Cover Story
PG&E pushes vote to limit public power
The creation or expansion of not-for-profit, community-owned electric power utilities in California could be stymied if a proposed amendment to the state Constitution pushed by Pacific Gas & Electric Company qualifies as a ballot initiative and voters pass the measure. The amendment would not only impede the development of public systems in San Luis Obispo…
Still drillin’ away
It may have seemed that a proposal by Plains Exploration Company (PXP) to renew an offshore drilling lease along the Central Coast was all but dead. Not so, it turns out, as a revitalized PR effort by PXP and a new push by San Luis Obispo Assemblyman Sam Blakeslee could still finagle a way to…
What is your greatest hope?
Kathy Loftus cattle rancher “To put all my family’s ranches in my family’s ownership” Kelsey Eastburn stay at home mother “To be a good mother and raise my children in a way that they can be who they want to be.” Callie Lawai hairstylist “To own a salon and have a successful family life.” Lester…
From agony, and dust, comes comedy
New Times Why bring The Clean House to SLO? Elaine Fournier (Virginia) I teach drama and dramatic literature at Cuesta College and came across this playwright—Sarah Ruhl—but we thought we weren’t going to be able to get it, but we got it and the board trusted us. I spoke with Adrian and thought he…
Of beauty queens and superstars
Most belly dancers never have the opportunity to explore their art to its maximum potential, argues Miles Copeland, founder of Bellydance Superstars. But as with any centuries old art form that originated on the other side of the world, it’s nigh impossible for a single individual to know what is best for belly dance. Especially…
Saved by the JPA
The atmosphere at Cuesta College’s most recent Board of Trustees meeting—Wednesday, Sept. 2—was tense, and understandably so. Nine jobs were at stake outright, and another three dozen staff members stood to take substantial losses in pay. People were losing their homes, insisted Allison Merzon, president of the Cuesta College Federation of Teachers. In an…
Make me a pundit
Listen to me! Plaster my pasty, pock-ridden face on 24-hour news networks and worship every enraged word that squirms out of my mouth in large alcohol-infused yelps! I’ve been watching an inordinate amount of network TV news lately and not to toot my own horn (beep, beep), but I can rant and make stuff up…
Avoid illness by living responsibly
Regardless of where Congress goes with health care, isn’t it time we paid attention to our own health care footprints? A study appearing in a recent Journal of the American Medical Association says the risk of incurring such chronic ailments as diabetes, stroke, cancer, and heart disease can be reduced by 80 percent merely by…
Medical care is a basic right elsewhere
The need for quality universal health reform is more urgent than ever. More than 50 million people living in the United States lack basic health insurance. Another 25 million are underinsured. Rising insurance premiums and growing unemployment contribute to an average of 44,230 people losing health coverage each week, according to a July report from…
Shades of Northern Ireland
I am embarrassed and somewhat ashamed with what passes as health care reform discussions in recent public forums. There is yet to be a single bill put on the floor of either the House or the Senate for a vote. As I write this, both houses are still in recess. In their absence, a fringe…
Reconsider the attack
Friday, Sept. 11 marks the eighth anniversary of the deadliest crime recorded within our borders. On that fateful day in 2001, thousands of lives were lost as three New York towers crumbled to dust. Improbable as it was, the crime has never been honestly investigated. However, it did provide the excuse needed to plunge us…
Bill the parents
Public school districts across the United States are disbursed funds from state governments for children attending school, and funds are withheld for those who are absent. The hundreds or thousands of paranoid extremist parents who kept their children home from school to avoid the “indoctrination and mind-control” right-wing hysteria surrounding President Barack Obama’s speech urging…
Support for reform
I hate insurance companies. Let me explain. Let’s start with car insurance. You pay your car insurance each and every month in case you get in an accident. Then you get in an accident. The insurance company balks at having to pay anything. Next, you can guarantee your monthly fee will go up, or the insurance company may drop you…
Biggest medical spender buys less
After receiving a mailer promoting a town hall meeting in Paso Robles on health care from my Congressman, Bakersfield Republican Kevin McCarthy, I decided to go see for myself what he had to say. He made it clear he is absolutely against any public health insurance option. His mailer states the proposal in Congress “is…
Learning by doing
