Cover Story
Cash from the county
# Imagine if on July 1 of every year someone gave you $26,000 with only one major string attached: The money could only be given to nonprofit groups. If that scenario sounds intriguing, it’s a reality for members of the SLO County Board of Supervisors, who, as part of their jobs, are each given control…
Recycle, reduce, and refuel (on art and drink)
Combining salvaged art and locally produced alcohol, San Luis Obispo real estate developer and property manager Mark London has created what might be the county’s first green bar. Think Cheers, but with Captain Planet as the barkeep. # In an attempt to provide locals and tourists alike with quality entertainment and a splash of conservationism,…
Find Sunny Acres for rainy days
Sunny Acres, Dan De Vaul’s improvised rehab facility on Los Osos Valley Road, has opened its doors to the homeless during the recent cold and rainy spell, and he plans to continue the effort. The dairy barn directly behind the roadside stand will act as a “warming house” any night that the temperature drops below…
Three cheers for Plato!
# Okay, so there’s a guy named Grady Cross, a guy named Cody Canada, a guy named Randy Ragsdale, and a guy named Jeremy Plato, and they call themselves Cross Canadian Ragweed. Clearly, the burning question is: Did Plato replace some guy named Weed? Apparently not. Plato, the bassist, just gets no respect. Formed 13…
Fast facts
SLO Regional Rideshare and the Air Pollution Control District are encouraging local folks to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions by participating in a low-carbon diet, which entails carpooling, riding a bike, and walking or taking a bus instead of driving alone. Participants will be entered into a monthly drawing to win a $150 Visa card.…
Tree breaks records in Poly Canyon
Cal Poly Professor Matt Ritter and a small group of students have confirmed that a massive Karri Eucalyptus tree in Poly Canyon is the tallest of its kind in North America. In November, the group–including graduate students Jennifer Yost and Chris Wassenberg, as well as undergraduate Justin Bence–scaled the tree using a belay system and…
Templeton dispensary decision is expected
After months of delay, the San Luis Obispo County Planning Department is finally expected to decide the fate of a proposed Templeton medical marijuana dispensary at its meeting on Jan. 10. Now, after two straight meetings in which only four planning commissioners attended, thus preventing the board from being able to hold a formal vote,…
Arnold to announce bid for supervisor
Debbie Arnold, a former legislative aide to Republican Assemblyman Sam Blakeslee, is formally launching her campaign for Jim Patterson’s 5th District county supervisor seat. In an e-mail to supporters, Arnold said she planned to make the announcement on Friday, Jan. 11, at 12:30 p.m. on the steps of the old courthouse in San Luis Obispo.…
A New Year’s to remember
By 5 p.m., it’s cold, but not quite dark. Already, the days are getting longer. A small crowd waits in the parking lot. You might expect an aura of gloom on New Year’s Eve at a homeless shelter, but I am greeted by smiles and waves. As I fumble for my key, two men approach…
Activist opposes new bathrooms for dunes
Some locals are raising a stink over the prospect of new bathrooms for the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area. The California Department of Parks and Recreation is seeking approval for a permit to replace one existing restroom and install five new restroom buildings within the Oceano Dunes, but a quartet of local environmental activists…
Letters
Feel like pulling up stakes? Perhaps the ones complaining about our right to criticize our leaders should move to Cuba or China where the only naying they will hear is from the bleating sheep they are following. Steve Hardy Oceano I don’t need to be reminded about evil Encouraged by the $10…
Criticism mounts as Greka spills more oil
Sights of crews in hazardous waste protection suits and a local creek full of oil weren’t a case of deja vu. It’s happened again, and Greka is busy cleaning up the mess. # This time, the spill happened Jan. 4 at the Davis Tank Battery facility at 5017 Zaca Station Road near Los Olivos in…
I’m outta here
So the Lakota Sioux are seceding from the United States. Word is that they’re declaring independence and forming their own country. They’ll have their own passports and driver’s licenses and create a tax-free paradise. Sounds blissful, but I had to read about it in USA Today. I’m surprised I didn’t get a memo, since I’m…
Hold it in or pay
With a belly full of beer and a bladder bursting with whiskey, Tony–a then 22-year-old San Luis Obispo college student who requested that his last name not be used–found a trash can and started to urinate near Bubble Gum Alley in downtown SLO. In midstream, as steam rose from his drunken discharge on that midsummer…
Fill your calendar
I’ve got some great wine tasting events wine lovers won’t want # to miss, so tear out this page and place it under your favorite winery magnet on your fridge. It will remind you to get reservations or tickets before they sell out–and believe me, they will. It’s a slow time of year for wineries…
Nothing says America–or art–like protest
It’s interesting to note that the same profession that gave birth to vodka billboards with half-clothed women and images of whipped cream atop a Starbucks’ orange crame frappucino could also be responsible for a shock-red poster urging the viewer to help free Burma. In American culture, consumerism and political dissent are rarely linked, save for…
