Cover Story
Local craft: Artisans in SLO County are creating functional art for your gifting pleasure
Art doesn’t need to hang on your wall, just like the gifts you give this year don’t need to suck. You can buy presents from local artisans that the special someones in your life can do more than look at— those one-of-a-kind gifts that an artist painstakingly sewed, stamped, or painted just for your friend…
San Luis Obispo County’s bicycle obsession
San Luis Obispo County’s Board of Supervisors and its seven city councils have an overwhelming obsession for bicyclists. The multi-million-dollar cost of creating bike lanes on Price Canyon Road, 75-plus miles of bike paths, and the many bike rallies are evidence of this. These cost the taxpayers money for police and safety concerns. All of…
Gallery At Marina Square holds new group show
An opening reception for Coastal Colors, a group show featuring painters, photographers, and mixed media artists, takes place Dec. 14 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Gallery At Marina Square in Morro Bay. The exhibit showcases works depicting coastal wildlife, seaside beaches, parks, sanctuaries, and more. The 18 featured artists of Coastal Colors are Spanky…
ICE arrested 20-year-old DACA ‘dreamer’ outside of SLO County Jail, family claims
It happened just after midnight in late October. A 20-year-old man, an undocumented immigrant who’d came to the United States with his mother when he was a few months old, had just been released after spending three months in SLO County Jail on misdemeanor charges. He stepped outside the doors and began to walk toward…
Racano got who should apologize to whom wrong
It is Mr. Racano (“Deja poo,” Nov. 29) that should apologize to Ms. Stedjee and the hundreds of grassroots people who have worked hard, spent precious time and money to bring a rational replacement for the absurdly expensive and illogical proposed sewer treatment plant that will drive residents from their homes. Ms. Stedjee’s opinion took…
Cambria Center for the Arts Theatre presents Holiday Dinnertainment
Holiday Dinnertainment, an original play by Erik Stein, shows at the Cambria Center for the Arts Theatre through Dec. 23, with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and on Sundays at 2 p.m. This comedy features original music by Stein and tells the story of a dinner theatre group rehearsing its annual holiday…
Fatal accident spurs study of potential closure of El Campo Road intersection
The recent death of a Cal Poly freshman at the El Campo Road intersection on Highway 101, spurred community members to call for urgent short-term and long-term solutions to the hazardous road. At the Dec. 5 San Luis Obispo Council of Governments (SLOCOG) meeting in the Board of Supervisors chambers, the council approved a $30,000…
The 45th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act
From generations of science and research, the United States has shaped meaningful public policy, and this month I am excited to recognize the 45th anniversary of the United States Endangered Species Act. On Dec. 27, 1973, President Richard Nixon signed the act into law to protect and revive critical animal and plant species from extinction,…
Balancing out: Find a little peace amid the chaos along the Pacific Ocean
The commercial fishing boat that’s stuck between the rocks in Cayucos used to have a pirate’s flag on the mast and a skull with crossbones tagged above the helm. Since July 2017, it’s slowly succumbed to the waves that batter it on a daily basis. A year and a half ago, it was a bit…
Why the armory is a bad idea for a shelter
Correction: This commentary was corrected to note that the editorial it’s responding to was a piece in the Tribune. A recent editorial in the San Luis Obispo Tribune castigated the Atascadero City Council for declining to request that the National Guard Armory located adjacent to downtown Atascadero be used as a warming shelter this winter…
Twelve days of Cheesemas!
