Look away!
If you’re talking about voter fraud, you aren’t talking about inflation, gas prices, overly aggressive federal law enforcement, government corruption, or a war in the Middle East that is likely to kick back into gear after you’ve already voted in the midterms. You also aren’t talking about whatever other batshit crazy bullshit Trumpelthinskin and his…
SLO City Council candidates contend to be voters’ top—and only—choice
San Luis Obispo voters can only pick one of three candidates thanks to the city’s switch to the single-vote method. The top two vote-getters will win the two open City Council seats. The result of a voting rights lawsuit settlement, the “vote-for-one” model swapped out the old electoral system where people cast votes for two…
Grover voters participate in direct democracy
The people of Grover Beach have done what possibly no other city in the country has done—successfully exercised their California constitutional right to participate in direct democracy. They have voiced how they want their community to grow and develop and took the time to sign petitions so voters can weigh in. Both their initiatives won…
Four candidates vie for two seats on the Cambria CSD Board
In Cambria, incumbent Debra Scott faces challengers Keith Hinrichsen, Michael Wolfe, and Dennis Dudzik for two four-year terms on the Cambria Community Services District board. Scott, who was elected in 2022, said she initially had reservations about seeking another term. “It’s really a thankless job,” she told New Times, citing criticism directed at district leadership.…
What is the cost of Grover Beach’s political battles?
Grover Beach taxpayers deserve to know what years of recalls, ballot initiatives, and litigation have cost them—and what they have gained in return. David Swift, a mayoral candidate, has supported the broader campaign challenging City Hall, though he did not necessarily sponsor every initiative. As principal officer of Grover H2O, he signed the rebuttal supporting…
A word about local elections
Elections are an opportunity to consider the future of our community and the qualifications and qualities we value in those entrusted with representing it. The decisions we make, the trust we build, and the standards we uphold continue to shape our city long after the election is over. Throughout my years of service to Pismo…
SLO County Clerk-Recorder rebuffs DOJ demand for ballot segregation
Roughly a week ahead of the midterm elections, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) made its presence felt in San Luis Obispo County. On Oct. 26, the county Clerk-Recorder’s Office issued a public statement about receiving a hand-delivered letter from the DOJ three days prior. The letter demanded confidential voter registration information of “63 likely…
Vote no on A-26
As retired city clerks who have served a combined 85 years of public service for five different cities here on the Central Coast (46 of those combined years were serving Grover City/Grover Beach), we believe the position of Grover Beach city clerk should remain an appointed full-time staff position. We are writing to urge Grover…
Halcyon braces for its first major water system upgrade in more than 50 years
Will Dunbar is Halcyon’s go-to guy when the water stops flowing. The 70-year-old has managed the small community’s water system for years and has a point person on speed dial to fix every leak. “I’ve got a 24/7 person that I end up calling at 3 o’clock in the morning when we got a broken…
SLO County library vans bring books to parks
San Luis Obispo County residents no longer need to step inside a library to check out a book. Instead, they can head to a park. As of Oct. 21, the county’s mobile library vans are making regular stops at two public parks, bringing books and other services to residents who may have difficulty visiting a…
The SLO Blues Society hosts a Halloween dance party Oct. 31
Want to go out for Halloween but not be surrounded by college kids hell-bent on destruction? May I suggest the SLO Blues Society’s upcoming Halloween dance party with three great bands delivering a night of rip-roaring fun for adults. Head to the SLO Vets Hall on Saturday, Oct. 31 (doors at 6:30, show at 7…
Local filmmaker Josh Martin hosts a short film fest Nov. 2 at Bay Theatre
Josh Martin’s newest short film opens with the beep-beep of hospital monitors and a point of view out of an opening and closing eyelid. Soon Martin, a real-life ICU nurse by profession, can be seen in scrubs shining a light in the opening-and-closing lid. “Barny, stay with me buddy. You’re in the ICU. My name…
I’m not a ‘gun-hating liberal,’ I just hate our gun culture
In the four-plus years I’ve had the privilege of contributing to Rhetoric and Reason, I have often been tempted to play a game of “tag” with John Donegan’s column—but because his opinion appears in New Times just the week before my own, I’ve resisted that urge. I haven’t called John out for the conservative opinions…
Gallery at Marina Square features four in November
Whether you like acrylic or oil painting, watercolor, or jewelry, Gallery at Marina Square has something for you this November. Acrylic painter Spanky Anderson is featured in the Lower Gallery. Paul Charles “Spanky” Anderson died in August. He grew up in Georgia and learned to draw and paint at an early age, his artist statement…
The Paso Robles City Library solicits art applications
The Paso Robles City Library is accepting applications for art displays in the library for 2027, but you’d better hurry. The application window closes on Saturday, Oct. 31. “Applications will be accepted for all forms of art or craft from local artists,” the library announced. “To be considered for display, applying artists must review the…
You Can See Everything is a mind-bending exercise in deception
Filmmakers Nathan Fielder (Nathan for You, The Rehearsal) and Lance Oppenheim (Primetime, Some Kind of Heaven) collaborate on this unconventional A24 documentary following disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes during the final 34 days before she surrenders to federal prison in Texas. Holmes and her partner, Billy Evans, invite the filmmakers into their home, offering a…
Paso Robles Planning Commission backs $1 billion redevelopment of former boys school
A former juvenile correctional facility in Paso Robles could become a sprawling commercial and industrial development under a nearly $1 billion redevelopment proposal. The Paso Robles Planning Commission voted unanimously Oct. 27 to recommend approval of The Landing, a 140-acre development proposed for the former Paso Robles Boys School property near Airport and Dry Creek…
Mike Flanagan gives Stephen King’s Carrie a bloody modern makeover
Writer and director Mike Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass, Doctor Sleep) takes on Stephen King’s 1974 debut novel in this eight-episode horror series starring Summer H. Howell as Carrie White, a sheltered teenager whose introduction to public high school becomes a nightmare of bullying, religious fanaticism, and supernatural revenge. Samantha Sloyan stars…
America’s Sweethearts is a sports docuseries worth watching
Emmy Award-winning director Greg Whiteley (Last Chance U, Cheer, Mitt) directs and produces this multiple-Emmy-nominated docuseries on the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. We watch as rookies, veteran performers, and the coaches go through the audition process, training camp, and the NFL season. I’m someone who watches a lot of sports documentaries, and America’s Sweethearts continually popped…
Paso Robles High grads launch Rosten Wines to honor late mothers and fund local scholarship
Before Jonah Dewhurst and Gianna Berlingeri ever touched a cluster of grapes, they learned how to navigate the passing of their mothers. Meeting as Paso Robles High School students in late 2018, the pair quickly bonded over a shared reality. Berlingeri’s mother, Rochelle, had already passed away from breast cancer. Dewhurst’s mother, Kirsten, was battling…
