Cover Story
SLO County shouldn’t play the blame game when it comes to psychiatric care
This is a response to New Times’ Sept. 15 article concerning SLO County Behavioral Health Director Anne Robin’s response to the grand jury report criticizing mental health care in the county (“SLO County Behavioral Health responds to grand jury report on psychiatric care issues”). Robin said that the responsibility for emergency psychiatric medical care at…
We need the courage to seek the truth
It’s not about red versus blue, but what do we value? What do we honor? What’s best for our families, for our descendants, for our friends and neighbors, for the freedom our forefathers did their best to create and preserve. For all those who gave their lives in battle fighting for freedom. Politics has become…
The Republican Party leader isn’t the moral high ground
John Donegan’s Sept. 22 opinion (“Celebrity wisdom”) rambled on about his claim of the less-than-moral celebrities influencing the American political environment with progressive direction. Mr. Donegan failed to address the behavior and life of celebrity and Republican Party leader Donald J. Trump. Trump spent years seeking and placing himself within the eyes and ears of…
A project proposed by Los Padres National Forest will impact recreation, habitat, and endangered species
In the hierarchy of environmental law, projects proposed by federal agencies are subject to one of two kinds of review: environmental analysis, a once-over-lightly that is often a straight shot to a finding of no significant impact. That level of analysis is intended, obviously, for projects unlikely to have a significant impact on the environment.…
Listening, a solo show at one of SLO’s newest art galleries, Osos Contemporary, is an immersive experience
Find your creativity Visit Osos Contemporary at 967 Osos St. in downtown SLO to view Christina McPhee’s solo exhibition, Listening, through Nov. 18. Find hours, images, and/or sign up for the next Lemonade Stand art workshop at ososcontemporary.com. Torn magazine articles peek out above a yellow Jacquard-dyed canvas covered with pen and ink drawings painted…
Cuesta College’s trustee area 4 race is heated with past controversy and a call for better South County representation
Adrienne García-Specht, who’s running for Cuesta College’s trustee area 4, remembers when the seeds were sown for her ambition. In 2020, months after the United States reeled from the height of the pandemic and catalyzed racial tensions, the area 4 incumbent and then-board President Pete Sysak dodged numerous calls for his resignation after he shared…
SLO Rep’s Red explores the mind of artist Mark Rothko
The San Luis Obispo Repertory Theatre presents its production of Red, which debuts on Friday, Oct. 14, and is scheduled to run through Sunday, Oct. 30. The Tony Award-winning play chronicles a two-year period in the life of abstract expressionist artist Mark Rothko, while he struggled to complete a set of murals in Manhattan. The…
Marian medical center in Santa Maria receives new technologies to detect breast cancer at earlier, smaller stages
Central Coast women have another local health center where they can get screened for breast cancer using new technologies for earlier detection, thanks to an anonymous donor. The 3Dimensions Mammography System, available at Mission Hope Breast Imaging Center at Marian Regional Medical Center in Santa Maria, takes high quality, clear images, from which radiologists can…
Jonathan Gregory headlines Halloween edition of SLOFunny Comedy
The Halloween edition of SLOFunny Comedy will take place at the Morro Bay Veterans Hall on Saturday, Oct. 29, with performances at 6:30 and 9 p.m. (doors open at 6 and 8:30 p.m., respectively). The show will be headlined by comedian Jonathan Gregory, known throughout the comedy world as “Creepy Jon,” according to press materials.…
Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band returns to Vina Robles Amphitheatre on Oct. 15
Ringo Starr (née Richard Starkey), or Uncle Ringo, as I like to call him even though we’re no relation as far as I know, is returning to Vina Robles Amphitheatre with His All Starr Band on Saturday, Oct. 15 (8 p.m.; $80 to $175 at ticketmaster.com). Sir Starkey (yes, he’s been knighted) is one of…
Grover Beach Community Library hosts Q-and-A with three poets
Meet the Author: Poetry Night, an upcoming event at the Grover Beach Community Library, will feature a Q-and-A with local poets Kevin Patrick Sullivan, Patti Sullivan, and Bonnie Young. The free event will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 18, starting with a social gathering segment at 6:30 p.m. Visit groverbeachlibrary.org for more info. The library…
Amsterdam boasts an amazing cast and a nuanced, albeit bloated, plot
Writer-director David O. Russell (The Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle) presents Amsterdam, the story of three friends—Burt Berendsen (Christian Bale), Valerie Voze (Margot Robbie), and Harold Woodman (John David Washington)—who in 1933 are drawn into the mysterious murder of General Bill Meekins (Ed Begley Jr.) and its connection to a fascist plot to rule America.…
