Cover Story
Uninterrupted: As most of the economy stalls, construction and development on the Central Coast carry on
When COVID-19 struck, Coastal Community Builders had just sent out a newsletter to thousands of prospective homebuyers. After years of planning, the Pismo Beach-based development company had finally broken ground on San Luis Ranch, a 580-home community on the former Dalidio Ranch in San Luis Obispo. A March project newsletter gave an optimistic progress report…
Santa Maria passes budget to allow faster reopening of pool, library
Chants from a rally outside of Santa Maria City Hall filtered through the livestream of the June 16 City Council meeting discussing the proposed 2020-22 budget. Organized by the Santa Maria Youth Abolitionists, the protest called for defunding the Santa Maria Police Department “as we work as a community towards the end of policing,” according…
Central Coast senior care facilities report COVID-19 outbreaks
Two senior living facilities on the Central Coast are reporting internal COVID-19 outbreaks, one of which has led to at least five related deaths so far. At Vista Rosa Living, an assisted living facility for seniors in San Luis Obispo, visitations from outsiders have been significantly limited since late December 2019 due to early COVID-19…
Santa Barbara County grand jury raises concerns over emergency alert communications
The Santa Barbara County Grand Jury recently released a report recommending changes to county communications with residents during public safety power shutoffs and other emergencies. During a public safety power shutoff, a utility provider, such as Pacific Gas and Electric, turns off power lines to prevent them from sparking a fire during certain conditions. Potentially…
SLO Democrats want local officials to make face masks mandatory
The San Luis Obispo County Democratic Party adopted a resolution on June 8 urging the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors and local city councils to require face masks in both indoor and outdoor public spaces when physical distancing measures are difficult to attain. In a press release, SLO Democratic Party Chair Rita Casaverde…
Santa Barbara County takes first step toward tackling its racial inequities
As protests continue throughout the country in the wake of George Floyd’s death, Santa Barbara County officials took the first step of coming to grips with the racial inequities that exist locally. The county Board of Supervisors held a hearing on June 11, during which numerous residents spoke about racism they’ve faced or experienced while…
Paso Robles manhunt ends with dead suspect and wounded officers
On June 11, the Paso Robles Police Department, the SLO County Sheriff’s Office, surrounding law enforcement agencies, the FBI, and regional SWAT team members ended the manhunt for Mason James Lira, 26. He was accused of opening fire at the Paso Robles Police Department, shooting an officer in the head, injuring three other law enforcement…
Get outdoors
In typical Latino culture, daughters are taught how to clean and cook to keep their men happy. Not me; I was raised by a single mom who worked two jobs and cleaned houses on the weekends. I was shown the miracles of what Fabuloso could do in a bathroom and how Vicks VapoRub could cure…
Housing density isn’t the problem
I’m amazed, and sometimes amused, at the many creative reasons people give for wanting to stop housing development. Now they’ve latched onto COVID-19. Because New York City has high-density housing and high rates of COVID-19, they argue that building more housing will lead to the proliferation of diseases, higher infection rates, and more deaths. They…
You can still register to vote
NPR reports that “almost every place where Americans usually register to vote has been out of reach since March, and it’s led to a big drop in new registrations right before a presidential election that was expected to see record turnout.” The League of Women Voters reminds everyone that it is still possible for all…
Standing for black lives
June 9 was a day of mourning in this country. The family and loved ones of George Floyd laid their beloved son, brother, father, and friend to rest. I have asked that all of the flags in the city be flown at half-staff to honor his life. A life that was ended too soon at…
Cyber ninja fu two!
