New Times, Dec. 19, 2024

Targeting trafficking

BY EMMA MONTALBANO

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hen SLO County District Attorney Dan Dow spearheaded the AntiHuman Trafficking Task Force almost a decade ago, local law enforcement had started to look at sex work-associated crimes differently. Realizing that sex workers are victims who often get pulled into the trade as minors, law enforcement began targeting those who purchase sex and the pimps who profit from it. Ten years on, Dow said that while the task force has been able to increase local awareness about the issue, demand for commercial sex hasn’t slowed down, and social media has changed the way the game is played. Contributor Emma Montalbano talks to Dow and other task force members about the issue [8]. Also this week, read about the development changes coming to Los Osos [4]; a novel version of The Nutcracker [20]; and where to get Korean takeout on Foothill Boulevard [28]

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THE CORRIDOR San Luis Obispo County is a human trafficking hot spot along Highway 101 between Los Angeles and San Francisco, according to District Attorney Dan Dow.

Luxury Condos

Supervisors green-light building in Los Osos in tandem with Habitat Conservation Plan

Los Osos recently broke free from its 35-yearlong building moratorium complete with California Coastal Commission approval, but the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors wants eager landowners to think of—and pay for— the local habitat they’re about to disturb.

“Without the HCP [Habitat Conservation Plan], all the work completed to create the regulatory framework for build-out capacity for the community will be for naught,” Emily Ewer, senior planner at SLO land consultant group Oasis Associates, told supervisors at the Dec. 10 meeting. “Los Osos is going to be a complicated regulatory biome, which must include the snails and their HCP.”

The coastal town witnessed a generationspanning change with the supervisors’ Oct. 29 decision to lift the build-out restriction by incorporating the Coastal Commission’s suggested modifications. With community development set to grow, the Coastal Commission recommended amending the Growth Management Ordinance to include a 1 percent maximum annual residential growth rate—or up to 50 residential units per year.

Aggravated by a suburban residential boom in the 1970s, Los Osos suffered from groundwater depletion, seawater intrusion, and nitrate contamination by the 1980s. In 1988, the SLO County Regional Water Quality Control Board ordered a ban on almost all new septic systems, which triggered the building moratorium. Los Osos’ status as an environmentally sensitive habitat

area added to its building constraints. The entire community sits on an ancient dune landform that produces a soil type called baywood fine sands, which supports a unique set of wildlife.

In June, the Coastal Commission also recommended that the Los Osos Community Plan follow provisions outlined in SLO County’s Habitat Conservation Plan that’s been 15 years in the making. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services approved the plan for a 25-year term in February. Species covered by the plan include the federally threatened Morro shoulderband snail and Morro manzanita and the federally endangered Morro Bay kangaroo rat and Indian knob mountainbalm.

At the Dec. 10 board meeting, supervisors approved the conservation plan in a 4-1 vote, with 5th District Supervisor Debbie Arnold dissenting. The move means that site disturbance must be mitigated by paying into the county’s habitat conservation program. Payment into the fund is based on the size of the proposed area of development. That fund would be applied to conserve a piece of land of the same size in a green belt area surrounding Los Osos.

“Our staff is telling us we have another alternative on the HCP. Yes, it’s a few more dollars per square feet,” Arnold said. “But we’re talking about borrowing $2 million from our general fund at a time when we’re going to be super tight with money.”

The total cost of implementation is $43 million for the 25-year permit term. But a $2 million internal loan is meant to jumpstart HCP implementation, which will be paid off by the people who want to build in Los Osos through habitat mitigation fees. Supervisors will deliberate the fees at a hearing set for Feb. 4, 2025.

Under Fish and Wildlife approval, the conservation plan must be implemented within the first three years of its federal approval. Forgoing the conservation plan means those keen on building will have to participate in Fish and Wildlife’s habitat conservation program, which is the alternative Arnold referred to. The mitigation fee for the federal program is more costly than the county’s plan, tallying $2.73 per square foot of ground disturbance compared to the local rate of $1.95 per square foot.

A project applicant would have to pay $16,380 in mitigation fees under the federal program to build a new residential unit on an undeveloped 6,000-square-foot lot. Under the Los Osos Habitat Conservation Plan, the same unit would cost $11,700 in fees.

“It [the federal program] covers the same compliance with the Endangered Species Act that we’re providing with the HCP for a lower price,” said 2nd District Supervisor Bruce Gibson, who represents Los Osos. “It’s like buying a Cadillac; it doesn’t work very well.”

County Director of Planning and Building Trevor Keith added that the $2 million loan wouldn’t be spent all at once. The county can draw it down depending on the level of conservation activity needed. Green belt conservation involves the county either acquiring plots through willing landowners or restoring government land impacted by hiking trails.

Property owners who want to build are on a waitlist established by the Growth Management Ordinance. The ordinance gives first priority to lots based on waitlist position during Phase I that spans Jan. 1 to June 1, 2025. The entire rest of the waitlist will be prioritized in Phase II that lasts from July 1 to Aug. 1, 2025.

“In doing so, waitlist positions are honored and approximately 75 days are provided from notification to submit construction permit applications, but if those on the waitlist are not ready to build, allocations will be made available to those that are ready to build,” the staff report read. ∆

—Bulbul Rajagopal

comment following a draft environmental impact statement assessing the impacts of offshore wind energy development.

The draft programmatic environmental impact statement is an additional step in BOEM’s regional analysis, one that the agency chose to undertake to

help identify and ensure a thorough understanding of the potential environmental effects of mitigation associated with offshore wind, BOEM’s public affairs officer John Romero said. The draft introduces three alternatives:

FILE PHOTO BY JAYSON MELLOM

Alternative A assumes that no wind energy development would occur off California’s coast; Alternative B considers future offshore wind development without mitigation measures; and Alternative C, BOEM’s preferred action, includes mitigation measures to help reduce or avoid potential impacts.

BOEM then lists out the effects that all three would have on 19 environmental factors ranging from air quality and greenhouse gas emissions to coastal habitats and wetlands.

In the case of coastal habitats and wetlands, BOEM identified that Alternative A would continue to have temporary, longterm, and permanent impacts on coastal habitat and fauna while land disturbance from onshore development would cause temporary and permanent loss to wetlands. Alternative B would have impacts on coastal habitat, fauna, and wetlands depending on the amount and quality of coastal habitat being altered or removed. And Alternative C would be similar to Alternative B.

