New Times Media Group is pleased to present the Summer/Fall 2023 issue of Get Outside magazine –on stands now!
Get Outside magazine is focused on everything outdoors on California’s Central Coast. Stories are about people, places, events, services, organizations, gear, food, and everything that has to do with the outdoors!
This full-color, glossy magazine has a distribution of 25,000 print and 50,000 digital copies and is available for pick up throughout Northern Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.
If your business has anything to do with the outdoors you’ll want to be a part of this magazine – and if you enjoy getting outside on the Central Coast, you’ll want to pick up a copy!
NEXT ISSUE: Winter/Spring 2024 (published in February)
BOOK YOUR AD BY: January 19, 2024
San Luis Obispo County – New Times 805-546-8208 · advertising@newtimesslo.com
Northern Santa Barbara County - Sun 805-347-1968 · advertising@santamariasun.com
Two proposed bills aim to help residents of low income communities deal with lawsuits over water rights, also known as adjudication lawsuits. They could potentially help Cuyama Valley residents who are facing such a lawsuit from two large carrot growers. The first phase of the adjudication process begins in October. Residents have cobbled together their money to pay attorneys to represent them in the lawsuit, which was filed after the area came up with a groundwater sustainability plan that called for reduced pumping. Staff Writer Taylor O’Connor, from New Times ’ sister paper, writes about the suit and the legislation [8] This week, you can also read about an initiative designed to block the battery storage facility in Morro Bay [9], painting for the environment [22], and gringo tacos in SLO [28].
Camillia Lanham editor
I nformative, accurate, and independent journalism takes time and costs money. Help us keep our community aware and connected by donating today.
1010 MARSH STREET, SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA 93401 805/546-8208 FAX 805/546-8641
SHREDDER shredder@newtimesslo.com
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR letters@newtimesslo.com
EVENTS CALENDAR calendar@newtimesslo.com
ADVERTISING advertising@newtimesslo.com classifieds@newtimesslo.com
WWW.NEWTIMESSLO.COM
Website powered by Foundation www.publishwithfoundation.com
FOUNDER
Steve Moss 1948-2005
PUBLISHERS
Bob Rucker, Alex Zuniga
EDITOR
Camillia Lanham
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Andrea Rooks
CALENDAR EDITOR
Caleb Wiseblood
SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Glen Starkey
STAFF WRITERS
Bulbul Rajagopal, Adrian Vincent Rosas
EDITORIAL INTERN
Thomas Rodda
STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Jayson Mellom
EDITORIAL DESIGNERS
Leni Litonjua, Taylor Saugstad
ASSISTANT PRODUCTION MANAGER
Eva Lipson
GRAPHIC DESIGNERS
Eva Lipson, Ellen Fukumoto, Ikey Ipekjian, Mary Grace Flaus
SALES MANAGER
Katy Gray
ADVERTISING EXECUTIVES
Kimberly Rosa, Lee Ann Vermeulen, Andrea McVay
MARKETING & PROMOTIONS COORDINATOR
Michael Gould
BUSINESS DEPARTMENT
Cindy Rucker
ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE
Michael Antonette
OFFICE MANAGER
Patricia Horton
CONTRIBUTORS
Russell Hodin, Rob Brezsny, Anna Starkey, Andrew Christie, John Donegan, Cherish Whyte, John Ashbaugh
CIRCULATION
Jim Chaney
DISTRIBUTION
Tom Falconer, Dennis Flately, Edward Barnett, John Jiminenz, Bernadette Miller
New Times is published every Thursday for your enjoyment and distributed to more than 100,000 readers in San Luis Obispo County. New Times is available free of charge, limited to one copy per reader. The contents of New Times are copyrighted by New Times and may not be reproduced without specific written permission from the publishers.
We welcome contributions and suggestions. Accompany any submissions with a self-addressed stamped envelope. We cannot assume responsibility for unsolicited submissions. All letters received become the property of the publishers. Opinions expressed in byline material are not necessarily those of New Times
New Times is available on microfilm at the SLO City-County Library, and through Proquest Company, 789 E Eisenhower
Pkwy., Ann Arbor, MI 48106, as part of the Alternative Press Project. Subscriptions to New Times are $156 per year.
Because a product or service is advertised in New Times does not necessarily mean we endorse its use. We hope readers will use their own good judgment in choosing products most beneficial to their well-being.
Our purpose: to present news and issues of importance to our readers; to reflect honestly the unique spirit of the region; and to be a complete, current, and accurate guide to arts and entertainment on the Central Coast, leading the community in a positive direction consistent with its past.
©2023 New Times
The California Coastal Commission flexed its power over the decades-long local debate over water use and potential for new development in Los Osos.
At its Aug. 10 meeting, the Coastal Commission upheld the Los Osos Sustainability Group’s appeal of the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors approval of a coastal development permit for a proposed residential project.
With that permit, Los Osos resident Roger Dick hoped to build a roughly 2,500-square-foot family residence with a garage on a 6,000-square-foot vacant lot. Another property once rested on that lot, but it was demolished in 2010, leaving the land unoccupied for years. But the sustainability group’s appeal and the Coastal Commission’s findings proved to be stumbling blocks.
The commission’s staff emphasized that the construction project isn’t compliant with the local coastal plan, which outlines that new development must be denied if the appropriate water and wastewater services aren’t available to serve it.
Stressed by a lack of building growth since 1988 and an overdrafted groundwater basin, the bayside community contains different factions holding opposing views about the severity of the community’s water woes.
Dick and real estate broker Jeff Edwards, who represents him, believe that the Los Osos lot isn’t vacant in the first place.
“The Coastal Commission staff wants the Coastal Commission to think there was a connection between the LCP [local coastal plan] and the Roger Dick application, but there was not,” Edwards told New Times
When the Coastal Commission approved the permit for SLO County’s wastewater treatment facility in Los Osos in 2010, it imposed a special provision that prevented the facility from serving new developments on vacant lots and significant modifications to existing development that would intensify the water use. The facility can only serve such properties if the local coastal plan is amended to establish sustainable limits for the area’s development potential.
Dick and Edwards contend that the special condition shouldn’t apply to the property because it once held a building that would be replaced with another structure if the Coastal Commission doesn’t find any issues with the permit. The water infrastructure extending from the street that serves
After just one day into the school year, Atascadero’s school district was already facing culture war backlash against a teacher.
On Aug. 14, the Gala Pride and Diversity Center posted on social media, calling on residents and parents to voice their support for Atascadero Middle School math teacher Jen Pence.
“The Atascadero Unified School District board will be discussing complaints against a [teacher] for displaying Pride flag in her classroom,” the post on Instagram and Facebook read. “The board has received calls for the flag to be removed and for the teacher to be fired out of concern that the flag makes students uncomfortable.”
Lisa Dillon-Kania and her son—who attends Atascadero High School—were two people who spoke during nearly two hours of public comment at the district’s Aug. 15 meeting, offering their support of Pence.
the old property still exists there.
In a July 25 letter to the Coastal Commission, Edwards stated that the Los Osos groundwater basin isn’t in overdraft—something the SLO County Board of Supervisors also concluded based on sustainable yield estimates. According to the Los Osos Basin Management Committee, the latest groundwater production estimate, as of 2021, is 2,000 acre-feet. That’s 84 percent of the 2022 safe yield estimate for the basin, which is 2,380 acrefeet. SLO County concluded that the basin isn’t in overdraft because its groundwater production is less than the sustainable yield. Edwards agreed with the county assessment.
Dick and Edwards added that they even secured an appropriate water service provider for the proposed property: the Los Osos Community Services District. The district indicated its readiness through a “will serve” letter, but commission staff felt that the document alone doesn’t satisfy local coastal plan requirements. Coastal Commission staff added in its report that county’s determination of the basin not being in overdraft isn’t sufficient conclusive evidence. And the Los Osos Sustainability Group that filed the appeal agrees.
“It is a vexatious appellant advancing the narrative that Los Osos doesn’t have enough water for those who live here,” Edwards told New Times.
Patrick McGibney, chair of the sustainability group, said Dick’s project is just one of the many Los Osos proposed developments that the group has successfully appealed to the Coastal Commission.
Both McGibney and the Coastal Commission staff balked at the numbers presented by Edwards, with the latter calling them “conflicting data about basin health metrics.”
“I believe even allowing such a discussion contradicts the very principles our district strives to uphold [as] it sends a disgusting message to students that being out in the LGBTQ-plus community is somehow wrong and carries negative consequences,” her son said at the meeting. “This, in turn, fosters an environment where students feel compelled to conceal their true selves, undermining the safety the district has worked hard to establish.”
Other residents, such as SLO County Moms for Liberty Chapter Chair Trisha Murray, said they didn’t believe it was proper for a teacher to have something like a Pride poster on their desk, regardless of context.
“Children should not need idols or icons to feel welcome in a teacher’s classroom; that should just be a given that they are,” Murray said.
Murray encouraged the board to consider a formal discussion about LGBTQ-plus items in the classroom for the next board meeting. She also alleged that the response to Gala’s post was unfounded and overreaction from the Central Coast Coalition for Inclusive Schools and Gala.
Coastal Commission staff is now working with SLO County officials to amend the local coastal plan to allow more development in Los Osos in the future. Staff hopes to bring that modified version back to the Coastal Commission for approval by the end of the year.
Even if the local coastal plan is amended, it’s unclear whether those changes will bring Dick’s project into compliance. Kevin Kahn, district manager of the Coastal Commission’s Central Coast office, said it was premature to determine if
the project would hypothetically be allowed under a revised plan.
“The intent is to identify sustainable buildout limits in town, including identifying the amount of development that can be served by the groundwater basin without impacts to sensitive aquatic resources, as well as provisions to address sensitive land-based habitats in town,” Kahn said.
The Coastal Commission now has jurisdiction over the permit SLO County granted to the Dick project. It will meet for a de novo hearing on that permit at a later date. ∆
—Bulbul Rajagopal“No one in Moms for Liberty is calling for anyone to be fired, and no one is busing in people from other counties in Moms for Liberty,” Murray said at the meeting. “There was no call for action by Moms for Liberty [on social media], just me encouraging parents to stand up for what they believe in.” New Times reached out to Gala but did not hear back before press time.
Atascadero Unified Superintendent Tom Butler told New Times that district had no intention of taking any action against Pence. He added that the claims in Gala’s social media post did not reflect the actions of the district.
“I want to make it clear that none of that is happening, none of that is accurate … there have been no issues with teacher performance or action related to that,” he said.
While Gala’s social media post indicated that parents were calling for action against the teacher, it didn’t state that the district was planning to do anything but talk about the complaints.
At the meeting, Butler thanked the public
for sharing their opinions and making their voices heard. He reiterated the same statements he made to New Times and added that no one at the district forced the teacher to take the poster down.
“I talked to [Principal Vander Weide]— there was no directive to do anything with the material,” he told meeting attendees. “This district has a deep commitment to every student, every parent, that includes involving everyone in our district.”
According to those who attended the meeting in support of Pence, the entire night was emotional and eye-opening. Atascadero Middle School parent Shera Stiles said she also found it encouraging.
“The overwhelming support we saw from our community last night not only defends a teacher but also symbolizes the progress we’ve made,” she said. “This is the evolution of North County—where unity and inclusivity triumph over prejudice, showing that our community’s values have shifted toward acceptance and celebration of all identities.”
—Adrian Rosas
The California Blackshirts—a group that demonstrated with a “White Men Unite” poster bearing Nazi-affiliated symbols in San Luis Obispo—have now hurled their messaging onto residential properties in Grover Beach.
Grover Beach residents Paul and Jane Smith, who requested to have their names changed for safety concerns, found a plastic bag containing a California Blackshirts flyer on their lawn. Rocks weighed down a bag containing the words “A Call to Action” along with an Othala rune (a hate symbol) emblazoned on the flyer. Paul told New Times he noticed the plastic bag on the night of Aug. 13 when he was taking out the trash.
“They were most likely driving slowly, like newspaper boys would, and threw the baggies,” Paul said. “All the people on our street are very upset. We understand this is freedom of speech, but this is wrong.”
The flyer contained a link to the California Blackshirts’ Telegram channel, and a call to “all men and women of the European race” claiming that the “world our ancestors built is slowly collapsing.”
The Smiths aren’t the only Grover Beach residents who received a plastic bag. Others took to Facebook and Nextdoor saying they found handfuls of the same flyers in plastic bags on other lawns. According to KSEE24 reporting, similar packages were found in Hanford, Kings County, around Aug. 10. These flyers were also found in SLO soon after the group demonstrated in front of a fire station in late July.
Jane told New Times that she texted Grover Beach Mayor Karen Bright as soon as she saw the flyer. Bright told her via text that she doesn’t condone it. The Smith’s neighbor and previous Grover Beach Mayor Jeff Lee visited them the next day to express his disappointment at the flyers, according to Jane. She said she was surprised such flyers could appear in Grover Beach.
“Our town was the Venice Beach of Five Cities,” she said. “We’re the quirky ones and
we even have Highway Patrolmen on one side of us.”
The Grover Beach Police Department encouraged residents to discard the flyers. No repeat incidents have taken place in Grover Beach since, according to the Smiths.
“To me, freedom of speech is the right to assemble, but this is wrong, unsettling, and unsafe,” Paul said. “It [the flyers] has no place on your doorstep.”
—Bulbul RajagopalAt the beginning of the Aug. 15 Paso Robles City Council meeting, the city announced that longtime Mayor Steve Martin had passed away the previous evening after a private battle with cancer.
Martin’s longtime friend and former Atascadero Mayor Tom O’Malley read a statement prepared by Martin explaining the cause of his recent absences from meetings and the illness he had been battling.
“As I prepared to resume positions as mayor for a third consecutive term I learned I had an aggressive form of cancer,” Martin’s statement read. “Initial analysis indicated surgery within a couple of months would cure me. Unfortunately, complications intervened, giving the cancer opportunity to spread and become incurable.”
Martin, who was 71 when he passed, wrote that he had no knowledge of this cancer when he campaigned for office and—if he had known—he would not have run. He added that he made every effort to do his job as mayor to the fullest extent by attending virtual meetings and working as he could.
According to the city’s press release, Mayor Pro Tempore John Hamon will assume the duties of mayor while the city waits to fill of the role at a later date. Martin’s family representatives also informed the city that they are planning a public remembrance of him sometime within the next 30 days.
The entire council expressed condolences to Martin’s family and praised him for his tenacity in spite of his illness.
“Steve was a trusted colleague, a good friend, a thoughtful leader, and the ultimate public servant,” Hamon said via press release.
Assemblymember Dawn Addis (D-San Luis Obispo) honored Martin for his efforts in enhancing North County.
“Mayor Martin’s vision and dedication to the city of Paso Robles and our region are an example for all of us,” Addis said in a statement. “The Central Coast has lost a tireless and effective leader with [his] passing.”
Martin served as mayor for nearly a decade, starting in 2014 after spending time as a council member in 2012.
While in office, he focused on the economic development and growth of Paso Robles as a city, taking the lead on projects such as the development of the city’s downtown district and spaceport.
Martin’s final words urged the community to work together.
“Now, as always, I hold all of you and our community to my heart, urging you to let your differences be subordinate to your desire to care for one another,” his letter concluded. “Remember to stay informed, stay involved, and stay strong, Paso Robles.” ∆
Rosas
Just as the Cuyama Unified School District stepped out of a financial crisis after years of budget struggles, Bolthouse Farms and Grimmway Farms sued the district over groundwater rights. And if the district didn’t join in the adjudication case, it risked losing water rights altogether, Superintendent Alfonso Gamino said.
“We have it in our budget for unforeseen expenses. We have more than 5 percent [in reserves], but this was an expense we weren’t counting on, and how much more we’re going to have to spend is unknown,” he said. “We have to defend our water rights, but my frustration is that we can finally breathe a little bit and it’s like, ‘Here we go again.’”
The district had to hire a water attorney in late 2022 and has spent about $5,000 to $6,000 on attorney fees. Gamino said he expects the bills to be closer to $25,000 this year after hiring an expert to help the district determine its historical water usage as part of adjudication requirements.
“We don’t want to lose our water rights. Without water, we don’t have a school,” Gamino said.
The corporations first filed the groundwater rights lawsuit in August 2021 against all property owners who overlie the Cuyama Valley Groundwater Basin. Residents told New Times that about 150 basin users are now involved in the lawsuit and are facing the first phase of the adjudication process, which was scheduled to start on Aug. 7 but was delayed.
A judge moved the first hearing to Oct. 9 because Bolthouse and Grimmway had failed to publish a notice about the lawsuit in a local news outlet and still needed to serve 314 landowners, according to LA Bankruptcy Law Firm attorney Kay March, who also owns property in the valley.
“This cannot be a comprehensive adjudication unless the court has jurisdiction over all the landowners in the basin,” said March, who’s representing her own property, Walking U Ranch LLC, in the lawsuit. “The only way for the court to get jurisdiction is for there to be proper service.”
Two proposed state bills could help support landowners through the adjudication process. If the bills pass, the judge would have to take the legislation into consideration before issuing a ruling.
“The two bills, they want to make sure they take into account the small farmers and users, like schools … and I think that’s a good thing,” Gamino said.
The state Department of Water Resources (DWR) wants Cuyama Valley residents to reduce groundwater pumping by 60 percent—a “drastic” reduction in water use, Cuyama resident and Condor’s Hope Vineyard co-owner Roberta Jaffe said.
The state’s recommendations came after looking at the Cuyama Groundwater Basin’s groundwater sustainability plan—a 2014 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) requirement. Cuyama’s is one of the 21 critically overdrafted basins in the state, and the sustainability plan is meant to maintain the basin’s health, Jaffe said.
“We are completely dependent on
groundwater; we don’t have any surface rivers or water being imported,” Jaffe said. “Maintaining it and being able to retain the quality of lives we’re striving for out in the valley is really key to having our groundwater supply.”
Cuyama’s Groundwater Sustainability Agency submitted its first plan to DWR in 2020 and received approval in March 2023 with corrections, she said. However, the adjudication process is causing confusion about groundwater use, she said.
“It creates this parallel track where, in a way, what the groundwater sustainability agency is doing and what the courts are doing is deciding how much water can be pumped out of the basin, what can be allocated, and who will get how much to pump,” Jaffe said.
Everyone will have to reduce how much water they pump, Jaffe said, adding that she thinks Grimmway and Bolthouse are trying to get around the DWR requirement with the adjudication.
“Very often, the courts will allocate based on historical use,” Jaffe said. “Those who pump the most will be allocated the most; those who caused the overdraft have the most to gain in an adjudication. Historically, the winners in the adjudication process are the big pumpers.”
