Cover Story
Judge for yourself
Watch Video An 82-year-old man allegedly snatched a six-month-old baby from her mother’s arms late in the evening of Feb. 2 and fled with the child in his car. The mother called 911, flagged someone down, and chased the man to his home. The police converged there, forced open the garage door, and found him…
How should police behave?
Bill Stokes banker “Professionally—well-trained, courteous—but they should certainly enforce the law.” Diego Alatorre jewelry store employee “They should be on high alert at all times.” Hannah Beim microbiologist “Politely.” Chris Trillas unemployed “More alert at night. There are a lot of drunk people walking around who shouldn’t be.”
Art After Dark
Baxter Moerman: 1118 Morro 305-8118. Featuring Elaine Hyde’s perfume bottles and silver luster glassware, gracefully incorporating blown glass and precious metals. baxtermoerman.com. elainehyde.com. Body Centered Therapy/Energy In Motion: 1023 Nipomo, Suite 50 (Soda Works Building) 305-5197. Jim Tyler’s pastel paintings offer intimate glimpses into the Central Coast. jimtylerfineart.com. Frame Works: 339 Marsh 542-9000. “All of…
Heavy lifting
Choreographer Suzy Miller is smart. I’m on the phone with her to talk about her show at SLO Little Theatre—Shimmy, Shake, Shine!—and after I tell her I plan to go to the pool this afternoon, instead of doing a phone interview she suggests we just meet at the pool. Crafty, this one. I’m about medium…
BP oil spill blues
Troy Knox moved from New York to Los Osos one year ago, and promptly began painting his own interpretation of local land and seascapes. When he assembles his dozens of multi-sized works in his studio—across the floor and walls, and propped against the furniture—he quickly runs out of space. Thus far, his hectic production pace…
Beeswax and brushes
Lynn Rathbun is not what you’d expect of a Cambrian recluse with a compulsion to paint. She’s worked as a goat farmer, nurseryman, illustrator, and biological technician at New England Regional Primate Center and National Zoo, attended secretarial school in London, and taken art classes at a junior college in Gainesville, Florida. All told, she’s…
Big map
Next to U.S. Highway 101 on Oak Park Boulevard, on a scruffy plot at the junction of Pismo Beach and Arroyo Grande, a self-taught artist is building a rambling topographical map of California, using mounds of colored sand for mountain peaks and cinderblocks to mark the state’s border. Though it’s more than 90 feet long,…
Moving mountains
From the top of a steep chaparral-covered mountain a couple of miles outside Santa Margarita, eye-level with a soaring vulture, you can see a procession of blue-green ridges stretching into the distance, scattered well-kept houses in the hills and valleys below, cars scurrying past along Highway 58. It’s a mountain made of granite, like the…
Everyone wants access to dunes committees
When it comes to the often contentious battle over off-roading at the Oceano Dunes, residents of the Nipomo Mesa and recreational riders rarely find common ground. On July 28, however, the two sides were able to agree on something: They want to be involved. The Air Pollution Control District Board of Directors at its July…
County picks new planning director
After a year-long search, San Luis Obispo County officials selected Jason Giffen of San Diego to be the new director of SLO County Planning and Building. Though Giffen had yet to officially accept the position as of press time due to pending contract negotiations, it seems likely he’ll begin work in mid-September. “I’m very excited…
SLO Task force examines fee increases and tax hikes
Raise every city fee. Install red light cameras. Raise parking rates. Allow advertising on city buildings. Sell off municipal property. Charge incoming Cal Poly students to take a mandatory city-sponsored citizenship class. Institute a city income tax. These were just a few of the ideas cooked up by members of the San Luis Obispo Sustainability…
Maldonado pays
Lt. Governor Abel Maldonado’s family business reluctantly paid a $111,146 tax lien to the Internal Revenue Service on July 26 to avoid further embarrassment for the Santa Maria Republican. In a statement penned by Maldonado’s brother Frank, president of Agro-Jal Farming Enterprises, he said Abel wanted to pay the lien after it was levied in…
County lawyers sue the county
Two employee unions sued San Luis Obispo County on July 14. The SLO Deputy County Counsel Association and the SLO Government Attorneys’ Union (which represents the district attorneys) claim the county has unilaterally increased their members’ pension contributions in violation of the terms of the county’s employee benefit plan. The lawsuit also contends the county’s…
Advisory council rejects solar project for Los Osos
On July 22, the Los Osos Community Advisory Council (LOCAC), a volunteer body that advises the SLO County Board of Supervisors, voted 8-1 to recommend against the Board’s approval of a solar project for the three campuses in Los Osos: Baywood Elementary, Monarch Grove Elementary, and Los Osos Middle School. The joint San Luis Coastal…
County hopes to protect mobile home parks
In an effort to preserve one of the few forms of affordable housing in San Luis Obispo County, county staffers will begin to craft a new zoning policy they hope will bring more mobile home parks to the area. On July 27, county supervisors approved a plan to create a mobile home park overlay zone,…
Eat well and thereby help the planet
A new vegan restaurant in Baywood Park, Be Love Café, serves fresh organic meals prepared with locally grown ingredients, and there are coffees, teas, smoothies, produce, art, and jewelry. There’s also free wireless Internet access. “We hold potlucks for the community to come together to share and celebrate conscious eating on the first Wednesday of…
The wonderful truth