“However, mitigation measures would reduce some impacts associated with cable installation and maintenance,” according to the draft environmental impact statement. Romero said the impact statement helps BOEM identify and analyze ways to avoid, reduce, and monitor any negative effects that might arise from future offshore wind projects. And BOEM could apply these measures as conditions of approval for any future proposed offshore wind projects in California.

“By taking this proactive approach, we can identify and establish mitigation measures that can be applied across multiple projects, streamlining the review process of future project plans, while enhancing transparency and inclusivity,” Romero said. “This process reflects our commitment to engaging with tribes, local communities, and key stakeholders to make sure their concerns are heard, considered, and addressed.”

BOEM’s 90-day comment period will end on Feb. 12, 2025. The agency will hold two virtual public meetings for the draft environmental impact statement on Jan. 28, 2025, at 5 p.m. and Jan. 30, 2025, at 12 p.m. For more information, visit boem. gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/ california-offshore-wind-programmaticenvironmental-impact

Romero said that even with the impact statement, any future project would still go through its own site-specific environmental review.

Currently, three companies have leases about 20 miles from Morro Bay in federal waters: Invenergy California Offshore LLC; Atlas Offshore Wind LLC, previously known as Equinor Wind US LLC; and Golden State Wind LLC.

Atlas didn’t respond to New Times request for comment before publication, but Recharge reported that Equinor, or Atlas Wind, is pausing project plans in its local leasing area to prioritize later-stage projects in different regions.

Molly Croll from American Clean Power Association-California told New Times on Nov. 22 that offshore wind projects in California are at the beginning of a decadelong development process and the next few years will continue to see infrastructure investments in transmission and ports, preparation for permitting and procurement, and community engagement and education.

“The offshore wind industry continues to bolster local economies across the country and support thousands of high-paying jobs,” she said. “Offshore wind remains a crucial part of the nation’s energy portfolio and is necessary to meet growing consumer demand for reliable and affordable energy.”

According to BOEM, offshore wind in California would create enough power for more than 1.5 million homes.

Golden State Wind’s CEO Tyler Studds told New Times that the demand for electricity is expected to double by 2050 nationwide.

“Given continuing data center growth and rising electrification, California is looking to offshore wind as an important element in the diverse long-term energy portfolio to keep the lights on and the economy thriving.”

—Samantha Herrera

Paso City Council debates eliminating downtown employee parking

Downtown Paso Robles employees and business owners still have four designated employee parking lots—at least for another six months.

At the Paso City Council’s meeting on Dec. 17, the council decided to table its decision to eliminate employee parking after listening to public comment, despite city staff reporting that the permit program had a lack of demand and was more expensive to enforce than it’s worth.

Recently elected City Councilmember Kris Beal said at the meeting that the discussion over employee parking downtown had been going on for a very long time.

“Everybody’s exhausted and everybody’s kind of fed up. I want to acknowledge that at the same time, we asked for the stakeholders to come forward and give input,” Beal said. “What we’re hearing is that, as an organization, Main Street wants to keep some form of employee parking.”

The Downtown Employee Permit Parking Program was created in 2018 after the city received complaints that downtown employees and business owners were taking up parking spaces all day, making it difficult for customers to also access the area. The permit costs employees $5 per month to park in the 98 designated spots near 12th and 13th streets.

The city also later implemented paid parking in 2019, charging $2 an hour after a free two-hour period, then earlier this year it changed the fee to $1 per hour. After an uproar from residents, the paid parking program was eliminated in May, making all parking free.

The Dec. 17 staff report said that nothing is stopping employees from parking in the free spots and advised the council to eliminate employee parking and convert the four lots to additional free parking.

The report also stated that while decals for permit parking would be inexpensive, enforcing the permit system wouldn’t be. Currently, enforcement is used on a complaint-driven basis, and enforcement only occurs when a call for service is received, making effective monitoring difficult.

To effectively enforce the employee permits, staff suggested hiring a permit specific position that would cost the city more than $100,000 per year and noted this still wouldn’t prevent employees from parking for free elsewhere.

Resident Dave Nelson told council members that he had always been in favor of

employee parking and believed the current system worked.

“The business owners clearly want to keep [the parking spaces] and are using them now. Those are the people. Those are your constituents,” Nelson said. “I’m asking you to listen to the people—that’s who you represent. Enforcement is not necessary. They’re self-enforcing.”

A local business owner said parking is too difficult to find without the designated lots.

“It’s hard to find parking after 10 o’clock in the morning some days, especially on the weekends, and especially if there’s something going on in the park,” she said. “So please, I’m just begging, don’t take away those lots.”

Councilmember Fred Strong said he worried about law enforcement having to enforce the permits. Instead, he suggested removing the legal restrictions for the lots, but leaving the permit signs up to prevent tourists or unknowing residents from parking in the lots.

“The one group that will definitely not park there in that case is the tourists, because they won’t know that it’s anything but what they see. So, the only ones who are going to take advantage are those of the public who actually listen to us or read what’s happening here,” he said. “Frankly, that’s a very small percentage.”

Mayor John Hamon said he was against the idea of removing the restriction but not the signs.

“I can’t believe the council would do something that, in my thinking, is unethical to leave signs up for law-abiding citizens to obey when you know we will not be enforcing them. Doesn’t that rub you guys a little differently at this point? Because to me if we don’t like a law, we change the law,” he said. “If we’re going to not make these any longer restrictive to employee parking, then it’s public parking.”

After deliberation, Councilmember Beal suggested tabling the council’s decision and creating a committee for community input before taking action.

“I know this is just torture for everyone,” she said. “There might be some nuanced solutions.”

With a 3-2 vote in favor, the council opted to return to the issue within the next six months.

—Libbey Hanson

ECHO plans to expand its housing, meal services in Atascadero

The El Camino Homeless Organization wants to provide more food and beds to Atascadero residents in need.

The City Council approved the nonprofit’s services expansion as a consent item at the Dec. 10 council meeting, amending the zoning code for the emergency shelter located at 6370 Atascadero Ave. to allow 30 more beds and 20 more meals, and to modify shower operation hours.

