For the first time in Morro Bay’s history, everyone who’s on the city ballot this November will take a seat on the City Council dais next year. In a city that is dealing with controversy surrounding a proposed battery energy storage facility, offshore wind, and ongoing issues with its water recycling project, why aren’t more people running to be decision-makers? Staff Writer Libbey Hanson speaks with the candidates to see what they think and why they decided to serve Morro Bay [9]. Also this week, read about the race to serve the Lucia Mar Unified School District [8]; a window into the past as commentary on the present at SLOMA [20]; and Feral in downtown SLO [27].
Camillia Lanham editor
cover photo by Jayson Mellom cover design by Alex Zuniga
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Vistra opts to go around Morro Bay for battery plant approval
Vistra recently announced that it is pursuing state approval for its proposed battery plant, bypassing the city of Morro Bay, which has been reviewing the project since 2020.
After a City Council meeting on Sept. 24 that added a minimum of 18 months to the project’s timeline, the city received a notice from Vistra requesting the city to pause its municipal consideration of the energy company’s application.
According to Vistra’s Oct. 28 letter, the Texasowned company is pursuing an opt-in certification from the California Energy Commission as established in AB 205, a bill passed in 2022 offering energy storage facilities a more streamlined process for project approval. If approved by the Energy Commission within 270 days, the project would then go to the California Coastal Commission.
Vistra told New Times by email that the decision was made because of the timeline extension and said that the state provides a more defined pathway for the project’s consideration.
“The uncertainty and ongoing delays in obtaining a decision regarding a permit to construct were impacting the planning for the project, including long lead time items and matters involving transmission,” the email read. “We continue to believe that building this new state-of-the-art energy storage facility to capture and better utilize excess renewable solar electricity is good for the community and the state of California’s reliability needs and clean energy goals.”
On the Morro Bay ballot this year is Measure A-24—an indirect effort to stop the battery plant at the local level. It proposes that voters should have the final say when it comes to what’s built on the old PG&E power plant site now owned by Vistra, as opposed to the City Council making the decision.
While Citizens Opposed to A-24 does not take a stance on the plant itself, the group has argued that the measure takes away the control of an informed City Council and had also hypothesized that Vistra would go to the state for approval anyway.
“You know, we hate to say, ‘I told you so,’ but what we’ve said all along is that passing A-24 would have no effect on the battery project, per se, because Vista always could go to the state,”
Citizens Opposed to A-24 Principal Officer Marlys McPherson told New Times. “I can understand why [Vistra] would not want to wait another year to see what the City Council does, but rather the process is going to take a year with the state so I can understand their decision.”
If anything, McPherson said Vistra’s decision has
Port San Luis fights to keep RV campsites open
For the past 20 years, Port San Luis Harbor District staff has sent letters to the California Coastal Commission asking for an extension on two of its camping areas now expected to close Nov. 16.
On Oct. 10, the district sent its most recent letter and waits for a reply, Port San Luis Harbor District Business Manager Suzanne Aguirre told New Times. If the Nobi Point and Woodyard campsites close, it would impact the district’s revenue, but the extent is unknown.
Both charge $78 a night with an $11 nonrefundable reservation fee and $5 a night for extra vehicle overnight parking. Nobi Point offers six camping sites, and Woodyard offers 13.
“It’s direct revenue,” she said. “It doesn’t bypass to the county, it’s not like a state allocation, it’s direct revenue to the district.”
made the group’s stance even stronger.
“I think that now more than ever, it’s so important to vote no on A-24 because now what it means is that our City Council’s hands would be tied on any development project that comes forward to locate on the old power plant site, and you can’t take everything to a vote of the people,” she said.
Citizens for Estero Bay Preservation volunteer
Norm Williams told New Times that the group, which placed A-24 on the ballot, doesn’t think the state will approve the battery plant and still believes that there must be more power to the people when it
of the proposed Vistra battery plant could pose developmental constraints in an environmentally sensitive habitat area.
“What they’re saying is location, location, location,” Williams said. “If either the City Council or the citizens of Morro Bay, pursuant to A-24, reject the land use designation change to industrial, the [battery plant] project will be stopped at the local level. And so therefore, our position, if this ends up before the California Coastal Commission, this body will have heard the overwhelming voice of the people of Morro Bay.”
comes to that specific parcel of land.
“A-24 ensures local control. It doesn’t in any way undermine it. Now, the fact that Vistra went to try to circumvent the City Council and are going to try to go directly to the state, even before the citizens voted on A-24, in my opinion shows they’re running scared,” he said. “They know the citizens do not want that battery plant there, and they know that the citizens want to have a final say on this.”
Williams referenced a letter from the Coastal Commission on Aug. 2 that stated the location
port and the Coastal Commission was that once Harbor Terrace is up and running, it would close Nobi and Woodyard due to the campsites’ blocking ocean views and a lack of demand. Harbor Terrace is incomplete and still under construction.
According to a letter the Coastal Commission sent the district on Jan. 17, 2007, Harbor Terrace is to provide a minimum of 20 marine gear storage spaces and 70 trailer boat storage spaces with an additional 10,000 square feet of expansion area to be reserved for future high priority uses.
The port’s website states that once complete, Harbor Terrace will also support walk-in tent camping, have self-contained cabins, and offer commercial space and a swimming pool, all while increasing visitor access to the area.
Aguirre said the original agreement between the
However Aguirre said over the past few years, the port has noticed that the demand for RV camping sites is growing.
Even if the battery plant never gets approved, Williams said he is still voting yes on A-24 because he sees it as an insurance policy for any projects proposed in the future.
“We believe this is an important enough issue for the people to have a say. That’s all it is. I think it’s very democratic,” he said. “And I think local control prevents us from getting into a situation where we’re being influenced by outside corporations, large corporations coming in from out of state.”
—Libbey Hanson
“We have found that Flying Flags [an RV resort in Avila Beach] could be at full capacity, and we’re still getting requests for reservations,” she said. “So, the demand’s there and the need’s there, and we want to continue providing the resources to our patrons.”
In the district’s most recent letter to the Coastal Commission, it asked the regulator to reconsider eliminating the RV camping, give another extension to the campgrounds, and allow the district to bring a proposal to the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors to revise how to improve the area and still meet Harbor Terrace’s original project goals.
The Coastal Commission’s staff report said that the port needs to allow for more day-use and mixed activities, have more parking and bike locks, and ensure that the bluffs where Nobi Point and Woodyard are located allow for a more mixed-use environment.
PLOT TWIST Vistra asked the city of Morro Bay to pause its consideration for the battery plant, announcing that it’s pursuing state approval for the project, bypassing the city.
PHOTO BY JAYSON MELLOM
While waiting for an answer from the Coastal Commission, Aguirre said the district will respect the commission’s position “wholeheartedly.”
“But again, as stewards to this area, we want to make sure that we do whatever we can to maintain equitable coastal access,” she said.
—Samantha Herrera
DOJ appoints district election officer for Central Coast Election Day
The United States Department of Justice is going to be a watchdog for election-related crimes in the Central District of California on Nov. 5 as part of its nationwide Election Day program.
Every two years, the department appoints a district election officer to oversee Election Day complaints about voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud and consult with department headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Assistant United States Attorney Thomas F. Rybarczyk is the district election officer for the Central District, which comprises San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties.
Justice Department spokesperson Ciaran McEvoy told New Times that the department isn’t accepting interview requests for the topic.
“The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud,” a press release said.
Federal law protects against crimes like threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, and stuffing ballot boxes. It also safeguards voter rights like possessing the ability to mark their own ballots.
SLO County Clerk-Recorder Elaina Cano told New Times that this election cycle poses a possibility for election crimes.
“We receive intel from various resources and are aware of some of the rhetoric that is out there pertaining to the encouragement of those intending to commit or encouraging others to commit election crimes,” she said. “We take this information very seriously and in partnership with all of our local and federal law enforcement agencies are determined to ensure the safety of our poll workers and election staff.”
Cano added that she doesn’t have any law enforcement officers assigned to be out at the polls on Nov. 5. But she is prepared to call for assistance if the need arises.
“The only issues/concerns that I have experienced here in SLO County are the calls that come in from the polling locations where observers do not respect the rules and regulations of observing the process,” she said. “It has been reported multiple times that they are disruptive and go from polling places to polling place using the same tactics. Because of this, poll workers are trained to contact law enforcement should they feel threatened or feel as though the integrity of the election is being threatened due to the observers’ misconduct.”
While the Justice Department encourages voters to call 911 first in the case of violence or intimidation, other recourses exist.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on Election Day. Reach the local FBI field office at (310) 477-6565.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, D.C., by complaint form at civilrights.justice.gov or by phone at (800) 253-3931.
—Bulbul Rajagopal
Paso Robles school board candidate responds to election fraud allegations
Amid an ongoing investigation of election fraud, Paso Robles school board candidate Hunter Breese denied the allegations agaisnt him and accused his incumbent opponent of violating federal law under the U.S. Postal Service.
“Following an anonymous tip to authorities, several false statements and allegations have been made by my opponents regarding my eligibility to run for the PRJUSD (Paso Robles Joint Unified School District) school board,” Breese wrote in a letter to the Paso Robles Press. “I would like to set the record straight with facts, not innuendo.”
Breese did not respond to New Times’ repeated requests for comment.
As a recent Paso Robles High School graduate and first-time PRJUSD school board candidate, Breese is facing allegations of election fraud thanks to a complaint submitted to the SLO County District Attorney’s Office in late September that questioned whether he actually lived at the address listed on his application.
According to voter registration documents, Breese changed his address to a location on Red Cloud Road in District 3 on July 23, 2024, before applying for candidacy on Aug. 9. The residence is owned by Sharon Johnson, who is engaged to school board member Kenney Enney, who publicly supports Breese’s campaign.
In the letter, Breese said that he signed a two-year lease to reside at the Red Cloud Road address in May.
“I registered to vote at this address in July 2024,” he wrote.
He said that both the SLO County ClerkRecorder and SLO County Superintendent of Schools confirmed that his registration was valid based on the documents he presented.
Breese then pointed to his opponent, current board member Nathan Williams, and claimed that Williams, among others, had used “underhanded political tactics” to prevent people from voting for him.
“If you had concerns about my eligibility, why not act like adults and address the matter with me directly before rushing to the authorities?” he asked. “Why raise this issue now, knowing full well that the authorities will not have time to investigate before Election Day, leaving false allegations hanging over me?”
Williams told New Times that he wasn’t involved with the complaint and didn’t go to the media about it.
“I don’t want to deal with any of this nonsense. I don’t want to be a part of this,” he said. “I didn’t file a complaint. I didn’t work with the author of the complaint.”
Breese’s letter claims that he has photographic proof of Williams opening private mailboxes on Red Cloud Road near Breese’s residence.
“Besides being a federal offense, this suggests Mr. Williams is desperate to catch me in a lie because he lacks confidence in winning the election fairly,” the letter said.
“As a result, he has been reported to the U.S. Postal Service, which will take appropriate action.”
According to a copy of that complaint, Enney reported Williams’ alleged violation to the Postal Inspection Service claiming Williams had been walking around Red Cloud Road illegally placing campaign materials in various mailboxes.
Under federal law, it is illegal to deposit unstamped mailable matter in mailboxes, a crime punishable by a $300 fine per offense.
Enney did not reply to New Times’ requests for comment.
Williams said he sees this accusation as a way to deflect from Breese’s own ongoing allegations.
“If you look at the sequence of events, allegations were made against [Breese], whether founded or not, it’s not my business,” he said. “And then immediately afterwards, himself and [Enney] went out of their way to try to deflect it and turn it around on me.”
Williams said he wasn’t aware that he was breaking the law and had not been contacted by the Postal Inspection Service as of Oct. 30.
“And even if I [was contacted], there was no malicious intent,” he said.
—Libbey Hanson
Dana Reserve annexation proposal goes before LAFCO on Nov. 14
The Dana Reserve inches closer to reality after the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors approved a property tax agreement with the Nipomo Community Services District (NCSD) on Oct. 22.
Following a back-and-forth negotiation between the NCSD and county, the two finally came to an agreement after negotiating over their conflicting property tax policies.
Third District Supervisor Dawn OrtizLegg was in favor of breaking the county’s policy, claiming during a July meeting that the county needed the 288-acre housing development.
“I think that as good neighbors we really need to work together with the NCSD and try to help them address their needs,” she said. “I really appreciate staff for going back after and working really hard at finding an agreement on this, and while there could be some missing revenues, not extensive, I think that the overall benefit of this project [is] for the entire county.”
The county’s policy holds that funding for independent special districts should not result in a net fiscal loss to the county, directly conflicting with the NCSD annexation policy outlining that the amount of percentage of property tax revenue exchange in future years should remain consistent with historic property tax revenue sharing agreements.
If the two government agencies didn’t come to an agreement about how the potential property taxes generated by the 1,370 residential unit housing project would be divvied up, the Dana Reserve would be at a standstill.
Ortiz-Legg said that the project was too important for that. In an unprecedented decision, the Board of Supervisors decided to offer NCSD approximately 2.4 percent of
the property tax while giving the rest to the county, with 2nd District Supervisor Bruce Gibson and 4th District Supervisor Jimmy Paulding dissenting.
This split would generate a loss to the county’s general fund of between $139,707 to $882,518 a year.
The NCSD’s board voted to agree to the offer during its Aug. 28 meeting, which more than 100 people attended. NCSD General Manager Ray Dienzo told directors at the time that the 2.4 percent would go to much-needed wastewater infrastructure improvements.
Now the Dana Reserve’s annexation into the NCSD will go before the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) on Nov. 14. The hearing will be held at the Board of Supervisors chambers at 9 a.m.
—Samantha Herrera
SLO County Health Agency unites care with new access and crisis services division
San Luis Obispo County’s Healthy Agency is bringing crisis and stabilization services under one sustainable umbrella.
“The current system is that access and crisis is spread out among all of the divisions,” Behavioral Health Director Star Graber said at the SLO County Board of Supervisors meeting on Oct. 22. “If it’s the youth division, it would be a different division manager. If the patient is an adult client, it would be a different manager. What this does is bring all of that together in centralized division but still allows different populations to be served, and also allows the divisions to really focus on their specific knowledge in that arena.”
Germinated several years ago under a strategic plan, the new access and crisis services division under the agency’s behavioral health department would provide managed care, crisis coordination, and oversight of round-the-clock programs and services. Licensed Clinical Social Worker Samantha Parker was appointed as the overarching division manager.
With unanimous approval from supervisors, SLO County now joins the counties of Alameda, Santa Cruz, and San Joaquin that have similar access and crisis services divisions that cross over different departments.
SLO County’s division will offer crisis and urgent services for youth, adults, and criminal justice-involved clients. It will also oversee contracted services like the mental health evaluation team, mobile crisis team, the hotline, the sobering center, the crisis stabilization unit, external hospitals and institutions for mental diseases, residential treatment facilities, and transportation contracts.
The next step is to transfer employees from existing departments to the new one. Of the 20 required employees, 18 are pre-existing positions like Community Action Team staff who will move over from the Justice Services division. The county is also adding a new program manager who will manage crisis continuum contracts and supervise the administrative access team—the people who answer phones on the access and information line.
What’s known vs. what’s new
Six candidates fight for three spots on the Lucia Mar school board
Three incumbents on the Lucia Mar Unified School District board face off against three newcomers who share the same goal: to remake and rebuild the board.
New Times spoke with the incumbents Don Stewart, Dee Santos, and Vicki Meagher but was unable to speak with the other candidates. Paul Bischoff declined New Times’ request for an interview while Paul Hively and Mike Fuller didn’t respond to their respective requests.
Trustee Area 1
Stewart has spent that last 14 years in the education sector and is currently a full-time faculty member at Allan Hancock College teaching art education while serving as a Lucia Mar board member.
Stewart said he’s accomplished a lot during his tenure, especially these past four years, as the district’s emphasized student wellness and safety, work he wants to continue.
“That’s our top priority, so when it comes to wellness, we’re being able to expand counseling services in all the grades and to the younger ones as well,” he said. “We’re trying to reinforce a sense of belonging and just sort of meet our students where they are, and that’s been great.”
With a high cost of living on the Central Coast, Stewart said if he gets reelected, he wants to work on a way to keep younger
professionals in the district.
“I’d be really interested in sort of starting the conversation with some surplus land, about possibly building or connecting with builders for workforce housing that might allow us, our early career professionals, to afford living here and start families here,” he said.
Stewart’s running against Bischoff, a California native who wants to focus on bringing the school board back to the basics and increasing academic performance.
“Despite our technologically advanced state, our society is really arrogant in its thinking,” his website states. “Time-tested educational strategies have given way to new methods and promises of increased performance, but the promised increase in academic achievement has not materialized. … I’ll work to cast aside over-promising and under-delivering methods and implement what has worked and served us well for decades.”
Bischoff also promises to bring parental rights back to the district and reduce its “spending problem” by lowering costs on things such as fees paid to contractors and third-party suppliers.
“Our education leaders have lost their way on this subject,” his website states. “From my view, many members of the current board see parents as a nuisance to be tolerated rather than a respected partner to be esteemed. It’s no wonder parents are frustrated and don’t feel heard. I’ll work to change the attitude and philosophy of the board, so parents’ input drives the decision-making.”
Trustee Area 2
A previous Grover Beach mayor and a current advocate for trade schools, Santos is running for reelection after spearheading the district’s new career pathway programs.
“So many kids and their parents can’t afford to send them to college, nor can they afford to work their way through,” she said. “I keep telling them, you go to one of these trade schools, get a profession, and you can always further on your education and get your own business, not just work for them.”
After watching high schools in Shandon and Paso Robles offer trade classes, Santos said she knew Lucia Mar needed to catch up and offer the same.
In the past year the district has built new cosmetology and culinary centers, and Santos said she’s proud of the district for introducing important life skills for the students.
“If you don’t use it in school, you can always use it at home,” she said.
The 3,500-square-foot culinary facility at Arroyo Grande High School has 12 student stations equipped with ovens and prep tables. The $4.8 million facility has three fridges and one freezer, two ovens and warming cabinets, char broilers, and an outdoor eating area with shade sails.
Lucia Mar won a $1.7 million state grant for the project and paid the remaining cost out-of-pocket.
Santos is facing Hively, who believes that the district needs to respect the rights of parents, be held financially accountable, and conduct classs without personal or political agendas, according to his website.
Hively promises to return the district to academic excellence, have a bigger focus on parental rights, and vote no on Measure H-24—a $143 million bond that would pay to upgrade, repair, and expand school facilities and infrastructure.
“In 2016, voters approved a $170 million bond, which we are still paying off,” his website states. “Now, amid unprecedented inflation (affecting housing, food, and fuel costs), the district is seeking additional funds. Working families are already battling these rising expenses, and the proposal of another $143 million bond seems out of touch with our current economic reality.”
Trustee Area 4
Meagher, who retired from teaching in 2010 after 38 years in the field, has been on the board since 2012 and prides herself on being pro-teacher and pro-student.
Like Santos and Stewart, Meagher is proud of the work the school board has accomplished with new career pathways for students.
“I’m really proud of that, and I want to continue working on that,” she said. “We’ve also expanded the dual enrollment with Cuesta College so students can get credit there, as well as their placement testing. We have 95 sections of dual enrollment, and if they plan it right, a few kids have graduated with their AA degree when they graduated from high school.”
School safety is important to Meagher, and she said in the past few years the district has really upgraded safety on its campuses with central locations to enter and exit and fenced-off campuses.
“There’s a check-in system in place to identify people that are coming onto campus, we have cameras and more lighting just to maintain a safe environment,” she said. “We also have security people in place at our high schools.”
Meagher said since she’s been on the board, everybody works together as a team, and, if reelected, she wants to continue that spirit.
“We support each other, support our staff, support our kids, support our parents,” she said.
Meagher is running against Fuller, a former Arroyo Grande City Council member whose goal is to foster greater family participation in the educational process, as well as supporting teachers. Similar to the other first-time candidates, Fuller said he’s dedicated to improving Lucia Mar’s educational standards and addressing pandemicrelated learning loss.
“Our focus should be on academic achievement, not political agendas,” his website states. “As enrollment in private schools and homeschooling increases, we must enhance the quality of our public education.” ∆
Reach Staff Writer Samantha Herrera at sherrera@newtimesslo.com.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF DON STEWART, DEE SANTOS, AND VICKI MEAGHER
MEET THE INCUMBENTS Don Stewart (left) running to represent Lucia Mar school board’s Trustee Area 1, Dee Santos (center) running for Trustee Area 2, and Vicki Meagher (right) running for Trustee Area 4 will face off against three candidates who want to focus on parental rights and academic achievement.
