Cover Story
The oldest profession unmasked: Take a peek inside local prostitution
Editor’s note: DJ Dalton’s name was changed to protect her anonymity. DJ Dalton is a prostitute living in SLO County. She turned her first trick 11 years ago, and turned two tricks yesterday. She’s been arrested for prostitution on several occasions and currently advertises herself on a website called Backpage. If you call her up…
Cayucos keeps fire department–for now–despite failed tax measure
“What did we do to you?” Members of the Cayucos Fire Department found themselves asking the residents they protect that question on July 7. The Cayucos Fire Protection District had convened for its first meeting since local voters rejected a hefty tax increase that would have boosted support for the cash-strapped fire department. A small…
What’s your favorite aphrodisiac? (Editor’s note: This week’s Street Talk was compiled at the Central Coast Oyster Festival.)
Anthony Hartman Pozo Saloon promotions dude “Oysters! I’m going with it!” Bartimaeus Alan SLO Veg co-proprietor “Chocolate-covered, smoked bing cherries served with a good port wine.” Katalena Pennington Nanny by day, entertainer by night “I don’t eat oysters, so it’s not that. A night of wine and ’80s videogames.” Misty Starbuck Hairstylist at Joseph Antone…
Blast from the Past: Ravenous
When? 1999 | Where? Amazon Prime Instant Video, DVD. Horror movies are often about transposing our real-life fears into something more fantastical. But when it comes to the concept of cannibalism, the line between the horrors we make up and those that exist in the real world are blurred, making the subject one of the…
Justin accountability?
I will never drink or buy Justin wine ever again and I applaud Vons in Atascadero for removing Justin wines from their shelves. David Ricanati’s—Justin’s president—“very sorry” means nothing to me after his company cut down an oak woodland. Where is the accountability? Go to youtube.com/watch?v=YcnWfFgAiCA to see the before and after. This is not…
Sound judgment?
I love a parade, the tramping of feet, I love every beat I hear of a drum, that rat-a-tat-tat, the blare of a horn, the dead baby parts and Confederate flags! I love a parade! Did you happen to see this year’s Templeton Fourth of July Parade? So patriotic! Red, white, and blue bunting all…
I won’t consume from The Wonderful Company
I pledge to never buy or knowingly consume an agricultural product produced by The Wonderful Company (for example Wonderful Pistachios, Wonderful Citrus, Pom Wonderful) or wine from Justin Winery or products from other Resnick enterprises (such as Fiji Water or Teleflora). The company’s showy website, wonderful.com, details the Resnick holdings. The mass destruction of picturesque…
High five, Shredder!
Thank you for publishing the last two Shredder columns (“POM Terrible,” June 30 and “Oops, they did it again … and again,” July 7)! They are telling it like it is, and it is about time someone did! Hopefully if anyone has any doubts about the nasty caliber of the Resnicks, those doubts will now…
Oil trains are too much risk for our county
I have had the privilege to grow up here on the Central Coast, I am now raising my family here in SLO County, and I am very concerned with what is taking place in our communities. A massive 1-mile-long oil train could be carrying oil tanker cars coming through the hearts of our towns. These…
Your commentary is boring
Sorry to have to share that Zaf Iqbal’s commentary, “Trump unmasked,” in last week’s issue was boring. This was Mr. Iqbal’s third consecutive monthly lambast of Donald Trump with nothing new to learn. We get it. He doesn’t think much of Trump and won’t be voting for him, but, Mr. Iqbal, it’s time to advance…
Nuclear storage is inadequate
As Chris McGuinness wrote in “Wasted forever,” July 7, tons and tons of extremely radioactive nuclear waste will remain right here on our coast for an insanely long time. What the article failed to mention, however, is that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in the U.S. allows operators to store the nuclear waste in vulnerable and…
Voters: Pay attention to the APCD
Five years ago, New Times asked me where I thought the APCD dust rule fight would ultimately take us (“Air of Contention,” Oct. 11, 2011). I replied, “Court. And how will that provide a benefit for residents of the Mesa or for taxpayers?” The hubris and stubbornness of APCD and its assorted board of directors—specifically,…
APCD litigation
In 2013 I took a huge political risk—one that was widely used against me. The San Luis Obispo Air Pollution Control District (APCD) board had one meeting left before creating and implementing Dust Rule 1001 requiring the Oceano Dunes State Vehicle Recreation Area (SVRA) to have a permit to operate. I made a last-ditch effort…
A ‘catio’ of one’s own: Woods Humane Society upgrades shelter
Humans aren’t the only creatures with social anxiety. Sometimes our feline friends aren’t so confident in group situations either. Fortunately, Woods Humane Society is working on a solution to make sure those cats find loving homes too. Last week, demolition began on a project that will upgrade and enlarge the Woods “cattery,” making it more…
Cougars & Mustangs
Cal Poly must be stopped at all costs. No longer satisfied with teaching its students alone, its horrifying regime is spreading to other age groups as well. Think of the children … or better yet, think of the teens who will be introduced to the world of engineering, who will learn that science is fun. …
Green rush: Grover Beach’s changing stance on marijuana draws the attention of outside interests
Resistance is futile. “The industry is coming.” Grover Beach Mayor Pro Tem Jeff Lee uttered the words as he and other City Council members engaged in a lengthy discussion over potential plans to tax commercial medical marijuana businesses within the city. Fresh off the heels of a rushed vote to ban commercial cultivation earlier this…
One more stop before transportation sales tax goes on SLO County ballot
A half-percent sales tax that would generate funding for transportation and infrastructure improvements has only one more mile marker to pass before it’s put before voters on the November ballot. Dubbed the “self-help sales tax” by the collaborative regional government agency San Luis Obispo Council of Governments (SLOCOG), the tax would generate $225 million in…
