Cover Story
Vote for me!
The biggest lesson in the 2008 elections would have to be that public office is truly available to anyone (anyone, that is, except Ralph Nader). This has been as evident on the national level as it has at the local level. After slogging through thousands of words of answers to simple questions, this reporter has…
All hail the Death Cab
It’s the dream of every shoe-gazing bedroom rock star with a four track: to put out a little heartfelt demo tape—in this case Ben Gibbard releasing his self-recorded-and-produced cassette You Can Play These Songs with Chords—and having it snowball into a record deal, a full band, tours, success, a bigger record deal (with Atlantic Records,…
HopeDance
New Times: Where can people get HopeDance movies? Banner: The HopeDance Film Library has now expanded to include Paso Robles. Mary& Uebersax& and Greg Carroll at EarthTones (gifts, gallery, and massage), located at 1319 Park St. in downtown Paso Robles (238-4413) will now be renting out the HopeDance Films. Films and documentaries depict the real…
Ein bier, bitte
Tiffany Garcia, Bufettier (Bartender) New Times What has been a memorable moment at this year’s Oktoberfest? Tiffany Garcia Hmmm New Times OK. What do you suggest we all do until Oktoberfest starts again next September? Greene Old Vienna will have live music at least one Friday a month throughout the rest of the year. We…
Club Listings
Goin’ South … AVILA BEACH GOLF RESORT 6464 Ana Bay Road, 595-4000. Sun.: Live music 2-5pm. BILL’S PLACE: 112 E. Branch St., Arroyo Grande, 489-9989. Fri.-Tues.: Karaoke. BRANCH ST. DELI 203 Branch St. in the Village of Arroyo Grande, 489-9099. CLIFFS RESORT: 2757 Shell Beach Road, Pismo Beach, 773-5000 or cliffsresort.com. Live music on Sat.…
Lar’s stories
Critics refer to Lar Lubovitch’s work as both romantic and athletic, often within the same sentence. Passionate is another word that the choreographer hears a lot, although he denies—somewhat pugnaciously—that audience or critic response influences his creative process. “I’m doing what I’m doing because it’s what I do. I do this because it’s the love…
Egad Fizzier Loon
The Marriage of Figaro is a comic opera involving several pairs of would-be lovers, some faithful, some less so, recounting their exploits on a single day in a Spanish palace. For a more extensive synopsis, look online. For insights about the habits and lives of the performers who will be bringing the characters of sweet…
Robert Hall 2006 Syrah Paso Robles
This very likeable red offers ripe flavors of blackberries, plums, black cherries, and spice weaved with notes of leather and pepper. Nicely balanced and easy drinking, you’ll find it hard to leave this friendly red wine in the cellar, but it will continue to improve with three to five years aging. It also won Best…
A by Acacia 2006 Chardonnay California
This friendly white opens with big aromas of vanilla, spice, and honey from barrel aging, followed by pretty apple, pear, and citrus flavors with nuances of honey and spice. It improves as it opens up with some time in your glass. It’s a good deal at the price and a good choice as an aperitif…
A socially just cafe
I won’t soon forget my first lunch at the Honeymoon Cafe; on my birthday last June with my good friend Steve Watson, who is the district manager for Southern Wine and Spirits. I ordered a salad, but when Steve ordered the daily special of the Hearst Ranch hamburger stuffed with blue cheese, I switched to…
The choice is clear
Los Osos voters have a clear choice for the election of two people to fill the two vacancies on the Los Osos Community Services District. If you approve of the stumbling shuffle into insolvency and the blind hostility directed toward county and state regulatory agencies by the current board, as well as the toxic, combative…
Turn in SOAK
I read your article about “SOAK” (“The writing on the wall,” Oct. 16). It was a well-written article, even though I don’t agree with SOAK’s motives or actions. I am a board member of Crime Stoppers of San Luis Obispo County. We offer rewards to people who report anonymous information to our telephone number: 549-STOP.…
Don’t glamorize graffiti
I was disgusted to read your repeated term “work” to describe the blatant vandalism of that soak-scum you call an “artist” (“The writing on the wall,” Oct. 16). Yes, some graffiti can be art, but spraying your name on very public buildings and signs like the Home Depot (and I am no fan of Home…
Keep an eye on Diablo Canyon
While attending the morning session of the Diablo Canyon Independent Safety Committee “Public” meeting on Oct. 7, PG&E’s Bill Guidemond indicated the plant has established a Management Review Committee as part of their Corrective Action Program that has an average of 50 action requests DAILY. Because the committee meets four days a week (Monday through…
Why not flaunt it?
I received a six-page color mailer for Sen. Abel Maldonado recently. On three of the pages the header starts with independent leadership. The word “Republican” appears once, buried in the text in the smallest size typeface. Is he ashamed of being a Republican? Jim Fitzgerald is the Independent candidate for State Senate. Perhaps Maldonado should…
Who’s threatened, really?
