Cover Story
In the system: It’s easier than you think to be labeled a gang member
It was hard to watch a grown man like Noe Chang Sr. break down. He sobbed loudly while the judge and lawyers in the SLO County courtroom remained stone-faced. His wife joined him soon after, and the couple watched as two of their sons were handcuffed and led away from them as they wept. The…
Musical development
If you’re in fifth grade and attend a school in the Atascadero or San Luis Obispo Coastal school districts, music from Frozen, Star Wars, and Harry Potter will be serenading you on Oct. 28. The SLO Wind Orchestra is presenting two free concerts for the students that morning at the Cuesta College Cultural and Performing…
Something stinks
Psst. I want to tell you a little secret. Come closer. Closer. OK, too close! Back the eff up. There. That’s better. Did you know that no one likes abortion? True story! Even those who support women’s right to choose would like to see abortion become as rare as possible, which is why pro-choicers are…
Is there a housing issue in SLO?
Carolyn Bird Cal Poly student “There isn’t enough communication between the city and university for housing. Students are on their own finding housing after their freshman year.” Kevin Gomez water treatment technologist “We need to build more homes. We’re too conscious on staying small, we need to expand.” Jamie King registered dental assistant “I don’t…
Superhero cookies: Gerry’s Cookies in Grover Beach are cooking up a following
Ever wish you could buy homemade cookies instead of having to decide between quality and convenience? Well, now thanks to Gerry’s Cookies and California’s cottage food law, you can. Gerry’s Cookies began in June of this year after Gerry Alberry and his wife, Meg, retired and moved to Grover Beach from the East Coast. According…
Barren and unkempt: Families mourn amid dust and gopher holes at the Arroyo Grande Cemetery
Miriam Moustirats looked out across the expanse of the Arroyo Grande Cemetery with a frown. “The cemetery has a lot of problems,” she said. “People have told me it looks abandoned.” If you were passing by the cemetery, wedged between Brisco and North Halcyon roads, you might get that impression too. The 20 acres of…
Freeport-McMoRan to sell off Price Canyon oil field
Amid falling oil prices and a mountain of debt, Freeport-McMoRan Oil and Gas is looking to offload some of its oil fields for a little bit of fast cash. The Phoenix, Ariz., based company announced that it plans to sell its onshore oil and gas properties in California, including the Price Canyon oil field in…
Breaking ground: SLO City Council candidates talk about the city’s housing crunch
You’d be hard-pressed to find a hotter topic in San Luis Obispo than housing. While the crux of SLO’s housing crisis is more or less undisputed—intense competition for a limited supply is pushing prices and rents up while bringing the vacancy rate down to an unhealthy low—the strategies and solutions to help alleviate the problem…
SLO sued over Rental Inspection Program
A lawsuit is calling San Luis Obispo’s controversial Rental Housing Inspection Program unconstitutional, but the city begs to differ. Landlords Steve and Janine Barasch, Matt and Jean Kokkonen, and the SLO Property and Business Owners Association (SLOPBOA) are plaintiffs in the lawsuit, which was announced at a SLOPBOA membership luncheon on Oct. 13. “This program…
Stink worries delay food waste facility decision
A warning of sorts accompanied the SLO County Board of Supervisors’ vote to delay a decision on the green and food waste processing facility slated for Waste Connections’ property near the SLO airport. Supervisors told residents who appealed the SLO County Planning Commission’s September decision approving the project to use the extra time as an…
Fired SLO police officer sues city
A former SLO city police officer claims he was wrongly booted out of the department. Now, he’s prepared to take the matter to court. The former officer, Kevin Waddell, filed a lawsuit in SLO County Superior Court Oct. 12, claiming that the SLO Police Department erred when it disciplined and terminated him for misconduct. According…
Cannabis culture and music festival at Pozo Saloon canceled
The Harvest cannabis and music festival slated for Oct. 16 was canceled at the last minute due to what the event holder said was pressure from the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office. Just two days before the event, the Pozo Saloon restaurant and festival grounds outside of Santa Margarita posted on its Facebook page…
Chorro development approved by SLO City Council
“Tricky,” “challenging,” and “difficult” were the adjectives that San Luis Obispo City Council members used to describe the decision before them on Oct. 18: Whether or not to approve a four-story mixed-use development project on the corner of Chorro Street and Foothill Boulevard. Tension hung in the air as dozens of neighboring residents listened to…
One clarification about a recent letter
This letter is in response to a letter (“Not surprised about Twin Cities’ problems”) in the Oct. 13 issue of New Times in which Dr. Stephen Mulder describes himself as a “30 year veteran of the surgical department” at Twin Cities Community Hospital (TCCH). His self-description is accurate, but his letter doesn’t make clear that…
Make up your own mind on Proposition 57
In response to the Oct. 13 article “Law enforcement speaks out against Proposition 57”—a press conference leads to articles in both The Tribune and New Times! It might have been fair to see that kind of coverage for those in favor of the proposition. The California Chief Probation Officers Association (who better understands the reality…
Hill, the credit-taker
In his ads falsely slamming his opponent, Adam Hill would have us believe that he and he alone protected the 900-acre Pismo Preserve and that Dan Carpenter opposed it. Despite Hill’s delusions, there were scores of community leaders, donors, organizations, and agencies who were instrumental in making the Pismo Preserve happen. The real credit goes…
We need term limits, even in Atascadero
Based on my own life experiences and strong convictions, I am an advocate for term limits at every level of government. We have all seen too many politicians who have been elected to office to represent our voices, to direct government on our behalf, who end up being part of the government machine. Two terms…
Here’s the rest of the story
In a recently published New Times article titled “Balancing act: Atascadero mayor dismisses lingering concerns over potential conflicts” (Oct. 13), the writer excerpts minutes from a Planning commission hearing on the bed and breakfast owned and managed by the mayor and his wife. The excerpt is a comment made after motions, when I offer that…
Tom O’Malley is an honorable man
My family and I have lived in Atascadero for 11-plus years, and we love the energy that’s been created with new businesses opening up, new family-friendly activities, and the resultant culture emerging in our city. It’s those who are committed for the long haul who have formulated and executed a strategy that honors Atascadero’s past,…
Dawn Ortiz-Legg will deliver results for Central Coast
As an entrepreneur and business coach helping people accomplish their objectives and serve their communities, I focus on what will be most effective in getting positive results. From this pragmatic perspective, Dawn Ortiz-Legg will do the best job for all of us on the Central Coast—Democrats, Republicans, and independents alike. Here’s why. First, in order…
It’s election season 2016
Editor’s note: SLO County residents are full of thoughts about the 2016 election, so New Times is filling the commentary section with letters to the editor this week.
