New Tims, April 27, 2023

Editor’s note

The Noll family has spent around $200,000 on water filtering for their neighbors since being accused in 2019 of contaminating groundwater near the SLO Airport with the cancer-causing chemical TCE. The Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board recently released a draft order naming a different culprit, the Nolls’ neighbor, of causing the pollution. However, the Nolls, who have proclaimed their innocence since the investigation started, are still on the hook to provide filters for neighbors until the water board says otherwise. Assistant Editor Peter Johnson speaks with the Nolls and the water board about the issue [8]

This week, you can also read about the sanity phase of a two-decade-old murder trial [10], expressing humanity through dance [24], and the Sasquatch Café in SLO Superior Court [29].

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Grover Beach approves a $750,000 increase to fund fire services

The future of fire services in a post-Oceano Community Services District (OCSD) scenario is clear for the cities of Grover Beach and Arroyo Grande: The Five Cities Fire Authority needs more money.

Cemented by a final report from outside consulting agency Baker Tilly, the analysis determined that funding for the fire authority was inadequate. Baker Tilly’s final report illustrated three options for Grover Beach and Arroyo Grande to pick from.

“Staff is coming to you … believing that Scenario 1 is the most likely scenario as we look ahead over the next year,” Grover Beach City Manager Matthew Bronson said at the April 24 Grover Beach City Council meeting.

That scenario entails the OCSD staying under contract for another year with the two cities to receive fire services at the cost of its total property tax amount of roughly $1.2 million. The other two options involved the OCSD staying on indefinitely at the same expense, and the unincorporated community being a part of the fire authority for an undefined time with additional funding from San Luis Obispo County.

Under the first option, the OCSD would retain its emergency fire and medical services while buying itself more time to complete the Local Agency Formation Commission’s (LAFCO) divestiture process.

“However, if at the conclusion of the LAFCO process in early 2024, the county requests further contract service to Oceano, staff recommends charging an amount that more fully covers the costs of Oceano service beginning in fiscal year 2024-25,” read the Grover Beach staff report.

City staff recommended adopting a more streamlined staffing program for the struggling fire authority. Under the chosen plan, one battalion chief, two engineers, and a part-time administrative position would be added. The increased staffing would provide the authority with a new 24-hour firefighting team.

“The reality is that we’ve kept our contribution [for fire services] flat since fiscal year 2020 at $2 million,” Bronson said. “There’s no other department that’s had a flat budget since 2020.”

Under the new budget model and staffing plan the city approved on April 25, Grover Beach’s contribution to the fire authority would increase

SLO city, People’s SelfHelp Housing aim to turn local motel into transitional housing

A one-star motel in San Luis Obispo could soon become the site of a transitional housing complex for homeless families under a new city plan.

The city of SLO and People’s Self-Help Housing are partnering on a Project Homekey grant application that, if awarded, would provide up to $18 million to buy the Homestead Motel on Olive Street and retrofit it into 20 to 30 housing units.

According to Ken Trigueiro, CEO of People’s Self-Help Housing, which is taking the lead on the project, the Highway 101-adjacent motel has been on the market for “a while” and local agencies are anxious to capitalize on a $736 million pool of state homelessness funds.

“It’s been for sale,” Trigueiro told New Times “We’ve been thinking and looking and trying to evaluate different properties and sites and

by $750,000 for the next fiscal year. It’s expected to raise wages, bring additional equipment, and build a steady 10 percent reserve. Baker Tilly’s report also recommended a cost hike for Arroyo Grande. Its contributions to FCFA will have to increase from roughly $2.6 million in fiscal year 2022-23 to approximately $3.8 million next fiscal year.

Five Cities Fire Authority union leader Jeff Lane assured Grover Beach City Council in public comment that the rising cost would be money well

relationships. … The city knew Homekey was coming eventually and probably realized that this motel is for sale as well. We struck up conversations.”

On March 29, Gov. Gavin Newsom opened the state’s third round of Project Homekey grants—a pandemic-era program that encourages local agencies to identify existing buildings to rapidly create homeless shelters and housing.

At an April 18 meeting, the SLO City Council signed off on the city’s participation in the grant, and the state officially opened the Homekey application window on April 24. According to a city staff report, the state is earmarking about $22.8 million in Homekey funds for the Central Coast region.

Tentative plans for the 1950s-era Homestead Motel involve retrofitting its rooms into 15 permanent housing units with kitchenettes and other facilities and installing about 15 “tiny modular structures” on the property for more transitionalstyle housing.

spent. Bronson followed Lane to stress that the city needs to invest more in fire services and have a higher level of community response.

“Money is what funds the services that we are trying to provide,” Lane said. “Now, we’re playing that catch-up game, which makes the initial investment look huge. When we look at all the money that’s being spent, it’s going to directly go to added services.” ∆

—Bulbul Rajagopal

The site would be staffed 24 hours a day, with social services professionals from the county and/or a nonprofit like the Community Action Partnership of SLO County (CAPLSO) working daily with the clientele, according to the staff report.

The intent is for the project to prioritize local families experiencing homelessness.

“I think that’s where an unmet need is,” Trigueiro said. “[The 40 Prado Homeless Center in SLO] just doesn’t have enough space—on the transitional or permanent side—to accommodate larger families.”

Trigueiro added that the specifics of the project are a work in progress. He said it is similar in concept to the recent 63-unit Motel 6 conversion in Paso Robles, which was also led by People’s SelfHelp Housing and funded by a Homekey grant.

“It compares in some respects to that, on a lot smaller scale,” Trigueiro said. “We’d own and operate the permanent supportive housing and have a homeless services provider, like CAPSLO, operate the transitional or temporary housing side.”

FUNDING ENCOURAGEMENT Five Cities Fire Authority union leader Jeff Lane told the Grover Beach City Council that even though the $750,000 cost increase for fire services is a large investment, the money would directly help firefighters provide additional services for the community.

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While nothing is final yet, Trigueiro said he thinks the project has a good chance of succeeding. The Homestead Motel owner is interested in selling to the nonprofit, and the parties are in active discussions, he said. Trigueiro added that because the project is smaller, it has a better shot at earning state approval.

“I’m going to be fairly optimistic because the state’s put something like $736 million into this round and that’s a substantial amount,” he said. “And this is a relatively smaller ask than some other areas.”

—Peter Johnson

Morro Bay reduces water restrictions after winter storms curb drought

For the first time in two years , Morro Bay will receive 100 percent of its state water allocation—one positive result from a series of devastating winter storms.

On April 25, the Morro Bay City Council unanimously approved easing some of the water restrictions it implemented during the drought for the upcoming 2023-24 water year. The city cited Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recent announcement that lifted statewide water restrictions as the reason for doing so, alongside projections that San Luis Obispo County will stay drought-free for the remainder of 2023.

“The biggest change this resolution has is increasing the number of days you can water in a week,” Morro Bay Utilities Division Manager Damaris Hanson told New Times. “Most of our water comes from state reserves, and we already have 100 percent allocation this year, which means we can make this change feeling confident that we will have access to all the water we would potentially need throughout the year.”

Hanson told New Times that the number of days residents can irrigate increases from two days per week to no limit, but the city is keeping the restriction of not allowing irrigation between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. In addition, visitor-serving facilities will no longer be mandated to display water conservation requirements—a change that reflects the state’s departure from emergency drought status.

In July 2021, Newsom included SLO County in a drought state of emergency declaration, which was upgraded to a severe state of emergency later that year. Morro Bay followed suit by implementing severe water restrictions that limited use—beyond basic water use for cleaning

and cooking—except for two days in the week and prohibited recreational water use (mainly watering lawns) for any reason between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Heavy rain and snowfall across California this past winter helped move several counties, including SLO County, out of drought status, leading Newsom to ease restrictions for most of California on March 23.

State Water Project reservoirs are at or near capacity. The state’s largest reservoir— Lake Oroville—is at 89 percent of its total capacity and 119 percent of its historical average capacity and is releasing water via spillways to make way for snowmelt, according to the state Department of Water Resources. Morro Bay’s water is primarily held in San Luis Reservoir, which holds SLO County’s state water allocations. The reservoir ended the wet season at full capacity.

Newsom’s announcement, Hanson said, enabled the city to reconsider its severe water restrictions.

“We evaluate the drought condition like this every year around this time,” Hanson told New Times. “We know that California is always going to have that threat of drought, so we will always keep our eyes on that aspect of it.”

Hanson said that while residents can now water more times a week, the city doesn’t anticipate many residents changing their water usage habits—especially going into the warmer summer months.

“I don’t see it affecting us this summer,” Hanson said. “Most people who are using the water are currently only watering two days a week as is, so I don’t really see an influx of people using their water more since they are so used to the severe restrictions and have adapted around that.”

Regardless of whether people will change their habits, Hanson and the city are confident that the city and state can look into the future with less concern about drought impacts thanks to the winter storms.

“We really wouldn’t be changing these restrictions if we were going to go back and change them within a year,” she said. “The impact this rainwater has had makes us feel very confident that these changes will be long-term.”

—Adrian Rosas

Arroyo Grande City Council rejects Visit SLO CAL mural design

The subjective nature of art recently became a roadblock for a potential mural trail in SLO County.

Arroyo Grande’s City Council and Architecture Review Committee gave a thumbs-down to two iterations of a mural design that hoped to adorn the exterior wall of a private property on Branch Street.

Visit SLO CAL is helming the project and commissioned the local Canned Pineapple Co. to paint it.

Officials and some community members felt the design was too monochromatic and lacked imagery that accurately captured the essence of the city.

“I don’t do art,” City Councilmember Jim Guthrie said at the April 11 meeting. “But I did ask around quite a bit on this … and they’re very similar: How does it fit in with the Village?”

The mural design contains different shades of green with motifs of multiple strawberries, a horseshoe, two monarch butterflies, and a couple of flowers. It’s envisioned to be part of a mural trail with counterparts in Cambria and SLO, and Visit SLO CAL is funding all of them. The trail project is supposed to highlight the trajectory of monarch butterflies through San Luis Obispo County.

As part of the feedback it received, the City Council also read a comment from community member Brian Talley.

“It has an unusual green color covering the entire mural,” Councilmember Kate Secrest dictated from the letter. “Butterflies aren’t even their beautiful orange color. The monarchs are great, but I feel it’s not really Arroyo Grande but more so Grover Beach.”

The City Council wasn’t the first to voice concerns about the blueprint. On April 3, the Architectural Review Committee requested a second version of the design after members found it too monochromatic. They suggested adding images of strawberries and red brick that they believed were iconic to Arroyo Grande. But the edited design didn’t make the cut either.

In public correspondence, resident Laurie Hall suggested changes to the art.

“Artist [should] swap out purple flowers and butterflies for orange, so flowers can appear as either California poppy wildflowers or marigolds often seen in Arroyo Grande, and the butterflies will look like monarch butterflies,” she wrote in her letter. “The purple flowers currently look like tulips, and I’ve only seen those in AG at Trader Joe’s.”

Hall went on to recommend changing the color of the green and black strawberries on the mural design to red. If the artist didn’t want to change it, she said a backstory could be attached with the mural.

“It was a cold winter in late spring with lots of rain when this artwork was done, so

the strawberries stayed green much longer,” she wrote. “The strawberries were behind schedule, so some partially ripe ones were dipped in chocolate for Easter.”

City Council members were hesitant to fully decline the project and instead asked Visit SLO CAL to make changes to the second design. But Visit SLO CAL Partner Engagement Manager Alyssa Manno told them such an edit could be unlikely. She said that the group has already invested $18,000 into the project and further work will cost $100 an hour. Manno was doubtful whether Visit SLO CAL could continue injecting funds and staff hours into this specific mural in order to make it feasible for the Arroyo Grande Village. Further, she defended the design choice.

“The artist does have a specific style of art and that’s representative in the art that they’ve done in other communities, for example, with the monarch butterflies,” she said. “That’s something that’s crucial to the design.”

With Mayor Caren Ray Russom absent, the City Council unanimously made a motion for the artist to change the design if they’re willing to and bring it back for consideration.

Visit SLO CAL didn’t respond to New Times’ queries about the City Council’s decision. Spokesperson Eric Parker said that they will release more information about the SLO CAL Mural Trail in May.

“The SLO CAL Mural Trail will allow visitors to move from one destination to another throughout SLO CAL (San Luis Obispo County) on a central theme of public art to experience as many destinations as possible,” Parker said via email. “It has been well over a year working through walls, permitting, working with artists to celebrate the monarch butterfly trail across SLO CAL.”

—Bulbul Rajagopal

SLO County taps retired Kern County head as interim chief administrator

On the eve of losing its top administrator of six years, San Luis Obispo County found an interim successor who county supervisors say fits the bill perfectly.

John Nilon, a retired chief administrative officer (CAO) for Kern County, will take the reins as interim SLO County CAO on May 1. He’ll hold the job for at least three months while the county embarks on a search for its next permanent CAO.

Nilon replaces Wade Horton, who is resigning on May 1.

“I am pleased to offer my experience to the county team to set the stage for the new, permanent CAO,” Nilon said in a county press release.

A Cambria resident, Nilon worked a 32year career in Kern County government where he served as county CAO for the last eight years, retiring in 2016. He’s currently an elected board member on the Cambria Community Healthcare District and the North Coast Advisory Council.

According to his interim CAO contract, which is up for approval at a May 2 Board of Supervisors meeting, Nilon will be compensated at the highest step of the salary schedule: making $11,576 biweekly at $144.70 per hour.

After three months of employment, Nilon’s contract will automatically renew every 30 days until it’s terminated.

In a statement on the hiring, 1st District Supervisor John Peschong said that “the Board of Supervisors has confidence that Nilon’s leadership skills and interpersonal style will provide an excellent bridge in this time of transition.”

Second District Supervisor Bruce Gibson called the county “remarkably lucky” to find an interim CAO of Nilon’s caliber. He added that Nilon was “the clear choice” among the interim candidates.

“John stands out because he is extraordinarily experienced and engaged and eager to make a difference for the county. He’s going to be a perfect fit for what we need to do to make this transition,” Gibson told New Times.

Gibson said he believes Nilon will bring important value to the county’s upcoming budget process and a “fresh set of eyes” to the entire county organization.

“He’s going to be I think a really great resource in framing how we set the county up for success in our next phase,” Gibson said.

According to the press release, Nilon will “provide the Board of Supervisors with day-to-day leadership as well as a fresh assessment of the county’s organizational effectiveness. Mr. Nilon will engage the board, department heads, and staff to evaluate successes, challenges, recommendations, and suggest future action plans.”

“The transition between leadership can be traumatic for any organization,” Nilon said in his statement. “To lessen the trauma, an independent, experienced interim can have great value. I am honored to serve the SLO County community in this capacity.”

—Peter Johnson

Atascadero moves forward with creek restoration

On April 25, the Atascadero City Council allocated $360,000 to the planning phase of an Atascadero Creek restoration project after winter storms tore through the creek bed.

“The storm events in January and March resulted in water levels in the Atascadero Creek that had not been seen in decades,” Atascadero Deputy City Manager Terrie Banish told New Times via email. “The high water flows in the creek during the 2023

winter storms scoured the creek banks and stripped vegetation that resulted in significant deposits of sediment and debris.”

According to Banish, erosion and sediment buildup in the creek bed over the years led to increased concern over ground stability for houses and bridges located along the creek. That concern became reality this winter, when flooding made several routes around the creek inaccessible due to the water rising over the bridges.

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“Long term, the intention of the project is to both benefit the water flow and adjacent citizens by restoring the creek to a more historical condition,” Banish said. “The project will also benefit those residents not living directly adjacent to the creek by restoring hydraulic capacity below the affected bridges.”

Funds will be set aside from the city public works budget to help pay for engineering and environmental consulting services needed to ensure the project meets state and federal standards: $276,910 will fund a contract with Schaaf and Wheeler Consulting Civil Engineers, who will provide professional engineering services for the project. Another $64,820 will be used to amend an already existing contract with federal Soil Water and Conservation Act environmental consultants in order to provide additional permitting for any environmental regulations the city may need to meet for the project.

Banish told New Times via email that the plan is set to be implemented in three phases—largely dependent on the time it

takes to get the environmental permits and when water levels in the creek reduce to a point where construction could be done.

“For vegetative debris removal (phase one) and emergency sediment removal at bridges and other structures along the creek (phase 2), work is expected to commence in summer 2023 and be completed prior to the next rain season,” she said.

“Permitting for the larger scale sediment removal (Phase 3) is anticipated to take six to nine months at a minimum, pushing the timetable for work into 2024.”

This creek restoration project follows an emergency project approved on Feb. 1, when the City Council authorized more than $260,000 for emergency repairs in a portion of the creek where winter rainwater had eroded 20 feet of the creek bank and drastically altered the water flow.

“There was some additional debris and the movement of already existing debris within the channel associated with both the January and March storms,” Banish said. “But the scope of the work required to restore the channel has not changed significantly since the initial proposal.”

—Adrian Rosas

Correction

• In last week’s cover story, “Movie Magic! The SLO International Film Fest is ready for its close-up,” two names—Judd Hirsch and Scott Spiegel—were misspelled. New Times regrets the error. ∆

2-4 INCHES OF STUBBORN FAT IN AS LITTLE AS 3 WEEKS

Blame change

New TCE cleanup order on Buckley Road points to a costly mistake by state water regulators

Over the past four years, San Luis Obispo County resident Janice Noll and her family wore the odious label of “TCE polluter” in their rural neighborhood south of the SLO Airport.

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Each month since 2020, they’ve gone door-to-door to their neighbors on Buckley Road to change the water filters that are protecting them against trichloroethylene (TCE), a cancer-causing chemical—at a cost of $50,000 per year.

The Nolls are obeying orders from the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board, which in 2019 named the family’s longtime thread-rolling shop, Noll Inc., as the culprit in a TCE spill that poisoned more than a dozen wells in the area.

“When you’re given an order like that, you do feel criminalistic in a sense. Because the neighbors … they look at me like, ‘Look what you did to my water.’ It’s horrible,” Noll told New Times. “I think the community trusts the [water] board and the government. So once you put your trust in them, and they say that this person is the responsible party, then you believe that.”

From the outset of the TCE investigation, the Nolls denied ever using the now-banned degreaser for their thread-rolling, and they pleaded with the water board to investigate evidence that suggested a different source. But in 2019, TCE concentration levels were highest in the water under their property, and a cleanup and abatement order went into effect against the Nolls.

“It’s stressful. It’s frustrating. It’s all the words anybody that’s accused of something that they didn’t do [feels],” Noll said. “You have all those emotions that go with it, until you prove yourself innocent.”

After four years as the named culprit and spending upward of $200,000 complying with the water board’s order, the Nolls may soon be able to shed the label that’s plagued them.

On April 14, the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board issued a new draft TCE cleanup and abatement order against a property that neighbors the Nolls’—a former geotechnical laboratory at 795 Buckley Road that allegedly used and stored TCE in large steel drums.

The draft order, which is open for public comment through May 15, states that a company called Central Coast Laboratories (later renamed Pacific GeoScience Inc.) used TCE to dissolve asphalt before it was likely discharged into the environment via a septic tank. The property also had a fire in 1981 that could have led to a spill, and the former owner stored an airplane there at a time when TCE was commonly used for aircraft maintenance, according to the order.

The water board’s newly presented case against the neighbor doesn’t surprise Noll one bit: Her family tried desperately to get the water board to investigate the lab before the agency cemented its order against them in 2019.

And despite the latest draft order, which won’t become final for several months, the state has yet to dismiss the order against the Nolls—which means they’re still on the hook to furnish clean water to the neighborhood.

“The hard part for me right now is the board has known now for almost a year and a half who the new responsible parties are and they

haven’t rescinded my order,” Noll said. “Why does it take so long? Why do I have to foot the bill? Every month I have to bleed more money to change those filters, and that’s not right.”

Premature order?

One of the Nolls’ core contentions with the water board is that it ignored their attempts in 2019 to demonstrate that the TCE investigation had a key missing puzzle piece: 795 Buckley.

In late 2019, Noll Inc. attorneys deposed a former employee and owner of Central Coast Laboratories, who testified that the company used TCE in large quantities as part of its operations in the 1970s and 1980s. But that deposition did not change the agency’s path on the Nolls.

“We provided them information on our neighbors, and they just didn’t investigate enough to find the data,” Noll said.

