Cover Story
Making it: Actors work to earn a living on the Central Coast
Let them entertain you For tickets and more information on the latest live theater shows on the Central Coast, visit pcpa.org, slorep.org, and americanmelodrama.com. Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated the last name of actor Cameron Parker. It was the 1980s and teenager Mark Booher decided to audition for PCPA’s (The…
Heating up
Festival season is lit: On May 26, there’s a whole lot of food fest fun to choose from: There’s the Avila Beach Tequila Festival at the Avila Beach Golf Resort (learn more at avilabeachresort.com); the Memorial Day Beer Fest at the Madonna Inn in SLO (learn more at madonnainn.com); and the Arroyo Grande Strawberry Festival,…
Unfree speech
Dear Cal Poly students who are also members of the SLO Peace Coalition, I see you’re under investigation from the Cal Poly Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities for protesting against Military Industrial Complex lifetime achievement award-winner Raytheon during the April 19 Cal Poly Career Fair. Want to know why you’re in trouble? Huh? Do…
In full bloom
Breaking new ground: Cal Poly just broke ground on the university’s new multimillion-dollar Center for Wine and Viticulture on campus! The center will include both a 15,600-square-foot winery and a 12,000-square-foot grange hall, and is expected to be completed in fall 2019. That means more future winemakers with big dreams can make those dreams come…
Social media sound off
New Times readers took to Facebook to share their thoughts about our May 17 news story, “Welcoming weed: 805 Beach Breaks prepares to open in Grover Beach.”
Sipped and shaken
Rock the Vine: Rosé all day, OK? SLO Brew will host an all rosé boutique winery farmers’ market, bringing together 22 rosé winemakers and two cideries for a hangout expected to bring in about 400 guests this June 10 from noon to 5 p.m. Held at SLO Brew The Rock, the outdoor event will feature…
Hail the highway queen!
So, you failed to snag those coveted Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Fest grand tasting tickets before they sold out. Sorry to hear that, friend! Bad things do happen to good people. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t get in on the beer fest spirit. In fact, I highly suggest you head to the laid back,…
Cal Poly reportedly investigating students for career fair protest
Five Cal Poly students may face disciplinary action for staging a protest against U.S. defense contractor Raytheon at a recent on-campus career fair where the company had a booth, according to students involved. At the April 19 event in the Cal Poly recreation center, a group of about eight walked in front of Raytheon’s table…
‘Deadpool 2’ breaks the sequel curse
DEADPOOL 2 What’s it rated? R What’s it worth, Anna? Full price What’s it worth, Glen? Full price Where’s it showing? Sunset Drive-In, Downtown Center, Park, Stadium 10, Galaxy David Leitch (Atomic Blonde) directs this sequel about irreverent former mercenary-turned-mutant superhero Wade “Deadpool” Wilson (Ryan Reynolds), who this time around convenes a team of fellow…
County Assessor’s Office staff weighs in on Tom Bordonaro’s leadership amid a contentious race
San Luis Obispo County Assessor Tom Bordonaro is known to hang a sign on his office door. “Gone Fishin’,” it reads. The quip, according to several current and former employees of the office, symbolizes the reality of Bordonaro’s leadership at the helm of the department—defined by absenteeism, paperwork and personnel decision delays, and a top-down…
Guilty Pleasures: Semi-Pro
When? 2008 What’s it rated? R Where’s it available? Streaming on Amazon Not to toot my own horn, but I believe I coined the premise of Semi-Pro before this ’70s throwback spoof was made. Kicking around movie ideas with my friends in the early 2000s, I cackled at the image of one delusional idiot starring…
Pismo Beach rolls out new short-term rentals regulations
Pismo Beach residents hoping to make a few extra dollars by renting out their homes or rooms in the city for 30 days or less will have to comply with new regulations. A recently approved ordinance will limit the use of short-term rentals, or STRs, to certain areas of the city, and also includes additional…
Film Listings 5/24/18 – 5/31/18
AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR What’s it rated? PG-13 What’s it worth Matinee Where’s it showing? Downtown Centre, Stadium 10, Park, Galaxy Pick Anthony and Joe Russo (Captain America: Civil War and Captain America: The Winter Soldier) direct this new Avengers installment, with a screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. The whole freaking universe is at…
Pottery Coast creates artists’ community in Grover Beach
Break the mold Pottery Coast is located at 480 Front St. in Grover Beach, inside the historic Channel Island Arts Inc. building. They offer wheel and handbuilding tribes, memberships, and open studio hours seven days a week. Memberships are $99 a month and give access to the studio every day from 10 a.m. to 9p.m.…
TMHA begins construction of Sunny Acres affordable housing complex
After six years Transitions Mental Health Association (TMHA) and the Housing Authority of San Luis Obispo (HASLO) will celebrate the beginning stages of construction on the Bishop Street Studios affordable housing project on May 31. TMHA Executive Director Jill Bolster-White said construction began on April 2 and the land surrounding the 1931 building—formerly known as…
Battling oil
The Coalition to Protect SLO County has successfully gathered enough signatures to put a measure on the ballot this November to ban oil well expansion, fracking, and acidizing in the county, but their work has just begun. Over the coming months, they will have to counteract misinformation from the oil industry. If Monterey County is…
Paso grapples with locations for cannabis businesses