Cunningham is the choice for public safety
As a longtime Central Coast resident, I care deeply about preserving our beautiful region and all it has to offer. We are blessed to live in such a great area and I pray my children and the many generations after them have the ability to enjoy all of its beauty. In order to preserve the…
Please vote
The November general election is of utmost importance. Aside from voting for local, state, and federal elective offices, there are many important ballot measures to decide. More importantly our nation’s president and the control of the Senate will be determined by this election. Republicans firmly control the House of Representatives, but the Senate and the…
The great reckoning
When the dust settles from the 2016 election, we are going to need to take a long, hard look at what in the hell just happened. This time around, there is much to learn if we are willing to heed the lesson. We need to reckon with the destabilizing levels of economic inequality and declining…
Miracle cure
Nipomo High School drama opens its season with Radium Girls, a fast-moving theatrical ensemble piece inspired by a true story. In 1926 radium was a miracle cure, Madame Curie was an international celebrity, and luminous watches were the latest rage. But the women who painted those watches started to get sick from a mysterious illness.…
Tap It Brewing Co.’s Wheat Vine Ale and Kelsey See Canyon’s 2014 Golden Delicious Apple Wine
If I were to give you clues like: “honey suckle,” “stone fruit,” “caramel,” and “oak,” you might answer, “chardonnay,” right? Well, what if I were to tell you these flowery words aptly describe Tap It Brewing Company’s Wheat Vine Chardonnay Barrel-Aged Ale? I know, shocking! This “wheat wine”—composed of half malted wheat and flaked wheat—rested…
Change in the air
A fresh start for fall: Edna Valley’s Tolosa Winery has spent the past year in the midst of transformation while simultaneously working to craft the best pinot noir and chardonnay possible (Whew! That’s a lot of work!). A ribbon cutting and reception of Tolosa’s newly refreshed tasting room will kick off this Nov. 4, with…
Throw back with Zenaida Cellars
Zenaida Cellars owners Eric and Jill Ogorsolka know something about the famous Templeton Gap that a lot of newer winery owners don’t. Just ask Jill why Theatre Drive in Templeton is actually called Theatre Drive. “We’d go down to the old drive-in all the time,” Jill reminisced during a recent tour of the couple’s now…
Clubs 10/20/16 – 10/27/16
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…
A bevy of big acts from Willie Nelson to The Pixies to Jimmy Eat World descend on SLO County
Willie Nelson plays Avila Beach this week. The Pixies play SLO Town on one of four warm-up dates before their European tour. A couple of nostalgia acts—The Doobie Brothers and The Monkees—perform in Paso. Alt-rockers Jimmy Eat World plays SLO’s Fremont. Retro American and blues act Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band also plays SLO this…
Bingeable: Rebellion
Where? Netflix. Historical dramas have to be a lot of things at once. They have to be grounded in historical fact, but not bogged down by too many details. They have to have a sweeping sense of historical scope, but still have to appeal to the personal lives and dramas of everyday people to keep…
Little masterpieces
The Paso Robles Art Association’s annual Small Treasures show and fundraiser will be displayed in November and December at Studios on the Park in Paso Robles. Entries are limited to 8-by-8 entries of two-dimensional art and similar “small” stature for three-dimensional art, and each piece of art will be sold for $100, regardless of the…
The Race of Gentlemen meets stormy conditions but garners enthusiastic crowds on Oct.15
It’s Saturday, Oct. 15, and I’m looking for parking near the West Grand Avenue beach access in Grover Beach. Despite scattered showers, the area is packed as thousands have streamed in for the first West Coast edition of The Race of Gentlemen (TROG), a pre-World War II vintage vehicle race that started five years ago…
Social commentary: Editorial cartoonist Russell Hodin wants you to embrace the messiness of democracy
He used to sneak into a trigonometry classroom at lunchtime in high school just to fill a chalkboard with caricatures. Editorial cartoonist Russell Hodin said the trig teacher at Palisades High School knew about it but let it slide, until one day he drew something a little too critical of that teacher. That was the…
The Last Cowboy photography exhibit runs at Studios on the Park through Nov. 27
Like the dwindling populations of Amazonian tribes clinging to an ancient way of life or the critically endangered Amur leopard of northeast China (last count, just 60 remained in the wild), working cowboys—the real icons of the American West—may be facing down their final days. Wyoming photographer Adam Jahiel accepts this harsh truth with an…