During the Nov. 12 City Council meeting, the El Camino Homeless Organization (ECHO) presented its proposal to the council. ECHO Director of Development and Operations Austin Solheim told the council that there are currently 50 households on ECHO’s waitlist for housing, totaling about 165 people.

But for the organization to grow in an effective and efficient way, it needs to increase its beds from 60 to 90, which would

include the construction of a 7,600-squarefoot, two-story building in the front yard of the existing facility, according to the Nov. 12 staff report.

While Solheim told the council that no one has necessarily been against the organization’s growth, the public has been most concerned about the meal programs, which ECHO wanted to increase from 80 to 100.

“What we don’t want to do is ever have to turn anyone from our community away from that meal program. We want to fulfill that need because what we don’t ever want is that person to feel like the community has left them behind,” he said.

According to Solheim, about 40 percent of those who use the meal program are residents of the facility. About 40 percent are unhoused, and the other 20 percent are housed but face food insecurity.

Charles Bourbeau, a council member at the time who was elected as mayor in November, asked if those participating in the meal program were actually using ECHO’s resources or just receiving free meals, in some cases for years at a time.

Solheim said that ECHO is not supposed to be the one solution for homelessness but a hub for resources to find each person the help they need. He added that the organization has helped each meal program participant in some way, whether it was registering them for food stamps or getting them a cellphone.

“Each one of those is a success, each one of those is a step to getting into stable housing, but it starts with something simple,” Solheim said.

Multiple residents who spoke at the Nov. 12 meeting expressed concerns about the meal program and frustration about who it attracts to their neighborhoods.

One neighbor said they support the build, but not the location of the meal program. Throughout the years, he said, he and other neighbors have spent “countless dollars” on security systems as they witnessed drug deals and campers on their streets.

“I don’t think that’s fair, and that’s something I would have never thought of doing before ECHO moved in,” he said.

Another resident requested that the city develop a plan of support for ECHO’s neighbors and asked it to table the meal expansion until a more meaningful plan could be developed with residents.

“If you do not drive home tonight and look in your bushes on your property for somebody living there, or you haven’t cleaned up human feces and waste, or you have not had to call the police because of an unhoused person’s behavior, then it hasn’t been your personal problem,” she said.

Speaking in support of the meal program, one resident said that ECHO’s program had allowed her to develop a more secure life after experiencing homelessness.

“I can say the meal program is very, very important. I can say that firsthand,” she said, adding that around the meal tables she experienced people developing trust and finding resources together.

After some deliberation on Nov. 12, the City Council unanimously approved the expansion under the conditions that the meal program would not be expanded to 100 until the completion of the new building and that ECHO holds at least one annual neighborhood meeting for facility updates. ∆ —Libbey Hanson

Trafficking in paradise

SLO County’s Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force marks a decade of attempting to decrease demand and increase awareness

BY EMMA MONTALBANO | PHOTOS BY JAYSON MELLOM

In 2024, there were at least 18 arrests related to human trafficking in San Luis Obispo County. More than half of those arrested were people trying to contact or meet up with minors for lewd reasons, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

While these numbers remain similar year after year, District Attorney Dan Dow said that over the past decade, the county’s Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force has successfully raised awareness about the issue. It hasn’t yet achieved a significant decrease in cases, which Dow attributes to the constant demand for commercial sex.

“Sadly, every time we do an operation—a law enforcement operation—we have no problem finding people seeking to contact minors for purchasing sex,” Dow said. “So, unfortunately, it seems to be a steady problem.”

On Dec. 12, local law enforcement arrested three individuals during a sting operation for attempting to arrange a sexual encounter with someone the alleged perpetrators believed to be younger than 15, according to the SLO County Sheriff’s Office. Instead, they met with an undercover detective.

Human trafficking, sometimes also

referred to as modern slavery, includes both sex and labor trafficking. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s website notes that “human trafficking involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act.”

Offenses such as soliciting prostitution, pimping, contacting a minor for a sexual offense, and meeting with a minor for lewd purposes are all connected to human trafficking, according to Dow. The rapid increase in mobile technologies such as cellphones and social media enables traffickers to recruit, advertise, and arrange illicit activities more efficiently than ever before, according to researchers from the University of Southern California Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership and Policy.

“It’s a part of the bigger picture of human trafficking,” Dow said. “It’s why there’s a human trafficking business out there, because people are looking for commercial sex and trying to contact people, and we want to reduce the chances of some young person being pulled into trafficking.”

Find help

Reach out to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at (888) 373-7888 or text “Be Free” to 233-733 if you or anyone you know is being forced into any form of work.

In 2013, Dow worked on a case involving two Fresno gang members who trafficked two teenage girls in the San Luis Obispo area. That case highlighted the prevalence of trafficking in the county and prompted a shift in law enforcement’s view of sex workers from treating them as criminals to seeing them as victims, he said.

“This case opened our eyes to the fact that this was happening all over, and we just hadn’t detected it,” Dow said. “That case created within me a desire to say, ‘Hey, we’ve got to do a much better job.’”

Soon after he was elected as district attorney in 2014, Dow started the Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force, bringing together people from agencies and organizations across the county to collaborate on strategies to disrupt trafficking efforts.

“We’ve increased awareness, but there are still people in our community that don’t want to believe it is happening here because it’s beautiful San Luis Obispo,” Dow said. “I can just assure them that it is, and we’re working hard to keep it at bay and to reduce the number.”

Law enforcement initiatives

Human trafficking, like any other business, is all about supply and demand, Dow said. When officers arrest someone for related crimes, Dow explained that it temporarily reduces the demand from that person and any other “would-be purchaser” who hears about law enforcement’s involvement.

As part of the task force’s initiatives to combat trafficking efforts in the county, local law enforcement carries out at least one sting operation a year. Every operation results in several arrests, Dow said, and he’s confident that crimes related to human trafficking decrease directly following that work.

“That’s the goal of our anti-human trafficking program, to reduce the demand by doing these operations, arresting people, charging them, and publicizing it so that the community knows that we’re going after it,” Dow said.

Before the 2013 case involving the Fresno gang members and two minors, the county often prosecuted both the commercial sex purchaser and the sex worker. However, the focus shifted to targeting sex traffickers once law enforcement started recognizing the sex workers as victims, Special Victims Unit Detective Kara Dickel told New Times via email.

