Trendy ways to say I do with wedding dresses [8], photography and videography [10], songs for each moment [12], and floral touches [14]
BY NEW TIMES STAFF
Editor’s note
This year’s Weddings Issue celebrates the couples who say “I do” to current trends and their own sense of style as they prepare to say “I do” to each other. Staff Writer Bulbul Rajagopal gets the scoop on what’s old, new, borrowed, and pink in bridal fashion [8]; Staff Writer Libbey Hanson talks with locals who document wedding days with a lens on capturing content [10]; Arts Editor Glen Starkey collects the best songs to make each moment perfect [12]; and Staff Writer Emma Montalbano gathers insights on floral trends, including organic designs and “grounded meadows” [14]. Also this week, Colleen Gnos brings tiki culture and questions to The Bunker [32], and Brix Wine Bar settles into the Shell Beach Road scene [40]
Camillia Lanham editor
cover photo courtesy of MacKenzie Rana cover design by Alex Zuniga
MODERN MOMENTS Photographer MacKenzie Rana has a firsthand look at the latest wedding trends and said couples want more candid shots and are doing away with some ceremonial traditions.
JOIN THE DIABLO CANYON DECOMMISSIONING ENGAGEMENT PANEL.
While PG&E is pursuing the steps to continue operating Diablo Canyon Power Plant until 2030 as directed by the state, PG&E will continue to provide opportunities for community input regarding future decommissioning plans and potential future uses of the Diablo Canyon site.
PG&E is currently in regulatory proceedings for both extended operations and decommissioning.
The Diablo Canyon Decommissioning Engagement Panel (Panel) was created to foster open and frequent dialogue between members of the local community and PG&E on topics regarding the site’s eventual decommissioning, originally planned to begin in 2025 but now slated to begin in 2030 or later. The Panel will focus on decommissioning related issues and not ongoing continued operations.
There are currently open positions on the Engagement Panel subject for appointment or reappointment consistent with the Panel's Charter. The application period runs until March 4, 2025.
Visit pge.com/engagementpanel to apply.
SLO County closes crisis stabilization unit
Updating the Mental Health Services Act by approving Proposition 1 last spring spelled closure for one crisis service resource in San Luis Obispo County.
The SLO County Behavioral Health Department notified the public through Instagram and Facebook posts on Feb. 22 that the four-bed crisis stabilization unit on SLO’s Johnson Avenue shuttered. While the county’s webpage on crisis stabilization services said that the facility has been closed since Jan. 1, the unit stopped providing care even earlier.
“Our CSU [crisis stabilization unit] was temporarily closed over the fall and wintertime,”
Behavioral Health spokesperson Caroline Schmidt told New Times. “The Health Agency just looked at our other service priorities at this time and decided to close the crisis stabilization unit just so that we can focus on enhancing the mobile crisis efforts.”
The crisis stabilization unit aimed to reduce the demand for the 16 beds available at the county psychiatric health facility. The round-the-clock unit was a voluntary residential care facility that equipped people with individual and family counseling, medication monitoring, life skills enhancement, and follow-up service plans—all while bypassing the need for them to be admitted to an inpatient psychiatric hospital setting.
The Mental Health Services Act funded the unit.
A one-time amount of $971,070 from the California Health Facilities Financing Authority in 2015 helped the county health agency construct it. But the annual $1.8 million cost of running the unit surpassed the county’s ability to receive enough Medi-Cal reimbursement to lower the expense.
Not enough people were using the four beds available.
“We were averaging just under two clients per day, and only for a few hours, when we would need to serve nearly three or four per day to meet costs,” Schmidt said. “Some of that is also due to the fact that our county has a lower Medi-Cal reimbursement rate for crisis stabilization than other counties.”
According to her, since Proposition 1 would shrink the Mental Health Services Act budget for current programs by 30 percent—starting in July 2027—SLO County would be able to divert the money that would have gone to the stabilization unit to support other programs that people use more often.
But the claim of the crisis stabilization unit being underused isn’t new. A December 2023 TransitionsMental Health Association (TMHA) youth gap analysis report produced in partnership with county Behavioral Health reached the same conclusion.
TMHA found that although the unit could be used more, it ignored youth by restricting services to adults.
The unit has also had some controversy. Five
Grover Beach eyes sewer rate increase after Measure G-24 repealed the last one
With $15 million in needed sewer system upgrades, Grover Beach is inching toward another sewer rate increase despite Measure G-24’s passage, which recalled the city’s 2023 attempt.
“Sewer rate revenue alone is insufficient to fund
months after the TMHA report publication, 19-year-old Elina Branco of Paso Robles died while being treated at the unit. A federal lawsuit filed in September 2024 by her mother, Linda Cooper, alleged Branco was dead for hours under staff supervision and that they falsified records. The county didn’t respond to New Times’ request for comment by press time.
Both the unit and the now-prioritized mobile crisis team are staffed through contracts with Sierra Mental Wellness Group.
The county ended the unit’s contract in October 2024.
SLO-based licensed marriage and family therapist Trinity Berguia told New Times that the sudden closure of the unit came as a surprise.
“It has been a helpful resource to the community,” Berguia said. “There is very little information, if any at all, about why the closure happened. My understanding of the resource SLO Behavioral Health would like people to use in replacement of the CSU would be calling the Behavioral Health Mobile Crisis Team at 1-800-783-0607. I have used the Mental Health Evaluation Team many times, and they have been helpful as well.”
The closest substitute, according to Berguia, lies in the next county south.
of care, they can be transferred to an inpatient psychiatric facility.”
Behavioral Health also recommended the Santa Maria facility. Other options include calling or texting the crisis team for the 24/7 Central Coast Hotline; requesting a mobile crisis response through the hotline number; calling (820) 280-0415 to check bed availability at the sobering center; accessing walk-in clinics on weekdays at the Prevention and Outreach offices at 277 South St., suite T; and
Patients can access the outpatient psychiatric unit (OPU) at Marian Regional Medical Center in Santa Maria. They must check themselves into the ER and get medically cleared before being transferred to the outpatient unit. A patient spends 31 hours, on average, in this unit.
MORE SLO County officials said they closed the four-bed crisis stabilization unit on SLO’s Johnson Avenue at the beginning of the year because of under-use and prioritization of mobile crisis care.
calling (800) 838-1381 for the adults and referralsonly Crestwood Psychiatric Health Facility.
“Here, they will speak to a psychiatrist within one hour of arriving at the OPU,” Berguia said. “They will then be monitored. If their symptoms are decreased and manageable they can be released with a treatment plan or if they need a higher level
these improvements. Upgrades should be done soon to avoid impacts such as overflows,” Public Works Director Greg Ray told the City Council on Feb. 24. “With 2021 sewer rates in place plus a single 2 percent increase that is supposed to take place, … by 2029, the sewer reserve account will fall below the recommended capacity.”
That doesn’t include funding any of the capital improvements that are needed, which would
“I think a lot of people, through COVID and through some of the other incidents that happen as life goes on, maybe need that crisis support directly in their communities, rather than going to the facility,” Schmidt said. “Mobile crisis team members, they’re there to travel to the incident.” ∆
—Bulbul Rajagopal
replace some of the city’s older sewer lines that are at or over capacity. The sewer reserve should have enough money it in to pay for up to six months of maintenance and operations as well as an additional $500,000 that could fund emergency repairs such as sewer main ruptures, Ray said. Falling below that amount will impact the system’s “fiscal solvency.”
He told the council that sewer mains should operate at between 50 and 70 percent capacity. Any less than that can make the flow rates too slow and any more than that can cause issues such as odor, clogged and backed-up lines, and even overflow into the streets.
Grover Beach has some sewer lines that are operating at 80 to 89 percent capacity, he said. With new development that’s in progress, “they will go over 100 percent,” he added.
“We’ve got to catch those ones first,” Ray said. “The primary driver is trying to avoid sewer backups.”
To do that, staff is planning to present a new sewer rate study and structure at the March 24 meeting, Ray said, where they will also discuss when to start a formal Proposition 218 rate protest process.
Members of the citizen group Grover H20 took issue with the rollout of that protest process for the water and wastewater rate increases passed in 2023, which, in part, led to the Measure G-24 rate repeal passed by 64 percent of the city’s voters in November 2024.
Members of that group spoke during public comment on the issue, including Brenda Auer, who said that the sewer system’s problem is wasteful spending and mistakes—not the rate repeal measure. That spending includes funding Central Coast Blue, she added. Grover Beach was once a part of the effort to implement a water recycling project to supplement water supplies for the Five Cities, but it pulled out
of the project alongside Arroyo Grande last year.
“Stop trying to raise our rates,” Auer said. “Don’t make us go back with the signs again.”
Mayor Kassi Dee asked city staff about that funding after public comment.
“No wastewater funds were used for the city’s share of Central Coast Blue costs. Those were simply water use funds that were expended,”
City Manager Matt Bronson said. “So that’s not part of this analysis.”
Dee asked several more clarifying questions based on other claims made during public comment, including whether the city waived developer and impact fees for hotel projects. The city doesn’t have the ability to waive those, Bronson said. But it can defer them until a development is occupied and open, at which time the full amount is due to the city.
needed. Bronson said that there were plenty of opportunities for that kind of work, including the upcoming March 24 City Council meeting where everything will be discussed and the Coffee with Council event on Feb. 27.
While Bronson said Grover Beach was trying to get the rate increases passed in time for the fiscal year that starts in July, City Councilmember Clint Weirick cautioned against moving too fast on a rate increase and the Proposition 218 process.
“Take this one step at a time,” Weirick said.
—Camillia Lanham
Dignity Health is constructing a cancer treatment center in SLO
Dignity Health’s cancer resources will be under the same roof for the first time in San Luis Obispo County in a new facility on the corner of Tank Farm Road and Broad Street.
The new facility will combine existing oncology resources at French Hospital Medical Center, Marian Regional Medical Center, and Pacific Central Coast Health Centers. President and CEO of Dignity Health hospitals along the Central Coast Sue Andersen said the new facility will improve patient convenience and enhance cancer treatment throughout the county.
“The reason I’m doing this is to just to
show transparency,” Dee said. She also said she wanted to make sure the city was doing community outreach in advance of the potential upcoming rate increase and education about why it was
“This is going to be a tremendous asset to this community,” Andersen said.
Currently, Andersen said, cancer patients have to go to various locations to receive
OPEN BOOK New Grover Beach Mayor Kassi Dee said she was pushing for transparency during the Feb. 24 City Council meeting by asking staff to respond to allegations made by public commenters about the city’s sewer system.
different types of treatment, which can be tiring and inconvenient.
“If you’re on a cancer journey, you go to your oncologist and you might receive infusion services in the same building that the oncologist is in,” she said. “But radiation, you’re going to go across town to another building under different ownership, and then if you need imaging, you could go to one of several locations in the community for your imaging, and then you’re going to go see your surgeon in a different office.”
But the new center would allow these services to be just a few doors away from one another.
“Right now, it just feels like you don’t have everybody collaborating and working together in an environment where they can just walk across the hall and say, ‘Hey, I have this patient, this is what they need,’ and work together for that patient,” Andersen said. “And I really feel like, by bringing everybody into one location, we can do that for patients.”
Construction is set to start this spring at the existing building near the corner of Tank Farm and Broad. Upon completion, estimated in early 2026, the $10 million facility will be 58,650 square feet and provide medical oncology, hematology, infusion, diagnostic imaging, radiation oncology, general and oncology surgery, and urology services.
Andersen said there will also be space for support groups and will feature the Hearst Cancer Resource Center, dedicated
to helping cancer patients and their families from diagnosis through recovery.
The SLO County cancer center was modeled after Santa Maria’s Mission Hope Cancer Center, Andersen said, but this new location will also provide additional services, like a surgery center.
“We’ve seen in Santa Maria what it’s done to have one cancer center where a patient can come for all of their services, and they know the staff and everyone that works there collaborates together for a patient’s cancer care, and that just leads to better outcomes,” she said. “So, we’re replicating that here in this building in San Luis Obispo.”
While the SLO center will be dedicated to cancer treatment, Andersen said the facility will also offer preventative screenings like mammograms, as well as other surgical procedures.
“If a patient is suspected to have a lump, they’ll want to do an MRI to really diagnose further what’s happening with the patient. … We hope people will come and get their annual mammogram in the building, and we’ll take care of everyone there,” Andersen said.
The San Luis Obispo Regional Transit Authority can hit the road in Atascadero, now that the City Council unanimously approved merging its current public transit system with the Transit Authority.
By the end of June, what’s currently a Dial-A-Road route will be the SLO Regional Transit Authority (RTA) Route 9 through Atascadero, Public Works Analyst Ryan Betz told the council at its Feb. 25 meeting.
Betz said that it was getting increasingly more expensive to maintain and operate the city’s Dial-A-Ride public transit system and that costs had gone up by 30 percent since last year despite ridership decreasing by 57 percent since 2019.
Dial-A-Ride has provided public transportation for Atascadero since the city’s incorporation in 1979 and is targeted for the city’s seniors, students, and residents with disabilities.
The city has had challenges with retaining and replacing bus drivers, which has impacted riders and the bus schedules, she said.
Dial-A-Ride was funded primarily by riding fees, as well as state and federal funding, and Betz said it was expensive to operate the Dial-A-Ride system. It also took staff a lot of time to ensure the city was meeting “more stringent” requirements from the state and federal government, he said.
Under these conditions, Betz suggested that the council consolidate the Dial-ARide program with RTA at a cost of about $650,000 for the 2025-26 fiscal year, which would be no more than what the city already pays.
“It is very similar to our current budget right now for transit services,” Betz said, mentioning that the funds would be transferred from the city to RTA. What would be different for the city, Betz said, is RTA would handle administration, operations, and maintenance of the transit system, while the city retains local control over service, and users would have safe, reliable, and accessible public transportation.
“They have an entire team, I would call an army, to manage state and federal porting and compliance requirements,” Betz said, “and they actively participate in regional transportation plans and studies.”
In addition, Betz said RTA has the means to offer bus drivers higher pay and better benefits than the city, providing riders with more reliable transportation.
“Their retention … is not as in dire need as ours,” he said.
Atascadero is following other SLO County cities by consolidating with RTA, including Morro Bay, Paso Robles, Arroyo Grande, and Pismo Beach, and will now have a fixed route that could transport riders from Atascadero up to Paso and down to AG.
With the council’s unanimous approval, Betz said the merge will go to the RTA board in March and the SLO Council of Governments board in April to ensure the Atascadero routes are set by June 22. ∆
—Libbey
Hanson
Timeless classics revisited
It’s out with the old and in with the new for the 2025 trendy bride
BY BULBUL RAJAGOPAL
Historical elements are in vogue on wedding aisles and bridal runways.
Mareh Couture Bridal owner Mariam Ohanyan observed the trend forming six months ahead of time when she attended New York Bridal Fashion Week in 2024.
“A big thing that has been happening is this thing called Basque waist dresses,” Ohanyan said. “So this is something from the Victorian era, pretty much, that came back.”
e Basque waist style is a structured silhouette of a corseted upper body that drops into a V-shape at the waist on top of a billowing skirt. e tted bodice often extends past the waistline, accentuating the hips and creating the illusion of an elongated torso.
Such dresses were traditional for women of the Basque region that lies on the border of Spain and France. e hourglass-forming style became sought after and has resurfaced not only in bridal gowns but also in sundresses.
Brides and bridal designers are giving the Basque style a modern spin.
“Instead of having the corset already building into the dress, we’re seeing a removable corset,” Ohanyan said. “Imagine this, you’re walking down the aisle. It’s dramatic, it’s amazing … then for the reception, you remove the piece of the corset, and then it turns into a regular dress.”
Orders for Basque waist dresses are already trickling in for Ohanyan, who runs her bridal store in downtown San Luis Obispo. Creating a Basque waist dress, however, is hard work thanks to the ever-changing textures of all the fabric involved.
“In the waistline, there are a lot of thicker fabric textures that you have to use, and those are a bit harder to, overall, put together than the standard fabric, like organza, tulle, things like that,” she said.
While she is a bridal designer, Ohanyan only makes three to four custom wedding
dresses a year. Most of Mareh Couture Bridal’s out ts come from roughly a dozen other designers Ohanyan stocks, inlcuding Paloma Blanca, Anne Barge, and Evie Young.
Most designers are now using more “earth friendly” fabrics, Ohanyan said, which make dresses look and feel more expensive.
Luxurious crepe, textured owers with organza, and Chantilly lace are in demand.
e polished nish that comes with using higher quality materials is ideal for invoking a sense of the past, according to Amanda Judge of Untamed Petals.
“ ere is such an ode to sophistication and romance; it’s sort of like this Old World, old money look,” she said. “It just really lends itself towards the trend right now and how brides are feeling about their weddings.”
Untamed Petals is an online store that ships bridal dresses and accessories globally. Judge founded the company in 2009, and it’s headquartered on SLO’s Buchon Street.
She told New Times that she strives to be sustainable. e key lies in not over producing.
“We don’t produce in bulk,” Judge said. “Our dresses are made to order. So, when a bride orders a dress, we hand cut, sew it, and work with our team. We try not to over-buy fabrics or over-buy any of our raw materials.”
While Untamed Petals is also witnessing the rejuvenated fascination with Basque waist dresses—which Judge and her team also sometimes create using silkand-nylon blended Mikado fabric—romantic accessories from older eras are making a comeback, too. Many brides these days are especially fond of adding gloves.
“ ey’re such a fun way to personalize a look or add a really sophisticated touch,” Judge said. “We’ve had so many brides opt for a really cool lace glove or a beaded glove to pair with their dress as well.”
Statement pieces like ornate veils, sometimes even ones that are cathedral length, have been plucked from the past.
“ ere was a trend for a long time where brides weren’t wearing a veil at all, but now they really want a beautiful cathedral-length veil with a dramatic lace trim
or a oral motif, and even in our case, handbeaded details,” Judge said. “So, it’s de nitely trending towards that historical look.”
In fact, Mareh Couture Bridal’s Ohanyan is elbow-deep in more than 200 orders for veils.
“Some of these veils, they’re as long as if you were to walk down from the mission all the way to the Network [shopping center] building,” she said.
Some veils come with a hefty price tag. Ohanyan stocks a long veil worth $8,000 that bears a white cascade of 1,000 handmade owers. It hailed from Senstudio, owned by luxury bridal couture sisters Nicole and Felicia Chang. e designers made fashion headlines recently after pop star Taylor Swift wore their gowns on her global Eras Tour.
“I had to ght for getting such a high-end line in the Central Coast because usually those kinds of designers like to be in bigger cities,” Ohanyan said. “But I saw them in New York Bridal Fashion Week, and I absolutely fell in love.”
Despite the latest love for all things historic, brides are also shunning superstitions of the past. Take it from the abundance of pearls found on veils, gowns, earrings, headbands, shoes, detachable capes, and even bridal manicures.
“Pearls were once considered bad luck at weddings because in some cultures they look like tears,” Ohanyan said. “Our modern brides, they completely rede ned it. ey’re embracing the pearls as a symbol of elegance and grace and more timeless beauty.”
Are 2025 brides ready to push the envelope a little further and eschew the classic white of wedding gowns?
“I will be honest with you, it’s a bit tricky for our area,” Ohanyan said. “I would say a lot of brides on the East Coast would go for it and wear the color and show o a little more contemporary versions of dresses and colors.
Our area is de nitely more safe, in a way, when it comes to the color.”
Still, brides can dream. Ohanyan displays a purple and pink Senstudio number reminiscent of chic cotton candy in her boutique.
“[Brides] still end up ordering the ivory color version of the dress after trying the colors,” she said with a laugh. “It’s so fun having it! ey kind of also bring joy to the store itself, because it’s the variety that you get to explore.” ✽
Reach Sta Writer Bulbul Rajagopal at brajagopal@newtimesslo.com.
VEIL OF HONOR Once shunned by brides, veils—especially decorated ones—are back in style, like this $8,000 Senstudio one with 1,000 handcrafted flowers that was available at SLO’s Mareh Couture Bridal.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF MAREH COUTURE
BASQUE IN GLORY Torso lengthening, hourglass figureforming Basque waist wedding dresses are all the rage as a throwback to the romanticized Victorian era.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF MAREH COUTURE
JUST LOOKING SLO bridal designer Mariam Ohanyan said that while Central Coast brides aren’t ready to give up the ivory white, it’s always fun to try on and windowshop for colorful wedding gowns like this Senstudio creation.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF MAREH COUTURE
ELBOW DEEP SLO’s Untamed Petals founder Amanda Judge noted that lace and beaded gloves are popular choices these days to immediately elevate a bridal look.
PHOTO COURTESY OF UNTAMED PETALS
Cambria Vacation Rentals
Trends through the lens
Capturing a couple’s most important day is an evolving art as current trends lean more candid and social media-focused
BY LIBBEY HANSON
Put the video recorder down and hit the dance oor because the elds of wedding videography, photography, and content creation are booming.
Hired to capture one of the biggest days of a person’s life, these professionals allow couples and attendees to simply enjoy their big day, feeling comforted that each special moment will be documented cinematically forever.
With a front row seat to the world of weddings, these documenters know a thing or two about what’s trending. According to San Luis Obispo-based wedding photographer and videographer Chris Tack, wedding videos are surpassing the popularity of still photography for some couples.
Since starting in 2021, Tack said he’s seen couples prioritize videography over photography.
“Sometimes couples will hire me as their videographer, and they haven’t even thought about a photographer yet,” Tack said. “Whereas I feel like in 2021 it was like videography was more if you have enough money left over, … but it feels like it’s really switched. I think I’m noticing a bigger trend of videography becoming more of an important thing, almost equal to photography—sometimes more important for certain people.”
at’s because couples want the memories of their wedding day to stay alive, and what
this Look into photographer MacKenzie Rana at mackenzieranaphotography. com, photographer and videographer Chris Tack at christackphotography. com, and Content Creator Adriana Wells at bestfriendofthebride.com.
better way than candid lm and photography.
“People like a lot of movement-based things, like photos that feel alive and videos that feel alive and tell the story of not just how an event really looks, but how an event feels. … You’re reliving those moments and you’re remembering how those things felt,” Tack said.
Wedding videography requires a crew, Tack said, involving not only his Canon C-70 (a cinema speci c camera), but B cameras, audio equipment for the happy couple and guests, and drones.
“We are making sure that we’re getting all those speeches recorded using little lab mics on the bride in the groom to make sure we’re capturing little sounds that they make throughout the day and little conversations that they have. So, we’re pretty thorough,” he said.
Tack creates a highlight lm of special moments throughout the event that ranges from eight to 10 minutes long, and he also provides the couple with three hours of raw footage from the day.
en, couples can share and post the content how they’d like, to their hearts’ content.
Some couples are also hiring wedding content creators. Like a videographer, these professionals capture moments throughout the day, but in smaller, more social media-friendly bits. While a video could be 10
minutes long, SLO wedding content creator Adriana Wells, owner of Best Friend of the Bride, said she creates content ranging from 15 seconds to two minutes long.
Wells started her work in 2023 and said she was the rst wedding content creator on the Central Coast among only four others in the country that she knew of.
“My favorite part, I think it’s just being able to relive your wedding day for years to come. It’s just like, when your one-year anniversary comes, it’s always so nice to re ect on it,” she said.
“I had this bride message me, and she was, like, my grandpa just passed away and I have this video of us on our wedding day,” Wells said, “and it’s such a special moment, you know, to have captured it and to look back on it and have this memory for years to come.”
Her process is simple. Wells wants to become the bride’s best friend who captures her special moments, from bridal shower to wedding.
Booking starts with an initial call to get to know each other, then multiple calls to plan the social media trends couples want in their content and the songs they want to include, oftentimes from their wedding playlist. Depending on the package they book, Wells will post live to social media, or
simply provide the content for the couples to share later.
Capturing the event isn’t the only thing changing, though. Orcutt-based wedding photographer MacKenzie Rana said that as a photographer, she also sees trends in what she captures at wedding ceremonies.
“I’m seeing a lot less of some of the formalities happening, like in your reception, not seeing the garter toss so much,” she said. “Bouquet tosses are kind of on their way out too. A lot of couples are opting to honor their mother during that time and hand o the bouquet.”
Rana also said she’s seen traditions like having bridesmaids done away with, as well as vows and cake cutting ceremonies being more low-key.
“Just kind of bringing a few moments back privately, rather than having everything be so public with some of those things,” she said.
Overall, Rana said, couples are wanting more time to interact with their guests rather than pose for formal photos too.
“It’s allowing for more opportunities for couples to enjoy their day with all of their people,” she said, “and allowing for those candid moments to happen.” ✽
Reach Sta Writer Libbey Hanson at lhanson@newtimesslo.com.
WITH LIFE Chris Tack keeps wedding day memories alive forever, capturing candid moments among loved ones.
PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRIS TACK
ITS A FEELING Modern day couples are more interested
NEW BEST FRIEND Want to share your special day with your social media followers? Adriana Wells has you covered. She can post live and edit content for you to post later, while you enjoy your celebration.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ADRIANA WELLS
Music notes
BY GLEN STARKEY
“Here comes the bride, matching her stride, with her glad father who’s bursting with pride. She’s dressed in white, pure, clean, and bright, a lovely picture of all that is right.”
So goes the English lyrics to “Here Comes the Bride,” a melody that has traditionally accompanied Western weddings since Victorian England. e tune is actually called “Bridal Chorus,” a song written in 1850 by German composer Richard Wagner for his opera Lohengrin
Wagner’s lyrics translate like this: “Led here in faith, draw near with joy, love’s guardian angel will watch over you! Joined in a bond none can destroy, now you are one in your love ever true!”
It’s in the wedding scene between Elsa and Lohengrin, and in the opera, their marriage is doomed to fail, so it’s a bit ironic that it’s been such a wedding mainstay.
ere’s also the alternative lyrics you might have learned at summer camp: “Here comes the bride, so fat and wide, tear down the church doors, to get her inside.”
Another historically popular processional is Felix Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March,” written in 1842 to accompany a production of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. is soaring melody has been a favorite in movie weddings, such as Up, Nanny McPhee, Just Married, and Four Weddings and a Funeral, among others.
One thing you can say about both of these traditional wedding marches is they just feel old, tired, and cliché. Picking the right music for you and your signi cant other can be a challenge. Let’s face it, there’s a lot of music to choose from.
Lately, for the processional, people have
picked songs such as “I Choose You” by Sara Bareilles or Kina Grannis’ version of “Can’t Help Falling in Love” as heard in Crazy Rich Asians. If you’re a little bit country, “Bless the Broken Road” by Rascal Flatts might be right up your red dirt road. Other solid choices include Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect” and Taylor Swift’s “Lover.” An old but not ancient alternative is “At Last” by Etta James. Beatles fans often pick “Here Comes the Sun.” And let’s not forget Adele’s “Make You Feel My Love” or John Legend’s “All of Me.” I like “Marry You,” which is upbeat one from Bruno Mars.
Wedding season is coming up, so I asked a couple of my DJ friends if they had suggestions for songs for the various parts of a wedding, and I’m guessing any DJ you ask will have their own favorites. You can connect to local DJs at theknot.com/ marketplace/wedding-djs-san-luis-obispo-ca.
Here are DJ Rachael Joyous’ suggestions: Processional: “Marry Me” by Train; “Can’t Help Falling in Love with You” by Haley Reinhart; “I Love You Always Forever” by Betty Who.
Recessional: “Kiss Me” by Sixpence None the Richer; “Chapel of Love” by e Dixie Cups; and “Star Wars Coronation March” by John Williams.
Reception grand entry: “ e Johnny Carson Tonight Show eme”; “Here Comes the Bride” by Bobby Morganstein.
Couple’s rst dance: “ rough the Eyes of Love” by Melissa Manchester; “Love of my Life” by Brian McKnight; or “Stay With You” by John Legend.
Father-daughter dance: “Butter y Kisses” by Bob Carlisle; “Unforgettable” by Natalie and Nat King Cole; “I Loved Her First” by Heartland.
Bouquet toss: “Get Down On It” by Kool and the Gang; “Move Bitch” by Ludacris; or “Single Ladies” by Beyonce.
Cake cutting: “Sugar Sugar” by e Archies; “Cut the Cake” by the Average White Band.
Farewell Dance: “Time of My Life” by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes.
“Most weddings are unique, and couples have meaningful song lists they like to incorporate into their special day together,” Joyous noted. She can be reached through spotoneventservices.com.
Prior to COVID, DJ Malik Miko orne did a lot of weddings, but these days he’s “semi-retired.” e owner of the quirky retail shop A Satellite of Love is still reachable at weddingwire.com/biz/malik-miko-weddingssan-luis-obispo/93e8257c2fb547ae.html. ese are his go-to picks:
Processional: Richard David James’ instrumental piano piece “Avril 14th” released under the name Aphex Twin.
Vows: “Green” by Hiroshi Yoshimura. Recessional: “ is Must Be the Place” by Talking Heads.
First dance: “Brindo” by Devendra Banhart. Father-daughter dance: “Daughter” by Loudon Wainwright III.
Mother-son dance: “Forever Young” by Bob Dylan.
Bouquet toss: “Something’s Got a Hold on Me” by Etta James.
Garter toss: “Mannish Boy” by Muddy Waters.
Cake cutting: “Candy” by Nat King Cole. Congratulations, you crazy kids! Mazel tov! ✽
Contact Arts Editor Glen Starkey at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
COVID, DJ Malik Miko Thorne has limited his
PHOTO COURTESY OF DJ MALIK MIKO THORNE
MUSIC FOR ALL OCCASIONS DJ Rachael Joyous has been spinning since 1990 for all occasions, including weddings and karaoke. Find her online at spotoneventservices.com.
PHOTO COURTESY OF DJ RACHAEL JOYOUS
The Heritage House Garden & Gazebo
Enjoy our beautiful garden and picturesque gazebo located in the heart of the historic Village of Arroyo Grande. of
The Sun in Santa Maria is looking for its next staff writer, someone who dabbles in arts and culture but can also take on the news. We’re looking for an allaround journalist who can dig into the community for feature stories with an edge and hard news stories that need to be told.
This person will become part of a team of reporters who contribute to the award-winning New Times Media Group publications on the Central Coast of California. With a focus on Northern Santa Barbara County, our next staff writer will search for food and wine stories that help tell the region’s culinary story, from its roots in agriculture to the end product that populates fine dining menus. They will hunt for arts stories that ensure the diverse expressive voices in the region have a place in the Sun. And they will keep an eye on the elected officials and policy-makers whose decisions impact the communities we cover.
We’re looking for someone who can keep tabs on the pulse of the community, delve into the stories behind the people and events we cover, has the passion to give a voice to the voiceless, and who has the talent to write compelling articles and features. Think you’ve got what it takes? Tell us how you would contribute to our work, send us links to three published writing samples, and include a resume.
Email to: Cindy Rucker at crucker@newtimesslo.com.
~ We look forward to hosting your special event! ~ For more information please visit our website at www.centralcoastgardenwedding.com
Floral fads
Modern couples ditch roses and traditional arrangements, opting for more unique blooms and designs
BY EMMA MONTALBANO
Roses are red. Violets are blue. Florists must keep up with the wedding trends too. Right now, that includes bolder designs that are unique and new, with more natural ower choices shining through.
“I am seeing brides and couples pulling back from the traditional muted tones and roses and everything that we’ve seen that’s been a part of wedding orals for so long and kind of leaning into more organic designs,” said Jay Sears, owner of San Luis Obispobased Frugal and Foraged.
Sears described “organic” designs as much less rigid than traditional arrangements, adding that they might look a little like someone’s overgrown garden, where “things are just popping up, and you don’t see where it begins and where it ends.”
“I really like when brides decide to incorporate tablescapes with lots of textures, fruits and veggies, bright and bold colors,” Sears explained. “ ose are some things that I’m seeing. It’s not a super structured design. It kind of looks like it’s organically growing.”
According to Sears, couples have also been choosing less traditional owers for bouquets and arrangements. While the most requested bloom used to be roses, Sears said she doesn’t think there’s one single most-requested ower anymore, which she attributes to people having a much better idea of what they like and want.
She highlighted that modern couples seem to have a lot more trust in designers and planners to create unique and exciting designs for their wedding day. She appreciates the creative freedom that comes with this shift but explained that her utmost priority is to get a good understanding of what the couple wants and how she can achieve that for them.
“I always go back and forth with my brides,” Sears said. “‘If you see a picture you love, send it over. What do you love about the picture? Is it the shape? Is it the color, the ower?’ I try to really get to know my couple as much as I can because I ultimately want to deliver their greatest wish list dream come true for the best day of their lives.”
With so many other decisions to make for a wedding day, Sears noted that some couples don’t really have a speci c vision or direction that they’d like for their wedding orals.
Find inspiration
“It’s kind of nice when they come and they’re like, ‘We don’t really know,’” Sears said. “ en you can really develop that plan with them, and they’re more open to you actually helping them through their wedding day.”
To take a look at the florists’ past designs for weddings, parties, and more, visit @frugal_and_foraged and @flowercarriage on Instagram.
For weddings that are on a bit of a tighter budget, Sears suggests incorporating arrangements that can be transferred from the ceremony to the reception. is might mean choosing a “grounded meadow” that surrounds the couple instead of a oral arch to stand under.
“When it’s on an arch, it can be harder to repurpose because it’s attached, but if it’s pieces that are at di erent heights or a grounded meadow, then those are really easy to pick up and move to a reception,” Sears said. “ is has been really nice for people who are looking to save a bit of money.”
Susana Cardel, Santa Maria orist and owner of Flower Carriage, also encourages couples to repurpose ceremony arrangements and installations for the reception, noting that this advice is greatly appreciated by couples on a budget. More advice she gives is to choose blooms that are in season. ough many brides want to incorporate their favorite owers in their wedding arrangements, choosing a ower that is out of season can quickly in ate prices. Both Cardel and Sears try to advise people on what will be readily available at the time of their wedding and what might have to be ordered and shipped.
“Now everything is possible,” Cardel explained. “We can bring owers from the other side of the world, but that will be more expensive.”
Another key thing to note about shipping owers, according to Sears, is that there is much less certainty on the quality of the blooms. Flowers could arrive smaller than expected or damaged from being smashed in a box, and with this in mind, Sears is often hesitant to order out-ofseason owers.
MOVEABLE MEADOWS Grounded designs with easyto-maneuver bases allow couples to transfer arrangements from the wedding ceremony to the reception, helping keep both costs and waste down, Frugal and Foraged owner Jay Sears said.
“I don’t ever promise speci c blooms to brides, but I do take note of all their favorites,” Sears said. “I try to give them everything that they want.”
Sometimes, orists have to get creative to accommodate a couple’s oral request. On one occasion, Cardel told a bride that she wouldn’t be able to have sun owers in her winter wedding arrangements, but the bride insisted, even suggesting that Cardel use fake sun owers instead.
At rst, Cardel refused the request, saying
it would feel like “cheating.” However, after more conversations with the persistent bride, she was able to nd high-quality arti cial sun owers that she felt comfortable incorporating into the arrangements.
“What I did for her is I purchased the most beautiful sun owers that looked real,” Cardel said. “I used the minimum here and there.” is experience taught Cardel that when a bride wants something, “they want it.” Unique requests like this one come up much more often now, she said, noting the popularity of requests for single- ower bouquets.
“[One bride] just wants a lot of calla lilies for her ceremony and reception and personal owers,” Cardel explained. “ at’s the only ower that we’re going to use. at makes it easy for me, but it means we need a lot of those.”
Social media apps like Pinterest, Instagram, and TikTok might be to blame for the rise and spread of some of these modern trends. Cardel noted that such apps have enabled couples to explore a much wider variety of owers, designs, and arrangements before even approaching a orist.
“ ey are more educated in the oral department,” Cardel said “ ey know what they want to do for the wedding, so they have more vision. ey ask questions about owers, but they are more open. I can see that brides come in prepared now, and I’m surprised they know names of owers.” ✽
Reach Sta Writer Emma Montalbano at emontalbano@newtimesslo.com.
COLORFUL CHANGES In the past, couples opted for traditional flowers like roses and would request designs with more muted tones. Now, according to local florists Jay Sears and Susana Cardel, couples are choosing bolder and brighter blooms to feature in their wedding florals.
PHOTO COURTESY OF JAY SEARS
Spur of the moment
Striking gold in the world of improv is more about being off-the-cuff than thinking on your feet, according to Pismo Beach resident Thia Anlo, who once feared that the reverse was true.
“I was really nervous because I thought you’d have to be able to … think really fast and [find] something funny to say. And it’s really not like that at all,” said Anlo, the founder and director of Improv for Good, a local collective that’s brought improv classes and fundraiser performances to a handful of venues over the past year.
The relief Anlo felt after taking her first formal improv class a few years ago is one she and her colleagues aim to replicate for newcomers at Improv for Good’s workshops. The group was formed during the spring of 2024.
“Anybody can improvise because it’s really … a matter of letting go of your thinking, planning, logical brain, and just kind of going with the flow,” Anlo said. “Being really present in the moment and responding to your scene partner in the moment without thinking about it ahead of time. And the ‘funny’ just happens. … We don’t want people trying to script it out in their head.”
Anlo compared improv to another hobby she’s fond of—a sport that probably doesn’t share many Venn diagrams with the former.
“I also surf, although not so much lately. But one thing about surfing is that you have to be in the moment,” Anlo explained. “You have to be paying attention to where the waves are and what’s happening around you, otherwise you could end up smashed by a wave.
“But improv is kind of the same way. It forces you to be in the moment. … You’ve got to be responding to what’s going on.”
She described the mission of Improv for Good as multi-pronged, as the group hosts events such as workshops that invite interaction and performances for attendees to simply enjoy watching as well. The collective curates these programs “with a
charitable mindset,” she added.
“[We’re] doing improv for people who could really use some extra laughs in their life,” said Anlo, whose group has hosted free or low-cost events for seniors and retirees at the Oceano Community Center, Trilogy at Monarch Dunes, and other venues, and performed during fundraisers at locations in Nipomo and Grover Beach to support Meals that Connect, the 5Cities Homeless Coalition, and other nonprofits.
“We’re not making money off of this at all,” Anlo added.
When the group does charge an admission fee, it’s to cover the costs of using a facility, she clarified.
Starting on March 1, Improv for Good will host improv classes on the first and third Saturday of each month at Flex Performing Arts in Grover Beach for locals ages 12 and older. Admission is $24 per month, or $20 for current Flex dancers, and the first class is free of charge.
Anlo said the group has a few community programs slated for the near future.
“We’re going to start offering applied improvisation, which means helping people to bring improv … off the stage and into their lives,” Anlo said. “Because doing improv yourself can build your resilience, … your ability to relate to people. Social empathy has a lot of benefits.”
Fast fact
• ECOSLO has its second tree planting in the works with SLO County Parks at the Oceano Memorial Park on March 22 from 9 a.m. to noon. Sponsored by PG&E, Cal Fire, the U.S. Forest Service, and California ReLeaf, ECOSLO invites community member to join the planting of eight trees. For more information visit ecoslo.com/events. ∆
Reach Calendar Editor Caleb Wiseblood at cwiseblood@newtimesslo.com.
TAKE THE WHEEL Improv for Good participants Noreen Vance, Kimberly Volkmann, Mike Schmidt, and Garrett Stewart (from left to right) take part in “the carpool game,” one of the local group’s improv exercises.
PHOTO COURTESY OF IMPROV FOR GOOD
Trump’s and Musk’s ends don’t justify the means
A local news reporter asked local GOP chairman Randall Jordan to react to the numerous Presidents’ Day protests held around SLO County.
“I can’t understand or even believe that anyone would protest against finding government spending that is out of hand,” he responded.
That comment proves what I’ve said for years about the two underpinnings of U.S. conservative thought: 1. The ends justify the means; and, 2. Poor people are poor by choice.
Mr. Jordan’s comment suggests that if Elon Musk is “finding” “out of control” spending, then whatever he does is justified. The ends justify the means.
There’s even an inherent suggestion in the comment that people protesting Trump-Musk are in favor of “out of control spending.”
Really? The protesters support fraud and waste in government?
A good liberal favors efficient social programs, which help the most people in the most efficient and research-supported way. There are legitimate, legal methods to attack and root out inefficiencies in government. Trump-Musk’s means (wholesale firings with no rhyme or reason) do not justify the ends they claim to seek. Will Powers SLO
So many questions about Nipomo’s new battery storage site
Upgrades better than Moss Landing is not good enough (“Despite enhanced safety features, Nipomo residents are concerned about Caballero battery facility,” Feb. 20) If the Nipomo battery energy storage facility needed upgrades, it was not perfect, and safety is still an issue. Can we do better? Can we even trust that the safety measures and standards are absolutely failsafe? If an
abundance of caution was the guiding force, which it should be, then two accidents in our backyard should tell us and send a clear warning we really don’t know what the frick we are doing. Is this good enough until next time? Really, what are we thinking?
Are we worried about all the money invested in this venture with the hope everything will be OK? Is that the decisionmaking criteria? Save money. People don’t count? Unless it can be absolutely guaranteed nothing is going wrong, this needs to get deep-sixed right now. Did Moss Landing get a thumbs up after the last disaster and promised everything is perfect now? Don’t worry. Trust us. Are we collateral damage material? Do we trust this in our backyard? Why should we?
Who is making these decisions? Same people who say dumping PFAS chemicals into our groundwater is OK? Same brain trust that says putting a decrepit accidentprone, fault-infested nuke site on life support is fine, just fine? Same people who invite convicted felons with a history of routinely depositing a thick blanket of suffocating greasy, grimy, slime into our sacred precious ocean is OK? Well, you know what? I need proof beyond a reasonable doubt that this endeavor is baby-proofed. Can they do that? Prove it.
Jean’ne Blackwell SLO
How good are we supposed to feel about this national budget?
The House passed President Trump’s budget bill on Feb. 25. At a time when there is an outcry to deal with the national debt, instead of the fiscally responsible choice to raise taxes and lower spending, this bill includes a bloated tax cut that primarily benefits wealthy individuals and is partially paid for by significant cuts to Medicaid (Medi-Cal in California).
I was uninsured and obtained Medi-Cal for a few months at the end of my pregnancy
and during the first few months of my son’s life. Thank God! He needed a skull surgery at 2 1/2 months for a condition that would have caused retardation if not promptly treated. Is the lack of a safety net what we want for our nation’s most vulnerable children?
Compare this proposed budget to the words of one of our Founding Fathers, John Adams: “Government is instituted for the common good; for the protection, safety, prosperity, and happiness of the people; and not for profit, honor, or private interest of any one man, family, or class of men; therefore, the people alone have an incontestable, unalienable, and indefeasible right to institute government; and to reform, alter, or totally change the same, when their protection, safety, prosperity, and happiness require it.”
If you share my concerns about the national debt and about keeping safety nets in place, call your national representative and both senators to express your concern and/or outrage, and throw in your local newspaper, like New Times
Ingrid Pires Pismo Beach
Protest corporations on Feb. 28 by not spending
Fair or not, corporations make a decision by valuing profit over people. Groceries, housing, transportation, and health care are necessities for people’s survival in modern life. Most people are customers whose incomes do not keep up with rising costs. The corporations’ shareholders do not care about these rough realities, as the lust for profit supersedes all else.
There is an opportunity for all of us to protest this inflation. The Feb. 28 boycott/ blackout is a national movement supporting people’s interests over corporations, geared toward big business monopolies, not small businesses. The goal is to not spend unnecessarily that day.
Lori Slater Cambria
We need to ferret out Musk’s arbitrary, capricious abuse
of power
Two years ago, my 5-year-old grandson was rushed to the hospital, seriously ill. The diagnosis was Type 1 diabetes. For those of you, like me, who don’t know the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, Type 1 affects mainly children and adolescents, when their bodies just stop producing insulin. This means that in order to stay alive, they must take insulin every time they eat. Not only that, but they must calculate precisely how many carbohydrates they are ingesting and give the correct amount of insulin, then wait for it to enter their bloodstream before they eat. Every time they eat, every day of their lives. There is no cure. You can imagine the challenge that is for a parent of a young child.
Now, Elon Musk has suddenly decided to fire members of a small team at the Food and Drug Administration that is reviewing new and better ways to get that insulin into children. Imagine being a parent of such a child and knowing that the world’s richest man has just made it more difficult and much slower for the FDA to approve such devices. And this is only one example of the harm he is doing. This is not about ferreting out fraud and waste, this is arbitrary and capricious use of power. It must stop. Elon must go.
What’s your favorite slogan from the President’s Day protests? 41% Make 1984 fiction again.
Alison Jones Los Osos
HODIN
Russell Hodin
A fine mess
Hey! Can anybody give Grover Beach $15 million to fix up its sewer system? Anyone? No? Well, damn, because some of its lines are old and at or near capacity, and with future planned development, the lines will be over capacity. Sounds like a potentially shitty situation, amirite?
According to Grover’s Public Works Director Greg Ray, sewer pipes should be flowing between 50 and 70 percent of capacity to work efficiently, and some of the city’s pipes are operating at more than 70 percent, with some between 80 and 89 percent.
“With newer development in progress or process right now, they will go to over 100 percent,” Ray explained. “We’ve got to catch those ones first.”
And if Grover does nothing? Sewage backing up on the streets, people! From Grover City to Grover Beach to Guano Streets.
How did Grover Beach get into this quandary? Depends on who you ask. As far as the City Council and staff are concerned, they’ve been hamstrung by Measure G-24, a 2024 ballot initiative that reduced water rates to 2021 levels. G-24 was a reaction to proposed water rate hikes to fund the water reclamation project Central Coast Blue G-24 was spearheaded by the citizens group Grover H20, which succeeded in squelching the reclamation project but also cut off essential funding for capital improvement projects and maintenance.
On the other hand, if you asked the folks behind Grover H20, the city’s problems are entirely self-inflicted.
“Stop trying to raise our rates,” Brenda Auer threatened. “Don’t make us go back with the signs again.”
She admonished the City Council to “never blame G-24. … G-24 saved the residents, and that’s a good thing.”
“The city is taking from the poor and giving to the rich,” Debbie Peterson claimed. “Robbing the poor to pay for the developer’s development.”
Brand new Mayor Kassi Dee sure has her hands full. She campaigned on being transparent, so she pushed back, asking City Manager Matt Bronson whether the city was letting developers skip paying fees. Absolutely not, Bronson said. The city doesn’t have the ability, although it can defer fees until developments are complete.
Dee ticked through a list of other accusations, and none had apparent merit.
“The reason why I’m doing this is just to show transparency,” Dee explained. Maybe instead of being corrupt, the city is merely underfunded by a citizenry that doesn’t want to pay for essential services. Staff is recommending a rate increase and issuing bonds to pay for the upgrades. You know what they say about shit sandwiches? The more bread you’ve got, the
less shit you’ve got to eat, and right now, Grover Beach is $15 million short with a shitstorm brewing.
Speaking of brewing storms and impending crises, it’s no secret SLO County has a dearth of mental health facilities, so it seems like odd timing to close the crisis stabilization unit (CSU) on Johnson Avenue in SLO.
The county’s Behavioral Health Department announced on its Instagram and Facebook pages that the unit would be closed starting Feb. 22, but the county’s webpage says it’s been closed since Jan. 1. Department spokesperson Caroline Schmidt told New Times the unit “temporarily” closed last fall and winter. What?
“The department, Health Agency, just looked at our other service priorities at this time and decided to close the crisis stabilization unit just so that we can focus on enhancing the mobile crisis efforts,” Schmidt said.
The passage of Proposition 1 might have had something to do with it. The proposition aims to strengthen California’s behavioral health system, but it also means that money that was going to local programs will shrink.
Cue the losses!
It costs about $1.8 million a year to operate the fourbed CSU, and according to Schmidt, the facility was underused.
any of these questions, please give us a call!
Speak up!
“We were averaging just under two clients per day, and only for a few hours, when we would need to serve nearly three or four per day to meet costs. Some of that
is also due to the fact that our county has a lower Medi-Cal reimbursement rate for crisis stabilization than other counties,” Schmidt said. “The county will be able to use the funds that would have gone to the CSU to support other programs with higher utilization.”
Being a rural county is lame! Well, except for the ruralness. If we had higher Medi-Cal reimbursements would we be able to keep this place that there’s clearly still a need for? It’s not like no one is using it.
Trinity Berguia, a licensed marriage and family therapist in SLO, was astounded by the closure, as she had clients who used it frequently.
“The CSU closure was a surprise because it has been a helpful resource to the community,” she said. “There’s very little information, if any at all, about why the closure happened.”
Interestingly, no one’s talking about Paso Robles resident Elina Branco, 19, who died at the facility on May 18, 2024, while under a 5150 involuntary hold as she awaited transfer to a drug rehab in Tarzana. Her mother, Linda Cooper, has filed a federal lawsuit alleging neglect since the unit appears to have falsified records of wellness checks for her daughter. The lawsuit claims Branco died eight hours before the CSU called for medical help. ∆
The Shredder could also use a hot cash injection. Send ideas to shredder@ newtimesslo.com.
Hot Dates
ARTS
NORTH COAST SLO COUNTY
AQUARIUS 2025 WATERMEDIA
EXHIBIT Central Coast Watercolor Society presents its annual juried exhibit at Art Center Morro Bay, featuring excellence in all forms of watermedia by California artists. See website for info and frequent updates. Through March 31 ccwsart.com/aquarius-2025-prospectus.
Art Center Morro Bay, 835 Main St., Morro Bay, (805) 772-2504.
