MARCI POWERS | JUDITH BEAN | BEN PATRICK | STEVE RHODES | TERRY GREENE
JournalPLUS JANUARY 2015
MAGA ZINE OF THE CENTRAL COAST
THE “CURTAIN UP!” COMMITTEE
THE FOUNDATION FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
805-543-2172
www.farrellsmyth.com
21 Santa Rosa Street #100 San Luis Obispo
805-904-6616 110 E. Branch Street Arroyo Grande
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Arroyo Grande
Larry D. Smyth
Jennifer Hamilton
Owner/Broker
Relocation Director
Beautiful custom designed 4 bedroom 3 bath 3 car garage home in the Parkview Estates. Great neighborhood , close to Linda Aiello-Madison just about everything. Custom tile in the bathrooms, upgraded appliances, cathedral ceilings, tank-less water heater, ceiling Broker-Associate fans, water softener plus a great patio for relaxing. $589,900
Cool Ocean View Unit - Panoramic Ocean Views from this spacious One Bedroom unit. Don’t miss this opportunity to live in the desirable Bay Cliff Village. $439,000
Ken Arritt
Valerie Simpson
Broker-Associate
Twila Arritt
REALTOR®
Santa Maria
www.864Tarragon.com
Broker-Associate
Simone Viola
REALTOR®
Desirable Laurel Creek Community, Turn-key, mint condition, upscale 2009-built with two full master suites with multiple closets. Euro-style balconies, granite kitchen counters w/ upscale cabinetry & appliances. Lovely carpet, inside laundry, convenient large pantry/storage area at garage level, fire sprinklers, intercom system, finished, well-lit attached 2-car garage. High-efficiency central heating & air. Community clubhouse, EZ commute to Cal Poly, downtown, dining & shopping. $380,000
Move in ready. Bring your furniture! Regular sale. Great for first time buyers or investment. You really need to see this great 4 bedroom home. Close to the freeway and shopping . Newer roof, water heater, kitchen faucet and garbage disposal. $279,900
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Mary Rosenthal REALTOR®
Grover Beach
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Laura Pyzer
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Theresa Carroll REALTOR®
Jerry Collins REALTOR®
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Owner May Carry! Welcome to your new diamond waiting to be polished! This unexpected hidden oasis will greet you as you cross over a wooden bridge to a quiet secluded area. Great location to build you dream home. 2-story homes boast views of the dunes/ ocean. $230,000
Paddy Doron REALTOR®
Patricia Garrison REALTOR®
Prime commercial lot in a great location with limitless possibilities. Check with city of Grover Beach. Property has a non-conforming structure with a 725 sq ft, 2 bedroom, 2 bath building. $900,000
Vicky Hall REALTOR®
Deane Naylor REALTOR®
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Linda Irigaray Broker-Associate
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(805) 543-9800
CONTENTS
Journal PLUS MAGAZINE OF THE CENTRAL COAST
The People, Community, and Business of Our Beautiful Central Coast ADDRESS
654 Osos Street San Luis Obispo California 93401
18
STEVE RHODES
PHONE 805.546.0609 E-MAIL slojournal@fix.net WEBSITE www.slojournal.com
EDITOR & PUBLISHER Steve Owens ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Erin Mott GRAPHIC DESIGNER Dora Mountain COPY EDITOR Susan Stewart PHOTOGRAPHER Tom Meinhold DISTRIBUTION Jan Owens, Kyle Owens
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JUDITH BEAN
TERRY GREENE
ADVERTISING Steve Owens CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Susan Stewart, Natasha Dalton, Joseph Carotenuti, Dr. James Brescia, Sarah Hedger, Maggie Cox, Will Jones, Deborah Cash, Heather Young, Ruth Starr, Cassidy Bibo, Sasha Irving, Don Morris, Mike Robinson, Karen Harris, Roxanne Carr and Carlyn Christianson. Mail subscriptions are available at $20 per year. Back issues are $2 each. Inquires concerning advertising or other information made by writing to Steve Owens, JOURNAL PLUS MAGAZINE, 654 Osos Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401. You can call us at 546-0609, our fax line is 546-8827, 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
10 HEATHER COCHRANE & THE FOUNDATION FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
12 14 16 18
MARCI POWERS JUDITH BEAN BEN PATRICK STEVE RHODES
HOME & OUTDOOR 20 22 24 26
DORA CARY AND THE QUILT GUILD CASA Celebrating more than 20 years FOOD / AT THE MARKET SLO ART SCENE
COMMUNITY 28 30 31 32 34 36 42
OUR SCHOOLS—Dr. James Brescia GREATEST ATHLETES OF SLO: Ed Brown GET FIT FAST—Mike Robinson HISTORY: Queenie Warden TERRY GREENE Giving Back PALM STREET Councilwoman Christianson COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD
BUSINESS
37 DOWNTOWN SLO What’s Happening 41 MORTGAGE FACTS Roxanne Carr 46 EYE ON BUSINESS
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COMING UP AT THE
PERFORMING ARTS CENTER W. TERRENCE SPILLER PIANO RECITAL January 09 | 8:00 p.m. Alex & Faye Spanos Theatre Presented by Cal Poly Music Department
MET LIVE IN HD: DIE MEISTERSINGER VON NÜRNBERG
BACH WEEK: BEFORE BACH January 23 | 8:00 p.m. Old Mission Church Presented by Cal Poly Music Department
Christopher Cohan Center
TROMBONE SHORTY & ORLEANS AVENUE
Presented by Cal Poly Arts & Opera SLO
January 23 | 8:00 p.m.
THE HOT SARDINES
Christopher Cohan Center
January 14 | 7:30 p.m.
Presented by Cal Poly Arts &
January 11 | 2:00 p.m.
Alex & Faye Spanos Theatre
Otter Productions Inc,
Presented by Cal Poly Arts
SAMITÉ January 15 | 7:30 p.m. Presented by Cal Poly Arts
RELEASE, 45TH ANNIVERSARY ORCHESIS DANCE CONCERT January 23 | 8:00 p.m. January 24 | 2:00 p.m. & 8:00 p.m. January 29-31 | 8:00 p.m. Alex & Faye Spanos Theatre Presented by Cal Poly Theatre & Dance
KATHLEEN MADIGAN
CHRISTIAN ELLIOTT
January 16 | 8:00 p.m.
January 25 | 3:00 p.m.
Christopher Cohan Center
Christopher Cohan Center
Presented by Cal Poly Arts
Presented by Cal Poly Arts
MET LIVE IN HD: THE MERRY WIDOW January 17 | 9:55 a.m. Christopher Cohan Center Presented by Cal Poly Arts & Opera SLO
MET LIVE IN HD: LES CONTES D'HOFFMAN January 31 | 9:55 a.m. Christopher Cohan Center Presented by Cal Poly Arts & Opera SLO
CURTAIN UP! January 22 | 6:30 p.m. Christopher Cohan Center Presented by Foundation for the Performing Arts Center WWW.PACSLO.ORG | 805-756-4TIX (4849)
From the publisher
W
e start off the new year with three new monthly columnists. Our new County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. James Brescia, takes over for retired Superintendent, Dr. Julian Crocker. Don Morris begins a monthly column featuring SLO County’s greatest athletes. And our third new column features fitness guru, Mike Robinson. His column “Get Fit Fast” will focus on keeping your mind and body mentally and physically fit.
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
Our cover story this month features some of the people behind the scenes at the Foundation for the Performing Arts Center. We start off with the Foundation’s Executive Director, Heather Cochrane and move on to one of her committees, The Curtain Up! Committee. You’ll enjoy this group’s passion in keeping our Performing Arts Center financially sound. Plenty of good reading again this month, including: six people who make a difference on the Central Coast, an update on the CASA program, SLO County’s Art Scene and much more. Enjoy the magazine,
Madonna Road
El Tigre PARKING
Steve Owens Los Osos Valley Road
CALL US AT 805-541-5800 TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT.
Opening Doors Since ‘84 David Glass, Cheryl Priolo, Tim Kubinski, Michelle Braunschweig, Traci Pimentel, Colleen Clarke, Johnny Hough – Owner, Sal Orlando, Steven Ferrario, Jeff Inman, Melissa Kues, Devin Hahn, Craig Losee, Susie Brans, Jenny Shaheen. Not pictured: Jason Vork, Adrianna Garza, Ryan Benson & Brian Tuhoy
Happy New Year! In celebrating the New Year, our resolution is remarkably similar to our resolutions for the past 30 New Years — to serve our clients the best we can. Continuing our commitment to our “client first” orientation means understanding and appreciating your need for experienced and knowledgeable representation. It’s just how we do business, and with our resources and in-depth understanding of our local markets, the New Year outlook is very promising for another year of success. With the New Year comes a renewed enthusiasm, and new potential for all kinds of new opportunities. We welcome the opportunity to work with you in 2015.
www.RealEstateGroup.com 962 Mill Street • San Luis Obispo, California 93401 • 805.541.2888
February 1, 2015
Chi Delta Sorority Elks Lodge Latinos in Agriculture Nipomo Presbyterian Church SLO Journal U.S. Agriseeds
Third Annual
Community Interfaith Series Richard Carsell
The Third Annual Community Interfaith Series will be held this winter on six consecutive Sundays beginning January 11th through February 15th. The series is sponsored by and will be held at Mt. Carmel Lutheran Church, 1701 Fredericks Street, San Luis Obispo, at 10am and again at 12:30pm.
Rod Richards
The 2015 series theme is “Why do you believe in a God?” The speakers will discus their personal and religious experiences in an informal setting with a question and answer time for listeners included. The series is open to the public at no charge. The schedule of speakers is below:
Deborah Wilhelm
January 11th—Richard Carsell, Judaism Community leader and Past President of Temple Beth David and Temple Ner Shalom and Lay Leader of Temple Ohr Tzafon, Atascadero. January 18th—Reverend Rod Richards, Unitarian Universalism Minister of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, SLO and President of the SLO Ministerial Association.
Todd Long
January 25th—Dr. Deborah Wilhelm, Roman Catholicism Lay Preacher Nativity Catholic Church, SLO and Lecturer in Homiletics for clergy and lay preachers in the Diocese of Monterey. February 1st—Dr. Todd Long, Cal Poly Professor of Philosophy and Religion Speaker and writer on the epistemic rationality of belief and the foundations of moral responsibility. February 8th—Carol McFall, Christian Scientist Christian Science healer, speaker and writer on practical metaphysics.
Carol McFall
February 15th—Naiyerah Kolkailah, Islam President of the Islamic Society of San Luis Obispo County and pursuing a graduate degree in Biological Sciences at Cal Poly.
Naiyerah Kolkailah
For more information on this special series call the church at 544-2133 or contact Bob Grosse, Adult Education Team Leader, Mt. Carmel Lutheran Church at cgrosse@charter.net or call 543-5691.
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The Foundation’s Executive Director
heather cochrane and the “encore” campaign By Susan Stewart
“Encore!” It’s an audience demand meaning “Again!” Or, as Webster would say, “… something that follows a success.” Any way you define it, Encore is an apt title for a campaign that launched quietly last fall, and will be publicly announced this month. In 1986, a group of passionate leaders forged an unprecedented partnership comprised of the City of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly State University, and the Foundation for the Performing Arts Center. The result, ten years later, was the completion of a world-class performing arts venue in our county. Today, the PAC is home to more than 300 performances reaching more than 80,000 ticket patrons and many thousands more un-ticketed audience members (mostly children) every year. Whether you thrilled to the fantastic feats of the Bolshoi Ballet, laughed ‘til you cried at the comic talents of George Carlin or David Sedaris, beamed with pride at your fiveyear-old’s first performance in The Nutcracker, or shouted for more from your favorite rock band, jazz quartet, or the fabulous SLO Symphony— the PAC has been making magic and memories for all of us. Now fast approaching its 20th anniversary, the PAC—and the Foundation that keeps it going—needs your help. The Encore campaign aims to double the Foundation’s endowment to $5 million. But don’t be misled. The PAC is debt free (a rarity in today’s financial milieu), with every dollar donated moving it forward into the future. So it’s important to note that the Foundation is not campaigning to pay off old debt. Rather, the goals are to broaden what the PAC offers: To give local nonprofits more affordable rental rates; to make ticket prices even more affordable to future patrons; and to impact the community in an even bigger way, a way that can be sustained over time. The Foundation’s Executive Director, Heather Cochrane, explains: “What the public may not know is that the hall itself does not make much money on ticketing revenue. Forty-five percent of the $3 million operating budget is generated by hall rental and tech fees.” The Foundation and its partners—The City and Cal Poly—contribute the remaining fifty-five percent of the operational budget. “[Doubling our endowment] will allow us not only to more sustainably meet the community’s annual financial obligation to the operating costs of the A performance at the SLO Performing Arts Center
The members of the Curtain Up! committee (L-R) Ron Regier, Barbara Bell, Merikay Peterson Guhring, Libbie Agran, Clifton Swanson and Heather Cochrane. Not pictured: Jill Stollmeyer, Curt Van Inwegen and Ben McAdams.