Renewable and off-putting
For the first time in the city’s 60 years, Morro Bay is having an uncontested election for City Council and mayor despite polarizing public opinions and activism over renewable energy issues.
Incumbent Mayor Carla Wixom, first elected in 2022, has secured a second term as mayor because no one is running against her this year. With terms ending for sitting City Councilmembers Jennifer Ford and Laurel Barton and neither running for reelection, their two seats on the all-women City Council now belong to the only two candidates running—Bill Luffee and Jeff Eckles.
Current City Councilmember Ford told New Times that she wasn’t running for reelection so she could focus on her family and professional career. Barton didn’t reply before press time.
Morro Bay’s only seen one other uncontested mayoral race in 1976, when former Mayor Dale Mitchell was elected, and the city’s never seen such an election for City Council, City Clerk Dana Swanson confirmed.
In a time of political polarization and residents engaged in the issue of renewable energy, why aren’t more Morro Bay residents running for city government?
Mayor Wixom attributed this to two factors: First, the city is doing a good job at engaging with the community and being transparent. And second, the city’s unique issues may feel too large to commit to.
“You’re asking for a four-year commitment, and I think there’s a lot going on, so I don’t really know the answer for sure. But I think there’s just a lot of factors in that right now,” she said.
Those factors include renewable energy, as the city grapples with the potential development of projects like the offshore wind farm and battery plant.
“Our community is very passionate and very engaged, and which is why I ran. Because I love my home, I love my community, and I really feel that that’s what motivates most of us to do it,” Wixom said,
“but it is a commitment.”
Residents and organizations such as the REACT Alliance have argued against offshore wind farms, saying that the structures would harm existing wildlife and ecosystems, while proponents assert that such farms could provide the city and county with more renewable energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The potential Vistra battery energy storage plant project has some residents nervous about ruining the beauty of the coastline, disrupting wildlife, and causing potential fires. This prompted ballot measure A-24, asking residents to take away City Council jurisdiction over 103 acres of land near the power plant property, aiming to block its approval and construction and rely on voters to decide what to do with the land.
With just these issues alone, Wixom said Morro Bay is seeing public disputes and issues at a scale it’s never seen before.
“We’ve always had [environmental issues] because we’ve had the power plant, and there’s always been our fishing industry, which is different from any other municipality in the county,” Wixom said. “No one else has a harbor that they have to contend with, with Coastal Commission, environmental issues, and estuaries, so it’s a lot.”
On top of that, the City Council must ensure that the city is running smoothly on a daily basis.
All of it together could seem daunting, and Wixom suggested that residents may not run for city office because they prefer to dedicate themselves to a single cause.
“I think that they can allow their focus to be on that one item, that’s what’s going on,” she said. “Grassroots groups that have started up where they’re just single focused. You know, the Vistra project, the battery storage project, and A-24, even though they’re two separate things, one’s about process and the other’s about the actual facility, they still tie together.”
Wixom said that even though residents hold opposing views, they all have one thing in common: where they live.
BY
“As we participate in what renewable energy looks like in the city of Morro Bay, we certainly want to be at the table for all those conversations as decision-makers and policymakers for our community,” she said. “But at the forefront of all that is about balancing our pristine coastline that we have—our estuary. And you know, it always has to be at the forefront of the decisions we make.”
Wixom said she believes that both Luffee and Eckles are up for the task of serving on the City Council.
Luffee, a 50-year resident of SLO County and a Cal Poly graduate, owns two local businesses and has served on the Harbor Advisory Board for seven years.
“So, I got a little taste of politics in the city and how it runs, and I just really wanted to give back on a full-time basis, so I decided to run,” he said.
When it comes to serving on the City Council, Luffee said he sees it as no small gig.
“It’s a full-time job. I mean, anyone who takes this job on and thinks they’re just going to go to City Council meetings twice a month, they’re going to be very surprised,” he said. “There’s a lot of work, there’s a lot of things going on, and we need to have eyes to make sure that we’re fiscally responsible for everything.”
Luffee said he attributes the lack of candidates to the Vistra battery plant and is voting no on A-24.
“I don’t think anyone wants to get
involved because the community is very, I say, fractured to a certain extent, and very passionate about whether the battery facility should go in there or not. So I just don’t think people really wanted to have to deal with that over the next four years,” he said.
Despite believing that the plant will be approved whether A-24 passes or not, he said he worries that if the measure does get approved, decisions about the plant will be out of the city’s hands.
“I think the state wants this battery facility. And if A-24 passes, they’re just going to put it in, and we will have no say. We will not have a seat at the table,” he said.
Eckles believes differently.
“I support A-24. I think it’s a good initiative, and it affirms the people’s voice,” the longtime Morro Bay resident said.
Eckles is the SLO County Housing Trust Fund’s CEO and has also served on the Harbor Advisory Board. He felt the time was right to finally run for council, he said. While he was surprised about the uncontested election, he said the reasons could be political divisions and having three qualified candidates.
“I attribute that to the divisive political environment that we face, particularly at the national level, and to a degree at the local level, as well as the fact that we had three suitable candidates,” he said. “So I think it’s a combination.” ∆
Reach Staff Writer Libbey Hanson at lhanson@newtimesslo.com.
PHOTO
JAYSON MELLOM
The 10-year stretch
San Luis Obispo Yoga Center has been a hub for local yogis since the 1990s. But with multiple iterations over the years, the spot now called The Center is ushering in its 10th anniversary of being more than a yoga studio.
“I just have always appreciated and enjoyed sort of that energy and motivation that you get from being in a group of people,” The Center co-owner Steph Stackhouse said. “When we were living in Washington, I was going to a gym, and I was doing kickboxing classes, boot camp classes, some barre classes in some different barre studios. We actually went to a yoga festival years ago, and they were offering aerial yoga, and I’d never tried it before.”
Stackhouse runs The Center with her husband, Andrew Stackhouse. Both Cal Poly graduates, the pair lived in Kirkland, Washington, when they started practicing yoga. The Stackhouses moved back to California in 2014 with 200-hour yoga teacher training certificates in hand and bought the yoga studio on Nov. 1 that year.
“I was still working at Microsoft, even remotely at that time, but when we came to learn of this opportunity to buy the studio, we jumped at it,” Steph Stackhouse said. “Over these past 10 years, my gosh, we’ve gone through a lot of different changes.”
and selects a local organization to support by offering a percentage of total monthly sales and all donations received through community donation-based classes. Some of the groups the Seva yoga program has supported include Habitat for Humanity SLO County, R.A.C.E. Matters, and The Land Conservancy of SLO County.
“We are definitely coming from a place of feeling very privileged and grateful to be able to do that, and as a way of honoring the practice, we are always trying to think about, what can we do to give back while also being a sustainable person,” Stackhouse said.
Come Nov. 1, The Center will join hands with another local team to celebrate its anniversary. Community members can ring in the milestone at Art After Dark and enjoy the work of Forever Stoked’s artists. It will take place on the first floor of the studio at 672 Higuera St. between 5 and 8 p.m. Sign up at thecenterslo.com/events.
First-time visitors to The Center can also take their initial class for free throughout November. Book a class at thecenterslo.com/schedule and select “First Class FREE” at checkout.
One of the earliest changes was rebranding the European named Yoga Centre to SLO Yoga Center. Post COVID-19, the studio’s name changed to The Center to represent that it offers different movement modalities like kickboxing, barre classes, Pilates classes, aerial yoga, and even sound baths.
Eventually, The Center also added a boutique shop adjacent to its three-story studio that stocks workout wear, mats, and other goods.
“I also teach yoga at the California Men’s Colony on Wednesdays, and I often get feedback from students like, ‘Whoa. That was not what I was expecting; I thought it was stretching and different things,’” Stackhouse said with a laugh. “The benefits just go far beyond whatever happens on the mat, and it kind of has this ability to be holistic in what it provides.”
The Center prides itself on giving back to the community. Each month, the studio engages in Seva yoga—Seva being the Sanskrit term for selfless action or service—
“It’s really about self-awareness and being present. That was the piece that drew me to yoga in the first place,” Stackhouse said. “Instead of worrying about what’s coming up or something that’s happened in the past, let me just get centered in the present, and all is well right here, right now.
“Then from that place, I can kind of move forward and respond in a, hopefully, more skillful way with these tools that yoga has provided.”
Fast fact
• The Morro Bay Shanty Project donated $450 to the Morro Bay Youth Sailing Foundation. The money the group of singers collects is used to offset their costs and to support local charities. Follow them on Facebook or send them an email at morrobayshantyproject@ gmail.com. The youth sailing foundation uses donations like the Shanty Project’s for scholarships, coaching, regatta fees, and sailing equipment. ∆
Reach Staff Writer Bulbul Rajagopal at brajagopal@newtimesslo.com.
JUST BREATHE Along with numerous kinds of yoga—like the heated, gentle, aerial, and Vinyasa varieties—The Center teaches other classes like kickboxing, Pilates, and barre.
PHOTO COURTESY OF STEPH STACKHOUSE
POLLS OPEN 7:00 AM - 8:00 PM TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2024
It’s impossible for Democrats to be worse than Trump
I feel sorry for John Donegan (“Who threatens democracy,” Oct. 24). It must be hard to pledge allegiance to a political party that is completely under the dominance of someone who is patently corrupt; a multibankrupted debt deadbeat; a self-confessed serial groper and adjudicated assaulter of women; and a lying, foulmouthed, namecalling, draft-dodging megalomaniacal old geezer, who has threatened to jail, or possibly execute, his opponents and to shut down media outlets that have the temerity to oppose his views. Donegan is trying to claim that the Democrats are somehow worse. I don’t think that is possible.
Mark Henry San Luis Obispo
Charles Varni is the one who’s for Oceano
I recently read mailers from each of the two candidates for Director of District 5 for the Oceano Community Services District (OCSD). The contrast could not be more dramatic.
Charles Varni’s flyer is filled with important information from his endorsees, statements about his values and community priorities, and an extensive list of his accomplishments over the past two years. In contrast, his opposition’s mailer contains no statement about the candidates’ values, priorities, or beliefs. Instead, it is a compilation of absolute lies, exaggerations, and manipulations meant to deceive the public. One example claims that Varni is responsible for incurring costs associated with the OCSD meeting twice a month, when in fact the OCSD was meeting twice monthly for years before Varni ever joined the district.
From my observations over the last two years, Varni is very informed and hardworking and is deeply committed to the betterment of Oceano. On the other hand, his opponent seems to take positions that are not in the best interest of the residents. Instead, her votes have favored just a few investors whose goal is to further their financial stake in the community at the expense of the townspeople.
Robert Bronte Oceano
Only one candidate would assure a balanced Port San Luis Harbor future
I appreciate the Port San Luis Harbor
be responsible to clean up the site. Not true. Cleanup is the responsibility of the property owner, Vistra.
Why is Yes on A-24 so important? Just Google “fires at lithium battery storage facilities.” Check out the fires in Escondido, Chula Vista, and the fire at Moss Landing, including the shutdown of Highway 1 and the shelter-in-place orders due to toxic fumes. See how property sales are down.
Think of it—a highly toxic, lithium battery storage plant, known to be at risk of spontaneously combusting, in the middle of Morro Bay. Next to homes … the high school … kids’ sports fields. Shouldn’t residents have the right to decide? Vote Yes on A-24.
The newspaper also stated that Cal Fire officials estimated that crews sprayed 8 million gallons of water to keep the fire contained, along with chemical foam to put the fire out finally.
Where will 8 million gallons, laden with toxic chemicals, go from that site in Morro Bay?
I will vote for safety first.
District Commission, District 2, candidate article by Samantha Herrera on Oct. 24 (“Port San Luis Harbor commissioner candidates discuss the port’s future”). The candidates, Richard Scangarello and Katie Lichtig expressed their vision for the harbor district if elected. One candidate had a myopic plan, and the other candidate viewed the big picture of this government agency.
IMAGEFROMADOBESTOCK
Mr. Scangarello, declared as another “commercial fisherman,” said if elected, he would make the third special interest (fishermen) commissioner on the board. He has a narrow focus on how the harbor should operate—a narrow view of the “public trust” doctrine that mandates the port to serve all the public, not just one special group (commercial fishermen).
A balanced diverse harbor commission would insure a successful future. Candidate Katie Lichtig with her related education and extensive governmental work experience, makes her the most qualified for the position. My vote is for her.
Jay Elder harbor manager (retired) Portland
Morro Bay Measure A-24’s elephant in the room
Morro Bay’s A-24 is a land use question— hard to understand, difficult to explain.
Bottom line: Yes on A-24 will give citizens of Morro Bay the right to vote on the battery storage plant proposed at the power plant site.
Those against A-24 will tell you it has nothing to do with the battery facility. Not true. It paves the way for a quick path to approval.
Yes on A-24 gives another layer of participation by giving Morro Bay residents the right to vote on the project. It protects against a three-person majority vote from the City Council alone to decide this important issue.
Opponents say the measure will take local control away. Not true. What’s more local than the people who live there? Plus, the City Council will still play an important role. Opponents say Sacramento will decide. This is misleading and manipulative. Sacramento—really the California Coastal Commission—will be involved in any project, no matter what.
Opponents say Morro Bay residents will
Bay
D. Nelson Morro
A vote for Measure A-24 is a vote for safety
We need battery storage, but not next to our high school, sea otter nursery, and residential areas. We are talking about an evacuation situation because of fire and the release of toxic smoke.
These installations catch on fire. With large-scale lithium ion battery energy storage systems (BESS) there have been 40 known fires in recent years, according to research from Newcastle University.
These fires happen because lithium ion batteries can overheat during charging. Once a battery overheats and the process of “thermal runaway” occurs, it can be nearly impossible to extinguish.
An example from San Diego County is the Otay Mesa BESS fire that began on May 15 this year.
According to The San Diego Union-Tribune, an evacuation order was issued and the fire took 10 days to extinguish.
Speak up!
Debbie Highfill Morro
Think of our planet when you vote
Bay
As the election draws closer, we cannot ignore the growing impact of climate change on our communities. Hurricane Helene and now Hurricane Milton, along with dozens of wildfires this past summer—they’re all clear warning signs of a very real climate crisis. This issue deserves more attention than it’s received so far this election cycle. During the presidential debate, only one brief question was asked about climate at the very end. The fact is, the climate crisis impacts us all, no matter where we live or how much money we make. Americans are being told to flee their homes and risk losing everything. Meanwhile, Big Oil continues to put profits over people by prioritizing fossil fuels that continue to destroy our environment. We cannot afford to lose any more time in the fight against the climate crisis. We need leaders—at the federal, state, and local level—who believe in the science of climate change and are willing or can be convinced to take bold action before it’s too late. So I urge everyone: When you cast your ballot this November, think of our planet and the people that call it home.
Judith Anderson San Luis Obispo
The face of fascism
Once a leading prime-time propagandist on Fox News, Tucker Carlson is the embodiment of the type of angry, hyper-masculine face that animates the Trump campaign. He regularly embraces such vitriolic, anti-feminist bombast that it fits perfectly with one of the defining features of fascism.
Recently, Carlson introduced Trump at a rally in Georgia with a truly creepy speech that fantasized about “spanking” all those uppity girls and women who’ve dared to defy the far-right image of the submissive female: “There has to be a point at which Dad comes home. Yeah, that’s right, Dad comes home, and he’s pissed. Dad is pissed! He’s not vengeful, he loves his children, disobedient as they may be. And when Dad gets home, you know what he says? ‘You’ve been a bad girl. You’ve been a bad little girl and you’re getting a vigorous spanking right now. And no, it’s not going to hurt me more than it hurts you, no it’s not. I’m not going to lie. It’s going to hurt you a lot more than it hurts me.’”
That’s an exact quote.
And the crowd responded by chanting, “Daddy’s home!” and “Daddy Don!” Can there be any doubt that the MAGA faithful, prompted by Trump and Carlson, are fostering the worst impulses of virulent misogyny, toxic masculinity, and rape culture?
Late-night comedian Seth Meyer pointed out that Trump himself was the object of a spanking by his favorite porn star— performed with the Forbes magazine with his picture on the cover!
Seriously, though, the onslaught against women orchestrated by Trump and his media allies is just one more indication of his fascist impulses. As John Kelly, Trump’s longest-serving White House chief of staff, warned just last week, Trump “fits into the general definition of fascist.”
As American GIs were preparing to go to war against Hitler in WWII, the War Department informed them about fascism in a series of pamphlets designed “to help become better-informed men and women and therefore better soldiers.”
“You are away from home, separated from your families, no longer at a civilian job or at school and many of you are risking your very lives, because of a thing called fascism.”
But, the publication asked, what is fascism? “Fascism is not the easiest thing to identify and analyze,” it said, “nor, once in power, is it easy to destroy. It is important for our future and that of the world that as many of us as possible understand the causes and practices of fascism, in order to combat it.”
Fascism, the U.S. government document explained, “is government by the few and for the few. The objective is seizure and control of the economic, political, social, and cultural life of the state. The people run democratic governments, but fascist governments run the people.”
“The basic principles of democracy stand in the way of their desires; hence— democracy must go! Anyone who is not a member of their inner gang has to do what he’s told. They permit no civil liberties, no equality before the law.”
Most significantly to our current topic, the pamphlet offers this truth:
“Fascism treats women as mere breeders. ‘Children, kitchen, and the church,’ was the Nazi slogan for women.”
It’s most disturbing that Trump tried to reassure women, in a late September speech in Pennsylvania, with the following lines:
“You will no longer be in danger. You will no longer have anxiety from all of the problems our country has today. You will be protected, and I will be your protector. Women will be happy, healthy, confident, and free. You will no longer be thinking about abortion—that’s all they talk about, abortion—because we have done something nobody else could have done.”
Is it any surprise that Trump permits speakers at his campaign rallies to disparage Kamala Harris as a prostitute with “pimp handlers”?
Can it get any worse? Yes.
Famous MAGA pastor and Christian nationalist pastor Joel Webbon is a rising star in the GOP. Webbon would like to repeal the 19th Amendment and revoke women’s right to vote because that’s “the Christian position.” He’s in support of a bill in Oklahoma that could require women who claim rape, but can’t prove it, should be publicly executed: “If you perjure yourself by bearing false witness accusing somebody else, whatever the penalty would have been for that person had they been found guilty, then that penalty should fall on your head for falsely accusing them. … False accusing, playing the victim when you’re actually not; you know how to end that real fast? All you have to do is publicly execute a few women who have lied.”
Let’s call Trump and his acolytes what they are: fascists, eager to place women in the subservient role where they will be seen and not heard. Eager to prosecute and punish “the enemy within.” An NPR investigation has revealed that since 2022, Trump has issued more than 100 threats to investigate, prosecute, imprison, or otherwise punish “radical left lunatics”—an ever-larger group that includes not just Democrats but “disloyal” Republicans like Liz Cheney, former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley, and all of the dozens of those former staff members from his first term who have publicly opposed him.
Trump and his MAGA allies have done lasting damage to our national civic culture. Even if he is soundly defeated in next week’s election, his presence will hang like the fabled Sword of Damocles over the Oval Office. And if he wins, he will not hesitate to use the sword to smite his enemies far and wide in order to execute his campaign of “revenge and retribution”—and all of you “uppity women” had best be prepared for mortal combat. ∆
John Ashbaugh takes no comfort in the fact that he’s a “him.” Send your comments by writing to editor@newtimesslo.com
Tit for tat
The crescendo of drama in Paso Robles just keeps getting louder and louder. Is it a slew of October surprises or a story about a dysfunctional city with too many ultra-right crazies in it that don’t think the conservative governing bodies in the city are quite conservative enough for them? Or is it that certain elected officials saw a power vacuum that they decided they were going to fill? Or was it the paid parking conversation that really did it?
I have my hunches, but the jury’s still out. Not only do we have a pair of Paso City Council candidates with their eye on the prize—getting rid of City Manager Ty Lewis for his crime of simply being Ty Lewis, we also have a battle of letter-writing in one local newspaper, a conspiracy theory involving a sitting council member, a self-styled “investigative reporter,” and the city manager, and we have allegations of federal fraud against both candidates in one school board race. I’ve been eating so much popcorn lately, my gears are clogged with kernels.