AT HER TABLE: CELEBRATING WOMEN IN WINE AND ART No RSVP needed. A special evening featuring artist Jenna Hutton. Enjoy a flight of wines adorned with her artwork. March 5 , 5-7 p.m. my805tix.com. Paso Robles Wine Merchant, 1803 Spring St., Paso Robles, (805) 369-1056.
COASTAL WINE AND PAINT PARTY
Listen to music while enjoying an afternoon of creativity, sipping, and mingling. The party includes a complimentary glass of wine and canvas with materials. Saturdays, 12-2 p.m. $55. (805) 394-5560. coastalwineandpaint. com. Harmony Cafe at the Pewter Plough, 824 Main St., Cambria.
THE COLOR OF LIGHT: AN ALL MEDIA PAINTING GROUP EXHIBITION This group show showcases how its featured painters capture the interplay of color and light through various fine art painting media. Through Feb. 27 Free. (805) 772-1068. galleryatmarinasquare. com. Gallery at Marina Square, 601 Embarcadero suite 10, Morro Bay.
COSTA GALLERY SHOWCASES Features works by Ellen Jewett as well as 20 other
local artists, and artists from southern and northern California. ThursdaysSaturdays, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sundays, 12-4 p.m. (559) 799-9632. costagallery. com. Costa Gallery, 2087 10th St., Los Osos.
FINE ART ACRYLIC PAINTINGS BY LAURA MURPHY Murphy is a Central Coast artist who creates abstract, non-representational art using acrylic and inks on canvas. Through Feb. 27, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. (805) 772-1068. galleryatmarinasquare.com. Gallery at Marina Square, 601 Embarcadero suite 10, Morro Bay.
FINE ART PAINTINGS, POETRY, AND SMALL WORKS BY GEORGE ASDEL
Asdel has been creating small works featuring his poetry and art for many years here on the Central Coast. Through Feb. 27, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. (805) 7721068. galleryatmarinasquare.com. Gallery at Marina Square, 601 Embarcadero suite 10, Morro Bay.
FIREFLIES Enjoy this By The Sea Production, written by Matthew Barber and directed by Anita Schwaber. Visit site to get your tickets and learn more about the show. Through March 9, 7 p.m. $29. St. Peter’s by-the-Sea Episcopal Church, 545 Shasta Ave., Morro Bay, (805) 772-2368, stpetersmorrobay.org/.
FOREVER STOKED PAINT PARTY Join us at the gallery, for a few hours to travel on a creative paint journey. You will receive as much or as little instruction as you prefer. No artistic experience is necessary. Saturdays, 7-9 p.m. $45. (805) 772-9095. foreverstoked.com. Forever Stoked, 1164 Quintana Rd., Morro Bay. THE PLEIN AIR TEAM Acrylic artist, Nancy Lynn, and husband, watercolorist, Robert Fleming, have an ongoing show of
originals and giclee prints of Morro Bay and local birds. ongoing (805) 772-9955. Seven Sisters Gallery, 601 Embarcadero Ste. 8, Morro Bay, sevensistersgalleryca. com.
PROCREATE MONTHLY ARTIST
GROUP Learn the basic tools for using the iPad app, Procreate. Every month, group focuses on a different way to use Procreate, sometimes starting with a “how-to” video. Join a supportive community and navigate the digital world together. First Wednesday of every month, 1-3 p.m. through March 6 $10. (805) 927-8190. cambriaarts.org. Cambria Center for the Arts, 1350 Main St., Cambria.
UNCORK YOUR CREATIVITY: COASTAL WINE AND PAINT PARTY Offering a unique opportunity to sip wine while painting stunning ocean-inspired landscapes. All materials included. Saturdays, 12-2 p.m. $60. (805) 394-5560. coastalwineandpaint.com. Harmony Cafe at the Pewter Plough, 824 Main St., Cambria.
NORTH
SLO COUNTY
BEGINNING IMPROV CLASSES Join Top Grade Comedy Theater for beginning improv classes. First Monday of every month, 6-8 p.m. through Jan. 2 $15. (805) 242-1443. Saunter Yoga and Wellness, 5820 Traffic Way, Atascadero.
BUTTERFLY GLASS SHARD CLASS
Inspired by the “paint-by-number” technique, create a clear sun catcher or slump into a single layer plate. Perfect for the detailed student. March 1 2-4 p.m. $60. (805) 464-2633. glassheadstudio. com. Glasshead Studio, 8793 Plata Lane, Suite H, Atascadero.
DAILY POTTERY Walk in, pick your
HERE COMES THE BRIDE
The Harold J. Miossi Art Gallery in San Luis Obispo presents Before These Witnesses, a collection of wedding-themed artworks, through Friday, March 14. The large-scale pieces in this solo show were created by Massachusetts-based multi-disciplinary artist Daisy Patton. The gallery is located inside room 7170 at Cuesta College. Visit cuesta.edu to find out more.
pottery project, and paint away. Something for all ages. Prices vary depending on what you choose and includes; paint, glaze, firing, and studio time. Tuesdays-Saturdays, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Varies. (805) 400-9107. artsocial805. com. ArtSocial 805 Creative Campus, 631 Spring St., Paso Robles.
DATE NIGHT Couples or friends, bring a bottle of wine and enjoy a creative night out. Have fun and get messy as the venue walks you through the basics of throwing on the potter’s wheel. Fridays, 6-8 p.m. $144. (805) 203-0335. thepotteryatascadero.com/datenight. The Pottery, 5800 El Camino Real, Atascadero.
DEPRISE BRESCIA ART GALLERY: ONGOING DISPLAYS Features a large selection of encaustic art, sculpted paintings, art installations, acrylic palette knife paintings, digital art, glass, jewelry, stones, fossils, and a butterfly sculpture garden. ongoing DepriseBrescia.com. Deprise Brescia Art Gallery, 829 10th St., Paso Robles, (310) 621-7543.
DIEGO IN PRINT An exhibition of works by Diego Huerta open Friday and Saturday afternoons. Fridays, Saturdays, 2-5 p.m. through April 6 (805) 440-7152. Pocket Gallery on Pine, 8491/2 13th Street, Paso Robles.
DOLORES: A MOVIE NIGHT
CELEBRATING ACTIVISM AND JUSTICE Discover the powerful story of activist Dolores Huerta in this inspiring documentary that highlights her fight for workers’ rights, gender equality, and social justice. Refreshments will be included and a discussion will follow the film. Feb. 28 6-9 p.m. (805) 391-4465. awakeningways.org. Awakening Ways Center for Spiritual Living, 7350 El Camino Real, Ste. 101, Atascadero.
FASHION SHOW AT THE ALCHEMISTS’ GARDEN (AT HER TABLE) A fabulous fashion show celebrating the creativity and vision of local women-owned boutiques. This is more than a runway; “it’s a celebration of entrepreneurial spirit and sartorial brilliance.” March 4 , 5-7 p.m. my805tix.com. The Alchemists’ Garden, 1144 Pine Street, Paso Robles.
FIRST SATURDAY: WINE, ART, AND MUSIC Studios on the Park celebrates First Saturdays, a fun tradition of art, wine, and live music-filled evenings at the start of each month. Enjoy meeting artists and seeing rotating exhibitions while enjoying live music and wine from one of the venue’s winery partners. First Saturday of every month, 6-9 p.m. Free; $10 for wine. (805) 238-9800. studiosonthepark.org. Studios on the Park, 1130 Pine St., Paso Robles.
FLOWER STAKE CLASS Create a fused glass flower using a variety of colorful fusible glass. Flowers can be hung with a bale or glued to a metal stake. March 5 5-7 p.m. $50. (805) 464-2633. glassheadstudio.com. Glasshead Studio, 8793 Plata Lane, Suite H, Atascadero.
MONTHLY BIRTHDAY PLATE PAINTING AT ARTSOCIAL 805 Please join ArtSocial805 on the first Saturday of each month to paint a personalized “Birthday Plate,” for someone special or for yourself. The workshop is $35, which covers the plate, glaze, and firing.
First Saturday of every month, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. $35. (805) 400-9107. artsocial805. com. ArtSocial 805 Creative Campus, 631 Spring St., Paso Robles.
ROMEO AND JULIET An exhibition of aerosolized acrylic paintings by Laguna Beach-based artist Joey Belardi. This solo exhibit features 11 paintings with a classic cartoon style inspired by the work of animators and comic artists such as Chuck Jones, Charles Schulz, Ralph Bakshi, and others. Through March 22 Cruise Control Gallery, 1075 Main St., Cambria, (805) 503-3820, cruisecontrolcambria.com/.
SHORT FORM IMPROV CLASS AT TOP GRADE COMEDY THEATER Join instructor Charles Charm, an improvisor
with 10 years of experience, to learn how to play improvgames. Classes are drop in only at this time. Shows TBD. Fridays, 6-8 p.m. $25. (530) 748-6612. Saunter Yoga and Wellness, 5820 Traffic Way, Atascadero.
STUDIOS ON THE PARK: CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS Check site for a variety of classes and workshops offered. ongoing studiosonthepark.org. Studios on the Park, 1130 Pine St., Paso Robles, (805) 238-9800.
TAKE A SPIN: TWO-HOUR WHEEL CLASS These two hour blocks provide an opportunity to learn the basics of wheel throwing. Instructors will center your clay for you, so you will have the opportunity to make two items. Saturdays, 10 a.m.-noon $72. (805) 203-0335. thepotteryatascadero.com/ wheelclasses. The Pottery, 5800 El Camino Real, Atascadero.
THE THIRD HARMONY: A MOVIE NIGHT EXPLORING THE POWER OF NONVIOLENCE The thought-provoking film, The Third Harmony, examines peaceful activism as force for change. Refreshments will be included as well as a movie discussion afterwards. March 7, 6-9 p.m. (805) 391-4465. awakeningways. org. Awakening Ways Center for Spiritual Living, 7350 El Camino Real, Ste. 101, Atascadero.
SAN LUIS OBISPO
ADAM CAROLLA LIVE With a longstanding career in comedy, radio, writing, and film, Adam Carolla will hit the stage to share a set of stand-up comedy. This is an all ages event. Feb. 28 , 7 p.m. $29. The Fremont Theater, 1035 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo, (805) 546-8600, fremontslo. com.
ART AFTER DARK Art After Dark features an art opening of world-class artists. Refreshments will be served. First Friday of every month, 5-8 p.m. through March 7 Free. slocountyarts.org/art-after-dark. EDNA Contemporary, 967 Osos St, San Luis Obispo, (805) 459-1711. CERAMIC LESSONS AND MORE Now
offering private one-on-one and group lessons in the ceramic arts. Both hand building and wheel throwing options. Beginners welcomed. ongoing (805) 835-5893. hmcruceceramics. com/. Online, See website, San Luis Obispo.
CLUE: THE MUSICAL An interactive evening where every note could be your last clue, and every suspect has a secret to hide. ThursdaysSaturdays, 8-10 p.m. and March 2 , 2-4 p.m. through March 8 $19 students; $30 general admission. (805) 756-1465. theatredance. calpoly.edu/clue-musical-winter-2025. Spanos Theatre, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.
IMPROV COMEDY SHOWS AT THE HUB The show contents will be rotated among the group’s ensemble, house, and musical improv team casts, as well as stand-up and student shows. Fourth Friday of every month, 6 p.m. my805tix.com/. The Hub, 1701 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo.
Director Dakota Simpson. Visit the link to purchase tickets and get more info. Feb. 28 7 p.m., March 1 , 7 p.m. and March 2 2 p.m. $17. my805tix.com. The Studio of Performing Arts, 805 Grand Ave., Grover Beach, (805) 709-5293.
CHARACTERS AND RELATIONSHIPS:
IMPROVISATIONAL THEATER CLASS Learn to access emotion in the moment, build characters and relationships on emotional perspectives, and use patterns of emotional behaviors to drive scenes forward. Sundays, 5:30-7:30 p.m. through April 13 $80. (805) 556-8495. improvforgood.fun/. Women’s Club of Arroyo Grande, 211 Vernon St., Arroyo Grande. DANCE FITNESS ART AND CULTURE FOR ADULTS Discover dance as a form of artistic expression and exercise, using a wide range of styles and genres of music (including modern, jazz, Broadway, ethnic). Tuesdays, 4-5 p.m. $10 drop-in; $30 for four classes. (510) 362-3739. grover.org. Grover Beach Community Center, 1230 Trouville Ave., Grover Beach.
JULIE ALPERT: STRANGE MAGIC As you step into Strange Magic, artist Julie Alpert’s first solo show in California, you’ll know one thing for certain: “Life is being lived.” Through March 2, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. (805) 543-8562. sloma. org/exhibition/julie-alpert-strange-magic/. San Luis Obispo Museum of Art, 1010 Broad St., San Luis Obispo.
LEARN TO WEAVE MONDAYS An opportunity to learn how a four-shaft loom works. You will get acquainted as a new weaver or as a refresher with lots of tips and tricks. This class includes getting to know a loom, how to prepare/dress a loom, and much much more. Mondays, 1-4 p.m. $75 monthly. (805) 441-8257. Patricia Martin: Whispering Vista Studios, 224 Squire Canyon Rd, San Luis Obispo, patriciamartinartist.com.
SANTA MARIA VALLEY/LOS ALAMOS MOON OVER BUFFALO As described by Orcutt Community Theater, “this madcap comedy centers on two fading stage actors who may have one last shot at stardom if they can just keep their act, and relationship, together.” Feb. 28 , 7:30 p.m., March 1 , 7:30 p.m. and March 2 1:30 p.m. $15-$20. my805tix.com. Klein Dance Arts, 3558 Skyway Drive, suite A, Santa Maria.
THE GAME’S AFOOT Step into the mystery of a lifetime with William Gillette, as the acclaimed actor, known for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes, hosts a star-studded Christmas Eve at his eccentric Connecticut mansion. The plot thickens when one guest meets a tragic end. March 7-23 my805tix.com. Santa Maria Civic Theatre, 1660 N. McClelland St., Santa Maria.
Cruise Control Contemporary in Cambria presents Romeo and Juliet, an exhibition of aerosolized acrylic paintings by Laguna Beach-based artist Joey Belardi, through Saturday, March 22. This solo exhibit features 11 paintings with a classic cartoon style inspired by the work of animators and comic artists such as Chuck Jones, Charles Schulz, Ralph Bakshi, and others. For more info, visit cruisecontrolcambria.com.
Sacred Events. Visit site for tickets and more info. March 4 , 10-11:15 a.m. my805tix.com. Aurora Sacred Events, 21 24th St, Cayucos.
Happy Together 2025 Tour
Sunday, July 13 • 7:30pm Vina Robles Amphitheatre, Paso Robles
Saturday, April 19 • 7:30pm Clark Center, Arroyo Grande Indigo Girls and Melissa Etheridge: Yes We Are Tour
Go to NewTimesSLO.com & CLICK ON SIGN UP TO WIN FREE TICKETS!
THE MEMOIRS OF BEATRICE MILLER A radio theater broadcast event. Set in 1940 at the World Famous Breckschnider’s Department Store, Beatrice Miller learns Aunt Ruth’s eccentric and unconventional technique of letting go. Feb. 28 - March 1 my805tix.com. CongregationHouse, 11245 Los Osos Valley Road, San Luis Obispo.
MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET On a Tuesday night, shortly before Christmas 1956, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Elvis Presley gathered at Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee. This was their only performance together, and a cultural flashpoint that caught rock ‘n’ roll at the moment of creation. Wednesdays-Saturdays, 7-9 p.m. and Saturdays, Sundays, 2-4 p.m. through March 9 $30-$55. SLO Rep, 888 Morro St., San Luis Obispo, (805) 786-2440, slorep.org/.
OPEN MIC COMEDY Sign-ups at 6:30 p.m.
Hosted by Aidan Candelario. Mondays, 7-9 p.m. Free. (805) 540-8300. saintsbarrel.com/eventcalendar. Saints Barrel Wine Bar, 1021 Higuera St., San Luis Obispo.
SCULPTURE SERIES: SPIRIT ANIMAL
Beginners welcome. This six-visit sculpture class meets twice a week for a total of three weeks. Mondays, Fridays, 10 a.m.-noon through March 21 $250. anamcre.com. Anam Cre Pottery Studio, 1243 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo.
SECOND ANNUAL CHINGONAS SHOW: ART AFTER DARK RECEPTION A collection of portraits of women. Visit site for more info. March 7 5-8 p.m. (805) 439-3823. my805tix. com/e/chingonas. Corazón Café, 847 Higuera St., San Luis Obispo.
SLO COMEDY FESTIVAL Visit website for the full festival lineup and tickets. How to sum up the fest briefly? “It’s gonna be nuts!” Feb. 27- March 2 my805tix.com. SLO County, Various locations countywide, San Luis Obispo.
SLO COMEDY UNDERGROUND OPEN MIC
NIGHT Enjoy a night of laughs provided by the local SLO Comedy Community. It’s open mic night, so anyone can perform and “you never know what you’ll see.” Tuesdays, 8 p.m. Free. Libertine Brewing Company, 1234 Broad St., San Luis Obispo, (805) 548-2337, libertinebrewing.com.
STAVROS HALKIAS: THE DREAMBOAT TOUR
A comedian, writer, and podcaster known for his sharp wit and down-to-earth humor. March 5 7 p.m. $25-$49.50. The Fremont Theater, 1035 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo, (805) 546-8600, fremontslo.com.
SOUTH COAST SLO COUNTY
OLIVER Directed by Shannon Lowrie and Nataly Plotner, collaborating with Music
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING In Shakespeare’s cherished comedy, love, wit, and mischief entwine. The results are hilarious and heartaching in this timeless battle-of-the-sexes. Through March 2 pcpa.org. Marian Theatre, 800 S. College Dr., Santa Maria.
SANCTUARY CITY In this powerful comingof-age story, two teens forge a deep bond amid the complexities of immigration, identity, belonging, and love. Feb. 27- March 16 Marian Theatre, 800 S. College Dr., Santa Maria, pcpa. org. In this powerful coming-of-age story, two teens forge a deep bond amid the complexities of immigration, identity, belonging, and love. Presented by PCPA. Feb. 27- March 16 Severson Theatre, 800 S. College Dr., Santa Maria, pcpa.org.
CULTURE & LIFESTYLE
NORTH COAST SLO COUNTY
BEHIND THE GATES: OVERSTOCK
SUCCULENT PLANTS AND POTTERY SALE
Local plant vendors and master ceramicists will be selling an amazing lineup of succulent/ landscape/house plants, all half-off. Features gorgeous handmade pots (many discounted 25 to 50 percent). March 1 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Free. (805) 602-7817. Steve Super Gardens, 2016 9th St., Los Osos.
BREATHE AND STRETCH One must be able to get down onto the floor and back up again, with ease, in order to participate in this 55-minute session. It’s specifically designed to enhance mobility and strength. Please bring a mat and some water. Mondays, 9-10 a.m. $10 per session. (415) 516-5214. Bayside Martial Arts, 1200 2nd St., Los Osos.
BREATHING INTO BALANCE: RECLAIMING
PEACE AND HARMONY Features an evening of breathwork, reflection, and self-care in a warm, supportive women’s circle space designed to help you recharge and reclaim harmony. Feb. 27, 5:30-7 p.m. Donation; 50 percent goes to Woods Humane Society. (805) 235-7978. charvetgratefulbody.com. Health With Integrity, 80 North Ocean, Cayucos. CENTRAL COAST SLIM DOWN Take control of food without suffering. Learn a step-by-step process to take control of overeating, cravings, and feel peace with food. Build the habits, mindset, and your unique path with results that stick. Hosted byTami Cruz (Certified Health/Life Coach) and Dana Charvet (Coach/ Fitness Trainer). ongoing Call for pricing info. (805) 235-7978. gratefulbodyhealthcoaching.
com. Grateful Body, 850 Shasta, Morro Bay. CENTRAL COAST UECHI-RYU KARATE-DO Uechi-Ryu Karate-do is a traditional form of karate originating from Okinawa, Japan. Focus is on fitness, flexibility, and self-defense with emphasis on self -growth, humility, and respect. Open to ages 13 to adult. Beginners and experienced welcome. Instructor with 50 years experience. For info, call 805-215-8806. Tuesdays, Thursdays, 6-7:30 p.m. Morro Bay Community Center, 1001 Kennedy Way, Morro Bay, 772-6278, morro-bay.ca.us.
CENTRAL COAST WOOD CARVERS Learn the art of wood carving or wood burning. Join Central Coast Wood Carvers in Morro Bay at St. Timothy’s. Open for beginners, intermediate, or advance. Learn a wide range of techniques and skills. Tuesdays, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. St. Timothy’s Catholic Church, 962 Piney Way, Morro Bay, (805) 772-2840, sttimothymorrobay. org/index.html.
CITIZENS FOR ESTERO BAY PRESERVATION: MONTHLY FACE-TO-FACE MEET-UPS
Representatives from “Citizens for Estero Bay Preservation” will be on hand to discuss current news and events surrounding efforts to stop the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Morro Bay and the industrialization of the Embarcadero and waterfront. “No Batteries by the Bay” yard signs available. Email preserveesterobay@gmail for more info. First Tuesday of every month, 10-11 a.m. Free. Buttercup Bakery and Cafe, 430 Morro Bay Blvd., Morro Bay.
CO-DEPENDENTS ANONYMOUS MEETING
Co-Dependents Anonymous (CoDA) is a Twelve Step recovery program for anyone who desires to have healthy and loving relationships with themselves and others. Meeting is hybrid (both in person and on Zoom). For information, call 805-900-5237. Saturdays, 1-2:15 p.m. Free. thecambriaconnection.org/. Cambria Connection, 1069 Main St., Cambria, (805) 927-1654.
COMMUNITY SIP AND STEAM Start your Sunday with the beautiful and nourishing practice of pelvic/yoni steaming with organic and carefully selected botanicals accompanied by a relaxing ceremonial tea meditation. March 9 10:30 a.m.-noon $75. (833) 838-4902. inariteaart.com/book-online. Mother Beauty, 222 N Ocean Avenue, Cayucos. ENJOY AXE THROWING Enjoy the art of axe throwing in a safe and fun environment. Kids ages 10 and older are welcome with an adult. No personal axes please. Fridays, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. and Saturdays, 12-6 p.m. $20. (805) 5284880. baysidemartialarts.com. Bayside Martial Arts, 1200 2nd St., Los Osos.
MAIDEN TO CRONE SISTER CIRCLE Connect deeply with other women. Sharing the things that are close to our hearts creates a space of shared vulnerability that leads to deep connection. First Sunday of every month, 9-11 a.m. my805tix.com. From the Roots Up Healing Studio, 2055 9th St., Los Osos.
MEDITATE WITH DAWN Hosted by Aurora
MORRO BAY METAPHYSICIANS DISCUSSION GROUP A group of metaphysically minded individuals that have been meeting for many years now in the Coalesce Chapel. Club offers a supportive metaphysical based community. Members discuss a different topic each week. All are welcome to join. Fridays, 12:30-1:30 p.m. Suggested donation of $10-$15. Coalesce Bookstore, 845 Main St., Morro Bay, coalescebookstore.com/.
OPEN FLOW: DANCE AND MOVEMENT A community of movers and shakers who come together to express themselves through dance and movement. Inspired by a variety of conscious movement modalities, Open Flow is led by Silvia Suarez and Matt Garrity, embodiment teachers who share a passion for integration through movement exploration. Wednesdays, 6:30-8 p.m. $10 (general), $5 (ages 55 and older). SilviaAthaSomatics.org. Morro Bay Community Center, 1001 Kennedy Way, Morro Bay, 772-6278.
SHAMANIC MORNING RITUALS FOR VITALITY Be guided into intentional movement, laughter, earthing practices, and gratitude rituals. Feb. 28 , 8:30-9:45 a.m. my805tix.com. Aurora Sacred Events, 21 24th St, Cayucos.
STAY YOUNG WITH QI GONG Qi gong offers great anti-aging benefits, providing a comprehensive system for improving physical, mental and emotional health. Its roots date back thousands of years in China. Learn with certified instructor Devin Wallace. Call first. Thursdays, 10-11 a.m. $10. (805) 709-2227. Hardie Park, Ash Ave. and B St., Cayucos. Qi gong offers great anti-aging benefits, providing a comprehensive system for improving physical and mental health. Its roots date back thousands of years in China. Learn with certified instructor Devin Wallace. Call first for info and exact location. Fridays, 9-10 a.m. $12. (805) 709-2227. inner-workings.com. Los Osos, Townwide, Los Osos. STRETCH, BREATHE, AND BALANCE Ideal for seniors, and open to everyone. Instructor Randal Bodlak takes you through specific moves to promote mobility, internal strength, and stability. Mondays, 9-10 a.m. $10 per session. (805) 528-4880. Bayside Martial Arts, 1200 2nd St., Los Osos.
TAI CHI BASICS Visit site for more details on this ongoing, weekly Tai Chi program. Tuesdays, 4:30-5:30 p.m. $10-$12. (805) 7727486. fitnessworksmb.com. FitnessWorks, 500 Quintana Rd., Morro Bay.