“This was the victim-center approach where it was felt that by providing help

TRAFFICKING TRAIL

San Luis Obispo County is located between major cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles on Highway 101, making it a hot spot for human trafficking activity.

DIGITAL DANGERS SLO County District Attorney Dan Dow explained how there are a lot of people “hiding in the shadows” on social media who pose as children to gain trust and build relationships with youth.

and services to the sex workers, it would encourage healthier lifestyles and safety for them,” Dickel wrote.

e San Luis Obispo County Counter Human Tra cking Team, primarily made up of investigators from the District Attorney’s O ce, Sheri ’s O ce, and Special Operations Unit, is one group of law enforcement individuals that focuses speci cally on cases related to tra cking. e team consistently looks for “pimps and tra ckers,” according to Assistant Chief District Attorney Investigator JT Camp, who was previously assigned to human tra cking cases and is still involved in some investigations.

“We’re looking to rescue victims, and we’re looking to deter people from even engaging in buying prostitution services,” Camp said. Raising awareness that law enforcement remains vigilant in identifying signs of tra cking is crucial in deterring perpetrators, but Camp emphasized that tackling human tra cking requires a multifaceted approach.

“We need the enforcement part, we need the education part of it, and we need a community that’s aware of what human tra cking really is and what it isn’t,” Camp said.

Education initiatives

One county program aims to educate those arrested for attempting to purchase commercial sex—speci cally from an adult—about the broader implications of their actions and their role in fueling human tra cking.

As part of the program, arrested individuals take a class where they hear from a human tra cking survivor and are required to write an essay about how their behavior contributed to the demand for sex tra cking, Dow said. If they successfully complete the program, their conviction can be reversed and their plea withdrawn.

“ e purchasers who have gone through our Anti-Human Tra cking Education and Awareness Program and graduated, they told us that they were shocked to hear of what their conduct was actually supporting, and they have now become vocal against human tra cking,” Dow said. “I believe that if they’re genuine in that education and transformation, I believe that it will prevent them from going out and trying to engage in commercial sex again.”

To protect and inform more vulnerable populations, such as youth, the AntiHuman Tra cking Task Force implements specialized initiatives.

A major challenge in addressing human tra cking across the county is the targeting of youth on social media, noted Julie Kadis, program manager for the Department of Social Services, and Leann Eddy, program review specialist, who co-chair the Children and Youth Committee on the task force.

“ e incidence of predatory behavior through technology is exponential,” Kadis said. “It places all children at incredible risk, and it’s important that we educate youth. It’s important that we educate parents and caregivers.”

In 2020, the National Human Tra cking Hotline reported a 22 percent surge in online recruitment, making digital platforms the primary method for recruiting victims across all forms of tra cking.

In an e ort to combat this growing threat, SLO County Department of Social Services recently launched a human tra cking awareness campaign designed to reach youth ages 12 to 17 on social media platforms like TikTok and Snapchat. Other campaigns with similar goals include ones carried out by ambassadors from the Youth Engagement Project (YEP), a program supported by Social Services.

YEP aims to uplift youth voices as well as spread awareness and resources throughout the community, according to M, a youth ambassador who wished to remain anonymous due to her active role in public engagement initiatives. New Times is referring to her by her rst initial.

“ e Youth Engagement Project is de nitely a great way for youth voices to be heard because if you ask any youth in [foster] care, a lot of the issues that they have is that they’re not listened to or their opinion doesn’t really matter,” M explained.

“With YEP, it actually gives them a voice, and that’s very important, not just for their own well-being, but for change to happen in the system.”

M, along with every youth ambassador, has rsthand experience with the foster care system, which she believes provides her with an insider’s perspective on its weaknesses and how it can be improved. Her experiences in the system, as well as in the larger San Luis Obispo community, inform her desire to raise awareness about human tra cking within the county.

“When I was living in SLO, some guy tried to … get me in his car in the middle of broad daylight—

‘There are still people in our community that don’t want to believe it is happening here because it’s beautiful San Luis Obispo. I can just assure them that it is, and we’re working hard to keep it at bay and to reduce the number.’

—Dan Dow, SLO County district attorney

middle of the day—on Broad Street, which is one of the main roads,” M said. “It was very scary. I had to run away, and he was following me. It was just a really kind of traumatic experience, and who knows how many people have experienced that in this town.”

Success despite challenges

San Luis Obispo’s location on Highway 101, between San Francisco and Los Angeles, as well as its appeal as a tourist destination, makes it a “corridor” for human tra cking, Dow explained. is, coupled with the constant demand for commercial sex, has made it di cult for the task force to see a signi cant change in case numbers over the years.

However, the Anti-Human Tra cking Task Force has successfully raised awareness about the issue, he said.

“Ten years ago, when we talked in the community about it, people would say, ‘Oh, that doesn’t happen here,’ but because of our arrests, because of our prosecutions, because of the cases that have been highlighted in the media, people are now aware that it does happen here,” Dow said.

e task force faces challenges in securing adequate resources, he added, especially given the fact that human tra cking-related cases only make up a fraction of the crimes committed in SLO County. Despite this, members of

the team meet every other month to share insights, success stories, resources, and other information to help them tackle the ongoing issue across the county.

“I’m very proud to say that we have an active Anti-Human Tra cking Task Force, where our law enforcement partners are very strongly committed to detecting it and making appropriate arrests,” Dow said. “And our o ce [is] aggressively prosecuting the tra ckers, whether they be the literal tra ckers—meaning the pimps—or the buyers, who would be supporting and causing the demand for tra cking.”

It’s important for local law enforcement and elected o cials to continue to put time, e ort, and resources toward “ ghting the good ght,” Camp from the District Attorney’s O ce said.

Looking ahead, Camp expressed optimism about the task force’s ability to continue its mission and adapt to new challenges as they arise.

“I foresee, just the continued good work that’s been put in over 10 years now,” Camp said. “Just being out there, educating people, connecting and collaborating with people, doing good investigative work, and providing services to victims when we can, and really carrying on the work that’s been done up to this point, and evolving as things evolve.”

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Health care for all

After he relocated from Afghanistan to the Central Coast, Dr. Ahmad Nooristani was surprised by the lack of health care available for people without insurance. In an effort to change that, he founded the SLO Noor Foundation to offer free health care for the uninsured.

