January 2018 Journal Plus

JOURN A L PL US / / M AG A ZINE OF T HE CEN T R A L COA S T / / JA NUA RY 2018

JIM LEWIS | ANET & CHARLEY CARLIN | TONY PIAZZA | RYEN COSGRO

JOURNAL PLUS

KEVIN BUMEN

San Luis Obispo County Airport Director

805-543-2172

805-904-6616

21 Santa Rosa St. #100, San Luis Obispo

110 E. Branch Street, Arroyo Grande

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Don’t miss out on this beautiful and historic large 4 bedroom home located in the desirable Bungalow District. Original 1930’s flare and character with hardwood flooring, arched entry ways, original door knobs and light fixtures, and so much more. Two separate entertaining areas and both have wood burning fireplaces. Kitchen is spacious with lots of storage, newer stainless steel appliances and large island. Hurry and schedule your private showing of this historic 1930’s charmer before it is gone! $449,900

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CONTENTS

Journal PLUS MAGAZINE OF THE CENTRAL COAST

The People, Community, and Business of Our Beautiful Central Coast ADDRESS

25 Johe Lane San Luis Obispo California 93405

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RYEN COSGRO

PHONE 805.546.0609 E-MAIL slojournal@fix.net WEBSITE www.slojournal.com

EDITOR & PUBLISHER Tom & Julie Meinhold ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Steve Owens GRAPHIC DESIGNER Dora Mountain COPY EDITOR Susan Stewart PHOTOGRAPHER Tom Meinhold DISTRIBUTION William & Anthony Meinhold, Jim Parsons, Gary Story

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JIM LEWIS

VIVIAN KRUG COTTON

ADVERTISING Tom Meinhold CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Susan Stewart, Joseph Carotenuti, Dr. James Brescia, Ian Parkinson, Sarah Hedger, Dominic Tartaglia, Deborah Cash, Heather Young, Dr. Don Morris, April Charlton, Will Jones, Andy Pease, Karen Kile and James Statler.

Mail subscriptions are available at $20 per year. Back issues are $2 each. Inquiries concerning advertising or other information made by writing to Steve Owens, JOURNAL PLUS MAGAZINE, 25 Johe Lane, San Luis Obispo, CA 93405. You can call us at 546-0609, and our e-mail is slojournal@fix.net.

View the entire magazine on our website at www.slojournal. com JOURNAL PLUS MAGAZINE is a free monthly distributed to over 600 locations throughout the Central Coast and is also available online at slojournal.com Editorial submissions are welcome but are published at the discretion of the publisher. Submissions will be returned if accompanied by a stamped self addressed envelope. No material published in the magazine can be reproduced without written permission.

Opinions expressed in the byline articles are those of the writers and not necessarily those of the JOURNAL PLUS MAGAZINE. COVER PHOTO BY TOM MEINHOLD

PEOPLE 7 8 12 14 16

COMMUNITY

SHERIFF’S COLUMN KEVIN BUMEN JIM LEWIS ANET & CHARLEY CARLIN TONY PIAZZA

HOME & OUTDOOR 18 21 22 24

RYEN COSGRO JOHN JONES SR. & JR. - Greatest Athlete VIVIAN KRUG COTTON FOOD / AT THE MARKET

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PASO ART SCENE SLO ART SCENE CCC - Janiee Fong Wolf MLK SCHOLARSHIPS HISTORY: Harriet G. Eddy, Part II OUR SCHOOLS – Dr. James Brescia COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD

BUSINESS

36 SHERIFF DEPT BIKE GIVEAWAY 37 DOWNTOWN SLO What’s Happening 41 PALM STREET PERSPECTIVE–Pease

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January Hero Profile 2018 Children’s Bill of Rights #1: As the children and youth of San Luis Obispo County, may we each live in a stable, comfortable home surrounded by parents, family and other caring adults who nurture us throughout childhood.

JANUARY’S HERO

Janet Wallace

PASSION

Helping give children the best possible upbringing for future success ONE WORD TO DESCRIBE JANET

Positive

NOMINATED BY

Department of Social Services, San Luis Obispo County

Janet Wallace is a champion for children, sharing her own experiences fostering children so that more of our youngest might find loving, permanent homes.

Since their approval, the Wallaces have provided a home for four children in the foster system, one of whom they adopted in March of 2016. Janet is staunchly committed to collaborating with the important individuals in her child’s life—even if it means extra effort. Throughout the adoption process, Janet and William continued to work closely with their adopted child’s biological parents to organize visitation time.

Peers say Janet understands the importance of permanency for children—that they need a safe, caring home that

provides structure, consistency and predictability. Janet strives to give children a nurturing environment that helps to minimize the impact of trauma, and allows them to enjoy a happy and relatively carefree childhood.

Data show the dire need. On any given day in San Luis Obispo County, more than 360 children are living in foster care, and up to 170 are waiting for placement with a Resource Family—particularly teens. People like Janet are powerful role models. She has devoted her life to helping improve the chances that all children in our community will grow up in stable homes surrounded by caring, nurturing adults.

Thank you, Janet.

You are a true Hands-On Hero.

Look for more on all of our Hands-On Heroes on COE-TV channel 19!

Hands-On Heroes is a special recognition of dedicated individuals who believe in and support the Children’s Bill of Rights, an achievable vision that our children grow up with healthy minds, bodies and spirits that enable them to maximize their potential. This program is coordinated by First 5 San Luis Obispo County in collaboration with local organizations that make a difference in the lives of children in our community. To find out more about First 5 and the Children’s Bill of Rights, please visit first5slo.org.

Design: Verdin

Her journey began in 2013, when Janet and her husband, William, were the first to apply to become a “Resource Family” for the Department of Social Services in San Luis Obispo County. This new program was implemented by Child Welfare Services to establish a more unified process for licensing foster-family homes, approving relatives and nonrelative extended family members as foster-care providers, and approving families for legal guardianship or adoption.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Ring in the New Year with a smile!

REMEMBER WE HAVE MOVED.

11545 LOS OSOS VALLEY ROAD SUITE A • SAN LUIS OBISPO • PARKING AROUND THE BACK

Madonna Road

El Tigre PARKING

Los Osos Valley Road

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ulie and I would like to thank Steve Owens for giving us this wonderful opportunity to continue the great treasure he created 24 years ago for Central Coast readers. For those of you who don’t know me: I was born and raised right here in San Luis Obispo. After graduating from Brooks Institute of Photography, I moved home and started Tom Meinhold Photography. My father was a local orthodontist, and he and my mother raised six kids here. So I can say with confidence, I’m a local!

Julie and I look forward to bringing you more great stories about the amazing people, history, art, and businesses that make the Central Coast so special.

In this first issue of the new year, we are happy to announce that Sheriff Ian Parkinson will be a regular contributor to the magazine with his monthly column. We think you’ll enjoy hearing all about the positive things his department is doing for our community. Also this month, SLO County Airport Director Kevin Bumen gives us an inside look at the new terminal.

And finally, we’d like to share our Mission Statement with you: That all our readers will grow to love the Central Coast and its people just a little more after reading Journal Plus each month.

Happy 2018, and as Steve would say, “Enjoy the magazine!”

CALL US AT 805-541-5800 TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT.

~ Tom & Julie Meinhold

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BEHIND THE BADGE

GETTING TO KNOW THE PEOPLE AT THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE

By Ian Parkinson profiles. Thanks Steve for your dedication all these years. And now Tom, the torch has been passed, and I know we can expect the same quality and dedication from you.

Now, let’s talk about the reason for this column: getting to know the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office and what it can do for you.

Most people are not aware, but the Sheriff’s Office has more than 30 divisions and units and many of those have programs designed to help out the residents of the County. For instance, in upcoming articles, I’ll be talking about how we’ve greatly expanded our K-9 Unit from one to six. These K-9’s are very effective at searching for suspects, missing persons, narcotics and evidence, all while enhancing the safety of our deputies.

Our Jail Programs Unit is very robust. You don’t often see the good work they do in breaking the cycle of criminals returning to our jail.

The idea is pretty simple actually. Provide inmates with programs while in custody to help them learn skills so they can be successfully released back into the community. This, in turn, creates a safer County for us all and can be one of our most powerful crime prevention tools. For instance, our graphic arts program teaches inmates about graphic design and layout which gives them the skill set they need to compete for jobs in that field after they leave our custody. The same is true for our computer programming program or our construction maintenance program or our food management program. The list goes on and on.

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ELCOME TO MY VERY FIRST COLUMN. BUT I don’t mean just mine alone. This represents all 425 people who work at the Sheriff ’s Office keeping you and your communities safe. When current Journal owner Steve Owens and new Journal owner Tom Meinhold asked me to write about the happenings at the Sheriff ’s Office, I readily agreed. There are a number of programs the Sheriff Office provides, which the public knows little about and could hopefully benefit. My hope with this column is to highlight those programs and people who are truly making a difference in our community. I’ll talk later in this article about some of the programs I’ll be mentioning in the coming months. First, though, I want to congratulate Tom Meinhold on his acquisition of Journal Plus. A magazine like this, which talks about our local community and the people who make this a special place to live, is so needed in today’s world. Getting past the headlines that scream at you and the articles that sometimes depress you is what makes the Journal a great alternative reading source. Steve Owens has done a masterful job of finding out what makes the Central Coast so special by providing insightful news, commentaries and

Another topic I’ll be talking about is the recent approval we’ve received for a Panic Button App that will be available to all schools in the County for all types of incidents from active shooters, fires, and individual assaults to minor or major medical emergencies. Panic Button, accessed from a mobile device, immediately connects users to 9-1-1. Using mobile phones, authorized users initiate a one-button panic call that speed dials 9-1-1 and at the same time immediately alerts all employees, administrators and School Resource Deputies of the emergency. We are using technology to keep our schools safe.

We also have a number of volunteer opportunities at the Sheriff’s Office. In fact, they are so popular, we count more than 250 people in our volunteer ranks. I’ve said it before: we simply couldn’t do the job without them. We have everything from Search and Rescue to the Underwater Search and Recovery Dive Team to the Sheriff’s Auxiliary Volunteer Patrol, Aero Squadron and Posse. May there be a good fit for you in one of our volunteer capacities? We’ll be talking about those opportunities along the way as well.

By the way, did you know, the Sheriff’s Office is the oldest law enforcement agency in the County. It dates back to 1850 when San Luis Obispo County was one of California’s original 27 counties. At that time, the county jail was established inside San Luis Obispo’s mission.

The Sheriff was paid $20 a month. We’ve come a long way since that time. But our commitment to serve and protect the public has never wavered. It’s this commitment and dedication I’m excited to share with you. I hope you’ll join me as we take this journey together.

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DIRECTOR KEVIN BUMAN AND THE NEW SLO COUNTY AIRPORT TERMINAL ...A “FRONT DOOR” TO OUR COMMUNITY

By Susan Stewart

Kevin sitting on the all new gangway for easy entry and exit

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T TOOK A HUGE TEAM,” SAID AIRPORT DIRECTOR Kevin Bumen, describing the long-anticipated opening of San Luis Obispo County Airport’s new terminal on November 2, 2017. “I was the conductor, yes, but there were so many different instruments … so many moving parts,” he added, likening the opening day of the new terminal to a command performance by a well-rehearsed symphony orchestra.

“People’s experiences with airports are notoriously onerous,” said Bumen. “We wanted to design a building that would not only convey a sense of this community [as seen in the views of the surrounding landscape and in the art depicting our gorgeous wine country] but also a place they will enjoy, a place that is comfortable and efficient. … We’ve succeeded in doing that, and the responses we are getting are incredibly rewarding.”

And well-rehearsed it was. Crediting architect / designer RS & H, as well as general contractor Q & D Construction, Bumen said, “We were well-prepared. … The history of openings like this is littered with catastrophe. But this one was incredibly smooth; as good as or better than we hoped.”

Many years in the planning, and two years in construction, the new terminal came in on time and on budget, despite the surprising addition of two new flights—one to Denver and one to Seattle—and a new airline, Alaska Airlines, before the new terminal was opened.

“We didn’t expect that until after the new building was complete,” said Bumen, “and the public was quick to see the limitations of the old terminal, especially in parking.

“

Quite a feat when one considers the variables involved: Three airlines, several car rental agencies, passenger safety, vendors, concessionaires, terminal security, staffing … “That first day was a long one,” said Bumen. The first flights to use the new terminal were arrivals—4 of them—between the hours of 9 pm and midnight. The reward was immediate, in the amazed faces of the passengers who walked off their planes into the beautiful new 56,000 square foot terminal—almost 40,000 square feet larger than its predecessor. High ceilings, natural materials, and a new outdoor courtyard create a welcoming space, while a larger security checkpoint, a new post-security food and beverage concession, even a special animal relief area offer travelers unanticipated amenities.

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Arriving at his new post as Airport Director just as the project was getting under way, Kevin Bumen was the “new guy” —to the airport and to the county. “It was kind of like, ‘Welcome to San Luis Obispo; now let’s build a new terminal!’” and admits. But Bumen said the timing could not have been better. Everything was aligned: the finances, the plan, the support of the community, and a great board. Bumen was the new guy who brought it home, bringing a diverse set of skills and experiences to the task.

Born in Fairbanks, Alaska, Kevin was one of two children (he has an older sister) raised by a career U.S. Air Force pilot on three different

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bases--one in Fairbanks, one in Yuba City (northern California), and one in Nebraska.

His father was a pilot in the Strategic Air Command for 28 years, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. Though he learned to fly in high school and spent his whole life around aviation, Kevin never saw it as a profession.

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Bumen earned his B.S. from Cal Poly, Magna Cum Laude, in Recreation, Parks and Tourism Administration, and like most Cal Poly students, he fell in love with the Central Coast. After graduation, Bumen worked in the education and non-profit sectors, landing a job with Transitions Mental Health’s Growing Grounds program— which just happened to be located next to the Santa Maria Airport. He met and befriended the airport director and the seed was planted.

“Airport directors are the ultimate generalists,” he explained. “You have to know more than a little about everything—from legal to engineering, marketing to safety, finance to the environment. … The fact that I’m a pilot is not common,” he added.

Bumen next began a Master’s program in

The Bumen Family

Aeronautical Science with Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. But the coursework was sidelined when he accepted a position with the Truckee Tahoe Airport District in 2003. By then, he and his wife Kim had two small children and the whole

family relocated to Truckee. By 2009, Bumen had worked his way up to Director of Aviation and Business Services, a position he held until 2013 when he was selected to take the top job at the SLO County Regional Airport.

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2018

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Inside the new lobby of the terminal

Bumen’s wife, Kim, was a full time teacher for San Luis Coastal for over a dozen years.

Her former students would remember her as Miss Jensen. Today, she continues to substitute at middle and high schools. Their son Cole is now 17 and their daughter Zoe is 14.

This year, 2018, Bumen is honored to be serving as President of the California Air-

ports Council, following an impressive list of other leadership positions. These include serving on the Board of Directors for the Southwest Chapter of the American Association of Airport Executives, as an Advisory Board member for the Salvation Army Central Coast, and on the Superintendent’s Blue Ribbon Committee for the San Luis Coastal Unified School District.