WISDOM OF THE FOUR DIRECTIONS: EAST (SOUND JOURNEY) The first in a four-part seasonal series, which begin in the East— Spring—a time of renewal, clarity, and vision. March 4 6 p.m. my805tix.com. Central Coast Body Therapy Center, 2005 9th St., Los Osos, (805) 709-2227.
Vote online (newtimesslo.com), drop your ballot by our office, or mail it to: New Times - Best of SLO County 1010 Marsh Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
The class of 2025 is almost here, and we’re looking to fill the pages of the Best of San Luis Obispo County yearbook. We need you to help us by voting for the most popular kids in school. Cheer on your favorite coffee shops, bars, restaurants, dentists,
salons, and more—we’ve got categories for all of them! You don’t even need to talk to an adviser for help with this one. And don’t forget to keep in touch. Vote online at newtimesslo.com. Remember, you need to complete at least 25 categories to make the cut.
Return this ballot to the New Times office or finish filling one out online by Monday, March 10, at 5 p.m., and keep an eye out for our biggest issue of the year memorializing the winning class of 2025 on May 1.
Ballots must be in our office by Monday, March 10, at 5 p.m. to be eligible for inclusion in the poll results. THE RULES: One ballot per person. No more than two ballots may be submitted per envelope or in person at one time. No photocopies can be accepted. To prevent ballot-box stuffing (also known as cheating), all ballots must have at least 25 categories completed and must include the name and address of the voter, for verification purposes only. Ballots without this information will be disqualified. All information is kept in complete confidence. Ballots must be in our office by Monday, March 10, at 5 p.m. Winners will be announced in our May 1 special publication. All entries become the property of New Times Remember, vote for your favorite local businesses!
Arts
Entertainment
BEST OF SLO 2025!
BEST OF SLO 2025!
VOTED BEST CANNABIS DISPENSARY 4 YEARS IN A ROW!
VOTED BEST CANNABIS DISPENSARY 4 YEARS IN A ROW!
YOGA PLUS A hybrid of yoga and “stretching” techniques that yield a body that moves and feels amazing. Mondays, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. $10 per session. (415) 516-5214. Bayside Martial Arts, 1200 2nd St., Los Osos.
Learn the Shaolin
ZEN IN MOTION
Water Style and other deep breathing and moving meditation techniques with the 2019 Taijiquan Instructor of the Year. Beginners Welcome.Instructor Certification Courses available. Mondays, Wednesdays Call for details. (805) 7017397. charvetmartialarts.com. Grateful Body, 850 Shasta, Morro Bay.
NORTH SLO COUNTY
AAUW MARDI GRAS 2025 Support
women and girls at this North County nonprofit event. Your ticket buys you wine, Cajun food, and rocking live music. Costumes are encouraged. March 1 5:30-9:30 p.m. $80. (805) 703-3950. atascaderoaauw.org/. Pavilion on the Lake, 9315 Pismo Ave., Atascadero.
BALANCE FLOW Suitable for all levels. This class is meant to benefit the mindbody connection while emphasizing safe and effective alignment as well as breath awareness and relaxation. Please call to register in advance. Tuesdays, Thursdays, 4:30-5:30 p.m.
GODDESS GROUP Please join Oracle Owner/Intuitive Medium, Tiffany Klemz, for this twice monthly, Goddess Group. The intention of this group is to curate connection, inspiration, unity, and empowerment. Every other Tuesday, 6:30-8 p.m. $11. (805) 464-2838. oracleatascaderoca.com. Oracle, 6280 Palma Ave., Atascadero.
GUIDED MEDITATION WITH KAREN LEARY AT AWAKENING WAYS
Experience guided meditations every Wednesday evening in a supportive space. Connect with your inner self and discover peace, healing, and self-awareness. Wednesdays, 6-7 p.m. (805) 391-4465. awakeningways.org.
Awakening Ways Center for Spiritual Living, 7350 El Camino Real, Ste. 101, Atascadero.
HAMBLY LAVENDER FARM GUIDED
EXPERIENCE This one-hour walk about the farm immerses you in the processes of growing, harvesting, and drying this fragrant herb. Saturdays, Sundays, 10 a.m. my805tix.com. Hambly Farms, 1390 Grana Place, San Miguel.
HIIT 45 WITH SARA JORGENSEN
A dynamic and fun way to improve strength and cardiovascular conditioning using weights, resistance bands, and body weight. Bring a yoga mat and water. Thursdays, 9:30-10:15 a.m. and Mondays, 5:30-6:15 p.m. $15 for members; $25 for guests. (805) 4349605. ttrtennis.com/fitness/fitnessclasses/. Templeton Tennis Ranch, 345
Championship Lane, Templeton.
MACRAME PLANT HANGER CLASS
Peaceful Plants is offering a macrame plant hanger class at Golden State Goods. March 1 , 2 p.m. my805tix.com. Golden State Goods, 5880 Traffic Way, Atascadero.
THE MOM WALK COLLECTIVE: MAMA AND ME YOGA CLASS Bring your yoga mat and your kids for a fun 30-minute beginner level yoga class followed by coffee and donuts, sponsored by At Her Table. March 3 10 a.m. Free entry; RSVP required. my805tix.com. Sunken Gardens, 6505 El Camino Real, Atascadero.
SIP, DREAM, AND CREATE: VISION BOARD WORKSHOP FOR WOMEN EMPOWERMENT (AT HER TABLE) With the completion of your vision board, you will also have time for a sip and mingle where you can share your vision board and dreams with others. March 7 5 p.m. my805tix.com. Marin’s Vineyard Wine Tasting Room, 5983 Entrada Ave., Atascadero.
SOCRATES DISCUSSION GROUP Have a topic, book, or article you wish to discuss with interested and interesting people? Join this weekly meeting to discuss it, or simply contribute your experiences and knowledge. Contact Mark Plater for instructions on entering the Chapel area. Wednesdays, 10 a.m.-noon (805) 528-7111. Coalesce Garden Chapel, 845 Main St., Morro Bay.
STARRY NIGHTS: FREE PUBLIC STARGAZING Look through telescopes provided by Central Coast Astronomy at this all-ages, family friendly event. See website for more details. March 1 7-9 p.m. Free. (805) 544-4636. centralcoastastronomy.org/. Santa Margarita Lake, 4695 Santa Margarita Lake Rd, Santa Margarita.
TAI CHI This course’s instructor has won many Tai Chi and other internal martial arts tournaments. Both experienced martial artists and new learners are welcome to the class. Tuesdays, Thursdays, 5:30-6:30 p.m. $65. (805) 237-3988. Centennial Park, 600 Nickerson Dr., Paso Robles.
TOPS SUPPORT GROUP: WEIGHT LOSS AND MAINTENANCE A self-help support group focusing on weight loss and maintenance. Thursdays, 1:30 p.m. (805) 242-2421. tops.org. Santa Margarita Senior Center, 2210 H St., Santa Margarita.
TOPS TAKE OFF POUNDS SENSIBLY Join for affordable and effective weight-loss support. Sundays, 10-11 a.m. through Oct. 31 First visit is free. (805) 234-1026. Rancho Del Bordo Clubhouse, 10025 El Camino Real, Atascadero, tops.org.
YANG STYLE TAI CHI The course’s instructor won many Tai Chi and other internal martial arts tournaments. Both experienced martial artists and new learners are welcome to the class. Mondays, Wednesdays, 5-6 p.m. $62. (805) 470-3360. Colony Park Community Center, 5599 Traffic Way, Atascadero.
SAN LUIS OBISPO
BIRDS AND BOTANY MONTHLY WALK AT SLO BOTANICAL GARDEN The Garden is excited to present a monthly bird walk series on the fourth Thursday of every month which explores the intersection of birds and botany. Fourth Thursday of every month, 8-11 a.m. $10 for Garden Members; $40 for general public. (805) 541-1400. slobg.org. San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden, 3450 Dairy Creek Rd., San Luis Obispo.
CAL HOPE SLO GROUPS AT TMHA
Visit website for full list of weekly Zoom groups available. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays calhopeconnect.org. Transitions Mental Health Warehouse, 784 High Street, San Luis Obispo, (805) 270-3346.
CENTRAL COAST DIALYSIS ORGAN
TRANSPLANT SUPPORT GROUP Not faith based. All are welcome. Please wear a mask. First Saturday of every month, 9:30-11:30 a.m. St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church SLO, 650 Pismo St., San Luis Obispo.
COMPLIMENTARY SHOWERS WITH SHOWER THE PEOPLE After a short hiatus, the San Luis Obispo Library will once again be partnering with local non-profit organization, Shower the People. The shower trailer will be located between the library and parking structure. Toiletries provided. Sundays, 1-3 p.m. Free. San Luis Obispo Library, 995 Palm St., San Luis Obispo.
DISCOVER THE POWER OF YOUR DNA SPONSORED BY THE SLO COUNTY
GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY Join Michelle Leonard, the well-known genealogist from Scotland, as she presents information regarding the fundamentals of DNA, the organization of DNA Results, and all about using DNA in your family research. March 1 8:45 a.m.-2:30 p.m. $50. (805) 478-1951. slocgs.org. Online, See website, San Luis Obispo.
FAMILY FREE DAY: LADYBUG FESTIVAL Learn about the importance of ladybugs to the conservation of plants as well as some fun facts about these special bugs.
March 9 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. (805)5411400. slobg.org/calendar-of-events/. San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden, 3450 Dairy Creek Rd., San Luis Obispo.
FREE TOURS OF THE MISSION Tour
San Luis Obispo’s Spanish Mission, founded in 1772. Come learn its history and about the development of this area. Tours, led by docents, are free at 1:15 p.m Monday through Saturday, and 2 p.m. on Sundays. Sundays, 2-3 p.m. and Mondays-Saturdays, 1:15-2:15 p.m. Free.
(657) 465-9182. missionsanluisobispo.org.
Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, 751 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo.
GARDEN FOUNDER WALK AND TALK
Walk and talk with Eve Vigil in the Botanical Garden each month on the first Wednesday. Free garden tour with paid admission to the Garden. Free for members. No need to RSVP, just show up and enjoy. First Wednesday of every month, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Free with $5 Garden Entry. (805) 541-1400. slobg.org. San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden, 3450 Dairy Creek Rd., San Luis Obispo.
HEALING DEPRESSION SUPPORT
GROUP A safe place to share feelings of depression with those who suffer and those who have recovered to a full, healthy outlook on life. Mondays, 6-7 p.m. Free. (805) 528-3194. Hope House Wellness Center, 1306 Nipomo St., San Luis Obispo.
LGBTQ+ FED THERAPIST LEAD
SUPPORT GROUP (VIRTUALLY VIA ZOOM) A pro-recovery group offering space to those seeking peer support, all stages of ED recovery. We understand recovery isn’t linear and judgment-free support is crucial. Share, listen, and be part of a community building up each other. First Wednesday of every month, 7-8 p.m. Free. galacc.org/events/. Online, See website, San Luis Obispo.
MINDFULNESS AND MEDITATION
(ONLINE MEETING) Zoom series hosted by TMHA. Thursdays, 10:30 a.m.-noon Transitions Mental Health Warehouse, 784 High Street, San Luis Obispo, (805) 270-3346.
PUBLIC TALK: DISCOVER EVER PRESENT LOVE ACTIVE IN YOUR LIFE
All are welcome to this inspiring talk centered around love. The conversation can also be accessed online. March 2 , 1-2 p.m. Free. (805) 543-5853. christianscienceslo.org/talks-events. First Church of Christ, Scientist, 1326 Garden St., San Luis Obispo.
Q YOUTH GROUP (VIRTUALLY VIA ZOOM) This is a social support group for LGBTQ+ and questioning youth between the ages of 11-18. Each week the group explores personal, cultural, and social identity. Thursdays, 6-8 p.m. Free. galacc. org/events/. Online, See website, San Luis Obispo.
SLO NOONTIME TOASTMASTERS CLUB MEETINGS Want to improve speaking and leadership skills in a supportive and
positive environment? During COVID, we are meeting virtually. Contact us to get a meeting link for info. Tuesdays, 12-1 p.m. Free. slonoontime.toastmastersclubs.org. Zoom, Online, Inquire for Zoom ID.
SLO PHILATELIC SOCIETY Stamp
Collector? The SLO Philatelic Society (SLOPS) meets in the SLO UMC Conference Room on the first and third Tuesday of each month. Visitors welcome. For more info, contact SLOPS at slostampclub@gmail.com. First Tuesday of every month, 1-3 p.m. (805) 801-9112. SLO Senior Center, 1445 Santa Rosa St., San Luis Obispo, slocity.org/seniors.
SLO RETIRED ACTIVE MEN: WEEKLY COFFEE MEETING SLO RAMs is a group or retirees that get together just for the fun, fellowship, and to enjoy programs which enhance the enjoyment, dignity, and independence of retirement. Thursdays, 8:30-9:30 a.m. $10 coffee meeting. retiredactivemen.org. Madonna Inn, 100 Madonna Rd., San Luis Obispo. STAY YOUNG WITH QI GONG Qi Gong boosts energy and vitality, reduces stress, improves balance and flexibility, and, best of all, is fun. Join instructor Devin Wallace for this outdoor class which is held in a beautiful setting. Call or email before attending. Tuesdays, 10-11 a.m. $12. Crows End Retreat, 6430 Squire Ct., San Luis Obispo.
TRANS* TUESDAY A safe space providing peer-to-peer support for trans, gender non-conforming, non-binary, and questioning people. In-person and Zoom meetings held. Contact tranzcentralcoast@gmail.com for more details. Tuesdays, 7-9 p.m. Free. GALA Pride and Diversity Center, 1060 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, (805) 541-4252.
SOUTH COAST SLO COUNTY
BEGINNER GROUP SURF LESSONS AND SURF CAMPS Lessons and camp packages available daily. All equipment included. ongoing Starts at $70. (805) 835-7873. sandbarsurf.com/. Sandbar Surf School Meetup Spot, 110 Park Ave., Pismo Beach.
BEGINNING BALLET FOR ADULTS Enjoy the grace and flow of ballet. No previous experience needed. Wednesdays, 5:156:15 p.m. $12 drop-in; $40 for four classes. (510) 362-3739. grover.org. Grover Beach Community Center, 1230 Trouville Ave., Grover Beach.
BODY FUSION/EXERCISE AND FITNESS CLASS Do something good for yourself
TWO OF US
The cast of the Pacific Conservatory Theatre’s (PCPA) production of Sanctuary City features Kiara Plaza (left) as G and Andrew Missael Banderas (right) as B, two teens who “forge a deep bond amid the complexities of immigration, identity, belonging, and love,” according to press materials. The show opened at the Severson Theatre in Santa Maria on Thursday, Feb. 27, and is scheduled to run through Sunday, March 16. Visit pcpa.org for tickets and more info.
—C.W.
and stay fit for outdoor sports, while enhancing flexibility, strengthening your core to prevent lower back issues, improving your posture through yoga, and more. Tuesdays, Thursdays, 9-10:30 a.m. Free. (970) 710-1412. Avila Beach Community Center, 191 San Miguel St., Avila Beach, avilabeachcc.com.
BRIDGING GENERATIONS: KEY TALKS FOR SENIORS AND FAMILIES Hosted by Sea Coast Seniors. March 5 10 a.m. my805tix.com. Hilton Garden Inn, 601 James Way, Pismo Beach.
COMMUNITY NATIVE GARDEN MONTHLY VOLUNTEER WORKDAY
Volunteers accomplish a variety of tasks including pathways maintenance, litter patrol of the garden perimeter, weeding, irrigation system expansion/repairs, pruning, and plantings. Volunteers should bring work gloves, a hat, drinking water, and tools related to the above activities. First Saturday of every month, 9 a.m.-noon Free. (805) 710-3073. Nipomo Native Garden, Camino Caballo at Osage, Nipomo.
FREE HANDS-ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE WORKSHOP FOR WRITERS The Coastal Dunes California Writers Club presents a hands-on complementary artificial intelligence workshop for writers by publishing consultant Brian Schwartz. March 1 10 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Free access; no tickets required. (805) 929-3994. coastaldunescwc.com. Nipomo Library, 918 W. Tefft, Nipomo.
FRIENDS OF THE NIPOMO LIBRARY BOOK SALE Come find it all: adult fiction, nonfiction, mystery, romance, biography, gardening, travel, history, cookbooks, children’s books, CD’s, DVD’s, and jigsaw puzzles. March 8 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (805) 929-3994. friendsofnipomolibrary.org/. Nipomo Library, 918 W. Tefft, Nipomo. HERITAGE SQUARE BARK AND LEARN: A DAY OF FUN AND LEARNING Central Coast dog parents, join this one-day training event with four unique classes. Limited spots—sign up now. March 1 9 a.m.-4 p.m. $50. (805) 458-7109. emberleash.com/pages/classes. Heritage
Square Park, 201 Nelson St., Arroyo Grande.
LEARN ABOUT PISMO BEACH FOUNDER
JOHN MICHAEL PRICE AND TOUR PRICE
ANNIVERSARY HOUSE Come learn about John Michael Price and tour Price Anniversary House. RSVP by calling. Community members and prospective volunteers are both welcome. March 8 10-11:30 a.m. Free. (805) 550-0439. pricepark.org. Price Historical Park, 100 Rancho Pismo Drive, Pismo Beach.
MAKE YOUR OWN KOKEDAMA
WORKSHOP You will be able to choose a plant from a selection of plants and leave with a beautiful kokedama that you made yourself. March 2 , 2-3:30 p.m. $35. (805) 270-4083. theplantedparlour.com. The Planted Parlour, 592 W Grand Ave., Grover Beach.
MULTICULTURAL DANCE CLASS
FOR ADULTS Experience dance from continents around the earth, including from Africa, Europe, and more. Described as “a wonderful in-depth look at the context and history of cultures of the world.” Tuesdays, 5:30-6:30 p.m. $10 dropin; $30 for four classes. (510) 362-3739. grover.org. Grover Beach Community Center, 1230 Trouville Ave., Grover Beach.
POINT SAN LUIS LIGHTHOUSE TOURS
A docent-led tour of the buildings and grounds of the historic Point San Luis Light Station. Check website for more details. Wednesdays, Saturdays pointsanluislighthouse.org/. Point San Luis Lighthouse, 1 Lighthouse Rd., Avila Beach.
RESTORE YOUR WELL-BEING WITH JIN
SHIN JYUTSU Learn how to harmonize your energy and enjoy greater resilience and well-being. Register with Pismo Recreation. Tuesdays, 6-7:30 p.m. through March 18 $150 for 6; or $30 drop-in. (805) 773-7063. pismobeach/org/recreation.
Shell Beach Veterans Memorial Building, 230 Leeward Ave., Pismo Beach.
SOCIAL GROUP FOR WIDOWS AND WIDOWERS Call for more details. Second Saturday of every month, 10 a.m. (805) 904-6615. Oak Park Christian Church, 386 N Oak Park Blvd., Grover Beach.
SOUTH COUNTY ADVISORY COUNCIL
ANNOUNCES 2025 ELECTIONS South County Advisory Council announces 2025 elections; South County Advisory Council (SCAC) of San Luis Obispo County. March 3 , 6:30-8:30 p.m. Free. (805) 441-1512.
Nipomo Community Service District, 148 S. Wilson St., Nipomo, scac.ca.gov.
FOOD & DRINK
NORTH COAST SLO COUNTY
MORRO BAY MAIN STREET FARMERS MARKET Get fresh and veggies, fruit, baked goods, sweets, and handmade artisan crafts. Come have some fun with your local farmers and artisans and enjoy delicious eats while enjoying the fresh breeze of Morro Bay. Saturdays, 2:30-5:30 p.m. Varies. (805) 824-7383. morrobayfarmersmarket.com. Morro Bay Main Street Farmers Market, Main Street and Morro Bay Blvd., Morro Bay. STRINGS AND SIPS: A VEGAN, ASIANINSPIRED FEAST (AT HER TABLE) This exclusive four-course vegan, AsianInspired dinner will showcase vibrant plant-based cuisine paired with exquisite wine pairings from Claiborne and Churchill Winery. March 2 6-8:30 p.m. my805tix.com. Robin’s Restaurant, 4095 Burton Drive, Cambria, (805) 927-5007.
NORTH SLO COUNTY AT HER TABLE AT SOMM’S KITCHEN During a six-course tasting menu shared per couple, guests will taste and discuss 12 wines. March 5 6 p.m. my805tix.com. Somm’s Kitchen, 849 13th Street, Paso Robles.
CLUB CAR BAR TRIVIA WITH DR. RICKY Teams of 1 to 6 people welcome. Visit site for more info. Wednesdays, 7-10 p.m. my805tix.com. Club Car Bar, 508 S. Main St., Templeton.
DYEING TO COOK (AT HER TABLE) Using food waste and natural pigments—such as onion skins, turmeric, and avocado pits—you’ll transform four organically grown cotton napkins into beautiful, eco-friendly keepsakes March 6 6 p.m. my805tix.com. Phoenix Rising Villa, 7785 Nonpariel Road, Paso Robles. EDUCATIONAL SPEED TASTING: THIBIDO, ABSOLUTION CELLARS, VINYL VINEYARDS, COPIA (AT HER TABLE) Enjoy an exclusive tasting experience at Somm’s Kitchen’s chef’s counter, featuring four exceptional female-driven wineries. March 2 1 p.m. my805tix.com. Somm’s Kitchen, 849 13th Street, Paso Robles.
FIVE-COURSE GOURMET CHOCOLATE FOOD & DRINK continued page 31
COURTESY PHOTO BY LUIS ESCOBAR, REFLECTIONS PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIO
AND WINE PAIRING (AT HER TABLE) Featuring artisanal chocolates from Michelin star pastry chef Florencia Breda. Paired with five handcrafted wines by CRUSH Vineyard. March 6 -9, 4 p.m. my805tix.com. CRUSH Vineyard, 3773 Ruth Way, Paso Robles.
GATHER AND GROW: AT HER TABLE LAUNCH An evening of connection, inspiration, and celebration. Dress in your garden-chic attire, bring your positive energy, and raise a glass to the incredible women shaping our community. March 1 , 3:30-6:30 p.m. my805tix.com. Barton Family Wines, 2174 Highway 46 West, Paso Robles, (805) 237-0771.
LOCALLY SOURCED FIVE-COURSE DINNER EXPERIENCE
WITH AN ENTREE ROUND CULINARY SHOWDOWN Hosted by At Her Table. Visit site for tickets and more info. March 4 4:30 p.m. my805tix.com. Idler’s Home Paso Robles, 2361 Theatre Drive, Paso Robles.
MOCKTAIL MIXOLOGY WORKSHOP AND SOBER CURIOUS SATURDAY Shake up your afternoon with a Mocktail Making Workshop, hosted by Yes Cocktail Co. and To Be Honest Beverage Co. March 1 , 2-4 p.m. my805tix.com/. Yes Cocktail Company, 2915 Union Road, Paso Robles, (805) 591-4735.
OUT AND SAVVY SPRING BRUNCH Enjoy a delightful brunch, connect with inspiring women, and welcome spring at the beautiful Mirazur Restaurant. Proceeds benefit the Gala Pride and Diversity Center, supporting vital LGBTQ+ programs. March 2 9:30 a.m. my805tix.com/. Mirazur Restaurant, 1365 2nd St., Los Osos, (805) 439-0058.
PASO ROBLES DEFINED (AT HER TABLE) Enjoy a fun, interactive, deep-dive tasting of the Austin Hope Cabernet Sauvignon. March 7 5:30 p.m. my805tix.com. Hope on Park Creative Space, 1140 Pine Street, Paso Robles.
POP, CLINK, CONNECT: AT HER TABLE At Her Table’s mission is “to bring awareness, support, and the spirit of celebration to women-owned and co-owned businesses in the food, beverage, and lodging industry on the central coast.” Feb. 28 - March 3 4 p.m. $67. athertable.com. Somm’s Kitchen, 849 13th Street, Paso Robles.
TACO TUESDAYS La Parilla Taqueria will be in the courtyard serving up their delicious tacos and tostadas. Menu typically includes barbacoa, chicken, and pastor tacos, as well as shrimp ceviche tostadas. Tuesdays, 5-8 p.m. (805) 460-6042. ancientowlbeergarden.com. Ancient Owl Beer Garden, 6090 El Camino Real, suite C, Atascadero.
SAN LUIS OBISPO
DOWNTOWN SLO FARMERS MARKET Thursdays, 6-9 p.m.
Downtown SLO, Multiple locations, San Luis Obispo.
IMPROV COMEDY SHOWS All the improv you see will be on the spot from your audience suggestions. First Thursday of every month, 6 p.m. (805) 540-8300. my805tix.com. Bang the Drum Brewery, 1150 Laurel Lane, suite 130, San Luis Obispo.
