Cover Stories
Dave’s not here
Some 16 years after California voters decriminalized the medicinal use of marijuana, San Luis Obispo County is no closer to having a dispensary than its own Disney World. Despite having an ordinance on the books for five years now, which supposedly allows for brick-and-mortar storefronts, plans for local projects have come and gone without success.…
Dave’s not here
Some 16 years after California voters decriminalized the medicinal use of marijuana, San Luis Obispo County is no closer to having a dispensary than its own Disney World. Despite having an ordinance on the books for five years now, which supposedly allows for brick-and-mortar storefronts, plans for local projects have come and gone without success.…
Tangled leaves
It’s hard to say what exactly The House of Blue Leaves is “about.” It’s sort of a black comedy about schizophrenia, extramarital affairs, and delusional aspirations, with some Catholicism thrown in. Directed by Jill Turnbow and staged at the San Luis Obispo Little Theatre, House of Blue Leaves takes place entirely in the unkempt Queens…
Men who love women dressed as men
It was all Linda’s idea. I got a Facebook invite to an event called “Women as Men,” and I thought, “I loved The Crying Game,” so why not? Linda, as in Linda Castellon—Cuban chef extraordinaire and local expressionist painter—wrote, “Hello ladies, it’s time for us to put on our Man suits and show this town…
We rock so hard
Word on the street is SLO County’s music scene sucks. Apparently there aren’t many awesome bands doing awesome things. Not only that, but SLO’s music lovers lack passion. They’re too willing to accept mediocre music and act like it’s pure genius. So. Damn. Sad. Also, totally not true! Sure, touring bands get most of the…
Recycled fashion
There’s no downside to the third annual Swap-O-Rama-Rama, a community clothes-recycling extravaganza going down Saturday, June 2. First of all, you can bring all your unwanted clothing for someone else to reuse, providing you with a cleaner closet and a soft, fuzzy feeling of community mindedness. More importantly, you can learn how to create something…
Body language
I’m sorry, but dance and writing are utterly incompatible. Writing is so slow that dance blazes past it in a sparkly blur. Dance is full of potential stories, but try to put them on paper and they will elude you, like trying to make a sculpture of smoke. I can leave a dance performance feeling…
Clubs 5/31
Goin’ South … BRANCH ST. DELI: 203 E. Branch St., Arroyo Grande, 489-9099. Live music Fri. from 5:30-8:30 p.m. THE CLIFFS RESORT: 2757 Shell Beach Road, 773-5000 or cliffsresort.com. F. MCLINTOCKS SALOON: Two locations: 750 Mattie Road in Pismo Beach and 133 Bridge St. in Arroyo Grande. 773-1892 or mclintocks.com. Live music at the…
Vina Robles 2011 Roseum Paso Robles
A delicious cuvée (blend) of 54 percent Mourvedre, 34 percent Grenache, seven percent Syrah, and five percent Viognier, this Rosé is fabulous alone and with food. Fruity and ripe, yet not too sweet, this dry pink wine has pretty strawberry, raspberry, and cherry flavors. Pair it with shellfish salads, roast chicken, or a summery salad…
Ponzi 2011 Pinot Gris Willamette Valley
This fresh, crisp white wine offers flavors of citrus, green apple, and Meyer lemon that are beautifully balanced. Winemaker Luisa Ponzi ferments it in stainless steel to retain the bright and lively character of this delicious wine. It’s quite quaffable on its own, but meant for the table with chicken chile verde, crab or shrimp…
Head to the Shed
After recently hearing the news about an innovative, new wine and beer tasting room named the Wine Shed I jumped into my convertible blue Z3 and raced over to check it out. It was surprising to learn it had been two months since it opened, and even more unexpected that people didn’t tell me about…
Smorgasbord
The month of June is filled with opportunities for the foodies and winos to have their fun. Tickets are now available (and going fast!) for the 17th annual Atascadero Lakeside Wine Festival. The festival starts pouring on June 23 at 4 p.m. “There’s no doubt we’ve been discovered,” said Wine Festival Committee Chairperson Barbie Butz.…
Questions For: Steve Kragenbrink
NEW TIMES Is there a minimum amount for adoption? KRAGENBRINK The animals in our care are priceless in our eye. … Adopters can give what they can afford in order to adopt their new best friend. It costs Woods Humane Society (WHS) $500 per animal to place them up for adoption, our usual adoption fees…
Let Ed Waage extend his influence
I find myself writing to you today in regards to our upcoming election. I believe it’s time for change, not just in this country but in the great county of San Luis Obispo. As a young voter and resident of San Luis Obispo County, I often find myself pondering, “Why do certain people get elected?”…
We need to keep Adam Hill on the board
Before casting my vote for a candidate running for re-election, I always try to collect information about their performance while in office. Did the candidate perform as promised? Did he/she improve our lives? I am pleased to say that the answer to these questions is a resounding “Yes!” for Adam Hill for District 3 supervisor.…
Patterson gets my vote
As a volunteer with our local wildlife rehabilitation clinic, I got a call one morning from our county supervisor, Jim Patterson. He was concerned about a fawn that had been limping around his property alone for many days with no sign of being able to recover and move on. Together we were able to capture…
Make a positive choice: Jim Patterson
Last time, Debbie Arnold’s campaign was so nasty and negative that it seemed like a mistake. Like she had been body-snatched. This time? No mistake. She’s all in. Misleading attacks loaded with wrong information at full speed, plastic bags and tea bags waving. If you get a mailer attacking Patterson’s honorable, honest record, go to…
Vote for incumbents
As the election draws near, I have some perceptions to share. I have heard a lot of ads on the radio concerning our supervisorial races, and something comes through clear as a bell. Both challengers (Arnold, Waage) do nothing but attack with either half-truths or non-truths. Both incumbents (Patterson and Hill) simply cite their accomplishments…
Vote Debbie Arnold
