Cover Story
No peace in the Valley
Highway 58 winds east from Santa Margarita, whipping past wild blue lupines, various scrub brush, and lush valley oaks on the way to Bakersfield. Before that, though, it has to pass through a long series of hills and curves, California Valley, and the Carrizo Plains National Monument. It’s the kind of drive that makes you…
On the bus for universal health insurance
A New Orleans-style jazz funeral can be pretty inspirational, considering the circumstances, but can it actually save lives? Health Care for All-California, a nonprofit organization promoting universal health insurance in California, is counting on it. More than 5,000 of its members will congregate in San Francisco on June 19 to demonstrate in opposition of a…
Weird is good
The ’80s were weird. Punk was morphing into New Wave, classic rock and disco were dead, metal hair bands were on the rise, everyone was doing drugs and sporting bad haircuts, and everybody wanted to have sex real, real bad, but free love was a memory in the wake of first herpes and later AIDs.…
The accidental author
For fans of the Beach Boys, and 1970s rock in general, Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson’s solo album Pacific Ocean Blue is something of a holy grail for record collecting. The 1977 record, though fairly well received at the time of its release, quickly went out of print and was never re-released … until now:…
Sex contains all
New Times spoke with Mark Alan Smith, emcee and founder of the Glamour Boyz, who will be hosting a drag show at Downtown Brew from 7 to 9 p.m. on July 3, in honor of Central Coast Pride 2008. NEW TIMES How did you get started in show biz? SMITH I started back in 1979.…
They have us over a barrel
OptiSolar wants it all on the Carrisa Plains. Not only do they want to devastate an area that has one of the highest concentrations of special status species in California, they want to walk all over its human residents, too. Mike Strobridge (“Caught in the path of progress,” June 12) left out some important facts…
Say it isn’t so
It breaks my heart to hear Mr. Denneen say he is giving up.
We should keep vehicles off the beaches
Thank you for this long over-due commentary (“Damage in the dunes,” June 12). I am also writing to the California Coastal Commission to plea for vehicle-free beaches. There is no excuse to ruin the dunes and the beach with noise and pollution and endangering animals, so thank you, thank you. I don’t seem to be…
Keep your chin up, Bill Denneen
I feel so much safer now that the Off-Highway Vehicle law enforcers gave elder Bill Denneen a citation for walking his “tour” of kids in a preserve in order to protect from vehicles and “preserve” their safety (“Damage in the dunes,” June 12). I feel so much safer knowing that the OHSVRA cops are on…
Invest in our infrastructure
The price of gasoline just happens to double during the last year in office of one of the worst presidents. I am amazed to see the cost of food, health care, energy, and everything else we need to survive has gone through the roof during this administration. † Do not fret, though. Food and energy…
Consider that God doesn’t make mistakes
Human beings have a strong need to be “better than” or superior to others. This tendency is driven by the ego and helps make an individual feel better about him or her self. Often humans group together, in clubs, religious organizations, political parties, and even entire nations. Then the motivation often is a collective “we…
Give Obama a chance
Words do count. Occasionally a speech can affect the course of history. One is reminded of the speech made by the unknown and obscure mayor of Minneapolis, Hubert Humphrey to the 1948 Democratic Convention, wherein he called for the end of segregation in the South, calling it unconscionable and evil. His speech caused the walk…
The court granted equality
True to form, Otis Page indulges his two favorite obsessions—sex and homosexuals (“Citizens should work to protect marriage, June 5). He says that the recent California Supreme Court action overturning Proposition 22 is discrimination against religious people. †What a laugh that is! What has the most heinous history of discrimination, human misery, outright repression, and…
Buy Shredder a dictionary
I didn’t realize Christine Mulholland was old enough to be an ancestor(“When I think about me … ,” June 12)!† She’s a descendant of William Mulholland. He’s her ancestor. She’s only an ancestor if she has great-grandchildren. Check your dictionary next time.