PIÑATAS ON THE PATIO What is more festive than a piñata? Join for some brunch drinks and a couple of good hits to a piñata (or two). Good times and goofy prices promised. Turns will be determined on a first come, first served basis. First Sunday of every month Free. SLO Public Market, South Higuera Street, San Luis Obispo.
SLO FARMERS MARKET Hosts more than 60 vendors. Saturdays, 8-10:45 a.m. World Market Parking Lot, 325 Madonna Rd., San Luis Obispo.
SLO GRANGE HALL PANCAKE BREAKFAST Join the SLO Grange Hall for a good old-fashioned pancake breakfast. Pancakes, bacon, eggs, juice and coffee; all for a low suggested donation price of $10, with proceeds to benefit SLO Grange Hall 639. Second Sunday of every month, 8-11 a.m. $10. (805) 543-0639. San Luis Obispo Grange Hall, 2880 Broad St., San Luis Obispo.
TRIVIA NIGHT Reservations are no longer required to play. Reservations are now for teams who want to guarantee a table to play. Tables available first come, first serve. Wednesdays, 7-9 p.m. my805tix.com. Bang the Drum Brewery, 1150 Laurel Lane, suite 130, San Luis Obispo.
SOUTH COAST SLO COUNTY
ITALIAN CATHOLIC FEDERATION MARDI GRAS FISH FRY
The St. Patrick’s Italian Catholic Federation is hosting a Mardi Gras Fish Fry dinner. Take-out food will be available. Feb. 28 4-7 p.m. $10-$20. St. Patrick’s Church, 501 Fair Oaks Ave., Arroyo Grande, stpatsag.org.
MONTHLY FERMENTATION CLASSES New topics each month with a thorough demo and explanation of the process that creates non-alcoholic, probiotic, and nutrient-dense fermentations. Leave the class confident and prepared with recipes to make your own at home. Limited seating; reserve spot prior to class by phone/email. Second Sunday of every month, 3:30-5 p.m. $30. (805) 801-6627. kulturhausbrewing. com/classes/. Kulturhaus Brewing Company, 779 Price St., Pismo Beach.
TRIVIA NIGHT Join BrainStew Trivia for a hilariously witty evening of trivia in Pismo. Teams of 1 to 4 people. Prizes awarded to the first and second place teams. Kitchen is open until 7:30 p.m. for brain fuel. Beer, cider, wine, and nonalcoholic options available. First Thursday of every month, 6:30-8 p.m. Free to play. (805) 295-6171. kulturhausbrewing. com. Kulturhaus Brewing Company, 779 Price St., Pismo Beach. ∆
Management reserves the right to
Arts
Seattle-based installation artist
Julie Alpert’s Strange Magic ends at SLOMA on March 2
Time is running out to see Seattle-based installation artist
Julie Alpert’s Strange Magic in the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art (SLOMA, 1010 Broad St.). It’s like walking into a brightly colored, whimsical cartoon world.
“As we step into Strange Magic, artist Julie Alpert’s first solo show in California, we know one thing for certain: life is being lived,” SLOMA wrote.“There are potted flowers, tables, windows, shelves, bottles of hand soap and laundry detergent, a slightly oversized mug and box fan—all necessary functional and decorative elements of a routine living space. Amidst this delightful chaos we also see the youthful exuberance of life: the colors, shapes, and patterns invite us to experience feelings of playfulness and delight—a slightly imperfect handmade beauty.”
The exhibit also includes the smaller drawings, collages, and mockups Alpert creates in a stream-of-consciousness process to create her final large-scale design.
“Coloring, cutting, and gluing,” Alpert says, “is my favorite way to connect with the world and to myself.”
Cal Poly’s Kennedy Library is calling for mural applications due March 20
After a long renovation, Cal Poly’s brutalist Robert E. Kennedy Library is scheduled to reopen in the fall of this year, and as part of the renovation, Cal Poly is seeking mural ideas.
“The Main Entrance Mural Project seeks proposals from California-based artists to transform a concrete wall into a distinctive mural that will reflect the library as a foundational place where knowledge and personal interests can be expanded and elevated,” the university announced.
“The goal is to continue weaving the thread of placemaking on campus through art,” Kennedy Library Exhibits and Arts Curator Suzie Smith explained. “We want students to feel excited, welcome, and comfortable in the library, knowing that it is a space that reflects them as individuals, as well as the part they play in our collective community.”
The five-story concrete library was constructed between 1977 and 1980, opening in 1981. The purposed of the renovation was to turn the building “into a dynamic hub where academic experts and resources, ample study space, unique collections and curated programs and exhibitions will be found under one roof.”
Mural proposals will be accepted until March 20. The mural will be installed in summer of this year. Find details at lib.calpoly.edu/ events-and-exhibits. ∆
—Glen Starkey
BY GLEN STARKEY
A search for connection
Local artist Colleen Gnos gets her tiki on at The Bunker
When you hear “tiki,” what comes to mind?
Tropical drinks festooned with tiny paper umbrellas?
Grass skirts and coconut bras? Exotica music?
Ratan patio furniture?
An outdoor bamboo bar?
Asian food? Hawaiian shirts? Tiki torches?
See the work
See Idolatry, a collection of tiki-themed paintings by Colleen Gnos, at SLO’s The Bunker (810 Orcutt Road), with an opening on Friday, March 7, from 5 to 8 p.m. The hula dancers Nā Mele O Ke Kai-Hālau will perform from 6:45 to 7:30 p.m. The Big Wave Sushi food truck will be on-site. After opening night, regular hours for The Bunker are Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Learn more at thebunkerslo.com.
is month at e Bunker, you can nd out what comes to mind for local ne artist and muralist Colleen Gnos when she presents Idolatry, a collection of her tiki-inspired paintings.
“My intention with my art show Idolatry is to portray the cultural appropriation of Paci c Islander culture and how it morphed into California Polynesian pop, which, thanks to Don the Beachcomber in the 1930s, led to fancy tropical drinks and the romanticization of the ‘Indiana Jones’ type explorer who adventures into the depths of the jungle and collects/steals ‘tribal’ artifacts,” Gnos explained in an email interview conducted in February while she was an artist in residence at the Sam and Adele Golden Foundation for the Arts in New Berlin, New York.
e history of tiki culture is a long, strange trip. Invented by Donn Beach and Trader Vic (née Ernest Gantt), two white guys living in California in the 1930s, it essentially took Caribbean rum, Asian food, and Paci c Islands iconography and combined it into a kitschy faux tropical paradise.
Cultural appropriation is right. A Māori tiki is a religious idol that represents the rst man created by God. American tiki culture made them into ceramic mugs to drink mai tais out of.
“Tiki is about escapism, a temporary reprieve
from the daily grind, a connection to something greater, all to the soundtrack of Exotica: a genre of music created by greats such as Martin Denny and Les Baxter, which include vibraphone and bird calls in their songs,” Gnos explained. “ e tradition is still carried on by bands such as Tikiyaki Orchestra, who have a cult following. ese are songs that transport you to paradise.
“All of these elements help us dip our toes into the mysterious world of tiki.”
Following the end of Prohibition in 1933, tiki bars became an American mainstay that lasted for decades. By the 1960s, there were 25 Trader Vic’s and 16 Don the Beachcombers in operation. Tiki bars nearly disappeared by the 1990s, but thanks to the craft cocktail revolution of the 2000s and people’s renewed interest in the kitschy aesthetic of ’50s and ’60s tiki heyday, it returned as a robust subculture replete with multi-day festivals, such as San Diego’s annual Tiki Oasis. ere’s even a website devoted to connecting tiki fans to events and venues: tikimap.com.
Gnos’ own interest in tiki was sparked at a young age.
“When I traveled to Hawaii at the age of 4, I was pulled up on every luau stage to dance the hula,” she recalled. “I was in the ocean every chance I could be. e Hawaiian people are the kindest, warmest people, especially to ‘keiki’ (children). I always wanted to return, and I eventually moved to Oahu for four years in my early 20s with my then boyfriend, now husband, Che Miller.”
Miller carves tiki heads, some of which will be on display at e Bunker. He’s also the frontman for the “beergrass” band e Mother Corn Shuckers, which includes Gnos on upright bass.
“When I was younger, watching e Brady Bunch reruns like ‘ e Tiki Caves’ and Gilligan’s Island in my elementary school years brought that tiki excitement and mystique to a landlocked farm girl,” Gnos said.
One of her paintings on display features Greg,
Peter, and Bobby Brady tied up in a scene from e Brady Bunch 1972, season 4, episode 3, “ e Tiki Caves” with Vincent Price.
Another painting—Whatever happened to Don the Beachcomber?—features Godzilla and King Ghidorah stomping on a Don the Beachcomber restaurant and bar to smithereens.
“Along the way, California Polynesian pop culture has snagged cult heroes such as the Creature from the Black Lagoon, Godzilla, Frankenstein, and Betty Page and drawn inspiration from the [Enchanted] Tiki Room at Disneyland, various Paci c Island cultures, and of course, cannibalism,” Gnos added. “But for me, there’s something bigger at play here— it’s an attempt to connect with something I’ve lost along the way. “As a society, I feel we’re always searching. I know it’s out there. ere’s an angst, a sense of having lost something that needs to be found. Religion doesn’t do it for me. Buying lots of crap gives me a temporary reprieve. And drinking? at de nitely helped, but after a couple hours, the pain and loss arrive quickly. So, I quit drinking over two years ago and did my best to shelf my addictive behaviors. What’s left? e self. Community. Stories. e spirit world. Art!
“ at’s exactly what these ‘primitive’ cultures had all along: a sense of community, purpose, source energy involved in their rituals, whether it was the use of a tiki to connect to ancestors and the creator, or consuming San Pedro cactus to reach these ecstatic states as in the pre-Incan Chavin culture of Peru, or human cannibalism as a way to ‘right’ an out-of-balance world.
“As Westerners, I believe we have taken ‘tiki’ and have used it as a symbol to attempt this kind of connection.”
When you think “tiki,” what comes to mind now? ∆
Contact Arts Editor Glen Starkey at gstarkey@ newtimesslo.com.
TIKI QUEEN Artist Colleen Gnos, who’s displaying her tiki paintings at SLO’s The Bunker through March 30, poses with her eclectus parrot, Cisco, which she hand-raised nearly 25 years ago when she lived in Hawaii.
SUMMONING PELE Pele is the Hawaiian goddess of fire, volcanoes, lightning, wind, and dance, known as the creator of the Hawaiian Islands. Gnos is fascinated with Polynesian culture.
IMAGE COURTESY OF COLLEEN GNOS
PHOTO COURTESY OF COLLEEN GNOS
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riter-director Osgood Perkins (Longlegs) adapts for the big screen Steven King’s 1980 short story about a supernatural murderous mechanical monkey inherited by twin brothers Bill and Hal (Christian Convery, young; eo James, adult). e brothers become estranged but are forced to reunite when the gruesome deaths they witnessed as children start happening again. (98 min.)
What’s it worth, Anna? Full price
What’s it worth, Glen? Full price
Where’s it showing? Colony, Downtown Centre, Park, Stadium 10
Glen is is such a signature Stephen King story: set in Maine, with an adult narrator recalling his youth, and an object imbued with occult powers. e lm opens with the boys’ father, airline pilot Petey Shelburn (Adam Scott), attempting to return the monkey to a pawnshop. A freak accident ensues … or was it an accident at all? Soon after, Petey disappears, leaving his wife, Lois (Tatiana Maslany), to raise the boys. Fast forward to middle school. Bill, older by a few minutes, is a bully, while Hal is meek. ey soon discover the monkey among their father’s possessions in the attic and fatefully turn its windup key. More graphically horrifying freak accidents ensue. e violence is cartoonish in its absurdity, and the lm is populated by incongruous characters such as Rookie Priest (Nicco Del Rio), who comically and ineptly presides over a funeral, or the boys’ Uncle Chip (Perkins), a self-described “swinger.” It’s a wacky ride that intentionally takes every gag too far. Anna I walked out of this lm thinking, “Stephen King had fun with this one.” While his work doesn’t always translate well onscreen, this full-on piece of absurdity is perfect for it. e monkey itself is creepy with its signature smile and twirling drumsticks, and the havoc it wreaks is even more diabolical. King is such a master at these devilish short stories, packing a punch into every scene and letting the Stephen
APPLE CIDER VINEGAR
What’s it rated? TV-MA
When? 2025
Where’s it showing? Netflix
Iwas familiar with Australian wellness guru Belle Gibson. Not because I’m a follower of alternative medicine influencers, but because of the wake of her scandal and the many podcasts that followed. Gibson claims to have survived brain cancer, claims to still be battling the disease, and claims that you can heal yourself from within via diet when we meet her in this Netflix miniseries.
Actress Kaitlyn Dever stars as the grownup version of Gibson, and she does so with such panache that you almost find yourself feeling bad for Belle. But don’t, because the real-life
King world be brighter, bolder, and much more frightening than everyday life. From his tales, one would think that Maine is a hotbed of the occult, insane, and downright creepy. I can see why this may not appeal to people who shy away from cartoonish gore, but as a King fan and a fan of overindulgent gore, I have to say that this one was a win for me. Hopefully this director has some more of these short stories he wants to adapt to the big screen—I’ll be watching.
Glen It’s certainly a departure from Perkins’ last lm, Longlegs, a quiet, somber humorless horror lm about a rookie FBI agent trying to unravel an occult serial killing mystery. In e Monkey, the monkey business never stops. When they’re nally reunited 25 years later, Bill is still a jerk, while Hal has a young son, Petey (Colin O’Brien), who lives with his ex-wife (Laura Mennell) and her new husband, obnoxious parenting author Ted Hammerman (Elijah Wood). Hal only sees Petey once a year, fearing he might pass on his curse to his son. Wouldn’t you know it? On what’s supposed to be their last
Belle convinced actual cancer patients to forgo clinically proven treatments and focus on enemas and juicing and whole-food diets. All are fine and good, but Belle’s message is directly tied to people who died because of their decision to seek alternative care.
The story also follows Milla Blake (Alycia Debnam-Carey), also based on a real person by a different name, and Lucy (Tilda Cobham-Hervey), who’s a fan of Belle’s and a cancer patient facing her own battle. Those who know this story already will dig in deep, while those new to it will likely sit in rage afterward. (six approximately one-hour episodes)
—Anna
LFLOW
What’s it rated? PG
When? 2024
Where’s it showing? Max
father-son trip before Ted adopts Petey and wants Hal out of his life, the deaths resume. ere’s actually a lot going on about family dynamics, and it’s fun to see Hal reach his potential while Bill turns into the loser. In the nal tally, there’s both justice and resignation, because this freaking monkey cannot be destroyed!
Anna Bill becomes the loner loser who can’t get the monkey o his mind while Hal has done everything he can to distance himself from the incessant drumbeat and death that follows. ese are pretty cookie-cutter characters for King’s work, and I say that with kindness not criticism. He knows how to give us an everyman to believe in and a villain to root against. I won’t be surprised if this one gets a second viewing from me at some point. It just seemed to hit a lot of things I love. Gore, humor, and that sneaky little monkey make this lm so much fun. ∆
Arts Editor Glen Starkey and freelancer Anna Starkey write Split Screen. Comment at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
atvian Gints Zilbalodis ( Away ) directs this two-time Oscar-nominated animated feature he co-wrote with Matiss Kaza and Ron Dyens about a group of disparate animals trying to survive a flood. There’s no dialogue at all, just incredibly beautiful animation and visual storytelling about animals that would normally be at odds with one another learning to live in harmony and behave altruistically.
The film begins by focusing on a cat that lives a seemingly solitary existence in the forest. There are signs of human life, but no humans. Is this a post-human world? In an early scene that’s
repeated near the film’s end, the cat sees its reflection in the water, suggesting the dawning of self-awareness. To save itself from the flood, the cat jumps on a boat with a lethargic capybara. Later they’re joined by a ring-tailed lemur, a perpetually cheerful Labrador retriever, and a white secretary bird. Despite its themes of cooperation between competing species, the animals still act like animals rather than anthropomorphized cartoons, and though the film is emotionally impactful, it’s not sentimental. It’s nominated for Best International Feature Film and Best Animated Feature Film, and I won’t be a bit surprised if it wins both. It’s gorgeous.
SHOCK THE MONKEY Hal (Christian Convery) struggles to understand what role a mechanical monkey is having in gruesome deaths, in The Monkey, playing in local theaters.
PHOTO COURTESY OF NEON
PHOTO COURTESY OF BALTIC CONTENT MEDIA
SCAMMER Kaitlyn Dever stars as Australian wellness guru Belle Gibson, who claimed to
cancer via diet, in Apple Cider Vinegar, streaming on Netflix.
PHOTO OF COURTESY NETFLIX
A brief story, fifty-five words or less, with a headline no longer than seven words.
We accept entries to our annual 55 Fiction writing contest all year long.
Entries submitted by 5 p.m., Monday, June 16, 2025 will be considered for this year’s publications which will be out on July 24, 2025
Music
BY GLEN STARKEY
The path
Graybill releases his longawaited second album
Award-winning singer-songwriter Graybill has a few messages for you on his new album, The Path Less Traveled. “It’s Alright,” “Don’t Quit,” and “Let That BS Go.” He’s in a decidedly introspective and reflective mood on the album’s 11 tracks, singing songs about learning to accept what is and to stay positive.
Graybill—whose first name is Kevin, though he just goes by his last name—was born in San Diego and lived his first five years there before moving with his family to Washington state.
“My parents were SoCal beach folk, so though I grew up mostly in Washington, there was somewhat of a conscious/ subconscious coming home feeling about moving back to California later in life,” he explained. “I never really adjusted to the cold winters up north. Just gimmie that sunshine, please.”
When he relocated to San Luis Obispo in 2017, he’d never even heard of our town. He simply followed his then girlfriend from their home in Seattle to Cal Poly for her grad school internship.
“When I landed here, the live music scene was electric,” he recalled. “It just felt like there was live music everywhere on any given day, and I just dove right in and never looked back. I’m so grateful for this music community for embracing me the way it did.”
Music is now his full-time job, but he took the road less traveled getting there.
On his website, he mentions that living in Seattle in his 20s was about “blurring the line between vocation and play,” weaving experiences such as “mushroom foraging, tech startups, eastern philosophy, World Beard Championships, bio-hacking, dog walking, Uber driving, improv theater, and even 200-mile bike rides.”
He didn’t even write his first song until he was 19.
“So, fast forward to me at 18 years old, after having played the guitar for a few years, and beginning to try and learn and sing songs of singer-songwriters. Eventually I started making up my own words, then you start moving around a couple of chords,
Live Music
NORTH COAST SLO COUNTY
AJ LEE AND BLUE SUMMIT WITH WOLF
JET Hailing from Santa Cruz, California, the award-winning band AJ Lee and Blue Summit are set to deliver a live performance of bluegrass, americana, and folk music. Get tickets at the link. March 9, 7-10 p.m. $25. thesirenmorrobay. com. The Siren, 900 Main St., Morro Bay, (805) 225-1312.
BACK PAGES BAND: FREE AFTERNOON
PARTY SHOW This San Luis Obispobased dance band is set to play an eclectic mix of classic rock, blues, and country music originating from the 1960s to present day. March 1 2-5 p.m. Free. thesirenmorrobay.com/. The Siren, 900 Main St., Morro Bay, (805) 225-1312.
BLUES AGENDA JAM AND SHOWCASE
A rockin’ blues dance party at Niffy’s Merrimaker every first, third, and now fifth Wednesdays. The Blues Asylum
changing the rhythm a little, and you go, ‘Whoa, I guess I just wrote my first song. I’m a songwriter now!’ Officially, I would say I wrote my first fully original song at 19 years old, the summer between my freshman and sophomore year of college. The song was called ‘Crash and Burn.’”
He finally got around to recording his debut album in 2021. High Tide/Low Tide was essentially two six-song EPs packaged together. The High Tide collection was optimistic, upbeat full-band arrangements while the Low Tide collection was sparse arrangements and introspective. The recording won Album of the Year at the New Times Music Awards.
“I certainly was surprised by winning album of the year in 2021. A big part of the reason why was the selection date had passed by a few
house band welcomes local, visiting, and newcomers to the blues groove. Spirits, beer, and wine, with outside food welcome. Every other Wednesday, 7-10 p.m. Free. (805) 235-5223. The Merrimaker Tavern, 1301 2nd Street, Los Osos. EMO KIDS LIVE Los Angeles-based band, Emo Kids, is a nationally touring emo band that will hit the stage and deliver live performances of songs from My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, Taking Back Sunday and Blink-182. March 7 7:30-10:30 p.m. $21. thesirenmorrobay. com. The Siren, 900 Main St., Morro Bay, (805) 225-1312.
THE GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING REBIRTH BRASS BAND The music of Rebirth Brass Band pays homage to the New Orleans brass band tradition, all while infusing their own combination of jazz, funk, soul, and R&B. Get tickets and more information at the link. March
weeks, and I never heard from anyone. Friends of mine in other bands had already heard from the committee either way, so, I just thought that I didn’t win anything, and the judges weren’t fans of my music.
“I went through the whole internal processing of having my album not be appreciated by critics and owning that I was still so proud of that album and wouldn’t have changed anything. I still believed I did the best I could with those songs and loved my first album … then I got an email saying they forgot to reach out, and I actually won first place! Ha! So, needless to say, it was a beautiful full-circle experience for me emotionally and professionally; and I was honored to have won the award in an area with so much talent.”
His sophomore effort is another collection of hooky, breezy, infectiously fun songs, including one featuring one of Graybill’s influences, G. Love. You can find the album on all the usual platforms.
Good Medicine and KCBX present Graybill in Club Car Bar on Friday, Feb. 28 (8:30 p.m.; all ages; $12.56 at my805tix.com), which also happens to be his 39th birthday. He’ll be backed by Tracy Morgan (drums), Adrian Libertini (bass), Bobcat Rob (keys and lead guitar), and Logan Castro (cello).
“I’ll be playing all originals—a mix of songs from both High Tide/Low Tide and The Path Less Traveled,” Graybill concluded.
If you like Jack Johnson, G. Love & Special Sauce, Nick Drake, and Michael Franti, you’ll love him.
Good Medicine and Numbskull also present Minneapolis songwriter Mason Jennings in The Siren on Friday, Feb. 28 (7 p.m.; 21-and-older; $30.08 at goodmedicinepresents.com). He’s touring in support of his
5 , 7-10 p.m. $30. thesirenmorrobay.com. The Siren, 900 Main St., Morro Bay, (805) 225-1312.
HERWAY TO HELL: A TRIBUTE TO AC/DC AND BON SCOTT LA-based band, Herway to Hell, is known as the all-female AC/DC. They coin themselves as “Too punk for Rock, too Rock for Punk.” Get tickets and hear them live. March 8 8-10 p.m. $22. thesirenmorrobay.com. The Siren, 900 Main St., Morro Bay, (805) 225-1312.
LIVE MUSIC WITH GUITAR WIZ AT LUNADA GARDEN BISTRO “Guitar
Wizard” Billy Foppiano plays a wide range of music, including blues, R&B, classic rock, and more. Second Sunday of every month, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. (805) 900-5444. Lunada Garden Bistro, 78 N. Ocean Ave., Cayucos.
THE LOVING MOSH: FREE AFTERNOON DANCE FUNK SHOW The Loving Mosh Band, the eclectic, seven-piece band
new album, Underneath the Roses, and its first single, “Only Lovers Welcome.” The single’s video is a moving tribute to love regardless of gender and sexual orientation. It’s guaranteed to make bigots’ heads explode, which is why I love it.
In press materials, Jennings explained that the album’s songs were “written in an unprecedented burst” following the birth of his son, Western, in March 2022.
“I hadn’t written any songs in about a year. I had been dealing with the psychological aftereffects of the pandemic as well as the loss of my dad. So, when Western was born, I didn’t expect to be writing much. But immediately he was responding to music in a very intense way. For this album, between May and November 2022, I wrote 48 songs! They certainly uplifted me and connected me with the creative spirit, and spirit in general, again. They cover all kinds of ground but, when I listen back, I think the central theme is overcoming fear with love.”
Good Medicine, Numbskull, and KCBX team up to present the Grammy-winning Rebirth Brass Band in The Siren on Wednesday, March 5 (7 p.m.; 21-and-older; $30.08 at goodmedicinepresents.com). Mardi Gras is the day before, on Tuesday, March 4, so get your second line on, y’all! You’ll feel like you’ve been transported to New Orleans. Finally, Good Medicine and Numbskull present The Garden on their Nine Desperate Dates tour at the Alex Madonna Expo Center on Thursday, March 6 (6 p.m.; all ages; $36.77 at goodmedicinepresents.com), with
from the Central Coast of California, will perform their soulful mix of R&B and funk. March 8 2-5 p.m. thesirenmorrobay.com. The Siren, 900 Main St., Morro Bay, (805) 225-1312.
MASON JENNINGS LIVE Head to the Siren to join Minneapolis songwriter Mason Jennings for a night of live music. Visit site for tickets and more info. Feb. 28 , 7:30-10:30 p.m. $31. thesirenmorrobay. com/. The Siren, 900 Main St., Morro Bay, (805) 225-1312.