PAC,” Cochrane continued, “but also to make possible the expansion of community access we talked about three years ago.” That was the year Cochrane took the helm at the Foundation. In the first few months of her tenure, Cochrane imagined an endowment that could get more people to the PAC and more performers on the stage. Reaching out to educators, donors, advisors and partners, and of course, the groups who use the PAC, the Foundation conducted a series of surveys to discover what they most needed, what they most wanted. At the top of their lists were: • Continued support for the School Matinee Program that brings more than 6,000 school children to the PAC each year • Transportation scholarships to get them there • A Community Access Grant program that gives a greater number of local performing arts groups the ability to perform at the PAC “When the Foundation was first formed, the vision was to bring something truly extraordinary to life. Not just good enough, but really world-class,” Cochrane said. “The PAC is the realization of that vision. Now the question is, what else can the PAC make possible?” And so, on Thursday January 22nd at 6:30 pm, the public is invited to attend “Curtain Up!”—a glittering, show-stopping evening with the PAC as the featured performer. “We want to show the audience how our local artists’ visions are brought to life on the stage,” said Cochrane, “and how Foundation members directly impact the capabilities of the PAC.” Deyo Dances and Cal Poly’s Take it SLO A Capella will perform a number together showcasing the dazzling light system. Performances from the Academy String Orchestra and Central Coast
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Paul Woodring will showcase the Forbes Pipe Organ, and the SLO Symphony will close out the evening and demonstrate the Meyer Sound Constellation installed in 2013. All three of these enhancements, the light system, the sound system, and the organ were made possible through the strong commitment of Foundation members. “We’ll celebrate those who have already made a commitment to the Encore campaign and we’ll invite others to join them,” said Cochrane. Admission is free, but by ticket only: Visit www.fpacslo.org/CurtainUp for tickets, or call 805-541-5401. The members of the Curtain Up! committee include Co-Chairs, Libbie Agran and Barbara Bell, Jill Stollmeyer, Merikay Peterson Guhring, Curt Van Inwegen, Ron Regier, Clifton Swanson, and Ben McAdams. This committee and many others, the Foundation’s tireless Board of Directors, and the many contributors to the Encore campaign—plus every private donation, small or large, from individuals and businesses alike, have made the PAC a dream-come-true success story like few others. “When I first came to San Luis Obispo, I was struck by how so many people here are involved in what they feel passionate about,” said Cochrane. “What is most rewarding is knowing that now I’m one of them. I can’t imagine a job more in-line with my values and I love working to support all the PAC makes possible for our community.” Heather Cochrane
Children’s Choir—two youth performance groups that benefit from those reduced PAC fees—will warm hearts. Dr. Brian Asher Alhadeff will speak about how the PAC enhances his vision for Opera SLO.
As the year 2015 unfolds, it’s time to inspire the next generation to become stewards for all the PAC makes possible for their community. “Curtain Up!” and the Encore campaign will give that generation a chance to become part of the dream that began nearly 30 years ago. A dream about possibilities made real; and the promise of many more to come.
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marci powers coordinator— county anti-gang coordinating commission By Will Jones
G
reat stories often include a coalition of unexpected events. In 2009, Probation Chief Jim Salio, District Attorney Gerry Shea, and Sheriff Pat Hedges hired Marci Powers to be the Coordinator of the County Anti-Gang Coordinating Commission. But the story of how Marci, a retired supervising probation officer from Ventura County, came to be a San Luis Obispo County resident starts way back in 1970.
Born in Glendale, Marci lived for many years in Burbank, where she attended Bellarmine Jefferson High School. In her senior year she played on a summer softball team with future San Luis Obispo resident and Burbank High School sophomore, Betsey Nash. “We had a great time that summer and became good friends. At summer’s end she went back to high school and I went to Northridge for college. A year later I was married and moved to Maryland. We lost touch for the next twenty years.” Marci’s husband, in the Air Force, was assigned to the National Security Agency, and they spent three years in Maryland during the Vietnam War. Her son, John, the first of her three children, was born there. “It was a big change for a California girl. It was fun for a while, but not enough good weather. We came home to Burbank when my husband left the Air Force.” Two daughters, Jenny and Erin, completed the family, which moved to Thousand Oaks in 1979. When her marriage ended in divorce in 1986, Marci returned to Northridge and earned a degree in Sociology. Around 1990 she started wondering about Betsey and what had happened to her. “I had a vision of what she might be doing, like teaching, something really involved with her community, because she was that kind of person.” Marci had no idea how accurate that vision was, until she started making phone calls, first to the alumni association at Burbank High. About six calls later she talked to Betsey’s brother, Phil, who was living in Shell Beach, where Betsey was living and hosting a daily radio show for KJDJ, among many other community commitments. “We connected a couple of weeks later, had lunch in Santa Barbara, and we’ve been together ever since.” Betsey moved to Thousand Oaks in 1991 and they remained there during Marci’s twelve years as a probation officer, which ended in 2004. “It was great to get the job with Ventura County. I was a late starter, but I put my education to good use. I’d always had an interest in criminal justice. While many of my expectations were met, I began to see that the system was broken, especially for poor people of color who didn’t have the resources to defend themselves. I wanted to be both law enforcer and social worker, which is tough to do because my primary job was to enforce the court’s orders. I did that, but I got frustrated because I wanted to make the system work better.” With her children grown, two grandchildren in Orcutt with Marci’s son and his wife, and Betsey’s mother in poor health, they sold their home in Thousand Oaks, and moved back to the Central Coast. “Betsey was surprised by her immediate acceptance back into the community, but I J A N U A R Y
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was lost. The house I’d raised my kids in for twenty-five years was gone, my mother had passed away the year before, and I no longer had my job. I wanted to fill my time with something gratifying and fulfilling.” In 2006 Marci signed up for the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce Leadership class, coordinated at that time by Laura Albers. “I started learning about the county and making new friendships on my own terms. I met Kim Barrett, the probation department chief, who hired me for some special projects, and then Jim Salio, Kim’s successor, contacted me about the Anti-Gang Commission job. I was excited because a lot of my career was in juvenile case loads. I felt I could do more to help kids and families than I could with just adults.” Marci’s passion for her work and her beliefs about social justice emerged as we spoke. The Anti-Gang Task Force, which is part of the Commission, came together in response to the arrival in south county of gang members from Southern California. The Commission developed a strategic plan including prevention, rehabilitation, and suppression (arrest and prosecution) components. “We developed a holistic approach to the problem, not just arresting people, sending them to court, putting them in jail and recycling
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It makes no sense for society as a whole. We know what works and we have to do it.” So a chance high school meeting, a rekindled friendship, a need to be of service, and a passion for social justice has, in the end, resulted in a dynamic professional presence in our community. Betsey Nash, Human Resources Director for Strasbaugh, had this to say about her partner, Marci Powers: “I remember watching her play ball and being so amazed that someone could be so aggressive and graceful at the same time. She was so good, Will. She still has that grace and solidness, even when aggressively pursuing justice and advocating for gang prevention measures or for funding to support the incredible programs that really do make a difference. She is still graceful and I admire her so much.”
Marci, Betsey and Marci’s daughters, Jenny and Erin
them without having programs in place to get them back on track if that’s what they wanted.” The Commission’s work coincided with the passage of Assembly Bill 109, the state’s response to the federal government’s demand that California reduce its state prison population. As a result, more offenders were being sentenced to county jails for longer terms, and AB 109 provided money for needed rehabilitation, education and training programs. “We now had the potential to help people lead their lives differently. We had something in place to help them see better possibilities and change their habits.” Marci does a lot of work with prevention, and she is adamant that education is the key. “Sixty percent of prisoners are high school dropouts. Ironically, our state budget has gone up for prisons while at the same time gone down for education. When I talk in the community I emphasize getting our politicians to understand that taxpayer dollars are well invested if we put them in education which will reduce our prison population and create a safer society. There are definitely people who need to be off the streets, but we must have a reasonable approach.” According to Marci, the San Luis Obispo County Jail ranks in the top 2% around the state for programs to help inmates change their lives, from employment preparation and alternative-to-violence projects, to yoga, meditation, Cal Poly sociology classes and a bakery course, to name just a few. “We have inmates taking the nonviolent training and then teaching it to other inmates. It’s exciting seeing so many inmates engaged in these programs.” Marci has built many partnerships in the county. “It’s perfect because we have so many non-profits.” One of those is Restorative Partners, run by Sister Theresa Harpin. “She has provided all kinds of programs. Grief and loss is a huge one for people in custody. It’s important for those who grew up in ideal circumstances to remember how many people don’t have that advantage. They come from homes filled with abuse, violence and drug and alcohol use, nightmarish situations. The grief and loss group is most popular because it helps people understand and overcome their backgrounds.” In the past, one year was the maximum an inmate could remain in county jail. Now sentences can be for years, so programs are even more important. Marci fears loss of AB 109 funding, which is being cut by 85 million dollars this year. “We can’t return to a cycle of arrest, incarceration, release and re-arrest. Left to their own devices, trying to provide these programs would cripple counties. J A N U A R Y
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The Unflappable
Judith bean
local executive’s “calm, cool, collected” style gets the job done By Deborah Cash
“Excuse the mess!” said Judith Bean, President/CEO of Arroyo Grande Grover Beach Chamber of Commerce, motioning to stacks of boxes, furniture in disarray and workers moving about her workplace offices. “We recently had a problem with the roof and everything was flooded.” According to Judith, the bad news was she was on vacation when water drenched the south county facility; the good news was that her staff decided to not interrupt her time away and did what they could to mitigate damages until Judith returned. “It’s a bit of a challenge,” she observed with a bit of “that’s life” attitude, “but it will all work out fine.” This particular situation reflects a lot about Judith herself: even in times of stress and drama, she’s one cool cookie; her laugh and smile come easily and those around her are loyal and supportive. Judith’s a familiar professional presence on the Central Coast. In the early 1990s, at the SLO Chamber of Commerce, she was involved in the creation of Leadership SLO, a newly proposed Chamber program. “The whole concept was so exciting,” she said of the initial meetings convened with community leaders who would develop the program’s initial format and mission. “I was happy to be part of something wonderful that came out of the ashes.” Judith laughed, saying they really weren’t sure how it would all go. “You start out with 35 complete strangers who will spend a year’s time together and hope it all works out.” But, Judith said, with her typical smile and style, “By the end of the year, we loved them all. Those relationships are still relevant and even now, I run into grads everywhere.” Judith credits current SLO Leadership director Sandi Sigurdson with the program’s continued success. “It’s a thriving program, I’m glad to have been in on the ground floor!” Judith went on to work at The Tribune as Public Affairs Manager but said ultimately she realized, “I’m not a big corporation gal. I loved
the atmosphere but I’m most comfortable in a small staff office and being a jack of all trades.” Growing up in a family with a theatrical background, Judith recalls singing four-part harmony spontaneously at family meals. “We were like the von Trapps,” she said of her clan. She was the youngest of six children born to a father in the Indian army and a mother in the British army. “My parents moved to the U.S. from England,” she recounted. “After WWII, jobs were hard to find and my dad landed a job as the Manager of the Chamber of Trade.” The family moved a number of times and finally ended up in Santa Cruz. Judith attended Pepperdine University in Malibu and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, eventually earning her certification for Chamber Management at the Institute for Organization Management at UCLA. Soon after, Judith worked in computer software for a government contractor at Fort Hunter Liggett. She befriended a fellow worker who was coordinating troops and after seven years as friends, “I asked him out,” she said. Judith Barton and Rob Bean were married a year later. They moved to Paso Robles and later, Cayucos; in 1989, their son, Seth, was born. Judith is especially proud of her husband’s military accomplishments. At the most recent Veterans’ Day Celebration in
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PEOPLE Son Seth is another source of pride for Judith. Seth recently graduated from Humboldt State University with a B.S. in Mathematics and works locally writing computer code at Mindbody. “He’s a computer geek,” Judith said, adding, “I wasn’t sure he’d come back to the area but I’m glad he did. I get to see him every Sunday!”
Judith and Rob Bean on a recent trip to Florence, Italy.
Atascadero, Rob was recognized for his exceptional valor. “He was in the army 23 years,” she said. “He completed four tours of Vietnam, he was awarded a battlefield commission and six Purple Hearts, a Silver Star and two Bronze Stars as well as the Vietnamese Medal of Honor.” True to Judith’s wry sense of observation, she added, “He survived because he grew up on a ranch in Cholame. Whatever they shot was what they ate; he was a cowboy and knew how to rough it.” Rob’s family had inherited a Mexican land grand of 1500 acres in the county’s farthest northeast territory. “Rob’s mom was on the scene when James Dean died,” she said.
Judith and Patti Rowe while visiting China
In 2007, Judith, now a Los Osos resident, said she was working at the Los Osos Community Center and a friend told her about an opening for the position that she currently holds. “It was exactly along the lines of my experience; I was interviewed and offered the job the next day.” “I’ve always loved the south county area and its history,” she said. Plus, she is grateful for the support of a “fabulous” Board of Directors and the 450-plus membership. “The first day on the job, the copy machine died,” she laughed. “But I hired a new assistant, applied what I had learned at my job at the SLO Chamber and got on with moving forward immediately.”
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the Board told me they wanted a better relationship with the City of Arroyo Grande; I think I’ve worked to achieve that and am proud that we are invited to sit at the table when decisions are made.” Beyond her professional commitment, Judith also serves as the Chair of the Clark Center Foundation Board of Directors. “It’s a big jewel of Arroyo Grande,” she says, explaining her interest in this organization has to do with her love of the arts. She’s performed with the SLO Little Theatre and for the past 10 years has lent her pipes as singer for the local band “Mudskippers.” For her contributions, she has been voted as one of Cuesta College’s Women of Distinction (1997) and earned the Gerald Hathaway Award from the Western Association of Chamber Executives. Rounding out Judith’s life are her two dogs, Beulah and Ollie and cat Lily as well as travelling—especially to Big Sur. “I’m a big fan of the River Inn,” she said adding that she also enjoys kayaking. Not bad for a laid back gal who just takes life as it comes— floods and all!
