Cover Story
Election night 2012
Your tax dollars (very) hard at work It was 10 till 8 on election night. We—myself and New Times staff photographer Steve E. Miller—went casually strolling into the back room of the county clerk-recorder’s office like we owned the place. Hey, we’re the press. And yes, it has its perks. Inside, we met the county…
S.O.S.!!!
Though it looks like the plan to blast sea life with 200-plus-decibel sounds to map the fault line we already knows lies off the coast of Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant is off the table for now, that’s no reason to let our guard down against further destruction of our ocean, which is why environmental…
Lost among gardens
While scores of garden enthusiasts were smelling flowers, chatting amiably with landscapers, and picking up pro tips for water conservation and compostables in Atascadero during the Seventh Annual Autumn Garden tour, a lonely man drove from house to house, frustrated and confused. Patrick Kidd thought it was kind of odd that many of the homes…
Correction
A Nov. 1 article reporting the SLO County Board of Supervisors’ decision to write a letter to the California Coastal Commission regarding PG&E’s proposed seismic studies misstated the commission’s next meeting date. It is scheduled for Nov. 14 in Santa Monica.
Dance around the world
Election Day has come and gone, and for those seeking to swap political stimulation for a cultural venture, the esteemed ballet company Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal is in town. This international group pays tribute to the diverse history of ballet. They’re a Canadian company currently on their American tour, advancing a dance form originating…
I’d like to be under the sea!
I’m embarrassed to say that up until a few weeks ago, I’d never been to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, even though it’s just a 2 1/2 hour jaunt to the north. I’d heard the rave reviews from people gushing about how cute the sea otters are (that exhibit was closed on my visit, so I…
Vanishing point
Cambria painter Terry DeLapp’s newest body of work is at once sorrowful and serene. DeLapp’s current exhibit, “Mundus Cerialis,” which hangs at the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art, is also deceptively simple, a series of repeated motifs rendered with the kind of ease afforded only by great skill. Over and over again, DeLapp depicts…
Get that guy a hearing aid
God’s Ear is a beautiful and frustrating prose poem of a play. It’s beautiful in its way of taking clichéd phrases and warping them past recognition (What does it truly mean, after all, to be more than happy?), yet purposefully frustrating in its relentless repetition, like a child tugging at a mother’s sleeve. Written by…
Clubs: 11/8
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…
Who you gonna save?
People are always trying to save me. Just last week, a priest, a rabbi, and two ducks threw holy water on me and attempted an exorcism on a downtown sidewalk. Joke’s on them, though, ’cause you can’t save something that doesn’t have a soul to begin with. It did give me an excuse to vomit…
Questions For: Josh Hillinger
NEW TIMES What kinds of acting have you done in your career? HILLINGER I have the most experience as a stage actor, though I am taking steps toward being in film and television. I performed in the off-Broadway production of Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding in San Francisco for two years, and I am currently cast…
Hearts and minds
Conviction, passion, strength and love are the tools with which we, as humans, access the vast recesses of our minds and learn to speak truth and relay information. Our hearts and minds are inseparable and balance one another in our daily lives, most especially in our communications with others. There is no more effective speaker…
Liberals succeed!
Let me see if I understand this correctly. Our liberal friends want to redistribute the wealth from the “wealthy” in the United States to those deserving individuals who are below the poverty level. Well, actually, we have done that. We have distributed our U.S. wealth (jobs) to those overseas by sending our manufacturing jobs to…
Here’s my take on remembering veterans
Veterans’ Day, I will remember the Marines who unnecessarily lost their lives on Iwo Jima. That battle was unnecessary to win the war. The Admirals sent in the Marines to be butchered because they were seeking revenge for Peal Harbor and trying to regain the American public respect. The war’s end was near; it was…
Shame on them
Low-level felons crowd California prisons and are now transferred to local jails. My brother in Massachusetts suggests we place felons in stocks and pillories for several hours in the centers of towns before transferring them. Embarrassment, he says, is a greater deterrent to illegal behavior than the threat of incarceration. Do you agree? — Evelyn…
You truly stand above the crowd
Your Starfucker article was not a steaming pile of shit (“Say what?” Oct. 11). It was actually quite good, and I enjoyed reading it, unlike a dozen or so other interviews and blogs I’ve read about the band. Thank you.
Your SLO Brew article was too positive
I’ve been reading and enjoying your paper the last 12 years I have lived in SLO. It’s always topical, and you’ve done some especially good investigative journalism. The homeless series was excellent. The movie and art reviews always keep me abreast of what is going on around town, too. This is why your piece on…
Some decorum, please
I am compelled to respond to the recent article about the Boys & Girls Club of South SLO County change in leadership (“A Boys and Girls Club reborn,” Nov. 1). With any such change comes the opportunity for new vision and a fresh approach to existing programs. It appears that Mr. Curiel is doing just…
You call that mud coverage?