County responds to grand jury report on minor use permits
In an uneventful process, San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors adopted on July 12 the county’s official response to a June 7 grand jury report that picked a bone with the minor use permit process. The volunteer citizens group’s report, “Minor Use Permits: An Oxymoron” recommended sweeping changes to the minor use permitting process.…
Adelaida vacation rental ordinance in the works
After much ado about events in the rural Adelaida area west of Paso Robles, the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors gave planning staff a unanimous go-ahead on July 13 to develop an ordinance to regulate both rentals and events in the area. It would limit the number of vacation rentals and require that…
Police name victim in July 11 Grover Beach homicide and arson
Grover Beach police released the name of a 37-year-old homicide victim discovered during an apartment fire July 11. Police believe that Joseph Charles Kienly IV was killed after a physical altercation with his roommate, 41-year-old Manuel Jesus Perez. Kienly’s body was discovered after both the police and the Five Cities Fire Authority responded to reports…
Morro Bay extends vacation rental moratorium
The Morro Bay City Council continued its piecemeal approach to addressing the hot-button issue of vacation rentals on July 12, voting 4-0 to extend a vacation rental moratorium in the city, while promising residents that more nuanced regulation is on the way. The moratorium, which caps the number of vacation rental permits the city can…
Camp Arroyo Grande is looking for a buyer
A piece of property with deep ties to the history of Arroyo Grande is one step closer to being sold, and it doesn’t look like the city will put up a fight to stop the sale. The city’s Historical Resources Committee met July 8 to discuss the status of Camp Arroyo Grande. Over the course…
SLO police warn of tech-savvy car burglars
The SLO Police Department is telling residents to store their car keys in the microwave or the freezer—you know, whichever is more convenient. It’s just one of the ways the department says citizens can protect themselves from criminals using a cheap, new piece of technology to break into vehicles. A recent alert from the department…
Words come to life: Shakespeare Fest returns to Filipponi Ranch
To be at just one of the Central Coast Shakespeare Festival plays this year or to be at both? That is the question. Luckily the two plays in the festival this year—William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, a Trivial Comedy for Serious People—run from July 14 to Aug.…
Snack with me
Jarhead: Master canner Stormy T. is back at it again with his famous fire-roasted salsa, a cult fave among SLOcals in the know. Pick up a flaming red mason jar of this juicy, just-picked, spicy, smokey snack at Lincoln Market in SLO and invite your friends over for a Mexican fiesta … Grenada Hotel &…
Whalebird Kombucha’s Jasmine Bliss and Pendray’s Distillery’s Plum Liqueur
It’s a whale! It’s a bird! It’s a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast! You can now get Whalebird Kombucha in so many locales around SLO County, including restaurants, supermarkets, (Kreuzberg Coffee Co., Bliss Café, and Lassens to name a few) and even the Thursday night Farmers’ Market. That means that there’s literally zero excuse…
Plays well with fire: Chef Tim Veatch of Thomas Hill Organics promises not to mess with your food
The season was turning cold—freezing—when Chef Tim Veatch and his beloved companion, Jeriel Sydney, arrived at a rural farmhouse in Parma, Italy, in pursuit of pork. They’d heard that the farmer who lived there would be breaking down two black Parma hogs for charcuterie, so they jumped at the opportunity to help slaughter, process, and…
Luscious lathers: Fable Soap Co. creates goat milk soap with a purpose
View a slideshow from Fable Soap Co. After they killed the pigs and removed the meat for cooking, finally all that remained unused was a vat of animal fat. Jeriel Sydney and her husband, Tim Veatch, were working their way through different farms in Italy, soaking up all the knowledge each one had to offer.…
The July 9th Central Coast Oyster and Music Festival at Avila Beach Resort offered perfect weather and plenty of festival weirdness
It’s Saturday, July 9, and I’m at the fifth annual Central Coast Oyster and Music Festival at Avila Beach Golf Resort. The day is a stunner—high 70s, a brilliant, cloudless blue sky, and hundreds of smiling, relaxed people dotting the rolling green lawn that’s punctuated by whimsical shade structures, a fantastic bamboo-festooned stage, a line…
The Great American Melodrama gets punny with ‘Under the Boardwalk’
The Great American Melodrama definitely has a thing for puns, but Under the Boardwalk might be as punny as it gets on that little stage in Oceano. Rapping clams, roller-skating gulls, and a DJing starfish get a little dirty under the pier in this kooky Westside Story meets Pismo Beach tale about a love affair…
Cuesta College to showcase the art of the Asmat people of New Guinea
Sometimes our little hamlet of SLO can feel, well, little. But if the urge to discover new lands and people is strong, you can still get a taste for the unknown, right here at home. The Cuesta College’s Harold J. Miossi Art Gallery is set to host a trio of Asmat, an ethnic group of New…
Clubs 7/14/16 – 7/21/16
Goin’ South THE CLIFFS RESORT: 2757 Shell Beach Rd., Shell Beach, 773-5000, cliffsresort.com. F. MCLINTOCKS SALOON: Two locations: 750 Mattie Rd. in Pismo Beach and 133 Bridge St. in Arroyo Grande. 773-1892 or mclintocks.com. Live music at the Pismo Beach location every Fri. and Sat. from 6-9pm. Tennessee Jimmy Harrell and Doc Stoltey play on…
Jade Jackson brings her seductive sounds to SLO Brew on July 20
She looks like a supermodel, sings like an angel, and writes heartbreaking songs, so Jade Jackson has every reason to be an egomaniac. Instead she’s one of the sweetest, most grounded, kindest people you’re likely to meet. She’s basically the quintessential small town girl, raised in Santa Margarita to parents who didn’t have a TV…