In July 2012, the opportunity to merge the Arroyo Grande Chamber with the Grover Beach Chamber presented itself and made sense to all involved. “Grover Beach had lost its redevelopment funds and operating capital so we consolidated,” Judith said. “They had what we didn’t have such as the Stone Soup Festival and beach access,” adding, “I think Grover Beach is on the verge of a Renaissance. They are becoming an attractive place to do business and they’re right on the coast. The Grover Beach Lodge project has been approved and the city will be adding high speed fiber optic cables in the near future.” As well, Judith notes, combining adjacent Chambers seems to be a nationwide trend. On top of that reorganizational coup, Judith participated in forming the Arroyo Grande Tourism Business Improvement District where funds from hospitality-based businesses are raised for promotions and advertising of the area. “I’m focused on political advocacy right now,” Judith explained. “When I was hired, J A N U A R Y
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Retired cal poly professor
ben patrick
Bicycling across 6 continents By Heather Young
B
en Patrick, a retired Cal Poly professor, has been around the world, exploring six of the seven continents by bicycle. But long before he set out on his first long bicycle trip, he was diagnosed with polio at the age of 17. He said that he knew right away that he had polio when he started limping on his way to breakfast at the start of his senior year of high school in September 1951, a time when the polio epidemic was at its peak in Ohio. “The previous few days I had severe headaches, high fever and flu-like symptoms, visited Dr. Law and my family doctor, and was diagnosed as having ‘the flu,’ which was ‘going around,’” Patrick wrote in his memoir of having polio that was published in Rancho Los Amigos Pasto Polio Support Group. “Also, the day before I woke with a limp my friend Eugene Emminizer’s mother had called to inform me that Gene was just diagnosed with polio. A couple days before I got ‘the flu’ Gene and I had spent the day together, golfing. So, I knew.” Polio is a contagious viral illness that can cause paralysis, difficulty breathing and sometimes death. The last case of naturally occurring polio happened in 1979 in the United States, according to the Mayo Clinic. While some people developed a type of polio that does not lead to paralysis, Patrick contracted all three strains of polio and was immediately taken by ambulance to Cleveland City Hospital 60 miles away. “It was a large hospital, stuffed full, mainly with polio patients,” Patrick wrote. “Soon after arrival, most meningitis patients died. Scary times for a 17-year-old.” During Patrick’s first month in the hospital, his fever subsided and the paralysis slowly set in. “My right leg became weaker and weaker until I could hardly move it,” he wrote. “I could only wiggle the toes on my right foot. I had partial paralysis of my right shoulder, arm and fingers.” While he said that people didn’t know what to do for polio in 1951, his father really helped him.
“At the beginning I couldn’t move my leg, so he’d just move it back and forth,” Patrick said. “Eventually I began to feel something.” He spent two months in the hospital and when he returned home, his high school sent a tutor to his house. A month before he graduated from high school, he returned to school and was able to walk in his graduation ceremony. In order to walk again, lifeguards at the Warren, Ohio, YMCA helped him with daily swimming treatment that was designed to restore vigor to the affected muscles. Five students volunteered to help him with his treatments. With his muscles working as they were made to, Patrick went on to attend the University of Cincinnati, where he majored in electrical engineering. Then he went on to Southern Methodist University where he got his master’s degree, and then earned his doctorate in electrical engineering from the University of Denver. After he earned his PhD, he went to work at Autonetics—now called North American Rockwell—in 1968. There he worked on flight control systems. He hadn’t worked there long before he decided to look into teaching because he thought if he was teaching a subject, he wouldn’t forget it. He started teaching at Cal State Fullerton and it wasn’t long before he stopped working at Autonetics altogether because the company was laying people off. He got hired as a faculty member at Long Beach State. In the 1980s, he joined a gym because he found himself 65 pounds overweight. He first took step classes, but that kind of exercise was rough on his atrophied leg, so he started riding an exercise bike at the gym and met a man who asked if he’d like to ride a bike outside. Patrick said yes and that started his bicycle touring passion. To date he has logged more than 27,000 miles through 36 countries on six continents. He said he had an
A fishing break on his trip through Mongolia. J A N U A R Y
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that one good thing that has come out of all this is that he has learned he loves to write. Though he is not able to spend hours typing on a keyboard or writing with a pen, he can sit at his computer and talk into a special headset that turns his dictation into written text. He is currently working on a memoir, that will detail his many trips around the world—several that incorporated community service and bicycle riding.
takes medication to slow it down, but there is no cure.
A view shot of Patrick’s trip through Chile.
opportunity to bicycle in Antarctica, but when he decided to do it, the opportunity had ended. His first bicycle touring trip was solo in July 1985 when he rode from Orange County to Santa Barbara, a trip where he had five flat tires and covered 250 miles. He took his first international bicycle tour in the summer of 1986 through the Netherlands, Germany, France and Switzerland. He took that trip with a partner and they rode 1,000 miles. His longest trip was in the summer of 1989 when he joined 10 other riders on the Bike Centennial North Star trip through Montana, British Columbia, Yukon and Alaska. “It’s very intimate [traveling by bicycle],” Patrick said. “My favorite way of doing it was solo because it’s easier to interact with the people. It was solo, but never lonesome. I did a thousand miles in Kenya with the wild animals. It was amazing.” It was on one of his rides along the California Coast that he discovered San Luis Obispo and Cal Poly. He said that when he saw Cal Poly he knew he wanted to live here. He sent Cal Poly a resume and it just happened that a faculty member was leaving and he was hired in 1991 teaching control systems and electronics. He retired in 1998. Patrick still rides today, but now he has a modified tricycle that is motorized, so it helps him get started and get up hills. While Patrick was able to move again after he contracted polio, he now has post-polio syndrome, something that polio patients are suffering at least 35 years after getting polio. According to Post-Polio Health International, post-polio is a new condition that affects polio survivors decades later. The major symptoms of the new condition are pain, fatigue and weakness. Some survivors may also experience muscle atrophy or muscle wasting. When Patrick started being less mobile, he attributed it to post-polio; however, when he went to see his doctor, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He said that he
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Despite the many challenges he’s faced over the years, and the ones that will come as post-polio and Parkinson’s advances, Patrick continues a sunny attitude and said
“I’m thankful for the spirit I have,” Patrick said.
PREPARE HOW DO I
FOR an emeRgency? Whether it is a flood, fire, earthquake, or an emergency at Diablo Canyon, disasters can and do happen. We cannot accurately predict when or where a disaster may strike, but we can prepare for them and reduce the consequences should one occur. Knowing which disasters are most likely to affect you and your family can help you prepare. ■ Should an emergency occur at Diablo Canyon, 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 assistance
needed by elderly family members, those with medical needs, as well as your family pets. ■ In an emergency, officials will make protective action decisions on a variety of factors as the situation develops. This makes it extremely important for the public to stay tuned to local radio and TV throughout the emergency to receive current information and actions they need to take. ■ Getting prepared may seem like an overwhelming task, but someday it may bring a huge reward. ■ For more information on how to get your family prepared visit: www.slocounty.ca.gov/oes or call (805) 781-5011.
OUR PUBLIC ALERT AND NOTIFICATION SYSTEMS MAY BE USED FOR ANY LOCAL EMERGENCY
TSUNAMI
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NUCLEAR
FIRE
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steve rhodes Eating for health By Ruth Starr
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teve Rhodes, 48, is the Manager of the newly purchased Whole Foods Market from New Frontiers in San Luis Obispo. He graduated from Cal Poly in Pomona, CA in 1987 with a degree in business. Starting his career, he worked in the banking business where he became an Account Executive. He approved housing loans, took care of other banking business and was enjoying his job when his whole world collapsed on him in 2007. He was stunned and in a state of shock. The banks were in trouble, the housing market was in trouble and overnight he lost his job and, what had been, he hoped, his future. The nightmare of a struggle began for him. Steve was living in Tahoe at the time where there were very few job opportunities. Feeling a bit desperate he started reaching out to friends in the Bay Area where he had lived for 20 years. He plodded along trying to find jobs there but no one wanted to hire anyone who came from the financial industry. It was a very depressing time. Money was running low.
Owning five houses at the time, he thought he could survive as they were rented. However, most were under water with the mortgages on them and he could not see his way out of this mess. He needed some income so he took a job bartending. Meanwhile, Steve studied and graduated from a Culinary Academy in San Francisco hoping that would help him get a better job. Learning how to prepare food was the start of a new career for him. It resulted in going to work in the restaurant industry for several years. The last place he worked was called Il Fornaio, a high end restaurant in J A N U A R Y
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the Bay Area. That job turned into him managing four restaurants for this company. It made a huge difference to be working, earning a living and feeling good about himself. He was never a quitter. Not feeling this was his final calling in life, he went into the real estate and mortgage business that he was familiar with. He liked the real estate and the mortgage business, but sales were way off at that time. At that point he said he dusted off his old resume from the Il Fornaio restaurant and applied for a job at the Whole Foods Market. He was hired. With Whole Foods, Steve began as a buyer which was a lower level position. He was the wine buyer for one store in Northern California. For him, there was something very special about Whole Foods. When it comes to what people put in and on their bodies, the choices they make have consequences. He loved the idea of a natural foods supermarket that sells meat and poultry free of growth hormones and antibiotics, plus unprocessed grains and cereals. Meeting incredible people who were very passionate about what they were doing was very refreshing. In the past, he watched what he ate but was not strictly an organic consumer. Just being in this environment made him very aware of the foods that he and others consumed. To work at Whole Foods, everyone is required to watch a video when they join. During that video Steve saw that it would change him and his whole life. He has a sister who was never very healthy, did not eat wholesome foods, was over-weight and finally diagnosed with diabetes. The
PEOPLE sister, he began sending her gift cards for the Whole Foods Market in Scottsdale, Arizona where she lived. He also hooked her up with a healthy eating specialist to give her more attention. For a year Steve sent her a Whole Foods gift card every week to purchase groceries. It changed her life. She lost 50 pounds, is a changed person and the diabetes is under control. She now passes all of her information to her friends and has also had the pleasure of seeing changes in their lives. He is very proud of the gift of a healthy life he gave his sister.
quality of her life was horrible and she had no idea on where to begin to make a huge change in her life. Caring a lot about his
At the SLO market there are classes on healthy eating and tours on how to shop for healthy foods. Steve is constantly looking for new things to introduce to customers. His original job with Whole Foods was in Redwood City, CA. This is his eighth year with this company. He continued to get promotions in the job and made his way to the top in a few years by earning the leadership of the San Luis Obispo store. He loves the fun and creative environment of the store and is also involved in helping to make decisions on the various charities that the Market gives to. They are currently supporting CAPSLO Homeless Shelter with a program called “Feed 4 More.” Every $10 dona-
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tion feeds 4 people. The biggest support to the community comes from their 5% days where both the Marketing Team Leader and Steve decide where the proceeds should go. They give to schools, museums, non-profit organizations, senior organizations and more. The donation can range from $3,000 to $10,000. They also support local events depending on the needs, with groceries, gift cards, or just straight donations. It is a very important part of the Whole Foods Company to give back to the community. Before moving to SLO, he used to hang out in this area a lot as his mother worked at Cal Poly toward the end of her career. Visiting her was top on his list. He loves this area and says there is everything he could ever want right here. In his free time, Steve likes to go mountain biking, outrigger canoeing, and tent camping. Bailey, Steve’s dog, is a wonderful golden retriever, age 10, who is his favorite hiking companion. Even at Bailey’s older age, he still gets excited about a hike and can still make it to the top of Madonna Mountain loving every minute of it. For a different kind of recreation, Steve has restored an ’87 Toyota Land Cruiser. If you see a guy and his golden, Bailey, climbing the hills around here, wave at him.
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Dora cary:
“I love the endless possibilities you find in this country” By Natasha Dalton
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n her autobiography, Agatha Christie compared life to the interior of a ship divided into separate watertight compartments: “You emerge from one, seal and bolt the doors, and find yourself in another.”
Christie was talking about traveling, and the fresh way people experience the world—and themselves—in a new environment. But the metaphor is also useful for describing other big events, such as marriage or a move to another place: “You step from one life into another. You are yourself, but a different self.” Dora Cary made her first step towards her future move to the US, when she signed up for an English class at the university in her hometown of Timisoara, Romania. She actually was supposed to be in a French class—because French was the language she took in high school, but she lied that she’d studied English, and nobody checked. Dora majored in Engineering, but wanted to learn English because it was the language spoken in America, which to her was a fairy-tale place, full of glamor and mystery. She quickly became the best in her English class, which encouraged her to apply for a program at American University. “My teacher thought I had a good chance,” Dora says. “I was so enthusiastic. I really wanted to go there.” But she wasn’t selected. However, the letter from America was worded so kindly—it still made Dora happy. “Now I see a rejection letter for what it is, but then I was just pleased to receive a nice letter that said all these wonderful things about me,” she remembers. And it’s not that English was her only interest. “I might’ve been a little bit of an overachiever,” Dora smiles, recounting the things she’d done Carla, Mike and Dora Cary
photo by Sasha Dalton
as a student. She competed on the national level in various sports. And made her own fashionable clothes, as well as toys for sale. Unlike neighboring Yugoslavia and Hungary (other members of the Eastern Block, where small business was a vital part of life), Romania fully relied on a state-planned economy. But the government policy of severe austerity, introduced in 1981, prioritized paying off the national debt over citizens’ wellbeing. It left the store shelves empty— and gave rise to the black market. Everyone was doing some trading underground and even the police turned a blind eye on such activities, because they wanted the goods, too. Perhaps it was the business sense developed in her youth that helped Dora to succeed in America, when she finally found her way here. That—as well as her friendly personality, her boundless creativity, and her desire to make things work. 1989, when Dora graduated from the university, turned out to be the year of big changes in Eastern Europe: The revolutions (which in Romania began in Dora’s hometown) swept away the old world order. “It was a dramatic time for us,” Dora remembers. After the government’s collapse, there was nobody in power for several weeks, and the streets became unsafe. “Suddenly, there were firearms, shootings and
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of pie with cheese, but a multiple-choice problem: ‘Thin crust or thick? Red sauce or white? Meat or no meat? Veggies or not? With cheese or without?’—initially all these questions were bringing Dora to the verge of tears. She was baffled by stores like Bed, Bath and Beyond, with their countless shelves of merchandise meant to dress up just two rooms in a house. “All this was too much and too quickly for me,” Dora says. “Sometimes, having too many choices can be as frustrating as having none.”