Wow. That coverage of the two-day SLO Mud Mash really sucked (“Good, dirty fun,” Nov. 1). I’ve never written a letter to the New Times editor, but this joke-of-a-story screamed out for response. While a funny account of Nick’s hung-over attempt to show up, the story did no justice to an event that took a…
Put students before fish
When California imposes another round of funding cuts on its higher education system, state leaders will certainly claim that such cuts are necessary. Yet one only needs to consider a series of Golden State environmental projects to recognize the hollowness of such words. Across California, billions of dollars are being committed to habitat re-creation water…
Felten Cellars 2011 Sauvignon Blanc Santa Barbara County
A lovely wine from longtime winemaker Steve Felten in Paso Robles, this tangy white is delicious on its own and a good choice for the table. Nicely balanced, it offers attractive notes of pink grapefruit and lemon with nuances of sweet melon. You can enjoy this as an aperitif, and it’s lovely with mildly spiced…
Luminesce Wine 2010 Pinot Noir Santa Maria Valley
This delicious Pinot Noir exhibits classic characteristics of the wine-growing region. It was my first taste of this new brand, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The Pinot Noir grapes are 65 percent Riverbench Vineyard and 35 percent Presqu’ile, both highly regarded for the quality of their grapes. Truly California in style, it offers ripe fruit…
Firestone Walker offers fine ales and good eats
San Francisco has always been our favorite food town, and that’s why Dan Hardesty and I return several times each year. I lived in the heart of the city for 10 years, and whenever I read a review of a great East Bay restaurant in the Chronicle, I’d cruise over the Bay Bridge to check…
S’Mores?
S’mores. Huh? What? I was too confused. Not wanting to look a fool in front of my new American friends, I hurriedly tried to fathom what the dickens this meant. On consulting the Oxford Dictionary (classically British, I know) I found no definition for “s’mores,” merely “mores,” cited as “the essential or characteristic customs and…
Cougars & Mustangs
From the mustache-emblazoned sketch pad of Chris White-Sanborn: “Cuesta, you really are lucky to have such a cool Social Club.” I write this on a sketchpad I won after doing relatively acceptably at knocking down cans with beanbags. It is pleasing to me that this event has had a much bigger turnout than the last…
Going the distance for veterans
Three veterans have come together to create an event that will help raise awareness for veteran mental health issues, including post-traumatic stress and suicide. All three have lost a loved one due to the pressures of returning home from war, whether it be because of suicide or drug overdose. With such a personal tie to…
County’s smart growth policies upheld
Whether or not San Luis Obispo County’s so-called “smart growth” policies are in fact wise depends on who you ask. It appears, however, that they are legal. On Oct. 30, the California Second District Court of Appeals shot down a challenge to SLO County’s “Guiding Principals for Smart Growth,” which, initially adopted as a resolution…
Judge says Paso fee hikes weren’t taxes
After three years of legal bickering, a San Luis Obispo County Superior Court judge ruled on Oct. 30 that unhappy Paso Robles residents can’t file a class action lawsuit against the city for its alleged raising of taxes and calling the move a bump to water and sewer fees. Resident John Borst first filed suit…
Seismic studies unlikely this year
The news broke on the evening of Friday, Nov. 2: A state regulating agency is not likely to hand Pacific Gas & Electric a pivotal permit necessary to kick off its controversial seismic studies off the Central Coast. Sans a permit, those tests won’t take place this year. On Nov. 2, staffers for the California…
The sting of victory
Bees can’t talk. They can dance, but they can’t talk. So there’s no way for them to communicate to humans whether they supported an incumbent or challenger. But John Ashbaugh doesn’t care. No matter the bees’ political leanings—which, let’s be honest, likely don’t even exist, considering the queen they serve under—the San Luis Obispo City…
Ballot results from across the nation
What do legal pot, gay marriage, and challenges to Obamacare have in common besides a really awesome weekend? Answer: They were some of the 176 ballot measures voted on nationwide. On Nov. 6, two states voted to legalize marijuana for recreational use; Colorado and Washington both passed their respective measures 55 to 45 percent. Massachusetts…
Local art causes stir at Philly polls
San Luis Obispo stencil artist Daniel Woehrle, also known by the moniker STENZSKULL, woke up to a bizarre surprise on election day. A painting by Woehrle depicting President Barack Obama alongside the words “hope” and “change” had turned up as a 15-foot mural inside a polling place in Philadelphia, Pa. The mural made national news…
It’s finally over, folks! Here’s how you voted …
At last, we’re finally at that beautiful period where we face almost two years devoid of the maddening campaign ads, partisan mudslinging, and politicians laying wet ones on babies—as well as our behinds. Yes, Election Night 2012 came and went. And yet, for many in San Luis Obispo County, not a lot changed. Here’s how…
What are your Halloween regrets?
Camille DePerna-Reardon waitress “Halloween regrets? Oh! I regret calling a cab so late. I called them at 1:40 a.m., and I didn’t get a cab until 4:20! Which really sucked. Downtown San Luis.” Jonathan Homrighausen philosophy student “I regret … staying up late. I had school the next day, and I was totally out of…