Clean up your fruit, or eat it
I was walking down Branch Street in San Luis Obispo the other day and passed a house that had an apricot tree with overarching branches loaded with fruit growing in the front lawn. †The tree had dropped many apricots on the sidewalk and I had to step carefully not to soil my shoes on the…
Support the Atascadero Shield Initiative
The Atascadero Shield Initiative (ASI), sponsored by Oppose Wal-Mart (OWM), has met the required number of valid signatures and is ready to be presented to the City Council, June 24, for certification. The Council has three options: to adopt the initiative as an ordinance without alteration; to submit the ordinance without alteration, to the voters…
Keep my brother’s dream alive
Thank you for informing the public that if plans for electric generating projects are approved, my brother’s property will be surrounded by miles of solar panels and mirrors (“Caught in the path of progress,” June 12). This property and home has been my brother’s dream his entire life, and for money-hungry companies to destroy his…
The Cass House – a very special place
Central Coast wine regions are attracting top notch chefs who want to be part of this blossoming wine community, as I was reminded by an extraordinary experience in the newest fine dining establishment to open on the Central Coast. I enjoyed an impressive meal with my husband Dan at the stately Cass House in Cayucos,…
Longoria Rose June’s Cuvee
This pretty, cranberry-hued pink is lovely as an aperitif. A blend of Syrah and Grenache, it offers crisp and tangy aromas and flavors of raspberry, strawberry and melon with a silky texture. Completely dry, it’s wonderful with summertime dishes cooked on the grill, from veggies to chicken, shrimp or sausage. Made by owner Rick Longoria,…
Suzanne Maisner, founder of Coffee House Activists
New Times: Could you please describe Coffee House Activists? Suzanne Maisner: It’s a non-partisan group designed for citizens to come together on legislation to help create change. It’s a place where people can learn about hot legislation issues for 10 to 15 minutes, and write letters on legislation they care about to local and national…
Let’s cool it
California State Senator-Elect Fran Pavley will be in SLO at Rancho El Chorro on Saturday, June 21, to speak about climate protection at the Sierra Club California annual convention. Senator Pavley is the author of Assembly Bill 32, California’s Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, the first law in the United States to put an…
Fast facts
The San Luis Obispo Downtown Criterium Classic and Cycling Festival will take place Sunday, July 20, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Criterium Cycling Race will feature professional and amateur racers who will compete in a challenging short circuit course. Following the races, a downtown festival will be held, which will include live music,…
Surf’s up
Summer is just around the corner and there is no better way to celebrate than hitting the beaches. This year, a leap year, summer solstice—the longest day of the year—will occur on Friday, June 20 (not June 21) for the northern hemisphere. And it is the International Surfing Day tradition to choose summer solstice as…
What are you doing to preserve the environment?
Jasy Witsch psychology student “You mean besides recycling? I walk a lot and take the bus – no car usage.” Sunny Sojka microbiology assistant “I try to limit my use of water and electricity, I drive a hybrid car, my boyfriend and I plant native plants, I recycle, and I don’t use plastic or Styrofoam…
Correction
The June 12 cover story “Secrets of Recycling” neglected to put an apostrophe in the title of the defunct TV show Diff’rent Strokes. Worse, the theme song lyrics quoted were actually from The Facts of Life.
SLO County supervisors approve purchase of Dana Adobe land
Early this month, the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the allocation of $1.7 million to buy 100 acres of land near the Dana Adobe in Nipomo. The funds will be added to the $1 million previously set aside by the county to purchase the land and preserve it as open space…
Grand Jury: Shelter inquiry blocked
The SLO Grand Jury is officially “frustrated” with the County Board of Supervisors and the County Administrator’s office, after being banned from attending three meetings relevant to an Animal Services investigation initiated by the Jury in November of 2007. According to an official report released on June 17 of this year, the jury was unable…
Fire drill
While the Indians Fire continues to burn out of control in Monterey County, air quality control officials are warning residents in SLO to be mindful of smoke and ash in the air. Dry, dusty winds and drought conditions have fueled the fire, which has burned about 33 acres in the Ventana Wilderness portion of Los…
Sorry, seniors
Ride-On, the countywide shuttle service that offers low-cost rides for seniors, announced that it will have to increase senior fares by $2 for round trips. The fares will go from $2 per one-way ride to $3 per one-way ride starting July 1, according to Ride-On Director Mark Schaffer, who said that the increase was directly…
Capps blasts Bush on offshore drilling
A new push by President George W. Bush to open up additional oil drilling off U.S. coastlines will “jeopardize California’s economy and environment,” according to U.S. Rep. Lois Capps, a Santa Barbara Democrat. Citing high gas prices, Bush said on June 18 that a federal ban is outdated and called for the entire Continental Shelf…
Toke on down!
No joke: In a new video, comedian Drew Carey is drawing attention to the case of Charles Lynch, the former owner of the Morro Bay medical marijuana dispensary, who faces federal drug charges in a trial expected for July. Carey, the host of The Price is Right takes a critical look at the shutdown…
Council hopping over cop pay hike
SLO City’s Council members Christine Mulholland and Paul Brown are not natural ideological soulmates; they vote at odds with each other on most controversial topics. Yet they’re united in outrage over a settlement that will grant SLO City’s roughly 45 police officers immediate lump-sum windfalls of about $50,000 each, along with ongoing raises to 2009…
They do!
They met on a blind date in Alaska a dozen years ago, and it was love at first sight. As they tell it, theirs has since been an epic, storybook romance. So on Tuesday, June 17, they went to the SLO County Government Center, got a marriage license, and, walking just 20 yards away, met…
Like oil and water, together at last
I never thought I’d live to see the day. Not because heart disease or skin cancer or a rabid mountain lion would get me first, but because I never thought it would happen. Not really. Such a union just doesn’t seem natural. There’s something odd and unsettling about it. And I think that the Bible even…