John “Pitmaster” Hackleman, owner of The Pit in Arroyo Grande, almost made it a full year before stepping in a pile of his own BS again. Last year, he was attacked online for what some commenters saw as a promotion of domestic violence (“Cyber ninja fu!” Sept. 19, 2019). The problem wasn’t so much his…
Snowy plovers are nesting in Oceano Dunes riding areas amid COVID-19 closures, leading to concerns about reopening
When California State Parks announced plans to temporarily close the Oceano Dunes to vehicles on March 26, the decision—an effort to reduce crowds at the park amid the coronavirus pandemic—was applauded by SLO County residents who saw it as a near once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. For some, the closure is a convenient time to test the theory…
After closing due to the pandemic, Bruce Munro’s Field of Light at Sensorio reopens in Paso Robles on June 12
See the light! You can experience Bruce Munro’s Field of Light at Sensorio beginning Friday, June 12, 2020, through Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021, located at Sensorio, 4380 Highway 46 East, Paso Robles. Visit sensoriopaso.com or call (805) 226-4287 for ticket information. Tickets ($30 to $40 adults; $9.50 to $19 kids 12 and under; $79 VIP…
Art Central seeks artists to participate in new group show, While We Sheltered
Art Central in SLO is currently accepting art submissions for its latest exhibition, While We Sheltered. The gallery reopened on June 1, with an occupancy limited to five customers at a time, and the new group show is scheduled to run through July 31. While We Sheltered is the gallery’s first non-virtual exhibit since its…
Gunmen at Arroyo Grande protest spark controversy and police investigation
Hundreds of thousands of Americans spent the last two weeks protesting police brutality and racism in response to the death of Minneapolis resident George Floyd. SLO County protesters have been met with everything from tear gas and boarded-up businesses to solidarity and support. In Arroyo Grande, protesters faced something else: gunmen. As a few hundred…
Great American Melodrama announces summer updates
While the Great American Melodrama in Oceano remains closed, the theater hopes to reopen in early July, according to a recent update on its website, although no specific date has been announced. The Melodrama’s original summer season was set to include Butch Cassidy and the Sunburnt Kid and The Perils of Pismo Pig and Other…
Morro Bay votes to help downtown businesses
Restaurants are barely surviving in Morro Bay, Mayor John Headding said during the June 9 City Council meeting. “This is an economic crisis for businesses. The majority that I’ve talked to were down more than 60 percent with regard to revenues, compared to the same time last year, and need to get up and running…
The Lovebirds is breezy screwball comedy fun
THE LOVEBIRDS What’s it rated? R What’s it worth, Anna? Matinee What’s it worth, Glen? Matinee Where’s it showing? Netflix Michael Showalter (Hello, My Name is Doris; The Big Sick) directs this crime comedy about Leilani (Issa Rae) and Jibran (Kumail Nanjiani), a couple whose relationship has seemed to run its course. On the way…
Protests lead to debate over SLO Sheriff’s Office budget
While the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors convened on June 8 to discuss a 2020-21 budget deficit that’s projected to be worse than the last recession, protesters stood outside the board chambers to call for reductions to the Sheriff’s Office budget, and law enforcement supporters flooded the meeting’s public comment phone line to…
Space Force
What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2020 Where’s it showing? Netflix Greg Daniels teams up with the Steve Carell to bring us the off-the-wall comedy these dark times badly need. Gen. Mark R. Naird (Carrell) has been working for this his whole life, and he’s finally going to run a branch of the armed forces. Unfortunately,…
Paso Robles shelters in place after active-shooter incident
At 7 a.m. on June 10, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office posted an urgent message on Twitter about an active shooter in downtown Paso Robles. “The Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone in the Paso Robles downtown area to shelter in place at this time. This is an active situation,” the post read. The…
ZeroZeroZero
What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2019 Where’s it showing? Amazon Prime The Italian grading system for flour goes 2, 1, 0, 00—depending on how refined it is—and 000 is slang for pure cocaine, which an Italian mafia family has ordered from some Mexican narcos who are shipping it through an American freight company. The series…
SLO County groups aid the undocumented community during the public health crisis
Undocumented hospitality workers, landscapers, and farmworkers now have a network to turn to for support in dealing with the financial fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Joel Diringer, a longtime immigrant and health advocate. He’s the spokesperson for SLO County UndocuSupport, which provides relief to San Luis Obispo County immigrants and their families, many…
As SLO county opens back up, it’s time to support our small local food and drink establishments
Eat out Tolosa winery, located in Edna Valley on 4910 Edna Road, SLO, reopened to the public with the strictest guidelines in place for employees and guests. Tolosa will be open weekends with reserved seating outdoors on the terrace at 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 4 p.m. (until further notice). Guests can enjoy wines by…
The Central Coast Aquarium is working diligently on a plan to reopen its facility
The Central Coast Aquarium (CCA) underwent a temporary system shutdown on April 16 as a direct result of the coronavirus. But it doesn’t mean the Central Coast Aquarium is dissolving, as the nonprofit has every intention of reopening. The former executive director of the facility, Christine Johnson, said in a statement that the decision was…
Live Oak lives on … virtually
This would normally be the time my wife and I would start planning for this year’s Live Oak Music Festival, which was scheduled for Friday, June 19, through Sunday, June 21, out at El Chorro Regional Park. Of course, thanks to the global pandemic, the event was canceled this year … sort of. “Die-hard Oakies,…
