Cover Story
Fish out of water: A fishermen’s-eye view of the local commercial fishing industry
We’ve all heard the complaints about commercial fishing: It’s unsustainable, its practices are cruel, and it’s ecologically damaging. Online, we can see horrible images of shark finning or clubbing seals or slaughtering whales. It’s easy to believe that commercial fishing is bad. But is it? People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the California…
More twang for your buck
Grab that boot polish and pull on that bolo tie! The Producers of the California Beer Festival are bringing version 3.0 of their popular Boots & Brews Country Music Festival to the Madonna Inn Meadows on Saturday, Sept. 29. Bust out the banjos and fiddles and boot scoot to the sounds of Jake Owen, Frankie…
Is Bird the word?
According to bird.co, San Luis Obispo has joined cities such as Los Angeles, San Jose, Santa Monica, San Diego, and Berkeley as a Bird city, meaning we have the electric vehicle sharing service Bird supplying our town with easy-to-access rental scooters. If you’re thinking, “Yeehaw! I’m going to take them off some sweet jumps,” not…
Americana photos awaken nostalgia at Studios on the Park
Iconic Deb Hofstetter and Dean Crawford’s series of photos called Americana will be on display at Studios on the Park in Paso Robles through Sept. 30. Prints range from $90 to $200. Visit studiosonthepark.org for more information. It all started with a bunch of old, broken-down cars. Paso Robles photographer Dean Crawford was telling a…
Leadership concerns: Budget, schedules top list of Coast Unified teachers’ issues with superintendent
Daniel Schalk had taught science classes at Coast Union High School full time for seven years until recently. Instead of spending his full day at the high school, Schalk was re-assigned to part-time high school science teacher and part-time Cambria Grammar School lunch supervisor. “The decision was involuntary and basically I said, ‘This is ridiculous;…
Social media sound off
New Times readers took to Facebook to share their thoughts on our Sept. 13 news brief, “Socialist organization wants to address housing, homeless issues in SLO.”
Paso art association show displays contrast in all forms
Juxtapose The Contrast exhibition, put on by the Paso Robles Art Association, will be on display at Studios on the Park downtown through Oct. 3. Visit studiosonthepark.org for more information and details. She had never painted—not really—and her hands were slowly getting weaker each and every day. Melodie Jordan had some leftover paint from finishing…
Paso Robles quiet title trial nears end in Santa Clara
A jury trial to determine whose groundwater rights should win out in a 5-year-old clash between public water purveyors and private landowners near Paso Robles approached a conclusion in Santa Clara County Superior Court the week of Sept. 20. In 2013, a small group of North County property owners, led by vintner Cindy Steinbeck, filed…
American blues and jazz vocalist Madeleine Peyroux brings her arresting voice to the Fremont Theater on Sept. 22nd
Close your eyes when Madeleine Peyroux sings and you can forget when and where you are. It could be a smoky French café in the 1930s, a blues-drenched American juke joint in 1940s, or this Saturday, Sept. 22, in the Fremont Theater (9 p.m.; all ages; $36.10 to $59.56 at Boo Boo’s or fremontslo.com). Peyroux…
Festival Mozaic seeks new director
Festival Mozaic announced the resignation of Executive Director Bettina Swigger, who has accepted the position of CEO at Downtown SLO, a nonprofit organization advocating for the economic and cultural relevance of downtown San Luis Obispo. Sept. 30 will be Swigger’s last day with Festival Mozaic, board President Jo Anne Miller said in a press release:…
Morro Bay moves forward with wastewater project
Next July, the Morro Bay community will start paying to fund the long anticipated wastewater treatment facility. City Manager Scott Collins told New Times the Morro Bay City Council approved the surcharges of $41 per month at its Sept. 11 meeting, because there weren’t a sufficient number of protests against it from property owners. “It’s…
Local artists support Measure G
The Yes on Measure G SLO office is hosting an ongoing art sale with proceeds benefiting the Yes on Measure G effort. The Artists for Yes on G Collection comprises works donated by local artists in support of the measure, which would prevent fracking and the drilling of new oil wells in SLO County. The…
Grover Beach Council remains neutral on Measure G
Members of the Grover Beach City Council chose not to take sides on a ballot measure that would ban fracking and new oil and gas drilling in SLO County. At a Sept. 17 meeting, the council voted 4-1 to remain neutral on taking a position on Measure G, which has become one of the most…
Book of the Year honors Ana Castillo
Cuesta College’s 2019 Book of the Year program celebrates its 11th year with Black Dove, Mama, Mi’jo and Me, a memoir by Mexican-American Chicana author Ana Castillo. The book is a collection of essays that cover pivotal experiences in Castillo’s life across three generations. A presentation and book-signing event will take place March 5, 2019,…
Los Osos Library expansion gets a second shot
The South Bay Community Center in Los Osos was packed with 200 people on Sept. 6 to discuss preliminary plans for an expanded local library to serve the growing community. San Luis Obispo County Director of Libraries Christopher Barnickel said that at the meeting, the community made it clear that its desire was for the…
‘White Boy Rick’ is the story of an unlikely drug dealer who works for the FBI
WHITE BOY RICK What’s it rated? R What’s it worth, Camillia? Matinee What’s it worth, Karen? Matinee Where’s it showing? Downtown Centre, Parks Cinema, Stadium 10, Galaxy Editor’s Note: Glen and Anna Starkey were out this week, so you have to deal with a review from Editor Camillia Lanham and Staff Writer Karen Garcia instead!…
Local Uber driver sues company for discrimination
