Cover Story
Paso Unified discusses critical race theory, again, and translation services
Paso Robles Unified School District board wasn’t unified in identifying how to proceed with a public discussion on critical race theory during its July 13 meeting, the same meeting where it received legal guidance on translation service requirements. The board once again discussed critical race theory and the possibility of its presence in Paso’s classroom…
San Luis Obispo County is in another drought, and the level of alarm varies by community
Gov. Gavin Newsom stood in front of Lopez Lake near Arroyo Grande on July 8 and made an announcement to all of California: 50 of the state’s 58 counties, including San Luis Obispo, are officially in a new drought emergency. Citizens statewide will be asked to voluntarily cut their water consumption by 15 percent. “Conditions…
Titans
What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2018-present Where’s it showing? HBO Max I obviously missed the early boat on Titans, which started back in 2018 and will launch its third season on Aug. 12, but better late than never. In a moment of “I can’t find anything to watch” desperation, I tuned in to episode 1…
Local fishing voices are left out of offshore wind discussions
The waters off the shore of Morro Bay have been the focal point of a potential wind farm development site since 2015. Between 2015 and 2017, a state intergovernmental task force that evaluated offshore wind power for the state of California was established, and its members included the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the…
Belonging brings a portrait exhibition to downtown SLO, curated music and multimedia window displays to participating businesses, and a storytelling event on Aug. 1
Belonging R.A.C.E. Matters SLO’s two-month-long event titled Belonging features the We Are Here portrait exhibition; Rhythms in Black, a celebration of Black music in which participating local businesses play a curated playlist (available at soundcloud.com/racemattersslo); and Stories Matter, a live storytelling event on Sunday, Aug. 1, at Bang the Drum Brewery from 4 to 6…
Helping horses and humans
At the age of 82, Judie Garnsey is living out an exaggerated version of her greatest childhood fantasy. “When I was a kid all I ever wanted in my life was a horse and a dog,” Garnsey said with a laugh. As the sole owner and operator of a 27-acre ranch and horse boarding stable…
SLOMA presents Returning Home, a new showcase of sculptor Kristin Lindseth
On July 16, the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art (SLOMA) will host an Instagram Live event with South Bay-based sculptor Kristin Lindseth, in celebration of the artist’s new exhibit, Returning Home, which premiered at the beginning of July. The show is on display in SLOMA’s McMeen Gallery and is scheduled to run through Sept.…
Biden’s nuclear bailout is a tragedy
The American Jobs Plan is a historic opportunity to generate millions of head of household jobs, build a clean energy economy, and fight the disastrous effects of climate change. It should be obvious to all that the climate crisis is real and growing globally, affecting everything from recurring drought, wildfires, floods, ocean warming, rising sea…
Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center celebrates reopening with auctions, live music, and more
The Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center will host its Reopening Celebration and Barbecue on July 31, from 1 to 4 p.m. The event will feature live jazz music from the Dylan Johnson Quartet, live and silent auctions (pre-bidding for the silent auction starts on July 18), a Santa Maria-style barbecue dinner, and more. Admission is $50 and…
Google isn’t the answer, teachers are
We’ve pretty well sorted out sex education in schools, and found that knowledge helped students make informed decisions. Rates of teenage pregnancy are down, and now school administrators and parents are arguing over whether we can trust students with the real history of this country. Nevermind that any student who hears adults don’t want them…
Gallery at Marina Square holds three exhibitions for July
Gallery at Marina Square in Morro Bay premiered three new exhibits at the beginning of July, each of which is scheduled to remain on display through July 29. Two of the exhibits are solo shows, highlighting glass artist Lisa Falk and photographer Gregory Siragusa, respectively, while the third is a group show, showcasing a collection…
Voice your thoughts on adapting to climate change
While suffering with the recent heat and worrying about the drought and the likelihood of local wildfires, you may not have noticed the tremendous amount of work that SLO city has been doing to help us adapt to the changing climate. Since January, the city has been holding a series of webinars on adaptation and…
Penguin Town
What’s it rated? TV-G When? 2021 Where’s it showing? Netflix Get ready to die from a cuteness avalanche with Netflix’s eight-part nature documentary Penguin Town. Patton Oswald narrates this tale of a beautiful South African town that is home to the endangered and adorable African penguins, which all are working their hardest to find a…