SLO Noor Foundation Practice Manager Barbara Alarcon said the company has been active in the community for a little more than a decade and has primary care doctors who see patients from San Miguel down to Santa Maria.

Alarcon said the SLO Noor Foundation applied for a grant in 2022 that allowed the nonprofit to bring health care to different areas of the county, and it began operating mobile clinics.

“We purchased a mobile RV, and we are contracted to be at [certain] sites,” she said. “We signed a contract with People’s Self-Help [Housing] and public libraries that allow us to set up shop there for a day or a half day to see patients. We pretty much go anywhere that will allow us.”

For North County residents needing care, the mobile health unit will be at the Shandon Library on Dec. 21 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The mobile unit will also be at the Arroyo Grande Public Library on Dec. 24 from 8:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.

The foundation also offers those without insurance the ability to access medical, vision, and dental care with little to no wait at its brickand-mortar office at 1428 Phillip’s Lane, suite 203, in SLO. Open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., people can call (805) 4391797 to set up an appointment.

The company connects community members to laboratory testing, mammograms, radiology, physical therapy, health education, dental exams, oral surgery, dental X-rays, eye exams, glaucoma care, cataract exams, and more.

For women in Santa Maria, Alarcon said they can connect with the Mobile Women’s Health Unit, which provide free Pap smears. For SLO County residents, SLO Noor refers residents to a center that does free Pap smears and STD testing, as it doesn’t have the funding to offer those services fulltime.

With more than 20 years in the health care field, Alarcon said she started working at the SLO Noor Foundation because it works to help people “when they’re at their lowest.”

The company has one paid nurse practitioner, and the rest of the providers and staff are volunteers who come from different fields and help make its mission possible, she said.

“We have students here that are training for different clinical hours and different programs; we have retired folks that have done their clinical work or retired doctors in the community that come in and give some free practice to our patients,” she said.

Every cent the foundation receives is given back to patient care, Alarcon said, which means SLO Noor can help everyone who comes through the door.

“I’ve worked at 10 different offices in this area, but when you have a patient that walks in through your front door and they don’t have any health insurance and they have something crazy going on and they’re scared and you’re able to grab that person and give them all the resources that they need, give them the support and padding they need, and then figure out what’s going on with them and make them better, there’s not much else out there that’s as fulfilling,” she said.

Feeling fulfilled when seeing the impacts that health care can bring to those who need it is a universal experience at the SLO Noor Foundation, Alarcon said.

While the company serves those without insurance, it understands that health care is hard to come by for everyone. In a way to further help the community, the SLO Noor Foundation can help those in between doctor appointments fill needed prescriptions. Alarcon said she wants to emphasize that the clinic is a safe space, and it won’t ask for identification if a community member doesn’t feel comfortable providing it.

“I think that the environment that we are moving into come January, that security people have had may no longer be there, or it might be wavering, and I don’t want it to mean people are no longer getting health care,” she said. “I want them to know— specifically in the political environment we’re moving into—that we are here, we will keep our doors open, and we will continue to keep their information and their health care safe.”

Fast facts

• Get into the holiday spirit by having an immersive igloo dining experience at the Vespera Resort in Pismo Beach. The igloos are decorated and offer cozy and private lounge seating with ocean views. The igloos are only available until Jan. 2, 2025. For more information visit marriott.com/offers/ holiday-igloo-dining-off-140410/sbpak-vesperaresort-on-pismo-beach-autograph-collection. ∆

Reach Staff Writer Samantha Herrera at sherrera@newtimesslo.com.

WOMEN’S HEALTH MATTERS In partnership with Cal Poly, The SLO Noor Foundation’s Women’s Mobile Health Unit offers health care to women in Santa Maria. PHOTO FROM SLO NOOR

Forward motion

Protecting endangered steelhead and our region’s water future can go hand in hand

As organizations committed to both the health of our region’s ecosystems and the well-being of our communities, we feel compelled to respond to SLO County 4th District Supervisor Jimmy Paulding’s recent editorial regarding the Lopez Dam lawsuit (“‘Scorched earth’ tactics,” Dec. 12). While we respect the supervisor’s concerns for water security, his characterization of the lawsuit as “scorched earth” is dramatized for political effect, misleading, and fails to recognize the decades of scientific evidence, state and federal agency findings, and the urgent need to restore balance to Arroyo Grande Creek for the benefit of all—wildlife and people alike.

SLO County and city need to do a better job

of listening to residents

I was delighted to read the article about Cal Poly and Cal Fire teaming up to give the state of California more shade trees (“Cal Poly partners with Cal Fire to bring more trees to disadvantaged California communities,” Dec. 5).

“Trees provide people with all kinds of epic ecosystem services. They provide shade—so the temperature can be 10 degrees cooler if you’re in the shade of a tree versus not,” Cal Poly biology sciences professor Jenn Yost told New Times. “They do stormwater mitigation … they provide clean air, they provide habitats for animals.”

Yet when many of the citizens of SLO County brought this up in regards to the

This legal action was not taken lightly. For 30 years, San Luis Obispo County has been warned by state and federal agencies about its failure to comply with the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The county’s ongoing operation of Lopez Dam has significantly degraded Arroyo Grande Creek’s critical habitat, blocking the migration of threatened South-Central California Coast steelhead and disrupting the natural flow patterns essential for their survival. Steelhead are not just an isolated species—they are a keystone species whose health reflects the broader vitality of our watershed, which in turn supports the entire region. It is important to correct the misconception that this lawsuit jeopardizes

Dana Reserve project, we were just ignored. I have been back in the area for five years, and I have seen lots of trees lost during that period. We need those full-grown trees, and the warmer our climate gets, the more we are going to need them. What Cal Poly and Cal Fire have come up with is great, but it’s not rocket science—there have never been enough trees in the poorer sections of towns, and California has always had some concrete jungles with almost no trees. And guess who lives in those areas? Those with the lowest incomes. Once again, I am always happy to see someone championing trees and a good shade canopy, but it sounds like a lot of the program for Cal Poly and Cal Fire is research and computer

Speak up!

water security. The recent court ruling does not threaten Lopez reservoir as a critical water supply. Instead, it requires the county to release water in a way that balances both ecological needs and community water use. Such balance has, to this point, been entirely overlooked.