Small farms and residents often end up dropping out of the adjudication because they can’t afford attorney fees for extended periods of time, and thus risk losing their water rights altogether. Jaffe said she’s spent thousands of dollars on attorney fees in the past two years even though she’s a part of a coalition of small farmers who all use one attorney to mitigate cost.
“It’s affecting us financially; it’s affecting us in that we all thought we were on this process with the groundwater sustainability plan, and now there’s so much uncertainty,” Jaffe said.
The October adjudication hearing will focus on the basin boundaries that were drawn by the DWR to determine how much water can be pumped in each area. Bolthouse and Grimmway filed to exclude the western end of the basin from any pumping restrictions, Jaffe said. If eventually granted, it could mean a new basin where the companies could pump as much as they want to pump, she said.
If the judge decides the boundaries are different, then the DWR would have to approve the changes in a separate process, which would further extend the adjudication, she said. If the DWR doesn’t agree, then it would go back to the courts.
“I’m angry. I’ve been very actively involved in the development of the groundwater sustainability plan since the beginning,” Jaffe said. “I wasn’t always happy with the outcome of some of the decisions being made, but I definitely felt a part of the process and that it was one where the community could have a voice and that we could all try to really work toward the goals of SGMA, of bringing our basin to sustainability.”
The adjudication “will render this groundwater sustainability plan powerless,” and it’s become very “convoluted” and “destructive” for the Cuyama basin, she said.
Grimmway spokesperson Dana Brennman told New Times that the company couldn’t
comment on the adjudication. Bolthouse told New Times via email that it recognizes its responsibility to assist in achieving basin sustainability.
“The purpose of the adjudication is not to utilize more water, but rather to set fixed guidelines for all overlying landowners’ water usage going forward, as required by law,” the statement read. “Bolthouse has not sought to reduce the amount of water available to the Cuyama Community Services District nor its customers who are residents of the Cuyama Basin.”
Assembly Bills 779 and 560 could help support disadvantaged communities like Cuyama during adjudications, Santa Barbara County 1st District Supervisor Das Williams—who represents Cuyama—told New Times
“The adjudications are supposed to be within the confines of the law concerning sustainability, but that’s never been fleshed out,” Williams said. “These bills are really important because they can help to clarify the roles of the agencies overseeing the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.”
AB 779 would require the DWR to hold public meetings to explain the adjudication process to all basin users and encourage the court to have a DWR representative to provide technical assistance during the hearings, Williams said.
Send
AB 560 asks the DWR for a nonbinding advisory determination on how an adjudication ruling could fit within a groundwater sustainability plan, he said.
“This is already supposed to be the case ... but there’s a lot of concern out there whether the judges will follow that process,” Williams said. “There’s no other reason for these large corporations to ask for adjudication unless they think they can get something bigger and
sidestep the groundwater sustainability plan process.”
On July 18, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 (with 4th District Supervisor Bob Nelson and 5th District Supervisor Steve Lavagnino dissenting) to write a letter of support for the two bills.
North Santa Barbara County Supervisors Nelson and Lavagnino agreed with the California State Association of Counties and didn’t support the bills because they believe the legislation would further complicate and lengthen adjudications.
“We are very concerned that the bill [AB 560] as currently drafted is either duplicative of existing law or may serve as a means to provide a veto power over a judicial proceeding by the executive,” Association of Couties wrote in a public comment letter. “We request that the bill be clarified to ensure that the separation of powers is honored and to ensure that provisions are not duplicative.”
The Association of Counties didn’t respond to New Times’ request for comment.
Both bills were amended by committees in the Senate and Assembly but weren’t yet voted on as of Aug. 15, according to the California Legislature website.
Supervisor Williams said that these two bills are important for the Central Coast to support because Cuyama residents need someone in their corner as they face “some of the richest, most powerful corporations in the state.”
“I think that the additional steps that this might take, where the divvying up of water is more clear-cut, worth having in order to avoid a gross injustice to communities like Cuyama,” Williams said. ∆
Reach Staff Writer Taylor O’Connor from New Times’ sister paper, the Sun, at toconnor@santamariasun.com.
Barry Branin never fathomed that he would be an activist.
“Participants in Citizens for Estero Bay Preservation are from a broad spectrum of political parties in Morro Bay,” Branin said in an email to New Times. “Seldom do you have communication from both sides of the aisle like this—working toward the same goal as we are.”
The longtime Morro Bay resident said a spirit of cooperation has fueled the movement against constructing a battery storage facility where a former PG&E power plant lies dormant. As part of that movement, Citizens for Estero Bay Preservation put forward an initiative that it believes would require a public vote for certain kinds of development on the property. Branin and other group members have been collecting signatures since May and aim for the initiative to become law before Texas-based energy company Vistra begins construction on the 107-acre parcel.
As currently proposed, Vistra wants to build a 600-megawatt battery energy storage system constructed on 24 acres of the lot next to Embarcadero Street.
Citizens for Estero Bay Preservation members are confident that their measure has the proper number of signatures to qualify for the ballot as they await approval from Morro Bay City Clerk Dana Swanson.
“The committee members for Citizens for Estero Bay Preservation collected 1,486 signatures in support of our initiative,” the group wrote in an emailed statement to New Times. “On Aug. 9, we presented initiative packets to the city clerk, and we are confident we have more than the required 815 verified signatures to move forward with the process.”
Swanson said that the initiative has met the required raw count to officially be filed, but the signatures are still being verified using SLO County records. She has 30 days to complete that process. If the signatures are verified, they would be officially certified by the City Council at its next regular meeting.
“At that meeting, the council may order a report on the effects … adopt the ordinance as presented … or submit the initiative to the voters at the next regular election,” she said. “The governing body may [also] call a special election for the purpose of submitting an initiative measure to the voters before the date of the regular election, provided that the election is held not less than 88 days nor more than 103 days after the order of the election.”
According to the initiative, its intent is to amend the city’s general plan to prohibit zoning changes in certain areas of the city for land designated as visitor-serving commercial or commercial-recreational fishing, unless it’s approved by Morro Bay voters.
“[The area] is located east of Morro Rock … and includes parcels situated on each side of Embarcadero Road as well as on Coleman Drive,” an excerpt from the initiative reads.
“[This] property includes restaurants … Coleman Park, the Harbor Department, the U.S. Coast Guard … Morro Dunes RV park,
and approximately 63 acres of the former Morro Bay Power Plant property.”
Because 63 acres of Vistra’s 107-acre parcel are designated as visitor-serving/ commercial-recreational fishing, Citizens for Estero Bay Preservation argues that if the initiative passes, it would require any sort of industrial development on the property to go to public vote before it gets approved. Therefore, the group believes that voters could potentially decide the fate of the battery storage facility project.
However, it’s unclear whether the initiative would have the impact the group says that it will.
Morro Bay Mayor Carla Wixom did not comment on the issue and instead directed New Times to speak to Citizens for Estero Bay Preservation.
Initiative opponents cite California code they say makes the measure irrelevant in its attempt to block battery plant construction. In 2022, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 205 into law, creating an alternative approval process for projects related to renewable energy managed by the California Energy Commission. This bill allows projects like Vistra’s to bypass the need for public approval, even if the site was designated under new zoning through the city’s general plan and the California Coastal Commission.
Opponents also argue that the land formerly occupied by the power plant isn’t even eligible for visitor-serving development. In July 2022, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control filed a restrictive agreement with the county that prevents the land from being used for any hotel- or motel-related development.
Regardless, Citizens for Estero Bay Preservation maintains its concern about the safety of building such a structure in a population-dense area.
“[We] believe battery energy storage systems have an important role in our world toward a carbon free-future,” a statement on the group’s website reads. “We do not believe placing a 600 [megawatt battery energy
storage site] amid our nationally protected Estero Bay, an economic tourist hub, and near our high school is a good location.”
New Times reached out to Vistra’s Media Relations Manager Jenny Lyon for additional comment on the group’s stance and initiative, and she responded with this statement:
“Vistra remains excited about the opportunity to partner with the city and local community on the redevelopment of the decommissioned Morro Bay Power Plant site and to help California advance its renewable energy goals,” the statement said. “Further information on the specifics of the project will be shared during the public process.”
Citizens for Estero Bay Preservation members are hopeful that the measure will pave the way for more public involvement in the city’s planning and development process—and, according to Branin, there’s precedent to look to for inspiration.
In 1972, the California Coastal Commission was established by a voter initiative that sought to protect coastal land from unregulated development, and the commission was later made permanent by the Legislature through the California Coastal Act of 1976.
“The California Coastal Commission was established by a citizens’ initiative like ours,” Branin said with a laugh. “So we feel very comfortable and confident in our actions in pushing this as a result of the history of these kinds of initiatives and their impact in California.”
Branin said he’s hopeful that Citizens for Estero Bay Preservation will catalyze residents to know they can make a difference because people in the state have done so in the past.
“This situation reflects that same spirit,” he said. “It’s what is driving us to seek the change that we want to see in a place we care so deeply about.” ∆
Reach Staff Writer Adrian Vincent Rosas at arosas@newtimesslo.com
LIPO LASER CAN SAFELY SHRINK FAT CELLS IN:
• Stomach
• Thighs
• Hips
• Buttocks
• Arms
• Chin
• Back
• Love Handles
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Laser energy safely penetrates and targets excess skin and fat cells. After a few minutes, pores form on the fat cell surface releasing water, sugar, and free fatty acids into the circulatory system to diminish fat cells.
WHO CAN USE IT?
Lipo Laser is perfect for ALL body types when combined with appropriate levels of exercise and a healthy balanced diet and lifestyle.
CALL TODAY (805) 474-4747
Se Habla Español
172 Station Way, Arroyo Grande ArroyoGrandeChiropractic.com
The fight against food insecurity in San Luis Obispo County recently gained new ground through a livestock auction at the California Mid-State Fair
With the help of a $100,000 grant from the Wood-Claeyssens Foundation, the SLO Food Bank purchased 22 steers—young, neutered cattle raised for beef—through a series of bids at the fair on July 29.
Accompanied by CEO Garret Olson, SLO Food Bank board director Joe Simonin served as the bidder that day. The pair surveyed more than 100 steers as they made the purchases. Simonin and his family also donated five hogs to the food bank.
Olson told New Times on Aug. 10 that an anonymous donor contributed nine steers to the cause too.
“I was the moneyman and keeping track of how much we had spent,” Olson said with a laugh. “It was an open market.”
The livestock auction at the Mid-State Fair comprised animals raised by students in two youth establishments: 4-H (head, heart, hands, and health) and the Future Farmers of America (FFA).
“There are some kids that go there with their 4-H and FFA livestock and they have a lot of family members who are interested in purchasing the meat,” Olson said. “So they may get a higher price because they’ve got friends and family who want to do it.”
According to Olson, the food bank’s presence balanced out the scope of sales for the kids.
“There are other kids who might be there without local community financial backing,” he said. “We were there to make sure there was a floor price for the livestock that gave every kid the opportunity to get a fair price for their livestock.”
This is the first time the foundation awarded the food bank a grant. The $100,000 was a restricted fund meant for the food bank to purchase livestock at the fair auction.
Other groups joined to help get the food bank to the finish line. Central Valley Meat (also called Harris Ranch Beef) donated the cost of processing the cattle. That price is estimated to be tens of thousands of dollars. Templeton/Visalia Livestock Market offered to coordinate the logistics. Those donations allowed the food bank to purchase double the number of steer because it didn’t have to set some of the funds aside to pay for processing and logistics costs.
Olson said that it’s estimated to take up to another two weeks for all the meat to be processed and ready for supply. The food bank is waiting for the finished products to arrive. Moreover, the food bank is expecting more livestock from other miscellaneous donations.
“We don’t know the head count yet, but we anticipate there are going to be turkeys and chickens, and maybe even some rabbits,” Olson said.
Through the food bank’s partner network, the majority of the meat will be directly supplied to people in need in 60 locations throughout SLO County. The SLO Food Bank also provides the meat to 85 other nonprofits so that a wider range of people can access it. These include homeless shelters, pantries, and noncongregate feeding operations.
The food bank received a seat at the auction table because of the WoodClaeyssens Foundation. It’s a longtime supporter of hunger relief efforts throughout Central California, 4-H and FFA livestock efforts, and local agriculture industries. Olson added that the foundation is frequently involved with other fairs in the state too.
“Prior to the pandemic, 35 percent of all the meat we provided to our clients came from the fair meat effort on behalf of the Wood-Claeyssens Foundation,” he said. “When the pandemic happened, for a myriad of reasons, that effort was disrupted, as was everything in life.”
“We really don’t care who gets credit for feeding people,” Olson said. “We just care that people get fed. The meat will go out under the banner of another organization, and we are super honored to have that partnership network throughout the county.”
• Observe International Overdose Awareness Day at Mitchell Park in SLO on Aug. 31. The free event will include a candlelight vigil to honor the lives lost to drug overdoses, a panel of guest speakers who will share insights related to the opioid crisis, a resource fair, and naloxone training. It will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. For more information about SLO’s Overdose Awareness Day event and how to get involved, visit sloendoverdose.org or contact Kim Lacey at sloevent@yahoo.com. ∆
Reach Staff Writer Bulbul Rajagopal at brajagopal@newtimesslo.com.
What started as an artist’s dream in 1998—to introduce the joy of art to local youth—is now a flourishing reality at Paso Robles Youth Arts Center.
As founder/artist Donna Berg imagined, Youth Arts has succeeded in opening young eyes to the kaleidoscope of opportunity provided by arts education. Now celebrating its 25th anniversary, the center has lifted the lives of more than 10,000 youth aged 5 to 18 with its free after school visual and performing arts classes. For many children this is their first exposure to the arts.
There were few studies in 1998 to reinforce Berg’s belief that children’s development is positively linked to participation in the arts. Yet in the safe, creative environment of Youth Arts over two decades we observed our students learning to find their voices, build confidence, and strive for a hopeful future that doesn’t include gangs or other negative influences.
Today there is plentiful research confirming our observations. New studies—
Opponents to a Morro Bay citizens’ initiative, which aims to preserve current land use designations on the Embarcadero north of Beach Street, accurately described the initiative in “A deceptive measure” (Aug. 10). However, they cleverly use the word “freeze” to imply that it would block any further development.
Contrary to their claim, any proposal that fits the “box” of development will continue to move forward under the initiative. Any development that doesn’t fit the “box,” requiring a land use change, empowers the voters, not three City
often backed by brain imaging technology— can now link the arts to crucial cognitive skills. For example, the effect of music on early brain development is now widely accepted thanks to studies at the University of Washington Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, among others.
In a 2019 study, the Houston Education Research Consortium (HERC) followed 10,000 youth as they participated in arts programs. It concluded that the students performed better on state writing tests, were better behaved, had more compassion for fellow students, and were more engaged in school.
Fieldwork across Chicago public schools concluded that arts play a vital role in kids’ development by enhancing skills and knowledge that positively affect social and emotional learning and artistic ability and creativity—all valuable in today’s economy. Proving the point, the American Institute for Research cites positive effects on mathematics achievement by prekindergarten and kindergarten students
Council members, to make that decision. Why is this change necessary? Experience over the last five years taught Morro Bay voters that they couldn’t rely on their City Council to do the right thing for the community. For example, when residents asked for the least expensive new sewer plant, Morro Bay City Council chose the most expensive site and design. This was under the direction of the two previous mayors (Jamie Irons and John Headding) and a former council member (Marlys McPherson), all of whom signed the “deceptive” letter.
The letter defines “local control” as
after artists helped their teachers integrate performing arts in their classrooms.
On the flip side, HERC also shows that the narrowing of educational offerings and objectives to align with test-based accountability reforms has had adverse effects on the arts in K-12 education, thus depriving many youngsters of critical developmental benefits.
Bridging the gap, Youth Arts provides a creative outlet and positive way for young people to deal with modern pressures in afterschool classes. Confidence, teamwork, empathy, imagination, assertiveness, connections with others, self-discipline: Through artistic expression, these are the life skills that help students thrive in an ever-changing world.
Where the world will take our children is unknowable. But we do know how to prepare them. This is what fuels Youth Arts’ continuing commitment to sustain and expand programming and facilities far into the future. Best-in-class teachers put their hearts and souls into creating life-changing
“council control.” The Vistra memorandum of understanding and settlement agreement for the power plant property was signed by former Mayor Headding, setting into motion Vistra not needing any formalized public process. To say, “this measure limits local control” is ironic since it reduces the council’s role as a power broker and gives the decision-making power back to the people.
Residents don’t want three people deciding the city’s fate. We want real local control: our voice, our vote on significant matters.
Barry Branin Morro Bayexperiences for their students—with imaginative ideas for so much more in our next 25 years—and are limited only by the resources required to bring it all to fruition.
As a local nonprofit, Youth Arts could only achieve this milestone thanks to extraordinary partners and passionate donors. We have come a long way together since 1998. Now we must push even harder to go from good to great, able to serve the expanded needs of a growing county.
Please consider a donation to Youth Arts to help ensure that classes remain free of charge, inclusive of all socioeconomic backgrounds, and led by paid teaching and arts professionals committed to helping our children flourish.
With community support and a team that brings knowledge, experience, passion, dedication and, yes, joy to our precious youth, there is little to stop our dreams from becoming reality. Donna Berg showed us the way. ∆
Ann Berry-Gallegos is executive director of the Paso Robles Youth Arts Center. To send a response for publication, email it to letters@ newtimesslo.com.
For years I have been hearing that California has a “housing crisis.” Where is this growing demand for housing coming from? It appears to me that what California actually has is a “population crisis.” The marketing forces imposed on locals by an ever-increasing population of nonnatives is driving up the cost of existing housing and making it almost impossible for those of us
LETTERS continued page 12
who were born here to find a home and stay here. Transplants with “deep pockets” are responsible for the “housing crisis” on the Central Coast, not a “housing shortage.” There would be plenty of housing if they just stayed away.
Fueling the artificial “housing crisis” are our local politicians, who focus way too much of their energy on growing the tourist trade. Instead of apartments, we get hotels; instead of homes, we get weekend rentals. They are selling us out—literally.
If our local leaders really wanted to solve the “housing crisis,” they would take steps to end the profitability of owning a second or third house on the Central Coast. Why should local families go homeless while houses sit empty waiting for weekend visitors? Why not convert some of the hotels to apartments? Why should permanent residents have to choke on particulate matter just so weekend visitors can drive air-polluting ATVs around in circles on the sand? Why should another forest of air-cleansing, oxygen-producing California native oaks be sacrificed to the god of lucre for a tract of houses that none of us now living here can afford? What about our demand for sufficient water, open space, clean air, and less traffic pollution?