Rumors about Paso City Councilmember Chris “Ty Won’t Do What I Want” Bausch and Cal Coast “News” Diva Karen Velie and their vendetta against Lewis have circulated for months, leaking the occasional email copied to local media outlets and city responses to Public Records Act requests.
Now, thanks to a strange and convoluted he-said/she-said story in The Tribune that doesn’t point to any hard evidence and
comes complete with anonymous sources, the rumor and weird little side-tangent allegations that come with it are out and about for all to read.
Mayor John Hamon and Bausch have been trading barbs in the Paso Robles Press with letters to the editor, not conversations with reporters. Velie wrote a diatribe defending herself and her compatriots—calling everyone else a liar, of course, and accusing the “anonymous” sources by name. The journalism is astounding.
Meanwhile, Hunter Breese, running for a seat on the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District against incumbent Nathan Williams, also decided he would rather write a letter to the editor than respond to any reporter requests for comment about the voter fraud allegation leveled against him. Sure seems a lot easier to spin your narrative than it is to be questioned on it, doesn’t it?
In that letter, Breese accuses Williams of breaking U.S. Postal Service laws by dropping unstamped flyers into mailboxes near Breese’s brand-new address!
Are we spying now?
Breese, unsurprisingly, did speak with Velie for a story about the allegations. You can read what he said right next to the advertisement urging readers to vote for Breese, Kenney Enney, Leo Castillo, and
Laurene McCoy for Paso school board. Velie calls the person who filed the fraud allegation complaint a witch. Sick burn!
Enney filed a complaint against Williams—Enney, whose girlfriend is renting to Breese so he can run in the 3rd District election. Williams said he didn’t know he was breaking the law.
“If you look at the sequence of events, allegations were made against [Breese], whether founded or not, it’s not my business,” he said. “And then immediately afterwards, himself and [Enney] went out of their way to try to deflect it and turn it around on me.”
Are we actually in high school? Or are these adults who want to make decisions and policies to further the quality of Paso’s public education system?
Meanwhile, certain candidates in the Lucia Mar Unified School District are also silent when it comes to talking to local media. No surprises here: It’s the three spawned by Grace Bible Church who are committed to strengthening parents’ rights in public education but not necessarily the public’s right to know anything about the candidates other than what the candidates want you to know.
But, I guess, at least the incumbents have challengers. That’s more than anyone can say for Morro Bay, a politically charged city where people seem to care more about one ballot measure than who’s actually going to make decisions on the City Council.
For the first time ever, everyone on the
ballot is going to be serving on the next iteration of the City Council.
Really? All of that activism against the proposed battery energy storage facility and offshore wind farms and that’s it? Everyone wants to criticize the council but not actually participate on it.
Incumbent Mayor Carla Wixom, who’s already secured another term before the ballots get counted, thinks that maybe the city’s issues are just too big to commit to.
“We’ve always had [environmental issues] because we’ve had the power plant, and there’s always been our fishing industry,” Wixom said. “No one else has a harbor that they have to contend with, with Coastal Commission, environmental issues, and estuaries, so it’s a lot.”
Maybe people just prefer to be one-cause activists, she added.
Well, it’s easy to complain. All the residents of Morro Bay have decided to do, rather than run, is to mount a ballot measure that would actually take power away from its City Council. Nice!
Now, Vistra’s decided that that it’s had enough of Morro Bay and its residents. The energy company pulled its battery storage facility project from the city and is going directly to the state.
Looks like Vistra already stripped the City Council of its power.
The Shredder is an excellent complainer. Send your complaints to shredder@newtimesslo.com.
Hot Dates
ARTS
NORTH COAST SLO COUNTY
THE CALM WATERS GROUP
PHOTOGRAPHY SHOW Featuring the artworks of Kerry Drager, Teresa Ferguson, Karen Peterson, Greg Siragusa, and Jessica Weiss. Nov. 1-30 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. (805) 772-1068. galleryatmarinasquare.com. Gallery at Marina Square, 601 Embarcadero suite 10, Morro Bay.
COASTAL WINE AND PAINT PARTY
Listen to music while enjoying an afternoon of creativity, sipping, and mingling. The party includes a complimentary glass of wine and canvas with materials. Saturdays, 12-2 p.m. $55. (805) 394-5560. coastalwineandpaint. com. Harmony Cafe at the Pewter Plough, 824 Main St., Cambria.
FINE ART PAINTINGS BY SPANKY ANDERSON Anderson is a prominent musician who also is an excellent painter, whose artworks feature the sunsets and dawns of Central Coast and Georgia. Nov. 1-29 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. (805) 772-1068. galleryatmarinasquare. com. Gallery at Marina Square, 601 Embarcadero suite 10, Morro Bay.
LARRY LE BRANE’S ART IN LOS OSOS: HARVEST AND HOLIDAY SEASON
Explore Larry Le Brane’s fused glass, sculpture, paintings and drawings at Costa Gallery this fall and winter. Owner Michael J. Costa features diverse work by 20 California artists. They wrap and ship gifts, too. Stop by for seasonal treats and surprises. Nov. 1 , 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Nov. 2 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Nov. 3 12-4 p.m. and Thursdays-Sundays, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. through Dec. 29 Free admission. (559)
799-9632. facebook.com/costagallery. Costa Gallery, 2087 10th St., Los Osos. ON GOLDEN POND Experience the heartwarming classic on stage at Cambria Center for the Arts. Tickets are available now for this timeless, touching production. Nov. 1 , 7-9 p.m., Nov. 2 2-4 & 7-9 p.m., Nov. 3 2-4 p.m., Nov. 8 7-9 p.m., Nov. 9 2-4 & 7-9 p.m. and Nov. 10 2-4 p.m. $20-$30. (805) 927-8190. cambriaarts.org/shows-andperformances. Cambria Center for the Arts Theatre, 1350 Main St., Cambria. PROCREATE MONTHLY ARTIST GROUP Learn the basic tools for using the iPad app, Procreate. Every month, group focuses on a different way to use Procreate, sometimes starting with a “how-to” video. Join a supportive community and navigate the digital world together. First Wednesday of every month, 1-3 p.m. through March 6 $10. (805) 927-8190. cambriaarts.org. Cambria Center for the Arts, 1350 Main St., Cambria.
SPANKY ANDERSON, THE CALM WATERS GROUP SHOW, AND DEBBIE GEDAYLOO: ARTISTS RECEPTION AND ATRIUM PARTY Come meet the artists, be inspired, and enjoy food, refreshments, a tree-filled atrium and all the businesses in Marina Square. Nov. 9 3-5 p.m. Free. (805) 772-1068. galleryatmarinasquare.com. Gallery at Marina Square, 601 Embarcadero suite 10, Morro Bay.
UNCORK YOUR CREATIVITY: COASTAL WINE AND PAINT PARTY Offering a unique opportunity to sip wine while painting stunning ocean-inspired landscapes. All materials included. Saturdays, 12-2 p.m. $60. (805) 394-5560. coastalwineandpaint.com. Harmony Cafe at the Pewter Plough, 824 Main St., Cambria.
NORTH SLO COUNTY
2024 RESTORING THE ARTS TO ATASCADERO CAMPAIGN This fundraising campaign, which kicks off with the Brick by Brick Wine Festival on Nov. 9 at the Atascadero Printery, is seeking sponsors. Followed by a gala event on Nov. 10 at Allegretto Vineyard Resort. Through Nov. 10 atascaderoprintery.org. Allegretto Vineyard Resort, 2700 Buena Vista Drive, Paso Robles.
A-TOWN ARTHOP Discover the vibrant heart of downtown Atascadero at the A-Town Art Hop, a free, self-guided art walk that coincides with the city’s Fall First Friday, where local shops transform into galleries showcasing the work of talented local and regional artists. Nov. 1 6-9 p.m. Free. atownarthop.org. Downtown Atascadero, 5880 Traffic Way, Atascadero, (805) 464-2564.
ART AFTER DARK: PARK STREET
GALLERY Explore the gallery and see the dynamic paintings of the venue’s newest artist, Patti Robbins. Her canvas is a playground for patterns, and bold, vibrant colors, where she creates striking wall art that commands attention. Refreshments will be served. Nov. 2 , 6-9 p.m. Free. (805) 286-4430. Park Street Gallery, 1320 Park Street, Paso Robles, parkstreetgallery.com.
ART HOP DIA DE LOS MUERTOS
A-Town Art Hop aims to bring together art, culture, and commerce, creating a lively evening that benefits both local businesses and artists. Nov. 1 6-9 p.m. Free. atownarthop.org/. Downtown Atascadero, Entrada Ave., Atascadero.
DEPRISE BRESCIA ART GALLERY:
ONGOING DISPLAYS Features a large selection of encaustic art, sculpted
MORE THAN THIS PROVINCIAL LIFE
The Pacific Conservatory Theatre (PCPA) presents its production of Beauty and the Beast, which premieres at the Marian Theatre in Santa Maria on Thursday, Nov. 7. The show is scheduled to run through Friday, Dec. 22, and its cast includes Edella Oroz Westerfield as Belle and Cordell Cole as Gaston. For tickets and more info, visit pcpa.org.
paintings, art installations, acrylic palette knife paintings, digital art, glass, jewelry, stones, fossils, and a butterfly sculpture garden. ongoing DepriseBrescia.com. Deprise Brescia Art Gallery, 829 10th St., Paso Robles, (310) 621-7543.
ETCHING PRINT DEMO WITH DAVID BUTZ Butz will demonstrate and discuss the inking, wiping, and printing of an etched plate using the etching press. He will be printing Happy Isles Nov. 9 6-8 p.m. Free. (805) 238-9800. studiosonthepark.org. Studios on the Park, 1130 Pine St., Paso Robles.
GOLDEN STATE GOODS X HOOD RITUAL PRESENTS: AWAKE WITHIN A DREAM
Golden State Goods is one of 30 plus downtown businesses hosting artists during the next A-Town Arthop, located in downtown Atascadero. Nov. 1 6-9 p.m. Free. (805) 464-2564. goldenstategoods. com. Golden State Goods, 5880 Traffic Way, Atascadero.
HANDCRAFTED FOR THE HOLIDAYS
This annual showcase celebrates some talented crafters and their one-of-a-kind creations. There’s something special for everyone on your list, no matter your taste or budget. Your purchase supports local artists and the venue’s mission of making art accessible to the public. Nov. 2- Dec. 29 Free. (805) 238-9800. studiosonthepark.org. Studios on the Park, 1130 Pine St., Paso Robles.
THE MIRACULOUS JOURNEY OF EDWARD TULANE
See this familyfriendly, heartwarming play about the adventures of a toy bunny and the humans who love him. Experience Edward’s amazing journey after he is lost on the Queen Mary in the 1930s. Based on the award-winning children’s book of the same name. Nov. 7, 7 p.m., Nov. 8 noon and Nov. 9 noon $12-$15.
(805) 591-4770. templetondrama.org. Templeton Performing Arts Center, 1200 S Main St., Templeton.
MONTHLY BIRTHDAY PLATE PAINTING
AT ARTSOCIAL 805 Please join ArtSocial805 on the first Saturday of each month to paint a personalized “Birthday Plate,” for someone special or for yourself. The workshop is $35, which covers the plate, glaze, and firing. First Saturday of every month, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. $35. (805) 400-9107. artsocial805. com. ArtSocial 805 Creative Campus, 631 Spring St., Paso Robles.
NORTH COUNTY CRAFT FAIR The North County Craft Fair returns with two days of fun, including free hot cider and cookies and more. 100 percent of the prize drawing funds raised go to Central Coast Quilts of Valor. Nov. 2-3 , 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Templeton American Legion Hall, 805 South Main St., Templeton, (805) 434-7470.
THINK LIKE A CARTOONIST
WITH LEIGH RUBIN Leigh Rubin, internationally syndicated cartoonist, author, and creator of the long-running comic series, Rubes is coming to the Paso Robles City Library. Rubin will share ideas from his newest book, Think Like a Cartoonist: A Celebration of Humor and Creativity Nov. 9 1-3 p.m. Free. (805) 2373780. prcity.libcal.com/calendar/20448/ cartoonist. Paso Robles City Library, 1000 Spring St., Paso Robles.
SAN LUIS OBISPO
THE LION IN WINTER This modern-day classic is comedic in tone and dramatic in action. “Every family has its ups and downs,” and this royal family is no exception. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8-10 p.m. and Nov. 10, 2-4 p.m. through Nov. 16 $19 students; $30 general admission. (805) 756-1465. theatredance.calpoly. edu/lion-winter-fall-2024. Spanos Theatre, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.
ACTOR’S EDGE: ACTING CLASSES
Actor’s Edge offers film and television acting training in San Luis Obispo, plus exposure to Los Angeles talent agents. All ages and skill levels welcome. Classes available in SLO, LA, and on zoom.
ongoing $210 per month. actorsedge. com. Online, See website, San Luis Obispo.
ART AFTER DARK: CENTURY 21 HOMETOWN REALTY Century 21 Hometown Realty is pleased to host amazing local artists, rotating their art work each month for the ‘Art After Dark’ calendar year. Reception of food and wine. First Friday of every month, 5-8 p.m. through Nov. 1 Century 21 Hometown Realty, 1103 Toro St., San Luis Obispo, (805) 235-4877.
ARTIST NICK WILKINSON: ARCHIVED WORK ON DISPLAY Multidisciplinary artist Nick Wilkinson’s early works (2015-2018) will be on display through the end of November. Wilkinson is a graduate of San Diego State University with honors. His paintings and drawings “exist in a world between investmentgrade abstraction and dirty doodles on the back of a notebook.” Through Nov. 30, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. (805) 439-1611. mylrbookstore.com. MYLR Gallery, 1238 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo. THE ARTIST’S WAY: UNBLOCKING CREATIVITY 12 week program (13 meetings) for creatives and anyone who is seeking to “unblock” their creativity, following Julia Cameron’s famous workbook “The Artist’s Way.” Weekly group discussions and check-ins. Opportunities to share creativity and create community. Email for more info. Tuesdays, 6-8 p.m. through Nov. 26 $195. cuesta.edu. Cuesta College Community Programs, Building 4100 Cuesta College Road, San luis obispo, (805) 540-8282. COLLAGING THE COAST: UNDER THE BOARDWALK WITH LINDA CUNNINGHAM In this workshop, you’ll receive step-by-step instructions for creating a beautiful coastal image using a variety of hand-painted papers. Nov. 2 12-4 p.m. $40. (805) 478-2158. artcentralslo.com. Art Central, 1329 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo. FIRST FRIDAYS Visit SLOMA on the first Friday of each month for exhibition openings, music, and wines provided by regional winery partners. Admission is
—Caleb Wiseblood
COURTESY PHOTO BY LUIS ESCOBAR, REFLECTIONS
Shining the Light on Off shore Wind
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9 Swallow Creek Ranch, Cayucos
Beyond Glory: A Kiwanis Benefit for Honor Flights
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9 Minerva Club of
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10 MCV Wines, Paso Robles
free and open to the public. First Friday of every month, 5-8 p.m. Free. (805) 5438562. sloma.org/events/first-fridays/. San Luis Obispo Museum of Art, 1010 Broad St., San Luis Obispo.
FOUR-WEEK BEGINNING WHEEL
Healing
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9 The Center Yoga Studio & Boutique, SLO
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9
Orchestra Novo Goes Silent: Safety Last
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10 Harold J. Miossi CPAC at Cuesta College
Orcu Backyard Boogie Feat. 90’s Babiez
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9 Blast 825 Brewery, Orcu
SUNDAY,
SERIES A great intro to the pottery wheel. Students learn to throw various shapes and more. Clay and firing included. Book online in advance. Tuesdays, 10:30 a.m.12:30 p.m. through Nov. 26 $180. anamcre. com. Anam Cre Pottery Studio, 1243 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo.
GINI GRIFFIN: SOLO SHOW OF POTS AND PAINTINGS Showing during the month of October at SLO Provisions. Opening reception: Oct 4, from 5 to 8 p.m. Email ginizart@aol.com for more info. Through Oct. 31 SLO Provisions, 1255 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo, (805) 439-4298.
HADESTOWN: NORTH AMERICAN TOUR
Winner of eight Tony Awards including Best Musical, this haunting and hopeful theatrical experience is presented by Cal Poly Arts. Nov. 6 , 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 7 7:30 p.m. (805) 756-4849. calpolyarts. org/20242025-season/hadestown. Performing Arts Center, 1 Grand Ave., San Luis Obispo.
IMPROV SHOWS Hosted by Central Coast Comedy Theater. Second Friday of every month my805tix.com/. SLO Public Market, 120 Tank Farm Road, San Luis Obispo.
HEAD OVER WHEELS
Anam Cre Pottery Studio in San Luis Obispo will kick off its four-week beginning wheel series on Tuesday, Nov. 5, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The series is designed for pottery wheel first-timers, and will hold classes each Tuesday morning through the end of November. Visit anamcre.com to find out more.
$30 for four classes. (510) 362-3739. grover.org. Grover Beach Community Center, 1230 Trouville Ave., Grover Beach.
Sound Healing & Lavender Sensory Awakening
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10 The Center Yoga Studio & Boutique,SLO
with Leann Skoda
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14 Club Car Bar, Templeton
INTRO TO IMPROV Hosted by Central Coast Comedy Theater. Nov. 5 6 p.m. my805tix.com/. The Bunker SLO, 810 Orcutt Road, San Luis Obispo.
LEARN MODERN SQUARE DANCING
Sign up now for this new square dance class. Singles and couples welcome. Two hours of square dancing equals about three miles of walking. Learn a new skill now while having fun and meeting new friends. Thursdays, 7-9 p.m. through Nov. 21 $75 (one time fee per person for all 12 classes). (805) 781-7300. squaredancecentralcoast.com/classes. San Luis Obispo Grange Hall, 2880 Broad St., San Luis Obispo.
PROSE AND POETRY READING Features segments from a new book of poetry, Wind and Hills and a new book of prose, The Misplaced at the Milking Parlor. Nov. 3 2-4 p.m. Free. (805) 550-5284. Octagon Barn Center, 4400 Octagon Way, San Luis Obispo, octagonbarn.org.
SILK ART RECEPTION Celebrate the opening of Silk Art, featuring the Silk Artists of California Central Coast (SACCC) during Art After Dark. Nov. 1 , 5-7 p.m. Free. (805) 747-4200. artcentralslo. com/portfolio/silk-art/. Art Central, 1329 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo.
SOUTH COAST SLO COUNTY
THE WIZARD OF OZ Join St. Joseph High School Community Theatre for a groovy 1970s twist on “The Wizard of Oz.” Experience Dorothy’s adventure in a psychedelic Oz with stunning costumes, captivating sets, and classic tunes. Enjoy timeless performances that bring this beloved story to life. Nov. 8 7-10 p.m., Nov. 9, 2-5 & 7-10 p.m. and Nov. 10, 2-5 p.m. $23.50. (805) 489-9444. clarkcenter. org/shows/sjhs-the-wizard-of-oz/. Clark Center for the Performing Arts, 487 Fair Oaks Ave., Arroyo Grande.
BRUSHSTROKES AND BURROS: PAINT WITH A PURPOSE Come spend an unforgettable afternoon at Rancho Burro. Meet the adorable rescued donkeys, hear their heartwarming stories, and unleash your creativity with a donkey-inspired painting session. Enjoy delicious local treats and fine wines while you paint. Best of all, your support helps these amazing animals. Nov. 9, 1-4 p.m. $125. (805) 710-8445. ranchoburrodonkeysanctuary.org. Rancho Burro Donkey Sanctuary, 1604 Tiffany Ranch Road, Arroyo Grande.
DANCE FITNESS ART AND CULTURE FOR ADULTS Discover dance as a form of artistic expression and exercise, using a wide range of styles and genres of music (including modern, jazz, Broadway, ethnic). Tuesdays, 4-5 p.m. $10 drop-in;
FRIENDS OF THE NIPOMO LIBRARY BOOK SALE Enjoy a book lover’s paradise at the Friends of the Nipomo Library Book Sale. The tables will overflow with literary gems waiting to find new homes. Bring the whole family. FONL fundraisers purchase much-needed resources not included in the SLO Library budget. Nov. 9 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (805) 929-3994. friendsofnipomolibrary.org/. Nipomo Library, 918 W. Tefft, Nipomo.