Now that the terminal is open, now that he’s no longer the “new guy,” one wonders how day-to-day life on the job has changed.

“We’ll be in adaptation / transition mode for months,” he said. “We’ve just completed opening bids for the new rental car wash and prep facility.” And then there’s potential parking expansion, airfield maintenance projects, and more.

New check in with free standing kiosks J A N U A R Y

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The all new baggage carousel

Outside seating area

As for the old terminal? Bumen said it will likely not be torn down anytime soon; he hopes it will find a new second life, perhaps

as a flight school, for helicopter tours, or aeronautical conference space. “It all depends on what the market tells us,” he said.

As the “front door” to our county, and often both the first and the last glimpse of San Luis Obispo that travelers see, the new Regional Airport reflects the wide open beauty and graciousness of its community. And offers us all an airport that seeks to—and succeeds at—giving travelers an experience that is as wonderful as the place we call home.

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JIM LEWIS

MORE THAN JUST PISMO BEACH’S CITY MANAGER

By April Charlton

P

ISMO BEACH CITY MANAGER JIM LEWIS IS THE type of person people want for their neighbor or friend.

You know the kind: Someone who is ready to lend a helping hand when asked, lifts individuals up instead of putting them down and constantly strives to make himself and his community better than it was the day before.

“I have always believed in society, making people feel better and being compassionate, wanting people to feel good about themselves and how they are doing that day,” Lewis said.

He jokes he could tell stories about growing up in the late 1970s and early 1980s in Southern California’s Torrance, where his mother still lives in the same house where she raised her three sons=, and being that boy in the neighborhood always looking to help those around him.

“Even as a little kid, I (was) wanting to help kids who got hurt or the ones on restriction, bring them a toy to their house so they would have something to play with,” Lewis said. “I was always concerned with the welfare of other people.”

Chuckling, he added, “My mom would tell you I am different.”

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And Lewis is different, working more than 40 hours a week on average for the city of Pismo Beach, while still managing to be home every night for dinner with his wife and two young children, volunteer his time whenever needed — he belongs to the Atascadero Kiwanis Club and Rotary Club of Pismo Beach/Five Cities — teach Sunday school at his church in Atascadero and make wine.

The wine isn’t sold but rather given as gifts to friends and family and also to local charitable organizations that use the spirits in their fundraising efforts, often auctioning the bottles during events, Lewis said.

“I have been blessed with so much,” Lewis said. “I have so much more than I ever thought I would have — my job, my family. You have to give back, right? That’s what it is about, especially in this day. There’s so much pain and suffering and anger. We need more people giving back. It’s the right thing to do.”

He also co-founded Pivot Charter School in 2008, which has four campuses throughout the state, with his roommate from graduate school. The school seeks to educate those students, in part, who have experienced bullying and/or trauma, making it hard for them to succeed in traditional schools, girls that get pregnant and those who need help building credits to graduate.

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was to become a doctor. He figured he’d serve as a city council member at some point in his life and was accepted to USC’s premed program, but he quickly realized once enrolled at the university, medicine wasn’t for him.

“I wanted to start the school for kids that the traditional system couldn’t serve,” Lewis said. “The kids who slipped through the cracks. That’s why I named it Pivot Charter school. I wanted to pivot these kids’ future because if these kids weren’t educated and didn’t have a chance, they would end up in a jail, in gangs or on drugs. The kids didn’t deserve that.”

Lewis, 42, believes his propensity for giving back, both with time and treasure, and wanting to push others to do the same stems from several factors, including his faith and having great role models. He points to what he calls a “theme” of such people that have played pivotal roles in his life’s path. When his parents divorced at a young age, Lewis remembers having men in his church and Boy Scouts troop who “taught me what it was to be a man — integrity, honesty.”

“One of the themes of my life is that I have had very good mentors around me,” Lewis explained about his successes, desire to work hard and make his community better than when he arrived.

“That is why I am who I am,” he added.

“That’s why I give back so much.”

Growing up in a modest, middle-class family, the youngest of three sons, Lewis also learned early about working hard and the value of a dollar. He spent his weekends working with his father, who had a side lawn business mowing yards, and was paid $5 for the entire day’s labor.

“I was born to a very humble family,” Lewis said. “I had two very hard-working parents.

They both had to work. We had a home and that was nice, but we didn’t go on vacations.

We didn’t have fancy dinners or go out to eat.

We had used cars. We got one pair of shoes, we got an amount for clothes for the year and we had to make that work out.”

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“I was struggling with advanced biology and I never struggled in school before,” Lewis said. “It just hit me; You are not a scientist.

You should be in city government. I was 18 years old when I decided I wanted to be a city manager. That’s very rare.”

Lewis Family

Lewis also grew up seeing others help his family after his parents divorced, whether that was someone donating his first Cub Scouts uniform because his mom couldn’t afford to buy a brand-new one for her son, to getting scholarships to attend summer camp.

Lewis attributes others helping his family during his youth to his desire to want to do the same now that he is an adult.

“Our family had needs (when) my parents split up. We were poor,” Lewis said. “There were hard times. We didn’t have the money and I remember that. People helped us and that really impacted me. My mom would say, ‘God has real plans for you and when you are there, you need to remember these people who helped us, and you need to help others.’”

Lewis changed his major, graduated and went on to graduate school in Syracuse, New York. When he returned to California, Lewis began interning with the city of Glendale and took a job working for the city manager of Torrance about a year later. He then worked in the city manager’s office in Claremont for several years before making the move to the Central Coast in 2004.

He served under former Atascadero City Manager Wade McKinney until about five years ago when he accepted the position as Pismo Beach City Manager. Asked what he’d like to do next, Lewis said continuing to work for Pismo Beach, while striving for excellence in all things.

“There’s a lot of time on the clock,” Lewis said. “I don’t have next thing. I love it here. I want to raise my kids the best I can. I want to be the best husband I can. Be the best winemaker I can. Be the best city manager I can. I want to give back. There’s so much this community needs. Why does there have to be next? This is pretty good.”

He added, “I remember always being very grateful for those things and for those clubs that contributed that to me. I am very grateful for the men who stepped up and taught me some of these lessons of life. So it’s just natural for me to what to give back. Pay it forward.”

It was also Lewis’ mom who helped point him in the direction of public service as a career choice, although the young boy who was growing up in the South Bay, attending church on Sundays and playing tag with friends after school, didn’t know it at the time.

His mom worked at Torrance City Hall and a young Lewis often spent after-school hours at the facility. He befriended the mayor, who got him involved with city politics, and he eventually served on his high school’s student body.

Pivot Graduation

Lewis said he never dreamed of working in city government as his track in high school

Jim in the vineyard J A N U A R Y

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ANET AND CHARLEY CARLIN ALL THE WORLD- AND SOMETIMES A BRICKYARD - IS A STAGE

By Deborah Cash Bachelors in Fine Arts from the University of Texas, Austin with the goal of becoming a lighting designer or going to New York. “Then someone suggested I go to Santa Maria, CA to teach high school,” she said. Describing a recurring theme in her life, Anet laughed, “I’ve done that so many times—I just did things on a whim.” She taught at Righetti High School for three years.

Once in California, a friend of Anet’s told her of a place called Solvang and also that there was a castle a little further north. She was enchanted with the area and when those magic words: “Anet, you know what you ought to do…” were spoken regarding founding a major playhouse in the Santa Maria area she said, “Well, I just jumped in.”

Along with Donovan Marley, in 1965 she started the Interim Theatre that later became PCPA. Anet took a break to pursue a MFA in Lighting Design from UT Austin before returning to teach at Arroyo Grande High School.

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T TAKES TWO TO TANGO; IN THE CASE OF ANET AND Charley Carlin, it also took two to create a lasting legacy of theatre, community philanthropy, personal assistance to those in need and a love for each other stronger than glue. The couple, now retired from their careers—hers in theatre arts including opening nine theatres in the region, his from PG&E after 23 years along with involvement in theatre and performing as one of the area’s most popular Santas—worked tirelessly side by side to bring the joy of the stage to the county and beyond. Ending their run a few years ago, they lowered the curtain on the beloved Brickyard Theatre, a professional and fully staged enterprise performed in their home-based brick laid venue.

Today, Charley and Anet remain active in personal endeavors but their years of theatre production remain forefront in their hearts and memories. “I wrote my first play at 12 years old,” Anet recalls. “My sister Judith and I would perform the same play—with our brothers in charge of the curtain—for our parents every night. It didn’t occur to me that it was somewhat boring for them; many years later we all laughed about it.” But at that point, she knew she had the stage bug.

Born to Doris Marie and Harlan Gillespie and raised in Houston along with siblings Judith, Laird and Alfred, Anet went on to earn a J A N U A R Y

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Once again came the suggestion, “Anet, you know what you ought to do” and the next thing she knew she, along with friend John Schlenker, opened the still-popular Great American Melodrama in Oceano while also teaching play production at USC. A second Melodrama in Bakersfield had a shorter run. “It got harder and harder to open theatres,” Anet said of new ventures. “In 1975, there was a window in time where you could open a theatre for $10,000 and eventually get your money back.

A few years later, that was not the case.” She went on to produce “The Atascadero Pageant,” depicting the rich and eccentric history of the Atascadero Colony and opened Blazing Horsefeathers Melodrama in Templeton that ran for a year. In 2005, she said, “Charley took a sledgehammer to our concrete courtyard, laid brick in its place, built a stage, hung lights and we opened the Brickyard Theatre.”

Many who attended the quaint venue enjoyed its dinner-theatre format that seated 60 and was reputable for its high quality acting, production and set. Guests were shuttled up the hill to the Carlins’ Atascadero home from a designated parking area and treated to a delightful evening under the stars (and lights) with top-notch play production and supper prepared by Charley himself. Often, proceeds benefitted a community cause. Of the all-volunteer endeavor, Anet said, “Everyone was on board with it. At the end of the production, we’d pay our expenses and if there was anything left, we’d divide it evenly—sometimes we got a couple lattes each, other times maybe $25.” The enterprise lasted until 2014.

Charley, born in Fresno to Fred and Eleanor Carlin and raised in southern California along with siblings Fred, Louise, Larry and Bruce, worked with Anet for much of her career while also engaged in his own work and is her biggest fan. He’s also a veritable encyclopedia of his wife’s accomplishments noting she’s directed 270 plays and that together they’ve “murdered people all over this county: in restaurants, homes, theatres, wineries, you name it.” Meaning, to be clear, that the two have directed or help set up the popular Murder Mystery dinner themes, mainly as fundraiser activities for non profit groups or private dinner

PEOPLE parties. Helping groups raise much needed income is second nature to the couple. “We’ve raised money for our son’s school, churches, non profits; it was easy for us to put on a play and donate the income. We were able to contribute more than $90,000 to the community over a ten year period from the Brickyard Theatre alone.”

Charley said, “We don’t even think about it. We just do it. We’re here to Anet & Charley playing Santa & Mrs Claus help people.” Since retiring, Charley said, “We’re ‘littler’ now. We have family and friends to take care of.” Anet added, “It hit me that I’ll be 78 in January. I want to travel. I’ve finally learned to decline when I heard those words, ‘You know what you ought to do?’”

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Charley is also well known around the county as Santa. “I’ve had a full beard since 1971,” Charley said, “but when it turned white, I was nominated by my family to hand out Christmas candy, then Anet booked me for the downtown SLO parade. I performed that role for several years.”

He now plays St. Nick at other events around the county including the Paso Robles downtown activities and an oversized painting of Santa Charley is prominently displayed in the driveway of the couple’s home.

Performing, the arts, and making people happy are what inspired the couple to live life fully and with gratitude. “It’s been more of a religion than a career,” said Anet, adding, “At age 16, someone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I said, ‘The boss,’ and I got my wish. The End.”

Anet is also Charley’s cheerleader. “His intellect is incredible. He could have chosen to run with the big dogs in that respect, but like me, he liked to go with the flow and fall into things.” She cited that prior to graduating from Cal Poly, Charley taught an undergraduate class there for a year and a half. “We met at Cuesta, where I was teaching,” Anet said. “We became good friends and remained so as I worked to open Central Coast Repertory and co-produced other local productions.” Charley, whose first job was a locksmith at age 12, obtained a degree in math and computer science and then “worked around the world as an IT guy,” before signing on with PG&E where he said he loved being able to drive around the county on assignments. Eventually, the couple’s friendship became a union when they married in 1988. Son Benjamin is now 35 and works as a nuclear mechanic travelling around the country and to France.

Your Happy Place.

1988 Wedding Photo J A N U A R Y

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TONY PIAZZA SCIENTIST, BLOGGER, MYSTERY NOVELIST

By Heather Young

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UTHOR CELEBRATES 50TH anniversary of Steve McQueen’s movie Bullit. Blogging about the movie scene leads Tony Piazza to writing crime novels.

Tony Piazza Jr. has been an avid reader for as long as he can remember, getting his love of books from his mother, who wanted him to be a good reader. “That was the greatest gift I’ve ever gotten,” he said. “I’ve loved books so much that I wanted to be a writer since I was 8 or 9.”

His writing career didn’t start, however, until he started a blog in 2005, writing about his experience as a teen on the set of movies in San Francisco. His father, Tony Piazza Sr., was a San Francisco police officer and was appointed as liaison between the police department and visiting film companies. As liaison, he would take the location manager around the city, figure out logistics, handle crowd control and work with the stunt people to ensure the safety of everyone involved. “He took a lot of pride in his work,” Piazza Jr. said, recalling when his father was involved with the filming of the horror film “The Manitou” starring Tony Curtis in 1977. Piazza Sr. was having heart problems, but kept it quiet until

filming had wrapped and went straight to the hospital. Though he survived, he retired not long after.

One particularly difficult scene in one of Steve McQueen’s movies, Bullit, to figure out was the logistics for the chase scene that reached speeds of 110 mph inside the city.

That chase scene was filmed over a number of days all through the Bay Area. “Basically,” Piazza Jr. said, “ they were looking for a lot of hills with a lot of background.” Though the chase scene was filmed over a number of days in numerous locations, it’s edited to appear as one continuous scene. Even with the high speeds the cars got in highly dense areas, Piazza Jr. said there were no problems and no major accidents, though there was a close call.

“On the last day of shooting, which happened to be the final explosive climax to the chase, we brought our 8mm movie camera down to the location to catch the action,” Piazza Jr. said. “I got footage of McQueen and the villain’s car crashing into a gas pump and blowing up the gas station. However, all did not go well, and I have the proof. The special effects guy was over anxious and set off the explosion too soon, so in actuality we see the car drive into the explosion, not setting it off. Fortunately, the director and cameraman had some time the day before and shot a [point of view] through the car window zooming in on the pump.

They edited that into the film just before the explosion and saved the shot.”

Chad McQueen & Tony Piazza

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As liaison, Piazza Sr. escorted all the running shots as they captured the chase scene. “He wore a lot of hats,” Piazza Jr. said. Piazza Sr. worked as the film liaison from about 1959 until his retirement in 1977. Junior was 13 years old when Bullit, starring racer Steve Mc-

Queen was filmed in San Francisco in 1968 and he remembers when he met McQueen.