If given the choice, I will always choose savory over sweet. For this reason, I’ve been way more into Thanksgiving or Hanukkah food (bacon-fat smothered Brussels sprouts, fried latkas with sour cream, buttery herb-rubbed turkey swimming in gravy, spreads of salty salami and duck pate, etc.) than Christmas food, which always falls a little flat…
Fingerstyle guitarist Tommy Emmanuel will light up the Fremont Theater Dec. 13
By the time you read this, Tommy Emmanuel’s Fremont Theater show next Thursday, Dec. 13, may already be sold out (7:30 p.m.; all ages; $44 and $58 at fremontslo.com). It was pretty close as of Dec. 4. If you do score some of the last remaining tickets, you’ll be treated to one of the finest…
Bi-partisan character
Good news everyone! The wheels of bureaucracy may turn slowly, but eventually they get somewhere, even if that somewhere is only a pilot program. I’m not sure about you all, but the fact that San Luis Obispo County’s divided Board of Supervisors can unanimously—well, 4th District supervisor Lynn Compton wasn’t there, but I’ll count my…
County supervisors approve $2 million affordable housing plan
San Luis Obispo County supervisors have agreed in principle on a pilot program that will generate millions of dollars in additional funds for affordable housing, squelching a years-long board stalemate on its stagnant housing policies. The three-year plan involves a mix of new fees, possible taxes, and county contributions that will total $2 million to…
Sound off
New Times readers took to Facebook to share their thoughts on our Nov. 29 news story, “Atascadero denies warming shelter at Armory.”
Grover ‘on track’ to meet cannabis tax revenue projections
Cash from the city of Grover Beach’s commercial cannabis businesses is just beginning to roll in, and city officials appear to be satisfied with the initial returns on the city’s newest industry. According to a recent financial report to the City Council, Grover Beach took in $120,000 in tax revenue from three cannabis businesses operating…
‘Instant Family’ is an inspiring look at the triumphs and travails of adoption
INSTANT FAMILY What’s it rated? PG-13 What’s it worth, Anna? Full priceWhat’s it worth, Glen? Full price Where’s it showing? Downtown Centre, Galaxy, Park, Stadium 10, Sunset Drive-In Co-writer and director Sean Anders (Horrible Bosses 2, Daddy’s Home) helms this story about Pete (Mark Wahlberg) and Ellie (Rose Byrne), who adopt three children, sending their…
SLO grapples with proposed six-story downtown development
After a bowling alley, concert venue, and restaurant/bar fell through for the vacant corner of Chorro and Marsh streets in downtown San Luis Obispo, owner Jamestown Premier SLO Retail now has something different in mind—and it’s tall. Developers are eyeing a 75-foot, six-story project at 1144 Chorro St. to host ground-floor retail, two stories of…
Underrated: Mandy
When? 2018 What’s it rated? R Where’s it available? Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play It’s not easy to describe Mandy, probably because it’s so many things all wrapped into one. I can say that, as with most movies that tout Nicolas Cage as a leading actor, it’s both visually and thematically … perplexing. But this…
County gets $3 million loan for stormwater project in Oceano
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is lending San Luis Obispo County money to help build a stormwater system in Oceano and prevent flooding on Highway 1. The $3 million loan will go toward installing a drainage system at the corner of Highway 1 and 13th Street. In an email to New Times, SLO County Public…
Film Listings, 12/6/18 – 12/13/18
Editor’s note: Listings for Fair Oaks Theater were not available by press time. Please call (805) 489-2364 for shows and times. AT ETERNITY’S GATE What’s it rated? PG-13 Where’s it showing? Galaxy New Julian Schnabel (Basquiat, Before Night Falls, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) directs this biopic chronicling Vincent Van Gogh (Willem Defoe) during…
As SLO County continues to amend land use ordinance, residents raise concerns over their cannabis-growing neighbors
As SLO County continues to work on its cannabis regulations, North and South County residents voice their concerns over cannabis cultivation in their backyards. At a Nov. 29 SLO County Planning Commission meeting, commissioners discussed a request for a conditional use permit to establish 1 acre of outdoor cannabis cultivation on a property in Paso…
