Cover Story
Too close for comfort?
Local engineer John Wallace is, by all accounts, a charming, likable fellow, described by some as Jimmy Stewart-like. But he’s also been the focus of two grand jury investigations and an increasingly loud community outcry for wearing one too many hats when it comes to sewage. Wallace is the district administrator for the South SLO…
Build a music ark
KCPR may be a little college radio station, but they think big, and their Second Annual Fall Flood Festival proves it. Organized by Carver Cordes, former KCPR DJ and local musician, it’s a real DIY labor of love that brings a wild selection of music to various venues and reunites great local indie bands of…
Motorcycle madness!
It’s Saturday, Oct. 13, and the sun is shining and a light breeze is blowing across the hilltop parking lot of Mountainbrook Community Church, carrying with it the smell of barbecuing ribs from the Ribline and occasionally the smell of gas and burning oil from ancient motorcycles, some nearly 100 years old and still running.…
A tale of six innocents
Ever get in trouble for something you didn’t do? Did you go to prison for it? The Exonerated, the latest production from the Poetic Justice Project (PJP), tells the stories of six individuals who were sentenced to death row for crimes they didn’t commit. Written by Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen, the stories were crafted…
Open impressions
Erin Hanson’s landscapes have a special magic about them. You don’t just look at her oil paintings, you experience them, feeling the crisp chill of a North County morning or the arid heat of a late-summer afternoon. Her work reverberates with life and love and energy; in its deliriously bright wildflowers and abstract sunsets, we…
The deranged prophet
On the Central Coast, the work of politically minded pop-surrealist painter Mark Bryan needs no introduction. This is perhaps why the artist statement Bryan chose for his latest exhibit, “The Rupture,” currently on view at Steynberg Gallery, discloses little about the artist’s inspiration, process, or technique. Instead, Bryan excerpts the revelation texts of J.R. Dobbs,…
Clubs: 10/18
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…
How to be awesome on Halloween
It’s almost Halloween, the night when small persons disguised as pirates, princesses, and cartoon characters you’ve never heard of will be pattering up your walk to ask for some free candy. Which, in this economy, should be illegal. Why don’t those gluttonous little moochers get a job already and buy their own damn candy? In…
Rodney Strong 2009 Zinfandel Knotty Vines
This delicious Zinfandel, grown behind the winery along Sonoma County’s Westside Road, comes from knotty old grapevines planted in 1904. There’s not much of it so it’s blended with Zinfandels grown in Alexander Valley. I enjoyed its delicious flavors of wild blackberries, black cherries, and sweet spice with a hint of green peppers. It’s ripe…
Innocent Bystander 2010 Pinot Noir Yarra Valley
This value-priced Pinot comes from Australia’s Victoria region, and I’ve found it consistently pleasing for its price. It’s lighter in color than most California Pinots, but it’s not lacking in flavor. Light to medium bodied, it offers bright red fruit flavors of strawberries and cranberries weaved with herbs and spices. It’s balanced enough to drink…
A southerly pursuit
A die-hard foodie since the early 1980s, I’ve never had a problem with driving long distances to indulge in exemplary cuisine. Despite current gas prices I still don’t mind taking a road trip. While some people tell me that it’s crazy, that’s only because they don’t share my passion for great dining experiences. For those…
Cougars & Mustangs
If there’s one thing college students are good at doing, it’s procrastinating. It’s a hobby basically every student learns, and, like all hobbies, it can draw disapproving glances from family members who just don’t get it. Well, since the holidays are creeping up closer than you think, I’m here to help you appear like a…
How hipsters will save the world!
The word on the street about hipsters is that we’re a bunch of know-it-all jerks. (I say “we” because I ride a bicycle and I write about art for a living, so apparently I’m in the club, too. Whatever. I mean, it’s cool.) Knowing this, however, a recent study surprised me. Conducted last month by…
A new kind of coupon
Check in. Spin the wheel. Win money. Seems easy enough. A new cell phone app roaming San Luis Obispo’s streets allows for just this. Where’s Bazomb? is an interactive game that encourages players to go to local businesses for a chance to not only get good bargains, but win money. The app was created by…
A beach of a race
In November, Pismo Beach residents will decide whether to bring some new faces to their local city government, and three main issues can sum up the race: development, improving relations with neighboring governments and agencies, and—oh, yes—development. But so far, the race has been relatively free of some of the negative rhetoric that’s plagued other…
Officers in flux
By most measures, policing the quiet town of Morro Bay is a pretty sweet gig. The scenery is pleasant; it’s seldom hot; and serious crimes simply aren’t a major issue. All that’s missing from the cushy job, it turns out, are action and money. With roughly 10,000 year-round residents, Morro Bay is the smallest incorporated…
A clarification and correction
New Times has learned that a restraining order on file with the San Luis Obispo Superior Court alleges that Richard Martin Loots, the man featured in the Oct. 11 Three Strikes story “Struck out,” assaulted a woman, sending her to the hospital with three to four broken ribs. The restraining order was filed in June…
Fracking the forest
A national debate over plans to federally regulate a controversial mineral extraction practice hit home with the recent release of a report by a local environmental watchdog group. Los Padres ForestWatch published a summary of a public records search it conducted that revealed numerous instances of hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, directly adjacent to…
Candles lit for car dwellers
A candidate for the San Luis Obispo City Council staged a bright but quiet protest on the steps of City Hall while council members met inside the chambers. On Oct. 16, Matt Strzepek and a handful of supporters waved signs and set 74 candles ablaze—a gesture meant to show solidarity with the 740 homeless people…
Fiber us up, baby!
