Cover Story
Fill ‘er up!
Where there once was deep, shimmering water, Lake Nacimiento’s expansive stretches of dry sand and gravel started making people nervous in the past few months. Before the heavy rainstorm of Oct. 13 and 14, the reservoir was officially considered more than 90 percent empty, even as construction proceeded on the new pipeline designed to carry…
If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?
John Brown student “I guess I would go to the Vatican, because I love the Pope.” Stephen Isenhart serving Jesus “Washington, D.C., to have a meeting with Bill Clinton and President Obama.” Ray Brummel laborer “Australia, because I’m a bicycle enthusiast and I ride bicycles long distance. I just rode from Montana, in fact.” Sarah…
New laws miff the right, left, and center
After a miserable year of partisan gridlock and budget showdowns, Governor Schwarzenegger managed to infuriate constituents on the political right, left, and center when he signed more than 400 bills into law, while vetoing a little more than 200. Political pundits have a hard time pinning down which direction the governor is heading. He…
From juror box to witness stand
Dan DeVaul’s trial seemed all but over. He was convicted on two counts of criminal code violations on Sept. 22 and now awaits sentencing. But after the trial ended and the jurors went back to their daily lives, one juror had a plague of conscience, one that could unravel the process. Juror Mary Rose…
And then there were four
The race for California’s 33rd District Assembly seat has suffered its first campaign casualty. On Oct. 15, Marty Mariscal—former Santa Maria City Council member—told New Times’ sister paper the Santa Maria Sun he’s no longer running for the seat, which is being vacated by current Assemblyman Sam Blakeslee in 2010. “The bottom line…
City to buy new fire truck for taller downtown of the future
The San Luis City Council voted on Oct. 20 to buy a new $1.04 million fire truck equipped with a 100-foot ladder, a purchase fire officials say is needed to protect the taller downtown of the future. Though the budget has been severely strained by the rough economy and a state government that has been…
No more raids, but what about Lynch?
“I’m not sure exactly how it’s going to affect my case,” former medical marijuana dispensary owner Charles Lynch said over a cell phone while on one of his regular trips to meet with his attorneys in Los Angeles. “The prosecutors said they’re not going to back off that easy on me. The more it drags…
Bar report presented to council, ‘stakeholders’
San Luis Obispo city officials may soon be clamping down on bars. Responding to a city-funded report, bar owners are opposing potential new fees and regulations aimed at curbing alcohol-related issues downtown. It was standing room only as more than 100 people packed City Hall on Oct. 20 for a presentation about how rowdy…
Spotlight on academic freedom after Pollan’s Cal Poly lecture
Cal Poly President Warren Baker has continued to come under fire after a controversial decision to change the format of an Oct. 15 free lecture by best-selling food author Michael Pollan. State Senator Leland Yee, a Democrat from San Francisco, is the latest to weigh in on the issue, which has received national media…
Take a trip to the Netherlands
Rosemary and Stephanie Bourgault have advice for coffee snobs who live in the North County: If you can’t find a decent shot of espresso in an environment that is both cool and inviting, simply open your own café. That’s what the mother-daughter duo did last May when they opened Amsterdam. “We were actually waiting…
Adolfo -Fito- de la Parra
NEW TIMES: How did you like playing at the Morro Bay Harbor festival? FITO: Oh, it was wonderful. It was a great experience. We’ve been playing the Central Coast area. We played the Avila Beach Blues Festival, we played the farmers festival in Paso Robles, and we have played Pozo a couple of times. It’s…
Sewer project would dispossess many Los Osos homeowners
The Shredder recently poked fun at me about a series of complaints I filed with the Board of Supervisors regarding their recent handling of design-build contracts for the Los Osos wastewater project (“Poo-poo ca-choo,” Oct. 1). The mighty Shredder also took the opportunity to rip thousands of New Times readers who know me, my track record as…
Conspiracy was unlikely
I am not sure I buy the conspiracy theory in the article “Missing Pieces” (Oct. 1). I agree with Judge Dodie Harman: It [the Houlgate murder] is one of the most senseless killings we have heard of. When have we heard of rational, well-thought-out decisions being made after a binge of meth and alcohol topped…
Regarding Michael Anthony Olin
I was searching a database for San Luis Obispo County, found a link to Social Security obituaries, and discovered my brother Michael Anthony Olin, who was born on Oct. 14, 1955, died on July 17, 1997. I ran across the story of Mark Brown in your article about paupers’ remains “Dead Poor” (Oct. 8) and…
Thanks for the peace medal; now back to war
President Obama is not the first Black man to win the Nobel Peace Prize or the first president. He may be the first person to win the Nobel Peace Prize while in charge of two wars and during consideration of sending more troops.