MARY POPPINS JR. Your favorite practically perfect nanny takes center stage in this “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” adventure based on the award-winning Broadway musical and classic Walt Disney production. Nov. 1 7-10 p.m., Nov. 2 2-5 & 7-10 p.m., Nov. 3 , 2-5 p.m., Nov. 8 7-10 p.m., Nov. 9 2-5 & 7-10 p.m. and Nov. 10 2-5 p.m. $28.50-$34. (805) 489-9444. clarkcenter.org/shows/mary-poppins-jr/. Clark Center for the Performing Arts, 487 Fair Oaks Ave., Arroyo Grande.
SECOND SATURDAY IMPROV MEETUP Ever wanted to try improv? Are you an experienced player looking to stretch, or a curious newbie? Come play short form games and share smiles. Nov. 9 2-4 p.m. Free. (805) 556-8495. improvforgood.fun/. Flex Performing Arts Studio (Studio D), 1820 W. Grand Ave., Grover Beach.
WEREWOLF OF ARROYO GRANDE Enjoy the Melodrama’s Halloween-spirited show. Through Nov. 9 Great American Melodrama, 1863 Front St., Oceano.
CULTURE & LIFESTYLE
NORTH COAST SLO COUNTY
2024 CAYUCOS CAR SHOW Features countless classic cars, live music, beer and food offerings, and more. Nov. 2 8 a.m.-4 p.m. my805tix.com/. Cayucos Beach, Downtown area, Cayucos.
ANNUAL CAMBRIA SCARECROW
FESTIVAL 200 scarecrows will line the streets of Cambria and San Simeon. The festival is full of photo opportunities and happy discoveries at every turn. Perfect for all ages. Through Oct. 31 Free. cambriascarecrows.com. Cambria (various venues), Citywide, Cambria.
BASH CANCER FEST Come have a good time at the South Bay Community Center with live music, raffle prizes, silent auction, local wine, craft beer and cocktails, amazing food, and plenty of entertainment for everyone. Nov. 9 1-6 p.m. my805tix.com/. South Bay Community Center, 2180 Palisades Ave., Los Osos.
CENTRAL COAST UECHI-RYU KARATE-
DO Uechi-Ryu Karate-do is a traditional form of karate originating from Okinawa, Japan. Focus is on fitness, flexibility, and self-defense with emphasis on self -growth, humility, and respect. Open to ages 13 to adult. Beginners and experienced welcome. Instructor with 50 years experience. For info, call 805-215-8806. Tuesdays, Thursdays, 6-7:30 p.m. Morro Bay Community Center, 1001 Kennedy Way, Morro Bay, 772-6278, morro-bay.ca.us.
CITIZENS FOR ESTERO BAY
PRESERVATION: MONTHLY FACE-TOFACE MEET-UPS Representatives from “Citizens for Estero Bay Preservation” will be on hand to discuss current news and events surrounding efforts to stop the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Morro Bay and the industrialization of the Embarcadero and waterfront. “No Batteries by the Bay” yard signs available. Email preserveesterobay@gmail for more info. First Tuesday of every month, 10-11 a.m. Free. Buttercup Bakery and Cafe, 430 Morro Bay Blvd., Morro Bay.
DISCOVERY SATURDAYS Join the Coastal Discovery Center crew in discovering the wonders of Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. There is no reservation required and these events are free and fun for all the family to experience. Nov. 2 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and Nov. 9, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. (805) 801-0773. Coastal Discovery Center at San Simeon Bay, CA-1 and SLO San Simeon Road, San Simeon.
MAIDEN TO CRONE SISTER CIRCLE Connect deeply with other women. Sharing the things that are close to our hearts creates a space of shared vulnerability that leads to deep connection. First Sunday of every month, 9-11 a.m. my805tix.com. From the Roots Up Healing Studio, 2055 9th St., Los Osos. YOGA PLUS A hybrid of yoga and “stretching” techniques that yield a body that moves and feels amazing. Mondays, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. $10 per session. (415) 516-5214. Bayside Martial Arts, 1200 2nd St., Los Osos.
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) 7017397. charvetmartialarts.com. Grateful Body, 850 Shasta, Morro Bay.
NORTH SLO COUNTY
BALANCE FLOW Suitable for all levels. This class is meant to benefit the mindbody connection while emphasizing safe and effective alignment as well as breath awareness and relaxation. Please call to register in advance. Tuesdays, Thursdays, 4:30-5:30 p.m. $16-$22; $50 membership. (805) 434-9605. ttrtennis.com/fitness/
CULTURE & LIFESTYLE continued page 17
Santa Maria
Divas de los Mue os Drag Pa y
Bang The Drum Brewery, SLO
Chakra Meditation & Breath-Work
NOVEMBER 10 Aurora Meditations & Rituals, Morro Bay
The sale and show includes handwoven clothing, household items, gifts, and a gallery show of fine crafted and handwoven items, including wall displays, clothing, and jewelry. Looms and spinning wheels will be on display as well as ongoing demonstrations of weaving and spinning throughout the show. Nov. 1 1-6 p.m., Nov. 2 , 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Nov. 3 , 10 a.m.-3 p.m. (805) 610-5788. centralcoastweavers.org.
Strawbale Barn Weaving Studio, 9156 Santa Margarita Rd, Atascadero.
DIA DE LOS MUERTOS ALTAR CRAFT
During this open studio afternoon, you will have the opportunity to create a mini altar (or several) to honor a loved one. Please bring one or more photos of those you wish to honor. Nov. 1 4-6 p.m. my805tix.com. Craft Crop Create Studios, 4401 El Camino Real, Atascadero.
HALLOWEEN PARTY AND COSTUME
CONTEST Start planning the perfect Halloween costume for this spooky party. Joy Bonner will be there to entertain and to MC the costume contest. Choco’s Mexican Grill will be available for purchase. No cover charge; however a purchase is required. Oct. 31 , 6-9 p.m. (805) 591-7003. stilsoncellars.com/ events/. Stilson Cellars, 1005 Railroad Street, Suite 2, Paso Robles.
HAMBLY LAVENDER FARM GUIDED
EXPERIENCE This one-hour walk about the farm immerses you in the processes of growing, harvesting, and drying this fragrant herb. Saturdays, Sundays, 10 a.m. my805tix.com. Hambly Farms, 1390 Grana Place, San Miguel.
VIBRATIONS OF PEACE: A CHAPEL
SOUND BATH Described as the ultimate way to relax, de-stress, invite clarity in, and practice self-care. Visit site for more info. Nov. 3 2-3 p.m. my805tix.com/. Allegretto Vineyard Resort, 2700 Buena Vista Drive, Paso Robles.
SAN LUIS OBISPO
2024 CENTRAL COAST ECONOMIC
FORECAST Features talks with guest speakers, a start-up pitch contest, coffee, networking opportunities, and more. Nov. 1 7:30-11:30 a.m. my805tix.com/. Madonna Expo Center, 100 Madonna Road, San Luis Obispo.
ANNUAL WILDLIFE SYMPOSIUM: CALIFORNIA CENTRAL COAST
CHAPTER OF THE WILDLIFE SOCIETY
The California Central Coast Chapter of The Wildlife Society will be hosting an annual wildlife symposium. This symposium is intended to bring local professionals and students together to share ideas, professional knowledge, and information on projects and ongoing research around the Central Coast. Nov. 8 8 a.m.-5 p.m. $38-$79. cccctws.org. San Luis Obispo Vets’ Hall, 801 Grand Ave., San Luis Obispo, (805) 781-5930.
BILL GAINES AUDIO BIG ANNUAL SWAP MEET Sell, buy, trade, or browse audio equipment available from participating vendors. Visit website to register for a booth or find out more about the event. Nov. 2 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Free to attend; inquire to reserve a booth. my805tix. com/. Bill Gaines Audio, 840 Capitolio, A, San Luis Obispo.
BLENDED YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID TRAINING Learn how to help someone who may be developing a mental health challenge or coping with a worsening mental challenge or substance use disorder. Nov. 9 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. (805) 770-1593. youthwell. org/mental-health-first-aid. Online, See website, San Luis Obispo.
CENTRAL COAST DIALYSIS ORGAN
TRANSPLANT SUPPORT GROUP Not faith based. All are welcome. Please wear a mask. First Saturday of every month, 9:30-11:30 a.m. St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church SLO, 650 Pismo St., San Luis Obispo.
CHRISTMAS CLAY DROP-IN Drop in for some creative holiday clay creation time. Teachers will be present to help you create pieces such as platters, Christmas trees, and ornaments. No experience necessary. Limited to two trees or six ornaments per person. Book a second class to glaze your pieces. Mondays, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. through Dec. 16 $40. anamcre. com. Anam Cre Pottery Studio, 1243 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo.
DIVAS DE LOS MUERTOS DRAG PARTY
Four incredible drag performers (Angel D’Mon, Melina Poinsettia, Divinity Za, and BB Delusional) embody the spirit and culture of this event. Nov. 9 8 p.m. my805tix.com. Bang the Drum Brewery, 1150 Laurel Lane, suite 130, San Luis Obispo.
FREE PALESTINE PROTEST SIGNMAKING EVENT Free sign-making supplies will be available for anyone to come and make a sign to protest U.S. involvement in Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people. Saturdays, 12-2 p.m. through Nov. 30 Free. (805) 7034090. instagram.com/sloactionforpeace. Meadow Park, 2251 Meadow St., San Luis Obispo.
FREE TOURS OF THE MISSION Tour
San Luis Obispo’s Spanish Mission, founded in 1772. Come learn its history and about the development of this area. Tours, led by docents, are free at 1:15 p.m Monday through Saturday, and 2 p.m. on Sundays. Sundays, 2-3 p.m. and Mondays-Saturdays, 1:15-2:15 p.m. Free. (657) 465-9182. missionsanluisobispo.org. Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, 751 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo. HALLOWEEN AT THE FARMERS’ MARKET Kick off the Halloween weekend with a fun-filled evening of costumes, candy, and karaoke. Activities include the beloved Trick-or-Treat Trail at dozens of downtown businesses, a costume contest, and more. Oct. 31 , 5-8 p.m. downtownslo.com/events/halloweenat-the-farmers-market. San Luis Obispo
Farmers Market, Broad and Higuera, San Luis Obispo, (805) 541-0286.
HISTORY PODCAST: DOOR KEY’S 2024
SPOOKTACULAR To celebrate Halloween, all episodes of the history podcast Door Key will have a spooky theme to the history. You can find Door Key anywhere you stream podcasts. Through Oct. 31 Free. doorkey.buzzsprout.com. Online, See website, San Luis Obispo.
HOSPICE VOLUNTEER TRAINING Are you looking for a rewarding opportunity to get involved, give back to your community, and act with purpose? Join this free, in-person training. This work is extremely rewarding and life affirming. Please reach out if you have any questions. Nov. 6 , 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Free. (805) 540-6020. Central Coast Home Health and Hospice, 253 Granada, San Luis Obispo.
MACRAME DOG LEASH AND CANINE
TRIVIA Create a custom macrame dog leash in this fun, beginner-friendly workshop. Learn essential knots and enjoy canine trivia. Perfect for dog lovers. Nov. 2 1-3 p.m. $45. (805) 439-1022. slolifestudio.com/collections/classes-
and-workshops/products/macrame-petleash. SLOLife Studio & Mercantile, 1337 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo.
PLAY GROVE, AN OUTDOOR
PRESCHOOL PROGRAM A nature-based and place-based enrichment program. This means we use the environment as our guide as we play, grow, create art, garden, and learn together. Play Grove will allow young children to access this experience alongside enthusiastic playworkers. Through June 7, 2025, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Options: 2 day, 3 day, or 5 day. (805) 242-6301. onecoolearth. org/play-grove.html. Jewish Community Center, 875 Laureate Lane, San Luis Obispo.
SAN LUIS OBISPO FALL WEDDING EXPO Your one-stop destination for all things wedding and event planning. This expo is the ultimate source of inspiration, expertise, and the latest trends. Nov. 3 , 12-4 p.m. my805tix.com/. Madonna Expo Center, 100 Madonna Road, San Luis Obispo.
SERENITY SOUND JOURNEY/ALIGNED SLO Come rest and renourish yourself with a soothing, restorative, and
ETCH
A SKETCH
Studios on the Park in Paso Robles will host an etching demo with artist David Butz on Saturday, Nov. 9, from 6 to 8 p.m. Butz will demonstrate the inking, wiping, and printing of an etched plate using an etching press. Admission to the event is free. Visit studiosonthepark.org to find out more about the upcoming demo.
therapeutic experience that guides you back to wholeness, vitality, and inner peace. Nov. 4 5:30-6:15 p.m. my805tix. com. Aligned Acupuncture and Wellness Spa, 672 Higuera St., San Luis Obispo.
SLO ARBOR DAY The city will be planting trees to celebrate more than four decades as a Tree City USA. Come to the Sinsheimer Park area at the Boulevard Del Campo Cul-de-sac. Enjoy vendor booths, tree planting, plus free one-gallon trees while supplies last. Nov. 2 , 10 a.m.-noon Free. slocity.org/trees. Sinsheimer Park, 900 Southwood Dr., San Luis Obispo, (805) 781-7222.
VIRTUAL PARENT WORKSHOP:
LGBTQIA+ 101 Having conversations about sexuality and gender identity can be challenging. This event centers on understanding how to have conversations from a place of love and acceptance. Nov. 3 5-6:30 p.m. Free. (805) 770-1239. youthwell.org. Online, See website, San Luis Obispo.
SOUTH COAST SLO COUNTY ADVENTURES WITH NATURE:
OCEANO’S BEAVERS Join Docent Dan to learn about the beavers in the Oceano Lagoon. Please RSVP by calling. Nov. 9 10 a.m.-noon Free. (805) 474-2664. centralcoastparks.org/awn/. Oceano Dunes Visitor Center, 555 Pier Ave., Oceano.
BEGINNER GROUP SURF LESSONS AND SURF CAMPS Lessons and camp packages available daily. All equipment included. ongoing Starts at $70. (805) 835-7873. sandbarsurf.com/. Sandbar Surf School Meetup Spot, 110 Park Ave., Pismo Beach.
BEGINNING BALLET FOR ADULTS Enjoy the grace and flow of ballet. No previous experience needed. Wednesdays, 5:156:15 p.m. $12 drop-in; $40 for four classes. (510) 362-3739. grover.org. Grover Beach Community Center, 1230 Trouville Ave., Grover Beach.
BODY FUSION/EXERCISE AND FITNESS CLASS Do something good for yourself and stay fit for outdoor sports, while enhancing flexibility, strengthening your core to prevent lower back issues, improving your posture through yoga, and more. Tuesdays, Thursdays, 9-10:30 a.m. Free. (970) 710-1412. Avila Beach Community Center, 191 San Miguel St., Avila Beach, avilabeachcc.com.
FULL MOON YOGA, MEDITATION, AND SOUND BATH Upcoming events include programs in October, November, and December. Visit site for tickets and more info. Nov. 1 my805tix.com/. Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort, 1215 Avila Beach Dr., Avila Beach.
LITTLE RANGER PROGRAM: SANDSATIONAL DUNES Come learn about our amazing sand dunes and the animals/plants that live in them. For ages 2-6; RSVP by calling. Nov. 10 Free. (805) 474-2664. Oceano Dunes Visitor Center, 555 Pier Ave., Oceano.
MULTICULTURAL DANCE CLASS
FOR ADULTS Experience dance from continents around the earth, including from Africa, Europe, and more. Described as “a wonderful in-depth look at the context and history of cultures of the world.” Tuesdays, 5:30-6:30 p.m. $10 dropin; $30 for four classes. (510) 362-3739. grover.org. Grover Beach Community Center, 1230 Trouville Ave., Grover Beach. POINT SAN LUIS LIGHTHOUSE TOURS A docent-led tour of the buildings and grounds of the historic Point San Luis Light Station. Check website for more details. Wednesdays, Saturdays pointsanluislighthouse.org/. Point San Luis Lighthouse, 1 Lighthouse Rd., Avila Beach. PUMPKIN SMASH Bring old Halloween pumpkins to toss into a green bin and learn how the pumpkins will become valuable compost. Visit Emerson Park for a free pumpkin toss, composting demonstrations, food trucks, lawn games, and more. Nov. 1 , 3-6 p.m. Free; but please bring money to enjoy the food trucks. slocity.org/recycle. Emerson Park, 1341 Nipomo St., Nipomo. SOCIAL GROUP FOR WIDOWS AND WIDOWERS Call for more details. Second Saturday of every month, 10 a.m. (805) 904-6615. Oak Park Christian Church, 386 N Oak Park Blvd., Grover Beach.
FOOD & DRINK
NORTH COAST SLO COUNTY MORRO BAY MAIN STREET FARMERS MARKET Get fresh and veggies, fruit, baked goods, sweets, and handmade artisan crafts. Come have some fun with your local farmers and artisans and enjoy delicious eats while enjoying the fresh breeze of Morro Bay. Saturdays, 2:30-5:30 p.m. Varies. (805) 824-7383. morrobayfarmersmarket.com. Morro Bay Main Street Farmers Market, Main Street and Morro Bay Blvd., Morro Bay.
NORTH SLO COUNTY
13TH ANNUAL PASO ROBLES
GARAGISTE WINE FESTIVAL Taste more than 200 ultra-premium wines from more than 50 hard-to-find micro-wineries. Nov. 8 and Nov. 9 my805tix.com/. Paso Robles Event Center, 2198 Riverside Avenue, Paso Robles, (805) 239-0655.
CLUB CAR BAR TRIVIA WITH DR. RICKY Teams of 1 to 6 people welcome. Visit site for more info. Wednesdays, 7-10 p.m. my805tix.com. Club Car Bar, 508 S. Main Street, Templeton, (805) 400-4542. FALL WINE WALK Come meander around downtown Paso on a lovely fall evening, and enjoy stopping in at 15 wineries. You’ll taste one special wine at each place, expertly paired with a delicious morsel. Nov. 2 3-6 p.m. my805tix.com/. Paso Robles Downtown Wine District, 809 13th Street, Paso Robles, (805) 591-7003. FOOD & DRINK continued page 18
COURTESY IMAGE BY DAVID BUTZ
We are excited to welcome John B. Cotter, M.D., to ADV Vision! With over 4 decades of trusted experience, Dr. Cotter, a highly skilled Glaucoma, Cornea and General Ophthalmolgy specialist, is now partnering with ADV Vision’s Dr. Adam Abroms—a cutting-edge ophthalmologist known for delivering innovative eye care.
NOVEMBER COOKING SHOW Watch
local pro chefs cook delicious seasonal dishes along with wine pairings from local wineries and delectable desserts. Nov. 5 , 4:30 p.m. my805tix.com. Idler’s Home Paso Robles, 2361 Theatre Drive, Paso Robles.
TACO TUESDAYS La Parilla Taqueria will be in the courtyard serving up their delicious tacos and tostadas. Menu typically includes barbacoa, chicken, and pastor tacos, as well as shrimp ceviche tostadas. Tuesdays, 5-8 p.m. (805) 460-6042. ancientowlbeergarden.com. Ancient Owl Beer Garden, 6090 El Camino Real, suite C, Atascadero.
SAN LUIS OBISPO
DOWNTOWN SLO FARMERS MARKET Thursdays, 6-9 p.m. Downtown SLO, Multiple locations, San Luis Obispo.
IMPROV COMEDY SHOWS All the improv you see will be on the spot from your audience suggestions. First Thursday of every month, 6 p.m. (805) 540-8300. my805tix.com. Bang the Drum Brewery, 1150 Laurel Lane, suite 130, San Luis Obispo.
PIÑATAS ON THE PATIO What is more festive than a piñata? Join for some brunch drinks and a couple of good hits to a piñata (or two). Good times and goofy prices promised. Turns will be determined on a first come, first served basis. First Sunday of every month Free. Rambling Spirits, 3845 S. Higuera St. (inside SLO Public Market), San Luis Obispo, drinkramblingspirits.com.
SLO FARMERS MARKET Hosts more than 60 vendors. Saturdays, 8-10:45 a.m. World Market Parking Lot, 325 Madonna Rd., San Luis Obispo.
SLO GRANGE HALL PANCAKE
BREAKFAST Join the SLO Grange Hall for a good old-fashioned pancake breakfast. Pancakes, bacon, eggs, juice and coffee; all for a low suggested donation price of $10, with proceeds to benefit SLO Grange Hall 639. Second Sunday of every month, 8-11 a.m. $10. (805) 543-0639. San Luis Obispo Grange Hall, 2880 Broad St., San Luis Obispo.