Donna Lynn Caskey was born in east Virginia into a family of talented musicians. Can you imagine the freaking pressure?!? “The youngest of ten children in a family of music makers and music lovers, I mistakenly came to believe I would have to make do in the ‘music lover’ camp only,” she said. “My early…
Vote NO on Proposition 23
Californians must steel themselves against the Texas oil companies and other dirty energy sirens that have underwritten the campaign for Proposition 23. That measure, on November’s ballot, ostensibly would “suspend” AB 32, California’s landmark climate law, until unemployment drops below 5.6 percent for a full year. Because annual state unemployment has dropped to that level…
Nick Westbrook Co-owner, Designated Driver
NEW TIMES: How did Designated Driver get its start? WESTBROOK: DDI was founded by my partner, Sean Perryman, and me. DDI got its start in Fort Pierce, Florida in the late ‘90s so people could go out and have a great time but return home safely and responsibly. We also provide the service of getting…
Recurring nightmare
Why is it that whenever I wake up from a really good dream—where I’m, say, making out with a certain celebrity—I can never fall back into it, but when my brain is filling itself with nightmarish flashes, enough to snap me into consciousness in the middle of the night, I’m right back in the slumber…
Don’t change Social Security
Social Security belongs to the American people, who pay for it every day. More than 50 million Americans, including more than 9 million disabled Americans under 65 and 36 million retired workers, already count on benefits to make ends meet. If our representatives plan to cut it, voters need to know. Benefit cuts should be…
Vehicles spoil the dunes
During my first week in California, I was taken by its striking beauty, having had no idea the mountains, always looming in sight, would provide such a spiritual backdrop. We made our way up through southern California, entering through Yuma, Ariz. By chance we continued to drive north and settled somewhat comfortably in Nipomo, where…
Fencing will prevent railroad deaths
The City of San Luis Obispo has received several inquiries regarding fencing along the railroad tracks following the tragic loss of life that occurred near the Murray Street and Hathway Street intersection. Safety is the top concern of the city with respect to the railroad tracks. Over the years, the city has worked cooperatively with…
Home economics involve more than cooking
This is from the Energy Savvy website: The average home in the U.S. wastes about 30 percent more energy than an efficient one. The amount of energy wasted per year by 75,000 of those homes equals the energy content of the BP gulf oil spill. The current cost to clean up the gulf oil spill is…
Restrict development to conserve scarce water
Water has been an issue for as long as I can remember, stretching as for back as the mid 1970s. But it seems to make no difference to the land developers, the financial institutions, and the landowners. It breaks my heart to see so many strip malls and homes being built on top of the…
Take a closer look at illegal immigration
In April, seven Congress members from southwestern states demanded the president immediately increase Mexican border security, stating “violence continues increasing at a alarming rate.” Senator McCain echoed their tune, stating border violence “is the worst I have ever seen.” These statements contradict the facts. According to the U.S. Border Patrol, violent crime this side of…
Compost!
In June 2009, in San Francisco, a law was signed requiring all residences and businesses to compost their organic waste. Two thirds of all garbage tossed annually is stuff that could have been composted. And all that compost in the garbage does not break down as it would in a compost pile, but breaks down…
When is enough enough?
Summer is a word universally loved by people under the age of 18, who love the season of warm days filled with sun, water, freedom, and fun. It’s the time when a kid gets to be a kid and have a break from the hardships of school … or is it? Our schools have fallen…
Sunny Acres thanks the community
We’d like to thank our SLO County Board of Supervisors and the Planning Department for accepting building plans for our new 14-bedroom ranch house at Sunny Acres. Currently, we are in the plan check stage. We’d also like to thank attorneys Jeff Stulberg, Cynthia Hawley, Neil Tardiff, Jacqueline Frederick, and John Belsher, who gave generously…
Clubs
Goin’ South … BRANCH ST. DELI: 203 E. Branch St., Arroyo Grande, 489-9099. Live music on the patio at 5:30pm. 7/30: Usual Suspects. CAFÉ ANDREINI: 131 E. Branch St., Arroyo Grande, 481-6117. Thurs.: Live music at 6pm. COFFEE BEAN AND TEA LEAF: 750 Five Cities Dr., Pismo Beach, 773-6420. Music Night every Sat., 6:30-8:30pm. DOLPHIN…
Chateau Ste. Michele 2008 Eroica Columbia Valley
I loved this delightful Riesling at first sip. It’s a refreshing white with great balance between the slightly sweet pear and nectarine flavors and zingy lime notes. Made in collaboration with Germany’s Dr. Loosen, it could easily fool you into thinking it is from Germany, not Washington State. It’s totally enjoyable alone, or with main…
Sinor-LaVallee 2007 Pinot Noir Anniversary Cuvee
This deep, layered Pinot is ripe, rich, full-bodied, and perfectly balanced. An array of blackberries, earthy plums, and exotic spice aromas and flavors made it a standout for me. Made in celebration of winemaker Mike Sinor and his wife Cheri LaVallee’s 1996 marriage in Burgundy, it’s great for your any celebration. Quite wonderful on…
It’s not the usual Irish pub
Stopping for dinner at the new Kilt in San Luis Obispo, I wasn’t surprised to find the eclectic menu offered many excellent choices. Most people think of the Kilt as an Irish pub, and the imported Irish décor makes it seem genuine. But owners and cousins Troy Larkin and Donovan Schmit want to get the…