Becoming a U.S. Citizen.
looting everywhere,” Dora recalls. “If there’s anything that I’ve learned from witnessing history it’s that having a void of power is even worse than having a strict regime.” When the dust settled down, the big factories that used to hire engineers, closed down, giving way to a small business economy. Now it’s the graphic designers who were in demand—and Dora went back to school to become one. It was a smart move, which soon helped her to find employment with an American company back at home, and later landed her a job in the US. What proved to be harder was finding her footing in her new country, when she finally came here in 2001. “At home I knew what I liked; here—I had no idea. Everything was different,” Dora says. Even ordering pizza was no longer a straightforward exchange of money for a piece
On the other hand, with all the varieties of cheese in the supermarket, she couldn’t find the one needed for the Romanian staple— mamalyga (a cornmeal, similar to polenta). “I realized that I had to find out all over again what I liked and what I didn’t like,” Dora says. “It was exciting, in a way, but it took me two years to figure out how people here do things.” Driving, too, was a huge new challenge. Like many people from big European cities, used to reliable public transportation, Dora didn’t know how to drive when she first came to America. But she quickly discovered that if you live in Heritage Ranch—a tiny community north of Paso Robles—you literally cannot survive without a car. So, at 33, she had to learn how to drive. “In Romania we have a driving manual as big as the complete Oxford Dictionary,” Dora remembers. So, she expected to find something similar to study for her written test, and was surprised that her husband would ask her whether she was ready for the test before giving her the handbook. He, however, insisted that he had done so, and not just once. It took Dora and her husband quite some time to realize what was happening: he kept bringing materials from the DMV, but every time, Dora promptly proceeded to throw them away, not realizing that the tiny booklet, which she took for an irrelevant DMV advertisement, was indeed, the actual manual she needed. “My English was not as good then as it is now, and there were many mix-ups like that,” Dora admits, recalling an awkward scene at a friends’ house, when her well-intentioned thank-you’s were met with an unexpected silence. “I only later realized that instead of saying ‘We’re glad that we were able to come to dinner’ or something like that, I said, ‘We’re glad that we had to come’—as if it was something we did unwillingly.”
Dora’s Quilt on the cover of Generation Q Magazine.
“Still, people usually gave me the benefit of the doubt,” Dora says, and adds that she finds Americans “to be very nice and welcoming.” After thirteen years in the country, she now
Dora and her mom, Ana Cocotan
considers America to be her home. “I love my native country, and I always will. But I also love my adoptive country, and treasure the friends I’ve made here,” she says, pointing out many examples of kindness she’d experienced here. At first, she wanted to fit in so much, she’d tried to improve her pronunciation by talking with a piece of wine cork between her teeth— because someone had told her that it would help her sound more American. “I practiced and practiced, and when I thought that ‘I’ve got it,’ I went to the bank to see if my American accent worked,” Dora recalls. No such luck: As soon as she said “Hello,” she heard back the inevitable “Hello, where’re you from?” Well, it’s just a fact of life that we have an accent when we speak another language. But Dora’s on-line stores (check out, for example, her orangedotquilts.etsy.com) and her graphic design agency are a proof of her success— never mind the accent. So is the respect shown to her by the Almond Country Quilt Guild, which recently elected her its president. “Although I’m a well-educated woman with good social and language skills, and although I traveled a lot before moving to United States, the adjustment to the new life was not easy in the least,” Dora comments. “Moving to another country is different from visiting it. But I did adjust. I think that women, especially, need to be able to adjust all the time in order to succeed in life.” And then she adds: “I love the sense of freedom and endless possibilities you find in this country. It’s so easy to start a business, so easy to completely re-invent yourself. This makes life interesting.” J A N U A R Y
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Court appointed Special Advocates of SLo County
CASA
More than 20 years supporting children By Cassidy Bibo first 3 years of life can have tragic lifelong consequences in a child’s development. We also know that very young children respond well to enriching environments and early intervention. The infant/toddler CASAs will visit and observe their assigned baby in their placement or possibly in the neo-natal unit rather than take them out on the town. While the social worker engages the parents to help them resolve the issues that led to the abuse and neglect, the CASAs focus is on what is best for the baby. The CASA makes written recommendations to the Judge based on their observations. We hope to attract many volunteers who have a special love for babies.”
CASA Supervisor Gail Wechsler, Executive Director Teresa Tardiff, Supervisor Pete Skarda, and Supervisor Diana Hernandez
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n 2013 alone, there were more than 300 new cases of children under the age of six in San Luis Obispo County affected by substance abuse, putting them at risk for cognitive, emotional, and behavioral difficulties in the future. However, prenatal drug exposure need not be predictive of a child’s future. Home environments after birth have been found to have a greater effect on growth and development than prenatal substance exposure. Fortunately, our community has a myriad of resources to assist this at-risk population and provide supportive services to help families ensure their child reaches her or his full potential.
Court Appointed Special Advocates of San Luis Obispo County (CASA) trains volunteer advocates to be a voice for abused and neglected children in the court system. For more than 20 years, CASA has been supporting children and working to help find them safe and permanent homes. Their new initiative is an early advocacy program specifically tailored for infants and children under three. The first years of life are critical for brain development and forming attachments to a caregiver. When an infant is removed from his/her home, often due to substance abuse resulting in neglect, it leaves him/ her especially developmentally vulnerable. CASA seeks to work with established, local organizations to train infant/toddler advocates to help these children. Teresa Tardiff, executive director at CASA for the past eight years is excited at the prospect of a pool of CASA advocates specially trained to work with babies. “Right now we are providing trained volunteer advocates for over 140 children of all ages in the system. These volunteers, or CASAs, dedicate hundreds of hours to looking out for the best interests of these children by spending time getting to know the child while taking them out and having fun together. In this way, they learn the child’s unique needs and can act as the child’s voice in court and in the community.” Teresa points out that advocates for infants and toddlers will likely have a different but equally meaningful and important experience with their assigned child. “We know that inadequate parenting in the J A N U A R Y
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One such volunteer is Maureen Titus. Maureen has been a CASA since 1994 serving a total of 13 local children. Maureen is particularly interested in advocacy for little ones because they are so vulnerable at this stage when their ability to communicate is limited and their injuries are easily hidden. One assignment was to a two-year-old boy. Maureen found it interesting to observe the parents’ interactions with the toddler and was able to report on their increasing ability to pick up cues from their child. The child was able to reunify with his mother. Prior to case dismissal Maureen pushed to get him enrolled in Early Head Start where she felt he would really benefit from the educational enrichment, support to the family, and eyes on the child’s well-being. A year after this case was dismissed Maureen happened to see the little boy and was so gratified to find him happy and well, still attending and benefitting from Head Start. Martha’s Place is a local clinic that provides comprehensive assessment and treatment to children from birth to five years old. Some were prenatally exposed to drugs and there may be emotional or behavioral concerns. They aim to help their clients reach their full potential and be prepared to enter school. At this stage in development, physical and mental health are especially intertwined, and it is essential to identify the correct needs so that the corresponding treatment and services may be provided. A holistic assessment is conducted by a specialized pediatrician and mental health therapist to achieve these goals. Martha’s Place is home to Dr. Abdul Cader, Terry Elfrink with foster child
HOME/OUTDOOR ress. Martha’s Place operates on a referral basis and serves roughly 150 children per year. Child Welfare Services is their top referral source. There is a marked gap between the number of children affected by substances and the number being seen for assessment. This speaks to the need for advocacy in this vulnerable population. Martha’s Place will assist in training the infant/toddler CASAs.
Getting a check up at Martha’s Place.
the only pediatrician in our community who is specifically trained in assessing prenatal exposure and child maltreatment. After the assessment is completed, Martha’s Place may refer the child out to various treatment services within the county. However, for the newborn to three population, Martha’s Place is really the only resource that has the capacity to work with them. This is a double-edged sword, as they provide such critical services, yet transportation can be a barrier to care since they only have one location. This is an example of where a CASA can step in and help the child have access to care. Cortney Wagner, Program Supervisor at Martha’s Place, emphasizes the importance of helping caregivers understand the behaviors of their children, as so often these kids are misunderstood. This helps the caregivers further support the children’s developmental prog-
Dr. Abdul Cader
Michele Gordon is parent education coordinator at Parent Connection. Parent Connection is a web based parent resource center that includes a comprehensive listing of all of the services provided within SLO County, a parent helpline, and parenting classes. The goal of parent connection is to provide assistance and guidance to parents in a variety of circumstances and reduce barriers to access. Michele says she hopes to reduce the stigma around parent education. Michele feels parent education can benefit any parent even if they only need support and guidance. Many of the parents they work with have mandates from Child Welfare Services, family court, or probation due to child neglect or prenatal drug or alcohol exposure. Michele states that the most important thing for children to have is a consistent and sensitive caregiver, and this starts with the parent’s own wellness. Parent Connection strives to help this relationship unfold for all of the families they work with. Vicki McPartland and husband Terry Elfrink have hands on experience with the foster care system as specialized foster parents. For several years they have worked with Options for Recovery, a program that helps children who have been exposed to drugs. Many of these infants are dealing with withdrawal symptoms and extreme challenges in processing sensory input due to prenatal exposure to drugs, while older children are faced with emotional and physical trauma following neglect and often violence in their homes. Vicki and Terry give everything they can to their foster children, the most important thing being a safe and loving environment that they can trust to meet their needs. Vicki described how in some of the worst cases, a child may not even know what a hug or laughing feels like as they are accustomed to living in constant fear. With Vicki and Terry’s help, however, the children show vast improvements and incredible resiliency. In the Options for Recovery program, Vicki and Terry also mentor the parents who are working to overcome their problems and create a safe, loving home for their children. Foster homes are only temporary solutions and, in time, the child will either be reunified with family or adopted. CASA volunteers
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Vicki McPartland and foster child.
provide objective observation to the court and recommendations for services during this critical time. Through collaboration with Martha’s Place, Parent Connection, Child Welfare Services, foster parents and many other groups dedicated to improving the lives of children, CASA is expanding its services to the most vulnerable children in our community. Contact CASA to learn more about becoming an advocate for an abused or neglected infant, toddler, child or teen. www.slocasa.org 805-541-6542
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Lunch & Dinner 7 days a week Breakfast served Sat. & Sun. 9:00 Full Bar · Nightly Specials Owners — Scott & Dana Milstead
750 Price Street, Pismo Beach 773-1922 J A N U A R Y
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at the market
foccacia with winter squash, rosemary and olive oil By Sarah Hedger
H
appy New Year! Each New Year brings a lot of fresh (or refreshed) goodness into our lives. Without getting too philosophical, we are lucky to have such an abundance of fresh ingredients, in the form of fruits and vegetables, to continue to choose from through Winter here on the Central Coast. All things citrus come into season, bringing an opportunity for fresh (as opposed to cooked) oranges, lemons, mandarins, grapefruit, and limes to come into our lives, bringing a healthy dose of vitamin C with them. The brassicacea family still goes strong, with dark greens, including broccoli, kale, brussel sprouts, and cabbage (all delicious when simply roasted in the oven). And Winter squash continues to be an option, adding a great dose of nutrients to our winter diet.
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This month’s recipe, Foccacia with Winter Squash, Rosemary, and Olive Oil, has become a staple of late as it goes great with soups and dishes that need a simple bread to add a little substance (I personally just like it as a vehicle for good quality olive oil)! It can be eaten for breakfast (with poached eggs), lunch (with a simple salad), or with a warming soup for dinner. It goes together in a hurry and often I’ll put the base together the night before, letting it rise overnight, so it comes together in a flash when I am ready to eat. While it is paleo (grain free which can be interpreted a number of ways), I like it because the nut flour adds healthy, good quality protein (and fats), making it more of a complete meal than another added starch to our diet. Psyllium husk not only adds cohesion to the dough, giving it added loft
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(and chew), it also adds both soluble and insoluble fiber, which makes it an added benefit to the gut (and body), without knowing it. Winter squash not only tastes amazing, it is inexpensive as well as being one of the richest sources of beta carotene and other anti-oxidants, making it a great heavy hitter, seasonal ingredient to integrate into the winter diet. A lot of times people shy away from winter squash, thinking it takes a lot of time to prepare, but in all actuality, it is quite simple! While smaller pieces, such as this recipe has, cooks quickly, I will often put the entire (read: whole) pumpkin straight in the oven at 350 degrees, letting it roast in the background (of life) for an hour or two, removing it after the house smells good (and the pumpkin is soft when probed all the way through). Then, you have a perfect
foccacia with winter squash, rosemary, and olive oil Makes one 9x9” pan of Foccacia 1 T dry yeast ½ cup warm water sprinkle of sugar 1 ½ cups almond (or other nut flour such as cashew, chestnut, etc.) 1 ½ cups tapioca starch 2 T psyllium husk 1 tsp sea salt 2 T olive oil 1 T apple cider vinegar roast squash to do with as you choose, which tastes amazing over the canned version! It’s also great in pumpkin bread, muffins, or even in smoothies for breakfast. That said, go find yourself a good winter squash and enjoy this foccacia. Don’t shy away because it has yeast in it and needs to rise for a little bit. Integrate it into your life and it will rise in the background of your life. Then when you’re ready, it is too! Enjoy and Happy happy New Year!
1 egg, lightly beaten ¼ cup warm water 1 cup winter squash (butternut squash, pumpkin, or even a good potato or sweet potato will do), chopped into small 1/2cm cubes 2 T fresh rosemary, minced *Optional- ¼ cup cheese (I used chevre), grated or crumbled into 1cm pieces Pinch of sea salt Place yeast in bowl with warm water and sugar to activate and get foamy (if it doesn’t smell yeasty after 5 mins and is foamy, toss and start w/another batch of yeast). Place nut flour, tapioca starch, psyllium husk and sea salt in bowl, whisking to combine. Add yeast mixture, along with 1 T olive oil, vinegar, egg and warm water, mixing well to combine. Cover and let rise in warm spot for 1 hr (this can be done up to 24hrs in advance). When ready to bake, preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Place winter squash, 1 T olive oil, 1 T rosemary and a pinch of sea salt into a small baking dish and bake in oven (while it’s preheating) for 10-15 mins, or until beginning to golden, then remove from oven. Lightly oil 9x9 inch baking dish for foccacia and with lightly oiled hands, gently press dough into baking dish, evenly covering it. Gently distribute winter squash and cheese over dough, finishing with a drizzle of olive oil and sea salt. Place in warm spot and let rise for another hour. Place in oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove and enjoy!
