Cover Story
Searching for closure: Sheriffs’ dive team members recount a harrowing call-out to the Conception boat fire at the Channel Islands
As soon as the news broke on Labor Day, Sept. 2, Scott Smith of Nipomo started anticipating the call. Earlier that morning, the Conception, a 75-foot commercial dive boat, had caught fire off the coast of Santa Cruz Island, killing all 33 passengers and one crew member on board. The charred vessel—and the remains of…
Sound off
New Times readers took to Facebook to share their thoughts on our Oct. 24 news story, “Grover reverses bike plan.”
SLO County agencies team up on child care study
A growing coalition of public agencies in San Luis Obispo County is forming to take on the local child care crisis. Together, they’re spearheading a regional study that will aim to “research and provide recommendations to build capacity for child care options,” according to a Sept. 3 San Luis Coastal Unified School District (SLCUSD) board…
Anti-corporatism
John Texeira’s opinion piece (“California’s green energy scam,” Oct. 24) appears to be based on his belief that a government conspiracy to take over the utility industry exists. He uses the hot-button word “socialism” to try to scare the reader into buying in to that conspiracy theory. However, socialism has nothing to do with regulation…
Bruce Miller uses unconventional media in his SLOMA exhibition, Transforming Matter
On display Transforming Matter will be available to view free to the public until Dec. 1 at the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art. For more information and museum hours, visit sloma.org. Travel-sized hotel shampoos. Old cellphone cords with nothing to charge. Stuffed animals that hold too much nostalgia to throw away. These are items…
We’re fighting against ‘the man’ in Morro Bay
Power brokers are always surprised when the oppressed stand up! Morro Bay’s Citizens for Affordable Living (CAL) has been challenging City Hall for two years, and in the process, waking up residents to their unnecessarily high sewer/water rates. That financial burden hit square between the eyes in August when residential households received a $70-plus increase…
Written and performed by Cuesta’s drama department, Mystery of the Loose Moose shows through Nov. 3
On stage Mystery of the Loose Moose plays at Harold J. Miossi Cultural and Performing Arts Center main stage through Nov. 3. For tickets and more information, visit cuesta.edu. If you’ve ever wanted to see a real play written by Corky St. Clair—the fictional character of the popular 1996 American mockumentary film Waiting for Guffman—now’s…
A shout out to the academy
Thank you very much for your series on the Grizzly Youth Academy (“New outlook,” Oct. 17). The academy has helped hundreds of high school students get their lives together before they get in trouble. Often they come from very difficult circumstances. This is a school that truly changes young lives by getting these students into…
Coastal Youth Theater presents The Wizard of Oz
The Clark Center for the Performing Arts hosts Coastal Youth Theater Company’s production of The Wizard of Oz, Friday, Nov. 1, through Sunday, Nov. 10. Performances are held every Friday, at 7 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 7 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Director Alysa Perry helms this theatrical adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s…
Community choice is a fallacy
J.R. Killigrew and his Monterey Bay Community Power (“Who we are,” Oct. 17) are middleman brokers seeking to line their pockets, nothing more. There is a surplus of clean burning natural gas and prices have fallen in the past year. Killigrew told us that prices have gone up. Community choice? Really? Choice would mean that…
GALA holds 36th annual SLO Poetry Festival
The 36th annual San Luis Obispo Poetry Festival takes place at the GALA Center Gallery on Saturday, Nov. 2, from 1:30 to 4 p.m. The three featured poets of this year’s festival are Jasmine Marshall Armstrong, Robert Krut, and Ivan Brownotter. An open reading will follow the event. Admission is free, but donations will be…
Solar is worth the investment
In John Texeira’s opinion piece on green energy (“California’s green energy scam,” Oct. 24), he makes the statement that “solar systems on homes provide electricity to the grid, not to the homeowner,” and that “if homeowners want access to the electric power generated by their solar panels, they would need to install a battery system.”…
SLO Library hosts author talk with Bruce Junior West
Local author Bruce Junior West will present a talk on his autobiographically inspired novel, Auspicious Journey, at the San Luis Obispo Library on Saturday, Nov. 2, from 2 to 3 p.m. The book covers West’s past experiences as a Civic Action Officer in a Vietnamese village. The talk will take place in the library’s Community…
State Parks is not doing its homework
On Oct. 18, 2019, State Parks gave its first quarterly report to the California Coastal Commission on the Public Works Plan under which Pismo Beach State Park and Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area (ODSVRA) will operate in the future. It was obvious to the commission that State Parks had not done its homework. At…
Atlanta-based hip-hop duo EarthGang comes to the Fremont Theater on Nov. 6
I’m not sure why a track like “Meditate” from Atlanta hip-hop duo EarthGang didn’t get the same kind of traction as Childish Gambino’s “This is America.” “Meditate” has an equally evocative and compelling video and thought-provoking lyrics—both songs explore what it’s like to be black in America. “When I fuck my white girl and I…
Mobilizing for the win
My 97-year-old father is again sitting in the dark in Santa Rosa hoping a fire doesn’t force him to evacuate. This is the third power shutoff to forestall deadly fires this month alone. To mobilize Dad for disaster, I call several times to ask if he’s filled up the car. Has he put together a…
Consumable price index: A frugal look at the cost of organic milk, butter, eggs, and bread at local grocery stores
