundwater Basin sustainability plan, the State Water Resources Control Board recently expressed concerns about whether that plan does enough to reverse the basin’s decline and protect domestic well users. The water board’s Dec. 8 comments list several qualms about the…
A real mess
I don’t know about you guys, but it’s really starting to feel as if 2021 might be worse than 2020. On Jan. 6, SLO County reported 290 new cases of COVID-19. And we all know that those numbers are likely from tests taken a week ago. We had 53 cases in the hospital and 14…
Local medical and cosmetic doctor settles accusations of gross negligence
A complaint filed by the California Attorney General’s Office against local medical and cosmetic physician Dr. Laleh Shaban in 2019 accused her of gross negligence—claims she says came from a disgruntled former employee—however, the doctor has reached a settlement in the complaint. After several years of disputing the allegations, Shaban signed a settlement agreement in…
The Midnight Sky moves slowly toward a satisfying conclusion
THE MIDNIGHT SKY What’s it rated? PG-13 What’s it worth, Anna? Full price What’s it worth, Glen? Full price Where’s it showing? Netflix George Clooney stars in and directs this post-apocalyptic sci-fi adventure based on Lily Brooks-Dalton’s 2016 novel Good Morning, Midnight, about terminally ill scientist Dr. Augustine Lofthouse living in a remote research outpost…
Conservationists criticize State Parks plan for future of Oceano Dunes
Local conservationists are criticizing a draft public works plan and environmental impact report recently developed and released by California State Parks that outlines future development and wildlife habitat management projects proposed for the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area (SVRA). State Parks released the draft documents for public review on Dec. 31, 2020, and the…
Honest Thief
What’s it rated? PG-13 When? 2020 Where’s it showing? Redbox Mark Williams (A Family Man) directs this crime drama about a bank robber looking for a chance at redemption. Starring Liam Neeson as Tom Dolan, an ex-military demolition expert dubbed the In-and-Out Bandit because of his meticulous efficiency, the film follows his meet-cute moment with…
SLO County supervisors consider lawsuit to fight state stay-at-home order
The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors is mulling filing litigation against the state to try to overturn Gov. Gavin Newsom’s COVID-19 stay-at-home order and remove SLO County from its Southern California region—a route that the county counsel warned has a “very low” chance of succeeding in court. In a motion made at a…
The Professor and the Madman
What’s it rated? Not rated When? 2019 Where’s it showing? Netflix Farhad Safinia (as P.B. Shemran) directs the amazing true story of the early years of compiling the Oxford English Dictionary and the fascinating but unlikely friendship between the project leader James Murray (Mel Gibson) and murderer and asylum patient Dr. William Minor (Sean Penn).…
Local working musician Eric Brittain has three great CDs to chose from
No one’s been hit harder by the pandemic than professional working musicians, those folks whose entire livelihoods are based on playing paying gigs. Being a professional musician in SLO County isn’t exactly a big moneymaker anyway, and a lot of players keep a roof over their heads by giving private lessons, but even that has…
A new mural titled Pacificaribbean, by Puerto Rican artist Juan Alberto Negroni, is now being painted on the SLOMA
Downtown tropics Designed by internationally recognized artist Juan Alberto Negroni, the mural Pacificaribbean should be complete by Sunday, Jan. 10. The public is welcome see the mural’s progress, and after the project is complete, a time-lapse video will be posted at sloma.org/exhibition/pacificaribbean. Something bright and tropical is blooming in downtown SLO—a new mural currently being…
2021 SLO Jewish Film Festival goes virtual with screenings, live events through Jan. 28
The 2021 San Luis Obispo Jewish Film Festival will feature a diverse selection of feature-length and short narratives and documentaries, which are available to stream starting Jan. 7 and through Jan. 28. The theme of this year’s virtual festival is “diversity and harmony,” according to festival representatives. “We are delighted to continue the SLO Jewish…
SLO Library’s virtual Book Club hosts talk with Alyssa Sheinmel, author of What Kind of Girl
As part of its ongoing virtual book club series, the San Luis Obispo Library will host an author talk with guest speaker Alyssa Sheinmel on Jan. 26, from 4 to 5 p.m. Sheinmel will be discussing her novel, What Kind of Girl, which is described as “an unflinching exploration of the labels society puts on…
Inclusive access
Unique to the city of San Luis Obispo is that every resident—of every income level and every diverse background—is within a 20-minute walk of a protected open space/natural reserve. This public resource makes us different from other communities in which only the economically privileged have access to protected nature, whether in wilderness resorts, ranches, compounds,…
Good steward
The letter “Diablo is a marine life killer” (Dec. 24, 2020) has so many important details that are misstated, unknown, or intentionally left out. The water exiting from the condenser into Diablo Cove directly falls over huge concrete steps to cushion the flow of water. At this point, some of the heat in the water…
The story behind PG&E’s decision to close
A letter by Mark Henry mistakenly asserts that the reason PG&E decided to close the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant by the end of 2025 was because of the California requirement that PG&E cease to use once-through cooling in order to protect marine life. The alternative would have been for PG&E to build expensive cooling towers…
EVC launches supply drive to help struggling child care industry in SLO County
The main goal of the Economic Vitality Corporation (EVC) is to support and grow San Luis Obispo’s business community however possible, which includes supporting the local workforce. And that isn’t possible without local child care providers, according to EVC Director of Business Strategy Jill LeMieux. “You can’t talk about making businesses stronger without having the…
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