The city of Paso Robles’ current cannabis regulations only allow cannabis delivery services to establish and operate in city limits. Now, delivery companies are learning that “city limits” doesn’t include downtown. Paso officials recently denied Dubs Green Garden a license to operate its delivery out of a downtown commercial property, even though the company has…
Continued hope: Hope’s Village SLO provides showers for the homeless
On the corner of Prado Road and South Higuera Street is a pathway to the Bob Jones Trail. Leaving the sounds of car tires running on pavement behind, the trail begins with a bridge over a creek that leads to a huge open space with trees and lush bushes. On May 15, the mobile shower,…
The PFF debacle
Lynn Compton has stated Public Facility Fee (PFF) money was “pilfered” by two of her peers. This is patently not true, and she knows it. During the 1990s and 2000s, numerous attempts were made by SLO County Parks and Recreation to define what Nipomo residents wanted, but consensus could not be reached among Nipomo residents.…
Tenborg attorney files response in CalCoastNews libel appeal
Attorneys for a local waste management business owner made their argument as to why a state appeals court should uphold the $1.1 million verdict against a local news website for libeling him in a 2012 article. Lawyers for Charles Tenborg filed their response to a legal appeal of a libel verdict filed by CalCaostNews in…
Jayne Behman talks digital art at SLOMA
Bring your lunch and enjoy a feast for the eyes with Art at High Noon on June 7 at the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art. Every month the museum hosts an art history lecture, artist’s talk, or activity that fits perfectly with the working professional’s lunch hour from noon to 1 p.m. This month…
A lifelong volunteer could be your representative
We have a rare opportunity on the Central Coast to elect a representative to the California Assembly who does not just recite the hot-button sound bites of the moment but who lives the life he espouses. Bill Ostrander is a strong advocate for the environment. He did ecological and humanitarian work in Africa for a…
By the Sea Productions’ ‘Love Alone’ explores justice, forgiveness amid tragedy
On stage now By The Sea Productions’ Love Alone shows at St. Peter’s By The Sea Episcopal Church in Morro Bay through June 3. Tickets range from $15 to $20. Visit bytheseaproductions.org for more information and to purchase tickets. Sometimes there are just no good answers. Director Kelli Poward explores this in By The Sea…
‘Annie’ comes to SLO Rep
Leapin’ lizards! Annie, the world’s best-loved musical will be the finale for the inaugural season of the SLO Repertory Theatre, showing from June 8 to July 1. Based on the comic strip by Harold Gray, Annie was the winner of seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The beloved book and score features some of the…
Less out of our paychecks, more in our pockets
While it appears that most politicians are focused on protecting their jobs, and not the taxpayer, Supervisor Lynn Compton shines. Compton has worked diligently to promote our local economy. She is practical, fiscally conservative, and ethical. Her opponent Jimmy Paulding, on the other hand, is using fearmongering to garner votes. He appears to ignore not…
Learn to swing dance with SLO Rugcutters
Drop in every Monday night and learn how to swing dance with the San Luis Obispo Rugcutters. Classes are offered at 6 p.m. for students with some swing dancing knowledge and at 7 p.m. for beginners at the Claddagh Dance Studio, followed by social dancing at Madonna Inn from 8 to 11 p.m. Come learn…
Look beyond self-interest
In addressing the Shredder’s May 3 column on immigration (“The last stand”), Mike Source’s May 17 letter (“Dear Mr. Shredder”) laments his having to compete with undocumented immigrants for construction work. However, he shows zero concern for immigrant families seeking safety and a better life, and for Americans who hire construction workers and appreciate the…
Heroes and sidekicks of all ages gather at Captain Nemo for Free Comic Book Day
Finding Nemo Captain Nemo Games and Comics is located at 563 Higuera St., San Luis Obispo. Store hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Call (805) 544-6366 for more information. It’s May 5 and there’s a…
Get out and vote!
In less than two weeks there is a primary election around here—June 5 to be exact. I don’t know if anybody else opens their junk mail, but we all got a sample ballot for the state of California primary election. There are 27 candidates for governor of California. The world’s fifth largest economy, etc., has…
St. Paul and The Broken Bones brings their soul revival to the Fremont May 26
I vividly remember how wowed I was watching the 1991 film The Commitments about a white working class Irish band playing African-American style soul and R&B. When pudgy, white Irishman Andrew Strong as lead singer Deco Cuffe starts belting out Wilson Pickett’s “In the Midnight Hour,” it’s simply amazing. I get that same wowed sensation…
The 2nd District needs something different
We need positive change in SLO County’s 2nd District supervisor position. The incumbent has had 12 years and is asking for 16. His policies have resulted in the highest unfunded pension liability in the history of the county and hugely expensive and unaffordable infrastructure projects on the North Coast because of a lack of regional…
Kiwi Cider? If it’s fruit, it’s on tap at Cider Bar
Ferment with me Cider Bar is located at 570 Higuera St., suite 101, in downtown San Luis Obispo. For more information, go to ciderbarslo.com or find the business on Facebook. Kevin Mclaughlin isn’t afraid to raise a few eyebrows. In fact, that’s how he knows he’s onto something really good. Just sit down at his…
Lifting the veil of violence
Once again, we awoke to news of another school mass-shooting accompanied by lots of misinformation, conjecture, and justified outrage. The focus of the outrage is directed at the usual suspects: the NRA, conservatives, the Second Amendment, and indifferent parenting. We hear responses about arming teachers and putting more police in schools and replies of, “We…