THIRD ANNUAL AUTUMN SOIRÉE
2024: THE SLO WAY WINE AND FOOD
FESTIVAL This event celebrates the region’s winemakers and harvest bounty, and features tastings from the Central Coast’s most acclaimed wineries paired with delectable creations courtesy of Hotel SLO’s Executive Chef Ryan Fancher and his team. Nov. 9, 5-8 p.m. $150. Hotel San Luis Obispo, 877 Palm St., San Luis Obispo, (805) 235-0700.
TRIVIA NIGHT Reservations are no longer required to play. Reservations are now for teams who want to guarantee a table to play. Tables available first come, first serve. Wednesdays, 7-9 p.m. my805tix.com. Bang the Drum Brewery, 1150 Laurel Lane, suite 130, San Luis Obispo.
every month, 3:30-5 p.m. $30. (805) 8016627. kulturhausbrewing.com/classes/. Kulturhaus Brewing Company, 779 Price St., Pismo Beach.
MUSIC
NORTH COAST SLO COUNTY
BEACHSIDE LIVE SUMMER CONCERT SERIES Enjoy free live music by the beach in Cayucos. Showtimes are Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m. Also featuring live music on holiday weekends, and on select Fridays and Saturdays in the summer. Check out @ schoonerscayucos on Instagram for band updates. Sundays, 1-8 p.m. Free. (805) 995-3883. schoonerscayucos.com/live. Schooners, 171 North Ocean Ave, Cayucos. FEMININE COLLECTIVE SHOWCASE A showcase event to feature six local singer songwriters from the Feminine Collective at the new Sonic Milk Recording Studios. Nov. 9 6-9 p.m. $10-$15. Sonic Milk Studios, 715 Main St., Cambria, (805) 6609382, sonicmilkrecording.com.
RIFF TIDE ROCKS THE SIREN Enjoy life surf rock, funk, soul, and more from Riff Tide. Nov. 1 7:30-10:30 p.m. Free. (805) 225-1312. debiredmusic.com. The Siren, 900 Main St., Morro Bay.
UP IN THE AIR AT THE MERRIMAKER BEER GARDEN Up in the Air will play it’s unique blend of upbeat originals along with some familiar favorites at the Merrimaker Beer Garden. Nov. 3 , 3-5 p.m. Free. (805) 439-1735. The Merrimaker Tavern, 1301 2nd Street, Los Osos.
NORTH SLO COUNTY
EASTON EVERETT LIVE A singersongwriter who blends folk blues and world-beat styles with intricate fingerstyle guitar playing. Easy to listen to, yet full of surprises. Nov. 2 , 6-9 p.m. eastoneverett.com. Paso Robles Inn, 1103 Spring Street, Paso Robles.
KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARD With special guests King Stingray, and DJ Crenshaw. Nov. 3 Vina Robles Amphitheatre, 3800 Mill Rd., Paso Robles, (805) 286-3670, vinaroblesamphitheatre.com.
SINGING HANDS CHILDREN’S CHOIR
A unique performing arts group that performs across the state for deaf festivals, service organizations, churches, fairs, and other outlets. New members always welcome. Registration open weekly. Mondays, 5-6:30 p.m. $45 tuition per month. singinghandschildrenschoir. com/. Singing Hands Children’s Choir and Performing Arts, 1413 Riverside Ave., Paso Robles.
SAN LUIS OBISPO
ALL AGES OPEN MIC NIGHT Tuesdays, 6-9 p.m. Liquid Gravity, 675 Clarion Court, San Luis Obispo.
J. Miossi CPAC at Cuesta College, Highway 1, San Luis Obispo.
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.
ORCHESTRA NOVO GOES SILENT Accompanying the 1923 silent film, Safety Last Nov. 10, 4-6 p.m. my805tix.com/. Harold J. Miossi CPAC at Cuesta College, Highway 1, San Luis Obispo. PADEREWSKI GALA The SLO Symphony partners with the Paderewski Festival bring famed pianist Janina Fialkowska to San Luis Obispo to perform Paderewski’s Piano Concerto in A minor. Nov. 2 7:30 p.m. (805) 543-3533. slosymphony.org/ calendar/. Cal Poly Performing Arts Center, 1 Grand Ave, San Luis Obispo. PINK TALKING FISH A blend of Pink Floyd, Talking Heads, and Phish. Nov. 7, 7 p.m. SLO Brew Rock, 855 Aerovista Pl., San Luis Obispo, (805) 543-1843, slobrew. com.
RICH THE KID All ages welcome. Nov. 1 9 p.m. The Fremont Theater, 1035 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo, (805) 546-8600, fremontslo.com.
THE ROAR MARCHING BAND FIELD SHOW COMPETITION A thrilling field show competition with bands from Righetti, Arroyo Grande, Paso Robles, Santa Maria, Pioneer Valley, Templeton and SLO (exhibition only) High Schools. Nov. 2 , 5:30-9 p.m. $10; $5 for ages 5-12/ free for ages under 5; cash or card at gate. Holt Field, San Luis Obispo High School, 1499 San Luis Drive, San Luis Obispo, (805) 549-4040.
SONGS OF THE AMERICAS Featuring jazz singer Inga Swearingen, who’ll lead a musical journey from the vibrant rhythms of Latin America to the serene melodies of Canada. Nov. 3 3 p.m. $10-$35. (805) 242-6065. my805tix.com. San Luis Obispo United Methodist Church, 1515 Fredericks Street, San Luis Obispo.
TALL POPPY STRING BAND AT THE HISTORIC OCTAGON BARN CENTER An evening of inventive old-time music by the Tall Poppy String Band at the Historic Octagon Barn Center, with an old-time jam at 6 p.m. before the show. Nov. 8 , 7-9 p.m. $20 advance; $25 at the door. (805) 235-2874. eventbrite.com. Octagon Barn Center, 4400 Octagon Way, San Luis Obispo.
We are also accepting new patients!
Together, they provide world-class services across California’s Central Coast, including LASIK, cataract surgery, lens implants, glaucoma treatment, and general eye care. If you’ve been a patient of Dr. Cotter, or are seeking exceptional eye care, we invite you to schedule your appointment today!
SOUTH COAST SLO COUNTY
HOUSE OF PRAYER’S Q-TEAM
MONTHLY BARBECUE Come enjoy finger lickin’ barbecue with all the fixings. First Saturday of every month, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. through Nov. 2 (805) 732-5111. House of Prayer Church, 640 S. Frontage Road, Nipomo.
MONTHLY FERMENTATION CLASSES
New topics each month with a thorough demo and explanation of the process that creates non-alcoholic, probiotic, and nutrient-dense fermentations. Leave the class confident and prepared with recipes to make your own at home. Limited seating; reserve spot prior to class by phone/email. Second Sunday of
BRASS MASH: FIRST FRIDAY First Fridays are magical nights filled with the vibrant energy of our all-horn band. Join the festivities at Liquid Gravity and immerse yourself in the unique fusion of your favorite rock and pop songs. First Friday of every month, 6-10 p.m. my805tix. com. Liquid Gravity, 675 Clarion Court, San Luis Obispo.
CAL POLY MUSTANG FAMILY WEEKEND
STUDENT SHOWCASE Instrumentalists and vocalists alike, the student performers are from a variety of majors, and all are involved in at least one of the department’s major, premier ensembles including Cal Poly’s Arab Music Ensemble, Choirs, Jazz Ensembles, Symphony, Wind Orchestra, and Wind Ensemble. Nov. 1 6:30 p.m. Free. (805) 756-2406. music. calpoly.edu/calendar/free/. Cal Poly Davidson Music Center, Room 218, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.
CUESTA JAZZ WITH DEREK BROWN
The Cuesta Jazz Ensembles perform with Billboard-charting saxophonist/innovator Derek Brown, conducted by Ron McCarley. Nov. 2 , 7:30-9:30 p.m. $10-$17. (805) 546-3198. tickets.cuesta.edu. Harold
SOUTH COAST SLO COUNTY BUFFETT’S MARGARITAVILLE An explosive celebration of the iconic music of Jimmy Buffett, featuring all of his greatest hits, that will have you singing along and dancing in your seat. A performance that captures the essence of Buffett’s music and the lifestyle it embodies. Oct. 31 , 7:30-10:30 p.m. $49.50$70.50. (805) 489-9444. clarkcenter.org/ shows/buffetts-margaritaville/. Clark Center for the Performing Arts, 487 Fair Oaks Ave., Arroyo Grande.
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY BAND ANNUAL FALL CONCERT The San Luis Obispo County Band presents its annual Fall Concert, Music for an Autumn Afternoon, as a benefit for Five Cities Homeless Coalition. Come to St. John’s Lutheran Church, at the corner Valley Road and Los Berros in Arroyo Grande, for an enjoyable music experience. Nov. 3 , 3-5 p.m. Suggested donation $10. (630) 421-2556. slocountyband.org. St. John’s Lutheran Church, 959 Valley Rd., Arroyo Grande.
TICKET TO RIDE: A LIVE TRIBUTE TO THE BEATLES An exciting musical journey through the best of the Beatles, opening with their greatest hits from the their early days through the Sgt. Pepper era with authentic costume changes. Nov. 2 , 7:30-10:30 p.m. $53.50-$74.50. (805) 489-9444. clarkcenter.org/shows/ wcpa-ticket-to-ride/. Clark Center for the Performing Arts, 487 Fair Oaks Ave., Arroyo Grande. ∆
Dr. Adam Abroms
Dr. John B. Cotter
Arts
Park Street Gallery welcomes new featured artist during Art After Dark Arroyo Grande-based painter
Patti Robbins is Park Street Gallery’s newest featured artist. The Paso Robles venue will celebrate Robbins’ new permanent wall art display during the gallery’s next Art After Dark reception, scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 2, from 6 to 9 p.m. Robbins is a prolific still life artist who often paints flowers. Some of her favorite flowers to paint are tulips, protea, and sunflowers. She often bases her paintings of the latter on sunflowers she finds in her own front yard or at local farmers markets.
“[Sunflowers] are ‘happy flowers,’ which is why I never get tired of observing their cycle of life and preserving their beauty in oil paint,” Robbins told New Times in 2021.
Visit parkstreetgallery.com for more info on Robbins’ new showcase. Park Street Gallery is located at 1320 Park St., Paso Robles.
Community Foundation of SLO County sponsors free USO Dance
In honor of military veterans, the Santa Maria Valley Senior Citizens Club will host its USO Dance at the Elwin Mussell Senior Center in Santa Maria on Sunday, Nov. 10, from 1:30 to 4 p.m.
Admission to the event is free, thanks to grant funding from the Community Foundation of San Luis Obispo County, according to press materials.
The event will feature live music from the Riptide Big Band, an 18-piece ensemble based in the Santa Maria Valley. Led by former music teacher Judy Lindquist, the group includes musicians from both Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties and specializes in big band era music, soft rock from the ’60s and ’70s, the music standards of the ’30s and ’40s, and “pretty much anything written for standard big band orchestration,” according to the group’s website. Thanks to consistent funding from the Community Foundation of San Luis Obispo County, the Riptide Big Band has been providing live dance events with free admission at venues across the Central Coast for several years.
To find out more about the upcoming USO Dance and other upcoming dance concerts featuring the Riptide Big Band, call (775) 813-5186 or visit riptidebb.com. The Elwin Mussell Senior Center is located at 510 Park Ave., Santa Maria.
For more info on the Community Foundation of San Luis Obispo County, call (805) 543-2323 or visit cfsloco.org. Since 1998, the nonprofit has awarded grants and scholarships that total more than $37 million, according to the organization’s website. The nonprofit’s headquarters is located at 550 Dana St., San Luis Obispo. ∆ —Caleb Wiseblood
BY CAMILLIA LANHAM
Windows to the past
Whitney Bedford’s solo show at SLOMA highlights what’s been lost by looking back at historic landscapes
Neon orange and pink willows obscure the view of e Terrace, Pierre Bonnard’s 1918 painting of what he could see from the terrace of his house—an untamed panoramic landscape next to the river Seine.
e large diptych inspired by Bonnard’s bucolic early 20th century painting is LA-based artist Whitney Bedford’s inspired look at the past through the eyes of the present.
“I just kind of concentrate on the dissonance between the way things are and the way things were and not kind of commenting on which one’s better and which one’s worse,” Bedford said. “It’s the job of an artist to metabolize precedence. So, I’m just working through the archives of older paintings.”
Native California vegetation act as characters looking through windows into historic landscapes, views that look very di erent today thanks to urbanization and climate change. Bedford’s acrylic and oil Veduta series of paintings “bridge the natural, the historic, and the imagined” in e Window, a solo exhibition of her work, which opened in the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art’s (SLOMA) gray wing at the end of October.
Fluorescent palms, saguaro cactus, eucalyptus, pine, willows, cypress, manzanita, and other California natives are the rst thing to hit Bedford’s canvas (wood with linen). An assistant follows behind her, intricately taping over the acrylic paint. Bedford then sketches out the background before using oil paint to re-create the reimagined historic landscape paintings.
“ ey’re looking out at the past, essentially,” she said. “So our landscapes looking at the historical landscapes to comment on how we look back on history.”
e neon colors act as “sirens,” Bedford said, siren songs about the current landscape lending an apocalyptic tone to the unspoiled nature of the past.
It’s a great project for an artist, she said, because she’s learning how to paint many di erent styles that she wouldn’t normally paint, learning how to become a better painter through others.
Find your view
Visit the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art at 1010 Broad St. in SLO, Thursday through Monday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Catch Whitney Bedford’s The Window through Feb. 16, 2025. Learn more about the museum by visiting sloma.org. Find Bedford’s work online at whitneybedford.com and on Instagram @whitneybedford.
“I don’t adhere to the idea that originality is the most important thing. … It’s not as important for me to be original as it is for me to use the tools,” Bedford said. “I feel like a lot of emphasis is on originality, and that’s just impossible to do in this day and age.”
Architecture, art, and history all inform her work, she said. She studied architecture and history in tandem with the art she focused on in high school, college, and as a post-grad. ere’s so much to learn from precedent, she added.
Bedford’s work is underpinned by drawing, something she said “acts as a sca olding for the paint.”
It’s a technique she started to lean into while she was pregnant with her daughter in 2015. She couldn’t work with paint as much because of the fumes associated with it. So instead, she would draw and place a little bit of paint over the top.
Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, she’s lived all over the world studying art on the East Coast and in Germany, France, Scotland, and Italy, eventually attending UCLA to get a Master of Fine Arts degree. But she said she never really considered herself a Californian until her daughter was born.
“It kind of changed the fulcrum,” Bedford said. “Because I was going to be raising a Californian.”
California vegetation and landscapes are kind of an homage to her daughter being born, she said. She used the characters, native trees and vegetation, on stark backgrounds, with two-tone colors, eventually starting to use the older paintings as maps to place her paintings, she said.
“I take liberties with them. I see them as stage sets,” she said. “ ese bucolic landscapes that don’t exist anymore.”
She uses the older paintings as a background to focus on the foreground with vibrant colors.
“ e color is really the agitator, it directs you,” she said. “I love color. It’s really what my love language is.”
As an artist, she said, she wants people to have their own experiences with her work. She loves when her paintings are really big, because then the
viewer can be immersed in the space, actually feel like they’re in the painting.
In some cases, the work she’s using as the background were large paintings, but in others, those paintings were small. Bedford explained that the premise behind them is that people would travel on these grand tours, and rather than buying a post card, they would buy little paintings and send them back—almost like a window into their travels.
SLOMA Chief Curator and Education Director Emma Saperstein said she was really struck by Bedford’s practice, the way she’s engaging art history to create paintings that are uniquely her own.
e Window exhibition is a way to tie the museum’s past with its present. Prior to the current iteration of the museum, which reopened post-COVID-19 with Leann Standish at the helm and a new vision, the museum did a lot of plein air exhibitions.
“I’d been thinking about the history of landscape painting at the museum,” Saperstein said. “I’ve been wanting to nd a way to engage that history in a really contemporary way.”
See Bedford’s paintings at SLOMA through midFebruary. ∆
Editor Camillia Lanham wishes her o ce had a window with views of the Seine. Send postcards to clanham@newtimesslo.com.
MODERN VIEW Whitney Bedford’s The Window exhibition pulls from her recent Veduta (Italian for view) series of paintings that feature brightly colored California vegetation overlooking landscapes from the past. See her work at the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art through mid-February.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF SLOMA
THE TERRACE LA-based artist Whitney Bedford speaks to those who gathered in SLOMA’s gray wing on Oct. 25 for a preview of The Window exhibition, featuring acrylic and oil paintings.
BRETON While Bedford uses historic paintings as references for the background of her work in the Veduta series, she reimagines the originals, as she did with this painting inspired by one of French artist Edouard Vuillard’s 20th century pieces.
Park your brain at the door
ISat-Sun: 7:00
TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON (PG-13) Thurs: 7:00 ANORA (R) Early Screening! Thurs: 7:00
n her directorial debut, writer Kelly Marcel (Saving Mr. Banks, Fifty Shades of Grey, Venom, Venom: Let ere Be Carnage) directs this script she co-wrote with star Tom Hardy about Eddie Brock, a failed reporter who became bonded to a symbiotic outer space alien who takes a liking to Earth and decides to protect it. In this third installment of the Marvel franchise, Eddie and Venom are on the run from pursuers from both their worlds. (109 min.)
VENOM: THE LAST DANCE
What’s it rated? PG-13
What’s it worth, Anna? Matinee
What’s it worth, Glen? Matinee
Where’s it showing? Colony, Downtown Centre, Park, Stadium 10, Sunset Drive-In
Glen e set-up is a classic mismatchedbuddy road-trip picture, and a lot of the fun is the banter between Eddie and his symbiotic partner. e main story gets going after a brief opening where we learn the symbiotes’ backstory—they imprisoned their creator, Knull (Andy Serkis), and escaped into the reaches of the universe, but now Knull sent a bunch of weird creatures to nd the only object that can free him, a codex, created when Eddie and his symbiote merged to form Venom. When the pair is in full Venom mode, the terrifying creatures can locate them, but when the symbiote recedes into Eddie, they become invisible. Don’t think about it too hard. It’s all pretty silly. Still, as an action-packed comedic romp, this nal installment in the Venom trilogy is surprisingly watchable.
Anna Full transparency, this installment is my rst foray into the world of Venom, and I had quite literally no knowledge of the storyline beyond what I could garner from the trailer—that Eddie and Venom share Eddie’s body and that Venom is a bit of a troublemaker. I will say I was pleasantly surprised. When it rst started, I
HALLOWEEN
What’s it rated? R When? 1978
Where’s it showing? Thursday, Oct. 31, at 7 p.m., in the Palm Theatre of San Luis Obispo
Writer-director-composer John Carpenter helms this classic slasher film about mental patient Michael Myers, committed to a sanitarium at age 6 for stabbing his teenage sister to death with a chef’s knife. It’s now 15 years later, and Myers escapes, returns to his hometown, kills a mechanic and dons his coveralls, steals a white mask from a hardware store, and in his iconic garb begins to stalk teenage babysitter Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis
SLASHER
OG Nick Castle stars as the masked Michael Myers, in Halloween, screening on Halloween night in a double feature with Halloween II, Oct. 31, in SLO’s Palm Theatre.
thought, “I’m in trouble,” because we hear a convoluted quick version of the symbiotes’ origin story and about the codex, and I was very sure I would have no idea what was going on. Fortunately, I went the route of not thinking about it too hard and leaned into the fun, action-packed lm. e two friends can’t stay away from trouble. Not only is the government out to capture them, now they have creatures coming through portals trying to tear them apart and take the codex back to Venom’s home planet, which would spell the end of the world. Let’s just say they have a lot going on.
Glen It’s always the end of the world with these comic book icks, but when you’ve got aliens coming through time and space portals, the situation needs to be existential, I guess. Hardy pretty much carries the entire lm, but there’s a lot of star power on the screen. Juno Temple of Ted Lassofame stars as Dr. Payne, who admires and is studying the symbiotes at “Area 55,” a secret
in her film debut) and her friends. Meanwhile, psychiatrist Dr. Samuel Loomis (Donald Pleasence) pursues Myers.
It received mixed reviews on its release, but over the years, Halloween has gained a reputation as a deftly made thriller that makes effective use of stalker-point-of-view camera angles and has a very lean and effective score created by Carpenter that consists of a piano melody in an unsettling complex 5/4-time signature that’s now as iconic as the John Williams’ Jaws theme song. It simply communicates tension.
The film also earned Curtis a reputation as the quintessential scream queen. She went on to reprise her role as Laurie in several of the 13 films in the franchise. The Michael Myers character has also become iconic—an emotionless blank slate with no apparent motive. (91 min.)