According to a senior Central Coast water board official, the state started investigating 795 Buckley as a potential TCE source after the SLO Airport ran tests in 2020 that detected TCE at high levels in the soil vapor near the former lab.

More robust testing at the site completed in 2022 found TCE under 795 Buckley at concentrations higher than what was found below the Nolls’ property on Thread Lane—measuring in at 174 times the federal drinking water standard.

“The new investigation data, which was produced starting in 2020 through 2022, show that 795 Buckley Road is a source of TCE,” Greg Bishop, a senior engineering geologist for the water board, told New Times by email.

The new draft order issued by the water board on April 14 asserts that the TCE spill from the lab’s septic tank likely “migrated” to the Nolls’ property by way of groundwater flow, which is the theory that the Nolls and their consultants argued from the outset.

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“We did everything we needed to do,” Noll said.

John Coakley, the current property owner at 795 Buckley Road, did not respond to a New Times request for comment before press time.

In limbo

The Nolls want the water board to rescind its 2019 cleanup and abatement order immediately in light of the evidence, but that’s not going to happen, according to Bishop.

“There are complicating factors related [to the Noll property],” Bishop wrote by email.

Bishop listed three reasons for the agency’s continued scrutiny of the Nolls: that their shop used TCA, a common TCE replacement, which indicates that “Noll Inc.’s operations had a need for a product

like TCE”; that Noll Inc. told the water board “verbally” in 2019 that TCE had been used “for cleaning office equipment” on-site; and that other chemicals, DCE and PCE, were detected below their property.

He confirmed that the water board is considering and taking public comment on the request to rescind the Nolls’ order, and will evaluate that alongside the draft cleanup order against 795 Buckley.

In Noll’s view, that’s just an excuse to require her family to continue footing the bill for something they didn’t do.

“The board wants to do this simultaneously because who’s going to take care of the filters when the new parties haven’t been ordered yet? If they release me, who’s going to take care of that?” Noll said. “But that’s still not my bill. That’s not my responsibility.”

Noll added that Noll Inc., which her father started in the early ’60s and is still in business today, never used TCE and the substance is not listed in any company manifests. She insisted that they are not responsible for the 1.6-square-mile plume of pollution.

The family also has no simple recourse to recover the funds they’ve spent on the order for the past four years, she said. They could attempt to take it out of the newly ordered parties in a court case, but Noll said, “I’m not sure that’s what we want to do.”

Bishop confirmed that the water board has no role in making the Nolls whole, writing that “any claims between private parties will need to be resolved privately.”

Until the agency rescinds her order, Noll isn’t taking anything for granted. She called any hope in the regulator “false hope.”

“I have no trust, no vote of confidence in the board, unfortunately. I’m not here to rip them, but that’s my experience,” she said. “To add to it, we’ve sat here now for over a year, waiting, with no answers.” Δ

Assistant Editor Peter Johnson can be reached at pjohnson@newtimesslo.com.

WRONG WRONGDOER? The Noll family, which owns a thread-rolling shop, Noll Inc., off Buckley Road, is demanding that the state rescind an order that found them responsible for a TCE spill, after new evidence pointed to a different culprit.

Winning Images

THE RULES: Entry divisions are either ADULT or YOUTH (photographers who are under 18)

ADULT

• Categories are: Animals, Flora, Land/Seascapes, People, Travel, Open and In Motion which can include any interpretation of action or motion.

• All images must be submitted digitally via our online entry form, where the category can be selected.

• A completed online entry form MUST be submitted for EACH photo entered.

• Entrants are asked to submit a high-quality digital file of their image (jpeg format, at least 300 dpi) on the submission form.

• Photos submitted in previous years are ineligible.

• All photos must be the original, creative work of the submitting photographer.

• All photographs must be taken within the boundaries of San Luis Obispo or Santa Barbara counties – except submissions to the Travel and Open categories – for which photos may be taken anywhere.

• Entries are $10 per photo.

• After entering your photos, submit your payment online You may also mail a check (made payable to New Times) to: Winning Images, c/o New Times, 1010 Marsh St., San Luis Obispo, CA 93401. Be sure to include your name, address, email, and a brief description of the photo(s) entered online.

• Photos must be received and entry fees must be paid in full by 5 P.M. ON MONDAY, MAY 15, 2023, to be considered officially entered.

• Entry in the contest constitutes permission to use the photo in the paper, online, and for display.

• Judges have the right to reassign categories for mislabeled or misfiled photos at their discretion.

YOUTH (PHOTOGRAPHERS WHO ARE UNDER 18 YEARS OLD)

• This is an OPEN category. Photographs can be of any subject of the entrant’s choosing, but must have been taken within the boundaries of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties.

• Entrants must be younger than 18 years old as of June 15, 2023, and must be enrolled in any school (including a home school) that’s not a college. A winner’s legal guardian will be required to sign a release form.

• All other rules from the adult categories apply.

Winning photos will be published in the Thursday, June 15, 2023, issues of New Times and the Sun.

Shad Giordano, 2022

Jenn Lawrence, 2022

Cathy Wallace, 2022

Dan Baum, 2022

Bob Canepa, 2022

Lance Wilson, 2022

Forensic split

Psychologists give opposing opinions on whether convicted murderer Stephen Deflaun knew right from wrong

A20-year-long double homicide case is nearing its legal end as the San Luis Obispo County Superior Court entered the sanity phase of the trial on April 20.

Stephen Deflaun—the man the jury found guilty of multiple murders in the first degree and of assaulting a law enforcement agent with a firearm—is awaiting a second verdict, this time from presiding Judge Jacquelyn Duffy.

Deflaun responded to the charges filed by District Attorney’s Office with pleas of not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity. After the jury’s conviction, Deflaun waived his right to a jury trial for the second phase. Now, Duffy will decide whether he’s not guilty by reason of insanity.

She is hearing differing expert medical opinions on Deflaun’s state of mind at the time of the murders in the summer of 2001.

“This may be upsetting for people to hear,” defense witness Carolyn Murphy testified on April 20. “This individual still now doesn’t fully believe what he did was wrong.”

Murphy is a forensic psychologist with years of experience in the state hospital system. She diagnosed Deflaun as falling on the paranoid end of the schizophrenic spectrum. Murphy added that over the course of her 90-minute evaluation of Deflaun, she didn’t notice the paranoid nature of his disorder until roughly halfway through.

“Because of the nature of this illness, [individuals] tend to be higher functioning … and are less impaired intellectually,” she said.

During the guilt phase of the trial earlier in April, Deflaun testified that voices from an entity called “the program” urged him to kill 37-year-old Stephen Wells and his 11-year-old nephew, Jerry Rios Jr., after an altercation at the Morro Strand State Beach campground on July 8, 2001. He said the voices told him Wells was a “fed agent asshole,” which Deflaun interpreted to mean “fed agent assassin.”

Describing himself as “broken,” Deflaun went on to say that he armed himself with a loaded revolver he’d had since 1989 and extra ammunition and proceeded to meet Wells because he wanted to die at his hands. However, he claimed he changed his mind at the last minute. During his testimony, Deflaun said that he shot Wells and Rios Jr. six times

over two rounds of shootings.

A returning witness who first testified during the guilt phase, Murphy stated both times that there was no evidence of malingering during her interview with Deflaun. Malingering is the diagnostic label for a person who is purposefully feigning mental illness symptoms for secondary gain like drugs or money. His actions in 2001 were the result of a “perfect storm of three factors,” according to Murphy.

The first was the ongoing delusions of “the program” that Deflaun had allegedly been experiencing since at least the late 1970s. The second factor was the 12-pack of Keystone beers he had consumed prior to meeting Wells and his family at the campground. The third was “the absolute misfortune of those people approaching him” at that time, Murphy said.

“He didn’t believe that the victim [Wells] was an actual victim based on who he thought they were,” she said.

Murphy added that Deflaun believed the boy’s killing was accidental and not intentional.

Her findings were similar to those in Kevin Perry’s assessment September 2022 report. Perry is a forensic psychologist who runs a private practice in the county and works at Atascadero State Hospital. He said he had met Deflaun twice before for a Murphy conservatorship case—a situation where a person is unfit to stand trial but has to be placed in a state hospital or psychiatric treatment facility because of public safety concerns.

“Mr. Deflaun had preexisting and longstanding psychiatric ailments at the time,” he testified on April 20. Deflaun had testified that a doctor once diagnosed him with paranoid schizophrenia when he was younger. He added that while he may have been at the time, he’s not now. This belief contributed to Perry’s confirmation that he wasn’t malingering, adding that Deflaun has the “continuous” type of schizophrenia.

“He doesn’t want people to think he’s mentally ill,” Perry said. “He has typically presented as not wanting to have mental health treatment, though [he] continued to show psychotic symptoms.”

Perry’s evaluation found that while Deflaun understood that shooting the gun would kill Wells, he was not able to know right from wrong at the time of the offenses. He confirmed that Deflaun has a drinking problem that led to “impairments in functioning.” Perry also highlighted Deflaun’s history with violence dating back to 1979.

At that time, Deflaun believed his mother was poisoning him. He held her in a room for many hours and threatened and physically assaulted her. In 1982, Deflaun was arrested in possession of a knife, which resulted in a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity.

Once the defense rested on April 20, the prosecution, led by Assistant District Attorney Eric Dobroth, called in its first witness. The prosecution aimed to establish that Deflaun did know right from wrong when he committed the murders and assault in 2001. The burden rests on the defense to prove that he didn’t understand the difference.

The prosecution’s first witness, forensic psychologist Roxanne Rassti, produced a differing evaluation from her two peers. She drew from SLO County Sheriff’s Office and DA investigative reports, autopsy reports, law enforcement dispatch transcripts, and documents detailing Deflaun’s criminal history, along with her own 2.5-hour interview with Deflaun that resulted in a 15-page report.

“[Deflaun] was capable of distinguishing right from wrong in this offense,” she said on April 24.

Rassti added that the criteria for determining sanity hinges on whether a mental disease or defect is present, whether it impairs the quality and nature of one’s actions, and whether the disease makes them capable of distinguishing right from wrong.

“He believed that he was going to end up saving thousands of lives and the victim’s life if the victim killed him,” Rassti said. “He essentially [saw himself] as a martyr.”

She mentioned that Deflaun possessing such a worldview wouldn’t have required him to load a weapon and shoot Wells, and that he could have also carried an empty gun instead.

Further, Rassti found that there was a 10-second break between Deflaun’s first and second rounds of shooting. That pause held “no evidence that anyone continued to pose a threat to him.” Deflaun allegedly also looked away while shooting Rios Jr.

“That shows some evidence that he understood the difference between shooting a child and an adult,” she said.

Rassti testified that Deflaun neither mentioned “the program” in his journal that he kept at the time, nor did he alert others around him about his belief that Wells was a threat. The prosecution underscored these facts during the guilt phase of the trial as well.

Deflaun also repeated the phrase “I’m sorry” to first responders while they took him to the hospital from the crime scene. Rassti said she believed it indicated an acknowledgment of moral wrongfulness.

She pointed out two incidents in the lead-up to Deflaun’s arrest. His refusal to lower his gun after the shootout with law enforcement showed his ability to negotiate. Then, while being treated for injuries in the hospital after capture, Deflaun said he’d comply to a gunshot residue test “under protest.” That comment illuminated he was in touch with reality, according to Rassti.

The sanity phase is expected to conclude on April 28, which will be followed by a verdict declaration and sentencing. ∆

Reach Staff Writer Bulbul Rajagopal at brajagopal@newtimesslo.com.

Guaranteed Rates

ON STAND Forensic psychologist Carolyn Murphy (right) testified during the sanity phase in the trial against Stephen Deflaun that he didn’t know right from wrong in 2001 when he fatally shot two people and assaulted a peace officer with a handgun.

BY THOMAS RODDA

Chips for charity

About five years ago, a man who goes by Donnie Sunshine moved to Santa Maria from Philadelphia and started a free local poker league called Sunshine Poker

Sunshine fell in love with the game while playing in a Philadelphia bar league called River Chasers. He decided to start one of his own on the Central Coast as a way to cultivate a group of familiar faces, which he’d lost after moving across the country.

“Once I moved here, I missed my friends and family back in Philadelphia, so that’s what [starting a league] turned into: turning strangers into friends and friends into family,” Sunshine told New Times. “Since my nickname was Donnie Sunshine, I figured, hey, Sunshine Poker league sounds good.”

The league started out local, hosting regular meetups at the now-closed O’Sullivan’s Pub in Santa Maria. But Sunshine broadened his horizons from there.

“Two years later, we had 24 venues,” Sunshine said. “And then COVID hit, and that kind of sucked, so that put me a little back, since my objective is to have a venue in almost every city, and every region in California.”

Today, Sunshine Poker hosts a dozen active poker leagues across the state—including in SLO County, Santa Maria, and Lompoc. SLO residents interested in playing, or learning how to play, Texas Hold’em poker can attend the weekly meetups on Mondays and Wednesdays at The Siren in El Chorro Regional Park at 6 p.m.

Sunshine said that the league operates by donations and is affiliated with the Bar Poker Open organization, a larger freeroll poker group that hosts tournaments across the country.

The main purpose of the league, aside from creating a social atmosphere, Sunshine said, is to help as many people as possible. The league donates to various local charities and also hosts community food drives.

“I always say, the sky’s the limit,” he said. “My objective, literally, until the day I pass … is to help as many homeless people as possible, as many kids that have no toys on Christmas, as many pets that are stranded or strays. I want to help them out, since in Philadelphia I was homeless for a little bit.”

Sunshine Poker contributes to local nonprofit groups like Woods Humane Society, Toys for Tots, United Way, and Court Appointed Special Advocates.

donate by offering extra chips to players who make donations. For instance, the league will host a food drive starting this May, where food banks will drop off food donation containers. Any player who donates five cans of food will then receive 500 extra chips for that night’s tournament.

Although his league does not allow real betting, Sunshine said he doesn’t recommend that individuals with pre-established gambling disorders join his league.

Eric Goodman, a SLO-based obsessive compulsive disorder psychologist, told New Times that he imagines free poker to an individual with a gambling disorder would be like giving a nonalcoholic beer to an alcoholic.

“I’m not sure if there’s any data on that, at least not that I’m aware of, but it certainly puts them at much more of a risk for relapse than someone who goes to a tea shop,” Goodman said.

Goodman added that he believes a free poker league should only be a risk for individuals with pre-established gambling disorder risk factors.

“I should think it would be a safe, fun thing for most people,” he said.

Sunshine said that anyone—no matter their poker experience level—is welcome at the league and that it brings together a broad swath of the community.

“It don’t matter their sex, their color, their race, your beliefs, your religion, your background—I don’t care,” he said. “One thing that people in this life don’t understand is that the only thing that matters is this beating thing in your chest: your heart. That’s the only thing that matters.”

Fast facts

• The city of San Luis Obispo won the 2023 national Environmental, Climate, and Energy Award for its Climate Action Plan for Community Recovery—an award given by the American Planning Association Sustainable Communities Division. The award “honors the projects, policies, plans, and people who show exemplary leadership and inspiration in sustainability planning and implementation,” according to the city.

Promote!

“Toys for Tots hit me personally because I didn’t have toys for a long time when I was young,” he said. “My parents weren’t rich, and we lived in a village area, and they did their best, but we didn’t have money for toys.”

Sunshine will often incentivize players to

• The Morro Bay Chamber of Commerce recently honored Project Surf Camp as Nonprofit of the Year. The award recognizes Project Surf Camp’s significant impact on the local community by helping individuals with special needs foster personal growth and lifelong memories through water sports. To learn more, visit projectsurfcamp. wildapricot.org. ∆

New Times intern Thomas Rodda wrote this week’s Strokes. Reach him at strokes@ newtimesslo.com.

FREEROLL POKER Sunshine Poker League players pose for a group photo at a recent meetup at The Siren restaurant in El Chorro Regional Park. Anyone is welcome to participate in the freeroll league.

PHOTO COURTESY OF DONNIE SUNSHINE

AKVAREZ, ANNA M., 96, of Santa Maria passed away 4/14/2023 arrangements with Dudley-Hoffman Mortuary, Crematory & Memory Gardens

ALLEN, YOLANDA, 78, of Arroyo Grande passed away 4/5/2023 arrangements with Marshall-Spoo Sunset Funeral Chapel

ALLSOPP, PETER, 75, of Atascadero passed away 4/17/2023 arrangements with Blue Sky Cremation and Burial Service

BARRON, FRANK, 72, of Paso Robles passed away 4/11/2023 arrangements with Blue Sky Cremation and Burial Service

BENSON, BARBARA, 92, of Paso Robles passed away 4/16/2023 arrangements with Blue Sky Cremation and Burial Service

BERRY, ROMELIA OCHOA, 84, of Santa Maria passed away 4/9/2023 arrangements with Dudley-Hoffman Mortuary, Crematory & Memory Gardens

BOWLING, MARIA, 93, of San Luis Obispo passed away 4/15/2023 arrangements with Blue Sky Cremation and Burial Service

BRADLEY, DIANA KAY, 77, of Nipomo passed away 4/12/2023 arrangements with MagnerMaloney Funeral Home & Crematory

CLARKE, JUDITH, 81, of Arroyo Grande passed away 4/11/2023 arrangements with MarshallSpoo Sunset Funeral Chapel

COWELL, ELVIN, 81, of Santa Maria passed away 4/16/2023 arrangements with Dudley-Hoffman Mortuary, Crematory & Memory Gardens

HALLETT, JAMES, 50, of Bradley passed away 4/11/2023 arrangements with Blue Sky Cremation and Burial Service

HARRISON, HOWARD LEE, 88, of Santa Maria passed away 3/16/2023 arrangements with Starbuck- Lind Mortuary & Crematory

HART, HERBERT, 81, of Arroyo Grande passed away 4/8/2023 arrangements with Marshall-Spoo Sunset Funeral Chapel

HERRERA, ESTHER MUNOZ, 84, of Santa Maria passed away 4/11/2023 arrangements with Dudley-Hoffman Mortuary, Crematory & Memory Gardens

JENSEN, GLORIA MARIA, 82, of San Luis Obispo passed away 3/23/2023 arrangements with Los Osos Valley Mortuary & Memorial Park

JOHNS, RUSSELL, 80, of Arroyo Grande passed away 4/19/2023 arrangements with MarshallSpoo Sunset Funeral Chapel

KEISLER, BETTY JEAN, 96, of Arroyo Grande passed away 4/01/2023 arrangements with Marshall-Spoo Sunset Funeral Chapel

KIMBLE, PATRICE LEE, 71, of Santa Maria passed away 4/4/2023 arrangements with Dudley-Hoffman Mortuary, Crematory & Memory Gardens

KROENKE, LEON “LEE”, 89, of Santa Maria passed away 3/11/2023 arrangements with Magner-Maloney Funeral Home & Crematory

LINS, GREGORY, 82, of Atascadero passed away 4/6/2023 arrangements with Blue Sky Cremation and Burial Service

MEES, RONALD L., 69, of Santa Maria passed away 4/12/2023 arrangements with MagnerMaloney Funeral Home & Crematory

MENDOZA, SILVIA R., 78, of Santa Maria passed away 4/9/2023 arrangements with Dudley-Hoffman Mortuary, Crematory & Memory Gardens

MIKITA, PHAM THI, 73, of Santa Maria passed away 4/9/2023 arrangements with Dudley-Hoffman Mortuary, Crematory & Memory Gardens

MINOR, EDDIE, 88, of Arroyo Grande passed away 4/18/2023 arrangements with MarshallSpoo Sunset Funeral Chapel

MOFFAT, ELAINE, 85, of Atascadero passed away 4/9/2023 arrangements with Blue Sky Cremation and Burial Service

NUNEZ, JUANA E., 89, of Nipomo passed away 4/8/2023 arrangements with Dudley-Hoffman Mortuary, Crematory & Memory Gardens

ONTIVEROS, MARCELLA DOLORES, 85, of Santa Maria passed away 4/12/2023 arrangements with Dudley-Hoffman Mortuary, Crematory & Memory Gardens

PETERSON, MARILYN SUE, 70, of Santa Maria passed away 4/7/2023 arrangements with Dudley-Hoffman Mortuary, Crematory & Memory Gardens

RIO, JUANA DINOZO, 84, of Santa Maria passed away 4/7/2023 arrangements with Dudley-Hoffman Mortuary, Crematory & Memory Gardens