If politicians really wanted to solve the “housing crisis,” they would require residents, and potential residents, of the Central Coast to obtain a certified copy of their birth certificates. Then have them find the box that indicates “place of birth”… and tell them to go there!
Lisa Casillas-Siemsen, Orcutt
I would like to comment on Adam Verdin’s letter (“Is it time we all shift our thinking on Oceano?” Aug. 3). He seems desirous of compromise about driving on local beaches and Oceano Dunes. Of his many points, I will address one and an unmentioned other.
As a former economist, the economic study Verdin refers to is a rehash of an older flawed State Parks study using invalid methodologies. Both conflate various activities across coastal multiple use areas to inflate the total. The sum is not greater but less than the actual parts. An accurate economic study analyzes impacts of each activity within its defined area and its population to understand accurate economic impacts. Also necessary would be analysis of the impact of populations not wanting to visit because of vehicle beach use and off road dune activities; that is to say, included in the study would be a contrasting element for the impact of green tourism. Such a study requires diligent survey work and thus significant monetary investment. Peer review is a requirement.
The glaring missing topic is compromised respiratory systems. It is well known that areas of the Nipomo Mesa are subject to serious particulate matter pollution too often violating state standards. This is caused by off-road activities in the dunes. The symptoms range from discomfort to runny noses, itchy eyes, constant coughing, need of an inhaler during serious impact hours, and in tragic cases, death. The numbers are hidden; the public no longer has access to health statistics by ZIP code. That children
must remain in home or school during high risk hours goes unmentioned. Those denying this may share the view that cigarettes do not cause various illnesses, even death. Also, rarely mentioned are compromised respiratory systems of pets and wildlife, endangered and not.
Karl Kempton Oceano
The California Energy Commission recently released its data on California in-state capacity and generation for 2022. According to its figures, clean energy (noncarbon-emitting) sources amounted to 50 percent of in-state power generation. But clean energy production has the potential to improve greatly because large hydro is currently producing far below its capacity, and Diablo Canyon Power Plant production has been suppressed since 2019 and can also increase. The remaining 50 percent of generation was from carbon-emitting sources, mostly natural gas. However, the data also makes it abundantly clear that if Diablo Canyon were to close, the balance would shift to almost 40 percent clean energy and 60 percent carbonemitting. Only a fraction of Diablo Canyon production will be absorbed by renewables resulting in a large increase in natural gas production, which would be very harmful to the environment and the climate, not to mention our local economy.
Mark Henry San Luis ObispoIn response to the letter submitted to New Times by Bari St. James (“Trump needs to be held accountable,” Aug. 10), I couldn’t agree with you more! Donald Trump is a cancer to the United States of America. For three hours and seven minutes, this “socalled president” sat in front of the television watching the Jan. 6 insurrection. During this fiasco, threats to hang Vice President Mike Pence were made and televised! I often wonder, if such an act of murder had been carried out, would Trump have just continued sitting on his hands watching the television. Is this really the person we want to lead this country? If any of us “commoners” would ever do any of the things this man has done, we would be in jail by now, which is where he needs to be, if only to protect the future of this country.
T. Wood Arroyo Grande
How do you think the teacher shortage problem should be addressed?
73% Pay teachers more equitably.
13% Opt for homeschooling.
9% Invest in more educator programs that attract students and young professionals.
5% Have counties invest more in local educator workforces.
85 Votes
Who wants to reduce their groundwater pumping by 60 percent?
Everybody who overlies the Paso Robles Groundwater Basin! Just kidding. They don’t, and they don’t have to. The 60 percent rule only applies to folks pumping water out of the Cuyama Valley Groundwater Basin—a separate but equally-beholden-tothe-state overdrafted aquifer that touches San Luis Obispo County
I’m absolutely sure that nobody really wants to pump 60 percent less water out of the ground ever year, because that’s a lot!
But Big Carrot—yes, BIG Carrot— really, really, really doesn’t want to. In fact, they don’t want to so badly that they filed an adjudication lawsuit against “all persons claiming a right to extract or store groundwater” in the basin.
Everyone includes the Cuyama Unified School District, a district that was in financial straights until last year. The district expects to spend upward of $20,000 this year to defend its right to use the only water source available to its students.
The self-aggrandizing “world’s largest producer of carrots,” Grimmway Farms, and a company that ironically believes that “making one better choice each day is something we can all do,” Bolthouse Farms, conjoined their corporate powers into the worst choice two years ago by filing that lawsuit. Now at 150 plaintiffs—aka Cuyama Valley residents—strong, the lawyers fees
are probably not a problem for the carrot industry giants, but they aren’t easy for everyone else.
And what about this groundwater sustainability plan that local residents spent five years developing in good faith with their carrot kingpin neighbors? The state approved it in March alongside Paso’s sustainability plan. Who knows? There really isn’t good precedent in the courts for complying with this kind of thing. This is new territory.
In defense of itself and its actions, bummer basin-user Bolthouse said that it hadn’t sought to “reduce the amount of water available” to Cuyama basin residents and it recognizes its responsibility to help achieve basin sustainability. However, bummer Bolthouse and grubby Grimmway sought to separate their area of the basin from the rest. Meaning? My best guess is that the two biggest pumpers in the basin are aiming for the water that their overhead sprinklers pull out of the ground to not have to be part of a basin labeled as one of the most overdrafted in the state. Therefore, the state Department of Water Resources’ required 60 percent pumping reduction wouldn’t apply and the conniving carrot carousel can continue to pillage the groundwater supply until there’s nothing left.
We’re just trying to “set fixed guidelines for all overlying landowners’ water usage going
forward,” Bolthouse said. Yeah! It’s not like there’s a document doing that already or anything.
This isn’t Bolthouse’s first adjudication rodeo. In 2000, the carrot peddler filed an adjudication—aka a quiet title lawsuit— against the city of Lancaster, a handful of water districts, and some community services districts that rely on the Antelope Valley water basin. The case involved thousands of parties and rode the bull into 2021.
A long process is ahead of Cuyama Valley residents.
In an area where the average household income is below $33,000 and everyone relies on groundwater, paying lawyers fees for decades to protect the right to a life source sounds like a penance that only commercial interests can weather. And from the sound of it, grim Grimmway and bullshit Bolthouse have no problem kicking their can of carrots down a well-watered row.
that an LGBTQ-plus Pride flag can rain down upon a community. This time, in a (gasp!) teacher’s classroom. As if Pride colors haven’t adorned classroom walls at any time in history before the past five months.
On the first day of school, a small rainbow poster and Pride Festival sticker in an Atascadero Middle School teacher’s classroom was enough of a cause for concern for Moms for Liberty to circle the wagon. There’s only one wagon—it’s just loaded down with a handful of squeaky wheels who don’t like vaccines, masks, diversity, or showing support for marginalized communities.
raffle & prizes
The first phase of the process was supposed to start on Aug. 7. But the judge in the case pushed the start date to October because Big Carrot simply couldn’t be bothered to publish a notice about the lawsuit in a local newspaper or notify all the impacted landowners about the impending case. More than 300 landowners still need to be notified before the adjudication can move forward, and these water-sucking jerks can’t be bothered to move any faster.
Send
You know who likes to move fast? Moms for Liberty
They like to strike while the culture war topic is hot. And there’s nothing hotter than the purported menaces
And once again this year, it was Moms for Liberty v. the Gala Pride and Diversity Center at a school board meeting. Two days into the school year, parents and residents showed up to argue about the LGBTQ-plus community and whether teachers should be allowed to nonverbally show their support for students who may identify as something other than heterosexual. God forbid, amirite?
“Children should not need idols or icons to feel welcome in a teacher’s classroom; that should just be a given that they are,” local Moms for Liberty chapter chair Trish Murray told the Atascadero Unified School District board on Aug. 15. Really, Trish? Anyone who’s been paying attention to the last halfyear of ballyhooing would definitely not make that assumption. ∆
The Shredder is ready for Carrotgate 2023. Bring it on at shredder@newtimesslo.com.
MESENCHYMAL STEM CELL INJECTIONS TO ENTIRE LUMBAR SPINE
• ARTHRITIC FACET JOINTS INJECTED
• INTRADISCAL INJECTIONS TO HEAL TORN, BULGING, HERNIATED DISCS
• MUSCLES AND LIGAMENTS ALSO INJECTED
• OVER 80% SUCCESS RATE
• Torn discs
• Herniated discs
• Bulging discs
• Sciatica
• Arthritis
The Templeton Mercantile’s Club Car Bar hosts its murder mystery dinner event, Murder at Deadwood Saloon, on Friday, Aug. 18, from 5 to 9 p.m. Admission includes a welcome cocktail and dinner—with three entree options to choose from—paired with a glass of wine, beer, or soda. Tickets to the event are $100 and available in advance at my805tix.com. The venue is located at 508 S. Main St., Templeton.
—Caleb Wiseblood
NORTH COAST SLO COUNTY
ASSEMBLAGES OF STEVE DAYTON
Steve divides his time between creating assemblages and abstract painting on wood panels. The assemblages are made by taking small hand built familiar objects and motifs and placing them in box frames to create absurd scenes that include absurd and humorous titles.
Through Aug. 29, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. 805-772-1068. galleryatmarinasquare. com. Gallery at Marina Square, 601 Embarcadero suite 10, Morro Bay.
BIRDHOUSE WORKSHOP AT CAMBRIA
NURSERY A whimsical and creative experience that brings the beauty of nature to your backyard. This workshop includes all materials needed and is led by Shana, the Nursery’s skilled garden artisan. Aug. 19 10 a.m.-noon $199. 805927-4747. cambrianursery.com/eventsand-workshops/. Cambria Nursery and Florist, 2801 Eton Rd., Cambria.
COASTAL WINE AND PAINT PARTY
Listen to music while enjoying an afternoon of creativity, sipping, and mingling. Event lasts up to 2 hours. 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.
COSTA GALLERY SHOWCASES Features works by Ellen Jewett as well as 20 other local artists, and artists from southern and northern California. Jewett’s work is also on display at Nautical Bean in Laguna shopping center during February. Thursdays-Saturdays, 11 a.m.-4
p.m. and Sundays, 12-4 p.m. 559-7999632. costagallery.com. Costa Gallery, 2087 10th St., Los Osos.
FIBER ART BY GAY MCNEAL McNeal possesses an appreciation of the multifaceted role that fiber has played in the art and material cultures of many ethnic societies, and her creative high comes from the actual process of trying out the multitude of techniques, both old and new. Through Aug. 30, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. 805-772-1068. galleryatmarinasquare.com. Gallery at Marina Square, 601 Embarcadero suite 10, Morro Bay.
FINE ART WATERCOLORS BY VIRGINIA MACK Virginia, along with her late husband John, also an artist, have spent endless hours exploring the back roads of San Luis Obispo County seeking those bits of landscape and the birds that are visually stimulating or interesting. Virginia works primarily in watercolors. Through Aug. 29, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. 805-772-1068. galleryatmarinasquare. com. Gallery at Marina Square, 601 Embarcadero suite 10, Morro Bay.
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. 805772-9095. Forever Stoked, 1164 Quintana Rd., Morro Bay.
FREUD’S LAST SESSION Presented by By the Sea Productions. Visit site for tickets and more info. Aug. 18-20 my805tix.com. By The Sea Productions, 545 Shasta Ave., Morro Bay.
LANDSCAPE INTO ART BY DONALD
ARCHER Archer’s exhibit, Landscape into Art, is on display through the end
of August. Mondays-Sundays. through Aug. 31 Cambria Library, 1043 Main St., Cambria.
METAL ART BY TRUDI GILLIAM Gilliam creates her sculptures using copper, brass, nickel/silver, and found objects. This new series of whales and birds uses copper and sea glass. ongoing 805-772-9955. Seven Sisters Gallery, 601 Embarcadero Ste. 8, Morro Bay, sevensistersgalleryca.com.
MOSAIC TRIVET WORKSHOP During this workshop, you will learn how to design and create a mosaic trivet. You will learn how to select materials, lay out a pleasing pattern, and adhere the tiles to the trivet base. You will learn how to properly grout and seal your project. ongoing, 1-4 p.m. $60. 805-772-2504. artcentermorrobay.org/index.php/ workshops/. Art Center Morro Bay, 835 Main St., 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.
THE REBOOT: STORYTELLING REIMAGINED (THEME: FOOD) This month, seasoned local tellers and fresh first-timers share true personal stories around food (kitchen dramas, chef fails, fasting, feasting, missing ingredients and spicing it up). Aug. 25 , 7-9:15 p.m. Free. 805-772-9225. facebook.com/the. reboot4u. Top Dog Coffee Bar, 857 Main St., Morro Bay.
TOM GOULD: CONNECTIONS Seeking original art of all types, large and small, to exhibit concurrently with next featured artist: Tom Gould. Submit up to four
New Times and the Sun now share their community listings for a complete Central Coast calendar running from SLO County through northern Santa Barbara County. Submit events online by logging in with your Google, Facebook, or Twitter account at newtimesslo.com. You may also email calendar@newtimesslo. com. Deadline is one week before the issue date on Thursdays. Submissions are subject to editing and approval. Contact Calendar Editor Caleb Wiseblood directly at cwiseblood@newtimesslo.com.
pieces online June 28 through July 2. Fridays-Sundays, 12-4 p.m. through Aug. 27 Free. 805-927-8190. cambriaarts.org. Cambria Center for the Arts, 1350 Main St., Cambria.
NORTH SLO COUNTY
AUGUST LIVE FIGURE DRAWING CLASS
These are uninstructed sessions. The model will be either minimally clothed or nude. Must be at least 18 years old to participate. All levels of artists welcome. Please bring your own supplies. Chairs and tables provided. Aug. 17, 1-4 p.m. $20. 805-238-9800. studiosonthepark. org. Studios on the Park, 1130 Pine St., Paso Robles.
DATE NIGHT Couples or friends, bring a bottle of wine and enjoy creative night out. Have fun and get messy as we walk you through the basics of throwing on the potter’s wheel. Create a unique piece of pottery, then choose your glaze. Fridays, noon through Aug. 25 $144. 805460-6803. thepotteryatascadero.com/ datenight. The Pottery, 5983 Entrada Ave., Atascadero.
DEPRISE BRESCIA ART GALLERY:
OPEN DAILY 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.
ONE FISH, TWO FISH ... FUSED GLASS
FISH Create your own fused glass fish using a variety of colorful glass. Aug. 23 , 10 a.m.-noon $50. 805-464-2633. glassheadstudio.com. Glasshead Studio, 8793 Plata Lane, Suite H, Atascadero.
OUR CENTRAL COAST Four art
INDEX
Arts.......................................14
Culture & Lifestyle ...........15
Food & Drink ......................18
Music 18
associations (Atascadero Art Association, Cambria Center for the Arts, Morro Bay Art Association, and Paso Robles Art Association) come together to showcase their visions of Central Coast living. The show has been curated by Jordan Hockett. Through Aug. 27 Free. 805-2389800. studiosonthepark.org/events/ourcentral-coast/. Studios on the Park, 1130 Pine St., Paso Robles.
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.
SAN LUIS OBISPO
ACTOR’S EDGE: ACTING CLASSES
Actor’s Edge offers film and television acting training in San Luis Obispo, plus exposure to Los Angeles talent agents. All ages and skill levels welcome. Classes available in SLO, LA, and on zoom. ongoing $210 per month. actorsedge. com. Online, See website, San Luis Obispo.
ALL LEVELS POTTERY CLASSES Anam
Cre is a pottery studio in SLO that offers a variety of classes. This specific class is open to any level. Teachers are present for questions, but the class feels more like an open studio time for potters. Thursdays, 6-8 p.m. $40. Anam Cre Pottery Studio, 1243 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo, anamcre.com.
ARTIST RIKI SCHUMACHER AT ART
CENTRAL GALLERY Schumacher’s work is pensive and introspective, inspiring one to take a solitary walk on a cloudy day. Wander in to reflect on her “delicious, wistful landscapes.” Mondays-Saturdays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sundays, 12-4 p.m. Free. 805-747-4200. artcentralslo.com/galleryartists/. Art Central, 1329 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo.
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 805-8355893. hmcruceceramics.com/. Online, See website, San Luis Obispo.
CLAY BABY HANDPRINTS Offers a unique experience of pressing your baby’s hand/foot into clay so parents can cherish this time forever. Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Sundays $55. anamcre.com/baby-handprints. Anam Cre Pottery Studio, 1243 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo.
CLOSING RECEPTION FOR ONCE MORE, WITH FEELING: GARET ZOOK
Last chance to see Garet Zook’s Once More, With Feeling. Join us for a closing reception and artist talk. The talk will start at 6 p.m. Aug. 17 5-7 p.m. Free. 805-5463202. cuesta.edu/student/campuslife/ artgallery/index.html. Harold J. Miossi Gallery, Highway 1, San Luis Obispo. COMEDY NIGHT Professional comedy show featuring local and touring comics. Hosted by Aidan Candelario. Third Thursday of every month, 7-9 p.m. $5. 805-540-8300. Bang the Drum Brewery, 1150 Laurel Lane, suite 130, San Luis Obispo, bangthedrumbrewery.com.
DATE NIGHT POTTERY Looking for a fun date night? Head to Anam Cre Pottery Studio and play with clay. Couples will learn how to throw a pot on the wheel and make a cheeseboard. Fridays, Saturdays, 6-8 p.m. $140. Anam Cre Pottery Studio, 1243 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo, anamcre.com.
FAMILY POTTERY CLASS A familyoriented class time. Any age or level welcome. Choice of sculpting, painting. or throwing on the wheel. Children must be accompanied by participating parent. Saturdays, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. through Aug. 26 $35. anamcre.com. Anam Cre Pottery Studio, 1243 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo.
FREE DOCENT TOURS Gain a deeper understanding of the artwork on view with SLOMA’s new docent tours. Every Saturday, join trained guides for interactive and engaging tours of SLOMA’s current exhibitions. ongoing, 11-11:30 a.m. Free. 805-543-8562. sloma. org/visit/tours/. San Luis Obispo Museum of Art, 1010 Broad St., San Luis Obispo.
IKEBANA WORKSHOP Join this unique
class to immerse yourself into the philosophy and beauty of Ikebana Flower Arrangements. Please wear comfortable shoes and bring a lunch. Aug. 19 10 a.m.2 p.m. $40-$50. 805-541-1400. slobg.org. San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden, 3450 Dairy Creek Rd., San Luis Obispo.