What kind of people should we be electing to public office? No one should be able to hold a public office until they understand the Constitution the way the Founding Fathers wrote it. Samuel Adams said, “On the people therefore of the United States, it depends whether wise men or fools, good or bad men…
Debbie Arnold for change
Debbie Arnold is the right choice for supervisor. She’s a proven leader, business owner, and strong proponent of families. She’s owned and operated a preschool for more than 17 years, ensuring children had a safe place to learn, enabling parents to make ends meet. She’s dedicated herself to the agricultural segment of our county, even…
Vote Arnold and Mitchum
Focused. Knowledgeable. Practical. These three words best describe the informal presentations by Ms. Debbie Arnold, candidate for District 5, and Mr. Chris Mitchum, candidate for Congress, at the home of Mr. and Ms. Joy Miller and Kent Kerry on Sunday afternoon. Debbie and Chris shared their views and practical political solutions for about an hour…
A matter of interpretation
Since the Shredder dislikes misleading information so much, I thought I’d assist with a correction to last week’s column (“Baa,” May 24). FACT CHECK: The Plastic Bag Ordinance does apply to small businesses. As a lawyer, I too like to base my interpretations on the actual ordinance language rather than propaganda, so let’s review the…
The Morro Bay Aquarium makes a difference
Morro Bay’s aquarium does not suffer from fatal problems. It is misunderstood by critics, who suffer from fatal problems in their thinking. These critics do not engage in meaningful wildlife conservation or animal care programs. They seek to remove marine life from aquariums as part of their radical agenda to close aquariums across the country.…
A mother’s plea
On Saturday, Feb. 4, Lisa Van Heuver sent the following e-mail to SLO County supervisors Frank Mecham, Bruce Gibson, Adam Hill, Paul Teixeira, and Jim Patterson. Dear Supervisor, This is in regards to Sunny Acres. My 23-year-old son is now living there trying to get off drugs and live sober. He became addicted to…
Cougars & Mustangs
Ah … early June … Nothing quite compares to that magical feeling of scholarly deadlines approaching. It’s the most wonderful time of the year … with the migraines a-swelling and frustrated yelling and running in fear! It’s the most wonderful time of the year! It’s the hap-happiest season of all … with the teacher-entreatings and…
Kinda like Kerouac, but by bicycle
Remember youth? Warm summer afternoons spent galloping your bicycle down the street, the thwack, thwack, thwack of the playing card against the spokes? The wind in your hair? The freedom of the open road? Remember how much you loved your bike, and your belief that the bike loved you in return? Meet two grown-ups who…
The throwdown
It seems like just the other day San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Katcho Achadjian was running for California State Assembly. Now he’s running again—this time for re-election. His opponent? A 65-year-old newbie out of Paso Robles by the name of Gerry Manata. While Katcho made his reputation locally as a soft-spoken super-pro-business Republican with a…
A city divided?
If it’s true that all politics are local, the political battle to watch this election season is undoubtedly being carried out in Morro Bay. With the June 5 primary less than a week away, as of this printing, the eight local candidates seem clearly split along the “pro-business” and the “progressive” camps. The races to…
Corrections
• The vote tally reported in the May 24 story, “Atascadero rejects scavenging ordinance,” was incorrect. The city voted 3-2 against a proposed scavenging law. Mayor Bob Kelley and Councilman Brian Sturtevant supported the law. • In the May 24 cover story, “Ideological differences,” water regulations regarding runoff from farms should have been attributed to…
Nipomo’s big gulp
According to Greg Nester, a builder and developer in Nipomo, the next 30 days are going to be very interesting. All eyes remain fixed on the Nipomo Community Services District (NCSD) and how it plans to address its ongoing groundwater problems. In short, the latest plan is to stop providing new water connections. On May…
Morro Bay power plant fallout
Operators of the Morro Bay Power Plant have had a financial parting of ways with Southern California Edison. On May 30, the plant operator, Houston-based Dynegy, announced that its primary output contract to sell electricity was canceled in mid-May. The other party wasn’t disclosed due to a confidentiality agreement in the contract, but New Times…
Late voter cards prompt fraud investigation
With the primary election less than a week away, the San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder’s Office has initiated an investigation with the Secretary of State after a heap of voter registration cards were mishandled. According to County Clerk Julie Rodewald, although roughly 900 prospective voters signed their voter registration cards prior to the deadline, they…
Former Paso officer sues the city
A second officer in the past three months has filed a lawsuit against the City of Paso Robles, the latest development in the ongoing controversy over former police chief Lisa Solomon. Former Sgt. Brennan Lux, who was terminated from the department in November 2011, alleges he was retaliated against and subject to a hostile work…
Um, never mind
Only two months after he filed to sue the county for “violation of civil rights” and “retaliation,” a former sergeant and union leader for the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department quietly asked to drop his case. Dale Strobridge was fired from the department on Feb. 25, 2011. He filed a lawsuit against the county…
Big blue box store faces last hurdles in Atascadero
After six years of planning and a lot of contentious debate, Walmart might be just two meetings away from getting the green light to build a “super center” in north Atascadero at Del Rio Road and El Camino Real. On June 5, the city Planning Commission is scheduled to review and possibly approve the partially…
What movie did you see as a child that still gives you the creeps today?
Morgan Gonsalves massage therapist “Jaws and Chucky.” Sean Silbert student “Poltergeist.” Al Varner retired “I didn’t see movies as a child. I was raised in a religious commune, and they thought movies were evil. The commune creeps me out now.” Michelle Whittaker unemployed “Gremlins.”