“The first time I met him was in the basement of San Francisco General Hospital,” Piazza Jr. said. “It was extremely hot in there. In those days, they didn’t have high speed film, so they had to use a lot of lights.” McQueen was filming another chase scene in the basement and Piazza Jr. got to watch and even talk with McQueen. “I was so impressed with him because he spent a lot of time with me,” Piazza Jr. said.

He said he found out later why McQueen gave him so much more attention than he expected from a movie star. McQueen had been sent as a teen by his parents to the Boys Republic in Chino because he was very rebellious and they wanted him straightened out. “[McQueen] said a lot of the success he had was because of the Boys Republic,” Piazza Jr. said. Because he accredited his success to the school, he often spoke at the school, as well as donated money to it.

When Piazza Jr. began blogging, he wrote about his experiences working in film, as well as his family’s experiences with movies in San Francisco. Through that blog, he picked up a big audience so he thought it would be fun to write a fictional story set in the 1930s.

“I blogged the story — it was a serial installment,” Piazza Jr. said.

Once that was finished, he rewrote it and changed the ending and published it. That was the start of his career as a mystery author. Since then, he has published five

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Letter from Steve McQueen to Tony’s dad

Members of the Jazz Group, “Local Waves.”

mystery novels: “Anything Short of Murder,” “A Murder Amongst Angels,” “Murder is Such Sweet Revenge,” “Murder Will Out,” and “The Curse of the Crimson Dragon.” “[My mother] also introduced me to classic films and especially classic mysteries like Sherlock Holmes, Ellery Queen, The Thin Man and others,” Piazza Jr. said. “We used to have contests at home while watching these films to be the first to guess the murderer. That started my love of puzzles, and what led me to be a scientist and a mystery author.” He also credits his father being a police officer and his neighbor growing up a homicide detective as influential in his writing.

But the first book he published was Bullit Points, a memoir of his experiences on the set of Bullit as a kid.

“It was really written as a gift to the McQueen family and the Boys Republic,” Piazza Jr. said. “A little memento to donate proceeds to the Boys Republic. Anything I make on it goes to the Boys Republic.

Surprisingly, the book — in its category — has sold a lot of copies.”

The short book, it’s about 45 pages in length, was written with Dave Congalton and is available for purchase on Amazon, iTunes and Smashwords for 99 cents.

Though he lived in the Bay Area for most of his life, he moved to the Central Coast in 2003, soon after the death of his father, who died that year, only six months after Piazza Jr.’s mother died. Piazza Jr. and his wife moved to Santa Maria when they moved to the area to be closer to her family. He has worked both as a scientist and in the film industry over the years, with his work as a scientist being his main job. He recently retired and plans to continue writing mystery novels and being involved with Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and SLO NightWriters.

For more about Piazza Jr. and his books, go to www.tonypiazza. wpengine.com.

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RYEN COSGRO OVERCOMING ADVERSITY HIKING THE PACIFIC CREST TRAIL

By Will Jones

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’VE LEARNED THAT YOU CAN ENJOY THE UNKNOWN. I found myself seeking the unknown, not fearing it.

On September 22, 2017, 22 year-old San Luis Obispo native Ryen Cosgro reached the northern end of the Pacific Crest Trail near Manning Provincial Park, British Columbia. Ryen began his trek on the border between California and Mexico, near Campo, on March 26th.

Over six months of continuous hiking, except for a few sections of the trail closed by forest fires in Oregon and Washington, he hiked over 2500 miles, through the most difficult conditions in memory: deep snow, raging creeks and rivers, flooded trails.

As impressive as his accomplishment sounds, the journey that preceded his epic trip, given the challenges he faced, is equally, if not more, impressive.

In December 2010, when he was a sophomore at San Luis Obispo High School, a freak accident cost Ryen the vision in his right eye. Assisting his teacher after a quiz, he inadvertently set down a stack of desk dividers in such a way that it caused a pair of scissors to flip in the air and penetrate all the way to the back of his eye. Over the course of six surgeries, meant to save his eye and possibly his vision, and a lot of pain, he spent months face down on a massage table trying to keep his retina in place. “I followed the doctor’s orders exactly because I didn’t want to have any more surgeries and to keep my retina intact.”

Ryen credited his home instructor, Mrs. Ardith Knadler, provided by the school district, with getting him through his sophomore year and J A N U A R Y

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part of his junior year on track for graduation. “She was great.

I felt like I learned more and better with her because it was so intensive.” Hardest on Ryen was not being able to surf. “I didn’t want my friends to give me wave reports,” he said.

The principal of SLOHS at the time (the author of this article), visited Ryen at his home, brought him his favorite sandwich from the High Street Deli. On one visit he also brought photos of backpacking trips he had taken over the years, encouraging Ryen that he would soon be back doing the activities he most enjoyed, like surfing. The principal didn’t know at the time that he planted a seed that would flower seven years later. Ryen decided he wanted to backpack

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again, something he had done as a Cub Scout.

After high school, Ryen and a friend went backpacking for a few days in the Desolation Wilderness area, where he first became aware of the Pacific Crest Trail. He researched it online and decided that sometime in the future, perhaps after college, he would give it a try. But another challenge awaited him, one that could have had consequences far greater than his first accident.

Ryen, nineteen and a student at Cuesta College, was working as an aide for California State Parks in June 2014. After a day of intensive training to receive certification to ride ATV’s at the Oceano Dunes, he and a friend went for a ride. As he approached the top of a dune, Ryen accelerated, not realizing the wind had chipped away the sand on the down side, leaving a precipitous drop to the bottom. He soon found himself airborne, as he described, “like a bad dream of falling.”

He flipped over the handle bars and the ATV flipped and landed on him, first on his head (cracking his helmet) and then on the rest of his body, resulting in devastating injuries: one leg severely dislocated at the knee, five cracked ribs and a collapsed lung. He was in ICU for four days, in a wheelchair for a month, followed by another five months of intensive physical therapy. “I dodged a bullet,” Ryen said. “Two weeks later a similar accident cost the rider his life.”

After two traumatic experiences in four years, Ryen realized there are no guarantees in life, that he wanted “to live the way I want to live now, not put everything off until the future.

We never know how long we’re going to be here.” He decided he would attempt the PCT, solo, between completing his classes at Cuesta and transferring to a four year school.

Ryen researched the PCT and planned his trip for eighteen months. Even though his longest previous backpacking trip was only four days, he felt he was prepared. “There’s a misconception that you have to be a super experienced backpacker, but you just plan and learn as you go.” Ryen emphasized the importance of hiking solo. “I wanted the experience of

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self-reliance, putting myself in physically difficult situations where I’d have to rely on myself. I wanted to find out if I was capable of something that big.”

Early on he met two hikers who were on a training hike, stashing water in the desert, getting ready for an April departure. Coincidentally, they were Kevin and Samantha Duffy, also from San Luis Obispo, and they all had a friend in common: the author of this article! “He inspired me to start backpacking again.” Ryen said. “He took us on our first long backpacking trip,” Kevin and Samantha said, “and got us thinking about doing the PCT.” For Ryen it was one of many serendipitous events that, along with the constant presence of nature, added a spiritual element to his overall experience. “Before the hike I had a regular meditation practice, but I found the hike itself was a constant meditation. Hours would go by when I was simply present, no thoughts in my mind. I felt like I was one of the animals, like I was cheating to have a tarp to sleep under at night.” He thought of the hike as a long series of short trips, taking each challenge as it came, not getting too far ahead of himself. That was particularly helpful when he reached the Sierras, 400 snowbound, dangerous miles.

“The scariest moment came while attempting to cross Evolution Creek.

The water was raging. I was with another hiker who was over six feet tall. The water was up to his neck. He had to make a leap to reach the far bank and even then it was a scramble to save himself from being swept downstream. I’m five-seven. At some point my feet were no longer on the ground and I heard him yell, ‘Swim for your life!’ Somehow I reached the shallows and made it. It was thirty-five degrees, the water was all snow melt and I was shaking uncontrollably.”

Ryen estimates that he spent one-third of his time alone, but he enjoyed the time he spent in the company of others. “I learned that I can do whatever I set my mind to, but I also learned that I can make friends with anyone, form strong, lasting bonds, enjoy the social experience.” On good days he hiked 20-25 miles, resupplying every 90 to 100 miles, either with boxes of food pre-mailed by his mother, Pam Gillette, to post offices or resupply stations, or at stores in larger towns near the trail. He plans to return and complete the sections that he had to skirt due to forest fires.

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Ryen shared what he learned during six months on the Pacific Crest Trail. “My experience taught me to go for my dreams, to make them happen, to keep putting one foot in front of the other. And I’ve learned that you can enjoy the unknown. I found myself seeking the unknown, not fearing it.” If overcoming fear is a condition for enjoying life, Ryen is certainly setting a good example for those who might want to follow in his footsteps: all the way to the Canadian border.

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“I hope to do more big things, like the 500 mile Great Divide Trail in Canada.” But first Ryen will begin work on a degree in forestry at CSU Humboldt and eventually become an environmental researcher, combining botany and forestry. “Being outside with plants is something I really enjoy. I want to get more into the plant world.”

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GREATEST ATHLETES ON THE CENTRAL COAST JOHN JONES, SR. & JR.

By Don Morris EDITOR’S NOTE: “Who are the Greatest Athletes in the history of the Central Coast?” So far the following athletes have been featured: Ed Brown, Stephanie Brown Trafton, Chuck Liddell, Loren Roberts, Steve Patterson, Gene Rambo, Robin Ventura, Jordan Hasay, Chuck Estrada, Mike Larrabee, Ron Capps, Jamie Martin, Rusty Kuntz, Randall Cunningham, Jim Lonborg, Kami Craig, John Rudometkin, Ivan Huff, Chelsea Johnson, Michael Louis Bratz, Frank Minini, Scott McClain, Mel Queen, Napoleon Kaufmann, Katie Hicks, Mark Brunell, Gene Romero, Kenny Heitz, Thornton Starr Lee, Pat Rusco, Rusty Blair, the Lee Family, Dan Conners, John Iribarren, Jeff Powers, The Mott Family, Casey Todd Candaele, Bill Brown, Theo Dunn, Ed Jorgensen, Hamp Pool, Kevin Lucas, Mohinder Gill, Mark Conover, Tracy Compton Davis, Ozzie Smith, Gil Stork and Dr. Paul Spangler. Please send nominations to Dr. Morris at dmmorris@calpoly.edu.

JOHN JONES SR. & JR.

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OHN W. JONES SR. AND JONES JR. OF MORRO BAY have been nominated by several local rodeo fans including Connie Madonna Pearce as two of the Greatest Athletes in the history of the Central Coast.

Jones Sr. has been inducted into the ProRodeo Hall Of Fame. He was the 1970 world champion steer wrestler and a member of the inaugural class of the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 1979. Jones Sr. excelled on ProRodeo’s biggest stage, winning the National Finals Rodeo’s (NFR) average title three consecutive years and a record four times overall (1965, 1968-70). In 1970 he placed in six rounds and left no doubt he was the best in the world; winning his fourth average title by 15 seconds. Jones Sr. was also inducted into the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City in 2000. As the first RCA Rookie of the Year in 1956 and a nine-time NFR qualifier.

Jones Sr. inspired countless young steer wrestlers as a dedicated mentor.

His son, John Jr., won three world championships and is also enshrined in the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs. Jones Sr. and Jr. were the first father and son to win both PRCA Rookie of the Year Award and a world championship.

Jones Sr. grew up on a ranch north of Fresno, California, and played baseball and football in high school before deciding to concentrate on rodeo. During his career and after retiring from the sport, Jones Sr. worked the family ranch in Morro Bay, raising sugar peas and helping his wife, JoAnn, run the family dairy. Local Rodeo experts

also report that Katie and Shannon Jones (John’s daughters) are also stellar rodeo athletes.

Steer wrestling is a big man’s sport, requiring the strength and weight and agility to grab a running 600-pound steer by the neck and wrestle it to the ground using its horns and nose as leverage.

Kendra Santos, in an article celebrating the Salinas and Pendleton rodeo centennials and John W. Jones Jr.’s dominance at both, wrote, “many consider him the most technically correct bulldogger of all time, in part because he had to overcome a considerable size deficit.” When he was on the rodeo circuit he weighed 185 pounds, which is small by today’s standards.

In 1980, Jones Jr. bought his Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association (PRCA) permit, and in 1981 was named Rookie of the Year. According to the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame notes about Jones Jr., he ultimately qualified for the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) 10 times; won three world bulldogging titles (‘84, ‘87-88); won the NFR aggregate in 1988; and twice qualified for the NFR in tie-down roping. He won the buckle in steer wrestling at Salinas, California, four times, and he won it twice at Pendleton.

John W. Jones Sr. won the NFR’s aggregate title three years in a row and later, a fourth time. He also was a Rookie of the Year in 1956. This Jones duo was the first father and son to both win the Rookie of the Year and a world championship. They are both in the PRCA Hall of Fame.

Jones Jr.’s family lives and ranches in California. His son-in-law, Bear Pascoe, has a Super Bowl ring from his days of playing with the New York Giants and for Chicago Bears. At 6’ 5” and 285 pounds, he’s a little more like the size that Santos envisioned as an ideal steer wrestler.

Jones Sr. is survived by his wife, JoAnn; daughter, Sandra Eddleman and her husband, Dan, and daughter, Mattie; and son, John Jr., his wife, Sherrie, and their daughters, Katie and Shannon. Katie married New York Giants tightend Bear Pascoe. Jones Sr. died of an aortic aneurism. He was 81.

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VIVIAN KRUG COTTON GIVING BACK TO HER COMMUNITY

By April Charlton

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REELY GIVING ONE’S TIME AND treasure for the benefit of others doesn’t come naturally for most individuals.

Arroyo Grande transplant Vivian Krug Cotton, however, is definitely not like most people.

Named the city’s 2011 Citizen of the Year, Krug Cotton has spent the better part of her adult life combining her passions — photography, community service and history — to give back.

Before relocating to the Central Coast in 2002 from Manhattan Beach, where she owned an employment agency for 16 years, Krug Cotton donated her office space in the evenings so a friend could teach disabled individuals word processing.

At another friend’s request, she supported Guide Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael monetarily after the man’s death and even visited the facility in Northern California to learn about the organization and its dogs.

But it wasn’t until moving to Arroyo Grande 15 years ago that Krug Cotton was afforded the time to really dedicate herself to volunteer work.

And she didn’t waste anytime immersing herself in the Five Cities, getting to know her new community and its wealth of ways to help those around her.

“I have never seen so many people give,” Krug Cotton said of San Luis Obispo County’s philanthropy. “Everywhere I have lived there have been people who give back, but (here) everyone you know is doing something. There’s a fundraiser for this; They are running for that. It’s just a very, very warm giving community, which is one of the reasons it’s so awesome to live here.”

members and learned the group didn’t have a website. She volunteered to design one and laughs that the gesture was the beginning of the end in terms of giving her time.