A local man filed a lawsuit against rideshare giant Uber, claiming that the company wrongfully fired him after riders misinterpreted his speech impediment as intoxication and reported him. The former driver, Matthew Pack, said that he was fired after the company failed to properly investigate complaints made against him by riders who thought his speech,…
Guilty Pleasures: Hard Target
When? 1993 What’s it rated? R Where’s it available? DVD, Amazon, iTunes There’s no reason to try to sit here and sell you on Jean-Claude Van Damme’s (JCVD) Hard Target. If you don’t like JCVD, action movies, stilted dialogue, and crazy rich sportsmen that hunt homeless people in their spare time, maybe you should skip…
Vintage Volvo group SloRolling keeps cars and community in good shape
Volvos weren’t always square. In the ’50s through 1976, vintage styles had more rounded bodies—a classic look. Ryan Burmaster had one of his own, a red ’66 Volvo Amazon 122s he paid for in cash. It was a great car, but the recession in 2012 made cutting costs seem appealing. So despite the work he…
Film Listings, 9/20/18 – 9/27/18
ASSASSINATION NATION What’s it rated? R Where’s it showing? Downtown Centre New Writer-director Sam Levinson helms this comedic action-crime flick about how high school senior Lily (Odessa Young) and her besties fight back when an anonymous hacker starts posting details of their private lives online, sending their small town into violent madness. (110 min.) —Glen…
Taste 30-plus heirloom tomato varieties at Windrose Farm on Sept. 22
Taste the rainbow For more information about the Windrose Farm Heirloom Tomato Festival presented in conjunction with FARMstead ED, go to farmsteaded.com or call (805) 226-2081. You might need a bib for this one. Windrose Farm’s annual Tomato Festival love-in is slated for Sept. 22 and 23 at the Paso Robles farm, located at 5750…
‘Pro-water’
C4H20, aka Cambrians For Water, and their candidates for Cambria Community Services District (CSD) office are spewing more misinformation. Their claim to fame is they are pro-water. Everyone in Cambria wants water, obviously. We are all “pro-water.” My choices for the CSD, Donn Howell and Dennis Perry, are “pro-water.” The pond turtles and fishes and…
Local pride
Go ape: Monkey Spit hot sauce and seasonings company has qualified for a Kiva Crowd Funded Loan, which means they can keep doing what they do best (making our mouths burn so good). The Nipomo-based company is moving into a new facility, and they will even be able to provide canning services to help other…
Women get my vote
Women are tired of working for less pay, doing the same job as a man. Women are tired of men making laws for their bodies and families. Women are sick and tired of sexual harassment, treatment as less than, and disregard for what they want. We’ve seen men failing, cheating, and lying in high offices.…
Weeknights rule
Do the hump: Wine-Down Wednesday at Baileyana Winery is chill as the breeze coming in from the ocean, just a few miles to the west. Kick back at the Edna Valley hangout each Wednesday starting at 5 p.m., watch the sun start to set and enjoy a glass or bottle of wine; plus Hurricane Kitchen…
Register and vote, please
I endorse and call for votes to re-elect Heidi Harmon as mayor of SLO. She isn’t perfect and needs to learn to listen more to people, follow up on things, and get back to people when they contact her. She’s got good progressive instincts but I fear she’s fallen into being guided and advised by…
News nibs
A-Town and proud: Known for its casual, family-friendly food, Atascadero’s Street Side Ale House will take over the 12th Street space left vacant by Artisan in Paso Robles, which closed this past spring after a dozen years of business. The Atascadero location, which opened in 2016 on El Camino Real, will stay put (learn more…
Vote for no growth!
We join with a lot of San Luis Obispo’s citizens in our concerns for the direction the city is taking. New growth is changing the character of the city, and not necessarily for the better! The construction of high-rise buildings and of small “affordable” apartments do nothing but add to the already bad traffic congestion…
Enthusiasm for ECHO and Susan Funk
Thank you Vicky Morse for highlighting the work of ECHO, North County’s only homeless shelter, and the joy and celebration inherent in their Long Walk Home event (“Shame on Atascadero City Council candidate Funk,” Sept. 13). It is true that many Atascadero residents, longtime ECHO volunteers for different community groups, decided to don Susan Funk…
SLO County to outsource jail health care
San Luis Obispo County is turning to the private sector in a bid to improve medical and mental health services to its jail inmates. The SLO County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Sept. 18 to move forward with plans to outsource health services at the SLO County Jail. The vote allows county staff to…
Catholic hospital directives don’t match public health concerns
On Sept. 13, Chris McGuinness reported on the Dignity Health and Catholic Health Initiatives merger and its impact on the San Luis Obispo community (“Dignity Health merger proposal draws community concerns”), especially women, LGBTQIA-plus, and low-income members of our community. This is ironic because a health care organization should be committed to the social, physical,…
Paso Robles groundwater talks to heat up as state deadline looms
Talk water Attend an upcoming Paso Robles Groundwater Basin meeting, at the SLO County Board of Supervisors on Oct. 2; county public workshops on Oct. 4 and 8 at Kermit King Elementary School and Creston Elementary School, respectively; the Shandon-San Juan Water District board meeting on Oct. 16 at Shandon High School; and the Paso…
Terracide in SLO County
In Yreka, ghost-lit softball players hit into a smoke-veiled outfield. An impenetrable wall of haze shrouds the Olympic Range. Air quality cancels Ashland’s outdoor Shakespeare performances while citizens wear facemasks. These images persist after my month-long summer journey throughout the Pacific Northwest. This year lays claim to the fourth hottest year ever recorded. We’ve seen…