—Glen
Iunderground lab under Area 51. ere’s also the always welcome Chiwetel Ejiofor as Gen. Rex Strickland, the military bad guy who gets a chance at redemption. For added fun, Eddie hitches a ride with a hippie family led by Martin (Rhys Ifans) on a trip to see aliens at Area 51, completely unaware they’re sitting next to one. Hit a matinee if this sounds fun.
Anna If it interests you at all, see it in the theater. ere’s plenty of action on the big screen. is seems to be the last of this trilogy, so you might as well see how the story ends, especially if you’ve seen the prior lms.
Glen ere’s also some mid-credits and after-credits clips for you die-hards, so stick around. ∆
Senior Sta Writer Glen Starkey and freelancer Anna Starkey write Split Screen. Comment at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW
What’s it rated? R When? Thursday, Oct. 31 (6 p.m.; 18-and-older; $32.36 to $39.05 at ticketweb.com), and Friday, Nov. 1 (6 and 9 p.m.; 18-and-older; $32.36 at ticketweb.com)
Where’s it showing? Rod and Hammer Rock
t’s Halloween, so naturally the 1975 cult classic musical comedy The Rocky Horror Picture Show is back. You know the story. Newly engaged pure-as-the-driven-snow couple Janet Weiss (Susan Sarandon) and Brad Majors (Barry Bostwick) have car trouble but happen upon a
spooky estate owned by transvestite “scientist” Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry), who invites the couple to stay ... and then things get real weird real fast! Peter Hinwood stars as Rocky, the perfect man for wooing Janet. Meat Loaf turns up as Eddie, a head-bandaged singing motorcyclist. Richard O’Brien stars as creepy butler Riff Raff. The story is narrated from the future by a criminologist (Charles Gray). It’s super weird and super good. The songs are catchy as heck. If you’ve never experienced it in person, don’t miss it! A live cast will lead the audience participation tradition by reenacting the musical numbers in front of a 19-by-9-foot movie screen. “Audience participation is strictly MANDATORY,” according to the organizers, which means bust out your fishnet stockings, lipstick, corset, and all the props (confetti, a newspaper, a squirt gun, a flashlight, rubber gloves, a noise maker, toilet paper, toast, a party hat, a bell, and playing cards). Get weird! (100 min.) ∆ —Glen
DO THE TIME WARP AGAIN Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry, center) and his minion work to create the perfect life form to serve as a sexual plaything, in the cult classic, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, screening at Rod and Hammer Rock on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.
WE ARE … VENOM! A symbiotic space alien fused with human Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) find themselves on the run from both humans and aliens, in Venom: The Last Dance, screening at local theaters.
PHOTO COURTESY OF SONY PICTURES RELEASING
PHOTO COURTESY OF TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX
PHOTO COURTESY OF COMPASS INTERNATIONAL PICTURES
Music
BY GLEN STARKEY
Lapidary days
Harmony hosts this year’s music-filled Big Sur Jade Festival
If you’ve spent any time in Big Sur, chances are a shaggy hippie tried to sell you a “hand-carved jade pipe.” If it hasn’t happened to you, look in the mirror. You probably look like a narc.
Jade Cove in Big Sur contains the only concentrated underwater nephrite jade deposit in the world, and the location is a huge draw for jade lovers. Before regulations were put in place, divers used to haul boulders of the green gold to the surface, but these days individuals are only allowed to harvest jade using hand tools and can only collect what they can personally carry. Just for the record, if you have a choice between nephrite and jadeite, buy the latter—it’s rarer and more valuable.
I mention all this only because if you still want that hand-carved jade pipe, you can probably find it this Friday, Nov. 1, through Sunday, Nov. 3, when the 28th annual Big Sur Jade Festival returns, but in a new location: the tiny hamlet of Harmony on Highway 1 between Cayucos and Cambria.
The festival started in 1990 when the Gorda Steering Committee formed with the goal of acquiring property to create a community center. The first festival was held in Gorda with a handful of vendors and some drumming. It eventually moved to Pacific Valley School. There’s still no community center, but with funds raised, they bought the Big Sur Volunteer Fire Brigade a vehicle and gear, and they’ve supported Pacific Valley School’s summer program. These days, there are more than 50 vendors and a lot more music.
On Friday at noon, KC Crow starts things off by leading a drum circle. Singersongwriter Dave Tate, singer-songwriter Cate Armstrong, eclectic cover band Joy Polloi, and reggae artist Ras Danny follow through 6 p.m.
On Saturday, Tracy Morgan leads a 10 a.m. drum circle followed by Emerald Hills, rocker Dave Helwig , multi-
instrumentalist Vince Cimo (Hot Fire Set), award-winning Americana artist the Dulcie Taylor Band, and blues act The Mojo Combo through 6 p.m.
On Sunday, Tom Costa leads the 10 a.m. drum circle followed by Choro de Ouro, psychedelic neo-prog folk jazz act the Zen Mountain Poets, rock and country band Rough House, and the genre-jumping Mighty Croon Dogs through 5 p.m. Parking and admission are free for this family event.
Vina Robles Amphitheatre
The Vina concert season comes to a close this week when Nederlander Concerts and (((folkYEAH!))) present Australian rockers
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard on Sunday, Nov. 3 (8 p.m.; all ages; $64 to $266.76 at ticketmaster.com), with King Stingray opening.
King Gizzard’s music can best be described as triptastic—a mix of psychedelia, garage rock, jazz, metal, and synth-pop that frequently addresses environmental themes and connects to a fictional universe dubbed the “Gizzverse.” The prolific band has
released more than two dozen recordings, most recently Flight b741, which has something of a blues-rock sound.
Also hailing from Australia, opener King Stingray is about to release their new album, For The Dreams, on Nov. 8. The band describes their sound as “Yolngu surf rock” and writes lyrics in both English and Yolngu Matha, a group of languages spoken by the Yolngu people—the indigenous population of Australia.
The Siren
Metallica Tribute on Saturday, Nov. 2 (8 p.m.; 21-and-older; $24.71 at tixr.com). The band appeared on AXS TV’s The World’s Greatest Tribute Bands, and they were handselected by Metallica to perform as part of their 40th Anniversary San Francisco Weekend Takeover in 2021.
Get your fix of old-school punk rock when T.S.O.L. plays on Thursday, Nov. 7 (6:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; $24.30 at tixr.com) with Since We Were Kids and Division 13 opening. Formed in 1979 in Huntington Beach, T.S.O.L. (True Sounds of Liberty) started as a political hard-core band, but the original members were eventually replaced and lost control of the band name. In 1999, three of the four founding members—Jack Grisham (vocals), Ron Emory (guitar), Mike Roche (bass)—regained control of the name and are back at it. They have a new album, A-Side Graffiti, out now.
SLO Brew Live at Rod & Hammer Rock
Sound out! Send
Pink Talking Fish—A Fusion of Pink Floyd, Talking Heads, and Phish comes to Rod & Hammer on Thursday, Nov. 7 (doors at 7 p.m.; 18-and-older; $32.36 at ticketweb.com).
According to the band, “Discovering connections is part of the fun: Pink Floyd’s ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’ seamlessly fitting in the middle of the composition of Phish’s ‘You Enjoy Myself.’ Perfectly placing Phish’s ‘Sand’ into the groove of The Talking Heads’ ‘Slippery People.’”
Cover act Tommy Peacock & the Feathers plays on Thursday, Oct. 31 (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; free), delivering hits from all decades—everything from Steve Miller to Nirvana to Rancid.
Another fun cover act, Riff Tide, plays on Friday, Nov. 1 (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; free). They can play everything from soul and funk to surf rock and more.
If you’re ready to have your face melted off, check out Damage Inc.—The Ultimate
Fremont Theater
Benjamin Tod & Lost Dog Street Band plays on Thursday, Oct. 31 (8 p.m.; all ages; $25 at prekindle.com). Frontman Benjamin Tod Flippo is joined by his wife, Ashley Mae (vocals, fiddle), and Jeff Loops (bass), to deliver heartfelt Americana, folk, and country. Tod writes emotive songs about struggle, addiction, and redemption.
GREEN GOLD Psychedelic neo-prog folk jazz act the Zen Mountain Poets are one of more than a dozen performers playing the 28th annual Big Sur Jade Festival on Nov. 1 to 3 , in Harmony.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ZEN MOUNTAIN POETS
LAST DANCE In what will be the final concert of Vina Robles Amphitheatre’s season, Nederlander Concerts and (((folkYEAH!))) present Australian psychedelic rockers King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard on Nov. 3 .
PHOTO COURTESY OF NEDERLANDER CONCERTS
MASTER OF PUPPETS Damage Inc.—The Ultimate Metallica Tribute comes to The Siren on Nov. 2
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE SIREN
STARKEY continued page 26
• Folklorico Dancers from Paso A Pasito Dance Group Paso Robles
• Huatulco Tacos Food Truck at Sunken Gardens!
pm
• ART HOP happening at merchant locations in the Downtown!
Live music with Big Wheel Cobra Band at Historic City Hall
• Ofrenda remembrance will be in place in front of Historic City Hall
After releasing a few independent mixtapes, rapper Rich the Kid (aka Dimitri Leslie Roger) eventually was signed to Interscope Records and immediately started charting with catchy hits such as “New Freezer” and “Plug Walk.” He also had a big hit this year with “Carnival.” See him on Friday, Nov. 1 (9 p.m.; all ages; $35 plus fees at prekindle.com).
Get ready for Boiler Bang Halloween with Ranger Trucco and Gudfella on Saturday, Nov. 2 (7:30 p.m.; 18-and-older; $20 and $30 plus fees at prekindle.com).
“Ranger Trucco is a rising DJ and electronic music producer known for his unique blend of house, techno, and bass-heavy beats,” according to organizers. “Hailing from the U.S., he has quickly gained attention in the underground dance scene for his infectious grooves and high-energy performances.”
The Clark Center
Calling all parrot heads! Hear the music of Jimmy Buffett when Buffett’s Margaritaville plays on Thursday, Oct. 31 (7:30 p.m.; all ages; $49.50 to $70.50 at clarkcenter.org). Expect hits such as “Come Monday,” “Bama Breeze,” “Son of a Son of a Sailor,” “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” and “Why Don’t We Get Drunk.”
Strolling Mariachi Mexicanisimo Band
VisitAtascadero.com /events
Beatles fans, don’t miss Ticket to Ride: A Tribute to the Beatles on Saturday, Nov. 2 (7:30 p.m.; all ages; $53.50 to $74.50 at clarkcenter.org). The show opens with their greatest hits from the ’60s through to the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band era with authentic costumes.
More music … Catch drumline fever when the third annual The ROAR Marching Band Field Show Competition comes to SLO High’s Holt Field this Saturday, Nov. 2 (5:30 to 9 p.m.; all ages; $10 general and $5 for kids 5 to 12 at the gate). “This highly anticipated event will showcase seven regional high school marching bands performing their competition field shows in front of a panel of judges,” organizers announced. “An award ceremony will follow the performances. Residents of all communities are invited to attend this family-friendly event.” The SLO Symphony: Paderewski Gala comes to the Performing Arts Center on Saturday, Nov. 2 (7:30 p.m.; all ages; $12 to $92 at pacslo.org). The Symphony is partnering with Paso’s Paderewski Festival to bring famed Polish Canadian pianist, Janina Fialkowska, to SLO. Hear Mozart’s Overture to the Magic Flute, Paderewski’s Piano Concerto in A minor op.17 with Fialkowska, and Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition with the famous orchestrated version by Maurice Ravel. This year’s SamFest comes to Ramona Garden Park on Sunday, Nov. 3 (1 to 4 p.m.; all ages; free), with live music by rock act Ghost\Monster and Shannon Lowrie and the Shantastics, food and beverages, vendor booths, raffles and prizes, face painting, a dunk booth, balloon animals, and a dance scholarship presentation and performances from The Studio of the Performing Arts. The event celebrates the legacy of local dancer Samantha Ford, who succumbed to cancer at 24. Funds raised will benefit The Pablove Foundation, which funds pediatric cancer research. ∆
Contact Senior Staff Writer Glen Starkey at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
Awakening Ways Center for Spiritual Living
We are a diverse, welcoming community that accepts and supports everyone’s spiritual journey.
We teach the Science of Mind and Spirit, an a irmative philosophy free of dogma, and encourage personal development through questioning, contemplation, and direct personal spiritual experience.
We o er Sunday services, meditation, classes, events, concerts, spiritual coaching, and more.
If you are ready to live your best life, come check us out!
Rev. Elizabeth Rowley Hogue, Spiritual Leader
Sunday services are held at 10 AM at the Pavilion on the Lake 9315 Pismo Avenue · Atascadero · CA · 93422 805-391-4465 · info@awakeningways.org www.awakeningways.org
NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY OF
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is announcing the availability of the Final Environmental Assessment (EA) for Reentry, Splashdown, and Recovery (RSR) Operations of an Inversion Space Company (Inversion) Capsule within the Pacific Ocean off the Coast of Central California. The Final EA was prepared in response to the FAA’s evaluation of a proposal for a vehicle operator’s license from Inversion. Issuing a vehicle operator’s license is considered a major Federal action subject to environmental review under NEPA. Under the Proposed Action, the FAA would issue a vehicle operator’s license to Inversion for the RSR operations of a small aluminum capsule within the Pacific Ocean approximately 45 nautical miles off the coast of Central California. Under the Proposed Action, Inversion would conduct two RSR operations. In accordance with the applicable requirements, the FAA conducted a 30‐day public review and comment period for the Draft EA. The public comment period ended on July 5, 2024. The FAA received one comment letter and considered all public comments when preparing the Final EA. Responses to the public comments are provided in Appendix A of the Final EA.
An electronic version of the Final EA is available on the FAA website: https:// www.faa.gov/space/environmental/nepa_docs.
Questions regarding the Final EA can be addressed to Andrew Leske, Environmental Protection Specialist, FAA, 800 Independence Ave., SW, Suite 325, Washington,
20591; email andrew.h.leske@faa.gov.
Flavor
Wildly eclectic
The spot on Higuera Street where Mother’s Tavern once stood now looks very different. A sophisticated lounge has replaced sticky dance floors, the walls are lined with books and eclectic antiques, animals à la natural history museums are sprawled throughout—one could even define this place as Feral.
Located at 725 Higuera St., the newly opened Feral Kitchen and Lounge is transporting visitors into a space that Creative Director Hallie Elizabeth called “otherworldly.”
Purchased by North County Restaurant Group in May, which also owns Atascadero’s Barley and Boar, Cielo Ristorante and Rooftop Bar in Atascadero, and Jack’s Bar and Grill
in Paso Robles, among other restaurants, Elizabeth said they decided to take the SLO business in a different and needed direction.
“When we first took it over, we were going to keep it as Mother’s Tavern, and then as things progressed, it was just very evident that that wasn’t the direction we wanted to go in, and it needed some love,” she said.
In the development phase, before the name Feral came around, Elizabeth said the new restaurant was to be named Bishop’s after Bishop Peak and would feature plants and animals native to the area. However, after she created a merch design featuring a raccoon that said, “Be feral at Bishop’s,” the term just stuck.
“And then Feral sort of grew from that little raccoon,” she said.
As creative director, Elizabeth said she designed the building from top to bottom, and when looking at the walls, it’s easy to endlessly roam and ponder their contents—gold frames feature florals and bats, authentic 1800s Germany books, the original Mother’s Tavern moose head, and even a racoon eating out of a Cracker Jack box.
“We wanted comfy couches and cool art and just like eclectic things people could really sit down and have a conversation about,” Elizabeth said. “And everything is all sourced locally around San Luis, like, up and down the coast. We did a lot of miles trying to find different things and packing up my car and driving it back down here. And so, everything is handsourced locally.”
These walls have stories to tell.
A scavenger hunt featured on Feral’s menu asks visitors to find niche decor like deer footprints hidden in murals, a red world atlas cover, and a yellow mushroom with a glassy hue.
“I really love our scavenger hunt. It’s just something different. It’s like you get to be a kid again, coming in as an adult to go around and find some stuff,” Elizabeth said.
Elizabeth said the space’s feral nature transfers to the menu too.
While it features classic bar comfort foods like macaroni and cheese, chicken wings, and fries, customers can get wild by ordering steak tartare or add bone marrow.
“We do have this option to make it ‘feral,’ and you can add bone marrow to ... anything on the menu. So, if you just wanted to come in here and get fries and throw some bone marrow with it, you can do that too,” Elizabeth said. “It is kind of like a fun, eclectic menu. I feel like it matches the space. ... There’s a little something for everyone, and that is what we’re aiming for.”
Feral’s order of Wildcraft Mac features shell pasta in a four-cheese sauce sprinkled with house-made tenderloin jerky, breadcrumbs, and crispy fried sage with an option to “make it feral” by adding pulled duck or short rib.
“Just some things to get people to open up their palate, maybe a little bit if they haven’t tried something like that,” Elizabeth said. North County Restaurant Group Chief of Operations Michael Romero said the cocktail menu holds true to the adventurous concept as well, featuring local, fresh products.
“The inspiration started with making sure we’re making our own syrups in-house, making it really craft cocktail-like, and then doing different ones,” he said. “So there’s honeydew syrup—like, we’re literally cutting up the honeydew and letting everything be infused. It’s all a little time consuming, but it’s worth it with the product.”
Honeydew syrup is featured in Feral’s Pandemonia—a refreshing light green
VERY DEMURE, VERY MINDFUL Cocktails Pandamonia (right) and Will Feral (left) offer something for everyone— light and refreshing or creamy and sweet with a feral twist.
FERAL BEGINNINGS The iconic Mother’s Tavern mirror is still displayed over the Feral bar, paying homage to the once classic dance club.
Classies
UNIVERSITY BARBER SHOP
FULL TIME BARBER WANTED
(writer/editor) seeks
or
apartment to rent starting soon. References available. (858) 635-1233 thesuperioreditor@gmail.com
Current CA Barbering or Cosmetology License required as well as liability insurance. Interested?
Please stop by the shop or call/leave message at (805) 773-2864
University Barber Shop 888 E. Foothill Blvd, SLO
(Located in University Square Shopping Center between Scout Coffee and Blaze Pizza)
PLANS EXAMINER/BUILDING INSPECTOR
CITY OF ATASCADERO
City of Atascadero Community Development Department, $38.00 - $46.19 Hourly, $3,039.82-$3,694.92 Biweekly, $6,586.28-$8,005.66 Monthly, $79,035.36-$96,067.92 Annually.
Performs a variety of routine and complex technical work in the review and approval of construction plans for new singlefamily residential units, residential alterations, tenant improvements and related; conducts field inspections as needed and checks construction, alteration or repair of buildings and other structures to ensure compliance with building codes and ordinances, performs other related duties as required. Assists Community Development Dept. with over-the-counter permit review and customer service. Visit www.governmentjobs.com/careers/atascadero
Recruitment closes 11-8-24 at 5:00 p.m. Contact City of Atascadero, 6500 Palma Ave, Atascadero, CA 93422, phone (805) 461-5000, or visit www.atascadero.org/jobs
SEALED BIDS will be received by the City Clerk, or designee, of the City of El Paso de Robles until December 5, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. for the Road Repairs Zones 4C, 4F and portions of 4I, DPW Project No. 23-41. Please be certain that any bid submitted is sealed and addressed and noted as follows:
City Clerk
City of El Paso de Robles 1000 Spring Street Paso Robles, CA 93446
Sealed Bid for Road Repairs Zones 4C, 4F and portions of 4I, DPW Project No. 23-41
Following the closure of the bid submittal period, bids will be publicly opened and read for performing work as follows: Furnishing all labor, materials, equipment, and performing all work necessary and incidental to the construction of the project known as Road Repairs Zones 4C, 4F and portions of 4I, DPW Project No. 23-41, according to drawings and specifications prepared by the City of El Paso de Robles and according to the Contract Documents. The work shall include, but is not limited to, dig-out repairs at localized areas, applying full width Type II Slurry, sweeping lowering and raising utilities, and pavement markings and striping, all as shown on the plans and/or as specified herein.
Project is to be completed within Fifty (50) WORKING days from the date specified in the Notice to Proceed. The Contractor shall pay to the City of El Paso de Robles the sum of Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00), for each and every calendar day’s delay in finishing the work in excess of the calendar day completion time.