Peace prize was earned
I am so tired of hearing how unwarranted it was awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to President Barack Obama. Most of these right-wing detractors seem to blame our president for the award, as though in some devious way he influenced receiving the honor. The answer to their skepticism is very clear; he deserves having this…
Harris Ranch tests mind control
I am puzzled and concerned by the criticisms expressed by David Wood and Michael Smith of Harris Ranch regarding Michael Pollan’s presentation and Rob Rutherford’s teaching (“Controversy erupts over Michael Pollan’s Poly lecture,” Oct. 8). Wood and Smith appear to believe that conventional agricultural training at Cal Poly is being submerged by a juggernaut of…
Get off the grid with battery backup
A neighbor here in Cambria had a full-house solar electric system put in recently, also by Absolute Solar. Through this I became somewhat familiar with the dilemma of wannabe green-energy consumers who have not (at least up until the California Solar Surplus Act of 2009) been able to sell their excess power back to PG&E—or even generate…
Pacific Legal Foundation slithers back
This is my Nov. 22, 2004 comment to the Morro Bay City Council. It is still relevant since the Pacific Legal Foundation, by backing Franco DeCicco in Cayucos (“DeCicco fights a two-front battle,” Oct. 15) is once again fighting the California Coastal Commission and all environmentalists: “It would be a wonderful thing for the…
Honor education: Fund it
The latest dust-up over Harris Ranch Beef and Michael Pollan’s lecture at Cal Poly is, as they say in education and horse training, a “teachable moment.” The lesson here is that when we, as a society, de-fund our public universities, they inevitably turn to corporate donations for survival. When universities depend on corporate largess, industry…
Baker sold out
Move over pork bellies, there’s a new commodity in town, and it goes by the name of Free Speech. Cal Poly President Warren Baker recently sold a host of shares to the Harris Ranch Beef Company, apparently mistaking author and journalism professor Michael Pollan for both a vegetarian and a paid representative of some predatory…
Stupidity and birthday wishes
It’s good to know there are still surprises out there. Someone called the main desk a day or two ago and launched into a tirade about the paper’s newfound right-wing lean. I believe the actual word he used was “rightist.” I’ve heard people throw out names for New Times like juvenile, frivolous, sophomoric, social…
Tarrica 2008 Riesling Central Coast Limited Release
This pretty white wine is very nicely balanced in its sweet and tangy fruit aromas and flavors. Sweet pear, green apple, and bright lime notes are light, making it easy to sip and it lingers pleasantly on the palate. It’s best with lighter foods like main dish salads, roasted poultry, or shrimp and noodle dishes.…
Taz 2007 Pinot Noir Santa Barbara County
This classic Santa Barbara Pinot is rich with aromas and flavors of red cherry, plums, and strawberry, highlighted with bright notes of raspberry and spice. Easy drinking alone, it’s also a good choice with grilled steaks, roasted pork, or risotto with mushrooms and parmesian. A good buy at $23 retail, available in local stores or…
Edna Valley wine country
While reading about winemaker Mike Sinor’s upcoming wine tasting in Edna Valley on Nov. 8 during the SLO Vintners Harvest Celebration, which he described as a “Full Circle Tasting with Sinor-LaVallee at Corbett Canyon Winery,” I reflected upon the Edna Valley region’s impressive history. Although Corbett Canyon (who can forget those old “canyon, canyon, canyon”…
Two smokin’ events you should plan on attending
The Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Smokey Joe’s Café comes to the Clark Center in Arroyo Grande. This musical event transforms classic pop music into compelling musical theater and the greatest tunes of the ’50s and ’60s come alive in a high-energy performance that celebrates first kisses and last dances, cool songs, and red-hot rock’n’roll. Smokey…
The C word
OK, first of all, get your mind out of the gutter. The “C” word to which I refer is “cancer,” the scariest word in the English language. During those yearly check-ups (if you happen to have insurance), it’s perhaps the most dreaded diagnosis to receive. This year, more than half a million Americans will…
Dust off your chickens
The Virginia Barter Theatre opened its doors in 1933 with an unorthodox arrangement; customers could pay 40 cents for their ticket, or the equivalent in produce. Many opted to go the latter route, exchanging hogs, chickens, eggs, milk, butter, and the occasional rattlesnake for comedy and drama. Accordingly, the theater company paid its use rights…
Altaring the earth
When people see his photographs of Chumash rock art, taken at the Los Padres National Forest, Robert Frear wants them to think of the paintings as California’s first and oldest art. The rock drawings date as far back as 1,000 years and end rather abruptly with the arrival of the Spanish conquistadores, a relationship not…
Little Miss Sunshine
Sunny! That’s the best word to describe Inga Swearingen’s new CD First Rain. It sounds like a bubbling brook, it looks like sunlight filtered through green leaves, and it smells like fresh air after a spring rain. The local jazz singer brings her highly trained voice to songs more aligned with the pop folk…