The county has had decades to address these issues proactively and has made little progress. The habitat conservation plan mentioned by Supervisor Paulding remains incomplete due to county foot-dragging and inaction.

The court’s recent ruling reflects what many state and federal experts have confirmed for decades: The county’s current management of Lopez Dam is inadequate. The court recognized that the county’s arguments lacked sufficient data, contradicted the findings of state and federal agencies, and even conflicted with statements made by its own experts

Far from being “scorched earth,” this lawsuit represents a measured and longoverdue effort to ensure that Lopez Dam

work, not the actual planting and caring for trees. What about if we started teaching environmental science and a love of trees in elementary school?

Send us your views and opinion to letters@newtimesslo.com.

I also have to agree with Richard Schmidt regarding the loss of safe pedestrian crossings for seniors and others near the Villages and Ramona Drive (“SLO has forgotten about its senior and disabled pedestrians,” Dec. 5). I drive the Chorro corridor quite often to end up at California Fresh, and I have watched this change and wondered why it happened. I see nothing from the city of SLO indicating a love for senior citizens or the lowincome. If they cared about all of us, they would have made all downtown parking free from Thanksgiving to New

operates in a manner that complies with environmental laws, restores vital habitat, and protects our region’s ecological legacy. We agree with Supervisor Paulding that collaboration is key, but true collaboration requires meaningful action and accountability—not decades of delay. Rather than wasting taxpayer resources on legal battles to avoid environmental compliance, county leadership should strongly consider that the community’s best interest is served by committing to solutions that secure water for people while restoring the creek and its ecosystems. Both are essential for a sustainable future, and both are achievable.

We welcome Supervisor Paulding and his fellow board members to join us in crafting a solution. ∆

Benjamin Pitterle is the director of advocacy for Los Padres ForestWatch. To respond with a letter for publication, email it to letters@ newtimesslo.com

Year’s. And they might be out walking, trying out some of these areas they have changed.

What song are you most looking forward to hearing at PCPA’s Beauty and the Beast?

“Be Our Guest”

“Gaston,” duh!

Sharon Roberts

San Luis Obispo

HODIN

Russell Hodin

The big lift

I’m pretty sure some people who bought property in Los Osos years ago to build their dream homes have died waiting for permission to break ground. Afterall, the residential building moratorium has been in place for 35 freakin’ years! Of course, this decades-long wound to the Los Osos community was largely self-inflicted. Sidewalks, anyone? Nah. Streetlights? Nah. A working sewer system? Nope, not until recently.

For decades, development in the community has felt like the Wild West, with scant central planning, builders installing leaky septic tanks, and residents pumping groundwater willy-nilly, leading to saltwater intrusion into the groundwater basin.

Is it any wonder that in 1988 the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board banned any new development from installing septic tanks, effectively creating the moratorium since there was no sewer system to hook up to? After 25 years of arguing and scratching their heads followed by a decade of concerted effort to correct these historic problems—and a whole lot of controversy on how to do it—the Los Osos Community Services District (LOCSD) has secured expensive, new water treatment infrastructure, a more stable water supply, and better environmental protections, so the SLO County Board of Supervisors and the California Coastal Commission has approved the new Los Osos Community

Plan, which will slowly allow new development.

So who gets to build first? Whoever signed up for the waitlist that started way back in 1989. According to reporting by The Tribune, the list is “around 382 landowners long.” The new plan only allows for 1 percent annual growth, or about 50 new units a year. Not exactly a land rush, but for those waiting decades, or for the kids who inherited a useless and unsellable plot of land, things are looking up.

Somebody call the wahmbulence for outgoing Oceano Community Services District (OCSD) chair Charles Varni. During his closing remarks at the OCSD’s Dec. 11 meeting as the new directors were taking their oaths, Varni had lots of people to blame for his failed bid for reelection.

“The election was unfortunately historic as the most negative campaign in local memory,” he claimed, proving his memory’s bad or he hasn’t paid attention to other elections. “It featured a first-ever political action committee whose sole purpose was to defeat a CSD candidate.”

Well, Save Oceano definitely wanted to spread the word about what they thought of Varni and his “leadership,” but the organization and its website had more on its mind than calling him “no bueno for Oceano.”

“The 5th District voters never had an opportunity to hear from the candidates in a public forum, [and] social media and weekly papers were packed with a wellorganized plan of hate-filled personal attacks and character assassinations,” he whined. “It was the opposite of a civil and respectful election process and hopefully not something that will be repeated. It’s not a good look for our community and not something to be proud of.”

Sour grapes much, Chuck? I do thank you for believing “weekly papers” were “well-organized” in their critique of your tenure. It’s got to especially sting that you’re being replaced by your arch political enemy, Shirley Gibson. I’m sure she’ll provide as much Shredder fodder as you have.

Speaking of political goodbyes, I guess I won’t have outgoing 5th District Supervisor Debbie Arnold to kick around anymore. After 12 years of service and three terms, she’s retiring from the SLO County Board of Supervisors. Her position will be filled by former Atascadero Mayor Heather Moreno

I disagreed with Arnold on almost everything, from her attempts to open up the severely overdrafted Paso Robles Groundwater Basin to more pumping to refusing to employ eminent domain to finish the Bob Jones Trail to her support of the blatantly gerrymandered Patten map to her questioning our election integrity. Over the years, The

Debster Fire has inspired a lot of shreddin’ ink in this column, and though I think she’s been wrong-headed on so many issues, she believes what she believes, and in that way, I respect her. She stands by her incorrect positions, and for that, I salute you, Supervisor Arnold.

Now for something really important. Have you heard about The Caffeinated Cat Café? New Times wrote about it in August, and it finally opened on Dec. 14 in Grover Beach Its “mission is to provide a relaxing, stressfree space for people to engage with cats, with a goal of finding a forever home for every rescue that that comes to our café.”

You’ll be welcomed into the entry area to explore the gift shop and the café’s selection of coffees, teas, and delicious treats, and then you’ll step into the Cat Lounge, where you can interact with the rescued cats.

“Whether you’re a seasoned cat lover or new to feline companionship, you’ll find joy in interacting with our playful and affectionate cats,” according to their website. “Our cat lounge is the perfect spot to relax, read a book, or simply enjoy the peaceful ambiance while sipping your favorite drink.”

