Cover Story
Freedom
There is something tremendously powerful about the concept of “free.” Economists have marveled that people will spend more than an item is worth—in time, effort, or indirect costs—to be able to claim that they got it for nothing. Kids will whine for expensive cereal with “free prizes” inside. Seniors will send their lifelong savings to…
Furlough Fridays
On a warm Thursday afternoon, Julia Dyer sipped soda from a Styrofoam cup while she sat on a bench outside the High Street Market & Deli in SLO. It was just her lunch break, not one of the mandatory “furlough” days off. Actually, Dyer is saving her forced days off for a trip to visit…
A blooming controversy
If a person listened closely to the hum of rumors circulating around the streets of downtown SLO, craning to hear whispers between the creaking of giant trees and the murmur of traffic, they might have heard the one about how the city’s downtown “forest” is due to be clear-cut. If they listened particularly closely, they…
Correction
Regarding the cover story “Little Brother is growing up” (June 18) San Jose does not have red light cameras although city council members debated whether they should be installed.
DeVaul strikes back
Dan DeVaul, the owner of a makeshift rehab facility just outside the city of San Luis Obispo, is headed back to court, this time to fight the county over the use of his land. The premise of his civil suit, filed June 17, is that the county violated its own policy as well as…
Montaña de Oro won’t be free much longer
With worries that doing nothing could allow the state to shut down Montaña de Oro State Park, SLO County supervisors voted unanimously to charge an entrance fee. The details are still slim, but a day at the park near Los Osos—which was previously free—will soon likely cost $5 to $6. Yearly passes will probably run…
County set to decide on Wilcox
Embattled Deputy County Administrator Gail Wilcox’s status with the county will likely be resolved one way or another on July 14, when SLO County supervisors meet to discuss her situation in closed session, according to County Counsel Warren Jensen. In other words, Wilcox, who continues to collect paychecks without coming to work, and potentially could…
Mobile-home owners oppose bill
State lawmakers have rejected but not necessarily killed an Assembly bill that mobile-home owners say could boost their rents and make it difficult to sell their homes. AB 761 garnered just three votes fewer than it needed, but its supporter, Assemblyman Charles Calderon, a Montebello Democrat, told reporters some backers were absent and he believes…
Supes flip on mosquito vote
SLO County supervisors voted against the same mosquito and vector control program they’d handed off to voters just a few months earlier. On April 7, county supervisors gave environmental health officials $280,000 to hire a consultant and put a ballot measure to voters that would drastically expand existing control programs, if approved. On June 23,…
Full of pride
Central Coast PRIDE 2009 Events July 3—PRIDE Art Reception (Part of Art After Dark) at the new GALA Center, 1060 Palm Street in San Luis Obispo from 6–9 p.m. All ages, free admission, donations welcomed. Artwork may be purchased. Refreshments will be served. July 4—Beach Barbecue at Pismo State Beach, west end of Grand, Grover…
Is there still a war in Iraq?
Nick Moss student “Of course there’s a war going on in Iraq and don’t you forget it!” Melanie Fulks homemaker “Well, right now what’s going on in Iran is more newsworthy with all the uproar over the elections. So I think that may be more on people’s minds right now, but there’s definitely still a…
Sundays shine in Grover Beach
New Times Who are you, Nora? Nora O’Donnell I am the recreation coordinator for Grover Beach Parks and Recreation—an event coordinator for the city of Grover Beach. I coordinate and create special events and make sure they happen. New Times What are you excited about that’s happening this summer? O’Donnell The Concert Series and the…
Lose yourself in the music
Almost everyone has had the enviable pleasure of being moved during a live musical performance. Certain music and musical styles simply possess ingredients that stick to your ribs. Drama. Delivery. Style. Soul. The California International Choral Festival and Competition has all of those elements and more, a biennial event taking place over three days starting…
Shear excitement
No-holds-barred Ultimate Fighting has nothing on the slam-bang, thrill-a-minute, live-on-the-razor’s-edge, laugh-in-the-face-of-death world of competitive hairstyling! With club music thumping, SLO’s own glitterati gathered around Native Lounge’s runway, bubbling in anticipation. A guy with neck tattoos and a pork-pie hat chatted up a preening girl hopped-up on Cosmos. A gaggle of young women, each with successively…
Tiffin delivers Indian food
Tiffin, a new Indian food delivery service based in San Luis Obispo, gets its name from the traditional lunch system in the city of Mumbai. Tiffin refers to lunch or midday meals that come in small containers. Tiffin wallahs in India make the food in their home and deliver it, often by bicycle, to businesses…
Mer Soleil 2007 Chardonnay Santa Lucia Highlands