IMPROV WORKSHOP WITH KELI
SEMELSBERGER Keli Semelsberger is the founder and owner of Charlotte Comedy Theater and Big Island Improv. She is visiting in SLO for a bit and will be teaching a very special one-time only improv workshop. Aug. 21 6-8 p.m. $65. 805-858-8255. centralcoastcomedytheater.com/shows.
Central Coast Comedy Theater Training Center, 2078 Parker Street, Suite 200, San Luis Obispo.
INTERMEDIATE OIL PAINTING: ADULT
ART CLASS This class is for students who may have tried oil painting in the past but are looking to advance their skill levels. Color theory and proportion study will be a focus in the class. Mondays, 2-5 p.m. $30 per student or $75 for 3 classes. 805747-4200. artcentralslo.com/workshopsevents/. Art Central, 1329 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo.
INTERMEDIATE WHEEL SERIES: SOUL
POTTER Scott Semple will be teaching this intermediate, world view ceramics course, emphasizing wheel throwing with personal style. Clay sold separate at $30. Book online in advance. Wednesdays, 5:30-7:30 p.m. through Aug. 30 $240. anamcre.com. Anam Cre Pottery Studio, 1243 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo.
INTRO TO OIL PAINTING WITH
SPENCER COLLINS The perfect class for those wanting to try oil painting for the first time. Guests discuss color theory, layering paint, and how to use various media. For ages 16 and over. Thursdays, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. $30 per class or $100 for 4 classes. 805-747-4200. artcentralslo.
com/workshops-events/. Art Central, 1329
Monterey St., San Luis Obispo.
JAPANESE CALLIGRAPHY AND ART
Owen and Kyoko Hunt from Kyoto, Japan offer classes for Japanese calligraphy (Fridays, 5:30-6:30 p.m.), a Japanese art called “haiga” (Fridays, 10-11:30 a.m.) and more at Nesting Hawk Ranch. Fridays
$45. 702-335-0730. Nesting Hawk Ranch, Call for address, San Luis Obispo.
KIDS POTTERY CLASSES Enjoy making animal sculptures, bowls, plates, etc. Please arrive on time, not early, as venue uses the transition time between classes to sanitize. Designed to sign up on a weekly basis. Thursdays, 1:30-2:30 p.m.
$40. anamcre.com. Anam Cre Pottery Studio, 1243 Monterey 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.
LISA SOLOMON Solomon’s mixed media works revolve thematically around discovering her heritage, the notion of domesticity, craft, feminism, and the pursuit of art as science/research. Through Aug. 28, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. 805-543-8562. sloma.org/exhibition/lisasolomon/. San Luis Obispo Museum of Art, 1010 Broad St., San Luis Obispo.
ODDFELLOWS OPEN MIC Bring your music, improv, standup, magic, and dance talents. Each act gets five minutes. Audience votes for favorite. Third Saturday of every month, 7-9 p.m. Free. 805-234-0456. Odd Fellows Hall, 520 Dana St., San Luis Obispo.
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/event-calendar. Saints Barrel Wine Bar, 1021 Higuera St., San Luis Obispo.
PAINT A PRE-MADE POTTERY PIECE
Paint a pre-made pottery piece. Choose from a variety of different pieces including mugs, bowls, jars, dragons, cats, etc. Priced by size, accompanied with an additional $10 firing fee per piece. Book your appointment online. Mondays, 10 a.m.5 p.m. through Aug. 28 Free appointment; prices vary based on pieces chosen. anamcre.com. Anam Cre Pottery Studio, 1243 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo.
PARENT-CHILD POTTERY CLASS Make lasting memories with clay together as a family. For ages 6 and over. Thursdays, 10:30 a.m.-noon $70. Anam Cre Pottery Studio, 1243 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo, anamcre.com.
PERFORMING ARTS FESTIVAL
Announcing the first-ever Performing Arts Festival at Congregation Beth David. Enjoy live music, laughs, samplings from local food trucks, and family-friendly games. With performances from musician Mark Getten, comedian Danielle Durbin, and singer-songwriter Nina Storey. All are welcome. All ages. Aug. 27 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m. $30 advanced; $35 door; free for children under 10. 805-544-0760. cbdslo. org. Congregation Beth David, 10180 Los Osos Valley Road, San Luis Obispo.
PLEIN AIR PAINTERS OF THE CENTRAL COAST A self-directed fun group of dynamic artists who enjoy painting and sketching outdoors. Artists meet on site at various locations. Weekly plein air destinations are provided by Kirsti Wothe via email (mrswothe@yahoo.com).
Wednesdays, 9 a.m.-noon SLO County, Various locations, San Luis Obispo.
POTTERY: BEGINNING WHEEL CLASS
This series is a great intro to the pottery wheel. Students learn to throw various shapes, surface decorate, and glaze. Clay and firing included with admission.
Thursdays, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. $180. anamcre.com. Anam Cre Pottery Studio, 1243 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo.
SCULPTURE CLASS WITH ROD PEREZ
This weekly sculpture drop-in class gives an opportunity for potters to take on new projects and learn new techniques relating to sculptural work. Additionally, every first Friday of the month, a new project will be taught by Rod Perez for beginners. Fridays, 10 a.m.-noon $40. anamcre.com. Anam Cre Pottery Studio, 1243 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo.
SENIOR CLAY CLASS Offered to the senior community as an outlet to explore the beauty of clay. For ages 60 and over. Caretakers welcome for an additional $20. Fridays, 10 a.m.-noon $40. anamcre. com. Anam Cre Pottery Studio, 1243 Monterey St., 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.
SLO DRAWZ: OPEN FIGURE DRAWING
GROUP Improve your drawing skills while also building a community of supportive creatives with live models. This is not a guided class, please bring your own materials. To sign up, email chantellegoldthwaite@gmail.com. Every other Monday, 5-7 p.m. and Every other Thursday, 5-7 p.m. through Dec. 31 $20 per session; or $60 for a month pass. 805747-4200. instagram.com/slodrawz/. Art
Central, 1329 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo. STONES IN HIS POCKETS Presented by the San Luis Obispo Repertory Theatre. Through Aug. 27 SLO Rep, 888 Morro St., San Luis Obispo, 805-786-2440, slorep.org/.
TINY POTTERS: WISE ONES AND WEE ONES PAINT For ages 4 to 6. Kids have the
option to paint animals and other subjects. Tuesdays, 10:30-11:30 a.m. $30. anamcre. com/booking. Anam Cre Pottery Studio, 1243 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo.
VANESSA WALLACE-GONZALES Wallace-
Gonzales is a Black-Latinx and Santa Barbara-based artist who uses elements of mythology to explore her identity and personal experiences. Through Oct. 2, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. 805-543-8562. sloma.org/ exhibition/vanessa-wallace-gonzales/. San Luis Obispo Museum of Art, 1010 Broad St., San Luis Obispo.
VIRGINIA MACK: BEGINNING
WATERCOLOR This is a watercolor class designed to let you jump in and try out this engaging medium through experimentation. It’s designed for beginners and those with watercolor experience who wish to expand their knowledge of painting in watercolors. To enroll please contact Mack via email: vbmack@charter.net Wednesdays, 1:30-3:30 p.m. $35. 805-747-4200. artcentralslo. com/workshops-events/. Art Central, 1329 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo.
SOUTH COAST SLO COUNTY
ART SHOW ON THE PATIO Grab a beverage and a snack and browse our vendors. Vendors include copper, crystals, wiring, acrylic paints, resin artist, driftwood, vintage clothing and accessories, hand made purses, oils and solvents, and more. Aug. 19 9-2 a.m. Free. 805-994-7112. Perfetto Cafe, 1750 El Camino Real, Grover Beach, 8575perfettocaffe.com/.
EMBROIDERERS GUILD OF AMERICA The Bishop’s Peak Chapter of the Embroiderer’s Guild of America invites you to attend its monthly meeting. For more information, follow on Facebook or visit the EGA website. Third Saturday of every month, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. through Nov. 18 Free. Grover Beach Community Center, 1230 Trouville Ave., Grover Beach, 805-773-4832.
GOLD FEVER AT THE ROUGH AND READY
Boo the villain and cheer the hero at this show full of colorful characters. Through Sept. 9 Great American Melodrama, 1863 Front St., Oceano.
THE BOOK OF WILL By Lauren Gunderson. William Shakespeare is dead. Bad Hamlet knock-offs and children’s acting troupes litter the stages of Elizabethan London. And the King’s Men are running out of time. Rooted in real events. Aug. 17 7 p.m., Aug. 18 , 7 p.m., Aug. 19, 7 p.m., Aug. 20, 1:30 p.m., Aug. 23 , 1:30 p.m., Aug. 25 , 7 p.m. and Aug. 26 1:30 & 7 p.m. Starting at $25. 805-9228313. pcpa.org/events/the-book-of-will.
PCPA: The Pacific Conservatory Theatre, 800 S. College, Santa Maria. CABARET Presented by SMCT. Visit site for tickets and more info. Through Aug. 27 my805tix.com. Santa Maria Civic Theatre, 1660 N. McClelland St., Santa Maria.
NORTH COAST SLO COUNTY
AXE THROWING Enjoy the art of axe throwing in a safe and fun environment. Kids ages 10 and older
$20. 805-528-4880. baysidemartialarts.com. Bayside Martial Arts, 1200 2nd St., Los Osos.
BREATHE BALANCE AND STRETCH Be prepared to get down to the floor and up again. Breath practice is sustained throughout the session, which is filled with accessible movements that will create and enhance flexibility and balance. Shoe-less environment. Please bring a mat. Every other Monday, 9-9:45 a.m. $10. 415-516-5214. Bayside Martial Arts, 1200 2nd St., Los Osos.
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 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. Mask Required. Tuesdays, 9:30 a.m.12:30 p.m. Free. St. Timothy’s Catholic Church, 962 Piney Way, Morro Bay, 805-772-2840, sttimothymorrobay.org/index.html.
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.
MORRO BAY MIXED MARTIAL ARTS
Disciplines include advanced athletic performance fitness training, Thai kickboxing, and more. Beginners to advanced students welcome. Day and evening classes offered. Mondays-Saturdays, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Call for more info. 805-701-7397. charvetmartialarts.com.
Morro Bay Martial Arts, 850 Shasta, Morro Bay.
THE PACIFIC HERITAGE TOUR 2023 Enjoy an exhilarating journey aboard San Salvador, making a rare tour stop in Morro Bay. Step aboard the galleon and explore this captivating dockside exhibit: a full-scale replica of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo’s legendary ship, the first European vessel to grace the West Coast. Through Aug. 20, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. my805tix.com. Morro Bay S. T Pier, 1185 Embarcadero, Morro Bay.
SOCRATES: DISCUSSION GROUP Group members present interesting and thought provoking topics of all sorts. Topics are selected in advance and moderated by volunteers. Vaccinations are necessary. Enter through wooden gate to garden area. Wednesdays, 10 a.m. 805-528-7111. Coalesce Bookstore, 845 Main St., Morro Bay, coalescebookstore.com/.
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.
TAI CHI AND QI GONG: ZEN IN MOTION Small group classes with 2019 Tai Chi Instructor of the Year. Call for time and days. Learn the Shaolin Water Style and 5 Animals Qi Gong. Beginners welcomed. Mondays, 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Call for price details. 805-701-7397. charvetmartialarts.com. Morro Bay Martial Arts, 850 Shasta, Morro Bay.
TAI CHI CHUN CERTIFICATION With the 2019 Tai Chi Instructor of the year. Ongoing courses. ongoing Call for price. 805-701-7397. charvetmartialarts.com. Grateful Body, 850 Shasta, Morro Bay.
TAI CHI CHUN/ QI GONG BASICS Learn the foundation of Qi Gong, the rooting of breathing, and Shaolin Tai Chi. Tuesdays-Thursdays Call for details. 805-701-7397. charvetmartialarts. com. Grateful Body, 850 Shasta, Morro Bay.
TMHA’S SECOND ANNUAL SUNSHINE
CELEBRATION Join TMHA and the Josh Rosenblum Band at Sea Pines Golf Resort for an afternoon of fun in the sun. Features a cornhole tournament, golf ball drop raffle, and more. All proceeds from the raffle, tournament, and VIP pack sales go to TMHA. Aug. 26 , 2-6
p.m. $10-$75. 805-540-6564. support.t-mha. org. The Clubhouse Grill at Sea Pines, 250 Howard Ave., Los Osos.
WEEKLY QIGONG PRACTICE AT FITNESSWORKS MORRO BAY Calm your mind and nourish your joints with a weekly Qigong practice led by Mike Raynor of Tai Chi Rejuvenation. The practice is rooted in Qigong fundamentals, and standing/ moving meditations. Forms include: Eight Brocades, Five Elements, Shibashi 18, and Tai chi 24. Saturdays, 10:45-11:45 a.m. Members free; non-members $8-$10. 805-772-7466. fitnessworksmb.com. FitnessWorks, 500 Quintana Rd., Morro Bay.
ZEN IN MOTION Learn the Shaolin 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. 805701-7397. charvetmartialarts.com. Grateful Body, 850 Shasta, Morro Bay.
NORTH SLO COUNTY
2023 SUNSET ON SOUTH BEACH ANNUAL
GALA AND AUCTION Step into the neonsoaked streets of South Beach in the ‘80s. Don (Johnson) your best white or brightly colored attire for a night benefiting the Cancer Support Community CA Central Coast to raise funds to help those in SLO County impacted by cancer.
Aug. 19, 5-10 p.m. $200. 805-238-4411. auctria. events/2023Sunset. Rava Wines + Events, 6785 Creston Rd., Paso Robles.
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. NAR-ANON: FRIDAY MEETINGS A meeting for those who know or have known a feeling of desperation concerning the addiction of a loved one. Fridays, 12-1 p.m. Free. 805-441-2164. North County Connection, 8600 Atascadero Ave., Atascadero.
SANTA LUCIA ROCKHOUNDS MEETING Bring your favorite rock, gem, crystal, fossil, etc., to show the rest of the club. Third Monday of every month, 7 p.m. slrockhounds.org/. Templeton Community Center, 601 S. Main St., Templeton.
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.
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
BDSM 101 This monthly class from the Central Coast Kink Community provides a basic overview of kink, consent, rules, and information to help practitioners be successful and safe. Attendees must be 18 years of age or older. Fourth Friday of every month, 6-8 p.m. No admission. galacc.org/events/. Online, See website, San Luis Obispo.
BEYOND MINDFULNESS Realize your potential through individualized meditation instruction with an experienced teacher via Zoom. This class is for those who wish to begin a practice or seek to deepen an existing one. Flexible days and times. Certified with IMTA. Email or text for information. MondaysSundays, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Sliding scale. 559-905-9274. theartofsilence.net. Online, See website, 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-
Ancient Owl Beer Garden in Atascadero hosts its upcoming Beer Yoga event on Saturday, Aug. 26, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Tickets to the event, for ages 21 and over, are available in advance for $22.50 at my805tix. com. Admission to the yoga session, led by an instructor from Saunter Yoga and Wellness, includes a glass of ice cold draft beer. Ancient Owl Beer Garden is located at 6090 El Camino Real, Atascadero. —C.W.
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.
CITY FARM SLO’S YOUTH EMPOWERMENT
PROGRAM Check site for more info on programming and summer camps. ongoing cityfarmslo.org. San Luis Obispo, Citywide, SLO.
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.
FREE FAMILY DAY AND RUMMAGE SALE
Learn some kid-friendly ways to up-cycle your old clothes and turn them into something you love again. Aug. 20, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. 805541-1400. slobg.org. San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden, 3450 Dairy Creek Rd., San Luis Obispo.
GYM JAM CLINIC Two hours of progressive gymnastics skill training on bars, beam, floor, trampoline. All levels welcome, no experience necessary. For ages 5-17. Aug. 19 1-3 p.m.
$25 for first child; $10 per additional sibling. 805-547-1496. performanceathleticsslo.com/ events. Performance Athletics Gymnastics, 4484 Broad St., San Luis Obispo.
HEALING DEPRESSION SUPPORT GROUP A safe place for anyone suffering from the pain of depression. We do not criticize but do share our journey, feelings, and what works for us. We can meet in person or use Zoom if needed. Mondays, 6-7 p.m. Free. 805-528-3194. Hope House Wellness Center, 1306 Nipomo St., San Luis Obispo.
INTRODUCTION TO PICKLEBALL For ages 18 and over. Come see what pickleball is all about. Participants will learn the basics of the game including the rules, basic skills and strategy, types of equipment, and game safety. Saturdays, 9:30-11:30 a.m. through Aug. 26 $35. slocity.org. Meadow Park, 2251 Meadow St., San Luis Obispo.
LOTERÍA NIGHTS Enjoy a game of La Lotería Mexicana, a bingo-style game with colorful and beautifully-drawn cards. With drink specials and prizes for the winners. RSVP encouraged. Thursdays, 6 p.m. Free. drinkramblingspirits.com. Rambling Spirits, 3845 S. Higuera St. (inside SLO Public Market), 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.
THE MONDAY CLUB SLO LIVING HISTORY
TOURS Enter the iconic doors of the historic, Julia Morgan-designed clubhouse. Docents will take you back to the 1920s and ‘30s, while
viewing the beautiful architecture, murals, and gardens. Aug. 21 1-4 p.m. TheMondayClubSLO. org. The Monday Club, 1815 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo, 805-541-0594.
PLUG-IN TO LOCAL CLIMATE ACTION Get inspired by local action, connect with others, and discover more ways to get involved with the SLO Climate Coalition. Attend virtually or in-person. Sustainable snacks and childcare will be provided. Third Thursday of every month, 6-8 p.m. sloclimatecoalition.org/ events/. Ludwick Community Center, 864 Santa Rosa, San Luis Obispo.
PUPPY SOCIAL HOUR Puppies (10 weeks to 5 months old) will learn appropriate play style with other pups, acceptable manners with people, tolerance for gentle restraints, confidence with the approach of friendly strangers, and more. Saturdays, 9 a.m. and Wednesdays, 10 a.m. $25. 805-543-9316. woodshumanesociety.org/ training/. Woods Humane Society, 875 Oklahoma Ave., 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.
QI GONG FITNESS ONLINE Hosted by the San Luis Coastal Adult School. Gentle but powerful exercises for mind and body with instructor Gary West. Enhance your well being, improve your balance, and practice mindfulness. 19 weeks. Wednesdays, 9:30-10:30 a.m. through Dec. 13 $95. 805-549-1222. ae.slcusd.org/. Online, See website, San Luis Obispo.