RITCHIE, CHARLOTTE J., 79, of Santa Maria passed away 4/17/2023 arrangements with Magner-Maloney Funeral Home & Crematory

ROBINSON, BETH A., 90, of Santa Maria passed away 4/3/2023 arrangements with Dudley-Hoffman Mortuary, Crematory & Memory Gardens

SAOIT, FLORENDA LAGUA, 73, of Santa Maria passed away 4/18/2023 arrangements with Dudley-Hoffman Mortuary, Crematory & Memory Gardens

SCHRIVER, LULA JANE, 93, of Lompoc passed away 3/22/2023 arrangements with StarbuckLind Mortuary & Crematory

SORENSON, CAROL C., 94, of Santa Maria passed away 4/18/2023 arrangements with Dudley-Hoffman Mortuary, Crematory & Memory Gardens

TACKETT, HOLLY E., 39, of Oceano passed away 4/2/2023 arrangements with Dudley-Hoffman Mortuary, Crematory & Memory Gardens

TATOSIAN, SHIRLEY, 94, of Cayocus passed away 4/9/2023 arrangements with Blue Sky Cremation and Burial Service

TAYLOR, NORMAN W., 84, of Nipomo passed away 4/11/2023 arrangements with MagnerMaloney Funeral Home & Crematory

WALKER, WILMA JEAN, 70, of Santa Maria passed away 4/13/2023 arrangements with Dudley-Hoffman Mortuary, Crematory & Memory Gardens

WEEDON, MARK, 72, of Oceano passed away 3/22/2023 arrangements with Marshall-Spoo Sunset Funeral Chapel

ENTRY PERIOD: April 27–May 15

BOOK ADS BY: June 8

PUBLICATION DATE: June 15

BEST OF SLO COUNTY

BOOK ADS BY: April 27

PUBLICATION DATE: May 4

BOOK ADS BY: May 18

PUBLICATION DATE: May 25

PRIDE DEADLINE: May 25 · PUBLISHED: June 1 GET OUTSIDE DEADLINE: June 15 · PUBLISHED: July 55 FICTION ENTER BY: June 23 · PUBLISHED: July 27

BY MIRIAM BURLAKOVSKY CORREIA

Bear witness to the past

Yom Hashoah, 25 years later— the 75th anniversary of Israel’s independence

Twenty-five years ago, I stood at Auschwitz, experiencing the power of 6 million lives gone because of fear. Fear of outsiders, fear of those who were different. I was 15—the same age that my grandmother, Maria, was when she was forced to work in a Nazi labor camp—but I was free, participating in an event called the March of the Living (MOL). As MOL participants, we had studied Holocaust history twice a week for an entire school year before embarking on a historical, cultural, spiritual journey through Poland’s concentration camps (Auschwitz, Birkenau, Treblinka, Majdanek) to witness for ourselves the horrific moment of history for our people. We walked the cobblestone pathways of Jewish Kraków; the now-renovated Jewish temple in Warsaw, which was used as a stable by the Nazis; and the site of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, where teenage Jews played a huge role in the revolt, knowing they wouldn’t survive, but wanting to die on their own terms. We hiked through the forest and stood beneath a canopy of trees sheltering one of many sites where Jews had been marched and ordered to dig their own graves, then shot and buried en mass with not even a marker to signal the presence of countless lives lost.

We marched again, to Auschwitz, where we stood in gas chambers made to look like showers to increase compliance … the same ones into which Jews had been corralled like cattle, branded with numbers and skinned of their humanity. But unlike our predecessors, we walked out of there alive. We walked through the barracks that now house countless personal effects: glasses, shoes, clothes, so many artifacts of Jewish lives. The

buildings reeked of death and suffering. How could this have happened? It is unfathomable.

Finally, we marched again, as they had before us, from Auschwitz to Birkenau: a sea of blue March of the Living participants, transforming a death march to a March of the Living. For we did what they could not—we lived, we survived, and we went on to Israel, where they would never go. We celebrated the 50th anniversary of Israel with 10,000 participants in a huge amphitheater, from all over the globe, singing the songs in Hebrew that we were all raised singing, and waving the flag that meant we would always have a homeland.

Forever changed and moved by the experience, I returned to the U.S., where I poured the ancestral trauma I had always felt in my bones into drawings and paintings. My art conveyed suffering and loss, but also community and solidarity. However, at a certain point, I had immersed myself too fully in the suffering and (perhaps I should be ashamed to say this given the plight of our predecessors) but it became too much for me to endure. What I had seen with my own eyes was unbelievable. And that was only a glimpse of the atrocities—just the artifacts. It was all too incredible, too catastrophic, too horrific. And so I stowed my feelings and the paintings away. I took time away from Holocaust books, movies, and history. I kept meaning to return to these memories—this history, but each time I felt the urge, fear prompted me to stash away this history: I was scared of feeling too deeply. I never denied it, but I kept it at arm’s length. Little did I know that only by embracing fear would I be free of it.

It’s been 25 years since the March of the

Living, and my Mom recently uncovered my artwork behind some old coats and blankets. These are not masterpieces by any means, but they are powerful to me. They elicit the collective suffering, intergenerational trauma, and will to survive that every Jew has felt in their core at some point in their lives. This legacy of suffering has led generation after generation to live in perpetual fear.

Fear causes so much suffering—even more than the suffering itself. Fear is the source of prejudice and discrimination, assault and genocide. In an attempt to understand and make peace with fear, I have spent the last 20 years studying psychology. Now, more than ever, I feel called to stop living in fear and end the collective suffering of humanity—for Jews, for those with disabilities, for people of color, for LBGTQ and other marginalized groups (Palestinians included).

Drawing upon the March of the Living, now, as a school psychologist, I empower students, staff, and parents to face their fears and to include all humans in meaningful interaction, activities, and education. I train general education teachers to include, accommodate, and engage students with disabilities in their classes. I guide parents to accept their children (and themselves) just as they are. I cultivate a culture of dignity and mutual respect among students and staff of color, differing abilities, sexual orientation, gender identity, political leaning, religious philosophy.

Only by uncovering and calling it out as “fear” can humans make peace with it before it leads to exclusionary, discriminatory, and (at their extreme) genocidal actions. Fear resulted in genocide for my people, in learning and suffering for me, and in subsequent avoidance. But uncovering my artwork and the associated memories on the eve of Israel’s 75th anniversary this year is

no accident. It is a reminder of what Israel represents to me: the promise of a land where we all belong, where we uphold the dignity of each human, the rights and inclusion of all groups, where we can support and be supported, and where collective fear is transformed into collective compassion, love, and acceptance. This is the Israel I imagine and for which I pray comes for all.

It is important to remember that the Holocaust did not happen overnight. It was the result of years of propaganda and discrimination, as well as a failure of international diplomacy and action.

I am reminded of the importance of bearing witness to the past and learning from it. We must honor the memory of those who lost their lives and ensure that their stories are never forgotten. By doing so, we can work toward a better future for all people, one in which we value diversity, empathy, and respect. ∆

Miriam Burlakovsky Correia was moved by John Asbaugh’s April 20 piece for Rhetoric & Reason, “I am a relentless warrior against fascism, bigotry, and ‘able-ism.’” Respond with a letter for publication by emailing it to letters@newtimesslo.com.

This Week’s Online Poll

Should local cities and special districts allow SLO County to rejoin the Integrated Waste Management Authority (IWMA)?

53% Yes, it’s better for ratepayers.

27% Only if the contracts are revised to make it harder for the county to bail again.

13% What’s the IWMA?

7% Heck no, the county can’t be trusted! 30 Votes

HODIN

Russell Hodin

A big thank you to Paso Robles voters

Thank you to everyone in our community who voted for me in the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District special election. I am sincerely grateful to all of the individuals who supported my campaign through volunteering, donating, providing encouragement, or contributing in any other way over the last several months. While the election results did not provide the outcome I had hoped, I have wished Mr. Enney well and offered any guidance I can provide during his term.

I am exceptionally proud of my team for helping me to run such a positive and thoughtful campaign. I learned a tremendous amount from meeting with voters and engaging with our community as a school board candidate. I intend to remain involved in the Paso Robles school district as a volunteer because working with students and families brings me joy and is my life’s work.

I hope you have been inspired in a positive way and that you too will continue to be involved in our community. For the next 18 months, this school board will be making decisions about the future of our schools, and it is extremely important to remain engaged. I urge you to continue paying attention because our students need strong voices in the community, and their education will dictate the future of our community. I encourage you to talk to your friends about the direction of schools and get them involved too.

In the meantime, I will remain an advocate for students, families, and teachers. Thank you again for showing me so much support

during this campaign. Please stay tuned.

Angela Hollander Paso Robles

Exxon’s corroded pipeline

Exxon’s asking Santa Barbara County to allow it to reopen a 123-mile-long pipeline that caused the 142,000-gallon Refugio spill in 2015. The pipe is more than 30 years old, is eight years older now than when it caused that great destruction, and has not been fully inspected and repaired in all this time.

Rather than spend the money to repair the old pipe, Exxon proposes to install valves that would supposedly limit future spills to manageable levels.

That massive spill has done more than enough damage in our county. There are still countless clumps of tar below the sand’s surface. Will my wife and I ever again be able to walk on Refugio Beach without getting it on our feet?

The long list of Exxon’s calamitous accidents will continue to grow, wherever it operates and regardless of its assurances and claims of engineering advances and safe operating practices.

For decades Exxon has found ways to avoid responsibility for full cleanup and restoration. And recovery is never complete.

The Santa Barbara County Planning Commission should consider the values of the Gaviota Coast Plan and Exxon’s historic record. Otherwise, the next ruinous Santa Barbara spill is surely only a matter of time.

Seth Steiner Los Alamos

When I was a wee shredder, I vividly remember my shredder mom blaming me for something I didn’t do. I mean, sure, most of the time when I got blamed for something, I did it. I’m a shredder after all, but this one time, I was totally innocent and despite my protestations, the blame remained on me like an ugly scarlet A.

That’s why I feel Janice Noll ’s pain. Since 2019, she’s had to live with an ugly scarlet P for polluter. She and her family business were pegged in 2019 as the culprit behind a serious, groundwater-polluting trichloroethylene (TCE) spill on Buckley Road, where her family’s thread-rolling shop, Noll Inc., has operated since the 1960s.

I’m not sure if her predicament is Kafkaesque or Orwellian, but essentially the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board decided her family’s business was to blame because when they measured TCE levels at her business, concentrations were higher than a stoner on 4/20. She protested, arguing it couldn’t be her since her business didn’t use TCE, but like my shredder mom, that didn’t stop the water board from beating the hell out of Noll with a wooden spoon.

OK, technically the “wooden spoon” was an order to go door-to-door to her neighbors on Buckley Road and change water filters protecting them against cancer-causing TCE … to the tune of about $50K per year! Personally,

I’d rather take the wooden spoon beating.

“When you’re given an order like that, you do feel criminalistic in a sense. Because the neighbors … they look at me like, ‘Look what you did to my water.’ It’s horrible,” Noll told New Times. “I think the community trusts the [water] board and the government. So once you put your trust in them, and they say that this person is the responsible party, then you believe that.”

Here’s the rub. As soon as she was accused, Noll pointed to another neighbor—Central Coast Laboratories (later renamed Pacific GeoScience Inc.)—that used TCE out the ying-yang to dissolve asphalt. Did the water board thoroughly investigate them? That’d be a negative, Ghost Rider. Instead, the board jumped to conclusions, slapped Noll with a penalty that’s now cost her and her business about $200K, and despite now knowing they made a mistake, the water board has yet to rescind the order. More than a year ago, the water board discovered that TCE concentrations under Pacific GeoScience Inc. were higher than at Noll’s property—174 times the federal drinking water standard!

“The hard part for me right now is the board has known now for almost a year and a half who the new responsible parties are, and they haven’t rescinded my order,” Noll said.

“Why does it take so long? Why do I have to foot the bill? Every month I have to bleed more money to change those filters, and that’s not right.”

Not only did Noll’s water and property get polluted too, but she got wrongly accused, humiliated, and monetarily damaged. But we live in a just world, right? The water board is going to apologize and get her money back, right? This is where Kafka or Orwell or whoever comes in.

The water board won’t let go of its initial accusation because, according to engineering geologist Greg Bishop, there are “complicating factors.” Apparently, Noll Inc. used TCA, a common TCE replacement— though that’s not being investigated—and Noll Inc. apparently told the water board “verbally” in 2019 that TCE had been used “for cleaning office equipment” on-site. Was it a shredder? We do like to be kept clean.

Sounds to me like the water board doesn’t want to admit it blew it. The board knew for decades the groundwater was polluted, and under increased pressure from the neighbors, finally decided to pin the blame on the easiest target based on circumstantial evidence. I would be pissed! And worse, the only recourse Noll has to recover the money she’s spent protecting neighbors’ water from Pacific GeoScience’s polluting is to take whoever is ultimately found responsible to civil court.

And get this! Now the water board is

accusing SLO County and Cal Fire of polluting the groundwater near the airport when they were conducting firefighting drills. I wonder if they’ll be treated any better than Noll.

On a lighter note, the art critics have emerged from their chrysalises like judgy pupa to complain about new murals planned for Cambria, SLO Town, and Arroyo Grande, and they think the AG mural isn’t colorful enough. Visit SLO CAL, an organization that promotes tourism in the county, plans to fund the three murals, which will be painted by local company Canned Pineapple Co. on three businesses’ walls on private property.

Well, not so fast, Picasso! The Architectural Review Committee and AG City Council think the design is too monochromatic, and citizen critics Laurie Hall and Brian Talley agree … not enough orange!

Hall said, “The artist [should] swap out purple flowers and butterflies for orange, so flowers can appear as either California poppy wildflowers or marigolds.”

Talley argued, “It has an unusual green color covering the entire mural. Butterflies aren’t even their beautiful orange color.” Orange you glad I didn’t say banana? ∆

The Shredder sure could use a TCE bath about now. Wash behind its gears at shredder@newtimesslo.com.

Hot Dates

FEATHER WEATHER

The Wildling Museum of Art and Nature will host an artist talk, The Art of Feather Carving with artist Chris Maynard, via Zoom on Wednesday, May 3, from 4 to 5 p.m. The museum is hosting this virtual event in conjunction with its current group exhibition, Bird’s Eye View: Four Perspectives, which premiered in late March and will remain on display through early September. Visit wildlingmuseum.org for info. The museum is located at 1511 Mission Drive, unit B, Solvang.

—Caleb Wiseblood

ARTS

NORTH COAST SLO COUNTY

ANGLES AND DANGLES MOSAICS Learn mosaic basics to create a one-of-a-kind project. Preregistration required. April 30 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Various. 805-286-5993. CreativeMeTime.com. Art Center Morro Bay, 835 Main St., Morro Bay.

CALL TO ARTISTS: SMALL ITEMS FOR

CABINET Seeking all types of small items for the venue’s cabinet display case in artists’ co-operative gallery in Cambria. ThursdaysSaturdays, 12-4 p.m. through April 30 cambriacenterforthearts.org. Cambria Center for the Arts, 1350 Main St., 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. $50. 805-394-5560. coastalwineandpaint.com. Harmony Cafe at the Pewter Plough, 824 Main St., Cambria.

COLLAGES AND PHOTOGRAPHS OF LOS

OSOS Collages and photographs featuring Sweet Springs Nature Preserve and the Elfin Forest by Los Osos photographer Kelly Hayes are for sale online and on display at Los Osos Pop-up Gallery (1056 Los Osos Valley Road). Photo prints on metal, paper, acrylic, and greeting cards. ongoing Free. centralcoasty. com. Los Osos, Townwide, Los Osos.

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. 559-799-9632.

costagallery.com. Costa Gallery, 2087 10th St., Los Osos.

DRIFTWOOD MOSAICS Choose from the instructor’s vast selection of beautiful, local driftwood. Preregistration required. April 29 10 a.m.-noon $45. 805-286-5993. CreativeMeTime.com. Art Center Morro Bay, 835 Main St., Morro Bay.

FINDING THE LIGHT RECEPTION Features internationally shown artist Liz HamptonDerivan. Her work includes mixed media, photography, hot and cold wax, paints, and pastels to create an exhibit of unexpected and delightful imagery. Reception on March 4, March 4, 2023, 4:30 to 6 p.m. Through April 30 cambriaarts.org. Cambria Center for the Arts, 1350 Main St., Cambria.

FINE ART ACRYLIC AND DIGITAL PAINTINGS BY STEVE DAYTON Steve obtained Associate and BFA degrees in graphic design from Ricks College and Brigham Young University. Steve’s paintings are either abstract or representational, and those in his Cayucos series use acrylic paints inspired by the Central Coast.

Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays-Sundays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. through April 29 Free. 805-7721068. galleryatmarinasquare.com. Gallery at Marina Square, 601 Embarcadero suite 10, Morro Bay.

FINE ART ACRYLIC PAINTINGS BY HEMA SUKUMAR California’s colorful landscapes from the water’s edge to mountaintops are a constant source of Sukumar’s artistic inspirations. Mondays, Tuesdays, ThursdaysSundays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. through May 29 Free. 805-772-1068. galleryatmarinasquare.com. Gallery at Marina Square, 601 Embarcadero suite 10, Morro Bay.

FINE ART OIL PAINTINGS BY JEFF ODELL

For more than 30 years on the Central Coast, Odell has been painting rural/urban landscapes, seascapes, portraits, figures, interior studies, and “anything that will sit

long enough to serve as a subject.” Gallery open daily. Mondays, Wednesdays-Sundays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. through April 29 Free. 805-7721068. galleryatmarinasquare.com. Gallery at Marina Square, 601 Embarcadero suite 10, Morro Bay.

FINE ART WATERCOLORS BY ARDELLA SWANBERG Ardella Swanberg has painted her entire life. Her first awards for her art were received during high school in Garden Grove, and her travels and adventures are reflected in her paintings of various locales. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays-Sundays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. through May 29 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. 805-772-9095. Forever Stoked, 1164 Quintana Rd., Morro Bay.

HAND MADE LEATHER AND FIBER ART BY KRISTINA ALBION Kristina Albion has been inspired to create art, bags, wearable art, and home decor using cloth, fiber, stone, leather, paint, and more. Her pieces showcase her talents in many media. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays-Sundays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. through May 29 Free. 805-7721068. galleryatmarinasquare.com. Gallery at Marina Square, 601 Embarcadero suite 10, Morro Bay.

IT’S A SHOE-IN Learn mosaic basics to create a one-of-a-kind project, with many colors, baubles, and beads to choose from to create a custom piece. May 7 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Various. 805-286-5993. CreativeMeTime.com. Art Center Morro Bay, 835 Main St., Morro Bay.

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. 805772-2504. artcentermorrobay.org/index. php/workshops/. Art Center Morro Bay, 835 Main St., Morro Bay.

THE MUSICAL OF MUSICALS …THE MUSICAL Music: Eric Rockwell. Lyrics: Joanne Bogart. A hilarious parody of musical theatre. A simple plot is told five different ways, as if written by five different well-known composers. Fridays, Saturdays, 7-9 p.m. and Sundays, 2-4 p.m. through May 14 $30. 805-927-8190. cambriaarts.org. Cambria Center for the Arts Theatre, 1350 Main St., Cambria.

THE REBOOT: STORYTELLING

REIMAGINED Curated storyteller line-up features seasoned pros and first-timers telling true personal stories around the monthly theme plus a 99-second jam for five audience members to share mini stories. April 28 7-9 p.m. Free. 805-7729225. facebook.com/the.reboot4u. Top Dog Coffee Bar, 857 Main St., Morro Bay. SLOFUNNY COMEDY GYM The SLOFunny Comedy Gym is a monthly showcase for local, SLO County-based comedians. There is always a professional touring host and headliner, in addition to 8 to 10 local comedians. April 30 7-9 p.m. $15. 805-5343129. facebook.com/slofunny. Central Coast Pizza, 1050 Los Osos Valley Road, Los Osos. SLOFUNNY COMEDY SHOW Hosted by comedian and mentalist Zach Waldman. Featuring Matt Champagne, Joel Bryant, AiSha Alfa, and headliner Laura Hayden.

April 29 6:30-8:10 p.m. $30. 805-534-3129. facebook.com/slofunny. Morro Bay Vet’s Hall, 209 Surf St., Morro Bay.