Within six months of that first meeting in Halcyon, Krug Cotton was elected to the society’s board of directors and has served as the nonprofit’s web director/public relations person ever since.

“They accepted me like I had been here forever,” she said of Historical Society members.

“That really spread where I started meeting a lot of people, … where it all began. I love it.”

Krug Cotton also began designing websites for other local nonprofits at the time, and she hasn’t looked back.

In addition to her involvement with the Historical Society, Krug Cotton sat on the Village Improvement Association board for nearly nine years; she stepped down from her role as a board member but still does public relations work for the group.

She volunteers for Arroyo Grande in Bloom, the Arroyo Grande Police Department, the Arroyo Grande Harvest and Strawberry festivals, the Arroyo Grande Christmas Parade and countless other events, such as Trick-orTreat in the Village.

Krug Cotton also organizes the annual Turkey Trot in Pismo Beach that benefits the Food Bank Coalition of San Luis Obispo. The event raised more than $18,000 this year.

She serves on Arroyo Grande’s Tourism Committee and was part of a committee that planned the city’s centennial celebration, which included the burying of a time capsule, and Krug Cotton is also a Rotary Paul Harris Fellow, something she said makes her proud.

And the list goes on.

Krug Cotton is quick to point out, though, she doesn’t want credit for the volunteer work she does for the community, which also includes photographing events, everything from Pumpkins on the Pier in Pismo Beach to Goldens in the Park in San Luis Obispo, for free.

The vibrant 61-year-old hosts a complimentary website where people can view her photos and download images, and it often takes days to transfer the hundreds of photographs from her cameras to the site, edit the images and then posts for the public.

Within a week of settling into her then-new home in Arroyo Grande, Krug Cotton’s neighbor invited her to a South County Historical Society meeting. She had belonged to the Manhattan Beach Historical Society prior to relocating to Arroyo Grande and was interested in learning about local history and meeting people, so she went to the meeting.

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Family at Disneyland

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always holding a camera. In junior high school, I took film. In high school, I took photography, with the dark room, and that’s where my passion really grew. You got the science. You got to see it.”

Vivian doing volunteer work

“I don’t ever want any of these things to be me,” Krug Cotton said.

“It’s not; it’s a village.”

She laughed, recalling that in high school one of her nicknames was “Taz,” for the Tasmanian devil, because she was “all over the place.”

About her photography work, she added, “You are meeting fun people. You are seeing things you might not see. It’s just really enjoyable.

It’s more fun and not work. I just love it. It’s my passion.”

Krug Cotton grew up in a giving family but believes her propensity for wanting to give back stems from her love of people, more so than from her parents’ generosity.

Surrounded by endless landscapes to photograph and countless community groups and organizations that allow her to help make the area better through her philanthropic efforts, moving to San Luis Obispo County was the best decision Krug Cotton ever made in her life, she said.

She also married the love Vivian in high school of her life, Samuel Cotton, a little over three years ago. The couple lives near Huasna with their black Labrador retriever, Ben, and met a few years after she moved to the area while she was co-chairing the Harvest Festival.

“I couldn’t be happier,” Krug Cotton said. “We both have our hobbies, and I love our community. It’s just awesome, so beautiful.”

“I like people. I enjoy talking to people and meeting people,” Krug Cotton said. “I would walk away with someone in the grocery store.

My mom would turn around and I would be gone. She would always joke that I would talk to anyone.”

She recalls always being inquisitive and wanting to be kind to people and animals as a youth. She was also friends with someone from every clique during high school.

“I just enjoy learning about people, talking to people, learning about community,” Krug Cotton said. “It’s fun to know why is Branch Street named Branch Street. I like being involved.”

She works part-time at the nonprofit San Luis Obispo County Housing Trust Fund, which allows her the freedom to dedicate time and talent to the numerous organizations she has a hand in, as well as keep her cameras close by. She doesn’t go anywhere without them, she said.

As an only child, Krug Cotton spent much of her youth traveling the world with her mom and dad, who were in the entertainment industry, and believes her love of photography was inherited from both her dad and grandfather. Her dad started his Hollywood career behind the camera. Her grandfather who lived near the Swiss Alps, would capture images of the landscape surrounding his home. He gave Krug Cotton her first camera.

“He would take close-up pictures of flowers and rocks,” Krug Cotton said of her grandfather. “They were avid mountaineers … so he would photograph beautiful flowers, and my dad being a cameraman at the beginning, I think it was just in me.”

She added, “I look at pictures of me as a little kid, there’s trips in Europe and I am holding a camera. From elementary school on, I was J A N U A R Y

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AT THE MARKET

2 WAYS WITH SAUERKRAUT!

By Sarah Hedger

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APPY NEW YEAR! JANUARY is a great time of the year to amp up our health and there aren’t many better places to be inspired than our local Farmer’s markets. There is an abundance of produce, everything from avocados, Winter greens, cabbage, brussels sprouts, beets, broccoli, cauliflower and carrots, to the entire citrus family. Citrus is so good as it ensures we get enough freshness into our diet, as well as a healthy dose of Vitamin C. Still in season are apples, as they handle cold temps well and are great to have fresh or cooked as baked apples over Winter.

Cooler temperatures means the cruciferous vegetables have more sweetness, which is

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great as a little natural sweet in them is better than their bitter components they have a reputation for. This month’s recipe is a bit of a two-fer as it is a recipe for making two types of sauerkraut. I have just gotten into making sauerkraut and it is a superfood in its own right, as it is takes something that is already insanely good for you, being cabbage, and through adding a little salt, ferments into an incredibly nutrient dense savory treat.

What I really like about making sauerkraut, is the ease, as well as once you make it, you essentially have the healthiest of salads on hand at all times, ready to be eaten! Just a little bit goes a long ways and can go with nearly anything, or nothing, which makes it simple to enjoy. All you need is some basic

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equipment, in the form of a Mason/Bell jar, some good organic cabbage, sea salt, and then it does its magical fermentation over the next week, popping out on the other end, ready to be enjoyed. The magic that happens during the natural fermentation are thanks to the naturally occurring lactobacillus bacteria.

These little creatures, when consumed by us, essentially feed the good bacteria in our gut, further promoting good gut health, which we learn to be more and more beneficial to our bodies reaching optimum health, and feeling great! The measurements of these amazing bacteria, in just a quarter cup of homemade sauerkraut, are in the trillions, which can help our gut health in profound ways.

I’ve included a recipe for a very basic green sauerkraut, which is simply organic green cabbage, mixed with sea salt, and a placed in a nice dark spot for a week. Doesn’t get much more simple than that! The second version has just a little more in it with other seasonal ingredients, being carrots, beets, and red cabbage. This one comes out a vibrant red color, and a little more sweet with the addition of carrots and beets. You can make them both at the same time, and once they are made, will last a couple months in the refrig-

2 WAYS WITH SAUERKRAUT! Makes 2 x 1 Liter Jars For the Green Sauerkraut (version 1): 1 large head of organic green cabbage, shredded fine with a mandoline or food processor, while reserving a couple large leafs whole 2 T sea salt, or other good quality salt

For the Red Sauerkraut (version 2): erator. How nice is that to have such an abundance of goodness, ready to be eaten at any time? It is also a lot more convenient and affordable than purchasing probiotics in pill form and remembering to take them while not knowing if they are working (or alive!). As the cabbage transforms into sauerkraut, you can see the bubbles and you know the good bacteria are doing their job. When finished, it has a slightly sour smell, and sauerkraut tastes better than anything you can buy, all made with ingredients found right in your backyard! Enjoy!!

½ large head of organic red cabbage, shredded fine with a mandoline or food processor, while reserving a couple large leafs whole 2 beets, grated 2 carrots, grated 2 T sea salt, or other good quality salt

Method: Thoroughly wash 2 x 1 quart/Ball/Mason jars thoroughly and place in the oven at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes.

Remove and let cool.

Place sauerkraut ingredients in a large bowl and massage for a couple minutes. Let sit for 20 minutes and mix again before packing shredded cabbage mixture into each jar, for each version. Pour liquid mixture from bowl into jar, pressing down to get as much of the cabbage under liquid.

If there isn’t enough liquid, mix a cup of water with 1 T salt and pour just enough into jar until cabbage is submerged.

Fold whole cabbage leafs and place on top of mixture in jar, pressing down. Place something heavy on top of these leafs, to help keep cabbage submerged below brine.

Seal jars and place in a warm, dark place, 65-70 degrees F is best, so the water heater closet is great for this or, an oven with just the light on, wrapped in a towel. Each day, check on weight and press down to keep submerged.

Test on Day 7 to see if it tastes like sauerkraut yet. If you like your ‘kraut real sour, keep it going. If not, place in refrigerator. It will keep for a couple months in the refrigerator. When ready to eat, peel off larger leaves of cabbage and enjoy!!

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PASO ART SCENE

VETERANS’ VOICES BUILDING BRIDGES THROUGH ART

By Deprise Brescia

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OMETIMES THE BIGGEST GIFTS come in unrecognizable packages. The journey of “Veterans’ Voices” has been exactly that, a gift of friendships, personal growth, laughter, tears, joy, sadness, inspiration, connection and hope. If an art show could be a spicy sausage of life’s experiences this would be that deliciously decadent show. The one you must taste.

Sculptures, oil paintings, acrylics, mixed media works, photography, installations and mobiles are used by artists, Veterans and film makers to explore a variety of topics from the perfection of nature to the truths of war, from homelessness to hope, from peace to the price of freedom. Beauty, youth, nature and wisdom are explored through the endless creativity of surrealism, realism, cubism and abstraction.

The inspiration for this “Veterans’ Voices” show came after sitting in a town hall meeting with Congressman Salud Carbajal listening to Veterans speak about a variety of issues, from housing to mental health. Many of the Veterans expressed difficulty receiving help and attention in a timely fashion.

As an artist, I began seeing images.

Visions of artwork and sculptures illustrating problems and solutions danced through my head. This experience stayed with me. Moved by what I perceived to be neglect towards our service people, I felt compelled to act, but how? Then I had a dream, literally.

What if we could use art to share and heal in the process? The act of creation in and of itself is quite cathartic. What if pain, pride, anger and fear could all be thrown up and out of the physical body through the act of creating art? Could we begin or continue a healthy dialogue about life, love, war, help, healing and letting go? Could we inspire our younger generations for a better world? Or simply inspire one another?

That dream inspired me to act. After hearing the concept, the team at Studios on the Park (Studios) gave their full support.

Studios has become a safe haven for artists to grow, create and develop unique shows that fall outside the traditional box. “Veterans’ Voices” would be a multi-faceted exhibition, unique because it would have three levels of participation allowing Veterans and artists to collaborate, learn and grow in the process.

All Veterans would have an opportunity to express their voice, even if they had no artistic experience. We would enable them by pairing up Veterans and artists, building friendships and bridges along the way.

Artists could also act as translators to help express feelings for Veterans who could not execute their visions artistically. The vast number of extremely talented artists that are Veterans was astonishing. Many had already discovered the healing power of art.

LTC Gregory Arenas who was active military at the time, saw the value in art for healing.

He accepted the invitation to co-curate with me for this show. Together we collaborated

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on the many facets involved, building a friendship along the way.

Studios’ commitment to our military and this concept was only the beginning. By design this exhibition required a team effort. That is where the Paso Robles Art Association (PRAA) volunteer membership organization came in.

After discussions with Carlota Santa Cruz, president of the PRAA, it was confirmed.

Together both Studios and PRAA would support the various aspects that would create this multi-dimensional show.

PRAA volunteers would mentor Veterans through the art process. Professional artists would act as translators for many of the messages Veterans wished to share. Veteran artists would participate with their own work.

Every branch of service and viewpoint would be represented.

Our intention is to share thoughts, feeling and ideas on various subjects through art.

Creating a dialogue, as the impetus for positive change. Introducing art into the lives of many who may have been intimidated to create from their own life stories.

We are encouraging people to express themselves and heal. I have witnessed deep and profound changes over the past 8 months, by the simple act of listening, sharing and co-creating. You will be moved by this show; come see what I mean.

Come experience “Veterans’ Voices” held January 2-29, 2018 at Studios on the Park and support the Veterans who have defended our freedoms by viewing their thoughts, ideas and visions. The Art After Dark Paso reception is January 6, 2018 from 6 pm to 9 pm. PRAA’s complimentary show “Hero” opens that evening as well in the Showroom Gallery.

SLO ART SCENE SLOMA OPENS ART OF THE FILM POSTER

JEFFREY BACON DESIGNS

By Karen Kile

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HE SAN LUIS OBISPO MUSEUM OF ART FEATURES the artwork of Jeffrey Bacon, an artist behind many of the most iconic movie posters, in two of its galleries during January 2018. “This exhibition is both a trip down memory lane for movie fans, plus an educational component for those interested in the creative process and the inner working of the movie industry.

Jeffrey has constructed 4x4 panels that will transform the Nybak Wing and he has created a time line of images and a story line in the McMeen Gallery that we know will delight our visitors,” says Ruta Saliklis, SLOMA’s curator and director of exhibitions.

Jeffrey Bacon is an art director, graphic designer, and master craftsman, whose career in movie poster design spanned three decades. His posters are more than an evocation of the films they were advertising. They are dynamic responses to the heart of the picture—its essence. He was fortunate to work with some of the biggest names in Hollywood, including Steven Spielberg, and to work on films such as The Goonies, Back to the Future, Terminator 2, Judgment Day, and Gladiator. The stories behind the making of these films are fascinating, and he was fortunate to be in the same room with the movie moguls in the early stages of film production. This exhibition will consist of dozens of his designs displayed as they would have appeared in movie houses around the world.

In celebration of this noteworthy exhibition that opens on January 5, 2018 and remains on view through January 28, 2018, there are several special events that will take place at the Museum of Art. On Thursday, January 4, 2018 at Noon, the public is invited to a presentation by Jeffrey Bacon that will both entertain and enlighten. Held every first Thursday of the month, Art At High Noon is a one-hour experience framed to be user friendly for the busy art lovers in our area. Bringing

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their brown bag lunch or going out to lunch afterwards has become a happy habit with Art At High Noon regulars.

On Friday, January 5 at 5 pm there will be a members-only gallery walk-through SLOMA galleries followed by a public reception from 6–9 pm, in conjunction with Art After Dark.

In addition, SLOMA has been working with Jeffrey Bacon on one more of his Student Poster Competitions to coincide with this exhibition.

The winners will be announced during the opening reception for the exhibition on Friday, January 5 at 7 pm. The students’ awards will be presented by Julie Berk, Senior Vice President Creative Advertising, Universal Pictures. Additionally, the winning posters will be finished professionally and exhibited at SLOMA. Mr. Bacon’s competition invited full-time college and high school students from the San Luis Obispo County to create their own movie poster design for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to connect with Hollywood. The two finalists—one college and one high school—will receive a private behind-the-scenes tour of Universal Pictures Marketing and a one-week internship at The Refinery, (one of Hollywood’s top creative advertising groups).