San Luis Obispo County wasn’t selected by Internet Google in late 2011 to be the recipient of a free fiber-optic network. That honor went to Kansas City, Mo. But we’re not giving up. On Oct. 16, the San Luis Obispo County board of supervisors voted unanimously to begin prioritizing ways to overcome issues that stand…
Paso’s police union protests the hiring of a sixth sergeant
The Paso Robles Police Officers Association wants more boots on the street and less butts behind desks, according to a press release issued Oct. 16 that criticized the city administration’s recent move to hire a retired sergeant into a previously unfilled position. “The PRPD already has a large supervisory staff,” association president Tony Ruiz wrote.…
NRC says Shoreline Fault isn’t threatening
The federal agency that oversees the country’s nuclear industry released a report saying a recently discovered fault doesn’t present an imminent danger to the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant. On Oct. 12, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced that the agency had recently completed an analysis of seismic faults near the plant and concluded it could…
Theater community reacts to the death of Rae Stone
Friends and admirers of Rae Stone are planning a memorial service at Cambria’s Pewter Plough Playhouse. Stone—a local actor, acting teacher, and supporter of theater on the Central Coast—died of cancer Friday, Aug. 24 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. She was in her late 50s. However, many members of the local theater community are only recently…
Nathan LaMontagne
NEW TIMES: How would you describe the genre of music that is Circus of Nero? LAMONTAGNE: Alternative? I don’t think there is really one set sound for Circus of Nero. It can range anywhere from loud, aggressive guitar-based songs to songs heavy on electronics and synthesizer to something as simple as just one piano. The…
Bring on the hands and babies
I’m Shredder, and I approve this message. I think. I’m sort of winging it here, so how about I tentatively take that back and reserve final judgment for when I finish this column? See, I was inspired by the several local candidates who used their public comment minutes to campaign at the SLO City Council…
Let’s change the course of the nation
We have less than a month before one of the most important elections of our lives. The 1980 presidential election was the first one in which I experienced the joy of my right to vote. I have to admit that, prior to that time, I was clueless. It was a time of extremely harsh economic…
So that’s what’s wrong
Joe Biden laughed, smirked and interrupted Paul Ryan approximately 80 times during the 90-minute vice presidential debate. If Biden behaves with foreign diplomats the way he behaved with Ryan during the debate, it’s no wonder the Obama administration’s foreign policy is in such trouble.
This may be our last chance to label
It’s odd that when Monsanto was trying to gain acceptance for its products a decade ago, its leaders spoke in favor of labeling. Here’s what former Monsanto CEO, Robert Shapiro, had to say in an interview with State of the World Forum: “One can make a reasonable argument that consumers and citizens have a right…
Isn’t it odd?
Isn’t it odd that we have to vote on something that should have been a “no brainer” for the lawmakers? Something that requires the most common of common sense, such as labeling GMO products? Isn’t it odd that there are Super-Pacs, lobbying, and other forms of “donations” that let corporations like Monsanto, Goldman Sachs, etc.,…
The bag ban is about greed
SLO County’s ordinance against single-use plastic bags went into effect more than a week ago, and I for one do not support it. The ordinance does nothing to keep plastic waste from our landfills, nor, for that matter, keep people from using plastic bags. It is unfair to consumers and does little to stop the…
Elect a council who will run the city
When those of us who actually pay attention have the audacity to question the manner in which San Luis Obispo is run, we’re continually reminded that some group voted this “the happiest place in North America.” Well, there’s hype, and then there’s what Joe Biden calls “malarkey.” Unlike the editorial board of our local daily…
Vote for LaCaro
I encourage all Templeton residents to vote for David LaCaro for Templeton CSD Board of Directors on Nov. 6. David has the practical knowledge to contribute toward educated decisions on our water and wastewater issues, plus the professionalism and cooperative spirit that is badly needed on our board. David has spent 15 years working in…
Keep the leader that keeps Pismo in the black
Pismo Beach has not gone the way of Stockton or San Bernardino. The city council members have served us well. Thank you. The times we occupy are rife with fiscal uncertainties, demanding a steady, informed hand on the budget wheel. Please support Ed Waage for re-election. Pismo Beach has benefited from his fiscal analyses and…
Three Strikes shouldn’t even be an issue
Our absurd system of justice needs to be changed so that relatively harmless criminals don’t get lengthy prison terms. The case of Richard M. Loots was a good example of someone facing a third strike but not deserving 25 plus years in prison (“Struck out?” Oct. 11). Multiple misdemeanors should not equal felonies. One year…
Put people before policy
As a candidate for SLO City Council, I respectfully challenge Shredder’s recent suggestion that the SLO City Council has fired the final shot regarding the homelessness in our midst (“Come again another day,” Oct. 11). I believe that the voters have the final say. They have the option to replace the incumbents, who have demonstrated…
If you could only drink one beverage in addition to water for the rest of you life, what would it be?
Dennis Nickel general foreman “Probably beer. It’s relaxing, and I enjoy the taste.” Eric Yanez sales representative “That’s tough, but I’ve gotta have my coffee in the morning. It gets me going.” Ana Boaz student “Smoothies, because they have nutrients and fruit, so they’re healthy.” Alissa Woolsey student “Coffee. It’s good and caffeinated, and it…