Find this recipe and more seasonal inspiration at http://www. seasonalalchemist.com
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HOME/OUTDOOR
slo county art scene
Studios on the park presents—“A line in motion” By Sasha Irving
S
tudios on the Park presents, “A Line in Motion,” curated by Jill Thayer, Ph.D. featuring contemporary works by Thomas Trivitt, Karrie Ross, and Ann Berg.
The artists explore the elements of line and form within mixed-media genres of drawing, painting, and sculpture in a captivating exhibition. “A Line in Motion,” runs January 2 - February 1, 2015 with an Opening Reception during Art After Dark Paso, January 3, 6-9pm featuring Jazz by Paul Perez/Pat O’Connell Duo. “A Line in Motion” displays a confluence of mixed media genres through the expressionistic processes of Los Angeles artists Thomas Trivitt and Karrie Ross; and Reno, Nevada artist Ann Berg. The works reveal line as a common narrative to create a dynamic exchange between the art and viewer. Thomas Trivitt produces his paintings using automotive pin striping techniques and high gloss enamels on canvas. Working with his canvas on the floor, he moves around the work quickly, laying down thousands of very thin lines, or as he explains, “dancing with the painting until the painting can dance alone.” Articulate marks are rhythmically drawn on a multicolored palette of jewel tone backgrounds. The pieces are hypnotic and intriguing. Trivitt’s work evokes the energetic action
Sculpture by Ann Berg
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Karrie Ross–Energy Impact Crater Ann Berg–Silk Thread Series
painting of Jackson Pollack and the subtle transitions of Color Field artist Mark Rothko. He received a BFA from California State University, Bakersfield. His work is included in corporate and private collecKarrie Ross–Surreal Cloud
HOME/OUTDOOR tions nationally and represented by L2kontemporary Gallery, Los Angeles. Karrie Ross brings together art and science in her illustrative oeuvre. She states, “I am particularly drawn to symbols and shapes, not only in form, but in repetition, patterns, and the continuous movement and expression of energy.” Ross describes her work as “a pattern of creating conscious play.” Her drawings and paintings are whimsical and lighthearted, as she combines graphic and figurative elements in the compositions. The pieces also veil a self-introspection of life’s challenges. Ross’ work draws a parallel to the scribbles of Abstract Expressionist Cy Twombly, whose calligraphic techniques enraptured the viewer. Ross asks, “Have you ever viewed a piece of art and were strangely attracted to it—and wondered why?” She believes that two energies, between the viewer and the art either vibrate at a similar frequency creating a feeling of calm and safety, or vibrate at different frequencies, one in which the art’s vibrations stimulate the viewer to action. “Either way,” Ross states, “it’s a win/win for the viewer, the art lives for them. This energy vibration is me, my focus, and my passion, and it’s shared in my art.” As a native of Los Angeles, Ross studied art and design at Pierce College and Santa Monica College, but is mostly self-taught. Her experiences as a graphic designer led her to work on advertising campaigns for Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Microsoft, Cedars-Sinai, Transamerica, and Boeing. She is an author and has received numerous accolades for her
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work. Her paintings are included in collections in Los Angeles, New York, and Japan; and retail showrooms at Saks Fifth Avenue, Coach, May Company, and Pacific Design Center. Ross has exhibited her paintings at LA Artcore Union Center for the Arts, Los Angeles; Boritzer/Gray/Hamano Gallery, Bergamot Station, Santa Monica, CA; and the Traveling International Show, “California Dreaming,” An International Portrait of Southern California at Palazzo della Provincia di Frosinone, Frosinone, Italy; Oceanside Museum of Art, Oceanside CA; and Riverside Art Museum, Riverside, CA. Ann Berg defines simplicity through abstraction in her paintings, sculpture, and assemblage. Transforming her vision into positive energies, she draws upon an intuitive light resplendent in her work. Berg’s approach is unique with design references to Constructivism and the Bauhaus. Her geometric compilations embody the minimalist renderings of Agnes Martin and the textile intricacies of Eva Hesse. Working with materials such as silk, core board, wire, and wood, her aesthetic sensitivities make for an intriguing dialogue. As an accomplished interior designer, Berg has worked with corporate and residential clientele. Her art experiences as a child,
Thomas Trivitt
tours of Europe, and studies at California State University, Bakersfield; Long Beach State University; and Florida State University, Tampa, where she earned her BA are foundational in the methodologies she develops as a visual artist. “I am pleased to bring the works of these exceptional artists to the community in support of the non-profit Arts initiatives at Studios on the Park.” ~Jill Thayer, Ph.D. The exhibition is curated by Dr. Jill Thayer who brings her academic and professional expertise to the Central Coast as a new resident to the area.
THE SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY ENERGY COACH D? O COL OT? TO H O O ET HOUS
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For a FREE Home Assess ment, Please Contact Us at: (805) 781-5982 www.empowersbc.org empower@co.slo.ca.us Thomas Trivitt
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COMMUNITY
Our Schools
that meet the need of today’s students. Gandhi said, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” Teaching is not only a noble profession, but a place to promote social justice for a democratic society. It is the responsibility of all those concerned about our country to promote highly qualified and dedicated educators in each and every school.
By James J. Brescia, Ed.D. County Superintendent of Schools
Today California is facing a looming teacher and principal shortage across the state because of the economic downturn, the babyboomers currently employed as educators and a drastic reduction in avenues to become an educator. During the recession many of our newly hired teachers were laid-off and individuals completing teaching credentials were unable to find employment. As a result, teacher training programs reduced their enrollments or closed their programs completely. In 2000, the California State University System conferred over 77,000 teaching credentials. During the 20122013 academic year, the same system conferred less than 20,000 credentials. Many of these qualified educators and those considering education as a career found employment elsewhere and are highly unlikely to return to the field of education.
a noble profession— are you called to serve?
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s I was completing my undergraduate education at the University of California, San Diego, my career path suddenly came to a screeching and confusing halt. In the midst of completing applications for graduate school to become a clinical psychologist, I realized that this was not the path for me. As part of the graduate school application process I had been volunteering at a group home for children in San Diego for a year; however, I could not see myself serving the community as a psychologist. During the next few weeks, I spoke with family and friends about my uncertainty. My father, an engineer, encouraged me to follow the emerging boom in high-tech; grandma wanted me to become a priest, and the rest of my family or friends said to pursue something I enjoyed. My final phone call was to a former mathematics teacher from my high school with whom I had maintained contact throughout college. Brother Jerome Gorg, a Marianist, who dedicated his life to teaching mathematics, had encouraged me to work in the math lab at my high school and tutor other students initially for credit and then as a volunteer. He often quoted Ben Franklin, “Tell me, and I forget. Teach me, and I remember. Involve me, and I learn.” Brother Jerry involved me in mathematics and teaching. He also had a way of responding to a question with another question designed to make one think. During our phone conversation, he reminded me of my service in the math lab during high school and asked me why I continued to volunteer after my required elective time ended. I responded that I enjoyed assisting others, and as a tutor I grew in my passion for learning. Brother Jerry simply said, “I think you have an answer to your question.” The following week I made an appointment with the Teacher Education Program chair and enrolled in the credential program. The first ten years of my teaching career were in service to English language learners and students living in poverty. The past fifteen have been as an administrator dedicated to promoting high-quality programs
Aging by the baby boomer generation is also producing a dramatic rise in the number of teachers preparing to retire. In 2009-10, 15,493 new retirees were reported by the California State Teacher Retirement System. Retirements are up 42 percent from 2005-06, more than all those trained in California colleges and universities in 2010-11. Despite the growth in retirements, the number of teachers with more than 20 years of experience has also continued to rise, currently exceeding one out of every five teachers. Additionally, the US Census Bureau reports that the field of education is one of the largest occupational groups in the nation. Research indicates that four main factors have a direct impact on positive student success. These factors include primary caregivers’ education level, family socio-economic status, the quality of the classroom teacher and the quality of the school principal. Our taxpayer funded system has the most control over whom we train and employ as our classroom teachers and school principals. We cannot underestimate the value of a highly qualified teacher or school administrator. It is imperative that we act now to encourage intelligent young people to consider education as a profession. Finally, we must insist that those responsible for educator preparation expand enrollment capacity and recruit highly qualified educators to enter this noble profession.
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Our Schools
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10 cuesta teachers honored for excellence By Lauren Milbourne
I
n keeping with its mission to promote and recognize academic excellence, Alpha Gamma Sigma, Cuesta College’s academic honor society and service organization, honored 10 instructors for going above and beyond expectations and influencing students’ academic success at the fourth annual Teacher Appreciation Night on Dec. 4. The instructors were nominated by AGS members and selected by AGS Executive Cabinet officers. At the event, the AGS members spoke about how the instructors provide great value to the college, and the teachers had a chance to thank their students. “Being a teacher is not an easy job, and it is our hope, as the school’s honor society, that this night will let the honorees know how much their hard work is valued and how highly they are esteemed by us all,” said AGS President Chris Blicha. “There’s no greater honor for faculty than to be recognized by their students,” said Superintendent/President Gil Stork. “What these AGS students are really doing is reaffirming the influence and impact that teachers have on student success.” The award recipients, who have taught at the
Left to right: AGS student Emily Granger, honoree Ed Conklin, AGS student Carlee Boyd, honoree John Arno, Superintendent/ President Gil Stork, honoree Bill Demarest, Michelle Judd (wife of honoree Dennis Judd), honoree Mike Serpa, honoree Amity Perry-Boada, honoree Anthony Gutierrez, AGS President Chris Blicha, AGS student Daniel Cadwell and AGS student Natalie Granger. Not pictured: honorees Ray Ried, Jude Rock, Dennis Judd and James Eickemeyer.
college up to 26 years, are: John Arno, broadcast, 7 years Ed Conklin, English, 25 years Bill Demarest, math, 3 years James Eickemeyer, physics, 16 years Anthony Gutierrez, student life and leadership, 8 years Dennis Judd, history, 26 years Amity Perry-Boada, business, 18 years Ray Ried, engineering, 16 years Jude Rock, English, 6 years Mike Serpa, math, 3 years
ties and leadership-building skills. For more information, please contact the Student Life & Leadership Office at (805) 546-3289.
Alpha Gamma Sigma is a state-wide community college student honor society with the purpose of fostering, promoting, maintaining and recognizing scholarship. The Gamma chapter at Cuesta College provides members with scholarship opportunities, social activi-
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the greatest athletes of slo county By Dr. Don Morris
Editor’s note: Among San Luis Obispo local athletes, coaches and fans a debate has raged over who are the greatest athletes in the history of San Luis Obispo County. For several years in San Luis Obispo County, coffee shops, bars and fitness centers this debate has seethed. To clear up this debate Pismo Beach resident, Dr. Don Morris will identify “THE GREATEST ATHLETES IN THE HISTORY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY.” (Reader nominations are welcome and will be used to develop the final list). Some nominations have already been suggested, and will be written up in more detail in future columns. Don begins his Greatest Athletes series by profiling Ed Brown. Please send your nominations to Dr. Don Morris at dmmorris@calpoly.edu
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544-0542 or 1-800-549-5920 GOODWILL INDUSTRIES, SAN LUIS OBISPO 880 Industrial Way, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
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ed brown
E
d Brown was born in North Carolina and played football for San Luis Obispo High School and graduated in 1947-48. He then played for Hartnell College in Salinas California and then the University of San Francisco Dons through 1951. During his senior year (1951), he quarterbacked the Dons to an undefeated 9-0 season. He earned the nickname AllAround Brown while playing quarterback, kicker and punter for a team that included Hall of Famers Gino Marchetti, Ollie Matson and Bob St. Clair and five other players from that team made the NFL. The Dons then received praise for refusing to drop their two black players to receive a bowl bid, as was required by most major bowl games at the time. San Francisco shut down its football program after the season, citing high costs. In 2009, Brown was inducted into the USF Hall of Fame. Brown spent 2 years serving in the U.S. Marines and then played 12 seasons as the quarterback for the Chicago Bears. Brown had his finest season in 1956 as he led the league in passing, completing 96 of 168 passes for 1,667 yards, and 11 touchdowns and 9.9 yards per attempt. Brown went to the Pro Bowl in 1955 and again in 1956 when he also led the league in passing and the Bears topped the western conference. Brown at 33 years had played seven seasons in the NFL and was 6’2” and weight 210 pounds. Throughout his years with the Bears (except 1961), Brown was their starting punter, leading the league in punts attempted in 1959 with 64. Before the 1962 season, Brown was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The following year, 1964, Brown played his last year as a starter, throwing for 1,990 yards. He played one more season as a backup, was waived and picked up by Baltimore late in the season. Brown retired after the 1965 season. Brown finished with 949 completions, 1,987 attempts, 15,600 yards, 102 touchdown passes, and 138 interceptions. He rushed for 960 yards and 14 touchdowns during his career. Brown also finished with 498 punts and a 40.5 yard average per punt. The Associated Press reported on August 9, 2007: “Ed Brown, a former quarterback in the National Football League and a leader of the University of San Francisco’s undefeated 1951 team, died last Thursday in Kennewick, Wash. He was 78.”
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Get Fit Fast
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get your mind right and your body will follow By Mike Robinson
Hi Everyone—Happy January to you!
What do you see?
Wow, can you believe that we are already in the year 2015?
This is a picture that displays one of my favorite quotes of all time and it is one that my high school basketball coach gave to me several years ago. I’ve always kept it around and referenced it in times of need when I felt tired or frustrated with a process and needed to be reminded that being good is not enough. I love this quote because it shows that you can do great things by pushing a little harder and a little further than you thought you could by just pushing a smidge outside of your comfort zone. Too often people want to play it safe and not change because it’s difficult to do but if you can get past that, then you create a whole new world for yourself.