Tax dollars shouldn’t bail out nuclear industry
Do you want your tax dollars to be used to bail out the nuclear industry? Do you want to see between $50 billion and $100 billion of taxpayer dollars used over the next decade to keep these unprofitable, expensive, dangerous, and dirty reactors operating? Do you want to accumulate more radioactive waste with nowhere to…
Black Widow is action-packed spectacle with a touch of soul
Cate Shortland (Lore, Berlin Syndrome) directs this film about Avenger Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), aka Black Widow. The story takes place chronologically after the events of Captain America: Civil War (2016) but before Romanoff’s death in Avengers: Infinity War (2018). Romanoff is on the run, forced to deal with a conspiracy with ties to her…
A fearful, right-wing agenda
The three SLO County Board of Supervisors government obstructionists did it again. Instead of appointing the current deputy clerk recorder to fill the vacant SLO County clerk-recorder position, they want to open it up for their review of candidates. They want their hand-picked interim candidate for an elected position. They expect to get candidates from…
Destination: Railroad District
Say hello Stop by Jan’s Place at 1817 Osos St. from 3 to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, email jangenre@icloud.com. An oft-overlooked foodie destination in San Luis Obispo is the historic Railroad District. But that’s all the better for Amtrak commuters, train aficionados, tourists, and local residents. Breakfast hotspots Del Monte Café…
The right to teach
The effort by Paso Robles Joint Unified School District board President Chris Arend to ban the teaching of Critical Race Theory would not survive legal challenge if passed, showing its intended effect is solely as political theater to whip up the white fright base of the GOP. Arend, who lived a considerable time in Germany…
Pi Jacobs brings her bluesy solo show to Morro Bay’s Libertine Brewing
If what’s been missing in your life is bluesy rock played by a one-woman band on guitar and stomp box, then Morro Bay’s Libertine Brewing has got you covered this Saturday, July 17 (7 to 10 p.m.; free), when LA-based singer-songwriter Pi Jacobs will play music drawn from her deep catalog. One of my favorites…
Feeling virtuous?
Twenty-six years ago, Economist and social commentator Thomas Sowell published The Vision of the Anointed: Self-Congratulation as a Basis for Social Policy, in which he discusses “the vision prevailing among the intellectual and political elite of our time … , a prevailing vision—which means that its assumptions are so much taken for granted by so…
Persistence
Guess who’s still talking about critical race theory (CRT)? Oh wait, it’s me! But I’m only talking about it because the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District will not drop it. As the only sane trustee on the school board put it: The California Board of Education says that CRT is not taught in K-12,…
Moms for Liberty to protest mask requirements in schools
A recently formed advocacy group is holding a rally to protest potential mask and vaccine requirements in local schools, but education officials say those guidelines are mandated by the state. On July 16, Moms for Liberty SLO County plans to host a rally at the SLO County Public Health Department from 9 to 10:30 a.m.,…
SLO County supervisors open clerk-recorder job: ‘Everyone’s welcome to apply’
The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors is looking to hire a new top election official by this October—and is willing to consider just about anybody for the job. On July 13, the divided board voted 3-2 to finalize a three-month process for appointing an interim clerk-recorder, who will take over for departed former…
Paso asks for more time to collect senior parking program data
Paso Robles’ Downtown Parking Advisory Commission is having challenges collecting data on the city’s senior parking program and were ultimately granted more time to gather information at the July 8 City Council meeting. The senior parking program, which started as a pilot program in April 2020 and turned into an annual program in March 2021,…
Supervisors uphold prohibition of vacation rentals in Avila Beach development
A new housing development in Avila Beach won’t be used for vacation rentals any time soon. At a meeting on July 13, the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors denied a developer’s request to repeal a condition prohibiting vacation rentals in seven of eight units in a nearly completed Avila Beach housing development. In…
Three new COVID-19 deaths reported in SLO County
Amid a recent rise in cases and hospitalizations, San Luis Obispo County reported three new COVID-19 deaths on July 13 and a near doubling of new cases over the previous week. The deaths occurred in residents who were in their ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s, according to SLO County Public Health, and happened over the past…