STUDIES UNDER GLASS: SMALL WORKS IN WATERCOLOR BY KATY

SMITH Katy Smith is a plein air landscape artist specializing in paintings of locations on the Central Coast of California. In her personal series, “Studies Under Glass,” Katy has created intimate impressionistic paintings that take the audience on a journey throughout the Central Coast. Thursdays-Sundays, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. through April 30 Free. 559-799-9632. Costa Gallery, 2087 10th St., Los Osos.

NORTH SLO COUNTY

ANYTHING GOES A toe tapping-inducing musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. April 28, 7:30-10 p.m., April 29 7:30-10 p.m. and April 30, 2-4:30 p.m. $18. 805-769-1500. Paso Robles High School, 801 Niblick Rd., Paso Robles, pasoschools.org/prhs.

ART GALLERY OPENING Showcasing artwork of Susan Lyon, Kathy Madonna, and Maryanne Nucci. First Saturday of every month, 4-7 p.m. Free. Pocket Gallery on Pine, 849 13th Street, Paso Robles, 805-440-7152.

BRUCE MUNRO: LIGHT AT SENSORIO

Sensorio, the Central California location dedicated to the intersection of art, technology, and nature, continues to welcome crowds to its stunning multi-acre outdoor exhibit, Bruce Munro: Light at Sensorio. Thursdays-Saturdays, 7-10 p.m. and Thursdays-Saturdays, 7:30-10:30 p.m. through May 13 $22-$112. 805-226-4287. sensoriopaso.com. Sensorio, 4380 Highway 46 East, Paso Robles.

BULLET JOURNALING CLASS Ivy Arkfeld will be teaching bullet journaling; a way for creative people to be organized and organized people to be creative. Materials included in workshop fee. April 29 3-4 p.m. $30. 805-464-0533. the1artery.com. The ARTery, 5890 Traffic Way, 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, 310621-7543.

EVENING OF COMEDY FROM HEMINGWAY’S STEAKHOUSE GA tickets are theater seating. VIP tickets get preferred table seating and food and drink service at the table. First Saturday of every month, 8-10 p.m. through Dec. 6 $38-$55. 805-369-1017. Park Ballroom, 1232 Park St., Paso Robles, ehsteaks.com.

THE EYE OF THE NEXT GENERATION All artists were encouraged to showcase their skills in the following categories: landscape, floral, animal, portrait, city/urban, and still life. This exhibition was brought together thanks to a donation from The Jeanette Bertea Hennings Foundation in honor of Lonnie Hood. Through April 30 Free. 805238-9800. studiosonthepark.org. Studios on the Park, 1130 Pine St., Paso Robles.

POETRY READING A reading from the posthumous publication of “The Last Honesty” by Chris Alba. Chris was an award-winning poet, journalist, and skilled editor. Celebrate this new collection with an evening of poetry and music. Open mic to follow. May 4, 7 p.m. 559-905-9274. St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 5318 Palma Avenue, Atascadero.

THREE SPECKLED HENS: ANTIQUES AND OLD STUFF SHOW A biannual event that specializes in selling one-of-a-kind antique and vintage items. More than 100 vendors will participate in the show. April 28 -30 my805tix.com. Paso Robles Event Center, 2198 Riverside Ave., Paso Robles.

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.

ART EXHIBIT: FLOWERS AND FLUTTERBYS Art Central presents a spring exhibit featuring local artist of all media. Meet the artists during the artist reception on Apr. 8, from 2 to 4 p.m. Through May 1, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Free. 805-747-

COURTESY PHOTO BY GEORGE ROSE

18

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.

AXE THROWING Enjoy the art of axe throwing in a safe and fun environment. Kids ages 10 and older are welcome with an adult. No personal axes please. Fridays, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. and Saturdays, 12-6 p.m. $20. 805528-4880. baysidemartialarts.com. 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.

FULL MOON CEREMONY AND CHAKRA

MEDITATION May 4 6 p.m. 9th Limb Yoga, 845 Napa Ave., Morro Bay, 415-852-1787, 9thlimbyoga.com.

GENTLE YOGA AT ST. BEN’S Instructor: Seanna. Must RSVP to Maureen by phone or emailing naseema6@sbcglobal.net to determine space available. Must bring a yoga mat, water, blanket, or any other props you may need. Fridays, 9-10 a.m. through May 26 $10-$15 donation per person. 805-441-7262. stbenslososos.org. St. Benedict’s Church, 2220 Snowy Egret Ln., Los Osos.

MORRO BAY AAUW GARDEN TOUR Tour four gardens in Morro Bay and Los Osos. Purchase tickets at Volumes of Pleasure Bookstore in Los Osos, Coalesce Bookstore in Morro Bay, and Farm Supply in San Luis Obispo, Arroyo Grande, and Paso Robles, or online at my805tix.com April 30 12-5 p.m. $15. 805-550-5216. morrobay-ca.aauw.net. Coalesce Bookstore, 845 Main St., Morro Bay.

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.

SHAMANIC MORNING RITUALS FOR VITALITY April 28 8:30-9:30 a.m. 805540-1762. Beach Access Parking Lot, 102 Atascadero Road, 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.

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.

YOGA IN LOS OSOS: APRIL SERIES ON MONDAYS Feel better in body, mind, and spirit. Attendees gather in a small group and move through asana and breathing practices that enhance focus of the mind, calm their hearts, and relax their bodies.

Mondays, 5:30-6:45 p.m. through May 29 $20 drop in or discount for the full series..

707-266-8945. AthaSomatics.org. Los Osos, Townwide, Los Osos.

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. 805-701-7397. charvetmartialarts. com. Grateful Body, 850 Shasta, Morro Bay.

NORTH SLO COUNTY

15TH ANNUAL CAMBRIA WILDFLOWER

SHOW Enjoy seeing hundreds of fresh wildflowers all under one roof, each flowers labeled with botanical names along with common names arranged by plant family. Have your wildflower questions answered by plant experts. Helpful books, plant lists, wildflower seeds, and light snacks will be for sale April 29 12-5 p.m. and April 30, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. $5 at the door; free for students. 805-927-2856. fiscaliniranchpreserve.com.

Cambria Veterans Memorial Hall, 1000 Main St., Cambria.

BREW AT THE ZOO Features craft beers, distilled spirits, ciders, seltzers, wine, live music, games, contests, and more. All proceeds benefit the zoo. Animal onesies encouraged. April 29 5:30-8:30 p.m. 805461-5080. charlespaddockzoo.org/. Charles Paddock Zoo, 9100 Morro Rd., Atascadero.

CENTRAL COAST BOCCE LEAGUE:

SPRING SEASON Come join the fun of organized weekly bocce league play in Templeton. Corporate teams welcome. Food, beer, and wine available for purchase. Thursdays, 6-8 p.m. through May 4 $300 per team; $45 per person. 805-434-9605. ttrtennis.com/bocce/CCBL/. Templeton Tennis Ranch, 345 Championship Lane, Templeton.

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.

SHERECOVERS SHARING CIRCLE

SheRecovers Foundation is a non-profit organization with a community of more than 325,000 women in or seeking recovery from substance use disorders, other mental health issues, and/or life challenges. It’s mission is to inspire hope and reduce stigma. Facilitated by Monica Galli, Certified Recovery Coach. First Thursday of every month, 6-7:30 p.m. Free. sherecovers.org/ sharing-circles/. Dharma Yoga Loft, 1329 Spring Street, Paso Robles, 805-434-1924.

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.

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. Virtually meets via Zoom.

Fourth Friday of every month, 6-8 p.m. No admission. galacc.org/events/. 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. 805-541-1400. 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 REPAIR CAFÉ Toaster won’t toast? Lamp doesn’t shine? Get free help fixing household appliances, outdoor gear and apparel, phones, laptops, game consoles, bikes, knife and tool sharpening, clothing, and more. Guests are also encouraged to bring their garden abundance to share. April 30 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Free. 650-367-6780. repaircafe5cities.org. iFixit, 1330 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo.

GARDEN FOUNDER WALK AND TALK

Walk and talk with Eve Vigil in the Botanical Garden each month on the first Tuesday. Free garden tour with paid admission to the Garden. Free for members. No need to RSVP, just show up and enjoy. First Tuesday of every month, 11 a.m.-noon Free with $5 Garden Entry. 805-541-1400. slobg.org/ calendar. Walk and talk with Eve Vigil in the Botanical Garden each month on the first Wednesday. Free garden tour with paid admission to the Garden. Free for members. No need to RSVP, just show up and enjoy. First Wednesday of every month, 11 a.m.-noon Free with $5 Garden Entry. 805-541-1400. slobg.org. San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden, 3450 Dairy Creek Rd., San Luis Obispo.

HEALING DEPRESSION SUPPORT GROUP

A safe place 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.

JUSTICE SUNDAY AT MOUNT CARMEL:

DAYS FOR GIRLS, INTERNATIONAL

Founded in 2008, Days for Girls provides education and hand-made kits containing renewable hygiene products to address “period poverty” that prevents girls and women in 145 countries from attending school and work. Refreshments provided. April 30 11 a.m.-noon No charge. 805544-2133. mtcarmelslo.org/. Mount Carmel Lutheran Church, 1701 Fredericks St., San Luis Obispo.

LITTLE ACORNS: PARENT PARTICIPATION GROUP A playtime group in the SLOBG Children’s Garden. Pre-registration is required. For more information about registering for this program, email millie@slobg.org. April 27, 9:30-11:30 a.m. 805-541-1400. slobg.org. San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden, 3450 Dairy Creek Rd., San Luis Obispo.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LIVE: MAUREEN BECK (IMPROBABLE ASCENT) Paraclimber Maureen Beck learned how to rock climb one-handed through trial and error—one of her early adaptive climbing innovations involved taping a metal ladle to her arm. It wasn’t long before she was tackling some of the hardest climbs by a one-handed athlete. May 1 7:30-9 p.m. $30-$72. 805-756-6556. Performing Arts Center, 1 Grand Ave., San Luis Obispo, pacslo.org.

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.

PURRR-FECT PLANTS SUCCULENT

PLANTS AND POTTERY SALE With three local plant vendors and a potter, plus awesome Cal Poly student-grown tropical plants and houseplants. Benefits Cal Poly Cat Program. April 29, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and April 30 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Free. Cal Poly Plant Greenhouses/ Poly Plant Shop/ Leaning Pine Arboretum, 1 Grand Ave., Bldg. 48, Via Carta Road, San Luis Obispo, 805-602-7817.

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

CULTURE & LIFESTYLE continued page

Hot Jazz & Swing Dancing

identity. Thursdays, 6-8 p.m. Free. galacc.org/ events/. Online, See website, San Luis Obispo.

SLO NOONTIME TOASTMASTERS CLUB

MEETINGS Want to improve speaking and leadership skills in a supportive and positive environment?

During COVID, we are meeting virtually. Contact us to get a meeting link for info. Tuesdays, 12-1 p.m. Free. slonoontime.toastmastersclubs.org. Zoom, Online, Inquire for Zoom ID.

SLO RAM RETIRED ACTIVE MEN COFFEE

CABINET Weekly Coffee Cabinet meeting of the SLO RAM Active Retired Men, a local men’s social club. Click ‘Contact’ on website for invite.

Thursdays, 8-9:30 a.m. $10. retiredactivemen.org.

Madonna Inn Garden Room, 100 Madonna Road, San Luis Obispo.

SOUL AND SOIL: PRENATAL AND POSTNATAL

GATHERINGS A safe space to “connect to our bodies, children, and the natural world.” Bring water, sunscreen, comfortable shoes, and other items for a day in the Garden. May 2 10-11:30 a.m. $10; free for members and children. 805-541-1400. slobg.org. San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden, 3450 Dairy Creek Rd., San Luis Obispo.

STAY YOUNG WITH QI GONG Qi Gong boosts energy and vitality, reduces stress, improves balance and flexibility, and, best of all, is fun. Join instructor Devin Wallace for this outdoor class which is held in a beautiful setting. Call or email before attending. Tuesdays, 10-11 a.m. $10. 805709-2227. Crows End Retreat Center, 6340 Squire Ct., San Luis Obispo.

TAICHI AND QIGONG ONLINE With Gary West through SLO Adult School. Held Wednesdays, at 8:25 a.m. (TaiChi) and 9:35 a.m. (QiGong). Wednesdays. through May 25 $77 for semester. 805-549-1222. ae.slcusd.org. Online, See website, San Luis Obispo.

TRANS* TUESDAY A safe space providing peerto-peer support for trans, gender non-conforming, non-binary, and questioning people. In-person and Zoom meetings held. Contact tranzcentralcoast@ gmail.com for more details. Tuesdays, 7-9 p.m. Free.

GALA Pride and Diversity Center, 1060 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, 805-541-4252.

SOUTH COAST SLO COUNTY

BEGINNER GROUP SURF LESSONS AND SURF

CAMPS Lessons and camp packages available daily. All equipment included. ongoing Starts at $70. 805-835-7873. sandbarsurf.com/. Sandbar Surf School Meetup Spot, 110 Park Ave., Pismo Beach.

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.

SANTA MARIA VALLEY/LOS ALAMOS

SANTA MARIA VALLEY STRAWBERRY

FESTIVAL A celebration of the Santa Maria Valley’s number one commodity. Attendees can expect the traditional favorites including carnival rides, strawberry tasting, live entertainment, shopping vendors, and the children’s coloring contest. April 28 12-10 p.m., April 29, 12-10 p.m. and April 30, 12-10 p.m. $15. 805-925-8824. santamariafairpark. com/. Santa Maria Fairpark, 937 S. Thornburg St., Santa Maria.

FOOD & DRINK

NORTH COAST SLO COUNTY

COASTAL WINE AND PAINT PARTY Local artists inspire and instruct customers step-bystep to create their masterpieces. Saturdays, 12-2 p.m. $50. 805-394-5560. coastalwineandpaint. com. Madeline’s Wine Tasting Room, 788 Main St., Cambria.

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, 2:305:30 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.

SPRING BRUNCH IN THE GARDEN Enjoy a delicious brunch in the serene Gazebo Garden. Menu features bagels, artisan sandwiches, familiar breakfast classics, and more. Sundays, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. through June 25 Please see event menu for pricing. 805-927-4200. cambriapineslodge.com. Cambria Nursery and Florist, 2801 Eton Rd., Cambria.

NORTH SLO COUNTY

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. 805-4345607. onxwine.com/estate. ONX Estate Vineyard, 1200 Paseo Excelsus, Templeton.

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.

TEAT TO TABLE WORKSHOP Tina Ballantyne from Giving Tree Family Farm teaches guests what it takes to get from “Teat to Table” in this goat cheese making workshop. April 30, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. $145. farmsteaded.com. Giving Tree Family Farm, 6135 Parkhill Road, Santa Margarita.

WINE YOGA Visit site for registration and more details. April 29 my805tix.com. Timshel Vineyards, 825 Riverside Ave., suite 1, Paso Robles.

SAN LUIS OBISPO

CHEF’S HOME TABLE: VIRTUAL COOKING CLASS AND WINE TASTING With Truffle Shuffle’s founder and French Laundry alum chef Jason McKinney. Chef Jason will walk guests through the cooking class and dining experience from the comfort of your home. April 29 4-5:30 p.m. $230 for 2. 805-434-5607. onxwine.com. Online, See website, San Luis Obispo.

DOWNTOWN SLO FARMERS MARKET

Thursdays, 6-9 p.m. Downtown SLO, Multiple locations, San Luis Obispo.

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.

PAINT AND PINTS Join Art Social 805 At BarrelHouse Speakeasy in San Luis Obispo, where you will paint the featured image, while sipping on a glass of BarrelHouse brew. April 30 2-4 p.m. $50. 805-439-4600. artsocial805.com.

Barrelhouse Brewing Co. Speakeasy, 1033 Chorro St., San Luis Obispo.

SLO FARMERS MARKET Hosts more than 60 vendors. Saturdays, 8-10:45 a.m. World Market Parking Lot, 325 Madonna Rd., San Luis Obispo.

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.

SOUTH COAST SLO COUNTY

TRIVIA NIGHT Join BrainStew Trivia for a hilariously witty evening of trivia in Pismo. Teams of 1 to 4 people. Prizes awarded to the first and second place teams. Kitchen is open until 7:30 p.m. for brain fuel. Beer, cider, wine, and non-alcoholic options available. First Thursday of every month, 6:30-8 p.m. Free to play. 805295-6171. kulturhausbrewing.com. Kulturhaus Brewing Company, 779 Price St., Pismo Beach.

MUSIC

NORTH COAST SLO COUNTY

BLUES ASYLUM RETURNS Blues Asylum returns to The Olde Alehouse delivering blues and rocking blues originals and covers. May 5 6-9 p.m. Free. 805-235-5223. The Olde Alehouse, 945 Los Osos Valley Road, Los Osos.

BLUES ASYLUM SPRINGS FREE Blues Asylum convenes a rockin’ blues Saturday night dance party at Niffy’s Merrimaker. Expect blues originals and covers. April 29 7-10 p.m. Free. 805-235-5223. The Merrimaker Tavern, 1301 2nd Street, Los Osos.

HOOP TROOP

The Charles Paddock Zoo in Atascadero hosts its ninth annual Brew at the Zoo on Saturday, April 29, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Animal onesies are encouraged at the event, which includes a hula hoop contest; beer, wine, and cider tastings; live music; and other festivities. Tickets to the event, open to ages 21 and older, are available in advance at my805tix.com. The Charles Paddock Zoo is located at 9100 Morro Road, Atascadero.

DUO CARBE AND DURAND OF INCENDIO April 30 3 p.m. my805tix.com. Old Santa Rosa Chapel, 2353 Main St., Cambria.

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.

SLOFOLKS PRESENTS SCOTTISH

SUPERGROUP OLD BLIND DOGS SLOfolks is excited to bring back the Scottish supergroup, Old Blind Dogs. Prepare yourself for a deep immersion into the wild and historic Scottish landscape that their music invokes. Jonny Hardie (fiddle) is joined by Aaron Jones (cittern/guitar), Ali Hutton (pipes/whistles) and Donald Hay (percussion). May 5, 7-9:30 p.m. $25. 805-7483569. slofolks.org. Coalesce Bookstore, 845 Main St., Morro Bay.

SONGWRITERS AT PLAY FEATURES KERN

RICHARDS Richards speaks to traditional folk, country, and blues audiences as well as to the rocker in us all. Special guests include Cynthia Ford, Steve Key, Bradly Coats, and Tommy Choboter. May 2 6:30-9 p.m. Free. 805-204-6821. songwritersatplay.com/ events. Schooners, 171 North Ocean Ave, Cayucos.

NORTH SLO COUNTY

DULCIE TAYLOR BAND AT PEAR VALLEY

Send

VINEYARD Dulcie Taylor brings her full band to beautiful Pear Valley to perform pop, blues, and more. April 29 1-4 p.m. Free; food and drink for purchase. 805 237-2861. pearvalley.com/. Pear Valley Winery, 4900 Union Road, Paso Robles.

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.

HAVE MUSIC, WILL TRAVEL: FREE ATASCADERO COMMUNITY BAND CONCERT Free concert, parking, and refreshments. All donations benefit CASA of SLO. The ACB and CASA are both nonprofit organizations. Donations are tax deductible. May 7 3 p.m. Free. atascaderoband.org. Atascadero Bible Church, Atascadero Mall, Atascadero, 805-466-2051.

SAN LUIS OBISPO

ADITYA PRAKASH ENSEMBLE The roots of the Ensemble’s unique collaboration began during the members’ Ethnomusicology studies at UCLA, where horizons to cross-cultural musical interaction expanded vastly. The young, imaginative group of musicians, who while bridging seemingly disparate styles of music, create a boldly innovative and powerful mix. May 3, 7:30-9:30 p.m. $40. 805-756-4849.

adityaprakashmusic.com/aditya-prakashensemble/. PAC Pavilion, Performing Arts Center, 1 Grand Ave, San Luis Obispo.

ARISE ROOTS WITH SPECIAL GUESTS From the heart of Los Angeles rises a powerful movement known as Arise Roots. Steadily becoming a household name around the globe, the group of six veteran musicians united their talents in order to form a unique and refreshing interpretation of Roots-Reggae. May 6 7 p.m. $16. slobrew.com. SLO Brew Rock, 855 Aerovista Pl., San Luis Obispo, 805-543-1843.

