Cover Story
Drone’s eye view: Pismo Beach pauses revamped drone ordinance
Central Coast photographer and videographer Ben Schutzer has used drones to capture footage for surfing events in Pismo Beach for the past 15 years. But in October 2024, a $1,223 ticket for flying a drone made him stop in his tracks. “I was just flying for some clients that were surfing on the south side…
I’m proud that Lucia Mar’s launching an aviation CTE pathway
I wanted to take a moment to share a very positive and exciting development that we can all be proud of. The San Luis Obispo County Department of Airports and the Lucia Mar Unified School District have partnered to launch a new aviation career and technical education (CTE) pathway at Arroyo Grande High School, set…
Morro Bay voted to continue its effort towards building a second roundabout, a controversial topic among council and residents
Round and round Morro Bay goes as the council determines whether a second roundabout is in the community’s best interest. The potential new traffic circle installation has proven controversial, as the council pondered overturning its previous decision to halt the project entirely. About 25 people spoke at the May 27 meeting and nearly 100 sent…
Fountain of Youth follows adventurers trying to find the mythical source of immortality
What’s it rated? PG-13 When? 2025 Where’s it showing? Apple TV+ Guy Ritchie (The Covenant, Sherlock Holmes) directs James Vanderbilt’s (Zodiac, The Amazing Spider-Man) screenplay about estranged siblings—Luke (John Krasinski) and Charlotte Purdue (Natalie Portman)—who reunite to seek the legendary Fountain of Youth. I usually enjoy these fantasy adventure movies. Think Raiders of the Lost…
SLO greenlights first council compensation committee since 2020
The San Luis Obispo City Council authorized the formation of a constituent-led compensation committee to review raises paid to council members, the Planning Commission, and the Architectural Review Commission (ARC). “It was a very difficult committee to be on,” Councilmember Jan Marx, who served on the 2004 compensation committee, said at the May 20 City…
Grover Beach will crack down on property owners and tenants violating fireworks ordinance
Grover Beach Police Department will be cracking down on homeowners and tenants if their property becomes the launch site of illegal fireworks. The new enforcement effort has the Grover Beach City Council to thank for unanimously adopting a “social host” ordinance on May 27. The updated fireworks law, which takes effect June 27, aims to…
Morro Bay’s City Council opted to fly only the American, state, and city flags at its City Hall, no longer raising the Pride flag in June
This June is the last time the Pride flag will be raised in front of Morro Bay City Hall. After a unanimous decision by the Morro Bay City Council, only the national, state, and city flags will fly before the city building. The council said it aims to represent the entire community, although the decision…
Skate Cambria challenged to raise an additional $300,000 to make its skatepark a reality
What was once an estimated $80,000 gap has since widened to more than $300,000 for local skateboarding enthusiasts who’ve been trying to build a skatepark in Cambria for the past five years. Now, they have six months to close that gap. Skate Cambria Project Manager Juli Amodei told New Times that as of May 28,…
Mee Heng Low Noodle House vies for a historic small restaurant grant for renovations
Nomination station To support Mee Heng Low Noodle House in its quest to receive a historic small restaurant grant that would help renovate the restaurant’s exterior, visit savingplaces.org/restaurant-submission and nominate the historic SLO County spot. San Luis Obispo’s Chinatown mainstay Mee Heng Low Noodle House hopes to get a much-awaited revamp, and it’s looking to…
The runaround
Morro Bay’s been doing things in a rather roundabout way lately (rim shot, please). In a literal sense, the city is thinking about maybe allowing Caltrans to possibly build another traffic circle on its streets, this time at the intersection of Main Street and highways 1 and 41. The first phase of the project—one of…
Paso’s Etto Pastificio and Edible San Luis Obispo magazine team up to create the ultimate pasta cookbook
Recipe roundup Etto Pasta Cookbook, published by Edible San Luis Obispo magazine, will be released in June. Pre-order a copy at ediblesanluisobispo.com or ettopastificio.com. Etto Pastificio is located at 3070 Limestone Way in Paso Robles’ Tin City. Market hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, with factory tours available weekdays by reservation only. For…
Afro-Cuban musician Cimafunk headlines the first day of the Live Oak Music Festival on June 13
How do I know summer is upon us? Because the Live Oak Music Festival is just around the corner. Held on Father’s Day weekend, Friday, June 13, through Sunday, June 15, at El Chorro Regional Park, this fundraiser for local NPR affiliate KCBX features three days of music, fun, and community. Opening day brings an…
Brad Williams stops at the Performing Arts Center on June 6 as part of The Growth Spurt Tour
Little person, big laughs Stand-up comic Brad Williams comes to the Performing Arts Center on Friday, June 6, as part of his Growth Spurt Tour (7 p.m.; ages 5 and older but parental discretion is advised; $42 to $80 at pacslo.org). When he was 20, Brad Williams found himself in stand-up comic Carlos Mencia’s audience,…
Cal Poly Music Department hosts a high school summer music camp in July
Applications for the Cal Poly Music Department’s Summer Music Camp close on Sunday, June 15, so for high school-age musicians who want to work with Cal Poly’s talented cadre of music professors during the July 16 to 18 camp, now’s the time to sign up. It’s also a great way for high schoolers to get…
The Classic at Pismo Beach Car Show returns May 30 through June 1
The finest examples of Detroit steel will be on display in Pismo Beach from Friday, May 30, through Sunday, June 1, when the iconic Classic at Pismo Beach Car Show returns for its 39th annual celebration. According to organizers, the show is “recognized as one of the largest classic car shows on the West Coast”…
Let’s stop targeting trans people and focus on real issues
At a recent school board meeting, I stood up to speak—not to argue, but to ask our community to refocus on the real challenges facing our students. What I witnessed that night was deeply troubling: a growing effort to target trans students and trans athletes, often based on fear, misinformation, and political rhetoric. We owe…
Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning is an over-the-top spectacle
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE— THE FINAL RECKONING What’s it rated? PG-13What’s it worth, Anna? Full priceWhat’s it worth, Glen? Full priceWhere’s it showing? Bay, Colony, Downtown Centre, Fair Oak, Park, Stadium 10 Christopher McQuarrie helms this part 2 to Dead Reckoning (2023), where Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his Impossible Missions Force must save the world from the…
Atascadero schools have many options to allow rural students to stay rural
Carrisa Plains Elementary, located in rural eastern San Luis Obispo County, once operated as a K-8 school. Today, students in grades six through eight are bused nearly 100 miles each day to Atascadero Middle School. This long commute affects both learning time and student well-being—despite existing options that would allow those grades to remain on-site.…
SLO County supervisors have lost my confidence
I have to agree with Aaron Ochs’ opinion piece on 3rd District Supervisor Dawn Ortiz-Legg (“SLO County Supervisor Ortiz-Legg missed the mark by honoring Mike Brown,” May 15). No one who deliberately and continuously disrupts a public meeting should be applauded. Ms. Ortiz-Legg represents the district where I reside, but she certainly does not represent…
Fred & Rose West: A British Horror Story reveals uncovered tapes of the notorious serial killers
What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2025 Where’s it showing? Netflix Fred and Rose—you may know their names well or not at all, but once you know their story, you’ll never forget them. The murderous British couple looked as normal as could be, but behind the Sears portrait studio photos was horrifying darkness. Terrorizing women and…
