Cover Story
Central Coast photographers show off their best perspectives in New Times’ annual Winning Images contest
This year’s winners. Photographs capture moments, emotions, and thoughts without words. Those images are as unique as the perspective of the person holding the camera. They encapsulate time periods, places, and people. Since 1994, New Times Media Group has invited local photographers to show us life from their point of view in our annual Winning…
Pismo attempts to balance less stringent ADU regulations with need for parking
Pismo Beach is updating its requirements for accessory dwelling units (ADUs), but city staff say new state laws aimed at making it easier for people to build ADUs is likely to compound Pismo’s long-standing parking problems. At a meeting on Oct. 6, Pismo Beach City Council voted 4-1 to introduce changes to the city’s ordinances…
State’s new COVID-19 health equity metric may help some counties reopen faster
Effective Oct. 6, the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy will consider an additional factor when determining a county’s reopening tier assignment: the health equity metric. “If you look at the state, you see that there are race and ethnicity groups disproportionately affected,” Santa Barbara County Public Health Director Dr. Van Do-Reynoso said. “And we…
SLO County stays in state’s red tier, schools may reopen
After two consecutive weeks of positive progress on COVID-19, San Luis Obispo County is now eligible to reopen its schools for in-person learning—if schools want to—according to California’s latest coronavirus update. The Oct. 6 update shows that SLO County had met state benchmarks for the red tier of its reopening plan for a second straight…
Santa Barbara County Public Health allows for modified Halloween activities
Spooky season isn’t fully canceled this year, but it will need to be celebrated differently. The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department recently released guidelines for safely celebrating fall festivities, including classic Halloween activities like trick-or-treating. While the county strongly encouraged alternatives to trick-or-treating—such as watching Halloween movies at home, virtual costume parties, or decorating…
At-home COVID-19 tests now available at some local Albertsons/Vons
Albertsons and Vons pharmacies in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties are offering at-home COVID-19 tests for customers who want to opt out of waiting for an appointment or the nasal swab. Albertsons Companies piloted saliva test kits in the Houston, Austin, and Boise markets and their success has pushed the company to begin…
Foundation raises $16,000 to help fund Templeton recreation department shortfall
COVID-19 has directly impacted the Templeton Community Services District, with the Parks and Recreation Department receiving the hardest hit. In an effort to continue providing youth programs safely, the Templeton Recreation Foundation recently held a Keeping the Dream Drive-Thru BBQ fundraiser, serving up tri-tip meals in the Templeton Community Center Parking Lot that included tri-tip,…
Battle erupts over Natural Healing Center dispensary as investor sues founder over alleged malfeasance
A top investor in one of San Luis Obispo County’s most prominent cannabis businessmen described him in a recent lawsuit as an “unscrupulous con man” who’s siphoned company funds, is in hot water with federal authorities, and should be removed as head of his businesses. Helios Dayspring, co-owner and founder of Natural Healing Center dispensary…
The Gala Pride and Diversity Center will be offering LGBTQ-plus affirming therapy services Oct. 1
Since 2018, the Gala Pride and Diversity Center has had a goal to offer direct therapy services to its community. Center Executive Director Michelle Call said it’s always been at the top of the list, but there wasn’t a clear path forward to make it happen. In the last three years, Call and the board…
APCD questions accuracy of Scripps study on dust at Oceano Dunes
The recently released findings of an ongoing Scripps Institution of Oceanography study are at the center of yet another debate over potentially dangerous dust emissions at the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area (SVRA) and what role off-highway vehicle activities play. Scripps is in the second of a three-year investigation into the land and sea…
Dulcie Taylor releases a remixed EP of her most popular songs about failed romance
When Dulcie Taylor left the East Coast for California, it was a gift to local Americana fans. This gifted singer-songwriter fit right into the local music scene, playing all around the Central Coast, winning Best Songwriter in the New Times Music Awards twice—accolades she could add to her two East Coast WAMMIEs (Washington D.C. area…
Sweeney, Torres take fundraising lead in SLO city races
San Luis Obispo city election candidates Cherisse Sweeney and Abrianna Torres have jumped out to a commanding lead in campaign fundraising for the Nov. 3 contest—together outraising the race’s 10 other candidates combined, according to Sept. 24 disclosure forms. Mayoral candidate Sweeny, owner of Basalt Interiors downtown, and City Council candidate Torres, a business consultant,…
Pattern and process: Adrienne Allebe’s work shines at Ascendo
Meet the artist Adrienne Allebe will attend a closing reception for her show Forms Adrift this Saturday, Oct. 3, from 3 to 5 p.m., in Ascendo (1230 Los Osos Valley Road, Los Osos). “A socially distanced, masked closing reception will be held, and the artist would love to hear your interpretations of her work over…
Paso fire’s need for funds highlighted in low ‘C-minus’ insurance rating
Paso Robles Fire and Emergency Services needs more money to provide effective emergency reponse, according to an insurance evaluation completed by the the Insurance Services Office, which gave the department what equates to a “C-minus.” The rating could impact residents’ insurance premiums, but it also reiterates deficiencies that the department was already aware of, Paso…
Looming water rate increase causes confusion in Nipomo
Customers of the Nipomo Community Services District (CSD) will see an increase to their water bills starting on Dec. 1, but how much more customers will be charged is causing confusion among residents. The Nipomo CSD is in the middle of a five-year rate plan approved by the board in 2017 that adjusts water rates…