BROOKS NIELSEN LIVE Uncompromising, enigmatic, and wildly ambitious, Brooks Nielsen (lead singer of Southern California surf-psych icons The Growlers) is proud to announce his first full-length solo album; a double-vinyl, twentysong journey into the heart of darkness, and toward the light that eventually remains. May 4 7 p.m. $30. slobrew.com. SLO Brew Rock, 855 Aerovista Pl., San Luis Obispo, 805-543-1843.

CAL POLY ‘ALL THAT BRASS’ RECITAL Cal Poly brass musicians will perform a variety of styles of music. The Brass Ensemble will showcase music by Bach, Debussy, Friedrich, and others. The Trombone Choir will perform quartets, trios, and Steven Verhelst’s infamous “Devil’s Waltz” for two trombones. May 2 7:30 p.m. Free. 805756-2406. music.calpoly. edu/calendar/. San Luis Obispo United Methodist Church, 1515 Fredericks Street, San Luis Obispo.

DARRYL TAYLOR SEMINAR Taylor will host a seminar for Cal Poly students. He will speak and answer questions about his extensive career as a soloist, recording artist, professor, arts administrator and founder of the African American Art Song Alliance. May 4, 5 p.m. Free. 805-756-2406. music.calpoly.edu/calendar/. Cal Poly Davidson Music Center, Room 218, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.

DARRYL TAYLOR: VOCAL MASTER CLASS

Countertenor Darryl Taylor will present a vocal masterclass with three Cal Poly music majors specializing in voice. Taylor is a soloist, recording artist, professor, arts administrator and founder of the African American Art Song Alliance. May 4 11 a.m.-noon Free. 805-756-2406. music.calpoly. edu/calendar/. Cal Poly Davidson Music Center, Room 218, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.

EASTON EVERETT LIVE AT HOTEL SLO Easton Everett plays guitar-woven indie music that has an authentic feel and is easy to listen to, but also surprises. April 29, 6-9 p.m. Free. eastoneverett. com/. Hotel San Luis Obispo, 877 Palm St., San Luis Obispo.

THE GREATEST SHOWMAN: SING-ALONG A special sing-along screening featuring lyrics on screen for all of the film’s songs. Costumes encouraged (come as a ringmaster, clown, or acrobat). All proceeds benefit PAC Outreach Services, serving to create an accessible center

MUSIC continued page 23

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CHARLES PADDOCK ZOO

Hot Dates

for students. May 7 3-5 p.m. $15-$18. 805-756-4849. pacslo.org. Performing Arts Center, 1 Grand Ave., San Luis Obispo.

INTERNATIONAL JAZZ DAY Presented by Mo Betta Jazz. Additional concert at Field Day Coffee at 3 p.m. April 30 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Mint + Craft, 848 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo, 805632-9191, mintandcraft.com.

JAZZ VESPERS CONCERTS: VOCE The series returns to the historic sanctuary with the award-winning vocal jazz ensemble “Voce” from Cuesta College. April 30 4-5:30 p.m. Donations appreciated. 805-543-5451. fpcslo.org. First Presbyterian Church of San Luis Obispo, 981 Marsh St., San Luis Obispo.

JUNGLE FIRE WITH VINYL DJ SET BY STEVE HANEY The Los Angeles-based juggernaut pulls its influences from the music of legends such as Irakere, Ray Barretto, James Brown, Fela Kuti, and Manu Dibango. May 5 7-10 p.m. $20. slobrew.com. SLO Brew Rock, 855 Aerovista Pl., San Luis Obispo, 805-543-1843.

KATCHAFIRE Katchafire performing live at SLO Brew Rock with special guest Swells. For ages 18 and over. May 7 7 p.m. $30. slobrew.com. SLO Brew Rock, 855 Aerovista Pl., San Luis Obispo, 805-543-1843.

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.

OPEN MIC NIGHT IN THE TASTING ROOM Kelsey Rae hosts this open mic event for music and comedy in the tasting room. Fourth Thursday of every month, 7-9 p.m. Free show. 805-721-6878. SLO Cider, 3419 Roberto Ct., Suite C, San Luis Obispo.

SALUTE TO AMERICA San Luis Obispo Wind Orchestra to perform with pianist Rudolf Budginas at Cuesta College. April 30 3-5 p.m. $10-$30. 805-464-7804. slowinds.org. Cuesta College Cultural and Performing Arts Center, Highway 1, San Luis Obispo.

SLO SYMPHONY: TCHAIKOVSKY’S FOURTH Testimony of Tone, Tune and Time is based upon the speeches of Frederick Douglass. The Symphony welcomes this message of courage, hope, and endurance. It will conclude with Tchaikovsky’s stunning Symphony No. 4. May 6 7-9:30 p.m. $25-$89. 805-7564849. slosymphony.org/. Performing Arts Center, 1 Grand Ave., San Luis Obispo.

SON OF A GUN: THE GUNS “N” ROSES TRIBUTE Fronted by Ari Kamin. April 28, 7-10 p.m. $20. slobrew.com. SLO Brew Rock, 855 Aerovista Pl., San Luis Obispo, 805-543-1843.

SPRING CONCERT SERIES Bring the family, friends, or come by yourself to enjoy an afternoon in the historical and beautiful Jack House Gardens. Bring a chair, a picnic, and enjoy games, dancing, and live music by local bands. Please no pets or alcoholic beverages. Every other Saturday, 2-4 p.m. through May 20 Free. slocity.org/jackhouse. The Jack House, 536 Marsh St., 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, 805-439-0774, ragtagwineco.com.

W. TERRENCE SPILLER: BEETHOVEN PIANO SONATA CYCLE

VII Pianist and Cal Poly Professor Emeritus W. Terrence Spiller will give an all-Beethoven recital. Though retired, he still teaches applied piano in the Music Department. April 28 7:30-9:45 p.m. $10-$20. 805-756-4849. PAC Pavilion, Performing Arts Center, 1 Grand Ave, San Luis Obispo.

SOUTH COAST SLO COUNTY

BIG VARIETY NIGHT AT BROAD STREET PUB Hosted by Ted Waterhouse, Big Variety Night features the best local musical acts in a series of short, sweet sets. Check website for the list of performers. April 28, 6-9:30 p.m. No cover. 805-704-5116. tedwaterhouse.com. Broad Street Public House, 3590 Broad Street, San Luis Obispo.

DAWN LAMBETH (WITH THE TEVIS RANGER JAZZ

ENSEMBLE) The Dawn Lambeth Jazz Band from San Luis Obispo and the Tevis Ranger Jazz Ensemble from Bakersfield will be playing “Hot Swingin’ Jazz” at the Basin Street Regulars’ Sunday afternoon concert. April 30 1-4 p.m. $10 for members; $15 for non-members. 805-937-8402. Pismo Beach Veterans Memorial Hall, 780 Bello St., Pismo Beach.

JOHN MUELLER’S WINTER DANCE PARTY The official live and authentic re-creation of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper’s final tour. This engaging and much-loved show brings years’ worth of hits from three great artists to the audience in just one memorable night. May 6 7:30-10 p.m. $40-$55. 805-489-9444. clarkcenter.org/shows/winter-dance-party/. Clark Center for the Performing Arts, 487 Fair Oaks Ave., Arroyo Grande.

JULIE KELLY QUARTET Vocalist/guitarist Julie Kelly brings a great quartet into Puffers of Pismo with the music of Bill Withers, A.C. Jobim, Mose Allison and Thelonius Monk. May 7, 5-8 p.m. 805-773-6563. puffersofpismo.com. Puffers of Pismo, 781 Price St., Pismo Beach.

SANTA YNEZ VALLEY

TEGAN AND SARA, WITH HAND HABITS: LIVE IN CONCERT Canadian indie pop/rock sister duo Tegan and Sara will perform at the Solvang Festival Theater stage under the stars with special guest Hand Habits. May 3, 7-9:30 p.m. Starting at $55. 805-6861789. solvangtheaterfest.org. Solvang Festival Theater, 420 2nd St., Solvang. ∆

Arts

ARTIFACTS

Arroyo Grande artist Laurel Sherrie holds solo show in Atascadero

Starting on Monday, May 1, Joebella Coffee House in Atascadero will be showcasing a collection of scenic landscapes by local oil painter Laurel Sherrie.

The new solo exhibition is scheduled to remain on display at the cafe through Sunday, July 31.

Based in Arroyo Grande, Sherrie is a plein air painter best known for capturing local vistas and landmarks, located throughout San Luis Obispo County, in her vibrant oil paintings. One of her hopes while painting these scenes, outdoors and on location, is to inspire viewers “to get out and experience public lands for themselves,” according to press materials.

Sherrie’s new exhibit at Joebella Coffee House includes paintings she created at Carizzo Plain, local ranches, coastal areas, and other locations. To find out more about her artwork, visit laurelsherrie.com or facebook. com/laurelsherriestudio.

Joebella Coffee House is located at 3168 El Camino Real, Atascadero. Call the venue at (805) 461-4822 for additional details.

Mystic Nature showcases paintings by Fred Ventura in Nipomo

A solo exhibition of paintings by artist Fred Ventura premiered at Mystic Nature in Nipomo in mid-April and is scheduled to remain on display through Wednesday, May 31. In conjunction with Ventura’s exhibit, titled Nature’s Harmony, an artist reception will take place at the gallery on Friday, May 19, from 1 to 4 p.m.

According to press materials, Ventura’s artworks capture “the essence of nature” and “the beauty found in the natural world,” and visitors of the exhibit “can expect to be transported into a natural world of harmony and wonder.” Pieces in the show include botanical paintings and ornithological paintings.

Guests of the upcoming artist reception, open to the public, will have the opportunity to meet Ventura and learn about his artistic process during the event.

Admission to the reception is free, and refreshments will be served, according to press materials.

Visit mysticnaturephotography. com to find out more about the Nature’s Harmony exhibition and future announcements from Mystic Nature, a contemporary art gallery located at 191 W. Tefft St., Nipomo. The venue is open Wednesdays through Sundays, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Mystic Nature specializes in showcasing “fine art that celebrates the beauty and diversity of nature,” according to press materials. It features an ongoing, curated selection of locally produced artworks from both established and emerging artists based throughout the Central Coast. ∆

—Caleb Wiseblood

BY ADRIAN VINCENT ROSAS

Unorthodox expression

Ballet Theatre of San Luis Obispo’s Theresa Slobodnik celebrates human expression through dance

Theresa Slobodnik nds inspiration in the unorthodox, spontaneous moments of her day-to-day life.

“One of my favorite quotes from Neil Young is what he said when they asked him how he came up with songs—he said, ‘Well, if I feel a gift coming, I excuse myself and go pay attention to that gift,’” Slobodnik said. “ at’s pretty much what happens to me—I get my ideas from all over the place, and it’s usually not when I am looking for them.”

As the ballet and artistic director of the Ballet eatre of San Luis Obispo, she has planned and choreographed a variety of shows that have been performed across the city. Shows range from productions of Robin Hood, e Velveteen Rabbit, Undine, and the Snow Queen, and other adaptations reworked in Slobodnik’s vision—giving her unlimited potential to express herself through dance.

“Ballet is my anchor and it gives me the freedom to express my emotions in a way I really can’t quite do with anything else,” she said.

Slobodnik began working with the Ballet eatre of SLO after her post-professional dance career came to an end and she found herself teaching youth dance.

“It just sort of happened—one of the pro-dancers at the school where I taught, Blaire London, had the idea of doing a nonpro t ballet group and said he would handle all of the business aspects of it, which I wanted no part of, and I said, ‘OK let’s do it,’” she said with a laugh.

“It’s one of those things where whenever I was teaching I would realize, ‘Oh my God, these kids need something to do with these skills,’” she said, “and so I started creating choreography for them.”

She credits her dancers as the most vital aspect of her work, as no matter what level of planning or choreographing she is on, she wants to ensure that the movement ts the dancers she’s working with.

“ e sincerity of the dancers and how they perform that choreography is just as important,” she said. “I can make the art and tell them how to perform it, but it’s them performing it that I rely on to really give it that emotional e ect.”

As time went on, Slobodnik said she kept getting ideas and her creative vision grew bigger and bigger, but one particular moment stands out as the catalyst for when her work truly came into a form of its own.

“ ere had been this big tsunami that had happened in Sri Lanka in 2004 so I had this idea for a performance—only about ve or six minutes

long—about what happened at that moment and the immediate aftermath,” she said. “When the tsunami hit, people from every walk of life were just gone, disappeared into the water. at really stuck with me, and I wanted to convey that emotion through dance.”

She had her dancers simulate the ow of water, with the rest of the cast acting out the role of the people along the shore, all moving to the disjointed rhythm of a Phillip Glass piece.

Come to the show

See Theresa Slobodnik’s latest creative showcase of human emotion on May 19, when Ballet Theatre San Luis Obispo presents The Wizard of Oz at the BlackBox Theatre (located at 3566 S. Higuera St., No. 207, SLO). For more information on future works and ballet classes, visit the Ballet Theatre’s website at bt-slo.org or follow them on Instagram @ballettheatreslo.

in the ballet are to people you see around you in everyday life,” Caramadre said. “It’s what makes the works she adapts so special—you can tell they really come from her heart and lived experience.” at heart is also something Slobodnik hopes will overcome the parts of ballet that people often have misconceptions about.

“A lot of people have an idea of ballet being very static, limited in what it can accomplish theatrically—but nothing could be farther than the truth,” she said. “When you don’t have words telling you what to feel and it’s the human body telling you instead, it goes deeper.”

Slobodnik hopes that by breaking those preconceived notions, more and more people will come to shows , not just put on by her nonpro t but by other area ballet companies as well.

“People weep, people laugh, for people aren’t really familiar with the storytelling power of ballet—it really takes them by surprise,” she said. “ ey were not expecting to be moved to the degree they were moved; it’s a pretty wild experience.”

Showtime!

In the end, Slobodnik wants her expression to be more than just a viewing experience. She wants her audience to feel involved and part of the play.

Send gallery, stage, and cultrual festivities to arts@newtimesslo.com.

“Glass’ music is very unorthodox, it’s not one-twothree-four or even one-two-three, and I think that made the kids really excited to perform that piece,” Slobodnik said.

One of the young dancers who played the role of the water happened to be one of Slobodik’s rst students—Roeh Quisao Caramadre. She recalled how much the show resonated with the performers.

“I did a lot of tumbling playing that role,” Caramadre said with a laugh. “I was 12 at the time, but even back then I realized there’s a really special view of humanity that eresa is great at capturing.”

Caramadre, now 32, works as part of the board of directors for the nonpro t in addition to assisting with marketing and even lending her skills as a dancer to some modern-day performances.

“As someone who has portrayed her characters, it’s really cool to see how similar the characters

“You are melding with the audience, and you, the viewer, become part of the show. You aren’t just watching it, you are sharing that experience with the performers and vice versa,” she said. “When that happens between the audience and the dancers, it is absolutely electric.” ∆

Freelancer Adrian Vincent Rosas is resonating with the creative experiences around him. Reach him at arosas@newtimesslo.com.

POWERFUL PERFORMANCE Slobodnik’s take on the iconic Hunchback of Notre Dame focused on the human aspect of the characters.

IN THE MOMENT Slobodnik always finds inspiration around her—even while choreographing her current work.

UNCONVENTIONAL VISION Theresa Slobodnik sees ballet as her means to highlight the human moments she is inspired by in her day-to-day life.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ROEH QUISAO CARAMADRE

COMMUNITY ARTS SHOW

Opening Minds, first developed in 1995, is a community art show in celebration of living mentally well. Opening Minds champions the idea that we should not be defined in terms of our illness but by our strengths, gifts and the contributions we make to society.

Brother’s keeper

Co-writer Guy Ritchie (Sherlock Holmes; Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels) directs this story of U.S. Army Sgt. John Kinley (Jake Gyllenhaal) and his Afghan interpreter Ahmed (Dar Salim). After being shipped back to the U.S., Kinley learns Ahmed—who had saved his life in battle—was now endangered himself, so Kinley decides to return to Afghanistan in an unsanctioned mission to rescue Ahmed. (123 min.)

GUY RITCHIE’S THE COVENANT

What’s it rated? R

What’s it worth, Glen? Full price

What’s it worth, Anna? Full price

Where’s it showing? Colony, Downtown Centre, Park, Stadium 10

Glen is is without a doubt the best movie I’ve seen this year. I’ve pretty much liked every Ritchie lm I’ve seen, but sometimes his work feels lightweight and frivolous, such as his previous lm, Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre. is lm, however, is a gut punch—a propulsive war movie of surprising depth that’s most interested in the relationships between the fellow soldiers. When you depend on one another for your very lives, a bond forms, and for a person of integrity, that bond, that agreement to have each other’s back, is paramount. ere’s an easy, glib, insouciant banter between Kinley and his fellow soldiers. It comes across as a way to mask the constant fear they must feel. Each and every one of them knows every moment in the eld might be their last, and so their bravado is a mask that when stripped away by death leaves them feeling primal.

e acting is astounding, and Gyllenhaal and Salim in particular are outstanding. ere’s one scene in particular that I’ll never forget, but I won’t spoil it here. Go watch this lm and see for yourself.

Anna Gut punch is right! is is the story of invisible ties that happen in this type of relationship. e two aren’t family, they aren’t even friends, but they rely on each other in a way I can’t even fathom. Most of the movie is spent in Ahmed’s tortuous journey to get Kinley back to an air base through Taliban-infested land with a high

THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME

What’s it rated? TV-MA

When? 2023

Where’s it showing? Apple TV PLUS

Jennifer Garner stars as Hannah, a successful artist who lives with her husband, Owen (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), and stepdaughter, Bailey (Angourie Rice), in Sausalito in a houseboat. Owen goes missing under mysterious circumstances, and on closer inspection, it seems his past may be messing with his present. Suddenly Hannah and Bailey are on a mission to find out who this person they both love actually is and what drove him into apparent hiding.

price on their heads. But Kinley cannot forget the debt he owes, and the last third of the lm where we follow his journey back to Ahmed proves to be just as compelling as the action-packed, intense rst two thirds. We haven’t been starved for good lms as of late, so I’m not sure why this one felt like such a clean, cool drink of water. It was shot with panache and style and the story was rooted in fundamentally human moments. e tragedy of the big picture still held room for the beauty of the small moments. I’m telling everyone who can handle the intensity of war lms to see this movie—it is about so much more than a coming home story. Glen e battle scenes feel real, in part because of a lot of handheld camera work that makes viewers feel like they’re in it. It’s also worth mentioning that the body count is really high, so if that’s a problem for you, steer clear. I found it gripping, and I’d watch it again. Even though it’s ctional, the story frames itself rmly in the reality of the

GHOSTED

What’s it rated? PG-13

When? 2023

Afghanistan War and serves as a reminder that we left a lot of interpreters there to face the wrath of the Taliban, which murdered 300 U.S. collaborators after our pullout and sent a thousand more into hiding. We were supposed to be pro ering them visas to America, but instead all they got were broken promises.

Anna Gyllenhaal is compelling, and Salim proves to be a force. ey’re both absolute beasts onscreen. is isn’t a lm I can blanket recommend—there’s a lot of damage done here, and it could be a very di cult watch for certain triggers. However, if you can handle the bloodshed, the story that sits behind it is incredibly gripping. is is one of those movies I’ll never say no to watching, no matter how many times I’ve seen it. ∆

Senior Sta Writer Glen Starkey and freelancer Anna Starkey write Split Screen. Glen compiles listings. Comment at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.

Bailey isn’t exactly stoked with her stepmother of 14 months, and while Hannah tries to be a good support system, she’s dealing with a teenager who’s totally uninterested in forming bonds. Clues from Owen’s past unfold quickly, and the two head off to Texas to track them down.

This is a seven-part miniseries based on Laura Dave’s novel of the same name, and the first few episodes have proved to be intriguing. This is perfect for anyone who likes to watch a mystery unfold, so if you’re a fan of series such as Big Little Lies or Sharp Objects, jump on board. This promises to take viewers on a twisty journey. (seven 37- to 45-min. episodes)

—Anna

VANISHED

After her husband disappears amid an FBI investigation, Hannah Michaels (Jennifer Garner, left) begins to form a relationship with her standoffish stepdaughter, Bailey (Angourie Rice), in The Last Thing He Told Me

Where’s it showing? Apple TV Plus

Dexter Fletcher (Eddie the Eagle, Rocketman) directs this rom-com action-adventure about Cole (Chris Evans), who falls in love with Sadie (Ana de Armas), who turns out to be a secret agent. They’re soon embroiled in a mission to save the world. It’s been roundly panned by critics, but I’m here to tell you it’s not as awful as they claim. It’s a fun little romp, and de Armas is charming as a spy more interested in her mission than protecting Cole.