OPEN MIC NIGHT Each Wednesday, enjoy this Open Mic Night in the downstairs dining area. Grab some friends and show off your talents. Food and drink service will be available. Wednesdays, 6 p.m. Free. (805) 995-3883. schoonerscayucos.com. Schooners, 171 North Ocean Ave, Cayucos.
PUNK NIGHT FEATURING CARRY THE 9, BUNKER CLUB, AND OUT OF THE
RING Head to the Siren for a night of high energy and punk music from three distinguished bands. Head to the link to get tickets and more info to this show, for ages 21 and over. March 1 7:30-10:30 p.m. $14. thesirenmorrobay.com/. The Siren, 900 Main St., Morro Bay, (805) 225-1312.
SAM COOKE TRIBUTE CONCERT
Celebrate the soul music legend, Sam Cooke, and listen to a number of musicians perform a variety of his greatest hits as well as deep cuts from his discography. Visit site to get tickets and more info. March 2 2 p.m. $20-$25. my805tix.com. Cambria Center for the Arts, 1350 Main St., Cambria.
NORTH SLO COUNTY
CONSERVATIVE MILITARY IMAGE WITH TRUE BEARING AND MORE Presented by Village Hardcore Shows and Good Medicine. March 5 , 6 p.m. my805tix.com.
Club Car Bar, 508 S. Main St., Templeton.
DYNAMIC DUOS: A FREE CONCERT BY THE ATASCADERO COMMUNITY BAND
The Atascadero Bible Church is thrilled to present Dynamic Duos, a spectacular celebration of iconic musical pairs, including Rodgers & Hammerstein, Simon & Garfunkel, and Batman & Robin. March 2 , 3-5 p.m. Free. atascaderoband.org. Atascadero Bible Church, Atascadero Mall, Atascadero, (805) 466-2051. EASTON EVERETT LIVE AT PASO ROBLES INN Everett is a singersongwriter who blends indie folk, neo-folk, and world beat with intricate fingerstyle guitar. March 8 6-9 p.m. Free. Paso Robles Inn, 1103 Spring Street, Paso Robles.
FRIDAY NIGHT DJ Weekly DJ series, with a different DJ every Friday. Presented LIVE MUSIC continued page 38
THE POWER OF POSITIVITY Good Medicine and KCBX present award-winning singer-songwriter Graybill at Club Car Bar on Feb. 28
PHOTO COURTESY OF GRAYBILL
NOLA SOUNDS Good Medicine, Numbskull, and KCBX present the Rebirth Brass Band at The Siren on March 5
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE REBIRTH BRASS BAND
STARKEY continued page 38
When: Sunday, March 16th at 3PM
At: Atascadero United Methodist Church 11605 El Camino Real, Atascadero
Tickets: FREE �ona�ons appreciated No RSVP needed, just show up! A CONCERT OF
�on't miss the chance to be cap�vated by the melodies of our S�O Wind Orchestra's small ensembles! Immerse yourself in the mesmerizing fusion of trumpets, clarinets, �utes, and other cap�va�ng instruments. Prepare to be awed like last season's packed house - seats are limited, arrive early for a seat.
Ice Age opening. The Garden created the term “Vada Vada” in 2011 to describe their music and other creations. It “represents total freedom of expression without boundaries or guidelines of any sort.”
Punk won’t die
Morro Bay’s The Siren hosts Punk Night featuring Carry the 9, Bunker Club, and Out of the Ring on Saturday, March 1 (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; $8.45 at tixr.com). I’m banging my head to Carry the 9’s new unreleased track “Roots,” which reminds us that we all fall down, but our roots hold us up and keep us strong. Punk fans won’t want to miss this one.
“People should expect three bands’ worth of quality high-energy fun,” Carry the 9 guitarist and vocalist Jeremy Rich said. “Out of the Ring reminds me of a bit of Social Distortion type vibe. Bunker Club is more of a punk ’n’ roll type vibe or maybe a punkier rockabilly type sound. We’re more
’90s melodic Fat Wreck Chords type skater punk—Lagwagon, Offspring, Bad Religion, Rise Against, Face to Face, NOFX—as that’s what we grew up on and still love. All the bands are good and good fun, and we’re all friends as well.”
Carry the 9 released three songs about four years ago and are currently working on four new ones, including “Roots,” which will be released to the public on Feb. 28.
“We’ll be playing all of the released and unreleased songs at the show,” Rich added.
Ska-punk-reggae
Badfish—A Tribute to Sublime plays the Fremont Theater on Thursday, March 5 (doors at 7 p.m.; all ages; $32.42 at prekindle. com), delivering your favorite Sublime hits like “Doin’ Time,” “What I Got,” “Santeria,” and more. They also mix in their own Sublime-inspired originals.
“Putting out original music alongside being a tribute band has always been a point of
Send music and club information to gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
interest to us,” drummer Scott Begin said in press materials. “It’s been a tricky path to walk, though. Yet as the years have gone by and we’ve gotten to witness our little show turn into somewhat of a movement within the scene, we are at the point where we feel we have something of real heart and value to add not only to our show but to the American reggae scene.”
Reggae band Fayuca opens the show.
Three-time Grammy winner!
SLO Brew Live at Rod & Hammer Rock present Fantastic Negrito on Sunday, March 2 (doors at 7 p.m.; 18-andolder; $39.05 at ticketweb.com). The blues, R&B, and roots singer has a flat-out amazing and expressive voice.
Born Xavier Amin Dphrepaulezz in Massachusetts, the 57-year-old singerguitarist won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album for his 2016 album, The Last Days of Oakland. He won the same category in 2019 for Please Don’t Be Dead and 2020 for Have You Lost Your Mind Yet? His most recent album, Son of a Broken Man, came out last year. He’s truly amazing.
Also at Rod & Hammer, see punk icons the Melvins on Wednesday, March 5 (doors at 7 p.m.; 18-and-older; $31.42 at ticketweb. com), and Santa Cruz rock reggae band The Expendables on their 25 Year Anniversary Tour plays on Thursday, March 6 (doors at 7 p.m.; 18-and-older; $40.08 at ticketweb.com), with Kyle Smith opening.
Who dat?
More New Orleans brass sounds and Mardi Gras vibes await when Delfeayo Marsalis & The Uptown Jazz Orchestra play the Performing Arts Center on Thursday, March 6 (7:30 p.m.; $38 to $67 plus fees at calpolyarts.org). The Grammywinning bandleader will have you shaking and shimmying.
“Time to throw up your hands, cut the king cake, and grab some beads as we celebrate New Orleans and the greatest time of year with songs by Fats Domino, Professor Longhair, Earl King, Marsalis, and more,” Cal Poly Arts announced. “A member of The First Family of Jazz and an NEA Jazz Master, the middle Marsalis brother leads the vibrant Uptown Jazz Orchestra from his seat in the trombone section, in a performance that is full of the joy and soul of NOLA.” ∆
Contact Arts Editor Glen Starkey at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
by friends at Traffic Record store in Atascadero. Come listen, dance, drink, and unwind every Friday. All ages event; no cover charge. Fridays, 7-10 p.m. (805) 460-6042. ancientowlbeergarden.com. Ancient Owl Beer Garden, 6090 El Camino Real, suite C, Atascadero.
GRAYBILL LIVE AT CLUB CAR BAR
Presented by Good Medicine and Club Car Bar. Feb. 28 , 8:30 p.m. my805tix.com. Club Car Bar, 508 S. Main St., Templeton.
IAN GEORGE LIVE AT CLUB CAR BAR A fanciful folk troubadour with a rhythmic flow and spirited vision. March 7, 8-10 p.m. my805tix.com. Club Car Bar, 508 S. Main St., Templeton.
OPEN MIC NIGHT Hosted by The Journals 805 (John and Dylan Krause). Mondays, 9 p.m. Pine Street Saloon, 1234 Pine St., Paso Robles.
SINGING HANDS CHILDREN’S CHOIR
A unique performing arts group that performs across the state for deaf festivals, service organizations, churches, fairs, and other outlets. New members always welcome. Registration open weekly. Mondays, 5-6:30 p.m. $45 tuition per month. singinghandschildrenschoir. com/. Singing Hands Children’s Choir and Performing Arts, 1413 Riverside Ave., Paso Robles.
SAN LUIS OBISPO
BLÜ EGYPTIAN RETURNS TO FROG
AND PEACH PUB West Coast jamband
BRASS MASH: FIRST FRIDAY First Fridays are magical nights filled with the vibrant energy of an all-horn band. Join the festivities at Liquid Gravity and immerse yourself in the unique fusion of your favorite rock and pop songs. First Friday of every month, 6-10 p.m. my805tix. com. Liquid Gravity, 675 Clarion Court, San Luis Obispo.
THE BUNKER SLO PRESENTS BRYNN ALBANESE: CD RELEASE PARTY Visit site for tickets and more info on this upcoming release party. March 1 2-4 p.m. my805tix.com. The Bunker SLO, 810 Orcutt Road, San Luis Obispo.
CAL POLY ARAB MUSIC ENSEMBLE WINTER CONCERT The concert will feature world-class guest artists and a dance troupe that sets the music in motion with original choreographies and beautiful costuming. The group will perform selections of Arab art, popular and folk music, and more. March 1 , 7:30 p.m. $17 and $22 general; $12 students. (805) 756-4849. music.calpoly.edu/ calendar/ame/. Performing Arts Center, 1 Grand Ave., San Luis Obispo.
CAL POLY INSTRUMENTAL STUDENT
Blü Egyptian is set to return to Frog and Peach Pub to deliver a groovy set of blended funk, Latin, reggae, bluegrass, and rock ‘n roll beats. For ages 21 and over. Feb. 28 , 9-11:55 p.m. Free. bluegyptianband.com. Frog and Peach Pub, 728 Higuera St., San Luis Obispo, (805) 595-4764.
RECITAL A free recital presented by Cal Poly Music Department student instrumentalists. March 4 7:30 p.m. Free. (805) 756-2406. music.calpoly.edu/ calendar/free/. Cal Poly Davidson Music Center, Room 218, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.
CAL POLY VOCAL STUDENT RECITAL A free recital presented by Cal Poly Music Department student vocalists. March 6 , 7:30 p.m. Free. (805) 756-2406. music. calpoly.edu/calendar/free/. Cal Poly Davidson Music Center, Room 218, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.
CAL POLY WIND BANDS WINTER
CONCERT: VISIONS The Wind Ensemble and Wind Orchestra will perform works that engage the mind’s eye: Julie Giroux’s “One Life Beautiful” and much more! March 9, 3 p.m. $17. (805) 756-4849. music.calpoly.edu/calendar/winds/. Performing Arts Center, 1 Grand Ave., San Luis Obispo.
CANZONA PRESENTS: “EMBRACING THE EARTH” Head to the SLO United Methodist Church for a concert that will connect you to the beauty and power of nature. This is in collaboration with The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo. March 9 3-5 p.m. $10-$35. (805) 242-6065. canzonawomen.org. San Luis Obispo United Methodist Church, 1515 Fredericks Street, San Luis Obispo. COMA PHASE TOUR Presented by Central Coast Music Productions and Anomaly House. Visit site for full lineup and tickets. March 1 6 p.m. $10-$15. my805tix.com. Humdinger Brewing (SLO), 855 Capitolio Way, suite 1, San Luis Obispo, (805) 781-9974.
CUESTA JAZZ FESTIVAL CONCERT WITH WAYNE BERGERON AND ANDY MARTIN Join for an unforgettable celebration of music, creativity, and community with live performances from Wayne Bergeron and Andy Martin. March 7 8 p.m. $17 Adult, $10 Student w/ID. (805)
546-3198. Harold J. Miossi CPAC at Cuesta College, Highway 1, San Luis Obispo. CUESTA WIND ENSEMBLE AND SLO WIND ORCHESTRA PRESENT: SYMPHONIC SPECTACLE Join conductor Jennifer Martin, the Cuesta Wind Ensemble, and SLO Wind Orchestra as they present their spring joint concert. March 2 , 3 p.m. $10-$32. (805) 546-3198. Harold J. Miossi CPAC at Cuesta College, Highway 1, San Luis Obispo.
DELFEAYO MARSALIS AND THE UPTOWN JAZZ ORCHESTRA: UPTOWN ON MARDI GRAS DAY. A member of The First Family of Jazz and an NEA Jazz Master, Delfeayo Marsalis will lead the vibrant Uptown Jazz Orchestra in a performance that is “full of the joy and soul of NOLA.” March 6 7:30 p.m. (805) 756-4849. calpolyarts.org. Performing Arts Center, 1 Grand Ave., San Luis Obispo. THE EXPENDABLES LIVE Blending ska, surf rock, and reggae, The Expendables have an impressive discography. Join the band on their 25-year anniversary tour. This is an 18 and over show. March 6 , 8 p.m. $40. Rod & Hammer Rock, 855 Aerovista Pl., San Luis Obispo, (805) 5431843, slobrew.com.
FANTASTIC NEGRITO LIVE Fantastic Negrito has over the years blended R&B, blues, and roots music into his personal sound. Hear him perform live at this 18 and over event. March 2 , 7 p.m. $40. Rod & Hammer Rock, 855 Aerovista Pl., San Luis Obispo, (805) 543-1843, slobrew.com.
FOLK YEAH PRESENTS: FREAK SLUG
+ HURON JOHN Catch Xenya Genovese, also known as Freak Slug, as she makes
her way to San Luis Obispo. Hailing from Manchester, UK, she will grace the stage of Libertine and give audience members a taste of her indie-pop sound. March 7 8-11 p.m. $28. Libertine Brewing Company, 1234 Broad St., San Luis Obispo, (805) 548-2337, libertinebrewing.com.
LIBERTINE PRESENTS: SKIPPING BREAKFAST WITH THE HUMMINGBIRDS Join these two bands at this 21 and over show. The night will also be the welcoming party for the SLO Comedy Festival. Feb. 27 8-11:55 p.m. Free. Libertine Brewing Company, 1234 Broad St., San Luis Obispo, (805) 5482337, libertinebrewing.com.
LIVE MUSIC FROM GUITAR WIZ BILLY FOPPIANO AND MAD DOG Join “Guitar Wiz” Billy Foppiano and his trusty side kick Mad Dog for a mix of blues, R&B, and more. Saturdays, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. (805) 544-2100. Bon Temps Creole Cafe, 1819 Osos Street, San Luis Obispo, bontempscreolecafe.com/index.htm.
LONESOME ACE STRINGBAND AT THE HISTORIC OCTAGON BARN CENTER
Listen as The Lonesome Ace Stringband bridges oldtime, bluegrass, and folk traditions into a seamless hybrid of original music. Hear them live by getting tickets at the link. Feb. 27 7-9 p.m. $20 - $30. (805) 235-2874. eventbrite.com. Octagon Barn Center, 4400 Octagon Way, San Luis Obispo.
NORTH BY NORTH LIVE Described as an “indie, alternative rock power duo,” North by North is set to hit the stage with support from Big Sierra and The Dirty Deluxe. Get tickets and more info at the link. Feb. 27 6 p.m. $13. my805tix.
com. Liquid Gravity Brewing Company, 675 Clarion Ct., San Luis Obispo, (805) 457-4677.
NOVACEK PLAYS BRAHMS Pianist John Novacek will join the SLO Symphony as he performs Brahms’ Piano Concerto No.2 in B flat. March 8 , 7:30 p.m. Free. (805) 543-3533. slosymphony.org. Cal Poly Performing Arts Center, 1 Grand Ave, San Luis Obispo.
SHANE SMITH AND THE SAINTS LIVE Texas-based band will play live at this all-ages performance. March 1 7 p.m. $26. The Fremont Theater, 1035 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo, (805) 546-8600, fremontslo.com.
SNAKE FATHER, CULTIST, COLD HEARTS Presented by GS3events. March 5 , 6 p.m. my805tix.com. Humdinger Brewing (SLO), 855 Capitolio Way, suite 1, San Luis Obispo, (805) 781-9974. THE WAILIN’ JENNYS LIVE The Canada-based trio is known to blend folk, Americana, and bluegrass. Get tickets to hear them live at this all ages performance. March 7 7:30 p.m. $40. The Fremont Theater, 1035 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo, (805) 546-8600, fremontslo. com.
ZEPPARELLA: THE LED ZEPPELIN EXPERIENCE Join the all-female American tribute band, Zepparella, as they bring the famous songs of Led Zeppelin to town. Visit site for tickets and more info. Feb. 27 7 p.m. $28. Rod & Hammer Rock, 855 Aerovista Pl., San Luis Obispo, (805) 543-1843, slobrew.com.
’90S PUNK REDUX Punk Night featuring Carry the 9 comes to The Siren for a three-band show on March 1
PHOTO COURTESY OF CARRY THE 9
ONE OF A KIND The incomparable roots, blues, and R&B singer Fantastic Negrito plays Rod & Hammer Rock on March 2
SOUTH COAST SLO COUNTY
FRANKIE MORENO: BLUE SUEDE
TUNES Hailing from Santa Cruz, Moreno will perform his unique blend of rock ‘n roll and blues. Visit site for tickets and more info. March 2 , 7 p.m. $45. Clark Center for the Performing Arts, 487 Fair Oaks Ave., Arroyo Grande, (805) 489-9444, clarkcenter.org.
THE GRADUATES: THE SOUND OF SIMON & GARFUNKEL An energetic and heartwarming salute to the music of Simon & Garfunkel. With songs such as “Mrs. Robinson,” “The Sound Of Silence,” and more. March 1 , 7:30-10:30 p.m. $39.50-$64.50. (805) 489-9444. clarkcenter.org/shows/the-graduates/. Clark Center for the Performing Arts, 487 Fair Oaks Ave., Arroyo Grande.
ICONIC: A GLORIOUS TRIBUTE TO MICHAEL JACKSON Immerse yourself in the world of Michael Jackson’s discography with a live performance from tribute band ICONIC. March 9, 3 & 7 p.m. $49. clarkcenter.org. Clark Center for the Performing Arts, 487 Fair Oaks Ave., Arroyo Grande, (805) 489-9444.
KARAOKE EVERY WEDNESDAY A weekly event with barbecue offerings and more. Wednesdays, 4-8 p.m. Rancho Nipomo BBQ, 108 Cuyama Ln., Nipomo, (805) 925-3500.
MARK HUMMEL’S BLUES HARMONICA BLOWOUT Since 1991, blues harmonica master Mark Hummel has assembled the finest blues musicians and taken them on the road. This year’s lineup includes Curtis Salgado, Rick Estrin, Nick Moss, Dennis Gruenling, Rodrigo Mantovani, Wes Starr, Bob Welsh and, of course, Hummel himself. Feb. 27 7:30-10:30 p.m. $34-$54. (805) 489-9444. clarkcenter. org/shows/blues-harmonica-blowout/. Clark Center for the Performing Arts, 487 Fair Oaks Ave., Arroyo Grande.
SANTA MARIA VALLEY/LOS ALAMOS
HAPPY HOUR MUSIC SERIES Enjoy live music at the winery most Friday evenings. Check site for concert schedule. Fridays presquilewine.com. Presqu’ile Winery, 5391 Presqu’ile Dr., Santa Maria, (805) 937-8110.
LADIES NIGHT OUT Music by DJ Van Gloryious and DJ Panda. Features delicious daiquiri specials. Thursdays, 8 p.m.-midnight Roscoe’s Kitchen, 229 Town Center E, Santa Maria, (805) 623-8866.
LIVE MUSIC AND FOOD BY LOBO BUTCHER SHOP Check out live music every Friday night from a variety of artists at Steller’s Cellar in Old Orcutt. Dinner served by Lobo Butcher Shop between 5 and 7:30 p.m. Fridays, 5-9 p.m. Varies according to food options. (805) 6235129. stellerscellar.com. Steller’s Cellar, 405 E. Clark Ave., Orcutt.
LIVE MUSIC AT STELLER’S CELLAR
Various local musicians rotate each Friday. Fridays, 6-8:30 p.m. Free. Steller’s Cellar, 400 E. Clark Ave., Orcutt, (805) 623-5129, stellerscellar.com.
MUSIC AT ROSCOE’S KITCHEN Live DJ and karaoke every Friday and Saturday night. Featured acts include Soul Fyah Band, DJ Nasty, DJ Jovas, and more. Fridays, Saturdays, 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Roscoe’s Kitchen, 229 Town Center E, Santa Maria, (805) 623-8866.
MUSIC LESSONS AT COELHO ACADEMY
Learn to play piano, drums, guitar, base, ukulele, or violin, or take vocal lessons. ongoing (805) 925-0464. coelhomusic. com/Lessons/lessons.html. Coelho Academy of Music, 325 E. Betteravia Rd., Santa Maria.
SUNDAY NIGHT FUN End the weekend with some good vibes. Music by DJ Van Gloryious. Sundays, 8 p.m.-midnight Roscoe’s Kitchen, 229 Town Center E,
Santa Maria, (805) 623-8866.
THE WEARING OF THE GREEN DANCE
Get groovy at this dance event. Visit site for more info. March 9, 1:30-4 p.m. Free. (775) 813-5186. RiptideBB.com. Featuring Riptide Big Band. Free admission thanks to grant funding by the Community Foundation of San Luis Obispo County. March 9 1:30-4 p.m. Free. (775) 813-5186. RiptideBB.com. Elwin Mussell Senior Center, 510 Park Ave., Santa Maria.
LOMPOC/VANDENBERG
KARAOKE AT COLD COAST BREWING CO. Pick out a song, bring your friends, and get ready to perform. Wednesdays, 6-9 p.m. COLD Coast Brewing Company, 118 W Ocean Ave., Lompoc, (805) 8190723, coldcoastbrewing.com.
YOUTH OPEN MIC NIGHT A fun, welcoming environment for first time performers and an opportunity for kids and teens to showcase their talent. Prizes awarded every month for Outstanding Performer. Last Friday of every month, 6-8 p.m. certainsparks.com/. Certain Sparks Music, 107 S. H St., Lompoc.
SANTA YNEZ VALLEY
CENTRAL COAST JAZZ GUITAR FEST
A weekend of listening and learning. Featuring classes, artists, concerts, exhibitors, jam sessions, and more. Feb. 28 - March 2 my805tix.com. Santa Ynez Valley Marriott, 555 McMurray Road, Buellton.
LIVE MUSIC SUNDAYS Sundays, 2-6 p.m. Brick Barn Wine Estate, 795 W. Hwy 246, Buellton, (805) 686-1208, brickbarnwineestate.com.
WINE DOWN WEDNESDAYS Wednesdays, 4:30-5:30 p.m. Brick Barn Wine Estate, 795 W. Hwy 246, Buellton, (805) 686-1208, brickbarnwineestate.com. ∆
Hit Brix
Fresh off a two-year streetscape project that transformed Pismo’s oldest road, Shell Beach, originally built in 1914, into an attractive pedestrian- and bike-friendly thoroughfare, the surrounding community now boasts a wine bar.
Debuting in late 2024, Brix Wine Bar & Bottle Shop joins a dozen eateries and a handful of hotels lining the refreshed Shell Beach Road.
The bar is the brainchild of Jasi Sotello, longtime owner of hair salon Fringe by Jasi & Co., located next to Brix.
“My husband, Gilbert, and I have been interested in the wine industry for many years,” said Jasi, who resides in the Avila Valley area of San Luis Obispo. “Our good friends Gary and Teresa Burk from Costa de Oro Winery (in Santa Maria) introduced us to the process of winemaking and appreciating the different types of wines.”
They thought a wine bar would be a great addition to Shell Beach’s vibe, she said. So when a space next to the salon opened up, they couldn’t resist the opportunity. Their eldest daughter, Mekynzi, and her boyfriend, Nicholas Carrade, had recently moved back to the area from Nashville.
“While there, Nick was a bar manager at a popular restaurant with an extensive wine list where his love and knowledge of natural wines grew,” Jasi said. “We knew Nick would be the perfect partner to manage and be the face of Brix because of his friendly personality, work ethic, positive energy, and love of wine.”
Carrade jumped at the opportunity to
serve as general manager and co-owner of the establishment along with the Sotellos.
“For the time being, I am the only one working full-time at the bar,” Carrade said.
“Jasi and Gilbert were active in the design and building of the space, but now their roles are more limited to consulting and brainstorming ideas for events and such.”
They participate in occasional wine tastings with distributors and use their network to connect Carrade with help for the website and accounting, he said.
“Mekynzi has been great with graphic design for events and social media,” Carrade added.
“We really do work as a team, but I do take on a majority of the day-to-day responsibilities.”
Born in Santa Rosa and raised in the North Bay Area, Carrade boasts more than a decade of experience in the restaurant and hospitality industry combined with a business administration degree from Sonoma State University.
“I took some elective wine-business courses during my time in college,” he said, “one being a summer course where we spent one day each week touring different wineries, learning their stories, and tasting from both the barrels and the bottles.