Thank you for Kathy Johnston’s article about school gardens and green education (“Real-world learning,” Aug. 6). I am a Cal Poly, SLO graduate who now teaches agriculture science and agriculture elective at Main Street Middle School in Soledad. We take the state standards and show the students how the science they are learning applies…
Beware the bedazzling plan
New Times’ coverage of SLO Botanical Garden’s development plans on the Strokes & Plugs page (“Growing green,” Sept. 3) is commendable. In that simple editorial placement, you cut through a mountain of deception that bedazzles people who should know better. Years ago, when the garden was just an idea, it was sold to community…
Ross Sprague
New Times: Why do you think Firestone Grill is such a popular spot in San Luis Obispo? Sprague: We serve a consistent product. We have good prices and the location downtown is perfect. New Times: What is the most popular food item and why? Sprague: Definitely the tri-tip sandwich by far. The meat is tender…
Siduri 2007 Pinot Noir Rosella’s Vineyard
This elegant Pinot Noir is a special treat, an impressive version of the best from Monterey’s Santa Lucia Highlands. This refined and complex Pinot offers rich and tangy flavors of black cherries and plums, beautifully balanced with notes of minerals and spice. It’s quite delicious now but it will reward those with the patience to…
Vina Robles 2006 Signature Paso Robles
This delicious red blend is annually comprised of three reds varieties that winemaker Matthias Gubler believes are the ultimate expression of Paso Robles microclimate. This complex wine is 66 percent Petit Verdot, 22 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, and 12 percent Syrah. Deeply colored, it fills your mouth with briary blackberry, plum, and blueberry flavors. The bold…
Phased out?
Nearly five years after an international treaty banned the ozone-depleting fumigant methyl bromide from manufacture, the chemical is still being used as a pesticide on strawberries on the Central Coast. Stockpiles of the toxic gas are legal for growers to use on strawberries in the United States—the result of an “essential use” exemption from…
Aaagh! Swine flu!
Little about swine flu is routine, particularly when it comes to vaccines. This year, unlike previous flu seasons, people older than 65 will be turned away from vaccination clinics. Natalie Beller, a registered nurse at French Hospital, said there are two categories of older people. Some who are a bit nervous about side effects…
This is your district on drug testing
Coast Unified School District, which covers Cambria, is planning to give high school student athletes random drug tests. The move is an indirect response to the accidental substance-abuse-related deaths of two Coast Union High School students and concern over a perceived increase in teen drug use in the district, school officials said. The specifics of…
Congresswoman Lois Capps explains health legislation
U.S. Rep. Lois Capps (D-San Luis Obispo) discussed comprehensive health-insurance reform in a community meeting on Sept. 3. at the San Luis Obispo United Methodist Church. After an invocation for peace from Pastor Jane Voigts, Capps gave a presentation in which she set out to debunk some “common misconceptions” about H.R. 3200, America’s Affordable Health…
Pipe down, Atascadero
With Atascadero now jumping in line, there will be no more medical marijuana dispensaries allowed in SLO County cities for at least 45 days—and possibly up to a year. Atascadero City Council members voted unanimously to temporarily ban dispensaries in Atascadero. Before the 45-day ban expires, council members will consider extending it another 10 months…
Obama speech sparks resistance in Templeton
President Barack Obama’s Sept. 8 speech to students caused an early morning uproar at the Templeton Unified School District. A school board meeting was called before the school day started to decide if the president’s speech should be shown to students. More than 100 people attended to see the board vote 3-2 to allow teachers…
Sweet dreams come true
When I was young, from the age of 2 to about 38, I regularly indulged my sweet tooth with an array of sweet treats; I loved everything sugary from Bazooka bubble gum and glazed doughnuts to Coca-Cola and See’s rocky road. I’m lucky I got over that and now I only indulge in a dessert…
More fun than a barrel of rednecks
I don’t know if they still do this, but one of the things I loved about Southern Culture on the Skid’s live show was that on their rider they required the promoter to provide a bucket of fried chicken, which the band summarily threw at the audience during their performance. The gesture perfectly summed up…
It’s bloomin’
Some things just don’t fit neatly into a single category. Overlooking the ocean on Shell Beach Road, High Tide Nursery is more than just a place to buy flowers. Given its unique floral designs and the garden sculptures and fountains, this planthouse has the look and atmosphere of an outdoor art gallery. The establishment…