The plot is convoluted and forgettable, with Adrian Brody as the villain who’s trying to sell a bioweapon called “Aztec,” even though he doesn’t have the code to open it. In a case of mistaken identity, hapless Cole is believed to have the code, and the source of tension between him and Sadie is her willingness to put them in danger to achieve her goals. The story is essentially secondary to the action set-pieces, which are fun enough to keep viewers distracted.

Compared to our main review this week, Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant Ghost is indeed utter garbage. But if you need a distraction and already have Apple TV Plus, it’s free with your subscription. (116 min.) ∆

SECRETS

—Glen

Cole (Chris Evans, left) falls in love with Sadie (Ana de Armas) before learning she’s a spy who’s drawn him into an international adventure, in Ghosted, streaming on Apple TV Plus.

Starring: Forest Whitaker, Khris Davis, Sullivan Jones, Jasmine Matthews PG-13

BROTHERS IN ARMS After recruiting Ahmed (Dar Salim, below) as his interpreter, U.S. Army Sgt. John Kinley (Jake Gyllenhaal, right) and he form an unbreakable bond, in Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant, screening in local theaters.

COURTESY PHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER RAPHAEL/METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER PICTURES INC.

PHOTO COURTESY OF APPLE STUDIOS

PHOTO COURTESY OF APPLE STUDIOS

BY GLEN STARKEY

White Buffalo, Dark Horse

Three bands play a day-long festival at BarrelHouse

The White Buffalo’s newest, Year of the Dark Horse (2022), finds towering frontman Jake Smith in the mood to shake things up.

“You think we’re a country band? A folk band? Americana? Rock? What the fuck are you gonna say now?” he asked in press materials. “With this album, I wanted something outside of what I’ve ever done. I wanted to open up. Do something dangerous. I’m hard to put into a singular genre as it is, but now I really wanted to take away any kind of preconception or pigeonholing.

“And don’t ask me, ’cause I don’t know what it is!” he continued. “It’s a genrebending thing—there’re elements and influences from ELO, Daniel Lanois, Tom Waits, The Boss, circus, pirate music, yacht rock, and I’m driving and pushing some of these numbers in a way I’ve never done before. At the top of the pandemic, I put the acoustic guitar on its stand, got a synthesizer and began writing on it, not really knowing how to play keys, just exploring the different sounds and landscapes. In the not knowing, it allowed me to expand my vocal melodies and compositions in ways the guitar had possibly limited.”

What it is is what The White Buffalo’s music has always been: soaring, literate, transportive, with Jake Smith’s special brand of macho sans cockiness.

On “Not Today,” he sings about his reinvention, a new year, and a new beginning: “One more trip around the sun/ What else do we say/ Happy New Year, Earth/ Or something else cliché// Well, it’s a whole new me/ It feels like I’m born again/ Think what I could become/ I hope this feeling never ends.”

Smith’s booming baritone conjures up memories of Crash Test Dummies lead singer Brad Roberts, and watching his YouTube video of the song brings theatrics to the lyrics that drive home the song’s point. The album, his eighth, was released last November and “is a sonic and lyrical journey of one lunar year in one man’s life,” he explained. “Four seasons in 12 songs. Loosely based on my twisted truths and adventures.”

It’s a worthwhile ride, and this Saturday, April 29, Numbskull, Good Medicine, and KCBX present BarrelHouse Jam with The White Buffalo, local R&B/soul band Próxima Parada, and local bluegrass party band The Mother Corn Shuckers on Saturday, April 29 (3 p.m.; all ages; $32 at goodmedicinepresents.com), at BarrelHouse Brewing. Prepare yourself for some sun. The weather’s looking to be almost 90 degrees!

If Bruce Springsteen was born in North Carolina rather than New Jersey, I imagine he’d sound a lot like American Aquarium, a group of blue collar Southern rockers singing about rural life and the resilience of the working class, for instance in the song “Tough Folks”: “See I come from a long line of Carolina farmers/ For years, tobacco was the answer/ It kept the lights on and put food on the table/ ’Til the doctors started callin’ it cancer/ So we took to the hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains/ With a harvest of corn and

some copper line/ And we found you can get a little slice of heaven/ With some sugar yeast water and a whole lotta time// Life ain’t fair/ Saddle up, boy, and see it through/ Tough times don’t last/ But tough folks do.”

Frontman and chief songwriter BJ Barham is Southern through and through, but he’s honest about the South and its long racist history, which he addresses in “A Better South”: “On the backs of the poor, these towns were built/ Where every ounce of pride comes a pound of guilt/ There’s a shadow here, looms long and black/ It’s always one step forward and two steps back,” and in another verse, “I’m sick and tired of listening to Daddy’s generation/ The byproduct of war and segregation/ Still thinking they can tell us of what to do/ Who can live where and who can love who.”

For a Southern rock band, Barham and company are remarkably progressive.

“When these massive life changes happen, we feel like we are the only ones facing these problems. Talking about them openly, giving them a name, and dragging them into the light makes them seem a little less daunting, a little more conquerable,” Barham said in press materials. “I hope this album serves as a salve to anyone who has experienced this sort of loss over the last few years. I hope it makes them feel a little less isolated and disconnected. I want them to know that someone out there is going through the exact same shit and that they are not alone.”

See American Aquarium at The Siren on Saturday, April 29 (8 p.m.; 21-and-older; $22 general at goodmedicinepresents.com or $102 for VIP pre-show meet and greet).

Emily Nenni opens the show. She said of her music, “What I love about country is the songs can be very honest and vulnerable, yet they’re beautiful enough to make you cry. My music is sweet and sad, but I don’t take myself too seriously. It’s old-school honky-tonk with a slightly different flavor.”

Also at The Siren …

Eagles tribute band The Boys of Summer play on Friday, April 28 (7 p.m.; 21-andolder; $22.50 presale at eventbrite.com), delivering classic hits such as “Tequila Sunrise,” “Witchy Woman,” “Hotel California,” “Desperado,” “Peaceful Easy Feeling,” and many more.

Scratch plays a free afternoon show on Saturday, April 29 (2:30 to 5:30 p.m.; 21-and-older). Hailing from SLO and northern Santa Barbara counties, the band’s played together since 2014, delivering rock, pop, and blues covers from the 1960s to the present.

Soak in the positive Cali-reggae vibes when Through the Roots, Cydeways, and The Darts play a Cuatro de Mayo party on Thursday, May 4 (7 p.m.; 21-and-older; $18.50 at eventbrite.com).

SLO Brew Rock

Speaking of tribute bands, Son of a Gun, a Guns N’ Roses cover act, plays on Friday, April 28 (7 p.m.; 18-and-older; $20 at ticketweb.com). The band is fronted by Argentine singer Ari Kamin, who’s also lead singer for former Guns N’ Roses drummer Steven Adler’s solo band.

Brooks Nielsen returns to SLO Brew Rock on Thursday, May 4 (7 p.m.; 18-andolder; $30 at ticketweb.com). Best known as lead singer for SoCal surf-psych act The Growlers, Nielsen released his debut solo album in 2022, the highly theatrical One Match Left. “There’s happiness in there,” Nielsen said of the album in press materials. “The bands that I like have a sense of humor, like Television Personalities or Jonathan Richman, but there’s tragedy too. That’s the old theatrical tradition.” Nielsen alternates between carnival barker, lullaby crooner, and rock ’n’ roll priest, depending on the track.

More music …

Pianist and Cal Poly Music Professor Emeritus W. Terrence Spiller plays an all-Beethoven recital this Friday, April 28 (7:30 p.m.; $20 general, $10 for students), in the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center’s Pavilion. The recital is the seventh in Spiller’s survey of the complete piano sonatas of Beethoven. This year, he plays the poetic masterpiece Op. 109; two large early works: Sonatas Op. 2, No. 2, and Op. 10, No. 3; and the compact and joyous Sonata Op. 78. Proceeds benefit the Cal Poly Music Department Scholarship Fund.

The Dulcie Taylor Band plays Pear Valley Vineyard (4900 Union Road, Paso) this Saturday, April 29 (1 to 4 p.m.; free), delivering Taylor’s socially conscious, thoughtfully constructed original songs that have been viewed more than 3.5 million times on her YouTube channel and streamed more than half a million times worldwide. She’ll be joined by guitarists George Nauful and Tim Jackson, bassist Freeman Lee, and drummer Tracy Morgan.

The second annual International Jazz Day returns this weekend with vocalist Deborah Gilmore and her jazz ensemble Mo Betta Jazz performing at a variety of locations. On Saturday, April 29, see them at SLO Provisions (12:30 to 2 p.m.), Saints Barrel Wine (4 to 5:30 p.m.), and Antigua Brewing (7:30 to 9:30 p.m.). On Sunday, April 30, they’ll play Mint+Craft (11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.), Old SLO BBQ (2 to 3:30 p.m.), Field Day Coffee (3 to 4:30 p.m.), and Linnaea’s Café (4:30 to 5:45 p.m.). All the events are free, though a $10 donation is suggested.

The Basin Street Regulars hosts a hot jazz concert this Sunday, April 30, in the Pismo Beach Vets Hall (11 a.m. jam followed by a 1 p.m. concert; $15; all ages), with opening act the Tevis Ranger Jazz Ensemble featuring seventh- and eighth-

FESTIVAL FEEL Numbskull, Good Medicine, and KCBX present BarrelHouse Jam with The White Buffalo and two other bands on April 29 , at BarrelHouse Brewery’s beautiful outdoor amphitheater.

PHOTO COURTESY OF GOOD MEDICINE PRESENTS

PHOTO COURTESY OF GOOD MEDICINE PRESENTS

SOUTHERN REALISTS Good Medicine and Numbskull present American Aquarium at The Siren on April 29 , bringing their blue collar but surprisingly politically progressive sounds.

PCPA Presents: Bright Star

APRIL 27 – MAY 14

Marian

grade musicians from Tevis Junior High in Bakersfield and headliner the Dawn Lambeth Jazz Band, playing swing era tunes from the ’20s to the ’40s.

The SLO Wind Orchestra presents Salute to America, a concert featuring works by Gershwin, Sousa, Gould, and more, this Sunday, April 30, in the Cuesta College Performing Arts Center (3 to 5 p.m.; all ages; $10 to $30 at slowinds.org). Special guest pianist Rudolf Budginas and the orchestra will be under the baton of conductor Jennifer Martin

Jazz Vespers returns to the First Presbyterian Church of SLO this Sunday, April 30, with Cuesta College’s awardwinning vocal jazz a cappella ensemble Voce, directed by John Knutson (4 p.m.; free though donations are appreciated). Voce, first formed in 1981, won an Outstanding Performance Award from Downbeat Magazine, First Place at the Reno Jazz Festival, two invitations to perform at the Conference of the International Association of Jazz Educators, two invitations to perform at the Jazz Education Network conference, and an appearance at the National Convention of the American Choral Directors Association.

voice, is a foremost young virtuoso of Carnatic music—South India’s traditional classical style. “Growing up in his native Los Angeles, Aditya was rooted in South Indian arts and culture through his immigrant family, yet at school found himself in a distinct minority,” his bio explains. “He studied Carnatic voice with great dedication from childhood but kept that passion apart from the public persona he had for his friends. Balancing two worlds in this way leads one to isolation, a feeling of being separate from both cultures. Yet it also drives the creative to find ways to bring these worlds together.”

Calling all guitar-ophiles!

Sound out!

Send music and club information to gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.

Cal Poly Baseball SELECT DAYS/TIMES

Robin Baggett Stadium

Cal Poly, SLO

Cal Poly Arts Presents: Isabella Rossellini: Darwin’s Smile

SATURDAY, APRIL 29 Performing Arts Center, SLO

SLO International Film Fest

APRIL 25-30

Multiple venues in SLO including: Fremont, Palm, Downtown Cinemas, Sunset Drive-In; Park Cinemas (Paso)

Cal Poly Arts presents Aditya Prakash Ensemble at the PAC Pavilion on Wednesday, May 3 (7:30 p.m.; $40 at calpolyarts.org). Vocalist Aditya Prakash, who’s known for his powerful and emotive

The annual Central Coast Guitar Show is Saturday, April 29 (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; $8.99 presale at my805tix.com or $10 at the door, with a dollar off if you’re bringing in an instrument to sell or trade), this year in Santa Maria’s Radisson Hotel Ballroom. “This show is all about the most popular musical instrument in the world—the guitar,” organizer Ed Miller explained. “Manufacturers, dealers, collectors, and local musicians will be displaying, selling, and trading their new, used, and vintage guitars and guitarrelated products, as well as other musical instruments and services.” ∆

Contact Senior Staff Writer Glen Starkey at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.

Theatre, Santa Maria

Skip the great outdoors in your mission to find the Sasquatch. It’s been on the second floor of the San Luis Obispo County Superior Court for four years running.

There, the only ape-like cryptids you’ll find are cartoons of Bigfoot on stickers on the ice machine, posters on the walls, and an etching on the chalkboard of Sasquatch Café. Coowner Charles Campbell said that his family inspired the café’s name.

“All [my] kids at one time had long hair; I used to have long hair and a beard. It’s kind of comical,” he said. “All the kids are like 6-foot-4, 6-foot-6. I’m 6-foot-6 or 6-foot-7, so it evolved into a name.”

The courthouse spot is an explosion of chalkboards bearing an expansive menu in crowded but meticulous handwriting, and a random assortment of decorative knickknacks—some of which used to adorn Sasquatch’s former establishments in Paso Robles and Atascadero until both shuttered during the pandemic. Peppered around the café is its personalized Sasquatch mascot—a brooding behemoth sitting

while holding a cup of coffee. It’s an original design created by Ricky, a childhood friend of one of the Campbell boys.

But despite all the markers, the café is still hidden from view. While the courthouse is open to the public, potential patrons still need to be willing to walk through its doors and comply with the standard security check. That’s why Sasquatch’s regular clientele is a revolving door of jurors, attorneys, defendants, plaintiffs, and court security and staff. Their days, said Charles and his coowner wife Jennifer, are dictated by the court system.

“It’s an interesting place where you have a relationship with the county,” Charles said. “Technically, our contract is with RPS [Real Property Services], which is the agency that runs all the county properties.”

The Campbells are concessionaires not leasers, which essentially means that SLO County rents them the space in the court annex. Sasquatch, in turn, gives the county a percentage of its sales in lieu of rent.

For Charles, a Seattle native with culinary school training, operating a café out of a courthouse is an ongoing lesson in local government.

“I never realized how government buildings were structured,” he said. “I left culinary in my 20s and I never thought I’d cook again. I enjoy it but cooking is art, I guess, but a lot of this ends up being grill cook.”

Charles added that he tried to introduce an elaborate menu to the courthouse but received pushback.

“Most [customers] just work here. Doing shrimp or steak and charging

somebody $40 for just sitting at their desk didn’t work,” he said. “We adapted and pretty much everything we have is things people ask for.”

Sasquatch’s food menu is straightforward, filling, and delicious. Split into breakfast and lunch, peckish court attendees can choose from a burrito bowl, a breakfast sandwich, bagels, cheeseburgers, and fries hot from the kitchen. A court-themed breakfast platter called “Don’t Judge Me” is a favorite thanks to its tongue-in-cheek name and generous serving of bacon, twice-fried eggs, cheese, greens, tomatoes, onions, and bacon jam on a brioche bun.

I arrived at the courtroom hungry most mornings after a week and a half of covering a murder trial. But I decided to break that bad habit on April 20 with a Sasquatch breakfast sandwich made by Charles himself. Two thick slices of sourdough sandwiching a fluffy egg, oozing cheese, a crispy sausage patty, tomatoes, and spinach made a hefty and satisfying meal. I paired it with the café’s namesake specialty beverage—an espresso, dark chocolate, caramel, and hazelnut concoction that could be the nuttier, richer cousin of a mocha. The combination kept me satisfied until after lunch, though I did sneak in some of my coworkers’ Sasquatch fries as a snack later.

Charles mans the grill, and Jennifer handles the drinks.

Apart from the Sasquatch coffee, the café also serves other original drinks like the Yeti,

Cherry Bomb, German Chocolate Cake, Elvis, Armadillo, and Haystack. Not a fan of coffee? Multiple fridges are packed with ice-cold beverages that frequently rotate depending on the tastebuds of visitors like changing juries, for example.

“We wouldn’t have ever thought about being here, but after being here, we fit the environment well. We get along with everybody,” Charles said. “We’ll have a line of people that’s the witness, the defendant, the prosecutor, the judge … . Everybody will be in the same line getting coffee.”

Charles and Jennifer are the only two people serving the hordes. The pandemic also heavily impacted the courthouse timetable. Before, it bustled at all hours with different departments active throughout the day at the same time. Now, with many court hearings taking place online, the Campbells’ schedule follows extremes: either facing long lulls or hectic flurries marked by jury and court

LUNCH RUSH A small chicken salad and a fresh basket of crinklecut fries make a sizeable Sasquatch lunch. Don’t forget to grab the dressing from their fridge!

ESSENTIALS Sasquatch Café offers specialty drinks to customers in the courthouse that include a namesake beverage comprising espresso, dark chocolate, caramel, and hazelnut.

counsel piling out of different courtrooms eager to stretch their legs and fill their bellies.

“If you happen to want a latte, sometimes everybody wants a latte because people are talking about it,” Charles said. “You’re trying to make drinks while you’re ringing them up, and people are like, ‘We have 10 minutes!’”

Jennifer told New Times that they’re always on their toes because of the unpredictability of their customer base. For instance, a juror

who regularly must be in court for almost a month will let the Campbells know their favorite soft drink. Sasquatch will stock a case of it but also has to navigate potential surplus once that juror leaves. Currently, Celsius is the drink of choice from Sasquatch’s fridges.

“It’s different in here because it’s very important to us to not have a lot of waste,” she said. “We have a lot of variety because we have a lot of different people here, but we also tread a different line.”

Sasquatch has morphed into more than a café. It’s also the Superior Court’s makeshift convenience store, stocking items like ChapStick and Advil. As the only café operating out of a courthouse in SLO County, the Campbells think more eateries should crop up in similar spaces.

“It seems more of a necessity than anything, and I would have never known that until we were here,” Charles said. “I had never thought about how long people are at court. I never thought about what’s close by and what people have to do.” ∆

Staff Writer Bulbul Rajagopal will build a better breakfast habit with the “Don’t Judge Me” platter. Send reminders to brajagopal@ newtimesslo.com.

NOTICE: SEIZURE OF PROPERTY AND INITIATION OF NONJUDICIAL FORFEITURE PROCEEDINGS PER HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE SECTION 11488.4(J)

TO: ALL PERSONS CLAIMING ANY RIGHT, TITLE, OR INTEREST IN PROPERTY DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS: $8,930.00 IN UNITED STATES CURRENCY

Notice is hereby given that on August 3, 2022, the abovedescribed property was seized at or near 1081 Sylvia Dr., Paso Robles CA 93446, by the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office, in connection with cannabis violations, to wit, sections 182 of the Penal Code and 11370.1 of the California Health and Safety Code.

Pursuant to section 11488.4(j) of the California Health and Safety Code, you must file a verified claim stating your interest in the property with the Superior Court’s Civil Division, Room 385, County Courthouse Annex, 1035 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, California 93408. Claim forms are available from the Clerk of the above court and also online at https://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/mc200. pdf.

Furthermore, an endorsed copy of the verified claim must also be served on the District Attorney, Asset Forfeiture Unit, County Courthouse Annex, 1035 Palm Street, 4th Floor, San Luis Obispo, California 93408, within 30 days of filing the claim with the Superior Court’s Civil Division.

We accept entries to our annual 55 Fiction writing contest all year long. Entries submitted by 5pm Monday, June 19, 2023 will be considered for this year’s publications which will be published on July 27, 2023

For more details: bit.ly/55Fiction

Both the District Attorney’s Office and the Interested Party filing the claim are entitled to conduct reciprocal requests for discovery in preparation for a hearing. The provisions of the Code of Civil Procedure shall apply to the proceedings unless inconsistent with the provisions or procedures set forth in the Health and Safety Code (Section 11488.5(c)(3)). The Interested Party in entitled to legal representation at a hearing, although not one appointed at public expense, and has the right to present evidence and witnesses, and to cross-examine plaintiff’s witnesses, but there is no right to avoid testifying at a civil hearing.