The California Air Resources Board (“CARB”) implemented amendments to the In-Use Off-Road Diesel-Fueled Fleets Regulations (“Regulation”) which went into effect on January 1, 2024 and apply broadly to all self-propelled off road diesel vehicles 25 horsepower or greater and other forms of equipment used in California. A copy of the Regulation is available at https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/sites/default/files/barcu/regact/2022/offroaddiesel/appa-1.pdf Bidders are required to comply with all CARB and Regulation requirements, including, without limitation, all applicable sections of the Regulation, as codified in Title 13 of the California Code of Regulations section 2449 et seq. throughout the duration of the Project. Bidders must provide, with their Bid, copies of Bidder’s and all listed subcontractors’ most recent, valid Certificate of Reported Compliance (“CRC”) issued by CARB. Failure to provide valid CRCs as required herein may render the Bid non-responsive.
Copies of the Bid Documents are now on file and available for public inspection at Public Works Department at 1000 Spring Street, El Paso de Robles, California. Interested bidders must obtain copies of the documents electronically.
The Contract Documents will be available electronically, at no cost, at Out to Bid | Paso Robles, CA. Use the link Out to Bid | Paso Robles, CA to navigate to the City’s website for out to bid projects. To download the Bid Documents, the user must register as a user on the site. It is the responsibility of each prospective bidder to download and print all Bid Documents for review and to verify the completeness of Bid Documents before submitting a bid. Any Addenda will be posted at Out to Bid | Paso Robles, CA It is the responsibility of each prospective bidder to check Out to Bid | Paso Robles, CA on a daily basis through the close of bids for any applicable addenda or updates. Out to Bid | Paso Robles, CA sends email notifications to ONLY those registered on the City’s website. The City does not assume any liability or responsibility based on any defective or incomplete copying, excerpting, scanning, faxing, downloading or printing of the Bid Documents. Information on Out to Bid | Paso Robles, CA may change without notice to prospective bidders. The Contract Documents shall supersede any information posted or transmitted by any other vendor besides the City. City does not assume any liability or responsibility based on any defective or incomplete copying, excerpting, scanning, faxing, downloading or printing of the Bid Documents. Information on CIPLIST.com may change without notice to prospective bidders. The Contract Documents shall supersede any information posted or transmitted by CIPLIST.com.
Bidding procedures are prescribed in the Contract Documents. Each bidder must submit bid security in one of the following forms: cash, cashier’s check payable to City, a certified check payable to City, or a bid bond in the form included with the bid documents, executed by an admitted surety insurer, made payable to City in an amount equal to at least 10% of the total amount of the bid or proposal.
Pursuant to Section 1770, et seq. of the California Labor Code, the successful bidder and all subcontractors shall pay not less than the prevailing rate of per diem wages as determined by the Director of the California Department of Industrial Relations.
Pursuant to Labor Code Section 1725.5, for bids due on or after March 1, 2015, all contractors and subcontractors that wish to bid on, be listed in a bid proposal for, or enter into a contract to perform work on the Project must be registered with the Department of Industrial Relations pursuant to Labor Code sections 1725.5 and 1771.1. No bid will be accepted, nor any contract entered into if the bidder is not registered as required by law.
Pursuant to Public Contract Code Section 22300, for monies earned by the Contractor and withheld by City of El Paso de Robles to ensure the performance of the Contract, the Contractor may, at its option, choose to substitute securities meeting the requirements of Public Contract Code Section 22300.
All bidders shall be licensed under the provisions of the Business and Professions Code to do the type of work contemplated in the project. In accordance with provisions of California Public Contract Code Section 3300, City has determined that the Contractor shall possess a valid Class A (General Engineering) License at the time that the bid is submitted. Failure to possess the specified license shall render the bid non-responsive.
The successful bidder will be required to furnish a payment bond in the amount equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the Contract Price, as well as a faithful performance bond, in the amount equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the Contract Price. The bonds shall be on the forms included in the Contract Documents.
City reserves the right to reject any or all bids; to make any awards or any rejections in what it alone considers to be in the best interest of City and waive any informalities or irregularities in the bids. The contract will be awarded, if at all, to the responsible bidder that submits the lowest responsive bid. City will determine the low bid.
Date: October 31, 2024 By: Ditas Esperanza P.E.
COUNTY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO
DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING & BUILDING
NOTICE OF TENTATIVE ACTION / PUBLIC HEARING
WHO County of San Luis Obispo Planning Department Hearing
WHEN Friday, November 15, 2024 at 9:00 AM: All items are advertised for 9:00 AM. To verify agenda placement, please call the Department of Planning & Building at (805) 781-5600.
WHAT Hearing to consider a request by Almond Heights LLC for a Lot Line Adjustment (N-SUB2023-00042/ COAL 23-0011) to adjust the lot lines between four (4) parcels of 7.02, 20.71, 1.00, and .34 acres each. The adjustment will result in four (4) parcels of 8.43, 16.71, 2.8, and 1.13 acres each. This project is Phase 1 in a series of 6 phased Lot Line Adjustments. The project will not result in the creation of any additional parcels. The proposed project is within the Residential Suburban land use category and is located at 120 19th Street Paso Robles, located immediately to the west of the City of Paso Robles. The site is in the Salinas River sub area of the North County planning area.
Also to be considered is the determination that this project is covered by the general rule that CEQA applies only to projects which have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. It can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that this project may have a significant effect on the environment; therefore, this project is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) under the provisions of CEQA Guidelines sec. 15061(b)(3)
Instructions on how to view and participate in the meeting remotely and provide public comment will be included in the published meeting Agenda and are posted on the Department’s webpage at: Planning Department Hearing (PDH) - County of San Luis Obispo (ca.gov)
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
A copy of the staff report will be made available on the Planning Department website at www.sloplanning.org. You may also contact Lane Sutherland, Project Manager, in the Department of Planning and Building at the address below or by telephone at 805-788-9470.
TO REQUEST A PUBLIC HEARING
This matter is tentatively scheduled to appear on the consent agenda, which means that it and any other items on the consent agenda can be acted upon by the hearing officer with a single motion. An applicant or interested party may request a public hearing on this matter. To do so, send a letter to this office at the address below or send an email to pdh@ co.slo.ca.us by 11/8/2024 at 4:30 PM. The letter or email must include the language “I would like to request a hearing on N-SUB2023-00042.”
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.
Ysabel Eighmy, Secretary Planning Department Hearing October 24, 2024
COUNTY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING & BUILDING NOTICE OF TENTATIVE ACTION / PUBLIC HEARING
WHO County of San Luis Obispo Planning Department Hearing
WHEN Friday, November 15, 2024 at 9:00 AM: All items are advertised for 9:00 AM. To verify agenda placement, please call the Department of Planning & Building at (805) 781-5600.
WHAT Hearing to consider a request by Almond Heights LLC for a Lot Line Adjustment (N-SUB2023-00043/ COAL 23-0012) to adjust the lot lines between four (4) parcels of 5,250, 2,693, 5,652, and 27,192 square feet each. The adjustment will result in four (4) parcels of 9,415, 4,706, 9,769 and 16,897 square feet each. This project is Phase 2 in a series of 6 phased Lot Line Adjustments. The project will not result in the creation of any additional parcels. The proposed project is within the Residential Suburban land use category and is located just south of 19th Street in Paso Robles, located immediately adjacent to the City of Paso Robles. The site is in the Salinas River sub area of the North County planning area.
Also to be considered is the determination that this project is covered by the general rule that CEQA applies only to projects which have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. It can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that this project may have a significant effect on the environment; therefore, this project is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) under the provisions of CEQA Guidelines sec. 15061(b)(3)
County File Number: N-SUB2023-00043
Supervisorial District: District 1 Assessor Parcel Number(s): 018-141-024
Date Accepted: 4/15/2024
WHERE Virtual meeting via Zoom platform.
Instructions on how to view and participate in the meeting remotely and provide public comment will be included in the published meeting Agenda and are posted on the Department’s webpage at: Planning Department Hearing (PDH) - County of San Luis Obispo (ca.gov)
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
A copy of the staff report will be made available on the Planning Department website at www.sloplanning.org. You may also contact Lane Sutherland, Project Manager, in the Department of Planning and Building at the address below or by telephone at 805-788-9470.
TO REQUEST A PUBLIC HEARING
This matter is tentatively scheduled to appear on the consent agenda, which means that it and any other items on the consent agenda can be acted upon by the hearing officer with a single motion. An applicant or interested party may request a public hearing on this matter. To do so, send a letter to this office at the address below or send an email to pdh@ co.slo.ca.us by 11/8/2024 at 4:30 PM. The letter or email must include the language “I would like to request a hearing on N-SUB2023-00043.”
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.
Ysabel Eighmy, Secretary Planning Department Hearing
October 24, 2024
COUNTY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO
DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING & BUILDING
NOTICE OF TENTATIVE ACTION / PUBLIC HEARING
WHO County of San Luis Obispo Planning Department Hearing
WHEN Friday, November 15, 2024 at 9:00 AM: All items are advertised for 9:00 AM. To verify agenda placement, please call the Department of Planning & Building at (805) 781-5600.
WHAT A request by Hovannes Bazinyan for a Minor Use Permit
(N-DRC2024-00030) to allow an existing 2,232 square-foot, single-family residence to be used as a vacation rental. The applicant is requesting a modification of the location standard per Land Use Ordinance
Section 22.30.150 to allow the proposed vacation rental to be located 1,075 feet from of an existing vacation rental, instead of 1,500 feet per ordinance standards. The project would not result in any disturbance on an approximately 13-acre parcel. The proposed project is within the Agriculture land use category and is located at 4180 Peachy Canyon Road, approximately 3.44 miles west of the City of Paso. The site is in the Adelaida Sub Area of the North County Planning Area.
Also to be considered is the determination that this project is categorically exempt from environmental review under CEQA.
County File Number: N-DRC2024-00030
Supervisorial District: District 1
Assessor Parcel Number(s): 026-292-016
Date Accepted: 7/26/2024
WHERE Virtual meeting via Zoom platform.
Instructions on how to view and participate in the meeting remotely and provide public comment will be included in the published meeting Agenda and are posted on the Department’s webpage at:
Planning Department Hearing (PDH - County of San Luis Obispo (ca.gov)
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
A copy of the staff report will be made available on the Planning Department website at www.sloplanning.org. You may also contact Jessica Macrae, Project Manager, in the Department of Planning and Building at the address below or by telephone at 805-781-5600.
TO REQUEST A PUBLIC HEARING
This matter is tentatively scheduled to appear on the consent agenda, which means that it and any other items on the consent agenda can be acted upon by the hearing officer with a single motion. An applicant or interested party may request a public hearing on this matter. To do so, send a letter to this office at the address below or send an email to pdh@co.slo.ca.us by 11/8/2024 at 4:30 PM. The letter or email must include the language “I would like to request a hearing on N-DRC2024-00030.”
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.
Ysabel Eighmy, Secretary Planning Department Hearing October 31, 2024
COUNTY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING & BUILDING NOTICE OF TENTATIVE ACTION / PUBLIC HEARING
WHO County of San Luis Obispo Planning Department Hearing
WHEN Friday, November 15, 2024 at 9:00 AM: All items are advertised for 9:00 AM. To verify agenda placement, please call the Department of Planning & Building at (805) 781-5600.
WHAT A request by Kieth Garl for a Minor Use Permit (N-DRC2023-00035) to allow for the establishment of an approximately 39,500-square-foot fenced outdoor storage yard. The project will result in the disturbance of approximately 43,650 square-feet on a 5.88 acre parcel. The proposed project is within the Industrial land use category and is located at the southwest corner of Autumn Place and Winterhaven Way (APN:091402-005), within Callender-Garrett Village. The site is in the South County Inland Sub Area of the South County Planning Area.
Also to be considered is the determination that this project is exempt from environmental review under CEQA based on the common sense exemption, CEQA Guidelines § 15061(b)(3).
County File Number: N-DRC2023-00035
Supervisorial District: District 4
Assessor Parcel Number(s): 091-402-005
Date Accepted: 7/29/2024
WHERE Virtual meeting via Zoom platform.
Instructions on how to view and participate in the meeting remotely and provide public comment will be included in the published meeting Agenda and are posted on the Department’s webpage at: Planning Department Hearing (PDH) Virtual Meeting - - County of San Luis Obispo (ca.gov)
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
A copy of the staff report will be made available on the Planning Department website at www.sloplanning.org. You may also contact Jessica Macrae, Project Manager, in the Department of Planning and Building at the address below or by telephone at 805-781-5600.
TO REQUEST A PUBLIC HEARING
This matter is tentatively scheduled to appear on the consent agenda, which means that it and any other items on the consent agenda can be acted upon by the hearing officer with a single motion. An applicant or interested party may request a public hearing on this matter. To do so, send a letter to this office at the address below or send an email to pdh@co.slo.ca.us by 11/8/2024 at 4:30 PM. The letter or email must include the language “I would like to request a hearing on N-DRC2023-00035.”
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.
Ysabel Eighmy, Secretary Planning Department Hearing
October 31, 2024 COUNTY OF
NOTICE OF TENTATIVE
WHO County of San Luis Obispo Planning Department Hearing
WHEN Friday, November 15, 2024 at 9:00 AM: All items are advertised for 9:00 AM. To
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, at 9:00 a.m., or as soon thereafter as the matter may be heard, to consider amending the countywide Fee Schedule Ordinance. The hearing will be held at the Board of Supervisors Chambers, County Government Center, 1055 Monterey Street, in San Luis Obispo.
Recommended amendments include increases, decreases, new, and deleted fees. Schedule A Fee amendments would become effective January 1, 2025, and Schedule B Fee amendments would become effective July 1, 2025.
Any person interested in expressing their views regarding the proposed amendments to the Fee Schedule may do so at the hearing. To determine specific placement of this item on the Board of Supervisors Agenda and to review the fee schedule amendments, go to the County’s website at www.slocounty. ca.gov on the Wednesday before the scheduled hearing date.
The fee schedule amendments may also be reviewed at the:
Katcho Achadjian Government Center Administrative Office, Room D430 1055 Monterey Street San Luis Obispo, CA 93408 (805) 781-5011
DATED: October 22, 2024
MATTHEW PONTES, Ex-Officio Clerk of the Board of Supervisors
By: s/ Niki Martin Deputy Clerk of the Board October 24 & 31, 2024
OCTOBER 22, 2024 COUNTY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEETING BRIEF
02. Item 25: Public Comment Period – Items not on the agenda: J. Trompeter; S. Sinclair; R. London; G. Taub; M. Brown; D. Stebbens; J. Specht: speak. No action taken.
03. Item 26: Request to issue a request for proposal seeking services to assist w/ the San Simeon CSD Dissolution process and develop a reimbursement agreement & approve a $20,000 budget adjustment from General Fund Contingencies to Public Works FC 201 - Special Services for staff time to perform this work, authorized.
04. Item 27: Closed Session. Anticipated Litigation: Significant exposure to litigation - potential cases: 4. Initiation of litigation - potential cases: 3. Existing Litigation: R. Bunnell, et. al, v. Co. of SLO, SLO Superior Court, Case # 21CV-0653; M. Holland v. Co. of SLO Public Libraries, C. Barnickel, S. Monge, SLO Superior Court, Case # 22CV-0349; L. Cooper, et. al v. Co. of SLO, et. al, U.S. District Court, Central District of CA, Western Division, Case # 2:24-CV-08187-DDP-AJRx. 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. Open Session. Report out.
05. Introduction of Cattleman of Year, Aaron Lazanoff, no action taken.
06. Item 28: Health Agency Presentation on creation of the new Access and Crisis Services Division, approved; Res. 2024-249, amending the Position Allocation List for FC160 – Public Health & FC166 – Behavioral Health, adopted.
07. Item 29: Board Member Comments & Reports on Meetings: Update on Simmler Community Building and maintenance plans. 5-0 Motion passed to bring back on 11/12 use of solar farm mitigation funds for Bitterwater Ln. & Soda Rd. in the Carrizo Plains. 5-0 Motion passed for an update by REACH on situation involving Coastal Commission and Vandenburg.
MEETING ADJOURNED
For more details, view meeting videos at: https://www. slocounty.ca.gov/Departments/Administrative-Office/ Clerk-of-the-Board/Clerk-of-the-Board-Services/Board-ofSupervisors-Meetings-and-Agendas.aspx
Matthew P. Pontes, County Administrative Officer & ExOfficio Clerk of the Board of Supervisors
By: Annette Ramirez, Deputy Clerk of the Board of Supervisors October 31, 2024
The San Luis Obispo City Council invites all interested persons to attend a public hearing on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo. Meetings may be viewed remotely on Government Access Channel 20 or streamed live from the City’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/ CityofSanLuisObispo. Public comment, prior to the start of the meeting, may be submitted in writing via U.S. Mail delivered to the City Clerk’s office at 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 or by email to emailcouncil@slocity.org.
PUBLIC HEARING ITEM: • A Public Hearing for the City Council to consider a final Resolution to abandon portions of the City right-of-way on Slack Street and detachment to adjust City limit boundaries through LAFCO. The applications are proposed to accommodate a Cal Poly faculty and staff housing development at the corner of Grand and Slack, as well as right-of-way and City limit adjustments to correct historical boundaries on Slack and Hathway. Pedestrian access and utility easements shall be preserved. The project is consistent with the Final Environmental Impact Report for the Cal Poly 2035 Master Plan and the EIR Addendum for the Slack and Grand Faculty/Staff Housing Project. Project Address: 1 Grand Avenue, Slack Street right-of-way (approximately from Longview to Henderson), and APN 052-082-028; Case #: ANNX-0219-2024, STAB-0038-2024; Zone: Right-of-way, Public Facility (PF), and Low-Density Residential (R-1); Cal Poly San Luis Obispo University, applicant.
For more information, contact Callie Taylor, Senior Planner, for the City’s Community Development Department at (805) 781-7016 or by email, cltaylor@slocity.org.
The City Council may also discuss other hearings or business items before or after the items listed above. If you challenge the proposed project in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing described in this notice, or in written correspondence delivered to the City Council at, or prior to, the public hearing.
Council Agenda Reports for this meeting will be available for review one week in advance of the meeting date on the City’s website, under the Public Meeting Agendas web page: https://www.slocity.org/government/ mayor-and-city-council/agendas-and-minutes. Please call the City Clerk’s Office at (805) 781-7114 for more information. The City Council meeting will be televised live on Charter Cable Channel 20 and live streaming on the City’s YouTube channel www.youtube.com/CityofSanLuisObispo.
October 31, 2024
CITY OF ARROYO GRANDE
CITY COUNCIL
NOTICE
OF PUBLIC HEARING
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Arroyo Grande City Council will conduct a public hearing in the Arroyo Grande City Council Chambers located at 215 E. Branch Street, Arroyo Grande, CA 93420 on TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2024, at 6:00 p.m., or soon thereafter, to consider the following item: Consideration of a Resolution Revising the Conditions of Approval for Plot Plan Review 23-001 which approved the Installation of One (1) Domestic Well on Property Zoned Planned Development (PD) located at the intersection of Noyes Road and Equestrian Way (APN: 007-781-055) and Finding That This Action Is Exempt From Review Under The California Environmental Quality Act. The City Council will discuss the proposed revisions to conditions of approval for Plot Plan Review 23-001, regarding the installation of one (1) domestic well on property zoned Planned Development at APN 007-781-055.
The proposed project is categorically exempt from CEQA under the Class 3 exemption, which applies to the construction and location of limited numbers of new, small facilities or structures; installation of small new equipment and facilities in small structures; and the conversion of existing small structures from one use to another where only minor modifications are made in the exterior of the structure. (State CEQA Guidelines, § 15303.)
This City Council meeting is being conducted in a hybrid in-person/virtual format. During the public hearing, public comment will be limited to three (3) minutes per speaker, pursuant to current meeting procedure.
The City Council may also discuss other hearings or business items before or after the item listed above. If you challenge the proposed action in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing described in this notice, or in written correspondence delivered to the City Council at, or prior to, the public hearing. Failure of any person to receive the notice shall not constitute grounds for any court to invalidate the action of the legislative body for which the notice was given.
Documents related to the project are available in the Community Development Department located at 300 E. Branch Street, Arroyo Grande. The Agenda and reports are posted online at www.arroyogrande.org 72 hours prior to the meeting. Please call (805) 473-5420 for more information.
The City Council meeting will be televised live on Charter Cable Channel 20 and streamed live on the City’s Website.