Rock the Vine on Dec. 9 isn’t your textbook wine event
Rock the Vine SLO Brew The Rock is located at 855 Aerovista Place, off of Broad Street by the SLO airport. Rock the Vine is a 21-and-older event. For tickets and information, go to slobrew.com/events or contact Alex Broedlow at rockthevine@gmail.com. Behind every great farmer, there should be a good publicist. You may not give…
Defense in dog attack case claims SLO DA’s office is interfering, asks state Attorney General to step in
When her client finally faces a jury in a criminal trial in SLO County Superior Court, defense attorney Melina Benninghoff hopes the opposing prosecutor won’t be someone from the SLO District Attorney’s Office. For the second time since her client, former Grover Beach police officer Alex Geiger, was charged with manslaughter and other felonies in…
Seasonal eatings
Cozy in Cambria: Harmony Cafe at the Pewter Plough Playhouse in Cambria has a new winter menu and has begun its Monday night dinner and a movie series to keep you cozy, full, and entertained on those chilly coastal nights. This Dec. 10, watch the classic flick Funny Face with Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire…
Lakeside bluegrass: Holiday concert benefits North County’s medically fragile homeless
Editor’s Note: The Bow Ties Bluegrass Band show on Dec. 8 at Pavilion on the Lake has been cancelled. The Knights of Columbus of Saint Williams Catholic Church in Atascadero has developed something of a reputation here in SLO County for throwing rockin’ fundraising concerts that benefit local nonprofits. Be sure to catch the latest…
And to all a good bite
An apple a day keeps the hunger away: Glean SLO will harvest apples in See Canyon this Dec. 6 from 9 to 11 a.m. Adults and teens up for the task can sign up at gleanslo.org … Introducing the newest addition to North County-based Yes Cocktail syrup lineup: Stone Pine and Citrus. Even more holiday…
To gift and give
Door candy: Take a wreath-making workshop with Farmermaid Flowers at the Station SLO and sip on fine wine while learning how to tuck local flora into your next great holiday masterpiece on Dec. 8; sign up at thestationslo.com … Sip and craft with Broken Earth Winery in Paso Robles, which will also host a wreath-making…
Warned for free speech
Last spring, several students at Cal Poly were subjected to a formal investigation for peacefully singing at the school’s career fair. The students, organized under the SLO Peace Coalition, sat in front of a booth staffed by Raytheon and sang an anti-war song to bring attention to the deep ties between their school, the weapons…
Anne of Green Gables sparks hope, optimism
On stage The play Anne of Green Gables will be on stage at St. Peter’s By The Sea Episcopal Church in Morro Bay through Dec. 16. Tickets range from $15 to $20. Visit bytheseaproductions.org for tickets and more information. It’s safe to say that we could all use a little dose of optimism right about…
Shredder: If you’re so upset, do something about it
Well hello my shred-ness. Just read the “First step” (Nov. 29). I know you have a couch, so would you please (because your concern about the homeless people is just so convincing) let the belligerent alcoholic lady that sleeps around and on my place of work—leaving her feces, urine, and garbage—stay at your home. Perhaps…
SLO Rep’s ‘A Christmas Story’ is a delight
Happy holidays The play A Christmas Story will be onstage at the San Luis Obispo Repertory Theatre through Dec. 23. Tickets range from $20 to $39. Visit slorep.org for tickets and more information. There hasn’t been a Christmas, or heck, a day, with a decent amount of snow on the ground in San Luis Obispo…
Disparity between the top and bottom levels at the county
Just a few years ago, the county was giving bonus checks to department heads and full-time workers that were based on their salary, so those that made more got more. Part-time workers, quite possibly those that could use it the most, weren’t included. When I called and asked about it, I was told that the…
Local author releases Christmas children’s book
A new children’s book, The Perfect Christmas Mistake, by author, illustrator, and Central Coast resident Deborah Micklus is now available for purchase. The book is Micklus’ first project since completing a self-publishing class at Cal Poly SLO. The story centers on the creation of the first candy cane, and how it became a Christmas tradition.…