SLO weighs trees against affordable housing with new Housing Authority project
More than 100 new units of affordable housing could be coming to the city of San Luis Obispo as part of a Housing Authority project that proposes to replace Central Coast Brewing on Monterey Street. But the resulting loss of 54 trees on the property sparked a tense discussion at the city’s Tree Committee meeting…
Montana Story
What’s it rated? R When? 2021 Where’s it showing? Showtime Cal’s (Owen Teague) father is dying on their sprawling Montana ranch, and he’s there to do the heartbreaking work of settling the estate. His father is bedridden, unable to talk, maybe even unable to have conscious thought anymore. Their relationship is complicated, but when Owen’s…
Tax measure could help replace Cambria’s aging health care facility
After 65 years, Cambria’s ambulance station and health care facility is in desperate need of renovation. Asbestos coupled with the lack of an ambulance garage, emergency service responders sleeping in exam rooms, and a lack of fuel supply has incentivized the Cambria Community Healthcare District’s board of trustees to do something about it. The district’s…
Lou
What’s it rated? R When? 2022 Where’s it showing? Netflix Anna Foerster (Underworld: Blood Wars) directs this action crime drama about Vee (Ridley Asha Bateman), a kidnapped girl being pursued by her mother, Hannah (Jurnee Smollett), with the help of their mysterious neighbor, Lou (Allison Janney), who’s more than the surly landlord and town curmudgeon…
SLO City Council incumbents lead in campaign fundraising
In the race for three open seats on the San Luis Obispo City Council this November, two incumbents are leading the pack in fundraising, while a pair of newcomer candidates are trailing close behind. SLO City Councilmember Michelle Shoresman netted a race high $18,809 in donations, and Mayor Erica Stewart has raised $14,577, according to…
High school sneerhearts
Anytime Oceano politics comes up, I steel my tiny Shredder teeth and roll up my sleeves. My chompers are gnashing as the race for a seat on one of the most dysfunctional governing bodies in the county—the Oceano Community Services District (OCSD)—heads into the final stretch. (Don’t worry, Cambria Community Services District, you will always…
Paso school board selects Kenneth Enney to fill trustee vacancy
The general elections may only be four weeks away, but the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District board recently gained a new member. At the Oct. 11 meeting, the school board appointed Kenneth E. Enney Jr. to fill in the remaining two years of Chris Bausch’s term—he left after being appointed to the Paso Robles…
Oceano candidates disagree on public forum participation
While candidate forums across San Luis Obispo County each feature a gallery of hopefuls contending for government, the discussion introducing the public to the Oceano Community Services District (OCSD) prospects might stand in stark contrast. On Oct. 8, the Oceano Advisory Council sent an email invitation to OCSD appointed incumbent Steve Montes and Charles Varni,…
British Sports Cars theft one of 12 in downtown SLO since May
In its 42 years of serving San Luis Obispo, the iconic British Sports Cars shop has experienced two big break-ins. The first happened in 2001. Someone broke in through the skylight, stole a Range Rover, drove it through the Thursday night Downtown SLO Farmers’ Market, and injured several people. The second was on Oct. 9…
Rambling Spirits, the new distillery at SLO Public Market, aims to get people talking
Chug, chat, chomp, Catch Rambling Spirits’ cocktail crafting and small bites at the SLO Public Market (3845 S Higuera St., SLO) from Nov. 7. Keep up with their menu by following them on Instagram @drinkramblingspirits. Distiller Jonathan Carpenter and his wife, Ariette Armella, want to craft cocktails and stories in tandem for patrons who visit…
Oceano residents should vote Charles Varni onto the OCSD
Two candidates are running for the Oceano Community Services District (OCSD), Steve Montes and Charles Varni. As a resident of Oceano, I was anticipating a public forum to hear directly their platform and answers to questions provided by our community. The Oceano Advisory Council asked The League of Women Voters of SLO County to facilitate…
Measure B-22 aims to fix Morro Bay’s harbor, but not everyone is on board
Morro Bay Harbor’s crumbling enbamkments, battered seawalls, and deteriorating pilings are all in need of repair. The infrastructure has supported boats and more in Morro Bay for years, and it’s long past due for crucial repairs. But a lack of money has prevented the city from doing much to prevent the decay. Primary funding for…
Clams disappeared from Pismo Beach because of sea otters
Concerning your recent article on Pismo clams (“Clam poaching tops Fish and Wildlife-related crimes in SLO County,” Oct. 6), the cause of decline is not an unknown. The following was published in a 1986 paper, “Temporal and spatial patterns in sea otters”: “Using information available on numbers of otters south of Point San Luis and…