Gambling is legal in some venues of the State of California. Do schools teach that it is good? Do churches lose their tax exemptions when they inveigh against it? Does its legal existence affect the parental right to teach children that it is not a good thing? Do I threaten your economic probity if I…
Vote for Proposition 4
Here are a few things parents need to give their consent for: To get a piercing To get a tattoo To open a bank account at some banks To see an R-rated movie—children younger than 17 require an accompanying parent, adult, or guardian To be transported on a school field trip To get an aspirin…
Vote for Proposition 2
This election I am proudly voting YES on Proposition 2. All animals are sentient beings and farm animals are no exception. Animals that make the ultimate sacrifice for us, should at least be allowed to move! Californians are animal lovers: We need to tell the rest of the nation, and the world, that we will…
Check the math
I’m sure many of your readers recognized Steve Moltner’s letter about the “We Deserve It Dividend” (“Take a direct approach”, Oct. 16). They have seen it in their in-boxes; it’s a piece of e-mail spam that has been circulating for several weeks. The version I’ve seen claimed to be by one “T. J. Birkenmeier, a…
Opposed to annexation
Thanks to New Times’ Kylie Mendonca for covering the San Luis Obispo Council candidates’ debate on Oct. 8 at the Madonna Inn (“Candidates face off in Chamber debate,” Oct. 16)—though I disagree that I, “made a slight blunder … to assume that Dan DeVaul’s ranch ; was part of a proposed annexation plan.” It’s true…
Stay the course
The upcoming elections for San Luis Obispo City Council and mayor could set our city on a very different path than the moderate course of recent years. In the worst case, the council, as of January, could have as many as four of its five members favoring rapid development. Christine Mulholland will be gone under…
Messages to the new board, part two
Editor’s note: This is the second of five monthly Sierra Club commentaries devoted to policy recommendations for the incoming board of county supervisors. This would be a good time to talk about unchecked market forces, yes? We’re referring to the boom-and-bust real-estate cycle that created a seemingly endless demand for large, expensive new houses, many…
Brandon Boreneo – Franchisee of Pizza Fusion, organic pizza, in SLO
NEW TIMES: What do you feel is the importance of establishing a Pizza Fusion in SLO? BORENE: My wife Susan and I felt it was important to offer organic eating in an outlet such as ours for the healthy and organic eaters in the community, as well as an educational opportunity for those who perhaps…
What are you going to be for Halloween?
Paul Bennett psychotherapist “I suppose I’d be a ‘scare monster’, because I darken my house and scare little kids with a PA system I have to make them cry.” Fadi Al-Banna entrepreneur “I’m going to be Tigger, because last time I was Tigger I ran into Eeyore and Piglet.” Nicole Killian student “I’m going to…
Fast Facts
Master bread-baker Henk Balk of Utopia Bakery placed second in a nationwide competition, the first America’s Best Raisin Bread Contest. Hosted by the California Raisin Marketing Board, Balk’s “Musliknar” recipe for Dutch raisin bread earned him a trip to the American Institute of Baking International in Manhattan, Kansas. Balk’s recipe was among twenty finalists selected,…
Dieting turns diva
Christine Lakatos is devoting her 17 years of experience as a fitness instructor and former bodybuilding competitor, to help women become healthier, by sharing her hard-won wisdom in a new book, My Diva Diet. “After spending so many years in the fitness industry, I’d been answering the same questions over and over again for awhile,”…
All bike routes lead to SLO
San Luis Obispo cyclists got some good news from the City Council on Tuesday, with the approval of two bike-friendly traffic projects. Funding to complete the Bill Roalman Bike Boulevard, which runs the length of Morro Street between Upham and Marsh streets, was approved after dozens of cyclists and neighbors showed their support for the…
New cell towers unlikely
The fate of a 16-tower cellular phone facility will have to wait until Dec. 9. The Planning Commission previously approved the tower, located off Highway 41 near Atascadero, with a few conditions. But after about an hour of testimony from worried neighbors, SLO County Supervisors seemed to lean toward overriding the earlier approval. The project…
Gay marriage numbers rise in SLO County
As a vote on Proposition 8 looms—which would amend the California Constitution to define marriage as being between a man and a woman—SLO County has witnessed a recent increase in the number of same-sex marriages performed. Since the California Supreme Court began allowing same-sex unions on June 17, an estimated 11,000 same-sex marriages have been…
The taxman cometh, the cup runneth under
Gross property tax revenues are expected to climb in SLO County, but a subsequent increase in delinquencies could make it a wash. Since the housing market began to slide, more tax bills have become delinquent. The trend has been a statewide issue for about three years, but it’s now showing up in SLO County, too.…
Clerks get a rush
It was just a few hours before the doors closed at the county elections office and the clerks working the desk looked like they had just finished a marathon. In a way, they had. Between Sept. 9 and Oct. 20 (the last day to register to vote) 8,033 voters registered in SLO County. During the…
Suicidal jellyfish jam Diablo Canyon
Canyon Nuclear Power Plant, but lurking just below the surface was something no one suspected, something that stealthily crippled two nuclear reactors. In an unprecedented situation, a swarm of moon jellyfish drifted into the plant’s circulating cooling system on Oct. 21, clogging the protective screens and forcing production to nearly a dead halt. Sharon…
A vortex for trouble
If it seems as though an unusually large number of local construction lenders have fallen into trouble lately, they have. The recent arrests of the mother-and-son leaders of the bankrupt Paso Robles-based Estate Financial firm were met with cheers from many of the hundreds of local investors who have been battling for months to get…
Footing the bill
The debates are over and the confetti has settled for a little while. Now it’s campaign crunch time, not just for candidates, but also for their donors. Since early 2007, contributors on the Central Coast have pumped thousands of dollars into political campaigns. Funds from individuals and committees will likely continue to flow even beyond…
Up your pi hole
You people and your calculators! Here at New Times, we write about politicians who don’t even live in the areas they represent, about officials taking phony tax exemptions, about the Sheriff’s Department botching a murder investigation and then discovering a former cop is a suspect, about the sheriff bugging another cop because he thought he…
