Cover Story
SLO County cops work to improve their communities
As anyone who has ever turned on a television can attest, there are bad cops, and there are good cops. In moodily lit TV studios and communities across the nation, the men and women sworn to protect and serve draw our fascination and condemnation. In the news business, stories about law enforcement are a tried…
SLO Fire Chief Charlie Hines to retire
San Luis Obispo City Fire Department Chief Charlie Hines plans to retire on September 10, according to an email from the city manager’s office. According to the email, sent at approximately 10 a.m. on July 23, Hines and City Manager Katie Lichtig had been discussing his desire to “spend more time with his family.” “We…
The Central Coast Shakespeare Festival presents a pared-down Love’s Labour’s Lost
Shakespeare’s early comedy Love’s Labour’s Lost isn’t one of his most accessible. The play is particularly heavy in era-specific references that—shrouded in the Bard’s lush, complex language—often confound modern audiences, making it one of the Bard’s lesser-produced plays. But a current Central Coast Shakespeare Festival production of Love’s Labour’s Lost—set outdoors at the River Oaks…
What is the best thing you’ve seen a cop do?
Julianna Hutchison Beverly’s cashier “He brought me back my wallet when it was stolen a couple months ago.” Lindsey Dixon Jamba Juice employee “Help a kid back on his bike.” Matt Betts Cuesta student “Pull someone else over and not me even though I was going faster.” Eric Schrader contractor “Turned a blind eye. Had…
Haka by Labyrinth 2011 Tempranillo Paso Robles
Looking for the perfect wine to pair with carne asada or spicy chicken tacos? Try this Tempranillo, an excellent Spanish variety by winemaker Rick Hill. He’s been making this fragrant red ever since he founded his brand, Labyrinth. The Haka line represents his value-priced wines. This Paso Robles grown Tempranillo is deeply layered and complex.…
Vina Robles Winery in Paso Robles gets a new head chef
We’ve all heard of the one-stop shop; the convenience, and easy access to whatever you need or want. I hate one-stop shops. They’re so impersonal, crowded, and overall cheap. And it’s so like Americans to settle for what’s in front of them: To walk into a big box store and leave perfectly content with whatever…
Direct from Mexico City
Someone I know casually at my gym was passing by and mentioned that I should try the Mexican cuisine at FrutiLand La Casa Del Sabor in Arroyo Grande. I’m truly sorry that I forgot who it was because I’ve wanted to tell my new friend: thank you so much! This little Mexican eatery turned out…
New Times’ token gay person explores SLO Pride 2013
“You got some big ol’ titties up in the front here … you could feed the whole damn room with those things!” It’s an ultra-packed Friday night at SLO Brew when the emcee of DIVAS Live takes the stage for the annual Pride Weekend Drag Show, so I have trouble seeing exactly whose breasts we’re…
New Times intern Chris White-Sanborn lends his voice to composer Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir project
It seems like New Times intern and “Cougars and Mustangs” columnist Chris White-Sanborn is always up to something profoundly geeky and wonderful. So it was no surprise to get an e-mail one morning from Chris’ mom, which opened with “My son Chris had been locked in his room for weeks working on a project ……
The Central Coast Renaissance Festival crafts an elaborate, impossible fantasy
The Central Coast Renaissance Festival isn’t always historically accurate, and when you think about it, that’s probably a good thing. Foreigners (read: non-Englishmen) aren’t shunned from society. No slaves are traded. No river of sewage flows through the center of Donneybrooke, the fictitious English village that will spring up for two days at Laguna Lake…
CLUBS 7/18-7/25
Goin’ South … BRANCH ST. DELI: 203 E. Branch St., Arroyo Grande, 489-9099. Live music Fri. from 5:30-8:30 p.m. THE CLIFFS RESORT: 2757 Shell Beach Road, 773-5000 or cliffsresort.com. F. MCLINTOCKS SALOON: Two locations: 750 Mattie Road in Pismo Beach and 133 Bridge St. in Arroyo Grande. 773-1892 or mclintocks.com. Live music at the…
Dale Bozzio of Missing Persons, Bow Wow Wow, and Gene Loves Jezebel play SLO Brew
SLO Brew’s 25th anniversary is upon us, and the venerable downtown restaurant and nightclub plans to ramp up their show schedule in celebration. This week, for instance, they kick off on Thursday, July 18 with The Shine Brothers (doors at 8 p.m.; all ages; $8 presale or $10 at the door). “If The Everly Brothers…
Who needs to be scared to death?
Every July 4 (and New Year’s Eve), I cry for the animals’ fear and pain that can’t tolerate the pointless blasting, shooting, and screeching of firecrackers. All, from the tiniest pets to farm animals and horses, can break free or injure themselves trying. Those whose humans don’t go spend their own money to get sedatives…
It’s only a pipe dream
As President Obama spoke recently on stimulating green energies, may the powers that be take giant steps to decommission Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant—now! This makes good sense, as operating costs surely increase with an aging nuclear dinosaur, not forgetting the probability of a serious accident, as witnessed with the San Onofre plant. As a…
Nuclear waste isn’t an economic plus
So PG&E prodded business and community leaders for a speedier approval of relicensing by claiming there are economic advantages to a nuclear plant (“PG&E makes hard sell for Diablo Canyon renewal,” Tribune, June 29)? Did chief nuclear officer Halpin mention that there is no policy for the disposal of nuclear waste? Now that the myth…
The sounds of silence
I guess a few more of you will have to die off (“Yes, I’ve used the N-word,” July 4). With all due respect, I was living in Jim Crow Arkansas in the ’50s when white people did refer to us as nigger. It was not acceptable to us, and I must enlighten you that it…
Tell us how you really feel, August!