How did 2014 end for you? If it ended just the way you wanted to and on a positive note, then that’s great and I want you to continue doing more of that in 2015. But if 2014 was just “so-so” or “not so great” for you, then I’m here to tell you not to worry because I’m here to help inspire you to maximize your life in 2015. I often speak in metaphors or use quotes as a way to motivate people when I speak to those around me such as my family, friends, clients, and staff. I do this because I have found that once you get your mind right, everything else tends to fall into place. For example, I want you to take a long look at the following picture:
In my world of fitness and training individuals from all walks of life, I have seen EVERY extreme for people when it comes to commitment and effort. For example, (1) I have seen people do the bare minimum in their workouts by exercising a few days per week (or not at all), give mild effort during the workouts. They complain about life, and have an excuse for everything; (2) I have also seen people come to their workouts consistently multiple days per week where some days are better than others but outside of the gym, they still eat horribly and drink lots of alcohol and wonder why they are not getting results; (3) And then I have seen the people who are EXTREMELY BUSY but they still find time for daily exercise and make EVERY workout count. They eat clean, they drink in moderation (or not at all), get sufficient amounts of sleep, make no excuses, and they experience the best results—not just in the gym but in life. And you want to know why that is? Because they “GET IT.” They get that “good enough” is not enough and that if they want maximum results, then maximum effort needs to follow and they apply that mindset to their health, their finances, their relationships, their friendships, their kids, and their careers. My advice for people is just to condition yourself to make a habit out of giving your all EVERY DAY and not just what you perceive as your “ALL.” If you want to see your health, your relationships, and your life improve, then give your absolute all and THEN give just a little bit more after that. I can guarantee you that the things around you will begin to change the moment your thought process changes and you begin to demand excellence from yourself. You only live one life and I don’t know about you but I want to make mine count. No more excuses and no more regrets. Let’s do it together in 2015 and beyond! So let’s hold up a glass of wheatgrass, make a toast, and cheers to making the rest of your life the best of your life! Mike Robinson owns and operates MZR Fitness Studio in SLO. He can be contacted at mikezrobinson@yahoo.com J A N U A R Y
2015
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history
The Ranch and Residence of H.M. Warden on Los Osos Valley Road, 1883.
queenie warden By Joe Carotenuti
T
ens of thousands have walked over the bridge; there are even vehicles using it to access the backs of businesses facing Higuera Street. Built in 1927 linking the Warden Building to Monterey Street, few travelers know it was built by Queenie Warden and not by her husband, the civic legend, Horatio M. Warden. When his wife of 25 years, Maria, died in 1881, Horatio returned to an ongoing friendship to marry again. Warden, born in 1828 in Granville, Ohio married Queenie Parr on November 30, 1882 in Grass Valley at the home of her mother Loraine Page Parr. While Horatio had left his home in 1850 for the gold fields of California, he maintained a friendship with his neighbors, the Parr family. For the 21-year-old woman, the new life with the successful Warden could have been one devoted to family duties and attendant responsibilities. For Queenie, however, the next 62 years were ones of increasing maturity as both an adult and a prominent resident on the central coast. Moving to the Warden ranch in Los Osos, Queenie found her new home on the 3000-acre ranch filled with “every convenience and luxury any reasonable man can desire” according to a contemporary account. Complete with family memorabilia, it burned to the ground in 1930. While many might be content with the safety and security of wealth and privilege, Queenie excelled in maintaining the stature of her life but was most willing to share advantages with others. Here’s the story. Little is known of Queenie’s early years. The Page ancestors had arrived in America in 1630 with the family motto “Spe Labor Levis” (Hope Lightens Labor) that became especially appropriate for Queenie in her later years as a progressive resident and enabler locally. Educated in a convent school in Davenport, Iowa (her home state), the new bride also assumed the care of two adopted Warden children, Rosa Louisa and Joseph Wilkinson.
The Warden Bridge and Building in 1929. J A N U A R Y
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Family life on the Warden ranch grew rapidly with the birth of three children: Queenie Moore (1884), Horatio, Jr. (1886) and Mary Loraine (1888). The latter child survived to 14. The eldest daughter would eventually marry Thomas A. Norton, the Superior Court judge, and the son is remembered with his own building in town. Yet, amid the demands of family, when the various Warden interests were incorporated in 1898, Queenie became the president of the enterprise. One observer praised her “splendid executive and business ability.” Possibly for Queenie, managing a large household or business utilized the same skill set. Queenie’s interests outside the home had already shown themselves as she joined the Political Equality Club in 1896 and undoubtedly was in the audience that year to listen to the legendary Susan B. Anthony extoll the necessity of allowing women to vote. It was not to be until 1911. The nascent suffrage movement would be a constant theme in many of the female leaders’ issues at the time. For Queenie, however, talking about change was not enough. Words needed to be translated into deeds. Essential to an understanding of both the suffrage and temperance movements is the momentum provided by the women’s clubs. Quite often designated as “civic improvement” clubs, the ladies were not content in having meetings designed as merely social but also addressed what a community needed to do to become “progressive” as well. Thus, Queenie Warden—the daughter—became one of the five founding members in 1915 of the San Luis Obispo Women’s Civic Club. With the right to vote attained in 1911, attention shifted to reminding those elected or wanting to be elected that the newly
The Warden Bridge and Building today.
A Retirement Facil COMMUNITY
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though the of who moving m There is much moreEven to be related about thisprospect energetic lady was described by Annie Morrison 1917 it as:to “anyourself intelligent, to un-learn h future, youinowe derstanding, sympathetic companion and guide; she controlled carefree your own home for man with a strong, but tender hand; living she has in been sympathetic without being weak, kind without condescension—an earnest, wise and unostentatious benefactor, whose benefactions have left no string; and in all good works she has modestly taken an important place.”
You Don’t Have to Move
Feel Safe and
It’s a fact of life that as we get older, Pristine is fully Queenie Warden died in 1944. There should at least be a plaque some day-to-day tasks become too licensed and insu identifying her bridge connecting more than two sides of a much to handle on our own. That All of our creek. For Queenie, progress meant connecting the present withworke The Pavilion at the turn of the Century. a better future. doesn’t mean you have to move away are carefully scre enfranchised intended on using their right. from the comfort of your home. and pass a crimi Quite often, political issues were part of the • Personal • Pristine Home Services is aHousekeeping local background che Care women’s monthly agendas. This was not sufthat helps San Luis Obispo and drug test, gi • Yard company • Handyman ficient for Queenie as she decided to take the Maintenance next step in the political process and run for County residents avoid the high cost when someone f mayor in 1917. Losing to incumbent Dr. W. Serving All of San Luis Obispo County of moving to a retirement facility. in your home. M. Stover by 76 votes (791-715), Queenie was quick to thank her supporters and reminded all she was not retiring from progressive causes. “Beware, I’m coming sure,” she ended her note of appreciation. Nonetheless, it would be some 50 years later before the mayor of the community was a female. Nor did the right to vote diminish temperance as the major agenda item on the social agenda. An important project locally was a small plot of ground near the railway station “El Triangulo Park” named after its shape. For ground donated to the club, Queenie appeared at City Council meetings enlisting their support. Obligingly, the City provided for a caretaker and free water to the site’s fountain. In an era of numerous saloons, a major temperance cause was providing water in public places in contrast to spirits. A nondescript pocket park today, Triangle Park remains as a reminder of the women’s (along with many men) efforts to challenge Demon Rum. Women’s clubs were also federated to promote a stronger presence on a local, state and national level. It was not long before San Luis Obispo’s chapter was federated and active in both social and political issues. Not all was well, however, and the Women’s Club disincorporated in 1926 amid a financial crisis. It seems Queenie spent a great deal of her own money in promoting various causes including expenses to bring the annual Los Angeles District Federated Women’s Club convention to the city. Some members objected to the amount of the treasury being spent and went so far as to refuse reimbursing Queenie who promptly filed suit for $10,000 against the Club. The resolution of the dispute was the deeding of the Women’s Club building to Queenie who eventually sold it.
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Terry greene
Educator, counselor, musician and volunteer By Karen Harris “I remember my father asking me what I wanted to do with my life. I told him I wanted to be a nurse or a teacher. He cried at the time.” Growing up in the San Francisco area, Terry’s father passed away when she was 13. This dream she shared with her father set the stage for a 30 year career working with the youth of San Luis Obispo County. After the death of her father, her mother was left supporting four of her six children still remaining at home. “My mom went back to school to get her master’s degree while working at San Mateo High School District as Director of Food Services. She was always an inspiration.” Even at 78, her mom made her way into the advertising and entertainment world. “I remember my brother calling me one afternoon while driving in the Stockton area and he was astonished to see mom’s face on a billboard.” She also had small parts in films such as Patch Adams with Robin Williams. This pioneering attitude is part of her heritage. “My great grandparents came to California in a covered wagon in 1863 from Iowa and Ohio. My great grandmother wrote a daily diary of their trip. They settled in the Santa Cruz Mountains.” Terry moved to San Luis Obispo in 1980 when her first husband got a job at KCBX. “My oldest son was two when we moved to the area and a year later I had my second son. There was a recession so it was difficult to find teaching positions.” With a Master’s Degree in Special Education from San Francisco State, her first job was a special education teacher at Pacheco Elementary School at its former location on Grand Avenue near Cal Poly. Her portfolio includes 11 years working for Cal Poly as an office manager for the residential life department, a position at Alan Hancock College as a learning disability specialist, and an instructor at Cuesta College for women on welfare which provided them with basic skills to enter the work force. At Cal Poly’s Center for Teacher Education, she supervised student teachers and taught graduate classes in the 1990s. She owned
her own business for three years that provided educational diagnostics and tutoring for kindergarten through adult. Eventually, she worked for the San Luis Obispo County Office of Education as director of Golden State Exam test development. Three years later she helped establish the Grizzly Youth Academy for San Luis County Office of Education located at California National Guard’s Camp San Luis Obispo. Although she enjoyed all aspects of working in education, some of her fondest memories are being hired as lead instructor to help start up the Grizzly Youth Academy program. “It was utter chaos. We had 30 days to create a school, hire staff, select curriculum, buy the furniture, write the charter, and recruit the students. The first day we met our military co-workers was the day the kids arrived for the residential program.” “The start-up staff were from various backgrounds and extremely passionate about working with at-risk teens. We graduated 63 students that first class in 1998. There were 48 students in each of the four classrooms in the early years. Attrition accounts for the class size being high in the beginning. We had walkie-talkies to call the military when we needed them.” She was promoted to principal and then spent five years working as a lead counselor for the military component. Perhaps her inspiration and extremely positive attitude comes from keeping a balance in her life. Terry comes from a musical family and plays the steel drum (recently at San Luis Obispo Farmers’ Market), the ukulele, and sang in a band called Those Guys Again for four years. “My dad was a music teacher and could pick up any instrument and play.” Four of her five siblings play various instruments and her two sons are musicians. Her oldest, Brian, plays the stand up and electric bass locally in the band Tipsy Gypsies.
Terry with a group from the Grizzly Youth Academy J A N U A R Y
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Her youngest son (also a musician) lives in DC and is an Associate Vice President for Alumni at Georgetown University. He is currently studying global economics and traveling to different locations in the world such as Brazil and Spain.
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JANUARY CROSSWORD SOLUTIONS ON PAGE 43
Terry with an otter friend.
Recently retired, Terry also enjoys dabbling in impressionistic art and painting pottery. “Art is therapeutic.” She also has volunteered at The Marine Mammal Center with her husband, Darrell, for the past five years. Recently they released two sea lions, rescued a baby Northern Fur Seal, and assisted in a disentanglement of an elephant seal, all in one day. With five grandkids, three step-children, and a husband that keeps her laughing, Terry’s life continues on its inspirational journey of giving back to the community.
STATEPOINT CROSSWORD THEME: YEAR IN REVIEW ACROSS 1. Good for biceps 6. “__’_ alive!” 9. *Many Kurds did this from Syria in 2014 13. Unctuous Heep, of “David Copperfield” 14. Not pre-owned 15. It made Harry Potter’s invisible 16. Common Thanksgiving Day action 17. ATM extra 18. Reduce, _____, recycle 19. *Captured drug lord 21. Zoo section 23. Go wrong 24. Hat part 25. Old age, archaic 28. Musical compositions for one 30. African equines 35. *Suspect in PA police ambush was denied this 37. Kosher establishment 39. Davy Crockett’s last stand 40. Popular Creole vegetable
© StatePoint Media
41. _____ Miss hot chocolate 43. Auditory 44. MC Hammer’s “2 _____ 2 Quit” 46. Last two words of certain shoe company’s famous slogan 47. “Rambling Wreck From Georgia ____” 48. *Beyonce and Jay Z performed in them together in ‘14 50. Antonym of #14 Across 52. “Big Island” flower necklace 53. Leave them behind for riches? 55. Grazing area 57. *Animated Oscar-winner 60. *Billboard Music Awards hologram guest 64. Indian restaurant condiment 65. Schiller’s “___ to Joy” 67. Got up 68. Remove, as in a Pinterest post 69. A cool ___, as in money 70. Takes it easy 71. They’re famous for being busy 72. Snake-like reef dweller 73. Arrogant one
DOWN 1. 27 is the ____ of 3 2. Russia’s ____ Mountains 3. Reduced Instruction Set Computer 4. Wood-shaping device 5. Barn scissors 6. Facts and figures 7. Tiger’s peg 8. Take an oath 9. Bloodsucking hopper 10. Displeasure on one’s face 11. “Piece of cake!” 12. Obtain or create, barely 15. *Russia/Ukraine “apple of discord” 20. Cattle control, pl. 22. “That is to say” 24. Suffering from gastric distress 25. *It caused a scare globally in 2014 26. Kobe, e.g. 27. Sad song 29. Off-color 31. The Phantom ____, Mickey Mouse’s nemesis 32. a.k.a. honey badger
33. White liturgical neckwear 34. *2014 Olympic site 36. Been in bed 38. *Infamous terrorist group 42. Type of monument 45. Jane’s mate 49. Sigma Alpha Epsilon 51. Type of sticker, pl. 54. *Washington Nationals gave away a Jayson Werth garden _____ 56. Ohio rubber hub 57. Olden-day temple 58. ____ for the picking 59. Elevator inventor 60. Come together 61. *Hope ____ set U.S. soccer record for career shutouts 62. Norse capital 63. Egg holder 64. Cause friction 66. Bond movie “Live and Let ___”
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palm street perspective making dreams come true
By SLO City Councilwoman, Carlyn Christianson
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o this is not an article about Disney or Pixar—it’s about the city’s upcoming budget and goal setting process!
