Cover Story
For some transgender people, the pandemic created unexpected safe places to find their truest selves
When Jackie Martin looks back on her childhood, she remembers feeling like something was off—like the puzzle pieces of her identity weren’t quite fitting together. “There were definitely times when I was a really little kid where I had the feelings but not the words for it,” Martin said. “I was starting to piece things…
Paso school board rejects grad cap decoration proposal
The Paso Robles school board shot down a student petition requesting that Bearcat graduates be able to decorate their caps, despite a proposal from one board member to give the idea a one-year trial run. Zelbert Armer, a Paso Robles High School (PRHS) senior, first brought his “Caps 4 Cats Proposal” to the board earlier…
Running the clerk-recorder’s office requires experienced hands
I have tremendous admiration for anyone who chooses to throw their hat in the ring for elected office, but some nonpartisan positions require specific experience and skills. I watched my wife train for the position of county clerk-recorder for 12 years, and then perform that role for 20 more. I am still astonished at the…
SLO Women in Film and Television, Central Coast Film Society co-host mixer to celebrate the Royal Theater
On Sunday, May 22, two local film organizations are teaming up to co-host a special mixer to celebrate the past, present, and future of the historic Royal Theater in Guadalupe. The afternoon event will be held at Guadalupe Cafe, and is co-hosted by SLO Women in Film and Television and the Central Coast Film Society.…
Vote for anyone but Geoff Auslen from Glenn’s repair
SLO County supervisor candidate Geoff Auslen has earned the dubious distinction of being one of the rudest business owners in Atascadero. An issue that voters need to consider when choosing who to elect in the June election. As the owner of Glenn’s Repair & Rental, Auslen works as a small-engine mechanic and leases out equipment.…
Paso Robles Youth Arts Center opens enrollment for summer session
Enrollment options, class schedule details, and registration info for the Paso Robles Youth Arts Center’s summer sessions are currently available to view. The summer session is scheduled to begin on Monday, May 23 and run through Friday, Aug. 5. “We often get asked: ‘Are you open during the summer?’ The answer: yes,” Ryan Flores, the…
Elected officials need to fix housing
SLO County YIMBY is a cross-partisan group of pragmatic people. Our goal is to work with whichever candidate wins in the ways that we can. Gibson and Ortiz-Legg gave thoughtful answers and rose to the task of answering our questions about how they would help solve our housing problems. We are deeply disappointed in the…
SLO Pride is back in-person after two years, and organizers talk new developments
San Luis Obispo-based drag queen Nala Diamond is ready to strut on the big stage again. So much so that Diamond, who uses nonbinary pronouns, will be packing no less than 30 outfits for the upcoming SLO Pridefest. “Working at drag shows, we do face a lot of challenges. From having the cops called on…
Memo to Dawn Ortiz-Legg: No more Adam Hill-style corruption
In a speech accepting the governor’s appointment to replace now-disgraced former San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Adam Hill after his death, Dawn Ortiz-Legg said she wanted to carry on his legacy. Then she began her campaign to name a park after Hill. Hill and she were close personal friends. He made her his planning commissioner…
GALA Pride and Diversity Center president keeps eye on big picture as he leads equity and inclusion efforts in SLO
Dusty’s Pride Cocktail “Surrender Dorothy” 1½ oz rye whiskey ¾ oz lemon juice ½ oz Midori ¼ oz simple syrup ½ oz egg whites dash of habanero tincture Laphroaig scotch for rinsing Rinse a coupe glass with the Laphroaig scotch, discarding excess. Combine all remaining ingredients in a shaker and dry shake for 30 seconds.…
Firestarter is an unnecessary remake
What’s it rated? R What’s it worth, Anna? Don’t bother What’s it worth, Glen? Don’t bother Where’s it showing? Downtown Centre, Galaxy, Park, Stadium 10, and streaming on Peacock Keith Thomas (The Vigil) directs Scott Teems’ (Halloween Kills) script based on Stephen King’s novel about a young girl with the power to ignite fire through…
Dragon boating association fundraises for two new boats, to hold ‘awakening’ ceremony in Morro Bay
During the doldrums of the pandemic, the Central Coast Dragon Boating Association traded team practice for team fundraising. Its regular morning rides on Morro Bay were put on hold indefinitely when COVID-19 struck, so the local nonprofit best known for its successful team of cancer-survivors, called the SurviveOars, shifted its focus instead to the future.…