QI GONG FOR MIND, BODY, AND SPIRIT
Learn and practice qi gong, a Chinese system for physical, mental and spiritual development. This class is conducted outdoors in a beautiful setting, which is the best place to do qi gong, as its inspiration is drawn from nature. Certified instructor: Devin Wallace. Tuesdays, 10-11 a.m. $10. 805709-2227. Crows End Retreat Center, 6340 Squire Ct., San Luis Obispo.
SIERRA CLUB WALK: REMARKABLE TREES OF SAN LUIS OBISPO Learn stories of four trees designated by the city as “Heritage Trees,” important in lives of past residents and ten trees notable for age/uniqueness. John Ashbaugh will describe Heritage Trees program. Aug. 20 2-3:30 p.m. Free. 805-5490355. Pismo and Toro, Corner of Pismo and Toro Streets, San Luis Obispo.
SLO LEZ B FRIENDS (VIRTUALLY VIA ZOOM)
A good core group of friends who gather to discuss topics we love/ care about from movies, outings, music, or being new to the area. We come from all walks of life and most importantly support each other. Transgender and Nonbinary folks welcome. Third Friday of every month, 6:30-9 p.m. Free. sloqueer. groups.io/g/lezbfriends. Online, See website, San Luis Obispo.
17, 24, 31
SEPT. 7, 14, 21, 28 Buttercup Bakery, Morro Bay
Chris Duarte FRIDAY, AUGUST 18 Flower City Ballroom, Lompoc
By the Sea Productions: Freud’s Last Session FRI, SAT, SUN, AUGUST 18, 19, 20 545 Shasta Avenue, Morro Bay
Saunter Yoga & Wellness: Yoga & Wine Blending Class
SATURDAY, AUGUST 19
Timshel Vineyards, Paso Robles
Red Hot Tribute and The Faithful (Tribute to Pearl Jam)
SATURDAY, AUGUST 19 Flower City Ballroom, Lompoc
Mo Betta Summer Jazz Series
SATURDAY, AUGUST 19 Old SLO BBQ, San Luis Obispo
Women Making Waves: The Tidal Wave: A Powerful Gathering
SUNDAY, AUGUST 20
Addie Street Parking Lot, Pismo Beach
Barrel Room Concert: Unfinished with the Beatles
SUNDAY, AUGUST 20 Cass Winery, Paso Robles
Mo Betta Summer Jazz Series
SUNDAY, AUGUST 20 Mint + Craft, San Luis Obispo
Symphony of the Vines: Scintillating Strings
SUNDAY, AUGUST 20
Adelaida Vineyards, Paso Robles
Watashi Wa Slow Coming Day Ragged Jubilee
FRIDAY, AUGUST 18 Templeton Mercantile
Banda la Mafiosa with DJs Kazanova & Excalibur
FRIDAY, AUGUST 25 Flower City Ballroom, Lompoc
Saunter Yoga & Wellness: Beer Yoga
SATURDAY, AUGUST 26 Ancient Owl Beer Garden, Atascadero
Women Making Waves: Work It Out at Orange Theory SLO
SATURDAY, AUGUST 26 Orange Theory SLOL, San Luis Obispo
Tour of the Living Dead: Fulci with Oxygen Destroyer
SATURDAY, AUGUST 26
Narducci’s Cafe, Bakersfield
SLOFunny Comedy Show
with Headliner Ryan Stout
SATURDAY, AUGUST 26
Savory Palette, Morro Bay
Reggae Night featuring Ras Danny & The Reggae Allstars
SATURDAY, AUGUST 26 Flower City Ballroom, Lompoc
SLOFunny Comedy Gym Monthly Showcase
SUNDAY, AUGUST 27 Central Coast Pizza, Los Osos
Laugh Therapy Stand-Up Comedy Show
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30
Maverick Saloon, Santa Ynez
By the Sea Productions: Lifespan of a Fact
FRI, SAT, SUN, SEPT. 1, 2, 3 545 Shasta Avenue, Morro Bay
Molly Ringwald Project (Ultimate 80s Tribute Band)
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 Flower City Ballroom, Lompoc
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 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. through Nov. 25 $10 coffee meeting. retiredactivemen.org.
Madonna Inn, 100 Madonna Rd, San Luis Obispo, 877-468-3861.
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. $10. 805-709-2227. Crows End Retreat Center, 6340 Squire Ct., San Luis Obispo.
STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING
PROGRAM FOR YOUNG ATHLETES
(GRADES 2-4) In this program, your child will learn the foundation of becoming a well-rounded athlete as we focus on skill development, movement, teamwork, and increasing confidence in each workout session. Mondays, Wednesdays, 3:30-4:20 p.m. through Sept. 20 $399 for a 12-Week Session (24 Classes). slocity. org. MZR Fitness, 3536 S. Higuera St. suite 200, San Luis Obispo, 805-439-4616.
STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING
PROGRAM FOR YOUNG ATHLETES (GRADES 5-7) In this program, your child will learn the foundation of becoming a well-rounded athlete as we focus on skill development, movement, teamwork, and increasing confidence in each workout session. Mondays, Wednesdays, 4:30-5:20 p.m. through Sept. 20 $399 for a 12-Week Session (24 Classes). slocity. org. MZR Fitness, 3536 S. Higuera St. suite 200, San Luis Obispo, 805-439-4616.
STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING
PROGRAM FOR YOUNG ATHLETES (GRADES 8-12) In this program, your child will learn the foundation of becoming a well-rounded athlete as we focus on skill development, movement, teamwork, and increasing confidence in each workout session. Mondays, Wednesdays, 5:30-6:20 p.m. through Sept. 20 $399 for a 12-Week Session (24 Classes). slocity.org. MZR Fitness, 3536 S. Higuera St. suite 200, San Luis Obispo, 805-439-4616.
SUMMER BLOOD DRIVE Vitalant will take over the event center to host. In the U.S., someone needs blood every two seconds, and every blood donation can save up to three lives. Sign up. Aug. 17 12-4:30 p.m. Free. 805-215-3669. slopublicmarket.com.
SLO Public Market, 120 Tank Farm Road, San Luis Obispo.
SUNDAY EVENING RAP LGBTQ+
Alcoholics Anonymous is a voluntary, worldwide fellowship of folks from all walks of life who together, attain and maintain sobriety. Requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. Email aarapgroup@gmail.com for password access. Sundays, 7-8 p.m. No fee. galacc.org/events/. Online, See website, San Luis Obispo.
TOUR DE SRAM: A WORLD BICYCLE RELIEF FUNDRAISER During this annual event, host will be serving beer, wine, cider, and tacos with delicious house-made tortillas and guac. There will also be a silent auction and tours. All proceeds benefit WBR. Aug. 19 3-7 p.m. Varies (see website). 805215-0196. powerofbicycles.org. SRAM, 4720 Allene Way, San Luis Obispo.
TOUR THE HISTORIC OCTAGON BARN
CENTER The Octagon Barn, built in 1906, has a rich history that The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County looks forward to sharing with visitors. Please RSVP. Fourth Sunday of every month, 2-2:45 & 3-3:45 p.m. Tours are free; donations are appreciated. Octagon Barn Center, 4400 Octagon Way, San Luis Obispo, (805) 544-9096, octagonbarn.org.
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.
TRANS* YOUTH PEER SUPPORT GROUP
This group is a safe place for trans* and gender non-conforming people, as well as those questioning, from ages of 11 to 18. A facilitated emotional support group to be heard, share your story, and hear stories that may sound surprisingly like your own. Fourth Tuesday of every month, 6-8 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.
DONATION-BASED YOGA FOR FIRST RESPONDERS, EMTS, AND CARETAKERS Class schedule varies. Contact empoweryoga805@gmail for details and reservations. ongoing 805-619-0989. empoweryoga805.com. Empower Yoga Studio and Community Boutique, 775 W. Grand Ave., Grover Beach.
POINT SAN LUIS LIGHTHOUSE TOURS
Tours will give you a glimpse into the lives of Lighthouse Keepers and their families, while helping keep our jewel of the Central Coast preserved and protected. Check website for more details. Wednesdays, Saturdays pointsanluislighthouse.org/. Point San Luis Lighthouse, 1 Lighthouse Rd., Avila Beach.
The Mountain Men Encampment, a two-day series of workshops led by the American Mountain Men nonprofit, will be held on Friday, Aug. 25, and Saturday, Aug. 26, at La Purisima Mission in Lompoc. Festivities at the encampment include hide preparation and leatherworking demonstrations. Visit lapurisimamission.org for more info. La Purisima Mission is located at 2295 Purisima Road, Lompoc.
THE TIDAL WAVE: A POWERFUL
GATHERING Visit site for tickets and more info. Hosted by Women Making Waves. Aug. 20, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. my805tix. com. Addie Street Surfer Parking Lot, Addie Street, Pismo Beach, 8054711740.
WEEKLY WATER SAFETY LESSONS
Facility advertised as open and safe. Give the office a call to register over the phone. Mondays-Fridays $160-$190. 805-4816399. 5 Cities Swim School, 425 Traffic Way, Arroyo Grande, 5citiesswimschool.com.
WHO COUNTED AS FAMILY: WHAT GODPARENTING MEANT FOR THE DANAS With speaker Colleen Beck.
Aug. 20 1-2 p.m. $8 for non-members; children $3; free for DANA Members. 805-929-5679. danaadobe.org. DANA
Adobe Cultural Center, 671 S. Oakglen Ave., Nipomo.
LOMPOC/VANDENBERG
MOUNTAIN MEN Buckskin clad members of the American Mountain Men share mountain men history and skills. Cooking, hide preparation and tanning, leather working, rope making, and blacksmithing are among the skills that visitors may experience. Aug. 25-26 10 a.m.-4 p.m. explorelompoc.com. La Purisima Mission, 2295 Purisima Mission, Lompoc.
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
SIP N’ SKETCH Bring your own art supplies (or use some of ours) and explore drawing different textures with us. Aug. 19, 6-9 p.m. $20. 805-238-9800. studiosonthepark.org. Studios on the Park, 1130 Pine St., 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. 805-4606042. ancientowlbeergarden.com.
Ancient Owl Beer Garden, 6090 El Camino Real, suite C, Atascadero.
YOGA AND WINE BLENDING CLASS
Visit site for tickets and more info. Aug. 19 11 a.m.-1 p.m. my805tix.com. Timshel Vineyards, 825 Riverside Ave., suite 1, Paso Robles.
SAN LUIS OBISPO
DOWNTOWN SLO FARMERS MARKET
Thursdays, 6-9 p.m. Downtown SLO, Multiple locations, San Luis Obispo.
SOUTH COAST SLO COUNTY
PAINT YOUR PET Includes all materials needed to create your one of a kind masterpiece, plus your first glass of liquid inspiration. Aug. 20, 10 a.m.-noon $60. 805-481-1772. artsocial805.com. Laetitia Vineyard & Winery, 453 Laetitia Vineyard Drive, Arroyo Grande.
NORTH COAST SLO COUNTY
BLUES AGENDA JAM AND SHOWCASE
A rockin’ blues dance party at Niffy’s Merrimaker every first, third, and now fifth Wednesdays. The Blues Asylum 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.
BUTTERCUP CONCERT SERIES: JILL
p.m. through May 31 Varies. 805-824-7383. morrobayfarmersmarket.com. Morro Bay
Main Street Farmers Market, Main Street and Morro Bay Blvd., Morro Bay.
NORTH SLO COUNTY
CLUB CAR BAR TRIVIA WITH DR.
RICKY Visit site for tickets and more info. Aug. 23 7-10 p.m. my805tix.com. Club Car Bar, 508 S. Main Street, Templeton, 8054004542.
ONX WINES VINEYARD TOUR AND TASTING Enjoy a private tour and tasting at the ONX Estate. The tour begins at the Tractor Shed with a portfolio tasting. From there your host will drive you around the vineyard in an off-road vehicle, allowing you to taste the wine right where it’s grown. Mondays, Thursdays-Sundays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. through Oct. 29 $45 per person. 805-434-5607. onxwine.com/ estate. ONX Estate Vineyard, 1200 Paseo Excelsus, Templeton.
OPEN PROJECT AND POTLUCK NIGHT
Come by the studio and create a fused glass project of your choice. Bring a drink/food item to share. A great way to meet other glass aficionados of our community. Prices will be based on which project you choose. Aug. 25 , 4-8 p.m. 805-464-2633. glassheadstudio.com. Glasshead Studio, 8793 Plata Lane, Suite H, Atascadero.
PAINT AND SIP Please join one of the artists of ArtSocial805 for a Friday night paint and sip experience at Cass Winery. Aug. 18 , 7-9 p.m. $55. 805-239-1730. casswines.com. Cass Winery and Vineyard, 7350 Linne Rd., Paso Robles.
PUEBLO SUMMER SIP AND SHOP, PLUS MINI ORACLE CARD READINGS
Featuring Oso Libre Winery and mini oracle readings from Tiffany Klemz. Aug. 22 4-8 p.m. $25. 805-835-3979. tiffanyklemz.com/events. Pueblo Curated Thrift, 8793 Plata Lane, Atascadero.
HEAD GAMES TRIVIA NIGHT Live multi-media trivia every Wednesday. Free to play. Win prizes. Teams up to six players. Wednesdays, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Free. headgamestrivia.com. Antigua Brewing, 1009 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo, 805-242-1167.
QUEER TRIVIA Sip some cider, test your LGBTQ trivia knowledge, and learn new fun facts. Topic themes and hosts rotate each week. Prizes for winners. BYO food. Third Friday of every month, 6-8 p.m. Free. 805-292-1500. Two Broads Ciderworks, 3427 Roberto Ct., suite 130, San Luis Obispo, twobroadscider.com.
|2 and Search Highlight|PICK SEA OTTER
SAVVY TRIVIA NIGHT FUNDRAISER Test your sea otter savvy while supporting sea otter conservation. Join us for Sea Otter Trivia Night at the Oak and Otter Brewhouse. Food and beverage sales all day will benefit Sea Otter Savvy. Sea-ottery seafood specials offered on the day. Aug. 17 6-8 p.m. $5 each to play trivia. seaottersavvy.org. Oak and Otter Brewing, 181 Tank Farm Road, suite 110, San Luis Obispo, 805-439-2529.
SLO FARMERS MARKET Hosts more than 60 vendors. Saturdays, 8-10:45 a.m. World Market Parking Lot, 325 Madonna Rd., San Luis Obispo.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT PUB TRIVIA Bring your thinking cap as questions vary from pop culture, geography, to sports. There is a little for everyone. Prizes for the winning teams. Wednesdays, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Free. 805-439-2529. Oak and Otter Brewing, 181 Tank Farm Road, suite 110, San Luis Obispo.
WEDNESDAY PUB TRIVIA Bring your thinking caps as questions vary from pop culture, geography, to sports. There is a little for everyone. Prizes for the winning teams. Trivia provided by Geeks Who Drink. Wednesdays, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Free. 805-439-2529. Oak and Otter Brewing, 181 Tank Farm Road, suite 110, San Luis Obispo.
KNIGHT Visit site for tickets and more info. Aug. 24 5-8 p.m. my805tix.com.
Buttercup Bakery and Cafe, 430 Morro Bay Blvd., Morro Bay, 805-226-6678.
BUTTERCUP CONCERT SERIES: THE
CLIFFNOTES Visit site for tickets and more info. Aug. 17 5 p.m. my805tix.com. Buttercup Bakery and Cafe, 430 Morro Bay Blvd., Morro Bay, 805-226-6678. FLAVOR PACKET Guitar-woven music that has an authentic feel and and an indie attitude. Aug. 20 1-4 p.m. Castoro Cellars, 1315 N. Bethel Rd., Templeton, 805-238-0725, castorocellars.com.
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. Fourth Sunday of every month, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. 805-900-5444. Lunada Garden Bistro, 78 N. Ocean Ave., Cayucos.
OPEN MIC NIGHT Come join us each Wednesday for 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.
SUMMER TWILIGHT CONCERT SERIES AT HARMONY CELLARS Start your weekend in Harmony with live music, food truck fare, and wine on the patio. Reservations required. Seating provided. Fridays, 5:15-7:15 p.m. through Sept. 8 $12$20. 805-927-1625. harmonycellars.com. Harmony Cellars, 3255 Harmony Valley Rd., P.O. Box 2502, Harmony.
NORTH SLO COUNTY
BARREL ROOM CONCERT: UNFINISHED WITH THE BEATLES Visit site for tickets and more info. Aug. 20, 4-6 p.m. my805tix.com. Cass Winery and Vineyard, 7350 Linne Rd., Paso Robles.
EASTON EVERETT Easton Everett MUSIC continued page 20
The challenges of our times are demanding more than just political reforms. They are compelling us towards journeys of the soul that will ask not only for great courage, but new understandings of power and inclusive leadership, new mythologies of collective heroism, more diverse communities and organizational models that are more sustainable ecosystems than hierarchical power pyramids. We invite you to engage with contemporary issues and the latest in depth psychological thinking and practices, join interactive learning sessions on the cutting edge of practice and theory, and explore all that Pacifica Graduate Institute has to offer for your personal and professional journey.
plays guitar-woven music that has an authentic feel and an indie attitude. Aug. 19, 1-4 p.m. Free. eastoneverett. com/. Four Lanterns Winery, 2485 West Highway 46, Paso Robles, 805-226-5955. Easton Everett plays guitar-woven music that has an authentic feel and an indie attitude. Aug. 26 12-4 p.m. Free. eastoneverett.com. HammerSky Vineyards, 7725 Vineyard Drive, Paso Robles, 805-239-0930. Easton Everett plays guitar-woven music that has an authentic feel and an indie attitude. Aug. 27, 1-4 p.m. Free. eastoneverett.com. Shale Oak Winery, 3235 Oakdale Rd., Paso Robles, 8052394800.
FOREVER GREEN LIVE AT PEAR VALLEY
Come join Forever Green for some summertime live music entertainment and world class wines. Aug. 20, 1-4 p.m. caraandchristibrown.com/forever-green. Pear Valley Winery, 4900 Union Road, Paso Robles, 805-475-3389.
FRIDAY NIGHT DJ Weekly DJ series, with a different DJ every Friday. Presented 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. 805460-6042. ancientowlbeergarden.com.
Ancient Owl Beer Garden, 6090 El Camino Real, suite C, Atascadero.
JOLON STATION BAND VARIETY SHOW
Come join Jolon Station Band every Thursday night in downtown Atascadero for a night of comedy, musical guests, prize wheels, and more. Thursdays, 8-10 p.m. $5 at the door. Raconteur Room, 5840 Traffic Way, Atascadero, 805-464-2584.