Jeffrey Bacon is co-founder and VP Creative at The Morro Group, Inc., formerly managing director of The Designory in Long Beach and former VP Design at Trailer Park, Inc. He has more than 30 years of experience with entertainment, auto and lifestyle brands. Currently, he focuses his attention on the nonprofit organization he co-founded to recognize and support families from The Marine Corps Wounded Warrior Battalion West, other peacekeepers in the military and civilian sectors, and first responders in our local Central California Coastal communities. He also teaches at Cal Poly and Cuesta College.

The San Luis Obispo Museum of Art is located at 1010 Broad Street, on the west end of Mission Plaza in San Luis Obispo, California. It is a 501(c)(3) public benefit nonprofit arts organization dedicated to providing and promoting diverse visual arts experiences for people of all ages and backgrounds through exhibitions, education, creation and collaboration. It preserves the artistic legacy of the California Central Coast in its permanent collection. Since 1967 this organization has been the beacon for the visual arts in its region. In 2017 the Museum of Art launched a capital campaign to raise $15 million for a new home on its present location. More information about the Museum of Art is available online at www.sloma.org .

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COMMUNITY

COMMUNITY COUNSELING CENTER HONORS

JANICE FONG WOLF

By James Statler & Tina Bailey

is provided by the Community Counseling Center to an individual that “demonstrates outstanding commitment and leadership to mental health services in San Luis Obispo County.” In the tradition of Arlene Chandler, who was an early advocate for the creation of the Community Counseling Center in 1968 (which at the time of its founded was called Family Services Center), Janice has been a tireless, eloquent champion for the disenfranchised and under privileged. The non-profit administrator role requires a unique set of leadership skills that are a mix between the highly technical and transactional skills of grant writing, strategic planning, developing programs, creating and maintaining service delivery systems, and the transformational attribute of interpersonal and inter-relational exchanges that empower individuals and groups to leverage incredible community resources.

Janice has mastered these elements and continues to share her passion, skill and wisdom with colleagues, friends and mentees.

In May 2016 Janice retired from the Community Foundation of San Luis Obispo County (CFSLOCO) where she served as director of grants and programs for over 16 years. Prior to joining the Foundation Janice served twelve years as director of the Health and Prevention Services Division of the Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo County (CAPSLO). After a full year of retirement and traveling across the United States, Janice returned, settled in and found herself being drawn back into the work and connective relationships that fed her at the Foundation and CAPSLO. Tugging at her heart was the Community Counseling Center, which in June 2017 notified Janice that she had been nominated for the Arlene Chandler Award and would be honored at the agency’s annual Lyceum. With Arlene’s passing at the age of 94 in April of 2017, the award has taken on a special meaning this year.

Arlene’s memory lives on through her storied work at Cuesta College as Chair of the Social Sciences Dept., the legacy of her husband Everett, children and grandchildren, and the gift she gave the community when she adopted the Community Counseling Center. Each year the award winner receives a custom engraved gran prix crystal vase compliments of Board member and volunteer Gerald Clare who has been supplying the vases since the award’s inception.

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BSERVING AND LEARNING FROM EXAMPLES of effective leadership can greatly benefit those of us in the helping and serving sector of the community. Various aspects can be incorporated into one’s personal approach, as well as absorbed into the fabric of the community. To quote Seth Goden, a current thought leader in the fundraising and advertising sector, “there are no easy problems left to solve today” and those problems require creative, practical and applicable solutions from non-profits and leaders that foster an organizational belief “that people like us do things like this.” The Community Counseling Center (CCC) is stepping up to bring more creative solutions to address the critical unmet mental health needs of those who are low income and uninsured for professional therapy services on the Central Coast.

Janice Fong Wolf is someone our community can look to for a sound leadership reference point. Her sterling career in non-profit health services and funding development on behalf of low income families and youth spans three decades, multiple agencies, and was recently capped by her reception of the Arlene Chandler Award. This award J A N U A R Y

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Held on October 10th at the Ventana Grill in the Pacific room, the 2017 Lyceum was a notable display of San Luis Obispo County’s array of non-profit behavioral health services. In true Lyceum fashion Janice was toasted by friends and colleagues, including Heidi McPherson (CFSLOCO), Nick Thille (CCC Campaign Cabinet), Biz Steinberg (CAPSLO), and last year’s award recipient, Laurie Morgan (South County SAFE).

Laurie Morgan recounted that, “Janice was a great mentor and is the person who taught me to write grants, collaborate effectively with other agencies, and evaluate programs. These lessons were instrumental in helping me build a behavioral health system of support for families in the South County.” Upon receiving the award, Janice shared with the guests her sentiments on the value of the smaller non-profits performing important work in the community. “Often times it’s our small non-profits that are filling large gaps of unmet needs. I’m enjoying taking advantage of the opportunity in my retirement to focus on helping these smaller non-profits like CCC develop a stronger resource base to serve clients and train therapists, while elevating its presence in the awareness of community members, volunteers and donors.“ Janice joins the ranks of former lauded recipients Jill Bolster White (Transitions Mental Health Association), Marianne Kennedy (Stand Strong/Women’s Shelter Program), Elizabeth “Biz” Steinberg (CAPSLO) and Laurie Morgan.

Community Counseling Center topped off the award ceremony by honoring two outstanding therapists in training. Chad Cryder, PhD-Intern received the Axelroth Student Scholarship sponsored by Dr. Elie Axelroth, retired Director of Clinical Counseling Services at

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Since receiving the award Janice has been asked and has accepted a role as Cabinet member on Community Counseling Center’s Golden Anniversary Capital Campaign. The agency will be turning 50 years old in August of 2018 and has purchased a permanent facility located at 676 Pismo Street downtown San Luis Obispo, adjacent to St. Stephen’s church. Janice will be sharing her unique blend of leadership, experience and grace to help guide the agency toward the completion of a successful campaign. “CCC’s reach across San Luis Obispo County, with clinics in Paso Robles, Cambria, San Luis Obispo, Grover Beach and Santa Maria is part of what really impressed me – and the fact that

the agency has experienced rapid growth over the past several years in providing counseling on-campus in the K-12 schools and for the Medi-Cal/CenCal member, while maintaining its reputation as the most accessible, affordable and approachable place in the county for those seeking professional mental health counseling.”

the Cal Poly Health Center. Shelley Shields, MFT-Intern received the Board of Directors Intern Scholarship. A keynote address closed the afternoon provided by Licensed Psychologist Dr. Eric Goodman, whose talk Fostering Social Courage: Coping and Thriving with the Reality of Social Anxiety was very well received.

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PREPARE

FORANEMERGENCY? • It is important to be prepared for any type of emergency that could impact San Luis Obispo County. In the unlikely event of an emergency at Diablo Canyon Power Plant, it’s important to know if your home, workplace, or children’s schools are within the Emergency Planning Zone as well as any actions you may be directed to take. Your plan should include any assistance needed by elderly family members, those with medical needs, as well as your family pets.

• In an emergency, officials may direct protective actions to protect public health and safety. It is important to stay tuned to local radio and TV stations throughout the emergency to receive current information and actions you may need to take.

• For more information on how to prepare, visit: www.slocounty.ca.gov/oes or call (805) 781-5011.

OUR ALERT & NOTIFICATION SYSTEMS MAY BE USED FOR ANY LOCAL EMERGENCY OUR ALERT AND NOTIFICATION SYSTEMS MAY BE USED FOR ANY LOCAL EMERGENCY TSUNAMI

FLOOD

FIRE

NUCLEAR

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MLK’S 50TH ANNIVERSARY

THE MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

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HIS YEAR MARKS THE 50TH anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s passing and the MLK Jr. Scholarship committee, also in its 50th year, has another wonderful Chicken BBQ event scheduled on Super Bowl Sunday. Put Sunday, February 4th on your calendar and help fund several high school scholarships.

After Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed on April 4, 1968, San Luis Obispo resident Jennie Hiltel heard about scholarship funds being set up to fund education to graduating high school students in King’s honor. Realizing that a similar program could be set up in San Luis Obispo to honor this great man, Hiltel contacted Dr. Charles Lewin of Cal Poly, Mrs. Florine Banks, the wife of Springfield Baptist Church minister A.J. Banks, and San Luis Obispo High School principal Rusty Duval with her idea to start a scholarship fund. Later that month a steering committee comprised of A.J. Banks, James W. Bell, Jennie Hiltel, Maxine Lewis, Richard Wood, Rusty Duval, Dale Federer, Charles Lewin, Ren Liner, and Stanley Rogers held their first meeting and decided that the scholarship money would be made available to any deserving student, regardless of race or color. In January of 1969 the committee began accepting donations.

They awarded their first scholarship in May 1969 to Liz Lewis (pictured), a student at San Luis Obispo High School.

Rita DelKeskamp and MLK President, Mary Matakovich J A N U A R Y

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Since then, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund, under the guidance of a board of directors and a group of advisors to the board of directors, has awarded over 300 scholarships to graduating seniors from San Luis Obispo High School, Pacific Beach High School, and Mission College Prep. This past year, 10 students received scholarships of $1100 each and two recipients got $1300. The number and amount of scholarships awarded each year depends on how much money is raised and on the qualifications of the applicants.

Mary Matakovich, who is the current president of the board of directors, says that scholarships are awarded based on need, scholastic potential, and a desire to continue a post-secondary education. All students graduating from a high school in San Luis Obispo are eligible to compete for these scholarships. Applications can be obtained from school counselors during the second semester of the year. Once applications are submitted, several committees comprised

Rusty Duval and Jennie Hiltel with Liz Lewis, the first MLK Scholarship winner

“It’s important for our future to support these kids. These scholarships provide the students an opportunity to continue their education, and we want that to happen.”

of members of the board of directors and advisors to the board do a paper screening and select finalists for interviews that take place in the Spring. The entire board decides on the winners, and the scholarships are presented during the third week in May at an early morning breakfast. “We focus on kids who have great potential and need some help to take the next step,” says Matakovich. “It’s important for our future to support these kids. These scholarships provide the students an opportunity to continue their education, and we want that to happen.”

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Dale Federer, who was on the founding board of directors and a member of the board until he passed away a year ago stated to each scholarship winner over the years, “It’s all about the students. Some of the recipients go to universities, some go to trade schools, and we give them the chance to get ahead. As Martin Luther King would have wanted, the scholarship fund also brings people in the community together. I’ve met people whom I wouldn’t have gotten to know otherwise.

There are a lot of wonderful people who help with this.” Today, Director and Treasurer,

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2017 MLK Scholarship winners

Mike Clark continues using those words when speaking to the newest scholarship recipients.

One important function of the organization’s board of directors is the annual chicken barbeque, which occurs on Super Bowl Sunday. This is the main fundraising event of the year. This year’s barbeque will be held on Sunday, February 4th at the Elk’s Lodge in San Luis Obispo from 12 – 3 pm. For $10 per person, the meal includes chicken, beans, salad, and bread, and desserts are avail- able. Takeout is also available.

The board members buy all the food and everything else connected with the fundraiser, meaning that there is no overhead and all of the funds raised go directly for scholarships. The board members and advisors also volunteer their services for everything else connected with the scholarships throughout the year, including mailings and supplies. “When someone gives a contribution or buys a barbeque meal, they can be sure it goes straight to the students,” says Matakovich.

Besides relying on the annual chicken barbeque for scholarship money, the organization also accepts donations throughout the year. Donations should be made to The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. High School Memorial Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 1693, San Luis Obispo, CA The founders of the Martin Luther King, Jr. High School Memorial Fund began this fund to honor Dr. King’s commitment to equality, justice, and peace, and the organization continues to espouse these ideals through their efforts. In their words, “Making education available to all people is fundamental in destroying the barriers that separate them.”

As we as a nation celebrate the birthday of Dr. King this January, consider making a donation to this worthy cause and remember to get your chicken barbeque dinner at the fundraiser on Super Bowl Sunday.

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Avoid the High Cost of Moving to A Retirement Facility COMMUNITY

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HISTORY

Even though the prospect of moving may be in the distant future, you owe it to yourself to learn how you can enjoy carefree living in your own home for many years to come.

HARRIET G. EDDY PART II You Don’t Have to Move

By Joe Carotenuti

Feel Safe and Secure

It’s a fact of life that as we get older, Pristine is fully some day-to-day tasks become too licensed and insured. much to handle on our own.

That O CELEBRATE THE 44TH ANNIVERSARY OF THEAll of our workers founding the Losyou Angeles County Library,away the one millionth doesn’t ofmean have to move are carefully screened book added to its collection was selected for the event. A rare the Harriet comfort of your home. during her years and pass a criminal tributefrom for anyone, G. Eddy’s reminiscences Home is a local background check workingPristine for the State LibraryServices was the honored title. Issued in 1954, Countycompany Free Library that Organizing California the years and drug test, giving you peace of mind helpsin San Luisspanned Obispo 1909 to 1918. The honor acknowledged her unique contributions to County residents avoid the high cost when someone from Pristine is working libraries and literacy in the Golden State. of moving retirement facility. as she “fellin At the gala 1956 event,to theasmall lady was remembered on your home.

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Los Angeles County with facts and faith, with energy and zeal, barn“She helps me with bathing and other storming … exploding a brilliant idea and a worktable plan … over this great county, even to remote camps in deep canyons, taking the personal care. She is so wonderful to me.

All of our services can be provided books to the people, and demonstrating what lasting things can be She should be cloned! …and the price is daily, on an basis.together,”very reasonable. She even did my winachieved when weekly, a man and or a woman areas-needed teamed and pulling lauded You eminent librarian Lawrence C. Powell.

He may have just de- dows!” R. Watson, San Luis Obispo pay for only the services you need scribed her efforts throughout the state. Powell was the Librarian at and we provide those services at a price University of California at Los Angeles, a literary critic, bibliographer “They took the time to ask me exactly youofcan and author moreafford. than 100 books.

Enjoy Affordable Living

what I wanted. They arrived on time, did Harriet Eddy in College YARDConvenient MAINTENANCE · HANDYMAN SERVICES · PERSONAL CARE exactly what I asked, and the price was One-call Service reasonable. I would recommend Pristine Our personal care services include had”established office in the city’s library and in day after C. Hall,her San Luis Obispo to a Eddy friend. day routines visited and persuaded a county system offering equal shopping,Services daily errands, meal preparaHome Specialist access, complete service, and economical costs to any patron as the tion, transportation and non-medical Before you make any decisions that more preferable choice to individual municipalities establishing their From handyman services to plumbing and preparing meals.

There is no task care. Our housekeeping services keep could affect yourIt was future own collections. a bold,happiness innovative approach to spreading too large or too small for Pristine Home Services. All of our services can literacy throughout the state. your kitchen and the rest of your home be provided daily, weekly, or on an as-needed basis. You pay for only the and standard of living, take the time spotless. eventhose do services windows and services you need andWe we provide at a price you can afford. to read FREE County reports: Whilethese the Santwo Luis Obispo Library must wait until its cenlaundry. Our yard maintenance crews tennial next year, certainly the most notable guest, if only in spirit, “What every and beyond my must be Eddy. senior needs to know know how “Pristine to takegoes careabove of your favorite about living in a retirement facility.”

