Cover Story
No easy fix: SLO’s embattled Rental Housing Inspection Program faces an uncertain future
“I want to start by painting a picture of the house that I live in.” Sean Cuccia, a Cal Poly student and San Luis Obispo renter, is standing up at the podium in SLO City Hall, addressing the City Council on Nov. 1. Blond hair with a buzz cut and an unassuming demeanor, Cuccia has…
SLO author Tod Rafferty sets thriller ‘The Pismo Calamity’ in a familiar landscape
Earlier this year when Diablo Canyon announced it would be shut down by 2025, environmentalists across the Central Coast breathed a sigh of relief. Still others, like local author Tod Rafferty wondered what effects the nuclear power plant, along with other environmental sins, could have already had on our local wildlife. What if, maybe just…
Commission appointee causes SLO City Council blowup
The San Luis Obispo City Council’s final meeting before its biennial “changing of the guard” certainly wasn’t lacking drama. For one last time, Mayor Jan Marx declared outgoing Councilmember John Ashbaugh “out of order” in a public meeting as the two bitterly locked horns over a controversial appointee to the city’s Architectural Review Commission (ARC).…
Incomparable alt-country performer Neko Case brings her smoldering vocal sounds to the SLO-Pac on Nov. 17th
No one has a voice quite like Neko Case. It’s the kind of voice you don’t see coming, one that sneaks up and completely disarms you with its openness, sly control, unexpected power, and fullness. On “This Tornado Loves You,” she sings, “My love I am the speed of sound/ I left them motherless, fatherless/…
What makes you happy to distract from all the politics going on right now?
Jordan Hanks attorney “Just knowing that the weekend’s coming up.” Becky Medhurst flight attendant “I’m gonna say the beach and walking my dogs.” Ben Simon internet troll “Listening to Leonard Cohen.” Zoey Bailie student “Not going on Facebook. Just being outdoors.”
Working together: El Camino Homeless Organization receives new windows with help from Paso Robles Glass
Paso Robles Glass collaborated with local businesses and the Atascadero Rotary to donate and install about 20 new windows at the El Camino Homeless Organization (ECHO) shelter in Atascadero. Jarred Damigos, president of Paso Robles Glass, said replacing the existing windows with dual pane means better energy efficiency for the shelter because they help block…
On the margins: Targets of Trump’s rhetoric face an uncertain future
Hundreds of people marched through the streets of downtown SLO Nov. 12. They chanted as midday tourists and shoppers gawked and took photos and video with their smartphones. “Racist, sexist, anti-gay! Donald Trump go away!” The large protest was one of several demonstrations against the reality television star turned president-elect, who was elected into office…
Clarification
• Regarding “Sustainable water” (Nov. 10), Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board spokesperson Jon Rokke wanted to clarify that the board looked at the impacts to water quality when reviewing the Cambria Sustainable Water Facility project’s environmental impact report and that while the agency believes certain parts of the proposed project make sense for…
Pregnant CMC guard sues state
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) found itself on the wrong side of the courtroom for alleged discrimination against a pregnant corrections officer. The Department of Fair Employment and Housing filed a lawsuit Nov. 2 in SLO County Superior Court on behalf of the officer, identified as Amanda Van Fleet, claiming that the…
SLO County supes approve composting facility
On Nov. 15, San Luis Obispo County Supervisors did exactly what they hinted at about a month ago, approving a green waste processing facility near the SLO County Airport despite some neighbors’ opposition to it. Land-use attorney Babak Naficy spoke on behalf of residents who appealed the SLO County Planning Commission’s Aug. 25 approval of…
Pismo passes temporary marijuana ban
Pismo Beach residents excited about the passage of a ballot measure legalizing recreational marijuana may want to temper their enthusiasm, at least for the next 45 days. Members of the City Council voted 4-1 Nov. 15 to adopt a temporary ban on the outdoor cultivation, manufacturing, laboratory testing, labeling, storing, and wholesale distribution or retail…
Opposition doesn’t halt SLO supportive housing
Green ribbons adorned many shirts at the Nov. 15 San Luis Obispo City Council meeting. The council heard from community members seeking to combat mental health stigmas and support an affordable housing project to serve individuals with mental illness. Transitions Mental Health Association (TMHA) is working to renovate a building built in 1931—formerly known as…
Seeds’ Mint, Watermelon, and Lemon Cold Pressed Juice and Vina Robles 2013 Red4
If this past election cycle has sapped your energy, I get it. As we peel ourselves off the couch and put down the remote (and the smartphone) let’s aim to get outside in the fresh air. I’ve been gravitating toward healthy choices these days, and this refreshing mix of watermelon, mint, and lemon juice is…
Winter wonderland
Wreaths and refreshments! Get all your holiday foliage—including cheery red poinsettias and goodies from local vendors—at Growing Grounds Downtown’s Holiday Open House in SLO this Nov. 19 (check the Facebook event page for details) … Larder Meat Co. has announced a new, smaller box filled with ten pounds of local meat, including juicy beef, chicken,…
Where’s the beef? The butcher’s art is alive and well at Arroyo Grande Meat Co.