THE JOSH OTTUM BAND: INDIE ROCK MUSIC AT COLONY MARKET AND DELI CONCERT SERIES Josh Ottum has performed with The Shins and The Black Keys. Part of the Colony Concert Series running through Oct. 7. Aug. 19, 5-7 p.m. Free. 805-460-6252. colonymarketanddeli.com. Colony Market and Deli, 6040 El Camino Real, Atascadero.
KELLYTOWN Lively Irish and American fiddle tunes, rocking pub songs, folk, roots, and more. Aug. 26 , 7-9:30 p.m. No cover. 805-400-5293. Bristol’s Cider House, 3220 El Camino Real, Atascadero, bristolscider.com/.
SCINTILLATING STRINGS Presented by Symphony of the Vines. Aug. 20 5:30 p.m. my805tix.com. Adelaida Vineyards, 5805 Adelaida Rd., Paso Robles.
WATASHI WA LIVE With Slow Coming Day and Ragged Jubilee. Aug. 25 , 7-10 p.m. my805tix.com. Club Car Bar, 508 S. Main Street, Templeton, 8054004542.
EASTON EVERETT Easton Everett plays guitar-woven music that has an authentic feel and an indie attitude. Aug. 17 noon eastoneverett.com/. Easton Everett plays guitar-woven music that has an authentic feel and an indie attitude. Aug. 17 6-9 p.m. Free. eastoneverett.com. Frog and Peach Pub, 728 Higuera St., San Luis Obispo, 805-595-4764.
EASTON EVERETT SOLO Enjoy some indie-acoustic, live music. Thursdays, 5:30-7:30 p.m. eastoneverett.com. Big Sky Cafe, 1121 Broad Street, San Luis Obispo, (805)545-5401.
JAZZ VESPERS CONCERTS Jazz Vespers
Concerts returns to the historic sanctuary at First Presbyterian Church of SLO with Ron McCarley and the Sam Hirsh Trio. Aug. 20, 4-5:30 p.m. Free; donations appreciated. 805-543-5451. fpcslo.org. First Presbyterian Church of San Luis Obispo, 981 Marsh St., San Luis Obispo.
LIVE MUSIC AT RAGTAG WINE CO. Enjoy live music by local favorites. Wine available by the flight, glass, or bottle. Thursdays-Saturdays, 6-9 p.m. Ragtag Wine Co., 779 Higuera St., San Luis Obispo, 805-439-0774, ragtagwineco.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.
MO BETTA SUMMER JAZZ SERIES
An evening of smooth jazz and R&B. Aug. 17 6 p.m. my805tix.com. Linnaea’s Cafe, 1110 Garden St., San Luis Obispo, 805-541-5888.
MO BETTA SUMMER JAZZ SERIES: MINT + CRAFT Visit site for tickets and more info. Aug. 20, 1:30-3:30 p.m. my805tix.com. Mint + Craft, 848 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo, 805-632-9191.
MO BETTA SUMMER JAZZ SERIES: OLD SLO BARBECUE Visit site for tickets and more info. Aug. 19 6 p.m. my805tix.com. Old San Luis Barbecue Company, 670 Higuera St., San Luis Obispo, 805-285-2473.
MUSICAL IMPROV SHOW An entirely improvised, live comedy show using audience suggestions. Grab a cool glass of craft beer or wine at the bar. Aug. 17 6-8 p.m. $10. 805-858-8255. centralcoastcomedytheater.com/shows.
SLO Wine and Beer Company, 3536 S. Higuera St., suite 250, San Luis Obispo.
REBELS AND RENEGADES PRESENTS
CHARLES WESLEY GODWIN Aug. 23 , 8 p.m. The Fremont Theater, 1035 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo, 805-546-8600, fremontslo.com.
FRIDAY NIGHT HAPPY HOURS: LIVE MUSIC Enjoy Friday Night Happy Hour at Avila Bay Athletic Club. Aug. 25 6-8 p.m. Free. avilabayclub.com. Avila Bay Athletic Club and Spa, 6699 Bay Laurel Place, Avila Beach, 805-595-7600.
JILL KNIGHT BAND: LIVE AT THE LIGHTHOUSE In 2008, songstress Jill Knight joined forces with multi genre violinist Brynn Albanese and multi faceted guitarist/bassist/producer Eric Williams to form this most magical trio. Aug. 26 , 2-5:30 p.m. my805tix.com. Point San Luis Lighthouse, 1 Lighthouse Rd., Avila Beach.
KARAOKE EVERY FRIDAY Enjoy some good food and karaoke. Fridays, 5-8 p.m. 805-723-5550. The Central Grill, 545 Orchard Road, Nipomo.
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.
KARAOKE SATURDAYS Take advantage of karaoke every Saturday. Saturdays, 3-7 p.m. 805-723-5550. The Central Grill, 545 Orchard Road, Nipomo.
Zaca Mesa Winery presents musician Victor Valencia, live in concert in the venue’s tasting room courtyard, on Sunday, Aug. 20, from noon to 3 p.m. Admission to the outdoor show is free. Wine tasting flights and wine by the glass or bottle will be available for purchase during the performance. For more info on the afternoon concert, call (805) 688-9339 or visit zacamesa.com. Zaca Mesa Winery is located at 6905 Foxen Canyon Road, Los Olivos. —C.W.
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY BAND
The San Luis Obispo County Band performs a variety of music for the enjoyment of Farmer’s Market patrons. At the corner of Higuera and Nipomo during the third Thursdays of July, August, and September. Aug. 17, 6-8:45 p.m. Free admission. 630-421-2556. San Luis Obispo Farmers Market, Broad and Higuera, San Luis Obispo.
SUNDAY MUSIC AT RAGTAG WINE CO.
Enjoy live music by local favorites. Wine available by the flight, glass, or bottle. Sundays, 4-7 p.m. Ragtag Wine Co., 779 Higuera St., San Luis Obispo, 805-4390774, ragtagwineco.com.
SOUTH COAST SLO COUNTY
AN EVENING WITH JUDY COLLINS
Judy Collins has inspired audiences with sublime vocals, boldly vulnerable songwriting, personal life triumphs, and a firm commitment to social activism. In the 1960s, she evoked both the idealism and steely determination of a generation united against social and environmental injustices. Aug. 22 , 7:30-10 p.m. 805-4899444. Clark Center for the Performing Arts, 487 Fair Oaks Ave., Arroyo Grande, clarkcenter.org.
STONE SOUP MUSIC FESTIVAL True to the Stone Soup theme, there is a variety of music representing many genres and cultures. Bring a lawn chair, your dancing shoes, and enjoy. Aug. 26 10 a.m.-10 p.m. and Aug. 27 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. 805-4899444. clarkcenter.org/about/stone-soupmusic-festival/. Ramona Garden Park Center, 993 Ramona Ave., Grover Beach.
SANTA MARIA VALLEY/LOS ALAMOS
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.
OPERA SANTA
Enjoy the beautiful and unmistakable sound of Opera with a free concert by Opera Santa Barbara. This concert is sure to delight music lovers of all ages. Aug. 19 1 p.m. Free. cityofsantamaria.org. Santa Maria Public Library, 421 S. McClelland St., Santa Maria, 805-925-0994.
SANTA YNEZ VALLEY
LIVE MUSIC SUNDAY AT ZACA MESA
WINERY: VICTOR VALENCIA Enjoy live music by Victor Valencia with delicious wines. Aug. 20 12-3 p.m. Free. 805-6889339. zacamesa.com/upcoming-events/. Zaca Mesa Winery, 6905 Foxen Canyon Road, Los Olivos. ∆
The Savory Palette in Morro Bay hosts SLOFunny Comedy on Saturday, Aug. 26, at 6:30 and 9 p.m. The early show is described as “rated light R” in press materials, while the late show is “rated very R,” while both are listed as including strong language and adult content.
Both shows also include a lineup of five comedians, including headliner Ryan Stout, a touring comedian known for his appearances on Conan Live at Gotham and other television shows. He’s also been heard on various comedy podcasts, including WTF with Marc Maron, Your Mom’s House and Doug Loves Movies
Other featured comedians in the lineup include Dave Carter, Kym Kral, Jeremiah Nation, and the event’s host, Jon Huck. Tickets to the show are available in advance at my805tix.com. Guests must be 21 years of age or older to attend.
To find out more about SLOFunny Comedy and its other scheduled events at various locations across the Central Coast, visit facebook.com/ slofunny. The Savory Palette is located at 601 Embarcadero, Morro Bay.
As part of its Sunday Speaker series, the DANA Adobe and Cultural Center in Nipomo is hosting a talk with local researcher and librarian Colleen Beck on Sunday, Aug. 20, from 1 to 2 p.m.
The title of the talk is Who
Counted as Family: What Godparenting Meant for the Danas. Beck will present her research on the history of the Adobe’s founders, William Goodwin Dana and Maria Josefa Carrillo Dana, and their godchildren.
Admission to the program is free for DANA Adobe members, $8 for nonmembers, $3 for ages 6 through 7, and free for children under age 5. To find out more about Beck’s presentation and other talks scheduled for the DANA Adobe’s Sunday Speaker series, call (805) 929-5679 or visit danaadobe.org.
Other upcoming events at the venue include a Sunday Speaker talk: The Voyages of William Goodwin Dana, with guest speaker Jim Corridan on Sunday, Sept. 17; and the nonprofit’s Heritage Day celebration on Saturday, Sept. 30.
The DANA Adobe and Cultural Center, regularly open Monday through Friday, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., is located at 671 S. Oakglen Ave., Nipomo. Tours of the Adobe are offered by appointment only. The Adobe is a registered historical site and is considered the oldest home in SLO County. ∆
—Caleb Wiseblood BY ADRIAN VINCENT ROSAS
According to local artist Joe McFadden, there’s no denying the bounty of beauty present on the Central Coast, especially around San Luis Obispo.
“As a landscape painter, I have an a nity for the outdoors,” McFadden said. “I never take those open spaces for granted; they are so precious.”
From the dazzling views atop Bishop Peak to the serene coastal waters of Pismo Beach, there is no shortage of places where residents and visitors can revel in natural beauty.
But maintaining nature’s marvels takes e ort, and the best way to ensure these places stay beautiful—according to McFadden—is by showcasing the glory of nature through art.
“So, it’s perfect for me to participate in an event like Colors of Conservation where the artwork that I produce of nature can contribute in some small way to its preservation,” he said.
Colors of Conservation is the annual collaboration between the San Luis Outdoor Painters for the Environment (SLOPE) and the Land Conservatory of San Luis Obispo County— taking place this year on Aug. 25 and 26.
“ e styles of artist members in the exhibit vary to degrees of interpretation, but all of us try to be true to capturing the lighting and moment in time,” McFadden said. “It’s a great opportunity to see a variety of styles in one room.”
Visitors will be able to observe art from local painters ranging from oil and watercolor to pastels. Should they choose to purchase any art, a portion of the proceeds will go toward preserving the very subject of the art on display.
“It’s always been our member mission to paint and enjoy local open spaces, historic ranch lands, waterways, and coastal areas in SLO County,” McFadden said. “But to be able to also give something back by supporting local land conservancy e orts through the sale of our art is special.”
Even having access to be able to paint some of these landscapes and ranches is rare, and it’s something that both he and his fellow SLOPE members are extremely grateful for.
“Many of the paintings in the
Colors of Conservation will be held at the Octagon Barn Center, 4400 Octagon Way, San Luis Obispo, on Aug. 25 from 5 to 8 p.m. and Aug. 26 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information on the San Luis Outdoor Painters for the Environment (SLOPE), visit slope-painters.com. To get involved with the Land Conservatory of SLO County, visit lcslo.org.
exhibit are based on historic ranches in the area, including Camatta, Buckingham, and Santa Rita,” he said. “I love the idea of painting everyday scenes on some of the ranches, not just focusing on the oaks and rolling hills, but the working end of the ranch with out-buildings, rusty equipment, water tanks, and even ranch dogs.”
McFadden said he feels that Colors of Conservation is the perfect event to showcase the rich history of the land across the county and highlight its often overlooked aspects.
“Another focus for a lot of these paintings is the open space of the Pismo Preserve,” he said. “It’s a special location for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it’s the view through the oak trees or the busy shoreline and neighborhoods just outside the preserve.”
Send gallery, stage, and cultrual festivities to arts@newtimesslo.com.
e Land Conservatory of San Luis Obispo has worked over the years to ensure it can maintain the subjects of the SLOPE’s artwork by gathering resources through events and outside partnerships to buy historic
COLORFUL COWS Whether it’s the peaceful cows or the roaring ocean, the Central Coast has no shortage of natural inspiration for painters like Joe McFadden.
lands, critical habitats, and cultural enclaves. McFadden said he feels the Octagon Barn in SLO is the perfect place to showcase just how powerful the blend of art and nature can be during the upcoming event.
“ e Octagon Barn is a tting location for this summer event, as it’s not only a historic and iconic structure in the area,” he said, “but also at one point was in such a state of disrepair that it was almost lost completely.”
McFadden said that just like the natural settings that his artwork as a SLOPE member is working to maintain, the barn was restored and preserved through similar e orts.
“Today the property and facilities are presented to host local events like this,” McFadden said. “But none of that was possible until the Land Conservancy of SLO stepped in to restore the structure.”
at ability to conserve and maintain the beauty that’s often the subject of his and his colleagues’ paintings is ultimately what drives McFadden’s creative passion.
“Colors of Conservation is a unique event for residents—if nothing else, an opportunity to see some of that open space that we all hike, or bike, or drive by every week through the eyes of a painter,” he said.
“Perhaps, more importantly, it’s also an opportunity to buy and enjoy a painting knowing that you contributed to the conservation of some of these precious lands that we too often take for granted.” ∆
Sta Writer Adrian Vincent Rosas doesn’t take the beauty of nature for granted. Reach him at arosas@ newtimesslo.com.
Marc Turtletaub (Puzzle) directs Gavin Steckler’s script about Milton (Ben Kingsley), a somewhat pathetic retiree living a quiet life in a small Pennsylvania town, when a UFO and its extraterrestrial pilot crash-land in his backyard. (90 min.)
Glen What would you do if a ying saucer crashed in your backyard? Call 911, probably, right? But what if the 911 operator dismissed you as a crank? And what if your daughter, Denise (Zoe Winter), was unreachable, and even if she was available, she thinks you’re in the early stages of dementia and won’t believe you either? In a nutshell, that’s Milton’s predicament. He was living a wholly uneventful and lonely life. Every week, he’d turn up at the city council meetings to advocate for a change in the town’s motto and a new crosswalk, and the council members would listen politely and roll their eyes. Milton eventually nds collaborators in fellow gad ies Sandy (a wonderful Harriet Sansom Harris) and Joyce (a erce Jane Curtin), two lonely women and city council meeting regulars, who discover Milton’s not so secret “secret” and the little gray man Sandy names Jules (Jade Quon). ey know from movies what happens to these extraterrestrials, and the trio is determined to help Jules as he repairs his ship.
What’s it rated? PG-13
What’s it worth, Glen? Full price
What’s it worth, Anna? Full price
Where’s it showing? The Palm Theatre of San Luis Obispo
immediately starts to mother. Milton is all about routine, and while it may come o that he just wants to be left alone, what we learn is this is a protective shell he has created instead of facing the realities of his growing forgetfulness. Joyce inserts herself, loudly demanding inclusion. While the three seem to be ill-fated friends, little Jules is their shared purpose.
All these performances are remarkable, and the sweet, funny, emotive story drives home the importance of human connection for a full and happy life.
Anna ere is something special about Jules. While he can’t communicate verbally, he seems to have an empathetic presence, and the three humans that surround him can’t seem to help but open up and share their greatest moments, biggest fears, and untold grievances. Joyce, Milton, and Sandy all share the fact that they are lonely and all cope in their own ways. Sandy is all about creating community, whether it be through a town art project or setting up a mentor program between younger and older citizens. She’s constantly on the hunt for connection and she nds it easily with Jules, who she
What’s it rated? TV-14
When? 2023
Where’s it showing? Netflix
Helen (Ellie
fielding phone calls from her ex and can’t seem to find a way to happiness anywhere in her life. She signs up for a wilderness survival course along with a group of quirky strangers who are all looking to shed a part of themselves as well.
When Helen shows up at the retreat, she’s flummoxed to find Jake (Luke Grimes), a close
Glen Jules is like a blank slate for the others to pour their emotions onto, and at its center, this is a story about human emotions, which contrasted to Jules’ calm and placid presence seem so incredibly messy and out of control. ere’s a moment when Joyce, who clearly lives in her heyday past, sings for Jules, who she calls “Gary” because she things he looks more like a Gary than a Jules, and Curtin delivers a truly potent performance. In another scene, Sandy embraces Jules in tears, and it’s deeply and earthshakingly emotional. And, my god, Kingsley is a treasure. He disappears into Milton—his walk, accent, and mannerisms.
friend of her little brother, Duncan (a very funny Alexander Koch), on the retreat as well. The two at first try to act as if they don’t know each other, but it’s soon obvious that this rom-com isn’t going to keep them apart for long. This is what Hallmarkesque style movies are made of—this one just happens to be a Netflix version.
While the plotline is all too predictable, Kemper and Grimes play well off of each other, and the kooky cast of characters around them round out a nice 100-minute reprieve from real life. Put this on your to-watch list for when you need a feel-good flick. (103 min.)
—Anna
NATURE’S CALL Jake (Luke Grimes) and Helen (Ellie Kemper) find themselves in the same wilderness survival course in Happiness for Beginners, a cute but predictable rom-com, streaming on Netflix.
Anna I quite literally forgot that it was Kingsley we were watching—you’re right when you say he disappears into Milton. He is confronted with the end of his life and what that looks like if he slips further into dementia. For now, it’s little things, like putting a newspaper in the freezer or forgetting why he walked into a room. But Milton’s denial doesn’t make Denise feel any better, and she prods around the possibilities of what to do when his condition worsens. Jules is a very human tale that quietly reminds us of the power that lies in connection, in community, and in feeling heard and understood. I laughed, I cried, and I fell a little in love with everyone on the screen. I hope the Palm eatre has a strong turnout for this lm; it deserves it. ∆
Senior Sta Writer Glen Starkey and freelancer Anna Starkey write Split Screen. Glen compiles listings. Comment at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
What’s it rated? TV-14
When? 2021-present
Where’s it showing? Paramount Plus
Iloved the first season of Joe Pickett which centered on a new-on-the-job Saddlestring, Wyoming, game warden (played with quiet determination by Michael Dorman) who navigated the politics of his small town rural community and its greedy power brokers, while also juggling his responsibilities as a husband and father. The series is created by Drew and John Erick Dowdle, based on C.J. Box’s series of novels.
