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Leftovers: The county cleans up what’s left at Oklahoma Avenue as it faces a lawsuit over the safe parking site’s closure
The Oklahoma Avenue safe parking site—the controversial pilot program that temporarily accommodated homeless people living in their vehicles—reverted to its original state as a vacant lot owned by San Luis Obispo County. Legally represented by the local chapter of the California Homeless Union, the last 10 former program participants left the premises by 5 p.m.…
SLO County isn’t moving forward with tax to fund transportation
With SLO County facing a $2.3 billion shortfall in transportation funding, a sales tax for transportation seemed like a practical way to make up for the lack of dollars. But the tax didn’t make the popularity cut for this year’s ballot. In June 2023, the San Luis Obispo Council of Governments (SLOCOG) approved a 23-year…
Public Works progresses with 2023 storm repairs, searches for more funding
San Luis Obispo County has made a significant dent in the volume of roads that needed repairs after the historic winter storms in early 2023. The Public Works Department’s third biannual storm update revealed a final count of 879 damaged or debris-laden sites around the county. It’s a sharp jump from the initial estimate of…
Great American Melodrama presents Pirates of Pismo A-Go-Go
Set in Pismo Beach during the 1960s, Pirates of Pismo A-Go-Go is the Great American Melodrama’s latest production, slated to run Friday, May 17, through Saturday, July 6. The show is described as an adaptation of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance with a 20th century Central Coast setting. The plot follows Frederic, a…
New roundabout aims to ease traffic congestion near Avila Beach
The San Luis Obispo County Public Works Department figured that the best response to current traffic demands at the intersection of Avila Beach Drive, Shell Beach Road, and Highway 101 is a roundabout. “This intersection is experiencing a pretty high level of congestion during peak travel times,” county Supervising Engineer Aaron Yonker told New Times.…
Five novelists participate in local dramatic reading program
The Coalesce Bookstore in Morro Bay will hold a book signing and dramatic reading event with five novelists, including Santa Maria local Tony Piazza and Los Osos locals Anne R. Allen and Christine Ahern, on Sunday, June 2, from 1 to 3 p.m. California-based authors Mara Purl and Chrysteen Braun will join Piazza, Allen, and…
EVs are practical
I seriously doubt that Ron Fink has ever had an honest discussion with an electric vehicle (EV) owner (“EV mandate will cause more problems than it solves,” May 9). I am an EV owner and would like to respond to his claims with facts. Ron claims that EVs catch fire spontaneously or after a crash,…
So much environmental destruction for nothing
First I want to support the thoughts in the May 9, 2024, letter regarding no protests to protect Mother Earth (“Where are the protests for Mother Earth?”). I have to agree, I am amazed that college students are not standing up for our planet and trying to protect it. The war in Ukraine, plus now…
The problem with student demonstrations
The recent demonstrations on college campuses from Columbia to UCLA and in between are not grassroots efforts growing organically in most cases. The abundance of similar tents, identical signs, posters and chants, and non-students debunks the idea of spontaneity. When serious students and professors are prevented from class, are threatened, when buildings are taken over…
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes offers a compelling continuation of the series reboot
KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES What’s it rated? PG-13What’s it worth, Anna? Full priceWhat’s it worth, Glen? Full priceWhere’s it showing? Colony, Downtown Centre, Park, Stadium 10, Sunset Drive-In Wes Ball (The Maze Runner) directs this sequel to the rebooted series that includes Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), Dawn of…
The first women’s march
On Jan. 21, 2017, more than 10,000 people joined in the Women’s March at Mitchell Park in San Luis Obispo, protesting Donald Trump’s inauguration the previous day. Worldwide, almost 5 million people hit the streets that day. It’s widely regarded as the largest mass demonstration in history. A year later, a second Women’s March attracted…
As pro-Palestinian protests grow at Cal Poly, some Jewish students express feelings of isolation and fear
Outcry over the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict has continued erupting at universities across the country, including at Cal Poly, where students have hosted protests, rallies, and marches, and have made demands. In a 25-page “divest” shared with New Times, students at Cal Poly laid out a list of demands for the university. “We the students demand…
Perplexing parking
Who knew the most galvanizing issue on the Central Coast would be parking? The one thing that can unite all citizens against their elected governing bodies is charging people to park downtown. It’s the great equalizer. It defies partisanship, reaching through the party lines and straight into human hearts, bringing the business community together with…
Lord Huron plays a May 23 Nederlander Concert at Vina Robles Amphitheatre
Travelers and World Enders rejoice. Lord Huron, your favorite cinematic indie rockers, return to Vina Robles Amphitheatre next week to deliver live versions of their hits such as “The Night We Met” (streamed over a billion times!), “Wait by the River,” “When the Night is Over,” and their newest chart topper—”Not Dead Yet”—off their fourth…
Palm Royale
What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2024 Where’s it showing? Apple TV Plus Kristen Wiig, Carol Burnett, Laura Dern, Allison Janney, Ricky Martin—need I say more? Palm Royale is a comedy and casting feast! Wiig stars as Maxine, ex-pageant queen and society-obsessed newcomer to Palm Beach, Florida. She knows she wants to be featured in the…
Let’s Crave It Crepes opens new brick-and-mortar shop in Arroyo Grande
Planet of the crepes Find out more about Let’s Crave It Crepes at facebook.com/letscraveitcrepes. The local brand’s first brick-and-mortar restaurant opened at 1474 E. Grand Ave., Arroyo Grande, in May. There’s a new spot in Arroyo Grande where loved ones can bond over a shared dessert one minute and sever their ties during a cutthroat…
Them: The Scare
What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2024 Where’s it showing? Amazon Prime Created by Little Marvin, this second season of the anthology horror series Them continues with Deborah Ayorinde in the lead, this time as LAPD police detective Dawn Reeve. It’s 1991, the year Rodney King was savagely beaten by police, and the vibe in Reeve’s…
SLO City Council reduces downtown parking costs after complaints
The San Luis Obispo City Council sliced its parking rates almost by half, fielding complaints from business owners and residents impacted by the current cost of pulling up to downtown. “Somebody in the audience said earlier to say, ‘We’re sorry,’ and we hear the pain and the frustration,” City Councilmember Emily Francis said at the…
Central Coast native joins the Boys and Girls Clubs of Mid Central Coast as new CEO
After being away for more than 10 years, Maria Fabula made her way back home to the Central Coast by joining the local Boys and Girls Club team as its new chief executive officer. “There’s nowhere quite similar in the world to San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara. We’ve always been drawn to this area,”…
Paso is getting rid of its downtown paid parking program
Just before the Paso Robles City Council unanimously voted to repeal the city’s downtown paid parking program, two council members said that they never wanted to hear about parking again. “It’s your problem at this point,” Mayor John Hamon said during the May 7 meeting. “You’re going to have to manage your own problems.” Since…
Duo exhibition at Gallery Los Olivos showcases soulful abstracts by SLO-based artist Christine Marie
United we stand Gallery Los Olivos presents Unity, a duo exhibition showcasing abstract paintings by SLO artist Christine Marie and mixed-media mosaics by Santa Barbara-based Wendy Brewer, through the end of May. The gallery will host a reception to celebrate the new exhibit on Saturday, May 18, from 2 to 5 p.m. Call (805) 688-7517…