When I first read the compendium of illiterate claptrap New Times was passing off as the “winners” of 55 Fiction (July 4), I thought, aha, these clever folks are pulling a spoof to see if their readership is awake. Alas, I was in error. This unintelligible collection of mindless drivel actually were the winners. Unbelievable.…
They’re not getting paid enough
I read your article on the fieldworkers (“Fields of dreams?” June 27), and all I say is God bless them! I take the train to L.A. often and always see them in all the fields, picking the crops. What hard work—leaning over, sometimes in the heat. We must give them all so much credit for…
Thanks for the heartbreaking depth
Thoughtful, professional journalism educates and serves to help us understand complex issues. Praise goes to Jono Kinkade for his excellent writing and research in your paper, titled “Fields of dreams?” which appeared in your June 27-July 4 issue. I found the article heartbreaking and very sad. Among us are people who help the mainstream population,…
Radical changes cloud Pirates Cove’s future
Throughout the acquisition of Pirate’s Cove, the county has maintained a commitment to retaining the traditional public usage of the area, peppering legal documents with phrases such as “conserve for the public benefit the great natural scenic beauty and existing openness, natural condition and present state of use of said property … .” Now, some…
Show some respect
I found the timing of the Jerry James cartoon from the July 4 New Times to be unbelievably disrespectful to the Bakersfield residents who recently lost one of their family members during a boating accident that occurred in Morro Bay on June 23, no less than two weeks prior to the printing of this issue.…
Action, reaction
When I was 13, I had a season ticket to the Golden State Warriors at the Oakland Coliseum. It wasn’t that expensive back then, and I had paid for it with money from my paper route. Still, I deem that kid as privileged just for having had such a luxury. I went to the games…
Ramadan demystified
The Muslim fasting month of Ramadan began recently. The observation of not eating or drinking from sunrise to sunset is especially challenging when Ramadan falls during the hot summer months. As the mercury rises, so does the length of fast. This year, each of the 30 days of fasting is about 16 hours in duration,…
Die another dust
I found this flier affixed to a bathroom stall (aka alleyway where I passed out after a rough night of snorting Gobstoppers and kombucha shooters), and something about it spoke to me: Do you like money and think the pursuit of the almighty dollar should trump public health concerns? Think the gosh-durned guv’mint should stay…
Cougars & Mustangs
Not every college student has a particular vision of or inkling toward a specific major or career when they begin, but others do. Those of you who have: do you recall when you were first inspired toward your life calling? Perhaps you were drawn toward literature because of being read to every night as a…
Ants and Yogi Bear not invited
Summertime and the 805 Cali livin’ is easy. Yes, this is an amazing place we live in; there’s no denying that. Mountains for climbing; oceans for swimming; and a cornucopia of wineries and bistros for indulging. In these sweetly tepid evenings we often find ourselves gathered with friends at backyard barbecues and concerts at the…
FEMA yanks $2.7 million back from Atascadero
Citing conflicts of interest between the city of Atascadero and its former redevelopment agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) unexpectedly withdrew $2.7 million of temporary relocation funding from the city on July 5. The decision caught Atascadero officials flat-footed, as FEMA had repeatedly assured the city that its relocation and repair funds were secure.…
Save Atascadero files appeal in Walmart court case
On July 12, Save Atascadero—a coalition of local residents who’ve fought the move-in of the retail giant since 2006—appealed a San Luis Obispo Superior Court decision that had rejected their protests. According to city officials, the appeal—even if unsuccessful—will postpone any action on the planned development until the spring or summer of 2014, at the…
There’s a new push for Cayucos Pier maintenance following its partial closure
Officials from San Luis Obispo County Parks barricaded off the seaward half of the Cayucos Pier with a chain-link fence on July 5, citing massive deterioration to critical support structures. The closure is expected to remain a feature of the historic landmark, at least for the foreseeable future. In the meantime, local leaders have kicked…
SLO City Council wants input on Measure Y
What’s been described as the biggest boon to San Luis Obispo City coffers is set to sunset late next year, and the wheels are already in motion to get residents’ input on whether the sure-to-be debated renewal of Measure Y should be put up for a vote, or whether “alternative” revenue measures will be floated…
Citizens challenge Spanish Springs plan amendments
Opponents of a large Price Canyon housing development under consideration in Pismo Beach filed a petition on July 16 to undo a recent City Council step toward project approval. City officials confirmed the petition to stop Spanish Springs contained more than the 546 signatures needed to put the issue on the ballot—a number equaling one-tenth…
Former employee claims A.G. doggy daycare worked her like a dog
A former doggy daycare assistant filed a lawsuit on June 21 against Love Dogs Camp, demanding that the Arroyo Grande company pay as much as $142,000 in back wages and penalties. The worker’s civil complaint also makes several allegations about the management practices of the generally reputable canine care facility. Heather DeFehr, who reportedly worked…
SLO City is employing an old-school, temporary land-grab to keep the Los Osos Valley Road widening project flowing
The city of San Luis Obispo is dusting off an old tool rarely used these days: eminent domain. But the issue may not be as contentious as one might expect—yet, anyway. For one thing, such a large step was hardly even debated by an often-divided City Council. And another, the new property owner hadn’t contested…