Joe is a straight arrow, incorruptible and unwavering in his need to do the right thing. In this new season, those attributes may well get
him killed. It doesn’t help that he has deeply buried childhood trauma of his own and a misguided need for stoicism. Soon his emotions are coming out in uncontrollable ways, straining his relationship with his rock-solid wife, Marybeth (Julianna Guill).
You can’t help rooting for Joe as he struggles to appear totally in control despite his clear vulnerability. This is a neo-Western, and he’s the white-hatted sheriff in a corrupt town, a man who thinks he has to face his foes alone, but he’s got an important ally in Marybeth, who it turns out is just as resilient and strong-willed as her husband. I
I’m pretty sure the next seven days are packing in the most live music we’ve had since the pandemic, so let’s get cracking. Otter Productions Inc. and Good Vibez have teamed up to bring Tash Sultana to the Avila Beach Resort on Wednesday, Aug. 23 (doors at 4 p.m.; all ages; $47.58 general admission at tixr.com).
Sultana is a “gender-fluid multiinstrumentalist, producer, singer-songwriter, engineer, and entrepreneur,” according to their bio (preferred pronouns they/their, dig?).
They’ve been called a one-person band thanks to looping technology, and they burst onto the Australian music scene about a decade ago and gained an international audience in 2016 with the release of “Jungle,” a reggae-esque track, though they also mix in psychedelic rock, soul, R&B, hip-hop, blues, roots, and neo soul into their sound.
They scored more hits with tracks such as “Mystik,” “Murder to the Mind,” and their cover of MGMT’s “Electric Feel.” It’s been an epic journey from busking on the streets of Melbourne to playing huge venues all over the world. They’re currently touring in support of 2021’s Terra Firma, the follow-up to their 2018 debut, Flow State. Montreal-based artist Chiiild opens. He hit the scene in 2020 with the EP Synthetic Soul, and he’s now touring in support of his full-length, Hope for Sale. He’s been compared to D’Angelo, Marvin Gaye, and Tame Impala. Should be a cool concert overlooking the Pacific.
Michael Franti and Spearhead are heading to Paso Robles on Friday, Aug. 18 (7 p.m.; all ages; $45 to $65 at vinaroblesamphitheatre.com). Franti is the most socially conscious, optimistic, soulful performer out there. He simply exudes positivity. His bio explains that he’s “spent decades peeling back the layers on what it means to be human, how to be the best
version of ourselves, and how to follow our hearts.”
His current tour is called the Big Big Love Tour 2023, about which he said, “Big big love represents being able to hold space for the micro and the macro of love. Everyone has someone they love, whether it’s their child, spouse, pet, or friend. But then there’s holding space to love people of difference— people who are in the midst of war, people where there is pain and suffering. You show up as love, determination, and spirit in those places where people really need a caring soul connection to help them heal. That’s what big big love is: holding space for the personal and the worldly.”
Reggae band SOJA opens.
Seattle-based indie folk act Fleet Foxes plays Vina on Tuesday, Aug. 22 (8 p.m.; all ages; $42.50 to $60 at vinaroblesamphitheatre.com). They formed in 2006 and hit it big in 2008 with the release of their second EP, Sun Giant, and debut selftitle full-length, which landed on a bunch of “Best Of” lists, including Rolling Stone’s “100 Best Albums of the 2000s” and Pitchfork ’s “50 Best Albums of 2008.”
They’ve since released three more studio albums and the live album A Very Lonely Solstice from 2021. Aside from a hiatus between 2013 and 2016, they’ve been going strong ever since.
“Our shows last summer were by far the best of our career, and we can’t wait to do it again,” frontman Robin Pecknold said in press materials. “It’s an honor to bring this music to life with and for everybody, and we hope to see you there. With love and gratitude.”
Nigerian-born singer-songwriter Uwade opens the show.
You snooze, you lose. Fremont has two upcoming shows that are already sold out. If you’d hoped to see Yahritza Y Su Esencia on Sunday, Aug. 20, or Dogstar—with everybody’s favorite dreamboat bassist Keanu Reeves—next Thursday, Aug. 24, you’re out of luck. Don’t worry, though. Fremont’s got a couple other great shows this week.
Get ready to rock ’n’ roll this Friday, Aug. 18, when Enjoy headlines a three-band show in downtown SLO (doors at 8 p.m.; all ages; $25 at seetickets.us), with opening acts Dumb Fucks and Bad Vacation. Enjoy is Wyatt Shears of The Garden, whose music and aesthetic are informed by his interest in SoCal and UK punk, ’70s funk, and drum and bass.
Rebels & Renegades presents Charles Wesley Godwin on Wednesday, Aug. 23 (doors at 7 p.m.; all ages; $25 at seetickets. us). The West Virginia native plays cinematic country-folk that’s informed by his home state’s Appalachian Americana roots. He’s also inspired by Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, and John Prine. So far, he’s released two albums, 2019’s Seneca and 2021’s How The Mighty Fall
“I started a family around the time Seneca came out,” he recalled in press materials. “After my son was born, I remember sitting in the hospital, thinking about how that very experience would eventually become one of those life moments that flash before my eyes when I’m old. I realized that time is passing, and my time will pass, too. Becoming a father made it all sink in.”
Them Dirty Roses opens.
Brett Dennen plays The Siren on Friday, Aug. 18 (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; $30 at
goodmedicinepresents.com) as part of his Fool in Paradise Acoustic Tour. He was so great at the Live Oak Music Festival. Charming, funny, and so down-to-earth. He’s a self-described “songwriter, performer, watercolor artist, and environmental conservationist and outdoorsman,” whose shows are meant to gather like-minded music
fans “to consistently try to make the world a better place.” Jordyn Shellhart opens. She’s a terrific on-the-rise country singer.
David Nail plays BarrelHouse on Saturday, Aug. 19 (6 p.m.; all ages; $30 at goodmedicinepresents.com). The modern country artist hails from Southeast Missouri and has had hits such as “Whatever She’s Got,” “Let It Rain,” “Red Light,” and more.
In addition to hosting the Numbskull/ Good Medicine Brett Dennen show, Morro Bay’s The Siren has a bunch of other inhouse concerts. First, don’t forget about Kyle Eldridge’s Rockabilly Review on Thursday, Aug. 17 (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; $15 at tixr. com). The Kentuckian is a ripping guitarist.
If you’re in need of some outlaw country, and who isn’t, check out The Highwayman Show on Saturday, Aug. 19 (8:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; $17 at tixr.com), a tribute to the timeless music of Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson. Tony Suraci will channel the spirits and voices of the original Highwaymen in an unforgettable two-hour performance.
Mighty Mystic brings his reggae sounds to Morro Bay on Sunday, Aug. 20 (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; $15 at tixr.com). He recently released his fifth studio album, Giant, which scored hits with singles such as “Far from Jamaica” featuring Sizzla and Tyler Loyal, as well as “Goshen,” a tribute to the community in Saint Elizabeth, Jamaica, from whence he hails.
SLO Brew Rock is swinging for the fences this week starting with The Basement Tapes featuring Chuck Prophet on Friday, Aug. 18 (doors at 7 p.m.; 18-and-older; $20 at ticketweb.com). Prophet and company re-create Bob Dylan’s famed 1975 album The Basement Tapes, that Dylan recorded with The Band in 1967 and ’68, adding overdubs in 1975.
Said Prophet in press materials, “I played some shows recently working exclusively from the book of The Basement Tapes. It was billed as Bob Dylan’s 80th Birthday Celebration: featuring The Basement Tapes Live! We had a blast taking those songs out for a joyride. We weren’t crazy enough to think The Basement Tapes could be reproduced. It’s not scientific. But we freely added and took away from the recipe.”
On Saturday, Aug. 19, head to the Rod & Hammer Ranch 2023 Whiskey Festival, which features alt-rock by Carbon City Lights (1:30 to 3 p.m.), country by the Shawn Clark and Ryan Delmore Band (3:30 to 5 p.m.), and folk by the Mark Adams Band (5:30 to 7 p.m.). Doors open at noon, it’s all ages, and totally free. You can ride a mechanical bull, do some line dancing, throw axes, and sample whiskeys and smoked meats.
Later that same night on Saturday, Aug. 19, SLO Brew Live and (((folkYEAH!))) present M. Ward (doors at 7 p.m.; all ages; $30 at ticketweb.com). Ward unleashed his musical calling in San Luis Obispo when he was a Cal Poly student, forming a trio called Rodriguez. He’s gone on to an amazing career, with a dozen well received solo albums and collaborations with Zoey Deschanel as She and Him and with the supergroup Monsters of Folk with members of Bright Eyes and My Morning Jacket. His most recent solo album is Supernatural
Thing, which was released in June. SLO Brew Live and (((folkYEAH!))) also present Os Mutantes with Marco on Sunday, Aug. 20 (doors at 7 p.m.; 18-andolder; $25 at ticketweb.com). This influential Brazilian psychedelic rock band is linked with the Tropicália movement of the late 1960s, combining a range of influences from the English-speaking world like The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and Sly & the Family Stone with bossa nova, tropicália, and samba.
The Clark Center presents an evening with Judy Collins on Tuesday, Aug. 22 (7:30 p.m.; all ages; $57 to $67 at clarkcenter. org). Now 84, Collins’ career has spanned decades. Her debut album, A Maid of Constant Sorrow, was released in 1961, but her breakout album was Wildflowers (1967), where she had a huge hit with Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now,” as well as Leonard Cohen’s “Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye.” Her version of Stephen Sondheim’s “Send in the Clowns” won Song of the Year at the 1975 Grammy Awards. She’s a national treasure.
rock, blues, soul, and rockabilly originals as well as classic covers from the likes of Muddy Waters to Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix to Sam Cook, Led Zeppelin to Mose Alison, and Fontella Bass to the Grateful Dead when they play Saturday, Aug. 19, in the Paso Lounge (adjunct to the Paso Robles Casino; 7 to 10 p.m.); the Secret Garden, an outdoor venue attached to the Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort next Thursday, Aug. 24 (3 to 6 p.m.); and Castoro Cellars on Sunday, Aug. 27 (1 to 4 p.m.).
There’s no stopping Ted Waterhouse, who has put together another new band with some inveterate local performers: The Quadratones
“The group has evolved over the last year or so to the current lineup consisting of Phil Wimer on electric guitar and vocals, Kevin McCracken on harmonica and vocals, David Block on electric bass and vocals, Wes Starr on drums, and yours truly on slide guitar, electric guitar, and vocals. I also serve as the principal songwriter in the band,” Waterhouse said. “Wes Starr, our drummer and newest edition, has fairly recently relocated to Morro Bay after decades in Austin and Nashville, where he performed and recorded with an amazing list of artists including Asleep at the Wheel, Delbert McClinton, Hal Ketchum, Marcia Ball, Jimmie Dale Gilmour, the Golden State Lone Star Blues Revue, and many others.”
Check out their mix of revved-up roots-
“Ready to get baked … goods?” asked bandleader and quip-meister Cliff “Crawdaddy” Stepp of the New Orleansstyle boogie band The Cliffnotes. They’ll bring their sweet, swampy sounds to Buttercup Bakery & Cafe in the heart of Morro Bay (kitty corner from Central Coast Music) this Thursday, Aug. 17 (5:30 p.m.; all ages; free). Expect “a patio party complete with the Buttercup Food Truck serving gourmet pizza, microbrews, and more,” Stepp added. There are only four more Concerts in the Plaza events this season, so that means only four more chances to boogie down in the front of the mission to your favorite Central Coast performers. This Friday, Aug. 18, singer-songwriter Dave Tate will open the show at 5 p.m., followed by a 6 p.m. set by Cali-Cubano, Afro-funk ensemble the Zongo All-Stars, who’ll have you shaking your moneymakers.
Damon Castillo plays Templeton’s Venteux Vineyards on Friday, Aug. 18 (5:30 p.m.; all ages; $12 at exploretock.com). Expect great wine, food, and jazz-informed rock, funk, and soul music during this special reunion show with Abraham Robles on drums and Ben Del Giorgio on bass. Gabriela Welch and Jineanne Coderre will be singing, with Larry Kim on sax and Kristian Ducharme on keyboards.
Old-school roots rock and rockabilly band The Boneshavers play Atascadero’s Raconteur Room on Saturday, Aug. 19 (8 p.m.; 21-and-older; $5 at the door). These guys go way back, playing at clubs like The Dark Room and D.K.’s West Indies Bar. Featuring Bob Denike (vocals), Johnny Mojo (guitar), Steve Burt (bass), and Rory Koff (drums), they only play a couple shows a year these days, so we’re lucky to have them.
Jazz Vespers Concerts returns to SLO’s First Presbyterian Church this Sunday, Aug. 20, with saxophonist Ron McCarley sitting in with the Sam Hirsh Trio (4 p.m.; all ages; free, though donations are welcome). McCarley is the director of Jazz Studies at Cuesta College. Hirsh is a longtime pianist, composer, and educator in Los Angeles. His trio includes Jermaine Paul on bass and Kevin Kanner on drums.
Symphony of the Vines plays Adelaida Vineyards and Winery on Sunday, Aug. 20 (5:30 p.m.; all ages; $35 general, $30 senior, $15 student tickets at my805tix. com), performing Johannes Brahms’ String Sextet in B-flat major and Franz Schubert’s Strig Quintet in C-major. Tony Navarro and Daniel Muñoz are on violins, Emily Gilman and Bridget Boland on violas. And Katrina Agate and Hilary Clark on cellos. Gorgeous setting and gorgeous music.
Contact Senior Staff Writer Glen Starkey at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
Two flights of stairs make Todo Bueno the San Luis Obispo Public Market’s hidden gem.
It’s worth the climb.
Since May 4, Todo Bueno or the “all good grill” serves Mexican-inspired tacos, burritos, quesadillas, tortas, Mission-style burritos, and burgers, among a gallery of other options.
“I could eat Mexican food seven days a week,” co-owner John MacKinnon said. “I want to serve upscale food at an affordable price.”
MacKinnon runs Todo Bueno with his wife, Kernn MacKinnon, who handles the administrative work. Together, with Kernn’s parents, they also manage Moonstone Beach Bar and Grill in Cambria. After years of specializing in seafood by the beach, the pair expanded their culinary interests to Mexican food in SLO with the help of a Hispanicmajority kitchen staff.
MacKinnon credits his use of nontraditional cooking methods as setting his food apart. He’s passionate about grilling, sautéing, and even searing his riffs on Mexican fare in a 125,000 BTU (British thermal unit) wok.
“I went a little outside the box,” he said. “Mexican food uses meats that are the lesser cuts, but those meats are flavorful. I use the same but having that wok … we can use the same treatment on chicken, pork, and beef. We sauté our mushrooms and make a Mexican mirepoix with jalapeños.”
The result is a wok that’s seasoned with the juices and browned bits from the meat and vegetables. The Todo Bueno team then deglazes it with bone broths that are made from scratch.
“The heat of the wok cooks it down to a nice glaze. So, the meat ends up with a good chew and is moist, it’s not all boiled down,” MacKinnon said.
Todo Bueno extends another cooking format to an atypical space: grilled dessert. The Smores-A-Dilla is a cinnamon sugarsprinkled flour tortilla thrown on the griddle. It’s topped with marshmallows and chocolate once the inside is slightly candied. But adding the graham cracker element had MacKinnon scratching his head.
“I love Golden Grahams cereal and I thought those were nice and crunchy and ready to go. That was the finishing touch,” he said. “We put
Todo Bueno is located upstairs in the San Luis Obispo Public Market on 3845 S. Higuera St. They’re open daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Check out their website todobuenoslo. com and follow them on Instagram @todobuenoslo.
a little honey and chocolate on that with ice cream. It’s a messy bite but it’s really good!
It’s easy to see why MacKinnon loves Mexican food so much. While he’s mixed and matched different culinary techniques within the cuisine, he also enjoys the versatility of the ingredients.
“The nature of Mexican food is a nice thing to produce,” MacKinnnon said. “When you have any menu that you’re doing, you want your ingredients that are on the line to be multi-use.”
These multi-use fillings feature in Todo Bueno’s tortillas, tacos, tortas, bowls, and burritos. They include seared beef, herb chicken, barbecue pork, Oaxacan shrimp, and mushrooms. MacKinnon’s award-winning chili con carne also makes an appearance both on its own and in quesadilla form.
Burnished mahogany in color and brimming with meat, MacKinnon’s chili is a hearty feast that feels like a warm hug. It’s a recipe that he’s developed and tweaked since the 1990s, and the chili has won the annual Cambria Chili CookOff multiple times. It’s available in a cup, in a 12-ounce bowl, slathered over cheese fries, or inside a quesadilla.
“It never was on the menu at Moonstone,” MacKinnon said. “It’s a sautéed, braised dish but how you put that together really matters. It’s really about how you layer those flavors.”
Kernn told New Times that her husband has always vied for the People’s Choice award when it came to his chili.
“If he didn’t win that year, he would taste what did win,” she said. “He’d go, ‘OK, where was I missing?’”
Todo Bueno serves a solid burger too. The All Good is a generous double patty creation that comes with shredded lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, and a light and tangy sauce. MacKinnon said he was conscious of the meat-to-bun ratio and added the second patty to even out the bread.
It works. It’s unpretentious, delicious, and leaves you full without the stodginess of a hefty burger.
Ratios and even distribution are important to MacKinnon. An elusively perfect burrito, according to him, is one that provides meat, rice, beans, and all the vegetables in every
ON FIRE
Todo Bueno’s spicy pork taco may have been a one-dayonly dish for the Bringin’ On the Heat festival at the SLO Public Market, but all their proteins are sautéed and seared in a 125,000 BTU wok. Amp up the heat with the truly spicy house salsa.
single bite. But a good one carries meat (or whichever protein of your choice) in every mouthful. He thinks he’s achieved that through his take on Mission-style burritos. Nachos, too, get the same treatment.
“When you get a traditional nacho [plate], you get maybe three chips that have everything on it, then some with just beans and cheese, and then there’s a bunch of chips with nothing,” he said.
At Todo Bueno, MacKinnon dishes out Nacho Bites instead. A small plate appetizer, it’s four large tortilla chips individually topped with all the fixings. Patrons can choose from three meat choices.
a family’s excitement to try the cheese quesadilla was cut short when they discovered the restaurant was yet to open. But their trip to the SLO Public Market wasn’t in vain.