The failure to timely file and secure a verified claim stating an interest in the property in the Superior Court will result in the property being declared or ordered forfeited to the State of California and distributed pursuant to the provisions of Health and Safety Code section 11489 without further notice or hearing.

DATED: April 21, 2023

District Attorney April 27, May 4, & 11, 2023

FLAVOR from page 29

SQUATCH ART Drawn by Ricky, a childhood friend of the Campbells’ son, Sasquatch Café’s insignia bears Bigfoot holding a cup of coffee.

A brief story, fifty-five words or less, with a headline no longer than seven words.

DAN DOW

District Attorney

Kenneth Jorgensen

Deputy

Classies

Reach over 150,000 readers weekly from Santa Ynez to San Miguel

Keep it Classy—for Free!

Private parties may run FREE classified ads in the FOR SALE (items under $200) and GARAGE SALE sections for two weeks

Contact us today! (805) 546-8208 or classifieds@newtimesslo.com

Real Estate

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***NOTICE***

ALL ADS IN THIS CATEGORY ARE FOR THERAPEUTIC NON-SEXUAL MASSAGE ONLY!

Home & Garden

Top

Guy F. Atkinson Construction, LLC (GFAC) is constructing the SR46 Expressway located in Shandon.

Guy F. Atkinson Construction, LLC is currently looking for qualified applicants with road, bridge and/or heavy civil experience to fill the following craft positions: Carpenters, Cement Masons and Laborers

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.

Qualified applicants will be local union members in good standing. Information and referral to apprenticeship programs can be provided upon request.

Applications are being accepted at the Jobsite Trailer: 17997 CA-46, Shandon CA 93461

GFAC is Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability and protected veteran status.

Guy F. Atkinson Construction, LLC (GFAC) está construyendo el Autopista SR46 úbicado en Shandon.

Guy F. Atkinson Construction, LLC ésta buscando candidatos calificados con experiencia en carreteras, puentes y / o trabajos civiles pesados para ocupar los siguientes puestos de trabajo: Carpinteros, Cementeros y Obreros.

Todos los candidatos calificados recibirán consideración para el empleo sin distinción de raza, color, religion, sexo, orientación sexual, identidad de género, nación de origen, discapacidad o condición de veterano protegido.

Los solicitantes calificados deberán ser miembros del sindicato local con buena reputación. Se puede proporcionar información y referencias a programas de aprendizaje a pedido.

Se aceptan solicitudes en el trailer del lugar de trabajo localizado en: 17997 CA-46, Shandon CA 93461

GFAC es un empleador que ofrece igualdad de oportunidades, incluida la discapacidad y el estado veterano protegido.

Business Services

FINANCIAL SERVICES

Is a reverse mortgage right for you? Free guidance and answers to your questions. Visit rrevloan.com

ANTIQUES / COLLECTIBLES

Hola Mandolin, nice action. Comes with gig bag, book and just restrung. $100. 805-540-8296.

ELECTRONICS

Sound Eagn Trendsetter 7 Jukebox with turntable, cassette, 8track, and radio. Needs some electronic work. $200 OBO (805) 608-8352

HOUSEHOLD

Hoover Steam Carpet Vacuum. Works really good! $50. 805481-6647

TOOLS

Shopsmith Magna Engineering. Model 10-E. Serial #R29400. $700 OBO. (805) 608-8352

INVITATION TO BID (SUB BIDS ONLY)

GENERAL CONTRACTOR: MAINO CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, INCORPORATED

PROJECT NAME: CALIFORNIA POLYTECHNIC STATE UNIVERSITY SAN LUIS OBISPO

BUILDING 170 – CERRO VISTA APARTMENT KITCHEN CABINET DOOR AND HINGE REPLACEMENT PROJECT

PROJECT LOCATION: BLDG. 170 CERRO VISTA - CAL POLY STATE UNIVERSITY, SLO, CA 93407

PROJECT OWNER: TRUSTEES OF THE CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY

ARCHITECT: CAL POLY STATE UNIVERSITY

BID DATE & TIME: THURSDAY, MAY 11, 2023@ 12:00 P.M.

PRE-BID SITE REVIEW: N/A

ESTIMATE/BUDGET: $75,000

ANTICIPATED SCHEDULE: 2 MONTHS

START DATE: JUNE 19, 2023

COMPLETION: AUGUST 18, 2023

(CONTRACTOR IS RESPONSIBLE FOR OVERTIME AND WEEKEND WORK ANTICIPATED TO MEET PROJECT SCHEDULE)

SCOPE OF WORK: Work consists of disassembly and disposal of existing cabinetry doors. Fabrication and installation of new solid wood cabinetry doors on existing cabinetry per the project specifications. Contractor shall perform all necessary conformation field measurements prior to fabrication. The University will be performing the following trades: None

BIDS SHALL BE EMAILED TO: tomm@mainoslo.com and sonnys@mainoslo.com

BID REQUIREMENTS:

1. Subcontractors must be bondable and may be required to provide Payment and Performance Bonds.

2. Bid Bond is not required.

3. Safety Record is of the utmost importance. Subcontractors with aggregate EMR Rate of 1.5 over the past three years may be disqualified.

4. Prevailing Wage

TO VIEW PLANS/SPEC:

Plans and specs may be downloaded from ASAP Reprographics at www.asapplanroom.com

Plans and specs may also be viewed at the following Builders Exchanges:

- SLO County Builders Exchange – www.slocbe.com

- Santa Maria Valley Contractors Association – www.smvca.org

- Central California Builders Exchange – www.cencalbx.com

Maino Construction Company, Incorporated is an equal opportunity Contractor. It is the responsibility of each Subcontractor to view all pertinent information and documents prior to submitting a proposal. April 27, 2023

COUNTY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO

BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEETING BRIEF

TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 2023 AT 9:00 AM 5 BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT

01. Consent Agenda – Item Nos. 1 thru 30 & Resolution (Res) Nos. 2023-079 thru 2023-087, approved.

02. Public Comment Period – Items not on the agenda: P. Emrich; S. Sacks; T. Waag; D. Richford; T. Kathary; Y. Korin; J. Carlson; De Durlesser; K. Jeffries; J. Adams; C. Hodson; C. Matthew; A. Toule; L. Owen; M. Lerner; M. Brown; R. Patten & S. Guerrero: speak. No action taken.

03. Res. 2023-088, denying appeal by Los Osos Sustainability Group of the Planning Commission’s approval of the application of Morro Shores Mobile Home Park, LLC for a Development Plan/Coastal Development Permit (DRC2020-00203) to allow for the expansion of the existing Morro Shores Mobile Home Park (MHP) containing 164 mobile home units to locate 10 new prefabricated manufactured homes w/ driveways & designated carports on approx. 30-acre parcel & construction of additional site improvements, at 633 Ramona Ave, Los Osos, adopted.

04 Appeal Hearing by R. & J. Taylor & J. & M. Tewell of the decision of the Planning Commission to approve Variance/Minor Use Permit/Coastal Development Permit (DRC2019-00262) to allow grading on slopes in excess of 30% for a 2-level single-family residence of approx. 1,970 sq ft w/ 550 sq ft garage on a 3,776 sq ft lot, at Gilbert Ave, Cayucos, cont’d off calendar.

05. Closed Session – Anticipated Litigation. Significant exposure to litigation - potential cases: 3. Initiation of litigation - potential cases: 3. Conference w/ Labor Negotiator re: employee organizations: SLOPA; SLOCEA-T&C; DCCA; Sheriffs’ Mgmt; SLOCPPOA; DSA; DAIA; SLOCPMPOA; SLOCEA – PSSC; Unrepresented Mgmt & Confidential Employees; SDSA; UDWA. Report Out. Open Session.

06. Ordinance No. 3488, amending Ch. 2.60 of the Co. Code to repeal Ordinance 3467 & change Supervisorial District boundaries & Res. 2023-090, repealing Res. 2021-311 & making findings in support of the adjusted boundaries of all Supervisorial Districts (Map A), adopted as amended.

MEETING ADJOURNED

For more details, view the meeting videos at: https://www. slocounty.ca.gov/Departments/Administrative-Office/ Clerk-of-the-Board/Clerk-of-the-Board-Services/Boardof-Supervisors-Meetings-and-Agendas.aspx

Wade Horton, Clerk of the Board of Supervisors

By: Annette Ramirez, Deputy Clerk April 27,

2023

SAN LUIS COASTAL UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

NOTICE TO DSA INSPECTORS OF RECORD

Notice is hereby given that the San Luis Coastal Unified School District (hereinafter referred to as “Owner”) will receive proposals prior to the date and time stated below for the award of a contract to multiple DSA Inspectors of Record for construction contract inspection services on various projects, with each particular project to be assigned to one of the DSA Inspectors of Record. San Luis Coastal Unified passed a $349 million dollar bond measure in November, 2022. The focus of this measure is the modernization of the district’s 10 elementary schools, 2 middle schools and a continuation high school. Prior to the bond measures success, the district developed a Facility Master Plan. The master plan along with the district’s deferred maintenance plan will make up the projects associated with this RFQP and construction contract inspection services needed. The board of education is currently prioritizing the projects and establishing the schedule for projects district wide.

The Request for Proposals is available from the San Luis Coastal Online Planroom @ www.asapreprographics.com.

Proposals must be sealed and filed at the Facilities Office of the Owner at: San Luis Coastal Unified School District Building, Grounds, & Transportation Department 937 Southwood Drive, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 on May 10, 2023 before 2:00:00 p.m. No proposal will be accepted by the Owner after this time. Facsimile (FAX) copies of the proposal will not be accepted.

Kelly Lee

Facilities Analyst

San Luis Coastal Unified School District

April 27 & May 4, 2023

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

WHO: San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors

WHEN: Tuesday, May 16, 2023, at 9:00 a.m All items are advertised for 9:00 a.m. To find out placement of this item on the Board of Supervisors Agenda, go to the County’s website at www.slocounty. ca.gov on the Wednesday before the scheduled hearing date.

WHAT: Hearing to consider an appeal by Patrick McGibney (APPL2023-00001) of the Planning Department Hearing Officer’s approval of a request by Roger Dick for a Minor Use Permit/Coastal Development Permit (DRC2021-00145) to allow for the construction of a single-story 1,910 square-foot single-family residence with an attached 573-square-foot two-car garage to replace a demolished residence on a 5,750-square-foot parcel. The project site is in the Residential Single-Family land use category and is located at 1153 11th Street, in the community of Los Osos. The site is in the Estero Planning Area. District 2. Also to be considered is the determination that this project is categorically exempt from environmental review under CEQA.

County File Number: APPL2023-00001

Assessor Parcel Number: 038-061-047

Supervisorial Districts: 2

Date Accepted: September 22, 2021

WHERE: The hearing will be held in the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors Chambers, 1055 Monterey St., Room #D170, County Government Center, San Luis Obispo, CA. The Board of Supervisors Chambers are located on the corner of Santa Rosa and Monterey Streets. At the hearing all interested persons may express their views for or against, or to change the proposal.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: You may contact Kip Morais, Project Manager, in the San Luis Obispo County Department of Planning and Building, 976 Osos Street, Room 200, San Luis Obispo, California 93408, (805) 781-5600. The staff report will be available for review the Wednesday before the scheduled hearing date on the County’s website at http://www.slocounty.ca.gov.

ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION: Also to be considered is the determination that the project is found to be categorically exempt from the Environmental Quality Act under CEQA Guidelines §15303 (new construction or conversion of small structures) and none of the exceptions to the exemption apply under CEQA Guidelines §15300.2. In accordance with Berkeley Hillside Preservation v. the City of Berkeley (2015) 60 Cal.4th 1086, the project does not present unusual circumstances, such as size or location. The project involves the construction of a replacement residence on a previously developed lot in an urbanized area which is zoned residential with numerous homes and lots of similar size. The proposed project is not in a location which would have an impact on an environmental resource of hazardous or critical concern. The project will not result in significant cumulative impacts, will not have a significant effect on the environment, will not damage scenic resources, is not located on a hazardous waste site and will not cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of a historical resource.

COASTAL APPEALABLE: County action may be eligible for appeal to the California Coastal Commission. Appeals must be filed in writing as provided by Coastal Zone Land Use Ordinance Section 23.01.043.

**If you challenge this matter in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing described in this public notice or in written correspondence delivered to the appropriate authority at or before the public hearing**

DATED: April 26, 2023

WADE HORTON, EX-OFFICIO CLERK OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

SAN LUIS COASTAL UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT NOTICE FOR MATERIALS TESTING & INSPECTIONS SERVICES

Notice is hereby given that the San Luis Coastal Unified School District (hereinafter referred to as “Owner”) will receive proposals prior to the date and time stated below for the award of a contract for services of duly qualified and licensed materials testing and special inspection consultant(s) on various projects. San Luis Coastal Unified passed a $349 million dollar bond measure in November, 2022. The focus of this measure is the modernization of the district’s 10 elementary schools, 2 middle schools and a continuation high school. Prior to the bond measures success, the district developed a Facility Master Plan. The master plan along with the district’s deferred maintenance plan will make up the projects associated with this RFQP and licensed materials testing and special inspection services needed. The board of education is currently prioritizing the projects and establishing the schedule for projects district wide.

The Request for Proposals is available from the San Luis Coastal Online Planroom @ www. asapreprographics.com.

Proposals must be sealed and filed at the Facilities Office of the Owner at:

San Luis Coastal Unified School District Building, Grounds, & Transportation Department 937 Southwood Drive, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 on May 10, 2023 before 2:00:00 p.m. No proposal will be accepted by the Owner after this time. Facsimile (FAX) copies of the proposal will not be accepted.

Kelly Lee

Facilities Analyst

San Luis Coastal Unified School District

April 27 & May 4, 2023

NOTICE: SEIZURE OF PROPERTY AND INITIATION OF NONJUDICIAL FORFEITURE PROCEEDINGS PER HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE SECTION 11488.4(J)

TO: ALL PERSONS CLAIMING ANY RIGHT, TITLE, OR INTEREST IN PROPERTY DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS:

$1,211.61 IN UNITED STATES CURRENCY

Notice is hereby given that on August 12, 2022, the abovedescribed property was seized at or near the DMV Paso Robles Office located at or near 841 Park St., Paso Robles, CA 93446, by the California Highway Patrol, in connection with violations, to wit, section(s) 11351 and 11352(A) of the California Health and Safety Code. The estimated/appraised value of the property is $1,211.61.

Pursuant to section 11488.4(j) of the California Health and Safety Code, you must file a verified claim stating your interest in the property with the Superior Court’s Civil Division, Room 385, County Courthouse Annex, 1035 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, California 93408. Claim forms are available from the Clerk of the above court and also online at https://www.courts. ca.gov/documents/mc200.pdf.

Furthermore, an endorsed copy of the verified claim must also be served on the District Attorney, Asset Forfeiture Unit, County Courthouse Annex, 1035 Palm Street, 4th Floor, San Luis Obispo, California 93408, within 30 days of filing the claim with the Superior Court’s Civil Division.

Both the District Attorney’s Office and the Interested Party filing the claim are entitled to conduct reciprocal requests for discovery in preparation for a hearing. The provisions of the Code of Civil Procedure shall apply to the proceedings unless inconsistent with the provisions or procedures set forth in the Health and Safety Code (Section 11488.5(c)(3)). The Interested Party in entitled to legal representation at a hearing, although not one appointed at public expense, and has the right to present evidence and witnesses, and to cross-examine plaintiff’s witnesses, but there is no right to avoid testifying at a civil hearing.

The failure to timely file and secure a verified claim stating an interest in the property in the Superior Court will result in the property being declared or ordered forfeited to the State of California and distributed pursuant to the provisions of Health and Safety Code section 11489 without further notice or hearing.

DATED: April 21, 2023

DAN DOW

District Attorney

Kenneth Jorgensen

Deputy District Attorney

April 27, May 4, & 11, 2023

NOTICE: SEIZURE OF PROPERTY AND INITIATION OF NONJUDICIAL FORFEITURE PROCEEDINGS PER HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE SECTION 11488.4(j)

TO: ALL PERSONS CLAIMING ANY RIGHT, TITLE, OR INTEREST IN PROPERTY DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS:

$1860.00 IN UNITED STATES CURRENCY

Notice is hereby given that on January 26, 2023, the above-described property was seized at or near 611 Poquita Lane, San Miguel, CA, 93451 by the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office, in connection with cannabis violations, to wit, section(s) 11351 and 11470 of the California Health and Safety Code.

Pursuant to section 11488.4(j) of the California Health and Safety Code, you must file a verified claim stating your interest in the property with the Superior Court’s Civil Division, Room 385, County Courthouse Annex, 1035 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, California 93408. Claim forms are available from the Clerk of the above court and also online at https://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/mc200.pdf.

Furthermore, an endorsed copy of the verified claim must also be served on the District Attorney, Asset Forfeiture Unit, County Courthouse Annex, 1035 Palm Street, 4th Floor, San Luis Obispo, California 93408, within 30 days of filing the claim with the Superior Court’s Civil Division.

Both the District Attorney’s Office and the Interested Party filing the claim are entitled to conduct reciprocal requests for discovery in preparation for a hearing. The provisions of the Code of Civil Procedure shall apply to the proceedings unless inconsistent with the provisions or procedures set forth in the Health and Safety Code (Section 11488.5(c)(3)). The Interested Party in entitled to legal representation at a hearing, although not one appointed at public expense, and has the right to present evidence and witnesses, and to cross-examine plaintiff’s witnesses, but there is no right to avoid testifying at a civil hearing.

The failure to timely file and secure a verified claim stating an interest in the property in the Superior Court will result in the property being declared or ordered forfeited to the State of California and distributed pursuant to the provisions of Health and Safety Code section 11489 without further notice or hearing.

DATED: April 21, 2023

DAN DOW District Attorney

Kenneth Jorgensen

Deputy District Attorney April 27, May 4, & 11, 2023

COUNTY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO

BOARD OF SUPERVISORS SPECIAL MEETING BRIEF

TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2023 AT 9:00 AM

5 BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT

01. Closed Session – (Government Code section 54957.) It is the intention of the Board to meet in closed session to: (1) Consider Public Employee Appointment for the Position of County Administrative Officer. Report Out - none. Open Session.

MEETING ADJOURNED

For more details, view the meeting videos at: https://www.slocounty.ca.gov/Departments/ Administrative-Office/Clerk-of-the-Board/Clerkof-the-Board-Services/Board-of-SupervisorsMeetings-and-Agendas.aspx

Wade Horton, Clerk of the Board of Supervisors

By: Annette Ramirez, Deputy Clerk April 27, 2023

NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING

Notice is hereby given that the EstrellaEl Pomar-Creston Water District (District) will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, May 10, 2023, commencing at 3:00pm at Windfall Farms Conference Room, 4710 Flying Paster Lane, Paso Robles, California 93446, pursuant to Water Code section 10723(b), for the purpose of hearing comments on whether the District shall become a Groundwater Sustainability Agency. Written comments may be submitted prior to the hearing by mail (EPC Water District, PO Box 1499, Paso Robles, CA 93447) or electronically (info@epcwd.org). Other questions or comments may also be directed to these two addresses or by phone at (805)354-5158.

Jerry Reaugh, Secretary April 20 & 27, 2023

NOTICE OF PROPOSED ASSESSMENT

For the San Luis Obispo County Tourism Business Improvement District

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, the Board of Supervisors (the “Board”) of the County of San Luis Obispo (the “County”) adopted a resolution of intention to renew the San Luis Obispo County Tourism Business Improvement District (the “CBID”) and to continue to levy an assessment on the lodging businesses within the CBID as set forth in said resolution of intention. The resolution is attached hereto and hereby incorporated into the notice.

NOTICE IS HEREBY FURTHER GIVEN that at 9 a.m. or shortly thereafter on Tuesday, May 16, 2023, a public hearing shall be held before the Board of Supervisors to allow public testimony regarding the renewal of the CBID and to continue to levy assessments therein as set forth in the enclosed resolution of intention and pursuant to Government Code Section 54954.6 and Streets and Highway Codes Section 36500 et seq.