“Throughout high school and college, I worked part-time in various restaurants and food-service establishments, eventually working my way up to bartender, where I fell in love with craft cocktailing and the business of hospitality.”
Carrade’s industry skills were further refined after moving to Nashville, where he worked as a bartender and bar manager for several different bars and restaurants, “learning new skills and diving deeper into the world of hospitality,” he said.
“My last year and a half was spent working at a new restaurant called Xiao Bao,” he continued, “which served elevated Asian comfort food and had a great natural wine list and cocktail program.”
As the bar manager, a big part of his job was figuring out what wines to serve
“This was probably my favorite part of the job. I got to taste so many cool wines from all over the world,” he said.
The couple moved back to California in 2023, and a short while later Brix fell into Carrade’s lap.
“The property management company
wanted to offer it to Jasi first before putting it on the market,” Carrade said. “Jasi knew she wanted the space but was trying to figure out what to do with it. She played around with a few ideas before landing on a wine bar. When I heard that, my ears perked up and I told her I was interested in joining her in that adventure. The universe was giving me signs, and it seemed like it was meant to be. About a year later we opened our doors.”
Brix specializes in local wines stretching from Monterey to Santa Barbara.
“Our wine menu currently features around 40 selections, and we’re always rotating our offerings to showcase new and interesting finds. We prioritize wines that are lowproduction, low-intervention, or sourced from sustainable vineyards,” he said. “I do
BRILLIANT DESIGN Brix owner Jasi Sotello and family transformed a compact 450-square-foot space on Shell Beach Road into an airy and sleek bar brightened up with whites, lights, and greenery from Leaves Me Love in San Luis Obispo.
A FAMILY AFFAIR From left, Nicholas Carrade and Mekynzi, Jasi, and Gilbert Sotello of San Luis Obispo own Brix Wine Bar & Bottle Shop in Shell Beach.
March
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We’re seeking someone who can craft engaging, insightful, and mouthwatering articles featuring our Menus clients. The ideal candidate will have:
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for these small businesses to get more recognition.” For non-wine drinkers, Brix offers a selection of draft and bottled beer and cider, as well as mocktails. Customers can also purchase a variety of snacks, Brix swag, a selection of candles and wine-related games and puzzles, and dried bouquets from Idlewild Floral Co. in SLO. Beyond beverages and a perk-heavy wine club, Brix hosts live music, winemaker takeovers, and food trucks, with wine-education classes and more to come.
a good amount of research to find [these] winemakers, and when I find one I like, I reach out to them or see who they distribute with and then set a meeting to taste.”
Sometimes, he said, winemakers reach out to him to see if we would like to carry their product.
“Those are my favorite, because they are usually very small brands with little to no recognition, doing everything themselves, kind of like us,” he said. “What I love so much about SLO is that there are so many small businesses, and the community is so supportive. … We try to use Brix as a platform
“There are no other wine bars in Shell Beach that I am aware of,” Carrade said, so reception to Brix from area residents has been especially enthusiastic.
Jasi concurred: “We’ve only been open for a few months and already we have local regulars excited for us and to have a new spot in Shell Beach to enjoy.
“We look forward to getting to know more of our neighbors.” ∆
Flavor Writer Cherish Whyte thinks Brix is bound to liven up Shell Beach. Reach her at cwhyte@newtimesslo.com.
SIPS AND SWAG Peruse Brix’s carefully curated selection of reds, whites, and bubbles priced from $37 a bottle as well as wine-centric gift items
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JOBS WANTED
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changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.
NOTICE OF HEARING:
Date: March 26, 2025
Time: 9:30 AM Dept: P2
Location: In person or by Zoom at the Superior Court of California, County of San Luis Obispo, 901 Park St., Paso Robles, CA 93446, Civil Court Operations.
A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county: New Times.
Date: January 27, 2025 /s/: MC Kelley, Judge of the Superior Court. Publication Dates: February 13, 20, 27, March 6, 2025
FICTITIOUS BUSINESS
NAME STATEMENT FILE NO. 2025-0027 (N/A)
New Filing
The following person is doing business as Person Is Doing Business As: NICHE PLEXUS 3590 Sacramento Drive, Suite 160, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401. San Luis Obispo County. This Business Is Conducted By An Individual Lui Rasto Kodames (3590 Sacramento Drive, Suite 160, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401). State of California. This Statement Was Filed With The County Clerk Of San Luis Obispo On 01/06/2025. I hereby Certify That This Copy Is A Correct Copy Of The Statement On File In My Office. (Seal) Elaina Cano, County
1106 WALNUT TENANT
SPEC. NO. 2000577-04
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT the City of San Luis Obispo will receive bids by mail for the “1106 Walnut Tenant Improvements, Spec. No. 2000577-04” at the Public Works Administration Office located at 919 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 until THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2025, at 11:00 AM, when they will be publicly opened
Bids received after said time will not be considered. Bids shall be submitted in a sealed envelope plainly marked with the project title, contractor name, address, and specification number.
The Contractor must possess a valid Class B Contractor’s License at the time of the bid opening. Every bid must be accompanied by a certified check/cashier’s check or bidder’s bond for 10% of the bid amount, payable to the City of San Luis Obispo.
There will be a MANDATORY walkthrough on WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 2025, at 9:00 AM. Prime contractors wishing to submit a bid proposal are required to attend and sign in at the meeting. Bidders should meet City staff at 1106 Walnut Street in San Luis Obispo, California.
Download FREE at the City’s website: www.slocity.org - Bid packages under Bids & Proposals. Questions may be addressed to Sandra Golonka, Project Manager, at 805-781-7239 or sgolonka@slocity.org
February 27, 2025
ORDINANCE NO. 3524
ORDINANCE DELEGATING AUTHORITY FOR THE DISPOSITION OF UTILITY EASEMENTS
WHEREAS, pursuant to Government Code Section 25526.6, the Board of Supervisors of the County of San Luis Obispo (“Board”) may authorize county officers to grant or otherwise convey an easement, license, or permit to any public utility corporation; and
WHEREAS provision of utility services to construction projects often requires the disposition of utility easements, licenses, or permits to public utilities for the purposes of installing utility facilities and infrastructure over, across, under, and through County property; and
WHEREAS the Director of Public Works, or designee, is especially suited to convey said utility easements as the San Luis Obispo County Department of Public Works has been assigned the responsibility to oversee and deliver construction projects for the County.
The Board of Supervisors of the County of San Luis Obispo, State of California does ordain as follows:
SECTION 1: Section 2.18.060 is added to Title 2 of the County Code which is hereby amended as follows:
2.18.060. Disposition of Utility Easements
Subject to review and approval as to form by County Counsel, the Director of Public Works, or designee, is hereby authorized to grant or otherwise convey easements, licenses, or permits for use of any real property of the County of San Luis Obispo when necessary for the installation of utilities related to a County-managed construction project occurring on Countyowned real property, to any public utility corporation in the manner and upon the terms and conditions the Director of Public Works determines or prescribes. Any grant or conveyance under this section must be accompanied by a written finding by the Director of Public Works, or designee, that the conveyance is in the public interest and that the interest in the land conveyed will not substantially conflict or interfere with the use of the property by the County of San Luis Obispo.
SECTION 2: If any section, subsection, clause, phrase, or portion of this ordinance is for any reason held to be invalid or unconstitutional by the decision of a court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity or constitutionality of the remaining portion of this ordinance. The Board of Supervisors hereby declares that it would have passed this ordinance and each section, subsection, clause, phrase, or portion thereof irrespective of the fact that any one or more sections, subsections, sentences, clauses, phrases, or portions be declared invalid or unconstitutional.
SECTION 3: This ordinance shall take effect and be in full force and effect thirty (30) days after its passage and before the expiration of fifteen (15) days after passage of this ordinance, it shall be published once with the names of the members of the Board of Supervisors voting for and against the ordinance in a newspaper of general circulation published in the County of San Luis Obispo, State of California.
INTRODUCED at a regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors held on the 4th day of February, 2025, amended at a regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors held on the 25th day of February, 2025, and PASSED and ADOPTED by the Board of Supervisors of the County of San Luis Obispo, State of California, on the 25th day of February, 2025, by the following roll call vote, to wit:
AYES: Supervisors Bruce S. Gibson, Heather Moreno, John Peschong, Jimmy Paulding and Chairperson Dawn Ortiz-Legg NOES: None
ABSENT: None
ABSTAINING: None
DATED: February 26, 2025
Matthew P. Pontes, Ex-Officio Clerk of the Board of Supervisors
By: /s/ Niki Martin
Deputy Clerk
February 27, 2025
Notice of Public Hearing –March 20, 2025, at 9:00 AM
Board of Supervisors Chambers County Government Center 1055 Monterey Street San Luis Obispo, CA 93408
Hearing Item: Cayucos Sanitary District | Sphere of Influence Amendment & Annexation No. 19 (Valley) | LAFCO No. 3-R-22
Hearing Notice: LAFCO will consider the proposed Sphere of Influence (SOI) Amendment and Annexation to Cayucos Sanitary District (CSD) on March 20, 2025. The proposed annexation and SOI area is 0.198-acres located on the corner of Chaney and Gilbert Avenue in Cayucos, Assessor Parcel Number 064-405-016. The County of San Luis Obispo approved a two-level single-family residence of approximately 1,970 square feet with a 550 squarefoot garage. This proposal would allow the approved development to receive services from the CSD for sewer, solid waste, recycling, and green waste. The CSD issued a conditional intent to serve letter and a Plan for Services, which expressed conditional support for the inclusion of the property into the district’s boundaries. LAFCO is the Lead Agency for the purpose of complying with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and will consider a Categorical Exemption pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines § 15303 Class 3 (d), (e), and CEQA Guidelines § 15319 Class 19 (b). The Staff Report will be available on the LAFCO website https://slo.lafco.ca.gov/ by Thursday, March 13th. Meeting information is as shown above. You may submit comments via email to mmorris@slo.lafco.ca.gov mail written comments to 1042 Pacific St, Ste. A, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401, or provide public comment in-person during the public hearing.
Hearing Item: Cayucos Sanitary District | Sphere of Influence Amendment & Annexation No. 20 (Stanley) | LAFCO No. 3-R-23
Hearing Notice: LAFCO will consider the proposed Sphere of Influence (SOI) Amendment and Annexation to Cayucos Sanitary District (CSD) on March 20, 2025. The proposed annexation and SOI area is 0.08-acres located on Gilbert Avenue in Cayucos, Assessor Parcel Number 064-405-010. The County of San Luis Obispo conditionally approved a building permit (RBLD2022-00295) for development of a single-family residence of approximately 2,718 square feet with a 514 square-foot garage and 928 square-foot deck/patio. This proposal would allow the approved development to receive services from the CSD for sewer, solid waste, recycling, and green waste. The CSD issued a conditional intent to serve letter and a Plan for Services, which expressed conditional support for the inclusion of the property into the district’s boundaries. LAFCO is the Lead Agency for the purpose of complying with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and will consider a Categorical Exemption pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines § 15303 Class 3 (d), (e), and CEQA Guidelines § 15319 Class 19 (b). The Staff Report will be available on the LAFCO website https://slo.lafco.ca.gov/ by Thursday, March 13th. Meeting information is as shown above. You may submit comments via email to mmorris@slo.lafco.ca.gov mail written comments to 1042 Pacific St, Ste. A, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401, or provide public comment in-person during the public hearing.
If you have questions, please contact: LAFCO 805-781-5795 or mmorris@slo.lafco.ca.gov
February 27, 2025
NOTICE: SEIZURE OF PROPERTY AND INITIATION OF NONJUDICIAL FORFEITURE PROCEEDINGS PER HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE SECTION 11488.4(J)
TO: ALL PERSONS CLAIMING ANY RIGHT, TITLE, OR INTEREST IN PROPERTY DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS:
$9,700.00 IN UNITED STATES CURRENCY
Notice is hereby given that on February 11, 2025, the above-described property was seized at or near 420 Pacific Avenue, Paso Robles, CA by the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office, in connection with cannabis violations, to wit, section(s) 11378 and 11351 of the California Health and Safety Code. The estimated/appraised value of the property is $9,700.00.
Pursuant to section 11488.4(j) of the California Health and Safety Code, you must file a verified claim stating your interest in the property with the Superior Court’s Civil Division, Room 385, County Courthouse Annex, 1035 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, California 93408. Claim forms are available from the Clerk of the above court and also online at https://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/mc200.pdf.
Furthermore, an endorsed copy of the verified claim must also be served on the District Attorney, Asset Forfeiture Unit, County Courthouse Annex, 1035 Palm Street, 4th Floor, San Luis Obispo, California 93408, within 30 days of filing the claim with the Superior Court’s Civil Division.
Both the District Attorney’s Office and the Interested Party filing the claim are entitled to conduct reciprocal requests for discovery in preparation for a hearing. The provisions of the Code of Civil Procedure shall apply to the proceedings unless inconsistent with the provisions or procedures set forth in the Health and Safety Code (Section 11488.5(c)(3)).
The Interested Party in entitled to legal representation at a hearing, although not one appointed at public expense, and has the right to present evidence and witnesses, and to cross-examine plaintiff’s witnesses, but there is no right to avoid testifying at a civil hearing.
The failure to timely file and secure a verified claim stating an interest in the property in the Superior Court will result in the property being declared or ordered forfeited to the State of California and distributed pursuant to the provisions of Health and Safety Code section 11489 without further notice or hearing.
DATED: February 18, 2025 DAN DOW District Attorney
Kenneth Jorgensen Deputy District Attorney
February 20, 27, & March 6, 2025
CITY OF ARROYO GRANDE CITY COUNCIL
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Arroyo Grande City Council will conduct a public hearing in the Arroyo Grande City Council Chambers located at 215 E. Branch Street, Arroyo Grande, CA 93420 on TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 2025, at 6:00 p.m., or soon thereafter, to consider the following item:
Consideration of Amendments to Title 13 of the Arroyo Grande Municipal Code Regarding Water Wells and Finding That This Action Is Exempt From Review Under The California Environmental Quality Act. The City Council will discuss the proposed amendments to the Arroyo Grande Municipal Code (AGMC) regarding water wells, including general development procedures and standards, and submittal requirements.
In compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the Community Development Department has determined that the proposed AGMC amendments are exempt from CEQA because it is known with certainty that there is no possibility that the adoption of the ordinance will have a significant effect on the environment. (State CEQA Guidelines section 15061(b)(3).
This City Council meeting is being conducted in a hybrid in-person/virtual format. During the public hearing, public comment will be limited to three (3) minutes per speaker, pursuant to current meeting procedure.
The City Council may also discuss other hearings or business items before or after the item listed above. If you challenge the proposed action in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing described in this notice, or in written correspondence delivered to the Planning Commission at, or prior to, the public hearing. Failure of any person to receive the notice shall not constitute grounds for any court to invalidate the action of the legislative body for which the notice was given.
Documents related to the project are available in the Community Development Department located at 300 E. Branch Street, Arroyo Grande. The Agenda and reports are posted online at www.arroyogrande.org 72 hours prior to the meeting. Please call (805) 473-5420 for more information. The City Council meeting will be televised live on Charter Cable Channel 20 and streamed live on the City’s Website.
Jessica Matson, City Clerk February 27, 2025
NOTICE OF PLANNING COMMISSION PUBLIC HEARING
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City of Paso Robles
Planning Commission will hold a Public Hearing to consider the following project:
Project Description:
Time extension of the entitlements for the Daou Winery Facility, including a Development Plan for an approximately 157,000 square foot wine production facility for Daou Vineyards with interior uses to include barrel storage, bottling/packages areas, warehousing, and fermentation areas. The exterior uses include a crush pad, mechanical yards, and wastewater treatment. (P22-0069 / TEX 25-01 for PD 22-09)
Applicant: Daou Vineyards, LLC
Location:
5175 Airport Road / APN: 025-434-015
CEQA Determination: The project is consistent with the approved environmental document.
Hearing Date:
The Planning Commission will hold a Public Hearing on March 11, at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chamber/Library Conference Center, 1000 Spring Street, Paso Robles, CA 93446. The public has the option to attend the meeting in person or to participate remotely. To participate remotely, residents can livestream the meeting at www.prcity.com/youtube, and call (805)865-7276 to provide live public comment via telephone. The phone line will open just prior to the start of the meeting.
Written public comments can be submitted via email to planning@prcity.com or US Mail (submit early) to the Community Development Department, 1000 Spring Street, Paso Robles, CA 93446 provided that the comments are received prior to the time of the public hearing. Comments received prior to 12:00 noon on the day of the meeting will be posted as an addendum to the agenda. If submitting written comments, please note the agenda item by number or name. Comments on the proposed application must be received prior to the time of the hearing to be considered by the Planning Commission.
Challenge to the application in court will be limited to issues raised at the public hearings or in written correspondence delivered to the Planning Commission at, or prior to, the public hearing.
Copies of the project staff report will be available for review on the City’s website (www.prcity.com/meetings) on the Friday preceding the hearing. If you have any questions, please contact the Community Development Department at (805) 237-3970. February 27, 2025
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Draft Ordinance has been introduced before the City Council of the City of Atascadero. The primary provisions of the Ordinance are as follows:
This Draft Ordinance amends section 3-16.07 of the Atascadero Municipal Code establishing the membership of the Advisory Board for the Atascadero Tourism Business Improvement District.
On February 25, 2025, the City Council introduced this Ordinance for adoption by the following roll call vote:
AYES: Council Members Dariz, Funk, Newsom, Peek and Mayor Bourbeau. NOES: None.
ABSENT: None.
The City Council will consider this Ordinance for adoption on March 11, 2025, at 6:00 p.m., or soon thereafter, at City Hall, 6500 Palma Avenue, Atascadero, at which time any persons wishing to support or oppose the adoption of said Ordinance may appear and be heard.
NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN under provisions of Government Code Section 36933 the required publication in the New Times will be summary only. Copies of the full text of this Draft Ordinance (including all Exhibits) are available for review on the City’s website at www.atascadero.org or by appointment in the City Clerk’s Office, 6500 Palma Avenue, Atascadero, California.
DATED: February 25, 2025
S/ Alyssa Slater, Deputy City Clerk
PUBLISH: February 27,2025
1106 WALNUT FENCING IMPROVEMENTS SPEC.
should meet City staff at 1106 Walnut Street in San Luis Obispo, California.
Download FREE at the City’s website: www.slocity.org - Bid packages under Bids & Proposals. Questions may be addressed to Sandra Golonka, Project Manager, at 805-781-7239 or sgolonka@slocity.org February 27, 2025 Applications to make minor changes to the properties at the addresses listed below have been received by the City. 1. 1425 Sydney St. FNCE-0686-2024; A request for a fence height
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
WHO: San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors
WHEN: Tuesday, March 11, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. All items are advertised for 9:00 a.m.
To find out placement of this item on the Board of Supervisors Agenda, go to the County’s website at www.slocounty.ca.gov on the Wednesday before the scheduled hearing date.
WHAT: Hearing to consider an appeal (APPL2024-00030) by Patrick McGibney of the Los Osos Sustainability Group of the Planning Department Hearing Officer’s approval of the request by Sarabjit Purewal for a Minor Use Permit/Coastal Development Permit (C-DRC2022-00025) to allow for the construction of an approximately 3,452
(12,632
with
of
The project is in the Residential Single-Family land use category, located at 200 Madera Street within the community of Los Osos. The site is in the Estero Area Plan (Planning and Building).
County File Number: APPL2024-00030
Assessor Parcel Number: 074-483-009
Supervisorial District: 2
Date Accepted: November 7, 2024
WHERE:
The hearing will be held in the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors Chambers, 1055 Monterey St., Room #D170, County Government Center, San Luis Obispo, CA. The Board of Supervisors Chambers are located on the corner of Santa Rosa and Monterey Streets. At the hearing all interested persons may express their views for or against, or to change the proposal.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
You may contact Nicole Ellis, Project Manager, in the San Luis Obispo County Department of Planning and Building, 976 Osos Street, Room 200, San Luis Obispo, California 93408, nellis@co.slo.ca.us (805) 781-5157. The staff report will be available for review the Wednesday before the scheduled hearing date on the County’s website at http://www.slocounty.ca.gov.
ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION:
Also to be considered at the hearing will be adoption of the Environmental Document prepared for the item. The Environmental Coordinator, after completion of the initial study, finds that there is no substantial evidence that the project may have a significant effect on the environment, and the preparation of an Environmental Impact Report is not necessary. Therefore, a Mitigated Negative Declaration (pursuant to Public Resources Code Section 21000 et seq., and CA Code of Regulations Section 15000 et seq.) has been issued on June 5, 2024, for this project. Mitigation measures are proposed to address Air Quality and Biological Resources and are included as conditions of approval.
COASTAL APPEALABLE:
County action may be eligible for appeal to the California Coastal Commission. Appeals must be filed in writing as provided by Coastal Zone Land Use Ordinance Section 23.01.043.
**If you challenge this matter in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing described in this public notice or in written correspondence delivered to the appropriate authority at or before the public hearing**
DATED: February 21, 2025
Matthew P. Pontes, Ex-Officio Clerk of the Board of Supervisors
By: /s/ Niki Martin, Deputy Clerk
February 27, 2025
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
WHO: San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors
WHEN:
Tuesday, March 11, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. All items are advertised for 9:00 a.m. To find out placement of this item on the Board of Supervisors Agenda, go to the County’s website at www.slocounty.ca.gov on the Wednesday before the scheduled hearing date.
WHAT:
Hearing to consider an appeal by Patrick McGibney of the Los Osos Sustainability Group (APPL2024-00014) of the Planning Department Hearing Officer’s approval of a request by Katie Lee for a Minor Use Permit/Coastal Development Permit (C-DRC2023-00007) to permit and regulate the as-built and as-used structure and uses established on the project site comprised of a non-conforming as-built/as-used approximately 2,673 square-foot one-story mixed use eating and drinking establishment, four-unit hotel/motel, and storage area. The project will not result in any disturbance of the approximately 18,750 square foot parcel. The proposed project is within the Commercial Retail land use category, and is located at 1325 Second Street, in the community of Los Osos (APN 038-181021). The site is in the Estero Planning Area.
County File Number: APPL2024-00014
Assessor Parcel Number: 038-181-021 Supervisorial District: 2 Date Accepted: June 21, 2024
WHERE:
The hearing will be held in the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors Chambers, 1055 Monterey St., Room #D170, County Government Center, San Luis Obispo, CA. The Board of Supervisors Chambers are located on the corner of Santa Rosa and Monterey Streets. At the hearing all interested persons may express their views for or against, or to change the proposal.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
You may contact Dane Mueller, Project Manager, in the San Luis Obispo County Department of Planning and Building, 976 Osos Street, Room 200, San Luis Obispo, California 93408, dmueller@co.slo. ca.us (805) 788-2959. The staff report will be available for review the Wednesday before the scheduled hearing date on the County’s website at http://www.slocounty.ca.gov.
ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION:
Also to be considered at the hearing is the determination that this project is categorically exempt from environmental review under CEQA.
COASTAL APPEALABLE:
County action may be eligible for appeal to the California Coastal Commission. Appeals must be filed in writing as provided by Coastal Zone Land Use Ordinance Section 23.01.043.
**If you challenge this matter in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing described in this public notice or in written correspondence delivered to the appropriate authority at or before the public hearing**
DATED: February 21, 2025
Matthew P. Pontes, Ex-Officio Clerk of the Board of Supervisors By:
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
WHO: San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors
WHEN: Tuesday, March 11, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. All items are advertised for 9:00 a.m. To find out placement of this item on the Board of Supervisors Agenda, go to the County’s website at www.slocounty.ca.gov on the Wednesday before the scheduled hearing date.
WHAT: Hearing to consider an appeal by Patrick McGibney of the Los Osos Sustainability Group (APPL2024-00015) of the Planning Department
Hearing Officer’s approval of a request by Katie Lee for a Minor Use Permit/Coastal Development Permit (C-DRC2023-00004) to permit and regulate the as-built and as-used structure and uses established on the project site comprised of a non-conforming asbuilt/as-used approximately 2,912 square-foot two-story three-unit hotel/motel with laundry facilities, 501 square feet of decking and 96 square feet of outdoor stairs. The project site provides 5 required parking spaces. The project will not result in any disturbance of the approximately 6,250 square foot parcel. The proposed project is within the Commercial Retail land use category, and is located at 1315 Second Street, in the community of Los Osos (APN 038-181011). The site is in the Estero Planning Area. District 2.