“My husband happened to run into the owner who said they are opening tomorrow,” the family member wrote on Yelp. “When he told him of our sweet girl with an egg allergy, the owner offered to just go ahead and make her a cheese quesadilla [that day], which she absolutely loved.”
Send tidbits on everything food and drink to bites@newtimesslo.com.
Todo Bueno is open throughout the week and has ample seating both indoors and on the outdoor balcony without reservations required. Open for a little less than four months, their mission to do good through good food helped the restaurant hit the ground running.
The day before Todo Bueno opened,
For MacKinnon, it’s an added honor when the county’s Mexican residents enjoy Todo Bueno’s offerings.
“We have a pretty good clientele that come on a regular basis who are all, ‘Thumbs up to the old gringo making good Mexican food!’” he said with a laugh. ∆
Staff Writer Bulbul Rajagopal is ready for the all the good burrito bites. Send salsa to brajagopal@newtimesslo.com.
RATIO RULES
A stickler for ratio, co-owner John MacKinnon created the solid and unpretentious
All Good burger with two patties, shredded lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, and a tangy sauce.
SEAR IT TO BELIEVE IT Todo Bueno’s seared beef quesadillas are made with meat that’s cooked in a wok, flour tortillas that are lightly crisped on a grill, and a custom blend of cheeses and slaw.
HANDY PERSON
HELP WANTED
Hiring Part Time Relief help
SLO SELF STORAGE 154 SUBURBAN ROAD, SLO CA
Apply in person or call: 805-546-9788
We are HIRING! We need someone who LOVES multi-tasking, is available Wed-Fri 10-6 and possibly Sat 10-5, and knows a LOT about art supplies! Must be able to lift up to 50lbs. Come join our team of hard working, artistic and excellent people! Serious inquiries ONLY, please. Stop in at Art Central, 1329 Monterey Street in SLO during store hours to fill out an application.
BIG BACK YARD SALE
MOVING - 1820 Oak Street PASO ROBLES
FR August 18 9 am
SA August 19 9 am
BBQ’s_Outdoor Furniture & Toys - Decor & MORE
Large Charity Rummage Sale Fri Aug 25 & Sat 26th from 9AM to 2PM at 467 Ramona St, Grover Beach.
Jewelry, Books, Art, Toys, Household, Sports/Camp gear, Small Furniture. Proceeds go to FriendshipBridge.org.
Martin Guitar For Sale
1998 D-35 Martin Guitar with case. Decent condition. Asking $1500. Call John (805)904-6124
BUILDING MATERIALS
Heavy duty carpet squares. 24 square yards. Blue and grey. 5 1/2 boxes. $79. 805-448-5451.
Concrete Work for patios, driveways, and sidewalks. Lic #481889. 805-674-0488
Deck Repair/Replacement for dry-rot and fungus. Lic #481889. (805) 674-0488
HAULING & CLEAN-UP
JT’s Hauling
Trees, Debris, Garage Clean Up, Moving and Recycling. Call Jon 805-440-4207
TREE SERVICES
FAMILY TREE SERVICE
Topping, Trimming, Shaping, Pruning, Brush Chipping, Dangerous Tree Removal, Emergency Service. Free Estimates. Serving North County. Lic #977139 805-4661360
5.9 Cummins Diesel, at, ac, ps, pw, pdl, cc, tw, am/fm cass w/cd, silver,
2010 JEEP WRANGLER SAHARA 4WD
hardtop, green. #100945
2014 RAM 1500 CREW CAB TRADESMAN
5.7 Hemi, V8, at, ac, ps, pw, pdl, cc, tw, am/fm stereo, bedliner, tow, prem whls, black. #198121
2016 DODGE CHARGER SXT
3.6 V6, at, ac, ps, pw, pdl, cc, tw, am/fm prem snd, 2pseats, dk blue, white lthr, prem whls. #357335
2015 MERCEDES ML350 SUV 4WD
3.5 V6, 7spd, at, ac, ps, pw, pdl, cc, tw, am/fm/cd, pearl white, lthr, mnrf, new tires, prem whls, 101k low miles. #520300
2009 DODGE RAM 2500 QUAD CAB SLT 4WD
5.7 Hemi V8, at, ac, ps, pw, pdl, cc, tw, am/fm/cd, white, gray cloth, nav, prem whls, 124k miles. #537264
2017 RAM 3500 CREW CAB 4WD SLT
6.7 6cyl Diesel Turbo, at, ac, ps, pw, pdl, cc, tw, am/fm, tow, white, 8’ long bed. #654932
WHEN: Wednesday, August 30, 2023 at 9:00
A.M. AND Thursday, August 31, 2023 at 9:00 A.M. (All items are advertised for 9:00 a.m. To find out the agenda placement call the Planning Department at 781-5600.)
WHAT: Hearing to consider a request by Dana Reserve, LLC and NKT Development, LLC for the adoption of the Dana Reserve Specific Plan, a Vesting Tentative Tract Map (Tract 3159), a Conditional Use Permit for Oak Tree Removal and Grading/Impervious Surfaces, and a Development Agreement. The Dana Reserve Specific Plan would allow for the phased development of a 288-acre master-planned community with up to 1,318 residential units, 110,000-203,000 square feet of commercial and non-residential (Visitor Serving/Hotel, Education) uses, a minimum of 54.9 acres of open space and recreation, and related circulation and infrastructure. The project also includes a County-initiated General Plan and Ordinance Amendment to change the land use categories within the specific plan area and to incorporate the property into the Nipomo Urban Reserve Line (URL), and to ensure the General Plan is consistent with the DRSP. The project would require annexation into the Nipomo Community Services District service area to facilitate the provision of water and wastewater services to the project. The project would result in site disturbance over the majority of the 288-acre project site. Specific earthwork quantities are unknown; however, excess earthwork material from earlier phases of the project (Phases 1 and 2) would be used as fill material for later phases (Phase 3) to balance earthwork on-site to the greatest extent practicable. The project site is located in the Residential Rural land use category, west of U.S. 101, east of Hetrick Avenue, and adjacent to the Nipomo URL. The project is located within the South County Inland Sub Area of the South County Planning Area.
County File Number: LRP2020-00007 AND SUB2020-00047
Assessor Parcel Number: 091-301-029, 091-301- 031, & 091-301-073
Supervisorial District: 4
Date Accepted: October 15, 2020
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: A copy of the staff report will be available on the Planning Department website, www.sloplanning.org. You may contact Airlin Singewald, Project Manager, in the San Luis Obispo County Department of Planning and Building, County Government Center, San Luis Obispo, California 93408, (805) 781-5600 or at asingewald@co.slo.ca.us.
ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION:
Also to be considered is the certification of a Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) (2021060558) prepared for this project pursuant to the Public Resources Code Section 21000 et seq., and CA Code of Regulations Section 15000 et seq. that identifies significant impacts related to Aesthetics, Agricultural and Forestry Resources, Air Quality, Biological Resources, Cultural Resources, Energy, Geology and Soils, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Hazards and Hazardous Materials, Land Use and Planning, Noise, Population and Housing, Public Services, Recreation, Transportation, Tribal Cultural Resources, and Wildfire. Mitigation measures address these impacts and are included as project conditions of approval. Overriding considerations were determined necessary based on significant and unavoidable impacts associated with Air Quality, Biological Resources, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Land Use and Planning, Population and Housing, and Transportation, and growth-inducing impacts.
A hard copy of the Final EIR is available at the County Clerk’s office and online: https://www. slocounty.ca.gov/Departments/Planning-Building/ Forms-Documents/Planning-Projects/Dana-ReserveSpecific-Plan/Final-Environmental-Impact-Report. aspx
**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: August 15, 2023
DANIELA CHAVEZ, SECRETARY COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION
ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIONS
Applications to make minor changes to the properties at the addresses listed below have been received by the City.
1. 757 Upham St DIR-0309-2023; Request for a reduction in the Front Setback along a diagonal street frontage to as little as eight feet in depth (where 20 feet is the standard minimum depth) to accommodate a front porch addition to a residential building (categorically exempt from CEQA environmental review); R-2 Zone; Karl Johnson, applicant. (Walter Oetzell)
2. 2062 Price St. HOME-0341-2023; A Homestay Permit to allow an owner-occupied homestay rental (categorically exempt from CEQA environmental review); R-2 Zone; Brian and Tracey Little, applicants. (Walter Oetzell)
3. 1101 Monterey St. DIR-0345-2023; A request for an exception from Sign Regulations to allow installation of a canopy sign above the corner entry of a commercial building (categorically exempt from CEQA environmental review); C-R Zone; John Iadipaolo, applicant. (Walter Oetzell)
4. 559 Pismo St. MOD-0353-2023; Review of a modification to the design of an addition to the southwest corner of the Biddle House (Master List Resource) to accommodate an elevator. The revised design will extend an existing single-story addition at the first floor of the rear of the house five feet to the east (modifies application ARCH-0121-2022; categorically exempt from CEQA environmental review); R-3-H Zone; Adian and Richard Lenz, applicants. (Walter Oetzell)
5. 660 & 670 Tank Farm Road; 3985 Broad Street. SBDV-0086-2023; A request for a Lot Line Adjustment between two lots (categorically exempt from CEQA environmental review); C-C-SP-SF Zone; NKT TFB I, LLC, applicant. (Walter Oetzell)
6. 319 Madonna Road. MOD-0351-2023; A request to modify the SLO Promenade Master Sign Program to increase the maximum letter height for Tenant Space C from 42 inches to 67 inches (categorically exempt from CEQA environmental review); C-R-PD Zone; Nordstrom Rack, applicant. (Walter Oetzell)
7. 217 Broad St. ARCH-0061-2023; Architectural Review of a new single-family dwelling on a parcel having a slope greater than 16%. Includes a request for a reduced front setback to accommodate one uncovered parking space, and an exception from height standards for fences, walls, and hedges to allow a combined fence and retaining wall height of up to twelve feet (where nine feet is the standard) along limited extents of the retaining walls at the northern and southern property boundaries (categorically exempt from CEQA environmental review); R-1 Zone; Christina Pyo, applicant. (Walter Oetzell)
The Community Development Director will either approve or deny these applications no sooner than August 28, 2023
The Director’s decision may be appealed, and must be filed with the appropriate appeal fee within 10 days of the Director’s action. For more information, contact the City of San Luis Obispo Community Development Department, 919 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401, stop by Monday and Wednesday between 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. and Tuesday and Thursday between 9 a.m. – 12 p.m., or call (805) 7817170, weekdays, 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.
August 17, 2023
(March 21-April 19): The Lincoln Calibration Sphere 1 is a hollow globe of aluminum launched into Earth orbit in 1965. Fifty-eight years later, it continues to circle the planet—and is still doing the job it was designed to do. It enables ground-based radar devices to perform necessary calibrations. I propose we celebrate and honor the faithfulness of this magic sphere. May it serve as an inspiring symbol for you in the coming months. More than ever before, you have the potential to do what you were made to do— and with exceptional steadiness and potency. I hope you will be a pillar of inspiring stability for those you care about.
(April 20-May 20): “Live as though you’re living a second time and as though the first time you lived, you did it wrong, and now you’re trying to do things right.” Holocaust survivor and author Viktor Frankl offered this advice. I wouldn’t want to adhere to such a demanding practice every day of my life. But I think it can be an especially worthwhile exercise for you in the coming weeks. You will have a substantial capacity to learn from your past; to prevent mediocre histories from repeating themselves; to escape the ruts of your habit mind and instigate fresh trends.
NOTICE TO BIDDERS
Lillian Larsen Elementary School Kitchen Remodel Project, LLES10
The Project consists of: Kitchen remodel to include, but not limited to, new equipment and appliances, relocation of structural wall to accommodate new workspace, install walk-in freezer/refrigerator; provide new flooring and wall surfaces to kitchen and cafeteria; replace roof.
To bid on this Project, the Bidder is required to possess one or more of the following State of California contractors’ license(s):
B, General Building Contractor
The Bidder’s license(s) must remain active and in good standing throughout the term of the Contract.
To bid on this Project, the Bidder is required to be registered as a public works contractor with the Department of Industrial Relations pursuant to the Labor Code.
Contract Documents will be available on or after August 17, 2023, for review at the District Facilities Office, and may be downloaded from the District’s website, https://www. sanmiguelschools.org/departments/facilities, using the [“For Bidders”] link. In addition, Contract Documents are available for bidders’ review at the following builders’ exchanges:
A. Builder’s Exchange of San Luis Obispo County (805) 543-7330
B. Central Coast Builder’s Association (831)758-1624
C. Construction Bidboard (800) 479-5314
D. Dodge Data and Analytics (877)784-9556
Sealed bids will be received until 3:30:00 p.m. September 8, 2023, at the District Facilities Office, 1601 L Street , San Miguel, California 93451 at or after which time the bids will be opened and publicly read aloud. Any bid that is submitted after this time shall be nonresponsive and returned to the bidder. Any claim by a bidder of error in its bid must be made in compliance with section 5100 et seq. of the Public Contract Code.
A mandatory pre-bid conference and site visit will be held on August 25, 2023, at 10:00:00 a.m. at 1601 L Street, San Miguel, California.
All questions about the meaning or intent of the Contract
Documents are to be directed via email to the District to Kevin Lee, Director of Facilities, KLEE@sanmiguelschools.org
August 17, 2023
(May 21-June 20): Gemini author Jamie Zafron wrote an article titled “To Anyone Who Thinks They’re Falling Behind in Life.” She says, “Sometimes you need two more years of life experience before you can make your masterpiece into something that will feel real and true and raw. Sometimes you’re not falling in love because whatever you need to know about yourself is only knowable through solitude. Sometimes you haven’t met your next collaborator. Sometimes your sadness encircles you because, one day, it will be the opus upon which you build your life.” This is excellent advice for you in the coming months, dear Gemini. You’ll be in a phase of incubation, preparing the way for your Next Big Thing. Honor the gritty, unspectacular work you have ahead! It will pay off.
(June 21-July 22): You’re entering a phase when you will generate maximum luck if you favor what’s short and sweet instead of what’s long and complicated. You will attract the resources you need if you identify what they are with crisp precision and do not indulge in fuzzy indecision. The world will conspire in your favor to the degree that you avoid equivocating. So please say precisely what you mean! Be a beacon of clear, relaxed focus!
(July 23-Aug. 22): Unless you are French, chances are you have never heard of Saint-John Perse (1887-1975). He was a renowned diplomat for the French government and a poet who won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Now he’s virtually unknown outside of his home country. Can we draw useful lessons for your use, Leo? Well, I suspect that in the coming months, you may very well come into greater prominence and wield more clout. But it’s crucial for the long-term health of your soul that during this building time, you are in service to nurturing your soul as much as your ego. The worldly power and pride you achieve will ultimately fade like Perse’s. But the spiritual growth you accomplish will endure forever.
(Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “Life is not so bad if you have plenty of luck, a good physique, and not too much imagination.” Virgo author Christopher Isherwood said that. I’m offering his thought because I believe life will be spectacularly not bad for you in the coming weeks—whether or not you have a good physique. In fact, I’m guessing life will be downright enjoyable, creative, and fruitful. In part, that’s because you will be the beneficiary of a stream of luck. And in part, your gentle triumphs and graceful productiveness will unfold because you will be exceptionally imaginative.
(Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “You know how crazy love can make you,” write Mary D. Esselman and Elizabeth Ash Vélez in their book Love Poems for Real Life. “On any given day, you’re insanely happy, maniacally miserable, kooky with contentment, or bonkers with boredom—and that’s in a good relationship.” They add, “You have to be a little nuts to commit yourself, body and soul, to one other person—one wonderful, goofy, fallible person—in the hope that happily-ever-after really does exist.” The authors make good points, but their view of togetherness will be less than fully applicable to you in the coming months. I suspect life will bring you boons as you focus your intelligence on creating well-grounded, nourishing, non-melodramatic bonds with trustworthy allies.
(Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “I don’t adopt anyone’s ideas—I have my own.” So proclaimed Scorpio author Ivan Turgenev (1818-1883). Really, Ivan? Were you never influenced by someone else’s concepts, principles, art, or opinions? The fact is that all of us live in a world created and shaped by the ideas of others. We should celebrate that wondrous privilege! We should be pleased we don’t have to produce everything from scratch under our own power. As for you Scorpios reading this oracle, I urge you to be the anti-Turgenev in the coming weeks. Rejoice at how interconnected you are—and take full advantage of it. Treasure the teachings that have made you who you are. Sing your gratitude for those who have forged the world you love to live in. You now have the power to be an extraordinary networker.
(Nov. 22-Dec. 21): The Tibetan term lenchak is often translated as “karmic debt.” It refers to the unconscious conditioning and bad old habits that attract us to people we would be better off not engaging. I will be bold and declare that sometime soon, you will have fully paid off a lenchak that has caused you relationship problems. Congrats! You are almost free of a long-running delusion. You don’t actually need an influence you thought you needed.
(Dec. 22-Jan. 19): If you’re like many of us, you have a set bathing routine. In the shower or bath, you start your cleansing process with one particular action, like washing your face, and go on to other tasks in the same sequence every time. Some people live most of their lives this way: following well-established patterns in all they do. I’m not criticizing that approach, though it doesn’t work for me. I need more unpredictability and variety. Anyway, Capricorn, I suspect that in the coming weeks, you will benefit from trying my practice. Have fun creating variations on your standard patterns. Enjoy being a novelty freak with the daily details.
(Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In July 1812, composer Ludwig van Beethoven wrote a 10-page love letter to a woman he called “My Angel” and “Immortal Beloved.” He never sent it, and scholars are still unsure of the addressee’s identity. The message included lines like “you— my everything, my happiness my solace—my everything” and “forever thine, forever mine, forever us.” I hope you will soon have sound reasons for composing your own version of an “Immortal Beloved” letter. According to my astrological analysis, it’s time for your tender passion to fully bloom. If there’s not a specific person who warrants such a message, write it to an imaginary lover.
(Feb. 19-March 20): At age 32, artist Peter Milton realized the colors he thought he used in his paintings were different from what his viewers saw. He got his eyes tested and discovered he had color blindness. For example, what he regarded as gray with a hint of yellow, others perceived as green. Shocked, he launched an unexpected adjustment. For the next 40 years, all his paintings were black and white only. They made him famous and have been exhibited in major museums. I love how he capitalized on an apparent disability and made it his strength. I invite you to consider a comparable move in the coming months. ∆
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING www.newtimesslo.com • August 17 - August 24, 2023 • New Times • 35