Jessica Matson, City Clerk
Thursday, October 31, 2024
CITY OF ARROYO GRANDE CITY COUNCIL
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Arroyo Grande City Council will conduct a public hearing in the Arroyo Grande City Council Chambers located at 215 E. Branch Street, Arroyo Grande, CA 93420 on TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2024, at 6:00 p.m., or soon thereafter, to consider the following item: Consideration of an Ordinance Amending Title 16 of the Municipal Code Regarding Accessory Dwelling Units and Junior Accessory Dwelling Units to Comply with Recent Changes in State Law; and Finding the Action to Be Statutorily Exempt from CEQA Under Section 21080.17 of the Public Resources Code. The City Council will discuss the proposed amendments to the Arroyo Grande Municipal Code (AGMC) regarding the development of accessory dwelling units (ADUs). The proposed ordinance amendments will regulate ADU development and bring the AGMC into conformance with state law.
Under California Public Resources Code section 21080.17, CEQA does not apply to the adoption of an ordinance by a city or county implementing the provisions of Article 2 of Chapter 13 of Division 1 of Title 7 of the Government Code, which is California’s ADU law and which also regulates JADUs, as defined by section 66313. Therefore, the adoption of the proposed ordinance is statutorily exempt from CEQA in that it implements state ADU law.
This City Council meeting is being conducted in a hybrid in-person/virtual format. During the public hearing, public comment will be limited to three (3) minutes per speaker, pursuant to current meeting procedure.
The City Council may also discuss other hearings or business items before or after the item listed above. If you challenge the proposed action in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing described in this notice, or in written correspondence delivered to the Planning Commission at, or prior to, the public hearing. Failure of any person to receive the notice shall not constitute grounds for any court to invalidate the action of the legislative body for which the notice was given.
Documents related to the project are available in the Community Development Department located at 300 E. Branch Street, Arroyo Grande. The Agenda and reports are posted online at www.arroyogrande.org 72 hours prior to the meeting.
Please call (805) 473-5420 for more information. The City Council meeting will be televised live on Charter Cable Channel 20 and streamed live on the City’s Website Jessica Matson, City Clerk Thursday, October 31, 2024
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
DATE: Tuesday, November 12, 2024 TIME: 6:00 p.m.
PLACE: City of Atascadero Council Chambers 6500 Palma Avenue Atascadero, CA 93422
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City Council of the City of Atascadero will hold a PUBLIC HEARING inperson and virtually at the time and place above to consider draft recommendations for the 2025 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. CDBG funds can be used for public facilities, qualifying public services and economic development activities that benefit low-income persons.
ALL INTERESTED PERSONS are invited to attend inperson or virtually and will be given an opportunity to speak in favor or opposition to the above-proposed project. Individuals who wish to participate remotely may call (669) 900-6833 (Meeting ID: 889 2347 9018) to listen and provide public comment via phone or via the Zoom platform using the link posted on the City’s website at www.atascadero.org/agendas. Written comments are also accepted by the City Clerk, prior to the hearing at 6500 Palma Avenue, Atascadero, CA 93422 or cityclerk@ atascadero.org and will be distributed to the City Council. Written public comments must be received by 12:00 p.m. on the day of the meeting. Email comments must identify the Agenda Item Number in the subject line of the email. Written comments will not be read into the record.
INTERESTED PERSONS may access the live-streamed meeting through the City’s website on Zoom, SLO-SPAN. org, on Spectrum cable Channel 20 in Atascadero and listen live on KPRL Radio 1230AM and 99.3 FM. Information regarding the hearing is filed in the City Clerk’s office and is available on the City’s website at www.atascadero.org/agendas.
Additional information may be obtained from the Public Works Department at (805) 470-3456. The complete listing of applications received is available for review by appointment through the City Clerk’s Office, 6500 Palma Avenue, Atascadero, CA 93422 between the hours of 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday – Friday.
DATED: October 21, 2024 S/ L Christensen, City Clerk PUBLISH: 10/31/24 and 11/07/24
DATE: Tuesday, November 12, 2024 TIME: 6:00 p.m.
PLACE: City of Atascadero Council Chambers 6500 Palma Avenue Atascadero, CA 93422
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City Council of the City of Atascadero will hold a PUBLIC HEARING in- person at the time and place indicated above to consider an Amendment to the Emergency Shelter Overlay Zone text, the El Camino Homeless Organization (ECHO) Operations and Management Plan, and the Conditional Use Permit (PLN 2014-1492/CUP 2014-0279) to increase the number of client serving beds from 60 to 90, increase the number of meal program participants from 80 to 100, and increase the shower program operation to 15 hours per week at 6370 Atascadero Avenue on APN 030-341-013. This amendment would facilitate the construction of a 7,600 sf 2-story addition to the existing shelter facility. The amendments are covered by the general rule exemption (CEQA Section 15061(3)(b)) and categorical exemption Class 1 (CEQA Section 15301(c) (2)). (AMND24-0060 & ZCH24-0061).
NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that if a challenge to the above action is made in court, persons may be limited to raising only those issues they or someone else raised at the public hearing described in the notice, or in written correspondence delivered to the Council at, or prior to, the public hearing.
ALL INTERESTED PERSONS are invited to attend inperson and will be given an opportunity to speak in favor of, or opposition to, the above-proposed project. Written comments are also accepted by the City Clerk, prior to the hearing at 6500 Palma Ave., Atascadero, CA 93422 or cityclerk@atascadero.org and will be distributed to the City Council. Written public comments must be received by 12:00 p.m. on the day of the meeting. Email comments must identify the Agenda Item Number in the subject line of the email. Written comments will not be read into the record. Information regarding the hearing is filed in the Community Development Department. If you have any questions, please call Planning Services or visit the office at 6500 Palma Ave., by appointment only, Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. All documents related to the project will be available for review on the City’s website 72 hours prior to the public hearing at www.atascadero.org/agendas.
DATED: October 28, 2024 S/ L Christensen, City Clerk
PUBLISH: October 31, 2024
CITY OF ATASCADERO NOTICE OF CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING
DATE: Tuesday, November 12, 2024 TIME: 6:00 p.m. PLACE: City of Atascadero 6500 Palma Avenue, 4th Floor Atascadero, CA 93422
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City Council of the City of Atascadero will hold a Public Hearing at the time and place indicated above to consider the following project and proposed environmental determination: 1. City of Atascadero CEQA Streamlining. The project includes amendments to Title 9, Planning and Zoning, of the Atascadero Municipal Code to establish objective standards for hillsides, watercourse adjacent areas, archeologically sensitive areas, and historic resources to provide a ministerial review process for permit streamlining. (ZCH23-0061)
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), Public resources Code Section 21000 et seq., because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the enactment of this Ordinance would have a significant effect on the environment (Pub. Resources Code § 21065; CEQA Guidelines §15061(b)(3).)
NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that if a challenge to the above action is made in court, persons may be limited to raising only those issues they or someone else raised at the public hearing described in the notice, or in written correspondence delivered to the Council at, or prior to, the public hearing. ALL INTERESTED PERSONS are invited to attend in-person and will be given an opportunity to speak in favor of, or opposition to, the above-proposed project. Written comments are also accepted by the City Clerk, prior to the hearing at 6500 Palma Ave., Atascadero, CA 93422 or cityclerk@atascadero.org and will be distributed to the City Council. Written public comments must be received by 12:00 p.m. on the day of the meeting. Email comments must identify the Agenda Item Number in the subject line of the email. Written comments will not be read into the record.
Information regarding the hearing is filed in the Community Development Department. If you have any questions, please call Planning Services or visit the office at 6500 Palma Ave., by appointment only, Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. All documents related to the projects will be available for review on the City’s website 72 hours prior to the public hearing at www.atascadero.org/agendas.
DATED: October 28, 2024
S/ L Christensen, City Clerk PUBLISH: October 31, 2024
CITY OF PASO ROBLES
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the following persons have been nominated for the offices designated to be filled at the Consolidated General Municipal Election to be held in the City of El Paso de Robles on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. For Treasurer Vote for One (Name of Nominees in the order in which they appear on the ballot)
RYAN CORNELL
For Member of the City Council District No. 1 (Partial Term) Vote for One
(Name of Nominees in the order in which they appear on the ballot)
SHARON RODEN
LINDA C. GEORGE
KRIS BEAL
For Member of the City Council District No. 3 Vote for One
(Name of Nominees in the order in which they appear on the ballot)
STEVE GREGORY
MICHAEL RIVERA
JEFF CARR
For Member of the City Council District No. 4 Vote for One (Name of Nominees in the order in which they appear on the ballot)
FRED L. STRONG
NOTICE IS HEREBY FURTHER GIVEN, that at the Consolidated General Election to be held on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, the following measure will be submitted to the voters of the City of El Paso de Robles:
PASO ROBLES LOCAL SERVICES FUNDING CONTINUATION MEASURE I-24.
Shall the measure to extend the existing voter-approved ½¢ sales tax for general government use including to improve Paso Robles’ long-term finances, maintain important services such as fixing damaged streets/roads/infrastructure, repairing potholes, synchronizing traffic signals, maintaining traffic/pedestrian safety, and improving emergency evacuation routes, providing approximately $5,500,000 annually until ended by voters, requiring audits, citizen oversight, public disclosure of all spending, all funds for Paso Robles, be adopted?
NOTICE OF NOMINEES FOR PUBLIC OFFICE & MEASURES TO BE VOTED ON Yes No
Melissa Boyer, City Clerk
City of El Paso de Robles
Dated: October 31, 2024
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:
$10,495.70 IN UNITED STATES CURRENCY
San Luis Obispo Superior Court, Case No.
Notice is hereby given that on February 27, 2024, the above-described property was seized at or near Charles Paddock Zoo, 9100 Morro Road, Atascadero, CA 93422, by the Atascadero Police Department, in connection with cannabis violations, to wit, section(s) 11351 & 11352 of the California Health and Safety Code. The estimated/ appraised value of the property is $10,495.70.
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.
PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on Tuesday, November 12, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. or as soon thereafter as possible, the Pismo Beach Planning Commission will hold a public hearing in the Council Chamber at City Hall, 760 Mattie Road, Pismo Beach, for the following purpose:
PUBLIC HEARING AGENDA:
A. Address: 110 Oak Park Boulevard (APN 005-395-043)
Applicant: VAI, Robert Vermeltfoort
Project No.: P23-000060
Description: Conditional Use Permit, Development Permit, Architectural Review Permit, and Sign Program Permit for a new 4,140 square foot drive-thru carwash and associated site improvements on a vacant one-acre lot at the intersection of Oak Park Boulevard and Branch Street. The project is located outside the Coastal Zone.
Environmental Review
In accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), it has been determined that the project is exempt from the requirements of CEQA pursuant to Section 15332 of the CEQA Guidelines regarding infill development on less than five acres.
Details about ways to participate in this hearing will be provided on the agenda posted for the meeting online at pismobeach.org/agenda, and on the bulletin board at City Hall. The agenda will be posted in the afternoon of November 7, 2024.
You have a right to comment on these projects and their effect on our community. Interested persons are invited to participate in the hearing or otherwise express their views and opinions regarding the proposed projects. Emailed comments may be submitted to planningcommission@pismobeach.org; staff cannot guarantee that emailed comments submitted after the start of the meeting will be given full consideration before action is taken. Written comments may be delivered or mailed to the Community Development Department / Planning Division Office at 760 Mattie Road, Pismo Beach, CA 93449, prior to the meeting, or hand-delivered during the meeting no later than the comment period for this item. Oral comment may be provided prior to the meeting by calling 805-773-7005 and leaving a voice message. Please state and spell your name and identify your item of interest. Oral comment may also be made by attending the meeting in person in the Council Chamber at City Hall. Please refer to the agenda for this meeting for specific instructions for participation.
Staff reports, plans, and other information related to these projects are available for public review from the Planning Division Office, by emailing Administrative Secretary Brianna Whisenhunt at bwhisenhunt@pismobeach.org. The meeting agenda and staff report will be available no later than the Friday before the meeting and may be obtained upon request by mail or by visiting www.pismobeach.org/agenda. The Planning Commission meeting will be televised live on Charter Spectrum Cable Channel 20 and streamed on the City’s website.
PLEASE NOTE:
If you challenge the action taken on this item in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing described in this notice, or in written correspondence delivered to the City of Pismo Beach at, or prior to, the public hearing.
For further information, please contact Administrative Secretary Brianna Whisenhunt at bwhisenhunt@ pismobeach.org or 805-773-4658.
Brianna Whisenhunt Administrative Secretary
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: October 11, 2024 DAN DOW District Attorney
Kenneth Jorgensen Deputy District Attorney
October 17, 24, & 31, 2024
October 31, 2024 The San Luis Obispo Planning Commission will hold a Regular Meeting on Wednesday, November 13, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo. Meetings may be viewed on Government Access Channel 20 or streamed live from the City’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/ CityofSanLuisObispo Public comment, prior to the start of the meeting, may be submitted in writing via U.S. Mail delivered to the City Clerk’s Office at 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 or by email to advisorybodies@slocity.org. PUBLIC HEARING ITEM: • Re-review of an existing Conditional Use Permit for a fraternity. The Use Permit, U1099, was previously reviewed and approved by the City Council in 1983. Due to recent noise violations in 2024, the Conditional Use Permit is being referred to the Planning Commission for a re-review. Re-review of the Use Permit is exempt from environmental review (CEQA); Project Address: 280 California Boulevard; Case #: U1099, USE-0625-2024; Zone: R-4; Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity, owner/applicant. Contact Information: Hannah Hanh – (805) 781-7432 – hhanh@slocity.org The Planning Commission may also discuss other hearing or business items before or after the item(s) listed above. If you challenge the proposed action in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing described in this notice, or in written correspondence delivered to the Planning Commission at, or prior to, the public hearing. Report(s) are typically available six days in advance of the meeting and can be viewed on the City’s website, under the Public Meeting Agendas web page: https:// www.slocity.org/government/mayor-and-city-council/agendas-and-minutes Please
YouTube channel www.youtube.com/CityofSanLuisObispo. October 31, 2024
Free Will Astrology by Rob Brezsny
Homework: To read my thoughts on the U.S. presidential election, go here: https://tinyurl.com/ElectionExtra
ARIES
(March 21-April 19): Many people believe in the existence of ghosts. If you’re not yet one of them, you may be soon. The spirit world is more open than usual to your curiosity and explorations. Keep in mind, though, that the contacts you make might not be with ghosts in the usual sense of that term. They might be deceased ancestors coming to deliver clues and blessings. They could be angels, guardian spirits, or shapeshifting messengers. Don’t be afraid. Some may be weird, but they’re not dangerous. Learn what you can from them, but don’t assume they’re omniscient and infallible. Halloween costume suggestion: one of your ancestors.
TAURUS
(April 20-May 20): When you attended kindergarten, did you ever share your delicious peanut butter and jelly sandwich with friends who didn’t like the broccoli and carrots in their lunch boxes? If so, you may be well-primed to capitalize on the opportunities now in your vicinity. Your generous actions will be potent catalysts for good luck. Your eagerness to bestow blessings and share your resources will bring you rewards. Your skill at enhancing other people’s fortunes may attract unexpected favors. Halloween costume suggestion: philanthropist, charity worker, or an angel who gives away peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
GEMINI
(May 21-June 20): For you, dear Gemini, the coming weeks could be the least superstitious time ever. There will be no such thing as bad luck, good luck, or weird luck. Fears rooted in old misunderstandings will be irrelevant. Irrational worries about unlikely outcomes will be disproven. You will discover reasons to shed paranoid thoughts and nervous fantasies. Speaking on behalf of your higher self, I authorize you to put your supple trust in logical thinking, objective research, and rational analysis. Halloween costume suggestion: a famous scientist you respect.
CANCER
(June 21-July 22): Which sign of the zodiac is sexiest? Smoldering Scorpios, who are so inherently seductive they don’t even have to try to be? Radiant Leos, whose charisma and commanding presence may feel irresistible? Electrifying Aries, who grab our attention with their power to excite and inspire us? In accordance with current astrological omens, I name you Cancerians as the sexiest sign for the next three weeks. Your emotional potency and nurturing intelligence will tempt us to dive into the depths with you and explore the lyrical mysteries of intimate linkage. Halloween costume suggestion: sex god, sex goddess, or the nonbinary Hindu deity Ardhanarishvara.
LEO
(July 23-Aug. 22): In ancient Egypt, onions were precious because they symbolized the many-layered nature of life. Just as some modern people swear oaths while placing a hand on a Bible, an Egyptian might have pledged a crucial vow while holding an onion. Would you consider adopting your own personal version of their practice in the coming weeks, Leo? It is the oath-taking season for you—a time when you will be wise to consider deep commitments and sacred resolutions. Halloween costume suggestion: a spiritual initiate or devotee.
VIRGO
(Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Two of the world’s most famous paintings are the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. Both were made by Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), one of the world’s most famous painters. Yet the brilliant artist left us with only 24 paintings in total, many of which were unfinished. Why? Here are two of several reasons: He worked slowly and procrastinated constantly. In the coming months, Virgo, I feel you will have resemblances to the version of da Vinci who created The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa Some of your best, most enduring work will bloom. You will be at the peak of your unique powers. Halloween costume suggestion: Leonardo da Vinci or some great maestro.
LIBRA
(Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “When you are faced with a choice between two paths, it’s always better to take the most difficult one.” What!? No! That’s not true! A shamanic psychotherapist gave me that bad advice when I was young, and I am glad I did not heed it. My life has been so much better because I learn from joy and pleasure as much as from hardship. Yes, sometimes it’s right to choose the most challenging option, but on many occasions, we are wise to opt for what brings fun adventures and free-flowing opportunities for creative expression. That’s what I wish for you right now. Halloween costume suggestion: a hedonist, a liberator, a bliss specialist.
SCORPIO
(Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Scorpio painter Pablo Picasso has been described as a “masterfully erratic pioneer.” He influenced every art movement of the 20th century. His painting Guernica is a renowned anti-war statement. Though he was a Communist, he amassed great wealth and owned five homes. Today, his collected work is valued at over $800 million. By the way, he was the most prolific artist who ever lived, producing almost 150,000 pieces. I nominate him to be your role model in the coming weeks. You are due for a Season of Successful Excess. Halloween costume suggestion: an eccentric, charismatic genius.
SAGITTARIUS
(Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Sagittarian Keith Richards, guitar player for the Rolling Stones since 1962, is a gritty, rugged man notorious for his rowdy carousing. Lots of observers predicted he would die at a young age because of his boisterous lifestyle, yet today he is 81 years old and still partying. But here’s his confession: “I never sleep alone. If there is no one to sleep next to, I’ll sleep next to a stuffed animal. It makes me feel secure and safe. It’s a little embarrassing to admit it. It’s important to me, though.” I bring this up, Sagittarius, because I feel that no matter how wild and free you are, you will be wise to ensure that you feel extra secure and supported for a while. Halloween costume suggestion: a stuffed animal or a lover of stuffed animals.
CAPRICORN
(Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Halloween offers us a valuable psychological opportunity. We can pretend to perform our shadowy, wounded, and unripe qualities without suffering the consequences of literally acting them out. We can acknowledge them as part of our make-up, helping to ensure they won’t develop the explosive, unpredictable power that repressed qualities can acquire. We may even gently mock our immature qualities with sly humor, diminishing the possibility they will sabotage us. All that’s a preamble for my Halloween costume suggestion for you: a dictator or tyrant. If you have fun playing with your control-freak fantasies, you will be less likely to over-express them in real life.
AQUARIUS
(Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Paganism and astrology have key affinities. For instance, they both understand that our personal rhythms are connected with the Earth’s cycles. I bring this to your attention because we are in the season that pagans call Samhain, halfway between the equinox and solstice. For Aquarians, this festival marks a time when you are wise to honor and nurture your highest ambitions. You can generate fun and good fortune by focusing on lofty goals that express your finest talents and offer your most unique gifts. How might you boost your passion and capacity to make your mark on the world? Halloween costume suggestion: your dream career.
PISCES
(Feb. 19-March 20): I like how you are opening, widening, and heightening! Keep up the good work, Pisces! I am cheering you on as you amplify, stretch, augment, and burgeon. Here’s a small alert, though: You may be expanding so fast and so far that it’s a challenge for less expansive people to keep up—even your allies. To allay their worries, be generous in sharing the fruits of your thriving spaciousness. Let them know you don’t require them to match your rate of growth. You could also show them this horoscope. Halloween costume suggestion: a broader, brighter, bolder version of yourself. ∆