Assessment: An assessment is proposed to continue to be levied on all lodging businesses, which include hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts, and vacation homes, within the CBID boundaries based upon 2% of the rent charged by the operator per occupied room per night for all transient occupancies. The amount of the assessment shall continue to be two (2) percent of your annual gross room rental revenue. Federal government employees on government business will be exempt from the levy of assessment. Extended stays, defined as more than 30 consecutive calendar days, shall be exempt from the levy of assessment.

Estimate: The estimated amount of revenue to be raised by the assessment is estimated to be approximately in the $1 million - $1.2 million range.

Purpose: The CBID proposes to administer tourism promotions and marketing programs to promote San Luis Obispo County as a tourism destination and projects, programs, and activities that benefit lodging businesses located and operating within the boundaries of the district. The proposed improvements and activities shall be targeted at increasing transient stays.

Collection The assessment is proposed to be levied on an annual basis and shall be collected monthly from lodging businesses within the CBID.

Protest: Oral and written protests may be made at the public hearing. Upon receipt by the Clerk of the Board of written protests from the owners of lodging businesses in the area who pay 50 percent or more of the annual assessments levied, the assessment shall not be imposed for a period of one year. Written protests must be received by the Clerk of the Board prior to the start of the public hearing on May 16, 2023. Your written protest must contain the following information: business name, property address and owner’s signature. There is no formal protest form; however, for your convenience a protest form is available on the Administrative Office website at http://www.slocounty.ca.gov/Departments/Administrative-Office/Clerk-of- the-Board.aspx.

Should you desire to mail a protest against this assessment, the address is: Clerk of the Board of Supervisors County of San Luis Obispo 1055 Monterey Street, Suite D430 San Luis Obispo, CA 93408

Information: Should you desire additional information about this assessment, contact: Tessa Cornejo, Administrative Services Manager County of San Luis Obispo 1055 Monterey Street, Suite D430, San Luis Obispo, CA 93408 Phone: (805) 781-4691 or Email: tcornejo@co.slo.ca.us

DATED: April 18, 2023

WADE HORTON, Clerk of the Board of Supervisors and Ex-Officio Clerk of the Board

By: /s/ Sandy Currens, Deputy Clerk of the Board IN THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS COUNTY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO, STATE OF CALIFORNIA April 18, 2023

PRESENT: Supervisors John Peschong, Bruce Gibson, Dawn Ortiz-Legg, Jimmy Paulding and Debbie Arnold

ABSENT: None RESOLUTION NO. 2023-079

A RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF THE COUNTY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO DECLARING ITS INTENTION OF RENEWING THE SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY TOURISM BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT (CBID) ORDINANCE, DECLARING ITS INTENTION TO CONTINUE TO LEVY AN ASSESSMENT ON LODGING BUSINESSES WITHIN SUCH DISTRICT BEGINNING FISCAL YEAR 2023-24, AND FIXING THE TIME AND PLACE OF A PUBLIC HEARING THEREON AND GIVING NOTICE THEREOF

The following is now offered and read:

WHEREAS, on May 12, 2009, the Board of Supervisors adopted Ordinance 3177 establishing the San Luis Obispo County Tourism Business Improvement District (CBID) and levied an assessment on lodging businesses within such district; and

WHEREAS, the Parking and Business Improvement Area Law of 1989, California Streets and Highways Code Section 36500 et seq., requires counties to annually renew business improvement areas for the purpose of promoting tourism; and

WHEREAS, the CBID Advisory Board supports the Board of Supervisors of the County of San Luis Obispo (the “Board of Supervisors”) renewal of the ordinance continuing the San Luis Obispo County Tourism Business Improvement District (“CBID”) and the continued levying of an annual assessment on lodging businesses, which include hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts, and vacation homes within the proposed CBID.

NOW THEREFORE, the Board of Supervisors of the County of San Luis Obispo does hereby resolve, determine and find as follows:

Section 1.The recitals set forth herein are true and correct.

Section 2. The Board of Supervisors declares its intention to renew the San Luis Obispo Tourism Business Improvement District (“CBID”) and to continue to levy and collect annual assessments against lodging businesses within the CBID boundaries pursuant to the Parking and Business Improvement Area Law of 1989, Streets and Highways Code Section 36500 et seq. (the “Law”), in the fiscal year 2023-24 following the approval of renewing the CBID.

Section 3. The boundaries of the CBID shall be all properties in the unincorporated boundaries of the County of San Luis Obispo located within the North Coast, Estero, San Luis Bay Coastal, and South County Coastal planning areas set forth in the Land Use Element – Circulation Element of the San Luis Obispo County General Plan and within the San Luis Bay Inland, South County Inland, Los Padres, Huasna- Lopez and San Luis Obispo planning areas as set forth in Title 22, Chapters 22.106, 22.112, 22.100, 22.96, and 22.108 respectively.

Section 4. The name of the business improvement area shall be the “San Luis Obispo County Tourism Business Improvement District.”

Section 5. The Board of Supervisors hereby declares that the types of improvements and activities to be funded by the levy of assessments against lodging businesses within the CBID are tourism promotions and marketing programs to promote the unincorporated San Luis Obispo County, per Section 3 above, as a tourism destination and projects, programs, and activities that benefit lodging businesses located and operating within the boundaries of the district. The proposed improvements and activities shall be targeted at increasing transient stays.

Section 6 Except where funds are otherwise available, an assessment will be levied annually against lodging businesses to pay for the improvements and activities within the CBID beginning July 1, 2023. Assessments will be collected in monthly installments or such other installments as determined by the Board of Supervisors. The proposed assessment is to be levied on all lodging businesses, which include hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts, and vacation homes, within the CBID boundaries based upon two (2%) percent of the rent charged by the operator per occupied room per night for all transient occupancies. Federal government employees on government business will be exempt from the levy of assessment. Extended stays, defined as more than 30 consecutive calendar days, shall be exempt from the levy of assessment. New lodging businesses within the boundaries of the CBID shall not be exempt from the levy of assessment. Assessments levied pursuant to the CBID shall not be included in gross room rental revenue for the purpose of determining the amount of the transient occupancy tax.

Section 7. The Board of Supervisors hereby sets May 16, 2023 as the date for a public hearing on the renewal of the CBID and the levy of assessments. The public hearing will be held at 9:00 a.m., or as soon thereafter as practicable. in the County of San Luis Obispo Board Chambers, 1055 Monterey Street, San Luis Obispo, California.

Section 8. At the public hearing the testimony of all interested persons for or against the renewal of the CBID, the extent of the CBID, or the furnishing of specified types of improvements or activities will be heard. A protest may be made orally or in writing by any interested person. To count in the determination of a majority protest against the CBID, a protest must be in writing.

Any protest pertaining to the regularity or sufficiency of the proceedings shall be in writing and clearly state the irregularity or defect to which objection is made.

Written protests must be received by the Clerk of the Board, County of San Luis Obispo prior to the start of the public hearing scheduled herein and may be delivered or mailed to the Clerk of the Board, County of San Luis Obispo, 1055 Monterey Street, Suite D430, San Luis Obispo, CA, 93408. A written protest may be withdrawn in writing at any time before the conclusion of the public hearing.

Each written protest shall contain a written description of the business in which the person signing the protest is interested sufficient to identify the business. If the person signing the protest is not shown on the official records of the County of San Luis Obispo as the owner of the business, then the protest shall contain or be accompanied by written evidence that the person is the owner of the business.

A written protest which does not comply with this section shall not be counted in determining a majority protest.

Section 9. If, at the conclusion of the public hearing, written protests are received from the owners of businesses in the CBID which will pay fifty percent (50%) or more of the assessments levied and protests are not withdrawn so as to reduce the protest to less than fifty (50%) percent (i.e., there is a majority protest), no further proceedings to renewal the CBID, as contained in this resolution of intention, shall be taken for a period of one year from the date of the finding of a majority protest by the Board of Supervisors. If the majority protest is only against the furnishing of a specified type or types of improvement or activity within the CBID, those types of mprovements or activities shall be eliminated.

Section 10. Further information regarding the renewal of the CBID may be obtained from the Clerk of the Board, County of San Luis Obispo, 1055 Monterey Street, Suite D430, San Luis Obispo, California.

Section 11. The Clerk of the Board is instructed to provide notice of the public hearing in accordance with Streets and Highway Code Section 36523.

Section 12. This resolution shall take effect immediately upon its adoption by the Board of Supervisors, and the Clerk of the Board shall certify to the vote adopting this resolution.

PASSED AND ADOPTED at a regular hearing of the Board of Supervisors of the County of San Luis Obispo, State of California, held on this 18th day of April 2023 by the following vote:

Upon motion of Supervisor Ortiz-Legg, seconded by Supervisor Gibson and on the following roll call, to wit:

AYES: Supervisors Ortiz-Legg, Gibson, Paulding, Arnold and Chairperson Peschong

NOES: None

ABSENT: None

ABSTAINING: None the foregoing resolution is hereby adopted.

ATTEST: WADE HORTON Ex-Officio Clerk of the Board of Supervisors

By: Sandy Currens Deputy Clerk April 27, 2023

BOARD OF SUPERVISORS NOTICE OF ADOPTION AND SUMMARY ORDINANCE

ORDINANCE RESCINDING ORDINANCE

NO. 3467 AND AMENDING CHAPTER 2.60 OF THE SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY CODE, ENTITLED SUPERVISORIAL DISTRICTS

On Tuesday, April 18, 2023, the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors adopted Ordinance No. 3488 which repeals Ordinance No. 3467 and amends the supervisorial districts set forth in Chapter 2.60 of the San Luis Obispo County Code, by the following roll call to wit:

AYES: Supervisors Dawn Ortiz-Legg, Bruce Gibson and Jimmy Paulding

NOES: Supervisor Debbie Arnold and Chairperson John Peschong

ABSENT: None

ABSTAINING: None

The adopted ordinance codifies and/or establishes new supervisorial district boundaries summarized as follows:

District 1: situated in the northeast corner of the county, includes Paso Robles, San Miguel, Templeton, Whitley Gardens, and Shandon, all whole within the district. District 2: is the northern coastal district and includes the coastal communities of San Simeon, Cambria, Cayucos, Morro Bay, and Los Osos all whole within the district. District 2 also includes a portion of Cal Poly. District 3: includes a portion of San Luis Obispo south of Marsh Street (with exception to one area that is between the 101 and Brizzolara Creek), Edna Valley, Avila Beach, and Pismo Beach. District 4: includes the southeastern portion of the district, including Arroyo Grande, Los Berros, Callender, Blacklake, Woodlands, Nipomo, Los Ranchos and the large unincorporated eastern parts of the county. District 5: includes the remaining portion of the city of San Luis Obispo (including downtown San Luis Obispo and the neighborhoods north of Foothill) and the remaining portion of Cal Poly (to Highland Drive and north Poly View Drive to Grand Ave.). It also includes whole within the district Atascadero, Santa Margarita, Garden Farms, and Creston. For more specific boundaries refer to the legal description.

Certified copies of the full text of the ordinance and/or resolution may be requested in the San Luis Obispo County Administrative Office at 1055 Monterey St., Room #D430, County Government Center, San Luis Obispo, CA 93408 or by contacting the Clerk of the Board at (805) 781-5011.

Date: April 25, 2023

WADE HORTON, EX-OFFICIO CLERK OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

By: /s/ Niki Martin, Deputy Clerk

WHO: San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors

WHEN: Tuesday, May 16, 2023, at 9:00 a.m. All items are advertised for 9:00 a.m. To find out placement of this item on the Board of Supervisors Agenda, go to the County’s website at www.slocounty. ca.gov on the Wednesday before the scheduled hearing date.

WHAT: Hearing to consider a request by the County of San Luis Obispo to:

1) Submit an annual review of the County growth rate for new dwelling units for FY 2022-23;

2) Submit a resolution establishing the County maximum growth rate and allocation for new dwelling units for FY 2023-24, in accordance with the Growth Management Ordinance, Title 26 of the County Code (LRP2023-00005); and

3) Amend the Growth Management Ordinance, Title 26 of the County Code, to remove fiscal year references for the Nipomo Mesa area and Cambria growth rate limits.

County File No: LRP2023-00005

Date Authorized: November 16, 2021

Supervisorial Districts: All Assessor Parcel Numbers: Countywide

WHERE: The hearing will be held in the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors Chambers, 1055 Monterey St., Room #D170, County Government Center, San Luis Obispo, CA. The Board of Supervisors Chambers are located on the corner of Santa Rosa and Monterey Streets. At the hearing all interested persons may express their views for or against, or to change the proposal.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: You may contact Claire Momberger, Planner, in the San Luis Obispo County Department of Planning and Building, 976 Osos Street, Room 200, San Luis Obispo, California 93408, (805) 781-5600. The staff report will be available for review the Wednesday before the scheduled hearing date on the County’s website at www.slocounty. ca.gov

ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION: Also to be considered is the environmental determination that the project is exempt under CEQA, pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3), General Rule Exemption. The Environmental Coordinator has determined that it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the proposed project may have a significant adverse effect on the environment. A Notice of Exemption has been prepared pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15062.

**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: April 21, 2023

John Peschong Chairperson of the Board of Supervisors

457,6223.19% 556,2330.70%

WADE HORTON, EX-OFFICIO CLERK OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

By /s/Niki Martin Deputy Clerk April

27, 2023

Notice of Items to be Escheated to the County of San Luis Obispo Pursuant to Government Code §50050 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that there is in the Treasury of the County of San Luis Obispo, the sum of $70,931.37. Said funds resulted from uncashed warrants and monies in trust with no response to noticing. The funds noted below have been outstanding for more than three years. These funds will become the property of San Luis Obispo County on June 14, 2023, unless a valid claim is made. For more information, please call the County Treasurer’s Office at (805) 781-5831. To the best knowledge of the Treasurer, claimants for these funds may include the following:

FOR THE

Free Will Astrology

by Rob Brezsny

Homework: If you could change into an animal for a day, what would you be?

Newsletter.freewillastrology.com

ARIES

(March 21-April 19): According to a study by Newsweek magazine, 58 percent of us yearn to experience spiritual growth; 33 percent report having had a mystical or spiritual experience; 20 percent of us say we have had a revelation from God in the last year; and 13 percent have been in the presence of an angel. Given the astrological omens currently in play for you Aries, I suspect you will exceed all those percentages in the coming weeks. I hope you will make excellent use of your sacred encounters. What two areas of your life could most benefit from a dose of divine assistance or intervention? There’s never been a better time than now to seek a Deus ex machina (More info: https://tinyurl.com/GodIntercession)

TAURUS

(April 20-May 20): After the fall of the Roman Empire, political cohesion in its old territories was scarce for hundreds of years. Then a leader named Charlemagne (747-814) came along and united much of what we now call Western Europe. He was unusual in many respects. For example, he sought to master the arts of reading and writing. Most other rulers of his time regarded those as paltry skills that were beneath their dignity. I mention this fact, Taurus, because I suspect it’s a propitious time to consider learning things you have previously regarded as unnecessary or irrelevant or outside your purview. What might these abilities be?

GEMINI

(May 21-June 20): I’m turning this horoscope over to Nigerian poet Ijeoma Umebinyuo. She has three messages that are just what you need to hear right now. 1. “Start now. Start where you are. Start with fear. Start with pain. Start with doubt. Start with hands shaking. Start with voice trembling but start. Start and don’t stop. Start where you are, with what you have.” 2. “You must let the pain visit. You must allow it to teach you. But you must not allow it to overstay.” 3. “Write a poem for your 14-year-old self. Forgive her. Heal her. Free her.”

CANCER

(June 21-July 22): Historical records tell us that Chinese Emperor Hungwu (1328-1398) periodically dealt with overwhelming amounts of decision-making. During one 10-day phase of his reign, for example, he was called on to approve 1,660 documents concerning 3,391 separate issues. Based on my interpretation of the planetary omens, I suspect you may soon be called on to deal with a similar outpouring. This might tempt you toward over-stressed reactions like irritation and self-medication. But I hope you’ll strive to handle it all with dignity and grace. In fact, that’s what I predict you will do. In my estimation, you will be able to summon the extra poise and patience to manage the intensity.

LEO

(July 23-Aug. 22): Is it even possible for us humans to live without fear—if even for short grace periods? Could you or I or anyone else somehow manage to celebrate, say, 72 hours of freedom from all worries and anxieties and trepidations? I suspect the answer is no. We may aspire to declare our independence from dread, but 200,000 years of evolution ensures that our brains are hardwired to be ever alert for danger. Having provided that perspective, however, I will speculate that if anyone could approach a state of utter dauntlessness, it will be you Leos in the next three weeks. This may be as close as you will ever come to an extended phase of bold, plucky audacity.

VIRGO

(Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “Dear Sunny Bright Cheery Upbeat Astrologer: You give us too many sunny, bright, cheery, upbeat predictions. They lift my mood when I first read them, but later I’m like, ‘What the hell?’ Because yeah, they come true, but they usually cause some complications I didn’t foresee. Maybe you should try offering predictions that bum me out, since then I won’t have to deal with making such big adjustments. –Virgo Who is Weary of Rosy Hopeful Chirpy Horoscopes.” Dear Virgo: You have alluded to a key truth about reality: Good changes often require as much modification and adaptation as challenging changes. Another

truth: One of my specialties is helping my readers manage those good changes. And by the way: I predict the next two weeks will deliver a wealth of interesting and buoyant changes.

LIBRA

(Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Poet Pablo Neruda wrote, “Let us look for secret things somewhere in the world on the blue shores of silence.” That might serve as a good motto for you in the coming weeks. By my astrological reckoning, you’ll be wise to go in quest for what’s secret, concealed, and buried. You will generate fortuitous karma by smoking out hidden agendas and investigating the rest of the story beneath the apparent story. Be politely pushy, Libra. Charmingly but aggressively find the missing information and the shrouded rationales. Dig as deep as you need to go to explore the truth’s roots.

SCORPIO

(Oct. 23-Nov. 21): We’ve all done things that make perfect sense to us, though they might look nonsensical or inexplicable to an outside observer. Keep this fact in your awareness during the next two weeks, Scorpio. Just as you wouldn’t want to be judged by uninformed people who don’t know the context of your actions, you should extend this same courtesy to others, especially now. At least some of what may appear nonsensical or inexplicable will be serving a valuable purpose. Be slow to judge. Be inclined to offer the benefit of the doubt.

SAGITTARIUS

(Nov. 22-Dec. 21): I completely understand if you feel some outrage about the lack of passion and excellence you see in the world around you. You have a right to be impatient with the laziness and carelessness of others. But I hope you will find ways to express your disapproval constructively. The best approach will be to keep criticism to a minimum and instead focus on generating improvements. For the sake of your mental health, I suggest you transmute your anger into creativity. You now have an enhanced power to reshape the environments and situations you are part of so they work better for everyone.

CAPRICORN

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In the 17th century, renowned Capricorn church leader James Ussher announced he had discovered when the world had been created. It was at 6 p.m. on Oct. 22 in the year 4004 BCE. From this spectacularly wrong extrapolation, we might conclude that not all Capricorns are paragons of logic and sound analysis 100 percent of the time. I say we regard this as a liberating thought for you in the coming weeks. According to my analysis, it will be a favorable time to indulge in wild dreams, outlandish fantasies, and imaginative speculations. Have fun, dear Capricorn, as you wander out in the places that singer Tom Petty referred to as “The Great Wide Open.”

AQUARIUS

(Jan. 20-Feb. 18): We often evaluate prospects quantitatively: how big a portion do we get, how much does something cost, how many social media friends can we add? Quantity does matter in some cases, but on other occasions may be trumped by quality. A few close, trustworthy friends may matter more than hundreds of Instagram friends we barely know. A potential house may be spacious and affordable, but be in a location we wouldn’t enjoy living in. Your project in the coming weeks, Aquarius, is to examine areas of your life that you evaluate quantitatively and determine whether there are qualitative aspects neglected in your calculations.

PISCES

(Feb. 19-March 20): “Dear Dr. Astrology: Help! I want to know which way to go. Should I do the good thing or the right thing? Should I be kind and sympathetic at the risk of ignoring my selfish needs? Or should I be a pushy stickler for what’s fair and true, even if I look like a preachy grouch? Why is it so arduous to have integrity? –Pinched Pisces.” Dear Pisces: Can you figure out how to be half-good and half-right? Half-self-interested and half-generous? I suspect that will generate the most gracious, constructive results. ∆