Reservations are recommended. I hope you enjoyed this small holiday respite from snarky commentary, returning full force next week. ∆

The Shredder takes heart that there’s always a new crop of politicians to help it fill this page. Send tips and tidbits to shredder@newtimesslo.com.

Hot Dates

CONTEMPORARY CONSCIOUSNESS

Cruise Control Contemporary in Cambria presents Allie Mount: Presentations, a new solo exhibit slated to remain on display through Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. The show opened in early December and highlights several floating wall sculptures by Mount, whose works are loosely based on “the systems that carry our consciousness along,” according to press materials. For more info, visit cruisecontrolcambria.com.

—Caleb Wiseblood

ARTS

NORTH COAST SLO COUNTY

ARTS-N-CRAFTS WEEKLY HAPPY HOUR

Learn how to watercolor, sew, knit, collage, and to create beautiful pieces in a relaxing and supportive environment. Occurs most Fridays. Fridays, 5 p.m. through Dec. 20 my805tix.com. Lor Coaching Studios, 525 Harbor St., Morro Bay.

CALL FOR ARTISTS: AQUARIUS 2025

WATERMEDIA EXHIBIT Aquarius 2025

presented by Central Coast Watercolor Society seeks California artists working in all watermedia for this prestigious annual juried exhibit. Submissions open Dec. 1 and close on Jan. 5. Exhibit runs Feb. 20 through Mar.31, 2025 at Art Center Morro Bay. See website for full info. Through Jan. 5, 2025 $25-$65. ccwsart.com/aquarius-2025-prospectus.

Art Center Morro Bay, 835 Main St., Morro Bay, (805) 772-2504.

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.

COSTA GALLERY SHOWCASES Features works by Ellen Jewett as well as 20 other local artists, and artists from southern and northern California. Thursdays-Saturdays, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sundays, 12-4 p.m. (559) 799-9632. costagallery.com. Costa Gallery, 2087 10th St., Los Osos.

FINE ART DRAWINGS BY DON

DOUBLEDEE AND LINDA BENCH Come be inspired by the drawings of animals,

landscapes, and more each made with pen and Ink or Prisma Color Pencils. Through Dec. 29 Free. (805) 772-1068. galleryatmarinasquare.com. Gallery at Marina Square, 601 Embarcadero suite 10, Morro Bay.

FOREVER STOKED PAINT PARTY Join us at the gallery, for a few hours to travel on a creative paint journey. You will receive as much or as little instruction as you prefer. No artistic experience is necessary. Saturdays, 7-9 p.m. $45. (805) 772-9095. foreverstoked.com. Forever Stoked, 1164 Quintana Rd., Morro Bay. GALLERY AT MARINA SQUARE

PRESENTS A CHRISTMAS CRAFTS SHOW An all-gallery holiday craft show. Come discover the perfect gifts, art, crafts, ceramics, jewelry, housewares, and more. Through Dec. 29 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. 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. LIGHT AND SHADOWS: A PAINTING HOLIDAY GROUP SHOW A fine art paintings holiday group show featuring Joan Brown, Virginia Mack, Pat Newton, Atul Pande, Sandra Sanders, Jose Silva, and Jamey Tobey. Through Dec. 29 Free. (805) 772-1068. galleryatmarinasquare. com. Gallery at Marina Square, 601 Embarcadero suite 10, Morro Bay.

ONE NIGHT ONLY: A CHRISTMAS STORY Will Ralphie make it to Christmas Day with his glasses and his hopes intact?

Enjoy a screening of this beloved classic. Dec. 23 , 12-6:30 p.m. $10-$15. (805) 5922701. Bay Theatre, 464 Morro Bay Blvd., Morro Bay.

THE PLEIN AIR TEAM Acrylic artist, Nancy Lynn, and husband, watercolorist, Robert Fleming, have an ongoing show of originals and giclee prints of Morro Bay and local birds. ongoing (805) 772-9955. Seven Sisters Gallery, 601 Embarcadero Ste. 8, Morro Bay, sevensistersgalleryca.com.

SLOFUNNY COMEDY SHOW AT THE MORRO BAY EAGLES Have a laugh with the SLOFunny Comedy Show. Lineups are subject to change, but always include amazing comedians. For ages 18 and up. Dec. 28 , 7 p.m. my805tix.com. Morro Bay Eagles Club, 2988 Main St., Morro Bay, (805) 772-1384.

SPECIAL MATINEE OF GREMLINS

Head to Morro Bay to watch the 1984 classic Gremlins The screening will be followed by a special Q-and-A with David Weisman. Dec. 21 1 p.m. Bay Theatre, 464 Morro Bay Blvd., 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.

WINTER FAIRE AND JURIED CRAFT

SHOW A collection of festive holiday treasures curated by the Morro Bay Art Association. Through Jan. 6, 2025 Art Center Morro Bay, 835 Main St., Morro Bay, (805) 772-2504, artcentermorrobay.org.

NORTH SLO COUNTY

ALLIE MOUNT: PRESENTATIONS

View a captivating display of several floating wall sculptures by featured artist Allie Mount. Through Jan. 5, 2025 cruisecontrolcambria.com. Cruise Control Gallery, 1075 Main St., Cambria, (805) 503-3820.

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. Through Dec. 29 Free. (805) 238-9800. studiosonthepark.org. Studios on the Park, 1130 Pine St., Paso Robles.

HOLIDAY GLOW AT SENSORIO Wander through dazzling light displays and soak in the festive atmosphere as art, music, and holiday magic come together to create lasting memories. ThursdaysSundays, 4:30-9 p.m. through Jan. 6 $30, $45 or $110 for adults; $15, $22, or $85 for children. (805) 226-4287. sensoriopaso. com/sensorio-celebrations. Sensorio, 4380 Highway 46 East, Paso Robles.

SIP N’ SKETCH/SIP N’ PAINT Bring your own supplies (or borrow some of our’s) and paint or sketch a themed live-model or still life under the guidance of Studios resident artists. See website for the specific theme of the month. Your first glass of wine is included in price. Third Saturday of every month, 6-9 p.m. $20. (805) 238-9800. studiosonthepark.org. Studios on the Park, 1130 Pine St., Paso Robles.