County File Number: APPL2024-00015
Assessor Parcel Number: 038-181-011
Supervisorial District: 2
Date Accepted: June 21, 2024
WHERE:
The hearing will be held in the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors Chambers, 1055 Monterey St., Room #D170, County Government Center, San Luis Obispo, CA. The Board of Supervisors Chambers are located on the corner of Santa Rosa and Monterey Streets. At the hearing all interested persons may express their views for or against, or to change the proposal.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
You may contact Dane Mueller, Project Manager, in the San Luis Obispo County Department of Planning and Building, 976 Osos Street, Room 200, San Luis Obispo, California 93408, dmueller@co.slo. ca.us (805) 788-2959. The staff report will be available for review the Wednesday before the scheduled hearing date on the County’s website at http://www.slocounty.ca.gov.
ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION:
Also to be considered at the hearing is the determination that this project is categorically exempt from environmental review under CEQA.
COASTAL APPEALABLE:
County action may be eligible for appeal to the California Coastal Commission. Appeals must be filed in writing as provided by Coastal Zone Land Use Ordinance Section 23.01.043.
**If you challenge this matter in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing described in this public notice or in written correspondence delivered to the appropriate authority at or before the public hearing**
DATED: February 21, 2025
Matthew P. Pontes, Ex-Officio Clerk of the Board of Supervisors By: /s/ Niki Martin, Deputy Clerk February 27, 2025
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
WHO: San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors
WHEN: Tuesday, March 11, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. All items are advertised for 9:00 a.m. To find out placement of this item on the Board of Supervisors Agenda, go to the County’s website at www.slocounty.ca.gov on the Wednesday before the scheduled hearing date.
WHAT: Hearing to consider an appeal (APPL2023-00010) by Patrick McGibney of the Los Osos Sustainability Group of the Planning Commission’s approval of the request by Denise Mueller for a Variance/Minor Use Permit/Coastal Development Permit (C-DRC2023-00012 & DRC2020-00078) to allow grading on slopes in excess of 30% for the construction of a two-story, 1,970-square-foot residence with an attached 461-square-foot garage and 880 square feet of exterior deck. The project would result in approximately 3,893 square feet of site disturbance on an approximately 0.61-acre parcel.
The project is located at 2831 Alamo Drive within the community of Los Osos. The site is in the Estero Planning Area (Planning and Building).
County File Number: APPL2023-00010
Assessor Parcel Number: 074-457-030
Supervisorial District: 2 Date Accepted: November 13, 2023
WHERE:
The hearing will be held in the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors Chambers, 1055 Monterey St., Room #D170, County Government Center, San Luis Obispo, CA. The Board of Supervisors Chambers are located on the corner of Santa Rosa and Monterey Streets. At the hearing all interested persons may express their views for or against, or to change the proposal.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
You may contact Nicole Ellis, Project Manager, in the San Luis Obispo County Department of Planning and Building, 976 Osos Street, Room 200, San Luis Obispo, California 93408, nellis@co.slo.ca.us (805) 781-5157. The staff report will be available for review the Wednesday before the scheduled hearing date on the County’s website at http://www.slocounty.ca.gov.
ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION:
Also to be considered at the hearing will be adoption of the Environmental Document prepared for the item. The Environmental Coordinator, after completion of the initial study, finds that there is no substantial evidence that the project may have a significant effect on the environment, and the preparation of an Environmental Impact Report is not necessary. Therefore, a Mitigated Negative Declaration (pursuant to Public Resources Code Section 21000 et seq., and CA Code of Regulations Section 15000 et seq.) has been issued on August 12, 2022, for this project. Mitigation measures are proposed to address Aesthetics, Air Quality and Biological Resources and are included as conditions of approval.
COASTAL APPEALABLE:
County action may be eligible for appeal to the California Coastal Commission. Appeals must be filed in writing as provided by Coastal Zone Land Use Ordinance Section 23.01.043.
**If you challenge this matter in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing described in this public notice or in written correspondence delivered to the appropriate authority at or before the public hearing** DATED: February 21,
PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on Tuesday, March 18, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. or as soon thereafter as possible, the Pismo Beach City Council will hold a public hearing in the Council Chamber at City Hall, 760 Mattie Road, Pismo Beach, for the following purpose:
PUBLIC HEARING AGENDA:
Address: Citywide
Description: Hearing to consider public input on the adoption of two ordinances:
1. An ordinance adopting by reference Title 9: Animals of the San Luis Obispo County Code, and reserving certain local code provisions in Title 6: Animals of the Pismo Beach Municipal Code. A copy of San Luis Obispo County Code Title 9 is on file in the office of the Pismo Beach City Clerk, and the same is open for public inspection;
2. An ordinance making omnibus revisions to various chapters of the Pismo Beach Municipal Code, including Chapters 1.24, 2.04, 3.06, 3.08, 5.16, 5.22, 5.24, 5.28. 12.16, 12.32, and 12.36.
Details about ways to participate in this hearing will be provided on the agenda posted for the meeting online at pismobeach.org/agenda, and on the bulletin board at City Hall. The agenda will be posted in the afternoon of March 13, 2025.
You have a right to comment on these projects and their effect on our community. Interested persons are invited to participate in the hearing or otherwise express their views and opinions regarding the proposed projects. Emailed comments may be submitted to citycouncil@pismobeach. org; staff cannot guarantee that emailed comments submitted after the start of the meeting will be given full consideration before action is taken. Written comments may be delivered or mailed to the City Clerk’s Office at 760 Mattie Road, Pismo Beach, CA 93449, prior to the meeting, or hand-delivered during the meeting no later than the comment period for this item. Oral comment may be provided prior to the meeting by calling 805-773-7005 and leaving a voice message. Please state and spell your name, and identify your item of interest. Oral comment may also be made during the meeting by attending the meeting in person in the Council Chamber at City Hall. Please refer to the agenda for this meeting for specific instructions for participation.
Staff reports, plans and other information related to these projects are available for public review from the City Clerk’s Office, by emailing City Clerk Erica Inderlied at einderlied@pismobeach.org. The meeting agenda and staff report will be available no later than the Thursday before the meeting and may be obtained upon request by mail or by visiting www.pismobeach. org/agenda. The Council meeting will be televised live on Charter Cable Channel 20 and streamed on the City’s website.
PLEASE NOTE:
If you challenge the action taken on this item in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing described in this notice, or in written correspondence delivered to the City of Pismo Beach at, or prior to, the public hearing.
For further information, please contact Erica Inderlied, City Clerk, at einderlied@pismobeach.org or 805-773-7003.
Erica Inderlied
City Clerk
February 27, 2025
CITY OF PISMO BEACH STATE OF CALIFORNIA NOTICE TO PROPOSERS
PROPOSALS will be received electronically by the City of Pismo Beach via the City’s e-Procurement Portal PlanetBids, until 2:00 p.m., on Thursday, March 13, 2025 as determined by www.time.gov for performing work as follows:
INSPECTION OF THE PISMO PIER, CYPRESS STREET BRIDGE, AND PEDESTRIAN BRIDGES
The City of Pismo Beach seeks the services of a qualified firm or a joint venture of firms to conduct an underwater and above-water inspection of the entire Pismo Pier structure in accordance with the American Society of Civil Engineers Manual 130: Waterfront Facilities Inspection and Assessment, and the U.S. Department of Defense Unified Facilities Criteria 4-150-07: Maintenance of Waterfront Facilities. The City also seeks to have the Consultant conduct inspections of the Cypress Street Bridge, Dolliver Street Pedestrian Bridge and the Shore Cliff Pedestrian Bridge in accordance with National Bridge Inspection Standards (NBIS) and the Caltrans Bridge Element Inspection Manual.
All questions must be submitted in writing through the PlanetBids Procurement Question/Answer Tab via the City’s e-Procurement portal, on or before the Question & Answer Submission Date and Time. All questions submitted and answers provided shall be electronically distributed to all proposers who have selected to “follow” this RFP on the City’s e-Procurement Portal.
All proposals will be compared based on understanding of the scope of work, methods and procedures to be used, management, personnel and experience, and consultation and coordination with the City of Pismo Beach. Proposals must be submitted online using the City’s electronic bidding platform which can be accessed at www. pismobeach.org/bids.
ERICA INDERLIED
CITY CLERK
February 20 & 27, 2025
DOWNTOWN PARKING LOT IMPROVEMENTS
PROJECT NO. 22-08
SEALED BIDS will be received by the City Clerk, or designee, of the City of El Paso de Robles until March 20, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. for the DOWNTOWN PARKING LOT IMPROVEMENTS, DPW Project No. 22-08. Please be certain that any bid submitted is sealed and addressed and noted as follows:
City Clerk
City of El Paso de Robles
1000 Spring Street Paso Robles, CA 93446
Sealed Bid for DOWNTOWN PARKING LOT IMPROVEMENTS, DPW Project No. 22-08
Following the closure of the bid submittal period, bids will be publicly opened and read for performing work as follows: Furnishing all labor, materials, equipment, and performing all work necessary and incidental to the construction of the project known as DOWNTOWN PARKING LOT IMPROVEMENTS, DPW Project No. 22-08, according to drawings and specifications prepared by the City of El Paso de Robles and according to the Contract Documents. The work shall include, but is not limited to, pavement rehabilitation, concrete surface improvements, drainage improvements, lighting improvements, signage and striping improvements, along with retaining walls, landscaping, and installing EV charging stations. Contractor to provide all necessary work plans, permits, and inspections necessary, all as shown on the plans and/or as specified herein.
Project is to be completed within One Hundred Twenty (120) WORKING days from the date specified in the Notice to Proceed. The Contractor shall pay to the City of El Paso de Robles the sum of Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) for each and every calendar day’s delay in finishing the work in excess of the calendar day completion time.
The California Air Resources Board (“CARB”) implemented amendments to the In-Use Off-Road Diesel-Fueled Fleets Regulations (“Regulation”) which went into effect on January 1, 2024 and apply broadly to all self-propelled off road diesel vehicles 25 horsepower or greater and other forms of equipment used in California. A copy of the Regulation is available at https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/sites/default/files/barcu/regact/2022/offroaddiesel/appa-1.pdf Bidders are required to comply with all CARB and Regulation requirements, including, without limitation, all applicable sections of the Regulation, as codified in Title 13 of the California Code of Regulations section 2449 et seq. throughout the duration of the Project. Bidders must provide, with their Bid, copies of Bidder’s and all listed subcontractors’ most recent, valid Certificate of Reported Compliance (“CRC”) issued by CARB. Failure to provide valid CRCs as required herein may render the Bid non-responsive.
Copies of the Bid Documents are now on file and available for public inspection at Public Works Department at 1000 Spring Street, El Paso de Robles, California. Interested bidders must obtain copies of the documents electronically.
The Contract Documents will be available electronically, at no cost, at DemandStar Paso Robles, CA. Use the link DemandStar Paso Robles, CA to navigate to the website for out to bid projects.
To download the Bid Documents, the user must register as a user on the site. It is the responsibility of each prospective bidder to download and print all Bid Documents for review and to verify the completeness of Bid Documents before submitting a bid. Any Addenda will be posted at DemandStar Paso Robles, CA.
It is the responsibility of each prospective bidder to check DemandStar Paso Robles, CA on a daily basis through the close of bids for any applicable addenda or updates. DemandStar Paso Robles, CA sends email notifications to ONLY those registered on their website. The City does not assume any liability or responsibility based on any defective or incomplete copying, excerpting, scanning, faxing, downloading or printing of the Bid Documents. Information on DemandStar Paso Robles, CA may change without notice to prospective bidders. The Contract Documents shall supersede any information posted or transmitted by any other vendor besides the City.
Bidding procedures are prescribed in the Contract Documents. Each bidder must submit bid security in one of the following forms: cash, cashier’s check payable to City, a certified check payable to City, or a bid bond in the form included with the bid documents, executed by an admitted surety insurer, made payable to City in an amount equal to at least 10% of the total amount of the bid or proposal.
Pursuant to Section 1770, et seq. of the California Labor Code, the successful bidder and all subcontractors shall pay not less than the prevailing rate of per diem wages as determined by the Director of the California Department of Industrial Relations.
Pursuant to Labor Code Section 1725.5, for bids due on or after March 1, 2015, all contractors and subcontractors that wish to bid on, be listed in a bid proposal for, or enter into a contract to perform work on the Project must be registered with the Department of Industrial Relations pursuant to Labor Code sections 1725.5 and 1771.1. No bid will be accepted, nor any contract entered into if the bidder is not registered as required by law.
Pursuant to Public Contract Code Section 22300, for monies earned by the Contractor and withheld by City of El Paso de Robles to ensure the performance of the Contract, the Contractor may, at its option, choose to substitute securities meeting the requirements of Public Contract Code Section 22300.
All bidders shall be licensed under the provisions of the Business and Professions Code to do the type of work contemplated in the project. In accordance with provisions of California Public Contract Code Section 3300, City has determined that the Contractor shall possess a valid Class A (General Engineering) License at the time that the bid is submitted. Failure to possess the specified license shall render the bid non-responsive.
The successful bidder will be required to furnish a payment bond in the amount equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the Contract Price, as well as a faithful performance bond, in the amount equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the Contract Price. The bonds shall be on the forms included in the Contract Documents.
City reserves the right to reject any or all bids; to make any awards or any rejections in what it alone considers to be in the best interest of City and waive any informalities or irregularities in the bids. The contract will be awarded, if at all, to the responsible bidder that submits the lowest responsive bid. City will determine the low bid.
Date: February 6, 2025
By: Ditas Esperanza P.E.
Projects Engineer
PUBLISHED NOTICE INVITING BIDS
SOUTH VINE BRIDGE
CONSTRUCTION PROJECT NO. 13-01
SEALED BIDS will be received by the Public Works Department, of the City of El Paso de Robles until April 17, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. for the South Vine Bridge Construction, DPW Project No. 13-01. Please be certain that any bid submitted is sealed and addressed and noted as follows:
City of El Paso de Robles
PLEASE NOTE NEW ADDRESS FOR BID DROP OFF 4305 Second Wind Way Paso Robles, CA 93446
Sealed Bid for South Vine Bridge Construction, DPW Project No. 13-01
Following the closure of the bid submittal period, bids will be publicly opened and read for performing work as follows: Furnishing all labor, materials, equipment, and performing all work necessary and incidental to the construction of the project known as South Vine Bridge Construction, DPW Project No. 13-01 according to drawings and specifications prepared by the City of El Paso de Robles and according to the Contract Documents. The work shall include but is not limited to, construction and installation of a prefabricated bridge, storm drains, bridge lighting, modification of an existing traffic signal, curbs, gutters, paving and striping, and all other appurtenant facilities to support the South Vine Bridge. Contractor to provide all necessary work plans, permits, and inspections necessary, all as shown on the plans and/or as specified herein.
Project is to be completed within Two Hundred Ten (210) WORKING days from the date specified in the Notice to Proceed. The Contractor shall pay to the City of El Paso de Robles the sum of Three Thousand Dollars ($3,000.00), for each and every calendar day’s delay in finishing the work in excess of the calendar day completion time.
The California Air Resources Board (“CARB”) implemented amendments to the In-Use Off-Road Diesel-Fueled Fleets Regulations (“Regulation”) which went into effect on January 1, 2024 and apply broadly to all self-propelled off road diesel vehicles 25 horsepower or greater and other forms of equipment used in California. A copy of the Regulation is available at https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/sites/default/files/barcu/regact/2022/offroaddiesel/appa-1.pdf Bidders are required to comply with all CARB and Regulation requirements, including, without limitation, all applicable sections of the Regulation, as codified in Title 13 of the California Code of Regulations section 2449 et seq. throughout the duration of the Project. Bidders must provide, with their Bid, copies of Bidder’s and all listed subcontractors’ most recent, valid Certificate of Reported Compliance (“CRC”) issued by CARB. Failure to provide valid CRCs as required herein may render the Bid non-responsive.
Copies of the Bid Documents are now on file and available for public inspection at the Public Works Department at 4305 Second Wind Way, El Paso de Robles, California. Interested bidders must obtain copies of the documents electronically.
The Contract Documents will be available electronically, at no cost, at DemandStar Paso Robles, CA. Use the link DemandStar Paso Robles, CA to navigate to the website for out to bid projects. To download the Bid Documents, the user must register as a user on the site. It is the responsibility of each prospective bidder to download and print all Bid Documents for review and to verify the completeness of Bid Documents before submitting a bid. Any Addenda will be posted at DemandStar Paso Robles, CA It is the responsibility of each prospective bidder to check DemandStar Paso Robles, CA on a daily basis through the close of bids for any applicable addenda or updates. DemandStar Paso Robles, CA sends email notifications to ONLY those registered on their website. The City does not assume any liability or responsibility based on any defective or incomplete copying, excerpting, scanning, faxing, downloading or printing of the Bid Documents. Information on DemandStar Paso Robles, CA may change without notice to prospective bidders. The Contract Documents shall supersede any information posted or transmitted by any other vendor besides the City.
Bidding procedures are prescribed in the Contract Documents.
Each bidder must submit bid security in one of the following forms: cash, cashier’s check payable to City, a certified check payable to City, or a bid bond in the form included with the bid documents, executed by an admitted surety insurer, made payable to City in an amount equal to at least 10% of the total amount of the bid or proposal.
Pursuant to Section 1770, et seq. of the California Labor Code, the successful bidder and all subcontractors shall pay not less than the prevailing rate of per diem wages as determined by the Director of the California Department of Industrial Relations.
Pursuant to Labor Code Section 1725.5, for bids due on or after March 1, 2015, all contractors and subcontractors that wish to bid on, be listed in a bid proposal for, or enter into a contract to perform work on the Project must be registered with the Department of Industrial Relations pursuant to Labor Code sections 1725.5 and 1771.1. No bid will be accepted, nor any contract entered into if the bidder is not registered as required by law.
Pursuant to Public Contract Code Section 22300, for monies earned by the Contractor and withheld by City of El Paso de Robles to ensure the performance of the Contract, the Contractor may, at its option, choose to substitute securities meeting the requirements of Public Contract Code Section 22300.
All bidders shall be licensed under the provisions of the Business and Professions Code to do the type of work contemplated in the project. In accordance with provisions of California Public Contract Code Section 3300, City has determined that the Contractor shall possess a valid Class A (General Engineering) License at the time that the bid is submitted. Failure to possess the specified license shall render the bid non-responsive.
The successful bidder will be required to furnish a payment bond in the amount equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the Contract Price, as well as a faithful performance bond, in the amount equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the Contract Price. The bonds shall be on the forms included in the Contract Documents.
City reserves the right to reject any or all bids; to make any awards or any rejections in what it alone considers to be in the best interest of City and waive any informalities or irregularities in the bids. The contract will be awarded, if at all, to the responsible bidder that submits the lowest responsive bid. City will determine the low bid. Date: February 13, 2025 By: Ditas Esperanza P.E. Capital Projects Engineer
Publication Dates: February 13, 2025, February 27, 2025, March 13, 2025
Free Will Astrology by Rob Brezsny
Homework: Make a promise to yourself that’s hard but not impossible to keep. Newsletter.freewillastrology.com
ARIES
(March 21-April 19): Aries author Anne Lamott articulated a thought that’s perfect for you to hear right now: “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” I might amend her wisdom a bit to say “for a few hours” or “a couple of days.” Now is a rare time when a purposeful disconnection can lead you to deeper synchronization. A project or relationship will improve after a gentle reset. Your power mantra: “Renew yourself with quiet inaction.”
TAURUS
(April 20-May 20): Beavers are the engineers of the natural world. The dams they fabricate not only create shelters for them but also benefit their entire ecosystem. The ponds and marshes they help shape provide rich habitats for many other species. Boosting biodiversity is their specialty. Their constructions also serve as natural filters, enhancing water quality downstream. Let’s make beavers your inspirational symbol for the coming weeks, Taurus. In their spirit, build what’s good for you with the intention of making it good for everyone whose life you touch. Ensure that your efforts will generate ripples that nourish your tribe and community.
GEMINI
(May 21-June 20): I predict that you will soon have reason to celebrate a resounding success. You will claim a well-deserved reward. You may even shiver with amazement and gratification as you marvel at how many challenges you overcame to emerge triumphant. In my view, you will have every right to exude extra pride and radiance. I won’t complain if you flirt with a burst of egotism. In accordance with my spirituality, I will tell you, “Remember that this wonder you have spawned will live for a very long time.”
CANCER
(June 21-July 22): When you see the stars in the night sky, you’re looking at the ancient past. Light from those heavenly bodies may have taken as long as 4,000 years to reach us. So we are beholding them as they used to be, not as they are now. With that as your inspiration, I invite you to spend quality time gazing into your own personal past. Meditate on how your history is alive in you today, making its imprint on all you do and say. Say prayers and write messages to yourself in which you express your awe and appreciation for the epic myth that is your destiny.
LEO
(July 23-Aug. 22): I mourn the growing climate calamity that is heating up our beloved planet. Among many other distortions, it has triggered yellow forsythias and blue gentians to blossom during winters in the Austrian Alps—an unprecedented event. At the same time, I am also able to marvel at the strange beauty of gorgeous flowers growing on the winter hills of ski resorts. So my feelings are mixed—paradoxical and confusing— and that’s fine with me. I regard it as a sign of soulfulness. May you be so blessed, Leo: full of appreciation for your capacity to hold conflicting ideas, perspectives, and feelings.
VIRGO
(Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The quietest place on earth is a room at Microsoft’s headquarters near Seattle. It’s made of six layers of steel and concrete, and its foundation includes vibrationdampening springs. Within it, you can hear your heartbeat, the swishing of your clothes, and the hum of air molecules colliding. The silence is so eerily profound that many people become flummoxed while visiting. Here’s the moral of the story: While you Virgos are naturally inclined to favor order and precision, a modicum of noise and commotion in your life is often beneficial. Like background sounds that keep you oriented, minor wriggles and perturbations ensure you remain grounded. This will be extra important for you to acknowledge in the coming weeks.
LIBRA
(Sept. 23-Oct. 22): To make a Mobius strip, you give a half twist to a strip of paper and attach the ends. You have then created
a surface with just one side and one edge. It’s a fun curiosity, but it also has practical applications. Using Mobius strips, engineers can design more efficient gears. Machinists make mechanical belts that are Mobius strips because they wear out less quickly. There are at least eight other concrete functions, as well. Let’s extrapolate from this to suggest that a similar theme might be arising in your life. What may seem like an interesting but impractical element could reveal its real-world value. You may find unexpected uses for playful features. One of your capacities has dimensions you have not yet explored but are ready to.
SCORPIO
(Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Sandra Cisneros is a visionary writer with sun and Mercury in Sagittarius. She is always in quest of the next big lesson and the next exciting adventure. But she also has the moon, Venus, and Saturn in Scorpio. Her sensitive attunement to the hidden and secret aspects of reality is substantial. She thrives on cultivating a profound understanding of her inner world. It took her years to master the art of fully expressing both these sides of her character. I bring this to your attention, Scorpio, because you’re primed to go in quest for experiences that will open your heart to novel amazements—even as you connect with previously unknown aspects of your deep self that resonate with those experiences.
SAGITTARIUS
(Nov. 22-Dec. 21): The Moeraki Boulders are spread along a beach in New Zealand. Many of the 50 big rocks are nearly perfect spheres and up to six feet in diameter, so they provide a stunning visual feast. Scientists know that they have steadily grown for the last 4 million years, accumulating ever-new layers of minerals. I propose we make them your symbols of power until July 1. In my astrological estimation, you are in a phase of laying long-term groundwork. What may seem to be a tedious accumulation of small, gradual victories is part of a grander undertaking. Like the Moeraki Boulders, your efforts will crystallize into an enduring foundation.
CAPRICORN
(Dec. 22-Jan. 19): A Japanese proverb says, “The bamboo that bends with the wind is stronger and more resilient than the oak tree that resists.” That’s true. When storms bluster, oak branches get broken and blown away. Bamboo may look delicate, but it is actually strong and capable of withstanding high winds. It flourishes by being flexible instead of rigid. That’s the approach I recommend to you, Capricorn. Challenges may emerge that inspire you to stay grounded by adapting. Your plans will become optimal as you adjust them. By trusting your natural resilience, you could find unexpected chances for interesting transformation. Your potency will lie in your ability to bend without breaking.
AQUARIUS
(Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Seattle’s Space Needle serves as an observation tower. It’s 605 feet high. For years, there was a restaurant with a rotating floor at the top. In its early days, the movement was so brisk that some visitors got dizzy and nauseous. Engineers had to recalibrate the equipment so it was sufficiently leisurely to keep everyone comfortable. Your current situation resembles this story. The right elements are in place, but you need to adjust the timing and rhythm. If there are frustrating glitches, they are clues to the fine-tuning that needs to be done.
PISCES
(Feb. 19-March 20): Octopuses have three hearts, each with a different function. Every one of their eight limbs contains a mini-brain, giving them nine in total. Is there any doubt, then, that they are the patron creature for you Pisceans? No other zodiac sign is more multifaceted than you. No other can operate with grace on so many different levels. I celebrate your complexity, dear Pisces, which enables you to draw such rich experiences into your life and manage such diverse challenges. These qualities will be working at a peak in the coming weeks. For inspiration, consider putting an image of an octopus in your environment. ∆