If you’re like me, you look to the gas pumps to decipher what you’re going to spend on your food essentials—the simplified reason being that high oil prices contribute to soaring food prices. Since today’s gas prices are something out of a horror film, and AAA reports that Californians are paying the most expensive gas…
The Lighthouse is a weird but mesmerizing piece of old-school filmmaking
THE LIGHTHOUSE What’s it rated? R What’s it worth, Anna? Full priceWhat’s it worth, Glen? Full price Where’s it showing? The Palm Co-writers Robert and Max Eggers, with Robert (The Witch) directing, have created a psychological fantasy-horror film about two lighthouse keepers—Thomas Wake (Willem Dafoe) and Ephraim Winslow (Robert Pattinson)—stuck together on a remote New…
Seasonal eats
With its vineyards located just 5 miles from the ocean, it’s fitting that the San Luis Obispo (SLO) Coast Wine Collective holds its signature harvest season event right next to the Pacific. Harvest on the Coast weekend begins with a Crafted on the Coast collaborative winemaker dinner by chef Jeffery Scott paired with SLO coast…
Bingeable: La Casa de Las Flores
When? 2018-present What’s it rated? TV-MA Where? Netflix La Casa de Las Flores, or as Netflix has it titled on its streaming service The House of Flowers, is a modern-style telenovela whose characters and storyline are extremely exaggerated, overdone, and ridiculous. I love it. The series is also entirely in Spanish with some English here…
Raise a glass
The results are in for the Paso Robles Children’s Museum’s Oct. 13 fundraiser Cioppino & Vino cioppino contest. Congratulations go to Chef Kurtis Wright of the Nautical Cowboy at the Carlton Hotel for winning the Judge’s Award, and husband-and-wife team chefs Andre and Christina Averseng of Paso Terra for winning the People’s Choice Award. Debbie…
Film Listings, 10/31/19 – 11/7/19
All theater listings are as of Friday, Nov. 1. Editor’s note: Listings for Rodkey Theaters—Fair Oaks of Arroyo Grande (805) 489-2364 and Sunset Drive-In of SLO (805) 544-4475—and full listings for Paso Robles’ Park Cinemas (parkcinemas.com or (805) 227-2172) were not available by deadline. THE ADDAMS FAMILY What’s it rated? PG What’s it worth? Stream it…
Wine time
TheWine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Level 2 Award in Wines and Spirits course will be offered Nov. 19, and 20, and Dec. 4 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Paso Robles. The course is designed to be vocational training in product knowledge for drinks industry employees who might have little previous knowledge of…
This guy, amirite?
How’s my favorite local California Coastal Commissioner doing? In the hot seat again. Right, Erik Howell? It seems like a recurring theme for ya. Only this time I’m actually a little shocked! And I’m also appalled! Gasp! Being accused of shady dealings with project consultant Susan McCabe after you voted against the development she represented…
Cebiche Anconero
I joined a friend at Mistura the other day and we had some fun going for a Peruvian experience. Mistura is a cultural delight—modern and artistic in food and decor. I had never eaten at a Peruvian restaurant, and I’ve never been to Peru, though two of my brothers had life-changing experiences there and tell…
A Central Coast organization focuses on housing and helping female veterans’ transition to civilian life
Building a community To learn more about Operation WEB, donate, or how to participate in their tiny-house building workshop, visit operationwebs.org. For 12 years, Sandy Blair served on active duty in the United States Air Force. In 2005, her time with the Air Force was up, but Blair describes that separation as abrupt. The transition…
Erik Howell criticized for comments about the Oceano Dunes
Erik Howell doesn’t believe the debate over the Oceano Dunes is an environmental justice issue—that’s what he implied at a recent California Coastal Commission meeting, anyway—and now he’s facing scrutiny from some locals who say his comments were way off base. At a Coastal Commission meeting on Oct. 18, California State Parks presented a quarterly…
Arroyo Grande bends to the threat of litigation over its at-large election system
Editor’s note: This article was edited to clarify Michael Latner’s comments on racial representation in district elections. Despite concerns over its small population and geographic size and the reluctance of city leaders, Arroyo Grande will be the next San Luis Obispo County city to vote by district. Arroyo Grande City Council voted unanimously on Oct. 22 to…
McLaughlin attorney disputes county’s claims of a jail death settlement
The attorney for the family of Kevin McLaughlin, whose 2017 death in SLO County jail has been the focus of a denial-of-care lawsuit and part of an ongoing FBI investigation of the jail, is disputing claims that the parties settled the case last week. At the Board of Supervisors’ Oct. 22 meeting, County Counsel Rita…
SLO HEET provides the community with information on animal care in the event of a power shutoff
Heidi Goetz is part of the all-volunteer run Horse Emergency Evacuation Team of San Luis Obispo County (SLO HEET). The nonprofit held a public meeting on Oct. 19 to give the community information and resources about how to prepare for a multi-day power shutoff for not only themselves but for their horses as well. “If…
Highway billboard aims to promote body positivity
Commuters driving down the Cuesta Grade toward San Luis Obispo will see a new billboard featuring various individuals from the LGBTQ community with the hashtag #100%ThatProud. “It’s really just meant to be an encouragement I would say for LGBTQ folks, but everyone you know. It’s about being proud of the skin we’re in,” said Michelle…
Paso Robles gives an update on Grand View tenant aid and long-term housing shortage solutions
In collaboration with local housing organizations, businesses, and other agencies within SLO County, Paso Robles announced an interim housing plan for Grand View Apartments tenants at the Oct. 29 City Council meeting. The council also adopted an urgency ordinance to temporarily prohibit the conversion of houses to nonresidential uses in order to meet a state…