Durand Jones & The Indications bring their sweet soul sounds to the Fremont Theater May 23 and 24
About a decade ago, the seeds of a contemporary American soul band were sewn in Bloomington, Indiana. Blake Rhein and Aaron Frazer, students at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, were part of the blues rock act Charlie Patton’s War with Kyle Houpt and Justin Hubler, a group that did some regional and national touring.…
San Simeon landowners to get off water waitlist following legal settlement
Eight San Simeon property owners will get off a water waitlist in the near future, allowing them to take the next steps toward developing their properties, thanks to a settlement between one local man and the San Simeon Community Services District (CSD). The tentative agreement reached between Bob Hather, a San Luis Obispo resident and…
SLO County supervisors drop effort to put charter on the ballot
Wasteful. Shortsighted. A Pandora’s box. Cannot be trusted. Local citizens used all of those phrases and more on May 17 to describe a recent San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors proposal to place a county charter on the November 2022 ballot. First floated by 1st District Supervisor John Peschong last year as a means…
Wizard and Addis emerge as front runners for Assembly
Two Democratic candidates are going head-to-head in the race for the newly formed 30th Assembly District that would put one of them on the general election ballot this November. While the Democratic Party served up four hopefuls for the June primary, Morro Bay City Councilmember Dawn Addis and Monterey County’s Jon Wizard—a Seaside City Councilmember—emerged…
Oceano Advisory Council wants county to reject campground project
The Oceano Advisory Council voted to recommend against renovating the local airport’s campground at a recent meeting—with one council member advocating for SLO County to close the airport altogether on account of the area being “land poor.” The almost 70-year-old Oceano Airport came under scrutiny recently because of a county-proposed campground renovation project. It split…
Bingeable – Slow Horses
What’s it rated? TV-MA When? 2022 Where’s it showing? Apple TV Plus If you’re looking for an inky-black espionage series that isn’t afraid to expose the corruption of spy work and the human frailty of operatives, Slow Horses is the series for you. It follows a team of disgraced MI5 agents who’ve been sent to…
Bingeable – Captive Audience
What’s it rated? Not rated When? 2022 Where’s it showing? Hulu The incredible real-life tale of the disappearance and reappearance of Steven Stayner and Timothy White is laid out by those closest to the case—Steven’s family. Steven was just 7 years old when he was abducted and held by child rapist Kenneth Parnell, who changed…
Table & Vine Supper Club launches new gourmet adventures at scenic locales throughout SLO and Santa Barbara counties
Menus and venues For more information on upcoming Table & Vine events and to purchase tickets, visit tableandvinesupperclub.com. Follow the company on Facebook and Instagram @tableandvinesupperclub. Paso Robles-based event producer Morgen Hoffman is gearing up for her second season of “one-of-a-kind dining experiences” that spotlight local chefs and vintners, as well as venues “that are…
Charter nonstarter
“I … got spanked.” Those are not words you would expect to hear during a SLO County Board of Supervisors meeting, much less from a sitting county supervisor—and yet they flowed forth from 1st District Supervisor John Peschong’s mouth during the May 17 board meeting. My question is: Did he like it? And my guess…
Two reasons to vote no, again, on Oceano’s fire tax
Oceano Community Services District (OCSD) has placed a tax measure on the ballot to raise $410,000 annually to fund full-time emergency medical and fire services in Oceano. It should be defeated. Why? It’s unfair and unneeded. It is unfair because it taxes every parcel of land a flat rate of $180. If you have a…
Studios on the Park’s Life Refurbished transforms refuse into art
Reclaimed See Life Refurbished in the Atrium Gallery of Studios on the Park through June 27. A second opening reception is scheduled for Saturday, June 4 (6 to 9 p.m.). Studios on the Park is located at 1130 Pine St., Paso Robles. The nonprofit gallery is “dedicated to providing a creative, educational, and transformational experience…
What you need to know!
No matter how many solar panels and wind turbines cover the land, the power produced when these two sources are not available could not come close to supplying the amount of energy needed. With that said, where will the extra source of power come from? The two most reliable sources would be fossil fuels and…