I can live in the comfort rose bushesexpectations and keepsothe grass neatly Her story continues. of my home.” mowed. Our–Jay handyman services are “Four critical questions to ask a Baker Eddy started her local campaign of persuasion in August of 1914 by provided by specialists in plumbing, service provider . . . before you let visiting the City’s librarian, Alice Hughes. Eddy reports she was “most electrical work, painting, repairs and anyone work ininterested or nearinyour home.”

Serving All of San Luis Obispo County friendly” but not becoming the county librarian, once there would be such a job. The city library was the first in the county safety rail installation.

We invite to call Pristine CALL FOR RATES and had you occupied the new building, right a gift from Andrew Carnegie, for ten years.

Eddy also called uponyou the County now so that we can send theseSupervisors, considered all “friendly” to the idea but deferred any formal action until the foltwo FREE reports by mail. lowing year.

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805-543-4663 www.pristinehomeservices.net 710 FIERO LANE, UNIT 16 SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA 93401 J A N U A R Y

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(805) 543-HOME (4663) Eddy didn’t forget and early the next year returned to the county to once again commence her campaign to encourage the Board memCall Today bers to file a “letter of intent.”

In her reminiscences, she remembered the “people in Nipomo were unanimous for a library,” and so she met with members of the Women’s Club in the home of one of the many Dana family members to discuss a county system. As with other communities, the rural

COMMUNITY outpost had its own version of a library, most likely personal books lent to each other. In concert with other Women’s Clubs, Nipomo’s civic improvement required having a public library. The small community continued to wait but became one of the first ten school branches in October 1919 followed by one for the community in June.

Undoubtedly well-seasoned by now as to what course of action to adopt, she invigorated the ladies to encourage the Board of Supervisors to pass the important “letter of intent” to establish a free county library system. She repeated her presentations to “every ‘Middlesex village and farm in the county” over the next four months. Bad roads limited winter travel but the spring schedule was hectic with visits to any community and anyone interested in pursuing the county library system.

Her efforts were rewarded starting in February when the Board of Supervisors received 18 petitions of identical language. The message was clear. The petitioners wanted libraries everywhere. The spring offensive proved even more successful as on July 6, the resolution of intent was passed but, “nothing more.”

While letters from prospective librarians were received as well as more petitions to now appoint one, the supervisors decided to first develop a budget and kept the library tax on the revenue rolls. Returning the next year, Eddy was informed $3700 had been collected

and hopes were to begin the following fall.

However, it would be three years later before a formal system was inaugurated and after Eddy had left the State Library. This county was one of the last in the state to institute the official service.

After another deluge of identically worded petitions and a visit by the new County Library Organizer, May Drexel Henshall, Margaret Dold was hired as the first County Librarian beginning on July 1, 1919 (we have had 11). Dold at least knew of the energetic Eddy’s efforts for libraries and in rapid succession established multiple community branches and reading rooms and dozens of school sites during her two-year tenure. The county library remained responsible for the purchase of school books until 1948.

While she had left the State Library, Eddy was aware her unceasing efforts finally produced results on the central coast. Her reminiscences written in 1954 demonstrate her abiding interes and memory of the years as an organizer.

Indeed, leaving the pioneering task of helping to organize the state’s libraries, within a few years, she was called upon to help organize those of a country!

Eddy had originally set a life’s journey to include teaching. She had taken a rigorous course of study at Albion College including German, Greek, Latin, algebra, trigonometry, chemistry, physics, ancient Roman, and English history, geography, botany and zoology.

She chose French as her elective. Her stated intent upon graduation was to teach and so she did in Montana and Elk Grove. After the state organization efforts, she continued teaching adults through the University of California Agricultural Extension program as an assistant professor targeting primarily farm families. She retired in 1941.

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In a most unusual cul-de-sac in her career, in 1927 and 1931, she was called to “consult” with the Bolsheviks as to the revamping of the old czarist organization in the post-revolutionary Russian library system. In another adventure worth remembering, she met with Nadezhda Konstantinovna Krupskaya, the widow of Vladimir Lenin and influential library advocate. “Loveliest smile we have seen in Russia,” she recalled years later. “The most intelligent, kind face, too. Made me think at once of Mr. Gillis. Looks like him. Acts like him. She’s big.” The last word is underlined twice. The teacher’s sympathies were not for the political organization but the availability of books for literacy and enlightenment.

Having traveled to Europe several times to assist libraries, Eddy became an active member of the Women’s International League for Peace movement. In 1952, in an era of fear in the throes of the Cold War, her application for a passport was denied. The State Department wrote to her: “It is the opinion of the Department that your proposed travel abroad would not be in the best interests of the United States.” Obviously, their issue was her involvement with any peaceful relations with the Soviet Union and not her assistance with their library organization. If that were known, possibly Eddy would have been encouraged to visit and use her powers of persuasion to benefit everyone!

Enrolled in the California Library Hall of Fame, Eddy died in 1966 but her devotion and legacy to literacy remain to this day.

THANK YOU to Justin Seider, Albion College Archivist Contact: jacarotenuti@gmail.com Visit: www.joefromslo.com

POWER TO GET THE JOB DONE

Powell Lawrence, Librarian at UCLA

ThomaElectric.com (805) 543-3850

CA License # 274276

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OUR SCHOOLS

THE NEW YEAR – OPPORTUNITIES, CHALLENGES, AND CHANGES

By James J. Brescia, Ed.D. County Superintendent of Schools

“The new year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written. We can help write that story by setting goals.’” ~Melody Beattie

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ORTUNE MAGAZINE PUBLISHES A CRYSTAL BALL report with predictions for upcoming trends in business, culture, and the economy. Fortune claims that India will grow, cars will fly, and Bitcoin will crash before it rebounds to new highs (Fortune, 2017). I will limit my thoughts on 2018 to California education accountability, educator recruitment, funding, local control and our education candidates. Our 2018 California election will mark the end of a political era in education and present the legislature, our new governor, and local school boards with opportunities, challenges, and often-feared, ever-present change. It is unknown if Michael Kirst, our current state school board president, will remain in office after Governor Brown’s departure. We will have a new California State Superintendent of Public Instruction because of term limits, and California Collaborative for Educational Excellence, Executive Director, Carl Cohn, has announced he will leave his post next year. As the state leaders change, those of us at the local level are watching for what the future holds.

Fortunately, we have hardworking, talented, and dedicated local educators, school leaders and trustees serving our districts. The two candidates for state superintendent are Marshall Tuck and Tony Thurmond. The California County Superintendents Educational Services Association (CCSESA) recently hosted a forum for both candidates.

Tony Thurmond (D-Richmond) is a state assembly member, and Marshall Tuck is the president of Green Dot Public Charter Schools. Both candidates have public websites with detailed platform information that I encourage you to review. The State Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) is a state official elected by the people on a nonpartisan ballot for a four-year term. The SPI directs all functions of the Department of Education, executes policies set by the California State Board of Education, and serves as the chief spokesperson for public schools. You may recall that local-resident Jack O’Connell successfully served as our SPI from 2003 until 2011.

So what does this all mean for the average student, school, district, parent, teacher, and administrator in SLO County? Governor Brown promoted a strategy of subsidiarity with the intent of moving decisions to the local school and district levels. In efforts to turn California away from the very centralized control path it has followed for half a century, the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) was enacted.

Subsidiarity was the keystone of Governor Brown’s 2013 state-of-thestate speech, and it paved the way for what has been called the most J A N U A R Y

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radical school finance legislation in four decades, LCFF. California’s LCFF eliminated pages of targeted program dollars and defined how the funds were to be applied with local control. Districts serving low-income families, English language learners, and foster children received a funding boost. Districts with higher concentrations of these students receive additional funds. Current financing law is one part of a very complex system built around a new, tough, system of state standards. We face multiple reform efforts including curriculum, accountability, assessment, teacher preparation and recruitment, English learners, and special education that districts must address.

California first gained notice nationally with the opposition to the Obama Administration testing and teacher evaluation policies. According to State Board of Education President, Mike Kirst, California was an education outlier, “We can’t fire our way to Finland.” Here he referenced the reform efforts Finland began in the 1970s that included highly competent teachers, local school autonomy, uniform meals/transportation/materials, and the funding of early childhood education. The Finish students continue to outpace their peers on international assessment tests, despite peculiarities like having minimal homework and tests, and a curriculum that puts a big emphasis on music, the arts, and outdoor activities. Finland emphasizes the importance of a multi-disciplinary approach to education and introduces the concept of “phenomenon-based” teaching, which results in teaching broader current topics. The LCFF can be viewed as a California multi-pronged strategy.

The LCFF requires that school districts present a multi-dimensional approach to school accountability, laying out eight priorities, including parent and student engagement and school climate. The LCFF’s guiding concepts and vision should not be in jeopardy. According to EdSource, an educational group that works to engage Californians on key education challenges with a goal of enhancing learning success, a cross-section of two dozen education experts, advocates, and legislators, surveyed on the law indicated that they like its ambitious goals and focus on addressing gaps in student achievement. These respondents also expressed concerns about fiscal transparency, funding basic operations, and the documentation required that some think only the County Office of Education will read. Governor Brown stated early on that he considered it premature to amend the funding formula. To date, he has been able to stay the course despite individual legislator grumblings. However, local control assumes the involvement of active parents and community members. If community stakeholders perceive the new accountability dashboard as too complicated or that school improvement is too slow the LCFF may have trouble with the next administration.

Nearly a decade of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) with the prescriptive, top-down school reforms produced little results. Governor Brown has argued that it is the local school board’s turn to set priorities and guide improvements. The challenge and opportunities presented to local teachers, administrators, districts, trustees and the community are can we rise to the call for “continuous improvement” and address the needs of today’s students in today’s schools?

Our state needs and deserves a well-educated workforce. Educating all of our students requires additional resources for low-income children, English learners, foster youth, and the rising number of homeless children. It is often difficult to understand a disproportionate distribution of resources even in the best interest of the entire community. We must pay attention to conditions like school climate, parent involvement, and student engagement if we are to set goals beyond test scores.

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My final prediction is the immediate need to recruit, train and retain quality educators for every California classroom at the same time as our government pension obligations nearly double. A recent Field Poll supported by the Walter and Elise Haas Fund indicates that registered voters in our state regard the looming shortage of K-12 teacher and administrators as a very serious problem. Linda DarlingHammond, a Stanford University Professor and chair of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, voices that this teacher shortage could set back the state’s education agenda if not immediately addressed. Educator shortages will be experienced at different rates throughout the state. Shortages that were experienced during the recession in mathematics, science, and special education will continue to grow along with the general education ranks (WestEd, 2017). Dr. James Gentilucci and I conducted a year-long research study for CCSESA detailing successful recruitment and retention practices throughout the state.

It is our hope that leaders, legislators, and local officials will make use of this research as we face an employee shortage. So as we experience change, more local control, and ongoing pension obligations, we must brave the opportunties and openly address the challenges.

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JANUARY CROSSWORD SOLUTIONS ON PAGE 43

“Failing to plan is planning to fail.” ~Alan Lakein References Available on Request

STATEPOINT CROSSWORD THEME: THE 1980s ACROSS 1. The lowest voice 6. Bottom line?

9. Composer Johann 13. Blood of the gods, Greek mythology 14. Mesozoic one 15. Joanna Gaines’ concern 16. Landowner 17. Rainbow, e.g.

18. ____ vs. pathos 19. *Intercontinental musical benefit in 1985 21. *Brat Pack director 23. Type of English course, for short 24. Not all 25. *John Mahoney to Ione Skye in “Say Anything...”

28. Former Speaker of the House 30. *”Purple Rain” performer 35. Amount of measurement 37. a.k.a. Red Planet

© StatePoint Media

39. *Ed Koch, e.g.

40. *”Lifestyles of the ____ and Famous” 41. Winter driving hazard 43. Stag party guest 44. “To death” in France 46. Latticework wood strip 47. U.S.S.R plus countries of the Warsaw Pact, e.g.

48. As opposed to nurture 50. *”Star Trek II: The Wrath of ____” 52. *Rocker Adam 53. Bald eagle’s nest 55. Form of Anna 57. *”Out of ____,” movie 60. *Chernobyl disaster location 64. Diego Rivera creation, e.g.

65. Janitor’s tool 67. Free from 68. Golf bunkers 69. Knot-tying words 70. Out in the open 71. Giant kettles 72. Poetic “even” 73. Gradually deprives

DOWN 1. *His company launched Windows 2. Antioxidants-rich berry 3. Gangster’s blade 4. Julien of Stendhal’s “The Red and the Black” 5. Appoint a priest 6. Seat of intellect 7. “To ____ is human” 8. *Randy Savage, a.k.a. ____ Man 9. Short for Elizabeth 10. Dull pain 11. Avian messenger’s sounds 12. Store posting, for short 15. Get rid of bugs?

20. Agenda entries 22. Behind the plate 24. Like amateur’s paint job?

25. *Duran ____ 26. Carl Jung’s inner self 27. Monocot’s alternative 29. *It fell in Europe 31. Shakespeare’s metrical unit 32. African antelope

33. Part of gastro-intestinal system 34. Raise a barn, e.g.

36. “Through” in text message 38. Comedian Rogan 42. Give gratitude 45. “Happy ____” by Dale Evans 49. Common Market initials 51. Like a Norwegian fjord 54. Chinese silk plant 56. Innocent 57. Radiant light 58. Short for brotherhood 59. *What Blondie does in “Rapture” 60. Second word in fairytale?

61. Brainchild 62. Fate of Norse mythology 63. Newts in terrestrial stage 64. *Music videos channel 66. “____ to Joy”

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HE SANDLOT GROUP OF SAN Luis Obispo is a 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to the promotion of sport and overall health for the youth in our community recently donated over $10,000 worth of bikes to the Sheriff ’s Department to be distributed as part of their Christmas Bike Giveaway. Bikes and helmets were given away at Farmers Market in San Luis Obispo to children in need on the Central Coast. The Sandlot Group, whose largest fundraiser of the year is a charity Wiffle Ball tournament also handed out more than 200 sets of Wiffleball bats and balls.

Sandlot would like to thank Art’s Cyclery for their support as well as the Sheriff ’s Department - Thank you for helping kids find their Sandlot. For more information on The Sandlot Group of SLO visit their website at www.SandlotGroup.com

FUN FACTS ABOUT THE SHERIFF’S HOLIDAY BIKE GIVEAWAY Donors: •Rita’s Rainbows ($1500 for helmets) •The Sandlot Group ($10,000 for bikes) •Local Target and Walmart Stores (donated several bikes) Special Thank You’s: •Sheriff’s Advisory Foundation •Art’s Cyclery •Bike SLO County (provide facilitator twice a week for inmate instruction) Statistics: •150 bikes given away December 15th •320 bikes in total given away in 2017 •Throughout the year, 2 inmates a day, Monday through Friday spend 8 hours a day refurbishing bikes. The program manager is Correctional Deputy Moses •28th year of the program J A N U A R Y

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Downtown

Around

The Magazine of Downtown SLO

January 2018

Inside: Downtown Perspec t ive Downtown B usiness Spo tlights

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again at Downtown SLO with the construction on Garden Street. I guess you can say I am getting conditioned to construction around me.

appy Holidays, Downtowners! While the weather is cooling down in San Luis Obispo County, activities are heating up here at Downtown SLO. Our 42nd annual Holiday Parade is kicking things off on December 1st and marks one of my all time favorite events that our association produces. It is nice to have an event that happens every year on the first Friday of December, so long as it does not rain.