This rich, pretty white, tasted blind among eight Monterey County Chardonnays, was my favorite. While I admittedly favor Chards that are naked (sans oak aging), I loved this elegant wine. It’s a white for special occasions, undoubtedly, at $42 retail but well worth the splurge. Enjoy this with lobster, crab with drawn butter, or sand…
Remove, under God, from the Pledge of Allegiance
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic, for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” Every single morning of their compulsory school life, students have uttered this simple pledge without realizing just how contradictory the words really are. We…
State should raise money by divesting public property
When you or I can’t pay our bills, we get to sell our assets before the bank comes and takes them away. This may include our home. It doesn’t matter whether the real-estate market is up or down or if we want to sell or not. The State of California has gotten itself into a…
Health first, not profit
The only decent thing to do with health care is do what is best for the people; create a public option that mirrors Medicare to work alongside the private insurance options. Nothing less is acceptable and anyone who opposes a public plan cares nothing for the well-being of the American people. A Medicare-like public option…
Health care should be public
I am writing to express how strongly I feel about reforming health care. A public option, available to anyone who chooses, is the only plan that will provide real change. This option must be available nationwide. If divided into regions or states all bargaining clout will be forfeited. We waited on climate change and now…
Regarding the shooting in the Holocaust Memorial Museum
I have no wish to take anything away from security guards, police officers, and others who protect us. They are our first line of defense, putting their lives on the line while often receiving minimal pay. But I wonder how a man can walk into a national museum in our nation’s capital carrying a loaded…
Paso Robles fireworks waste money
Tucked somewhere within our 46 chromosomes and 25,000 genes is a very sturdy mutation that selects for stupidity. The exact location has not yet been determined, but Chromosome 6 and 13 are sites of interest. Over the centuries, this genetic mutation has replicated itself with remarkable fecundity, coming to full expression in the enactment of…
See the grand jury report
Thank your for reporting on the grand jury’s investigation of the county planning department’s seriously flawed report on the proposed sale of county land in the Oceano Dunes; a report that pretended inconvenient coastal policies barring the use of vehicles on that land do not exist (“Deception or bumble?,” June 18). The grand jury didn’t…
Don’t buy Janssen’s explanation
Concerning the SLO County planning department’s deception in deliberately changing the approval policy documents to indicate the opposite of their intent (“Deception or bumble?” June 18), I award Mr. Janssen and the planning department “The dog ate my homework” prize for water-boarding the public intelligence by infantile insult. They obviously lost the pertinent map and…
Tree replacement would be selective
I was disappointed to read Allan Cooper’s recent letter to the editor (“Save our beautiful downtown trees,” June 18) in which he strenuously objected to my October 2008 presentation to the Architectural Review Commission and the “SLO Chamber’s desire to remove our downtown street trees.” I was disappointed because even though Allan wasn’t at…
Keep the clinic open
I am distressed that the San Luis Obispo County Breastfeeding Clinic and 541-BABY Warm Line are going to be shut down. It will be a great loss to our community if the clinic is not kept open. I made a middle-of-the-night call to the Warm Line when feeding my newborn wasn’t going well. The next…
Jeremy Rose, beekeeper
New Times: What is the purpose of beekeeping? Rose: There are two general purposes. The first is to provide pollination services to farmers, usually almond farmers; the second is to make honey. Beekeepers will sell it in bulk to honey packers, or at a local scale. New Times: Apparently, bees in the United States are…
A need for slapping
When people talk about a “vector control district,” I automatically picture myself caught in an elevator near a Trekkie convention next to some chinless man-child shouting into his flipped-open cell phone: “This is Vector Control to Sector Seven, Vector Control to Sector Seven. Come in Sector Seven!” Nerd gatherings would be a better use of…
The eclectic café
Wouldn’t it be fun to open a café? Some people would make it a temple to vegetarianism, while others would make it a wine bar, an Italian trattoria, or a gourmet burger joint. Of course, you could simply create an eclectic menu that features all your favorite foods: Mexican, Spanish, Cajun, American, and Italian. While…
Knight Flight takes off
Everybody in SLO County knows extraordinary singer-songwriter Jill Knight, which is why songwriter and concert promoter Steve Key decided to tap her to host a new six-date concert series featuring top-notch touring singer-songwriters. Called “Knight Flight,” the new series is inspired by Santa Barbara’s “Sings Like Hell” and Santa Ynez’ “Tales from the Tavern.” “The…