So, what do the Damon-Garcia sports fields, the new Santa Rosa Skatepark and the Neighborhood Services Specialists have in common? Right! They all were proposals made during the city’s biannual budget goal-setting process (“put up the dots”), were each strongly supported by the public over several budget cycles, and all have now become reality. Dreams came true: Ideas became budget goals became reality. San Luis Obispo has a large number of services and programs which require funding no matter what, but for other revenues, the city enjoys a communication process with our residents that helps decide how those funds might be spent. During this process, the public directly provides specific input which helps the Council understand what is important right now to our residents. This is the City’s upcoming “2015-2017 Goal-Setting and Financial Plan Process,” and we’ve already kicked it off with a new Community Priorities Survey. This survey will be arriving in your utility bill if it hasn’t already, or you can take it online (www.slocity.org). At City Hall, we kick off with an information session on December 16, with staff outlining the goal and budget timeline and activities for the next six months. A great opportunity for direct public involvement for goal-setting is TUESDAY JANUARY 13 2015, at a special COMMUNITY FORUM held at 6 p.m. at Ludwick Center Gym (Santa Rosa & Mill Street). This is the “put up the dots” session, where the Council meets, invites ideas, those ideas are written down on sheets of paper, and then the residents who are present indicate what is most important to them by putting colored sticky dots next to their favorite goals. So please come make your voice heard! It’s relaxed, it’s fun, and we really use this input. Next is an all-day Goal Setting Workshop on January 24 at the library community room from 9-4, when the Council itself wrestles with setting
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our city’s top ten goals. All of the inputs from the Community Forum, the Priorities Survey, our city’s Advisory Bodies, and previous budgets are provided to the Council (along with a homework assignment following the Forum, which is for each Council member to develop our own personal list of Major City Goals.) During the Goal Setting Workshop, which is led by an outside facilitator, Council will review, discuss, and rank the candidate goals submitted by each Council member. At the end of the day, the final list of goals is confirmed. Staff will then be sent off to develop the Major City Goal work programs and eventually the 2015-2017 budget based on those programs and projects, with final budget approval by the Council happening in June of 2015. You’ll note that the Sports Fields, Skatepark and Neighborhood Specialists are all pretty different ideas—the Sports Fields and Skatepark were both “capital improvement” type projects, but the Skatepark was very specific in location and function, while the Sports Fields were a major undertaking involving a search for location, and then substantial infrastructure development—and both required staff time and ongoing maintenance expenditures. The Neighborhood Specialists goal involved not a capital expenditure, but the setting of new policy, the hiring of new staff people and ongoing support also. This is all to say that if you have a special dream in your heart for something you want the city to make a reality—whether a big or little capital project, a service-oriented project, or a general program (such as the current Homeless Services goal)—well, it won’t hurt to ask! You never know when your dream will become the city’s new reality, but getting your idea into the process early is very important. Start with the first steps of making dreams into reality and fill out your Survey, and come to the City’s Community Forum on January 13, 2015. P.S. I would like to sincerely thank my supporters for entrusting me again to the Council in the recent election. I will continue to do my best for all the residents of the city. You can reach the Council and other departments via the city’s website, www.slocity.org.
Downtown
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The Magazine of Downtown San Luis Obispo
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January 2015
W hat ’s U p Downtown B usiness Spo tlight Holiday W indow Decorat ing Contest
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dreary drama soaked the Central Coast. anuary marks the beginning of the calendar year and the beginning of resolutions for people ur office phones were off the hook all day across the country, and while many folks are Thursday and Friday and our staff feverishly looking ahead, I would like to take a peak back. answered inquiries about the fate of one of our Generally speaking, I am a forward thinker and county’s most beloved holiday events and I cannot like to have a few steps planned out in front of me, tell a lie, we were stressing about the chance that but at the end of each year I think a moment of we would have to cancel the parade. The thought reflection can help to ground us and keep us in the of cancelling the parade in my first year at the moment. While I have looked back throughout the Downtown Association was weighing heavy on past year, I think that one of the most recent events Dominic Tartaglia, my mind while I stared at screens of forecasted Executive Director at the Downtown Association warrants a good weather, hour-by-hour radar images and every article. posted percentage of rain. Ultimately, at 1 o’clock we announced that the parade would go on rain or shine he San Luis Obispo Downtown Association held its 39th and tagged on the extra bit “Bring an umbrella.” While annual Holiday Parade on December 5th despite the many people were excited to brave a bit of precipitation impending storm that was predicted by to see bright lights and garlands strung many to ruin the night. Ever the optimist, throughout Downtown, some people I was unwilling to let a storm rain on criticized the decision citing their all knowing our parade. Our office was in full gear iPhone’s prediction that there was a 100% right up until 1 PM on parade day when chance of rain. Looking back, we made the we were set to make the final call. In right call and utilized as much information the days leading up to that call we were as we had available to predict that by 5:30 watching multiple weather forecasts and PM the rains would cease and part for a big holding out for the chance that the storm enough window to have some holiday cheer. was going to fizzle out or move around us. Both of which ultimately ended up Cayucos School Steel Pan Band happening but not before a little bit of photo by Mukta Naran
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On the Cover: The creek in Downtown SLO is a perfect picturesque spot to sit and reflect on the past year and look forward to the year ahead…Happy New Year! Photo by: Mukta Naran
Thursday Night Promotions Farmers’ Market
Every Thursday All Year ‘Round — Still the Best Deal in Town! www.DowntownSLO.com
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Band float was a crowd (and judge) n the midst of all that was going on our judges were able pleaser this year, which earned to keep their scorecards dry and their eyes keen so that them the honor of having the best they could review each entry for a chance at receiving an tunes in the parade. award. With the Hula Holiday theme many of the floats got in spirit and brought out their finest grass skirts and leis ll in all, the key take away while others just went for is that at our office we love the biggest and brightest putting on events and we pour our truck that they could find hearts and souls into every event and stuffed as many kids we produce. We do it because as possible onto it. With despite the tense moments leading so much energy and effort up to the event, nothing can trump put forth our judges had the expression on all of the faces SLO County Juggling a hard time choosing but of the masses that willingly face and Unicycle Club, the results became as clear down inclement weather to share photo by SLOtography as the night sky after a big in the joys of the holidays with The BladeRunner Salon & Day Spa/ storm blows through. their neighbors. At the end of this year’s parade I realized Stephen Patrick Design, photo by SLOtography not only how lucky I was that the weather held up for us The winners were: but also how lucky I was Best in Theme – Congratulations to Stephen, Todd and to have a community that the whole gang at The BladeRunner Salon & Day Spa/ supports our organization Stephen Patrick Design, even if you boys did ALS ice enough to stand by our bucket challenge me on blast. decision to have a wet Most Entertaining – Congratulations to the world famous parade at worst. Thank you unicycling troupe of the SLO Juggling and Unicycle Club. to all of you who showed up to join us in our Hula Most Creative – The SLO County Library proves that Holiday! books develop creativity and their float was the proof in the pudding. Congratulations to the SLO County Library. SLO County Library, Best Music – The sounds of the Cayucos School Steel Pan photo provided by SLO County Library
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indsay graduated from Western Washington University-Fairhaven 560 Higuera Street, Suite F College with a bachelor's (208) 859-1289 degree in Cultural & www.SynergieBodywork.com Somatic Perspectives on ick off the New Year with a little relaxation! Come Health & Wellness in into Synergie Massage & Bodywork located inside of 2011. She then completed Enchante Body Care Spa at 560 Higuera Street, Suite F and an 850 hour Massage let owner and massage therapist Lindsay Worley take care Therapy Program from of that for you! Whether you need to relieve stress or need Whatcom Community to treat a specific injury, Lindsay uses a fusion of different College in Bellingham, WA in 2013. She and her partner techniques to meet the needs of each individual client. recently moved to San Luis Obispo because they wanted to She says, "I believe in holistic wellness and I like to tune in be in a place where it's sunny. She says, "I wanted to open with my clients one on one to help them with their specific my business in Downtown SLO for its vibrant atmosphere bodywork needs and goals." She named her business and community feel." "Synergie" to encompass her energetic presence combined indsay is available for appointments Monday mornings, with the physical well being she brings to her clients. She Thursday and Friday evenings, and Tuesday and Sunday also adds, "I gave it a French spelling because I'm learning all day. She also plans to bring her massage therapy to the language right now." Farmers' Market in the near future as well as offer chair
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Holiday
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The Downtown Association Design Committee recently judged participants in its annual Holiday Window Decorating Contest and chose winners from over a dozen entries. The contest is held to showcase those Downtown businesses who designed and developed their business storefronts for the holiday season, contributing to the festive atmosphere of Downtown and demonstrating Downtown community spirit and pride. The winners for the 2014 contest are: Third Place: A Muse Gallery Second Place: The Sock Drawer First Place: Ambiance Best in Theme: Cal Poly Downtown (Hula Holiday)
All participants receive a certificate of recognition for their efforts; winners receive award certificates and gift baskets. Besides the winners, participants included: B. Anthony & Co. EcoBambino Fromagerie Sophie For more information on HepKat Downtown Association events, Michael’s Optical programs and activities, or to San Luis Traditions sign up for our weekly Takken’s Shoes Deliver-E newsletter, visit The Ritual www.DowntownSLO.com
Ambiance
The Sock Drawer
A Muse Gallery
Cal Poly Downtown
Contest
Urban Optics
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MORTGAGE FACTS AND FICTION unraveling the myths of the mortgage maze By Roxanne Carr
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e haven’t talked about reverse mortgages for well over a year, and many changes have taken place or will go into effect very soon. Recently, a reader questioned me about this very subject, and I responded as follows on November 6, 2014: There have been many revisions to the program, primarily due to what transpired because of the 2008-2009 financial crises, increasing the risk of losses to the program and which might have challenged its continuance. I will try to highlight them here, but I urge you to meet with a mortgage professional to get the full details and see how they could impact your personal situation. Major changes were announced in September 2013 by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for its Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) program that included: 1) Restricting the amount of funds that can be disbursed at closing or during the initial 12 months after closing. 2) Instituting a new upfront mortgage insurance premium structure. 3) Changing the principal limit tables that determine the maximum loan. 4) Requiring a financial assessment, 2014 and beyond, and establishing set-aside accounts to pay property charges (taxes, ins, dues) for borrowers who may pose a future risk of defaulting. In announcing the changes, HUD said, “These critical program changes will realign the HECM program with its original intent, and thereby aid in the restoration of the Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund and help ensure the continued availability of this important program.” It was discovered that the loans where all or a substantial portion of the available funds were disbursed at closing had a higher tendency to end in default. There is now a limit on the amount of money that can be withdrawn in the first year. You are eligible to withdraw up to 60% of your principal limit at closing in the first year. You can add up to 10% more if you have what are termed “mandatory obligations,” such as existing mortgages, that require payoff and which would exceed your 60% limit. The changes to the upfront mortgage insurance (included in the mortgage and paid directly to FHA) was set at .50% of the maximum claim amount if you take no more than the 60%; it goes to 2.50% when the 60% is exceeded. The annual mortgage insurance that goes to FHA was unchanged. One of the most recent revisions applies to nonborrowing spouses under the age of 62. These important changes will be detailed in my next article. There will be a learning curve for all reverse mortgage lenders, especially as to the new financial assessment guidelines. To me,
the reverse mortgage remains one of the most important tools available for financial planning, but it is important to fully understand its complexities. A 12/2/2014 article in the Wall Street Journal entitled “The Case for Reverse Mortgages” by Wade Pfau, professor of retirement income in the Financial and Retirement Planning Ph.D. program at The American College, accentuates some of my feelings about these types of loans. “Reverse mortgages have received a bad reputation, but recent research has demonstrated how financially responsible individuals can improve their retirement sustainability with a reverse mortgage.” He continues, “What a reverse mortgage can do is to increase a retiree’s flexibility to meet spending objectives by integrating an otherwise illiquid asset into an overall framework for how to best spend down assets in retirement.” He identified his research to include a series of articles in the Journal of Financial Planning by several noted authors. “The process involves opening a standby line-of-credit through the Federal Housing Administration’s Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) program. The line-of-credit will grow throughout retirement as long as the individual remains in their home and meets other requirements, and it can be accessed to meet spending goals when deemed appropriate. The researchers found that part of the success for this strategy is that it alleviates the sequence of returns risk in retirement, which results from retirees digging a hole for their portfolio by selling assets after a market decline.” I was impressed that Dr. Pfau stressed one of the most important aspects of the reverse mortgage to me—it is a non-recourse loan, which means that one never owes more than the value of their home. “This can be useful in the event of declining housing prices, and for someone living sufficiently long, there is a real possibility that the line-ofcredit will actually grow to be more than the value of the home.” (The line-of-credit grows monthly at a rate equal to 1/12 of the mortgage rate in effect at that time plus 1/12 of the monthly mortgage insurance rate and is considered a further extension of credit.) If you or any of your loved ones are considering a reverse mortgage, please work with an expert. There is insufficient room in any article to touch on all the important points that need to be considered and understood. Thank you. Copyright © 2014 Roxanne Carr Roxanne Carr is division president of The Mortgage House, Inc. She has over 35 years’ experience in the mortgage banking industry. Your emailed questions are welcomed through her website at: www.themortgagehouse.com or call her at 1-800-644-4030. This article is a forum to explore real estate principles. It is not intended to provide tax, legal, insurance or investment advice and should not be relied upon for any of these purposes. J A N U A R Y
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janssen youth fund gives $3000 to BB/BS
Big Brothers Big Sisters received a $3,000 grant from the Janssen Youth & Youth Sports Fund, held at The Community Foundation SLO County (CFSLOCO). The grant will be used to support the Big Brothers Big Sisters School Based Program at Sinsheimer Elementary. The program pairs high school aged role models with elementary students for supervised weekly activities with the goal of creating long-term friendships that ultimately help youth achieve higher aspirations, greater confidence, better relationships, avoidance of risky behaviors, and educational success. In the photo above, Janice Fong-Wolf from CFSLOCO and Mel Hahn, director from the Janssen Youth & Youth Sports Fund present a large check to Big Brothers Big Sisters Executive Director, Anna Boyd-Bucy and several young mentor pairs from Sinsheimer Elementary.