I say that after recent contemplations about how much is changing in our neighborhood.

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hat challenge does this pose for us Downtowners? So many inconveniences, depressed sales, frustrations, and closings have occurred over the last decade that it may be difficult to see the changes as a benefit or improvement to our community. Hold on just Dominic Tartaglia, a tick though: those challenges have affected Executive Director many people in very real ways, but have they not also benefited others? Absolutely. With every ecember 31st will mark the end of my 4th year serving as the Executive Director for Downtown SLO construction project that has occurred Downtown we have seen our streetscape change on an almost annual and falls somewhere in the 11th year that I have worked Downtown. Over the last decade, I have seen some pretty basis. Many worry that we will lose the character of our dramatic changes outside my office windows. Back when Downtown. I, too, worry about that, but I also sit in on a lot of meetings related to Downtown development and I was with Tartaglia Realty at 968 Monterey Street (now am confident that appropriate measures are in place to Passport), I watched Court Street turn from a parking lot preserve the charm that has become world renowned. into the attraction that it is today. Meanwhile, the entire north side of the 900 block on Monterey Street was ure, buildings are getting taller and shops are undergoing retrofits for unreinforced masonry. I often joke changing, but they are adapting to the needs of a that I lived through years of shaking, construction dust, community that is evolving and maturing. We have been and noise on Monterey Street only to have it surround me at this since 1772 with the creation of Mission San Luis

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805 Aerovista #103, San Luis Obispo

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Obispo de Tolosa, and so far, things are working out. I think a lot of that has to do with a key factor: legacy.

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un your finger down the registry of Downtown property owners, business owners, and community members, and you will see an abnormally high number of locals and multi-generational people that strive to maintain the balance of the way things used to be and the way they are today. This takes me back to Downtown SLO and our events and why I am so proud of the work this organization does. The fact that we have had a Holiday Parade for the last 42 years is a clear reminder that this community values tradition, while also welcoming updates and a new touch every so often. This year our holiday activities are more inclusive than ever: we welcome the addition of our Jewish community with Hanukkah Downtown on December 12th and the first night of lighting the menorah in Mission Plaza, as well as an entry in the Holiday Parade.

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hile some people may express contempt or uneasiness about this, I am beyond excited to have the representation of the Jewish faith. Every year an email

or letter trickles in berating our naming of the parade as a “Holiday Parade” instead of a “Christmas Parade”. I expect to hear from all of those folks again this year, but I would ask you first to consider why a community gathering in one of the best places in the world would be so exclusive.

Tradition? I think not. This entire country is founded on the precept of inclusion but has not always done the best job with following through with that. So when it comes to a time when the world is fractured and our communities are being torn apart, I say throw a parade and invite all of the fun loving people in our community.

If you want to exclude somebody, ban the Scrooges that can’t enjoy a parade for what it is or is not called.

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he face of Downtown is changing; the faces in Downtown are changing; but what remains are the traditions of community gathering and sharing of cultures. In the last decade, so much has changed in this little microcosm of Downtown San Luis Obispo, but I say that it has all been for the better, thanks to the good people in this town stand guard to ensure the sanctity of our beloved city.

For more information on Downtown SLO events, programs and activities, or to sign up for our weekly Deliver-E newsletter, visit www.DowntownSLO.com

D o w n t o w n

B u s i n e s s

S p o t l i g h t s

Active Church

to Active Kids, the church’s ageappropriate children’s programming.

Adam Magaña, Lead Pastor With the Fremont's seating capacity 1035 Monterey Street of 750, there is certainly room for (805) 439-3707 growth, and that suits Adam and his wife Stacy, Director of Operations, just MyActiveChurch.org fine. After 10 years in the Ministry in e want to be a church that Bakersfield and Las Vegas, Adam and reaches people right where Stacy decided to make their home in they are at”, declares Adam Magaña, San Luis Obispo, and started Active Lead Pastor of Active Church, which Church to reach the community with The Magaña family. Photo by Zoya Dixon has found its home in the Fremont meetings in coffee shops, restaurants, Theater where they recently celebrated and pubs. They partnered up with their Grand Opening. The model of Active Church is ARC (Association of Related Churches), which has one of inclusion, acceptance, and accessibility: “We successfully seeded over 700 churches nationally, for want to be a church that champions that there is hope guidance and support in obtaining the church’s 501(c)(3); in community. People need a place to belong. People the Magaña’s home church, Valley Bible Fellowship, also matter”, continues Magaña. In this spirit, Active Church’s supplied resources and financial support. Clearly, there home in the Fremont is idyllic. It is neutral territory; it is support for the message of acceptance and diversity. doesn’t carry connotations of a more traditional church “Whatever people have thought about church—give setting; and its location in the heart of Downtown us a shot. Come out and see what God’s doing. You’re authenticates its community-centric mission. Additionally, gonna want to come back.” Stacy adds, in the church’s the Fremont has undergone some improvements to house characteristic spirit of fun and accessibility, “We like its new tenants. A new sound system has been installed our music loud!” You can experience Active Church in the theater; adjacent Mission Cinemas will receive Sunday mornings at 10 AM and see for yourself. some new paint and other updates, and will be home

By Zoya Dixon

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TETER

science building, as well as designing McFarland Unifed School District’s new Isela Barcenas, Project Manager central kitchen. “Being involved [and] and Robert Thornton, Partner at feeling like you’re connected with the San Luis Obispo office community was a really big part of the reason why we chose Downtown,” 751 Marsh Street, Suite 200 said Isela Barcenas, a TETER Project (805) 439-3353 Manager at the San Luis Obispo Office.

Teterae.com Currently, the San Luis Obispo TETER office employs four Cal Poly grads hough new to San Luis Obispo, with plans of adding a new team TETER Architects and Engineers Isela Barcenas & Robert Thornton. member soon. Though their San Luis (TETER) has a long history of listening Photo by Zoya Dixon Obispo office is small, TETER employs to clients and fulfilling their facility 100 individuals amongst their five needs. Providing quality design service and finding offices and employees are encouraged to travel between creative solutions to client’s challenging problems helped the various offices.

Employees at TETER’s newest office TETER grow from a one-man shop to 100 employees. on Marsh Street are actively looking for local projects TETER first opened its doors in 1979 in Visalia, CA and in order to become involved in the SLO community. has since expanded to Fresno, Bakersfield, Modesto, and “We want this office to grow,” said Robert Thornton, most recently San Luis Obispo in June of 2017. TETER Partner at TETER’s San Luis Obispo office.

“We really works in both the public and private sector. However, like people to be connected to the office and to the the majority of their work is servicing K12 and Higher community.”

Welcome to Downtown, TETER! Education clients. TETER completed notable projects

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such as CSU Fresno’s new aquatic center and new

By Shelby Dewberry

For more information on Downtown SLO events, programs and activities, or to sign up for our weekly Deliver-E newsletter, visit www.DowntownSLO.com

PALM STREET PERSPECTIVE ADVISORY BOARD APPOINTMENTS

By SLO City Councilwoman, Andy Pease It’s that time of year again at the City – Advisory Body appointments!

Over the years, the City Council has established a number of advisory bodies to review City programs, projects, and community issues.

Members of the community are appointed to serve on the advisory bodies to provide greater community participation and public input in the determination of City policies. Advisory Bodies are critical to the work of the Council and the success of local government!

In December and January of each year, the City Clerk’s Office conducts a recruitment campaign for advisory body positions that are due to expire in the upcoming year. This year, applications are due by January 19, 2018. Once the applications are in, a Council Liaison Subcommittee will interview qualified applicants and forward its recommendation to the full Council for consideration. Applicants are encouraged to read the Advisory Body Handbook and to attend at least one of the advisory body meetings prior to the interview with the Council Liaison Subcommittee. Applicants can apply for more than one committee and simply list their priority preference on the application.

If an unscheduled vacancy occurs during the year, the City Clerk’s Office will contact qualified applicants to determine whether they want to be considered for the vacancy. Applications will remain active for one year and applicants will be contacted to renew or update their application. Community members are encouraged to apply at any time, as applications on file will be considered for unscheduled vacancies.

There are 16 Advisory Bodies! Meetings are generally held monthly or bi-monthly, but some meet less frequently. Most of them have one or more vacancies so please consider applying or encouraging others to do so. Here is the full list: • Administrative Review Board • Architectural Review Commission • Bicycle Advisory Committee

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• Personnel Board • Planning Commission • Promotional Coordinating Committee • Tourism Business Improvement District Board • Tree Committee There is also a community member spot open on the Investment Oversight Committee. Descriptions, meeting times and the application, can all be found at http://slocity.org/government/advisory-bodies.

On the subject of committees, when I first joined City Council, I hadn’t realized quite how many committees and boards each Council Member serves! Every advisory body has a Council Liaison and an Alternate, to serve as a bridge on critical issues and make recommendations for appointments when there are vacancies. Council Members also serve on several regional boards, and the Mayor serves on several more. I won’t list all 25 but they include: • Air Pollution Control District San Luis Obispo County • County Water Resources Advisory • Homeless Services Oversight Committee • Integrated Waste Management Authority SLO County • San Luis Obispo Council of Governments (SLOCOG) • San Luis Obispo Regional Transit Authority (SLORTA) • Downtown Association Board • Economic Vitality Corporation • Student Community Liaison Committee Thankfully, the committee work is interesting and rewarding, supporting the organizations and agencies that are so critical for the success of this community. And we are well supported by our outstanding staff.

As I complete my first year on City Council, I am filled with gratitude. Thank you for allowing me to serve in this way. I have learned so much, met so many amazing, engaged people, had many, many productive discussions, and made many decisions ranging from difficult and frustrating to outright joyful. I am excited and hopeful about our future and look forward to another great year.

• Citizens’ Revenue Enhancement Oversight Commission • Construction Board of Appeals • Cultural Heritage Committee • Housing Authority of San Luis Obispo • Human Relations Commission • Jack House Committee • Mass Transportation Committee • Parks & Recreation Commission

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FOR THE BIRDS 2018

The Morro Bay Art Association is presenting it’s Annual For the Birds exhibit in celebration of the Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival.

This exhibit is a collection of fine art paintings and photography depicting Morro Bay’s vast array of indigenous species of birds, birds seen around the world and all things bird-related. Stop in to see this remarkable exhibit. Art Center Morro Bay will offer bird related gifts or you may find that perfect work of art! For the Birds will be on display from January 11 through February 19, 2018. Meet the artists at the opening reception Sunday, January 14th, 2pm4pm. This event is free and open to the public. Art Center Morro Bay is open from 12pm – 4pm daily. For more information, visit our website at http://www.artcentermorrobay.org

WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY

In celebration of the annual Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival, Morro Bay Art Association is proud to present a demonstration of Wildlife Photography by Brady Cabe. Brady is a seasoned photographer who enjoys the outdoors. With both feet and tripod in the water, he captures wildlife, a sunset, or the Milky Way late into the night. His passion for photographing the night sky overflows into summertime astrophotography. Beginning with a photo slideshow featuring local birds, Brady will discuss locations and tips for getting that close up shot. He will cover use of camera settings, lenses and strategies for getting close, with an emphasis on the ethical treatment of wildlife. Brady will cover the use of light and ways to improve composition. Hoping to boost your photo power, Brady will share factors that give images, impact and inspiration through his stunning photography. Don’t miss this great opportunity to learn tricks and fundamentals that could change the way you shoot. Bring your camera for an after-event mingle with other aspiring and experienced photographers. WHERE: Art Center Morro Bay, 835

Main Street, Morro Bay, CA WHEN: Sunday, January 7, 2017, 3pm – 5pm. CONTACT: 805-772-2504 or visit www.artcentermorrobay. org. COST: Free and open to the public.

WOMEN’S SHELTER OF SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY ANNOUNCES NEW NAME: STAND STRONG

The Women’s Shelter of SLO County announced a new name and brand on Friday: Stand Strong. The rebrand was provided to the Women’s Shelter as part of Verdin’s annual 24-Hour Give, which takes place each year in November. In addition to the new name and logo, Stand Strong was gifted a new marketing and public relations plan, advertising and PSAs, social media campaigns and a gala event. Almost $1,800 was also raised during the 24-hour period in cash donations and several items were donated as part of the Give-a-thon. “Stand Strong was chosen as our new name because it conveys empowerment and the bravery of the people we serve,” said Stand Strong’s Executive Director, Kirsten Rambo. “After brainstorming with the Verdin team and our board and staff, we felt we needed a name that better encompasses our wide range of services, and speaks to our mission of ending domestic violence.”

The organization was created in 1979, originally as a safe house and crisis line for domestic violence survivors. Almost 40 years later, Stand Strong still offers an emergency safe house and a 24/7 crisis and information line, but has expanded services to include a transitional housing program, children’s programs, legal services, counseling services, Latina services, and human trafficking support.

For anyone experiencing domestic violence, Stand Strong can offer confidential support at (805) 781-6400 or StandStrongNow.org.

FOOD BANK AND FIRE RELIEF FUND WIN BIG AT SLO WINE COUNTRY’S ‘HARVEST ON THE COAST’ AUCTION

Two auction lots benefitting good causes yielded generous sums at the SLO Wine Country’s “Harvest on The Coast” Grand

D ressing Windows in San Luis Obispo for over 39 Years

Alan “Himself” J A N U A R Y

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252 Higuera Street San Luis Obispo (805) 541-TIRE

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Tasting and Wine Auction held recently. “Each year we look forward to giving back to our community,” said Heather Muran, executive director of the SLO Wine Country Association.

“I’m happy to report that our 2017 ‘Fund-A-Need’ auction lot earned more than ever before.” Indeed, SLO Wine Country’s charity auction lot earned more than $17,000 for the Food Bank Coalition of San Luis Obispo, which works to close the meal gap for county residents in need, providing nearly six million pounds of healthy food each year. Muran added that 100 percent of the $17,000 will go toward the Food Bank’s “Children’s Farmers Markets” program, which supplies children with highquality produce while teaching them how to make healthy food choices. SLO Wine Country was also pleased to offer an auction lot that benefitted the Northern California Fire Relief Fund, #CAWineStrong. In the end, that auction lot sold for more than $4,000. The lot, which included lodging, dining, wine tasting, library wines and more, was donated as a collaborative effort by members of SLO Wine Country.

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MELODY MADDOX NAMED 2017 AFFILIATE OF THE YEAR

The San Luis Obispo Association of REALTORS® (SLOAOR) has named Melody Maddox as the 2017 Affiliate of the Year. Melody received this acclaimed award for the high level of customer service she brings to clients and the real estate industry as a whole. Her passion and positive attitude, coupled with the desire to educate those around her help ensure clients are well covered. Melody is an Area Manager with First American Home Warranty and Natural Hazard Disclosure.