SLO County Sheriff’s Office talks gangs after recent shoot-out
A traffic stop on a wanted felon in Templeton on Sept. 24 led to an exchange of gunfire between the suspect and sheriff’s deputies, injuring one deputy and resulting in the death of the suspect. San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson identified the suspect as a member of a white supremacist gang and stated…
Prado homeless shelter hit with first COVID-19 cases
San Luis Obispo County’s largest homeless shelter experienced its first cases of COVID-19 this month. A resident at 40 Prado Homeless Services Center in SLO tested positive for the virus on Sept. 3, according to Grace McIntosh, deputy director of the Community Action Partnership of SLO County (CAPSLO), and since then, two additional individuals in…
Correction
In the Sept. 17 news story, “The right space: StudentRoomStay offers college students an app to connect with housing that fits their needs,” New Times incorrectly stated the name of the company Adam Lee started in 2014. The company is called AmeriStudent. Δ
Lockstep politics in San Simeon
The San Simeon Community Services District won’t have to hold an election for the second time in row because so few are interested, or are unaware of the process, to run for office. The tiny disadvantaged community of only 460 people has just 184 registered voters who would be eligible to sit on the board…
Think, question, evaluate
Two kids I teach were arguing whether scrub jays were real. One child was adamant they weren’t, another insisted they were. Their friends took sides based on loyalty. I challenged them to research it with their parents. The next day I asked what they found. Most said their view was upheld, until I told them…
Local ceramic artist Sandra Ferris opens outdoor pop-up studio
Pismo Beach-based artisan Sandra Ferris will open an outdoor pop-up studio on Saturday, Oct. 10, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This one-day showcase and sale will take place outside Ferris’ studio, located at 698 Vista Pacifica Circle, Pismo Beach. Tables will be set up to display Ferris’ decorative ceramic planters and other featured items.…
Pierson and Gray for Cambria CSD
As proud residents of Cambria for more than two decades, we are pleased to support two outstanding candidates for the Cambria Community Services District board this year: David Pierson and Tom Gray. Each has served our community with distinction, and each is prepared to continue to work with diverse community interest groups to find workable…
Dana Adobe and Cultural Center’s postponed July exhibit, All About Trees, now open to the public
Originally scheduled to debut at the Dana Adobe and Cultural Center in Nipomo on July 15, All About Trees—a group exhibition of locally and regionally produced art—opened on Sept. 28 and is slated to remain on display through Saturday, Dec. 4. This exhibit showcases about 20 to 25 paintings from several artists. Highlights of the…
Money and mayhem
My, what a beautiful, pristine 3-mile stretch of beach the public has been able to enjoy in Oceano, just south of Pier Avenue, since the COVID-19 restrictions were implemented. No rutted sand at the water’s edge, no vehicle noise or fuel emissions, no particulate matter being flung into the air, and partial natural restoration of…
Tenet explores time manipulation in a gripping sci-fi action format
TENET What’s it rated? PG-13 What’s it worth, Anna? Matinee What’s it worth, Glen? Full priceWhere’s it showing? Arroyo Grande Regal Cinema 10 Writer-director Christopher Nolan (Memento, Batman Begins, Inception, Dunkirk) helms this sci-fi action thriller about a mysterious operative (John David Washington) who manipulates time on a mission to prevent World War III. (150…
Breaking through the partisan divide
Wow. I want to commend Democrat Arroyo Grande Mayor Caren Ray Russom for putting her community above partisan politics and publicly endorsing Jordan Cunningham for state Assembly. It’s not every day that a sitting elected official endorses another sitting elected official from another party, especially in the age of hyper-partisanship. But Mayor Russom seems to…
Message from the King
What’s it rated? R When? 2016 Where’s it showing? Netflix If you’re still not ready to make your way back to the theater, you may want to revisit one of recently deceased Chadwick Boseman’s lesser-known films, Message from the King, about a South African man named Jacob King, who travels to Los Angeles to search…
Vote your pocketbook
Morro Bay’s Water Reclamation Facility is making progress as hoped and expected. After the years-long effort that city leadership and citizens endured, it is a relief to see the ongoing construction and imagine the rewards when it is finished. What Morro Bay citizens have learned, though, is that we cannot take our progress for granted.…
Ava
What’s it rated? R When? 2020 Where’s it showing? Redbox Tate Taylor (The Help, The Girl on the Train, Ma) directs this action thriller about an assassin (Jessica Chastain) who works for a black ops organization that turns on her, forcing her to fight for survival. I guess it was Chastain’s turn to throw her…
Activist origins
Last week I had the kind of experience that inspires me to persist against the forces that seem monolithically intent on the anti-democratic accrual of power and the destruction of the planet. I spent a Zoom hour with Elena, a 36-year-old nurse and mom who has never been political. When a Republican friend challenged her…
Earth and Oven serves up wood-fired pizza in Los Osos
Pizza appointment Find Earth and Oven on Instagram @earthandoven to locate weekly pizza specials and for instructions on how to pick a time to place your order. There’s never a “good” time for a pandemic to hit. But for born-and-raised Los Osos resident and chef Kean McCabe, the timing was exceptionally vexing. After 12 years…
Stand and be counted
Every 10 years the feds do a nationwide roll call. “Shredder, are you here?” “Present, sir!” That way the government knows how many people are here, where they live, and their race (“The human race?”). They use these numbers to decide how many seats to apportion in the House of Representatives, to aid in redistricting…