When I meet up with Arroyo Grande Meat Co. Owner Henry Gonzales, he puts out his elbow, not his hand. This is the secret handshake of the busy butcher. The holiday season is already in full tilt, and Gonzales has spent all morning “pumping hams.” He wipes his hands on a rag and explains that,…
SLO burn
It’s been more than a week since the election but I still can’t reconcile myself to the outcome. I was sure she was going to win, positive! But I guess I have to resign myself to the fact that Jan Marx will remain SLO mayor. Of course, there’s still a glimmer of hope. As of…
Dear Adam Hill
Congratulations, Adam! You’ve been elected to another term as a member of the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors for District 3. But having said that, we both know that yours was a victory of wrong over right, of special interests over the public interest, and of fear over courage. Despite your attempts to…
The Electoral College is bunk
Now for the second time since 2000 we are faced with an inept president-elect. Hillary Clinton is presently ahead in the popular vote as the absentee ballots are being counted, and she is expected to win the popular vote. I find it unacceptable that we end up with a president who didn’t receive the vote…
Hope for the long run
Like so many of us, I am horrified that our country has elected such a deplorable person to serve as our president for the next four years. I have been besieged by emails from multitudes of environmental and social justice organizations urging me not to despair but to double down on efforts to make a…
Trump’s on his own
I find all this talk of unifying with our president-elect nauseating. There is no way I’ll support a narcissistic, misogynistic, climate change denier whose racist rhetoric emboldens the KKK and white supremacy. Supporting Trump validates violence, intimidation, and bullying and those are values and behaviors I can’t get behind. — Thomas Stevenson – Cayucos –…
Crying for Hillary
What a bunch of crybabies! Those were my thoughts as I read all the articles and comments in the New Times and watched young lefties out on the streets disrupting, burning, and damaging our cities while putting police at risk because they’re unhappy with Tuesday’s election results. What a spectacle! And what, exactly, is the…
The road to recovery
Let it be so now: Donald J. Trump, a white nationalist con man, possibly the least-ever qualified candidate in terms of integrity, temperament, or experience, is to be the next president of our United States. How? And what does it mean for the future of the Central Coast? The technical explanation is relatively simple: The…
The 60 Million
The white men who have run this country from the get-go and the world for the past couple of millennia had a close call early this month when a woman almost became president of the United States of America. But the white men prevailed, and made it clear that in today’s America, women are expected…
Blast from the Past: Rikki-Tikki-Tavi
When? 1975 | Where? DVD | What’s it rated? NR. The 1975 animated film Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, along with The White Seal and Mowgli’s Brothers, is one of three animated films based on short stories in Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book, adapted for television by cartoonist Chuck Jones. Jones’ work includes classic Warner Bros. shorts featuring familiar…
A shortcut to DIY glory: Central Coast craft fair runs Nov. 25-26
It’s the thought that counts when it comes to gift giving, so your loved ones will surely appreciate the thought put into carefully selecting a gift from the Central Coast craft fair that looks like you could have made it. The fair runs Nov. 25 and 26 at the San Luis Obispo Veterans Memorial Building…
Dancing queens: Exhibit celebrates performing arts at Paso Robles High
Been meaning to catch the latest musical or dance production put on by Paso schools but haven’t found the time? While it’s not quite as good as going to a dance or drama production in person, you can check out the performing arts through a series of photographs, Celebrating Dance & Drama, honoring the performing…
The next musical sensation: Auditions are open for ‘Guys and Dolls’
American Idol may be a thing of the past, but the SLO Little Theatre is still looking for the next big stars who can sing, act, and dance for the upcoming production of Guys and Dolls. Open auditions for the musical will be held on Nov. 20 at 5 p.m. at the theater’s home on…
‘Do the best we can!’ Fialta cleans up at the New Times Music Awards
It was all things Fialta on Friday, Nov. 11, in the Fremont Theater, where the SLO Town pop quartet took home the top prize for Best Live Performance, Best Open Song, Best Songwriter, Best Album, second in Best Rock-Alternative Song, and the Readers’ Choice Award at the eighth annual New Times Music Awards. Yeah, they…
The Pacific Conservatory Theatre brings Disney’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’ to the stage
If you grew up a Disney kid, those simple hour-and-a-half-long animated films are deeply embedded in your mind. The songs, the characters, and the artwork are a part of you no matter how long it’s been since you last saw your favorite. Beauty and the Beast was always at the top of my Disney list…
Clubs 11/17/16 – 11/24/16
Goin’ South THE CLIFFS RESORT: 2757 Shell Beach Rd., Shell Beach, 773-5000, cliffsresort.com. F. MCLINTOCKS SALOON: Two locations: 750 Mattie Rd. in Pismo Beach and 133 Bridge St. in Arroyo Grande. 773-1892 or mclintocks.com. Live music at the Pismo Beach location every Fri. and Sat. from 6-9pm. Tennessee Jimmy Harrell and Doc Stoltey play on…