CAL POLY RETIRED FACULTY & STAFF CLUB NEW BOARD At a recent meeting of the Cal Poly Retired Faculty and Staff Club the following officers were elected to the Board of Directors. (L to R) Secretary Carolyn Jones, Scholarship Chair Laura Dimmitt, President Joe Grimes, Past President Glen Casey, Administrative Support Coordinator Heather McMillan, Treasurer/Membership Gail Simmons and Vice President Bill Kellogg.

ERIC PINCKERT NAMED 2017 REALTOR OF THE YEAR

The San Luis Obispo Association of REALTORS® (SLOAOR) has named Eric Pinckert of Central Coast Realty Group (CCRG) as the 2017 REALTOR® of the Year. Eric received this prestigious award for his dedication to the industry and involvement in the community. The award was presented during the Association’s Annual Installation dinner.

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AVILA BEACH COMMUNITY FOUNDATION RECIPIENTS

The Avila Beach Community Foundation proudly announced today the list of recipients and projects selected for funding in 2018. The grants will benefit programs providing services in the areas of education, health and wellness, the environment, youth sports and community engagement. The Foundation is a charitable organization that was created to accept donations and fund projects for the enhancement and betterment of the Avila Beach community.

A list of the organizations and projects receiving grants in 2018 is below (in alpha order): Achievement House, Avila Beach Civic Association, Avila Beach Jr. Lifeguards, Avila/Pismo Community News, Bellevue-Santa Fe Charter School, Cancer Well Fit, Central Coast Aquarium Scientist for a Day Program, Point San Luis Lighthouse Keepers, People’s Self Help Housing, Port San Luis Harbor District, South County Area Transit (SCAT) and Surfrider Foundation. Interested members of the community can help the Foundation accomplish even more by establishing a Donor Advised Fund. Doing so gives an immediate tax deduction benefit, as well as a “say” in how funds in your account are invested in community projects. No fees are charged by the Foundation, so the entire donation goes directly to the appropriate sources. To learn more about this opportunity call 805-595-4095.

CITY SEEKS VOLUNTEERS

The City of SLO is seeking volunteers to fill vacancies on 18 advisory boards and commissions, which empower residents to have an impact on local governance. The application period is open through 5p.m. January 19th. The city’s advisory bodies are groups of volunteers that advise staff and the City Council on matters that affect policy and issues that will affect the future of the community.

“These volunteers provide the City Council with invaluable input and play a meaningful role in achieving the vision we have for the city,” said Mayor Heidi Harmon. Applying for an advisory board position is easier than ever. An online system is now available at slocity.org/volunteer. General Advisory Body information, eligibility requirements and term limits are detailed in the Advisory Body handbook. To learn more about the boards currently seeking volunteers, visit the City’s website at: http://slocity.org/government/ advisory-bodies/vacancies.

CHANGES AT THOMA ELECRIC

Thoma Electric, Inc., an engineering, design and construction business based in SLO, has announced the retirement of Ed Thoma and the promotion of Jeff Thoma to Vice President and partner of the company, effective Jan. 1. Ed Thoma and his brother Bill have

San Luis Obispo’s Best Kept Secret Power Carts Senior Discount (55) • 10 Play C ards • Tournaments Welcome • •

Tee Times on our website: lagunalakegolfcourse.org or call 805-781-7309

11175 Los Osos Valley Road, SLO J A N U A R Y

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been co-owners since buying their parents’ business in 1985. Jeffrey Thoma is the son of Bill Thoma. Bud and Pearl Thoma founded Thoma Electric in 1961 and currently employs 90. Bill Thoma will continue as president and CEO. In joining his father Bill in the company’s senior leadership ranks, Jeff Thoma represents the third generation of the Thoma family to assume an ownership role. Following graduation from the University of California, San Diego, Jeff worked for Apple in Cupertino, before returning to San Luis Obispo in 2016 to join Thoma Electric as a Senior Professional Electrical Engineer. For more information on Thoma Electric visit ThomaElectric.com.

8TH ANNUAL JEWISH FESTIVAL

The premier event on the Central Coast celebrating Jewish culture from around the world: The 8th annual SLO Jewish Film Festival, January 6th and 7th at the Palm Theater in downtown SLO. Enjoy feature and short films, both narrative and documentary. Meet the award winning filmmakers in up close and personal discussions after each screening. It all begins with a warm welcome reception and Lifetime Achievement Award ceremony on Saturday, January 6, and on Sunday, January 7.

Wonderful films will be shown all day, followed by a lively kibitz

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hour, and a fabulous filmmaker dinner. All events are within walking distance of the theater. You don’t have to be Jewish to join the celebration, it is for everyone! Screenings always sell out, so you’re encouraged to buy your tickets early online at jccslo.com.

Sponsorship packages that include tickets to the all the events are still available. For more information, visit jccslo.com.

OF MARSHES AND MORROS AT MB ESTUARY

Of Marshes and Morros tells the true story of local community members who band together to protect and restore the Morro Bay estuary by creating the Morro Bay National Estuary Program. The film took home the award for Best Documentary Short in both the SLO and LA International Film Festivals. It also won the prestigious Best Cinematography award and was chosen from thousands of entries to show live at the festival in Los Angeles. Now that the documentary has been featured at film festivals as far away as Siberia, the story has come back home. You can view it on the Morro Bay National Estuary Program’s website at www.MBNEP.org/videos.

Of Marshes and Morros was created and produced by two lauded local creators---cinematographer Simo Nylander, who also worked on the award-winning Bōtso, and local on-air and digital media host Tom Wilmer. The Morro Bay National Estuary Program brings together citizens, local governments, other nonprofits, agencies, and landowners to protect and restore the Morro Bay estuary. The Estuary Program has been conducting monitoring and research, restoring natural habitats, and educating residents and visitors on how to keep Morro Bay clean and healthy since 1995. Learn more about the health of Morro Bay and the lands that surround it in the 2017 State of the Bay report at www.mbnep.org/state-of-the-bay.

ASSISTANCE LEAGUE RECEIVES GRANT

Assistance League Of Slo County has received a $2,500 grant from Bank of the Sierra through its Sierra Grant Program. This grant will be used toward purchasing new, school-appropriate clothing for

Kindergarten – 12th grade students in need, living and attending school in all ten school districts in SLO County. To learn more about Assistance League of SLO County, please visit www.alslocounty.org

MB ARTS CENTER SUCCULENT SUNDAY

MB Art Center presents Succulent Sunday on January 28th, from 1-3pm.

Choose from different sizes and shapes of wreaths or paint a custom made birdhouse, then plant with succulents.

Everything is included. Use of tools, beautiful, locally grown succulents, wreath forms, birdhouse planter so all you do is sign-up, create and enjoy! Class fee ranges $70-90.

PREREGISTRATION IS REQUIRED at www.Creative MeTime.com Contact Joan Martin Fee for additional info at 805-286-5993.

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TERRANCE SPILLER BENEFIT RECITAL

Pianist and Cal Poly Music Department Chair W. Terrence Spiller will give a benefit recital at 7:30 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 12, in the Spanos Theatre on campus. The first half of Spiller’s program features works by Robert Schumann and Frédéric Chopin, both of whom were born in 1810. The concert begins with Schumann’s “Papillons” (“Butterflies”), Op. 2, and is followed by his “Abegg” Variations, Op. 1.

Next on the program will be three works by Chopin: “Two Waltzes,” Op. 69, and “Ballade in G Minor,” Op. 23. The second half explores impressionistic and coloristic writing in three early 20th-century compositions, starting with Claude Debussy’s set of three pieces, “Estampes” (“Prints”). American composer Amy Beach’s “Hermit Thrush at Morn,” Op. 92, No.2, follows, and the program concludes with Argentinian composer Alberto Ginastera’s popular “Danzas Argentinas” (“Argentine Dances”), Op. 2.

Tickets are $14 for the public and $9 for students. Proceeds will benefit the Cal Poly Music Department Scholarship Fund. Event parking is sponsored by the PAC. Tickets are available at the Cal Poly Ticket Office between noon and 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. To order by phone, call SLO-4TIX (756-4849). For more information, call the Music Department at 805-756-2406 or visit its calendar website.

Esther Bartlett; painted silk and Kathleen Hill; photography.

September/October- Daryl Desmond; pencil and pastel and Paula Landis; fabric collage. November/December- Clarice Knupper; watercolor and silk painting and Yael Korin; photography Art is displayed in both the Center lobby and in the Salon hallway with sufficient space for large bodies of work. We have a variety of artists working with mixed media, photography, oil, water color, pastels, pen and ink. Artists are juried for content acceptability and a total of 10 artists are selected and paired to display their work for a twomonth period each year. We appreciate everyone who took the time to submit their applications for consideration. For information on applying to display your work in the gallery please go to our website at Clark Center Art Gallery

FREE SENIOR HEALTH CARE SCREENING

Community Action Partnership, Adult Wellness & Prevention Screening offers health screening for adults 18 years and older throughout SLO County. Free services include: screening for high blood pressure, weight and pulse. Finger prick screening tests for: high cholesterol, anemia and blood sugar. Counseling and referrals as needed. Please call 544-2484 ext.1 for dates, times and locations.

HELP OUR LOCAL VETERANS

VA clinic in San Luis is asking for volunteers to serve our Veterans as shuttle drivers. To help pay tribute and express your appreciation for their service, learn about volunteering at your local VA clinic. For more information contact your local VA volunteer representative Mr. Larry Foster at 805-354-6004 or send an email to Lawrence.Foster@va.gov .

CLARK CENTER LOBBY GALLERY ARTISTS 2018

Each year the Clark Center for the Performing Arts has the pleasure of hosting 10 artists selected by our Visual Arts Committee to display their work in our Lobby Gallery. The gallery is a wonderful opportunity for the Center to support artists in our local communities and bring beauty to the walls of our lobby for the enjoyment of our patrons. It also supports our Performing Arts Scholarships and Grants Program. Twenty percent of each piece sold is donated by the artist to the Scholarships and Grants Program to support future educational endeavors of local young artists. Since 2004, the Clark Center Foundation has provided over $150,000 in scholarships and grants to students pursuing an education in the visual and performing arts and teachers in the Lucia Mar Unified School District. Many past scholarship and grant recipients have gone on to careers in the arts and have achieved significant success as performers and technicians. By purchasing a piece of art in our gallery you are supporting the recipients of our scholarships and grants. For more information about our Scholarship and Grant Program please go to our website Clark Center Scholarship and Grant Program. We are happy to announce the artist chosen for 2018: January/February- Beatte Amler; acrylic and photography and Dan DeJong; oil and watercolor.

March/April- LMUSD high school students. May/June- Aaron Loyd; fiberglass and acrylic and Dan O’Donnell; photography. July/AugustJ A N U A R Y

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PILOT PROGRAM EMPOWERS YOUTH

MCSC’s Women’s Business Center (WBC) is partnering with Laguna Middle School and Sinsheimer Elementary to launch an interactive, educational initiative for creative youth. The new initiative provides a strong foundation for concepts of entrepreneurship including concept testing, basic business finances, marketing, prototyping, manufacturing, launching and leadership. Students are encouraged to fuel their creativity and apply critical thinking skills to develop a product or service. Each program consists of a total of four 6-week sessions. During these weekly one-hour classes students develop their ideas and receive mentorship from local, successful entrepreneurs. Exposure to the local business community keeps the students engaged and inspired to think “outside of the box.” For more information about this youth program please contact MCSC’s WBC 805-595-1357

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P.G.&E. SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE

FIRST AMERICAN TITLE HONORED

MCSC expresses gratitude to Kevin Irot and First American Title Insurance Company for their generous donations to MCSC’s Women’s Business Center (WBC). First American Title has been a strong supporter of economic empowerment for women. Their staff is comprised of approximately 70% women in hundreds of offices world-wide. MCSC’s WBC and First American Title continue to collaborate to support and empower San Luis Obispo women entrepreneurs. Pictured Left to Right: MCSC Consultant, Steve Mathis; MCSC Program Director, Chuck Jehle; First American Title Vice President/County Manager, Kevin Irot Heart to Heart Real Estate Invokes Community Change Through Local Giving

HEART TO HEARTH GIVES BACK

Local Real Estate Agents Gives Over $23,000 to local charities from sales commissions at their third ‘We Make Giving Easy’ event! December 6, 2017, Paso Robles, CA – Heart to Heart Real Estate brings community partnership to action. Payments of over $23,000 were given to several local charities at an event they hosted called ‘We Make Giving Easy’. The recipients were Camp Fire of the Central Coast, Woods Humane Society, Central Coast Autism Spectrum Center, The Wellness Kitchen of Templeton, Stand Strong, Alzheimer’s Association of the Central Coast and Hospice of SLO.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) announced today that scholarship applications are now being accepted for collegebound high schoolers as well as current college and continuing students living in Northern and Central California. More than 200 awards totaling nearly $700,000 are being made available through PG&E Scholarships, which includes the Better Together STEM Scholarship and employee resource group (ERG) scholarship programs. PG&E Scholarships information, including criteria and applications, is available on PG&E’s website. To be considered for a scholarship, all applications must be submitted by Feb. 5, 2018. “Many PG&E Scholarship recipients are the first in their families to attend college. These scholarships will help the leaders and innovators of tomorrow achieve their education and career goals. We’re proud to invest in these promising students and to help build a better California,” said Dinyar Mistry, PG&E senior vice president, human resources and chief diversity officer. PG&E Scholarships are awarded annually to help offset the cost of higher education. Better Together STEM Scholarship recipients will receive a one-time scholarship of $10,000 to assist in their pursuit of higher education in engineering, computer science, cybersecurity or environmental sciences. ERG scholarship beneficiaries will receive awards from $1,000 to $10,000 for exemplary scholastic achievement and community leadership.

Since 2012, PG&E’s Better Together STEM Scholarship Program has given nearly $3.6 million to accomplished students based on a combined demonstration of community leadership, personal triumph, financial need and academic achievement.

HUGHES CHARITABLE FOUNDATION

The Hughes Charitable Foundation Supports Y Programs for San Miguel Youth. The San Luis Obispo County YMCA recently received a generous grant of $44,220 from the Hughes Charitable Foundation to support significant financial assistance and transportation for underserved youth from San Miguel to participate in the Y after school care and day camp programs at Centennial Park, Paso Robles. YMCA Out-of-school programs provide a safe and nurturing environment where children can learn and thrive and provides needed support for working families. The Y’s community outreach and financial assistance efforts would not be possible without support from organizations like the Hughes Charitable Foundation.

For more information about the Y and its programs, go to www. sloymca.org or call the Y: 805-543-8235.

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LOCAL PARTNERS. LIMITLESS POTENTIAL. Making Great Things Happen in San Luis Obispo!

Tom Sherman, EVP, Market President Founders Community Bank

Marsh Street Banking Center 863 Marsh Street San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 805.547.2595

Higuera Street Banking Center 237 Higuera Street San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 805.543.6500

Morro Bay Banking Center 310 Morro Bay Blvd.

Morro Bay, CA 93442 805.772.8600

Paso Robles Banking Center 1245 Spring Street Paso Robles, CA 93446 805.226.4400

PremierValleyBank.com