must! charities $253,000 collaboration
must! charities announced today its new, four-year collaboration and over $253,000 investment with Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Luis Obispo (SLO) County. must! charities will come along side Big Brothers Big Sisters with financial & business expertise that will allow them to have a greater impact in the region where it is needed most. The goal is to expand youth mentoring in an underserved region, making sure children, who ask for assistance from an adult, receive the help they need. Currently there are 34 youth from the northern region of SLO County, waiting to have access to a mentor. With local drug problems increasing among youth, local gang-related issues continuing to raise concerns, and limited budgets with ever increasing caseloads for family advocates servicing families in need, today’s youth are facing adversity in their lives and searching for an outlet of hope and
happiness. Big Brothers Big Sisters nationally proven model shows the opportunity for success; however, limited resources and other obstacles have forced Big Brothers Big Sisters of SLO County to focus on maintaining youth services, rather than volunteer outreach and recruitment in the North County. For more information Contact must! Charities at www.mustcharities.org
trilogy service club donates $34,000
The third annual Harvesting Hope Festival recently raised more than $34,000 to help South County families in need thanks to more than 200 residents of the Trilogy at Monarch Dunes community in Nipomo. The event, organized by the Trilogy Service Club and supported by local businesses and sponsors, raised more than $25,000 for 5 Cities Homeless Coalition and more than $8,000 for Nipomo Food Basket. Featuring soup served in handmade ceramic bowls made by Trilogy residents, the Festival also showcased local artists and wineries as well as the live music of Pacific Swing. The Collaboration’s website, www.5chc.org, contains resources and links to a variety of social services in the South County.
50 now project
The 50 Now Project is a program to house the top 50 most vulnerable, chronically homeless people throughout SLO County. Kicking off on Giving Tuesday, the Welcome Home Kit Drive will help make their future homes more cozy and ensure that the newly housed have what they need to make their house a home. Pre-made kits and individual items will be collected until January 9th. Suggested essentials include items for personal hygiene, household basics, laundry and kitchenware, such as: toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, lotion, toilet paper, deodorant, paper towels, trash bags, detergent, fabric softener, laundry basket, dryer sheets, roll of quarters, dish soap, sponges, pots, pans, aluminum foil, cling wrap and utensils. Non-perishable, non-food items only. Please no bleach or ammonia products. Donations can be dropped off at all SLO County Department of Social Services offices, Transitions-Mental Health Association, Arroyo Grande City Hall and United Way of San
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community on January 10th & 11th. Sponsorships are available now and can be purchased online at www.jccslo.com/become-a-sponsor. Individual tickets and ticket packages go on sale starting January 1st. For more information visit our website at www.jccslo.com or call our office at 805-426-5465
pg&E gifts $20,000 to Cuesta College
Cuesta College students will directly benefit from a $20,000 grant recently awarded by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) through the Cuesta College Foundation. The “Supporting Student Success” grant will provide critical assistance for students, employees and the local community via the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Program, Cuesta’s Assistance for Student Emergencies (CASE) Fund and Tutorial Services.
BB/BS beneficiary from heart to heart
5th annual slo jewish film festival
The 2015 SLO Jewish Film Festival will return to the Palm Theatre for the fifth consecutive year. The Festival is a celebration of cultural diversity, specifically the Jewish experience, in San Luis Obispo through the medium of film. The weekend includes six-eight movies, two receptions at Luna Red, and intimate time with filmmakers and
C rossword S O L U T I O N S
Mark McConnell and Liz Lee Marziello, owners of Heart to Heart Real Estate presented a check for $1,519 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Luis Obispo County. Les & Muna Cristal of Templeton, designated Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Luis Obispo County as the beneficiary through their association with Heart to Heart Real Estate. In the attached Photo from left to right clients Les & Muna Cristal and Mark McConnell and Liz Lee Marziello of Heart to Heart Real Estate present a check to Anna Boyd-Bucy, Executive Director for Big Brothers Big Sisters.
community foundation grant to casa
Court Appointed Special Advocates of SLO County has received a $5,000 grant from The Community Foundation of San Luis Obispo County. This grant will be used toward the screening and extensive background investigations required of all CASA volunteers. The grant will cover these costs for 40 new volunteers who will be assigned the cases of children who are under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court because they were abused, neglected or abandoned. CASA volunteers are sworn officers of the court who represent the best interests of these children in court proceedings and strive to help them secure safe, loving and permanent homes.
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ada foundation gives $10,000 to tolosa dental
Partnership for the Children of San Luis Obispo County (PTC) received a $10,000 grant from the American Dental Association Foundation to provide support for the Tolosa Children’s Dental Center satellite office in the City of San Luis Obispo. PTC established operation of Tolosa Children’s Dental Center—San Luis Obispo in July of 2014, leasing the SLO Noor Dental Clinic (for adults) each Thursday in order to improve access to pediatric dental services for underserved children in the central region of the county. After the first 11 days of being open, 169 unique patients had been seen and 193 appointments served. Almost all patients were Medi-Cal insured. Tolosa Children’s Dental Center’s main office is located in Paso Robles. It opened in 2003 and currently serves more than 4,500 unique children each year, mainly Medi-Cal insured.
Sheriff’s association donates to vets express
The Deputy Sheriff ’s Association is proud to make a $1,000 donation to Veterans Express. This volunteer organization provides transportation for local Veterans to VA hospitals and clinics in San Luis Obispo, Santa Maria and even Los Angeles. A part of the Ride-On transportation system, Veterans Express began in 2006 and provided services to 10-12 veterans a month. Today, they provide transportation to almost 200 veterans a month. Sheriff Ian Parkinson was proud to present the check to Veteran’s Express Coordinator Greg Shearer.
local books: vandenberg air force base
Discover the history of Vandenberg Air Force Base in the latest book From Arcadia Publishing’s popular Images of America series by Joseph T. Page II. The book boasts more than 200 vintage images and memories of California’s historic Air Force Base. This historical piece takes the reader through the changes of native tribal lands and ranch living to infantry training grounds and missile launch site. Stretching over 99,000 acres, the base has been the vanguard for the U.S. space and missile program with more than 1900 launches since 1957. The book is available at area bookstores, online retailers, or through Arcadia Publishing at www.arcadiapublishing.com.
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assistance league receives $4,000 grant
Assistance League of San Luis Obispo County has received a $4,000 grant to clothe high school students from The Community Foundation San Luis Obispo County (CFSLOCO). The grant will aid the organization in providing new school-appropriate clothing to disadvantaged children within the county through its philanthropic program Operation School Bell and its sub-program Sue’s Stars. This year the programs will help a projected 1319 students in grades kindergarten through 12th. More information is available at: www. alsloc.org. Photo: Assistance League Members Receive Grant from Community Foundation Left to right: Charlene Ables; Janice Fong Wolf, Community Foundation; Anna Aven; Gail Stoneburg.
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effort will be made to include members of low income families, disadvantaged children and children with disabilities. The gift will enable the library to enrich its collections of performing arts resources, including a collection of hands-on performing arts and demonstration instruments. From December 27th through April 11th, young people will be able to participate in the PAL program, a Performing Arts Literacy Program, designed to encourage learning about the performing arts. Beginning in December, the library will present a series of six performing arts programs, all free and open to everyone. For more information call the Library at (805)781-5125 or e-mail at mkensingerklopfer@slolibrary.org
free senior health care screening
greenhouse donated to local school
A Place to Grow Recycled Greenhouses recently donated a “recycled greenhouse” to the Bellevue Santa Fe Charter Children’s School of Avila Beach. There was a dedication ceremony held at the school last month. This donation was a collaborative effort: Pacific Coast Lumber of SLO donated lumber for the greenhouse, Helen Florez of Floricito Landscape Concepts & Design donated the design of the greenhouse, and Dave Fontenot of Flex Concrete donated labor to the construction of the greenhouse. A Place to Grow, Recycled Greenhouses is an environmentally friendly company that creates greenhouses, and other unique outdoor spaces out of recycled and reclaimed materials, keeping materials out of the landfill and re-purposing them into functional art. For more information, please visit http://www.RecycledGreenhouses.com
library awarded miossi grant of $18,000
The Friends of the San Luis Obispo Library has been awarded a grant of almost $18,000 from the Harold J. Miossi Charitable Trust in support of performing arts education. The grant will be used to present “Arts Live at the Library,” a program that will provide opportunities for young people to learn about performing arts by attending performances and using the library’s resources. A special
Screening for adults and seniors is available throughout San Luis Obispo 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
slo among america’s best college towns
San Luis has once again been named among America’s best college towns by Travel + Leisure magazine. The November issue of the publication lauded our Farmers’ Market, outdoor assets and unique attractions such as the Sunset Drive-In as reasons for top marks. The rankings are based on readers’ responses to the publication’s most recent America’s Favorite Places survey in which SLO got high marks for being “just far enough from L.A. to give it a calm vibe, further enriched by the easy access to vineyards and dune-covered beaches.” Other Cities included in the top 10 college towns are: Syracuse, NY; Lafayette, LA; Charlottesville, VA; Fort Collins, CO; Duluth, MN; Saratoga Springs, NY; Asheville, NC; Flagstaff, AZ and Boulder, CO.
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J A N U A R Y
2015
Journal PLUS
46
COMMUNITY
eye on business local business shows how it’s done By Maggie Cox, Barnett Cox & Associates
I
originally thought it would be good idea to focus this month’s column on 2015 marketing trends. It’s the start of a new year and the right time to think about positioning for business success. But then as part of my research I spoke to the manager of a new local restaurant. I was intrigued because I had observed the business enjoy out-of-the-gate-success within a month of opening and I wanted to know more about how that happened—which of the 2015 marketing trends were in play and driving success. The conversation that followed convinced me that instead of a general column on trends, I would share the very specific story of how Foremost Wine Company has sprung on to the scene. By way of background: I saw Petit Soleil owner John Conner at a meeting and he was raving about a new restaurant in The Creamery in downtown SLO where he had eaten the night before. John couldn’t say enough good things about the place, the meal, the atmosphere. Two days later I heard restaurant reviewer Teri Bayus on the radio giving Foremost glowing reviews. I asked a friend about the place and she added her nods of “yes yes yes.” The buzz was buzzing and I had to see this place for myself.
I went with several friends to Foremost after a City Council meeting on a Tuesday night. I was stunned to walk in—remember, this is Tuesday night about 8pm and find the place jammed with patrons. We enjoyed fabulous service, an amazing meal and the fun of seeing other people we knew. Patrons ranged in age from their mid-20s to 70s. We saw two other local restaurant owners enjoying the place. We were witnessing a living example of what happens when a good product meets the power of word of mouth … especially when word of mouth has social media to help it along. This real life case study had my attention. I followed up the evening by calling the restaurant the next day, indicating I had some questions about the Foremost back story. When I was told someone would call me back, I frankly dismissed the response and figured I would not hear back. To my surprise, the phone rang five minutes later and General Manager Johnny Kenny introduced himself to me. I realized I knew the SLO native—his family owns and operates See Canyon Fruit Ranch. I told him how impressed I was with the restaurant and how as a marketer I was intrigued by what propelled so much initial buzz. Johnny took time to explain it to me.
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J A N U A R Y
2015
Journal PLUS
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First, he talked about the team: owner Rob Murray, who has 1,000 acres of grapes in cultivation in SLO County and Santa Maria and who recently took over the Eagle Castle winery facility in Paso Robles for his Robert Murray Wines. Four labels are included under the Robert Murray umbrella. Then there’s Chef Julie Simon, formerly of Thomas Hill Organics and a culinary artist who has a following of her own. The Foremost executive team is rounded out by on-site sommelier and Wine Director Robin Puricelli and Johnny, whose See Canyon property includes three acres of organic farm and a flock of 100 chickens—and is the exclusive provider of Foremost’s vegetables and eggs. Farm to table in action. So I get that the group put together an A Team, but how did people find out? That was the real information I was seeking. And what lessons can other businesses learn from Foremost’s success? Just how did they make it happen? Johnny explained that prior to opening to the public, Foremost hosted a private party for local winemakers, distributors and other wine industry people. The party went well. A happy group started talking about the new place in town. A Facebook page was launched, and the chef’s personal followers learned what was underway. Foremost opened its doors quietly on November 1, and saw steady traffic the first week—traffic that has continued to build. And with that traffic came more happy customers, whose blog sites and personal conversations praised the restaurant. And so it goes. The take away is this: Start with a great product. Work out the bugs. Know your customer and market to him or her. Use the free tools that are available and deputize customers to help tell your story. Make sure your product is as good as you say it is. And remember no matter how much new technology is available, there is still a place in the winner’s circle for service, human connection and one-toone conversation. More than the food, the fun atmosphere or the enthusiastic servers, what impressed me most about Foremost was this: when Johnny called me back at 5 pm (the witching hour in the restaurant business) and I commented on being surprised to get a same-day call back, he answered without missing a beat: “We call everybody back.” Old school still counts! And with that, we are off and running into 2015 with high hopes for a successful year all around. And remember, I love hearing stories of your own winning strategies. mcox@barnettcox.com
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