SLOFUNNY COMEDY SHOW IN DOWNTOWN PASO Have a laugh with the SLOFunny Comedy Show. For ages 18

and up. Lineups are subject to change, but always include five headliners. Dec. 27 7-8:45 p.m. my805tix.com. JUSTIN Downtown Tasting Room, 811 12th St., Paso Robles, (805) 238-6932.

STUDIOS ON THE PARK: CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS Check site for a variety of classes and workshops offered. ongoing studiosonthepark.org. Studios on the Park, 1130 Pine St., Paso Robles, (805) 238-9800.

TAKE A SPIN: TWO-HOUR WHEEL

CLASS These two hour blocks provide an opportunity to learn the basics of wheel throwing. Instructors will center your clay for you, so you will have the opportunity to make two items. Saturdays, 10 a.m.-noon $72. (805) 203-0335. thepotteryatascadero.com/ wheelclasses. The Pottery, 5800 El Camino Real, Atascadero.

SAN LUIS OBISPO

ARTIST RIKI SCHUMACHER AT ART CENTRAL GALLERY Schumacher’s work is pensive and introspective, inspiring one to take a solitary walk on a cloudy day. Wander in to reflect on her “delicious, wistful landscapes.” Mondays-Saturdays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sundays, 12-4 p.m. Free. (805) 747-4200. artcentralslo.com/gallery-artists/. Art Central, 1329 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo.

CAPTURING THE MAGIC OF COWBOY COUNTRY An equestrian photography exhibit featuring authentic cowboys and cowgirls horse wrangling, galloping, and traversing the foothills of the majestic Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming in winter. Through Jan. 15, 2025 (805) 423-6427. The Photo Shop, 1027 Marsh St., San Luis Obispo. CERAMIC LESSONS AND MORE Now offering private one-on-one and group lessons in the ceramic arts. Both hand building and wheel throwing options. Beginners welcomed. ongoing (805) 8355893. hmcruceceramics.com/. Online, See website, San Luis Obispo.

A CHRISTMAS STORY Jean Shepherd’s memoir of growing up in the Midwest in the 1940s follows 9-year-old Ralphie in his quest to get a genuine Red Ryder BB

gun under the tree for Christmas. Ralphie pleads his case before his mother, his teacher, and even Santa Claus. Saturdays, Sundays, 2-4 p.m. and WednesdaysSaturdays, 7-9 p.m. through Dec. 22 $20-$37. SLO Rep, 888 Morro St., San Luis Obispo, (805) 786-2440, slorep.org/.

IMPROV COMEDY SHOWS AT THE BUNKER Come laugh out loud at The Bunker with the Central Coast Comedy Theater. Dec. 20 6-8 p.m. my805tix.com. The Bunker SLO, 810 Orcutt Road, San Luis Obispo.

IMPROV COMEDY SHOWS AT THE HUB The show contents will be rotated among the group’s ensemble, house, and musical improv team casts, as well as stand-up and student shows. Fourth Friday of every month, 6 p.m. my805tix. com/. The Hub, 1701 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo.

THE NUTCRACKER: PRESENTED BY THE SLO MOVEMENT ARTS CENTER The SLO Movement Arts Center brings Tchaikovsky’s classic ballet to life with a whole new twist, while setting the story in San Luis Obispo. Come see this classic as never before, with heart, history, and the best dancing on the Central Coast. Dec. 20 7:30-9:45 p.m. and Dec. 21 , 2-3:45 p.m. $28-$52. tickets.cuesta.edu. Harold J. Miossi CPAC at Cuesta College, Highway 1, San Luis Obispo.

ODDFELLOWS OPEN MIC Bring your music, improv, standup, magic, and dance talents. Each act gets five minutes. Audience votes for favorite. Third Saturday of every month, 7-9 p.m. Free. (805) 234-0456. Odd Fellows Hall, 520 Dana St., San Luis Obispo. ON THE EDGE COMEDY PRESENTS RICK STORER Rick Storer, a beloved Central Coast comedian, will grace the stage of the Libertine in SLO. Visit site for tickets and more info on the upcoming show. Dec. 19 8-10 p.m. $13. my805tix. com/. Libertine Brewing Company, 1234 Broad St., San Luis Obispo, (805) 548-2337.

at 6:30 p.m. Hosted by Aidan Candelario.

Mondays, 7-9 p.m. Free. (805) 540-8300. saintsbarrel.com/event-calendar. Saints Barrel Wine Bar, 1021 Higuera St., San Luis Obispo.

PAWSITIVELY FUNNY IMPROV SHOW

Join in on this improv show to benefit Novy’s Ark Dog Rescue through House of Bread’s Guest Bartender program. Dogs will be available on-site for adoption. Dec. 20 4-6 p.m. Free. improvforgood. fun. House of Bread, 1025 Farmhouse Lane, San Luis Obispo, (805) 801-4853.

SLO COMEDY UNDERGROUND OPEN

MIC NIGHT Enjoy a night of laughs provided by the local SLO Comedy Community. It’s open mic night, so anyone can perform and “you never know what you’ll see.” Tuesdays, 8 p.m. Free. Libertine Brewing Company, 1234 Broad St., San Luis Obispo, (805) 548-2337, libertinebrewing.com.

VIRGINIA MACK: BEGINNING

WATERCOLOR This is a watercolor class designed to let you jump in and try out this engaging medium through experimentation. It’s designed for beginners and those with watercolor experience who wish to expand their knowledge of painting in watercolors.

To enroll please contact Mack via email: vbmack@charter.net Wednesdays, 1:303:30 p.m. $35. (805) 747-4200. artcentralslo. com/workshops-events/. Art Central, 1329 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo.

YOUTH POTTERY CLASS Teens love this class. Learn handbuilding techniques and throwing on the potter’s wheel. Held every Friday after school. Fridays, 3:30-5 p.m. $40. anamcre.com. Anam Cre Pottery Studio, 1243 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo.

SOUTH COAST SLO COUNTY

DANCE FITNESS ART AND CULTURE

FOR ADULTS

Discover dance as a form of artistic expression and exercise, using a wide range of styles and genres of music (including modern, jazz, Broadway, ethnic). Tuesdays, 4-5 p.m. $10 drop-in; $30 for four classes. (510) 362-3739. grover.org. Grover Beach Community Center, 1230 Trouville Ave., Grover Beach. THE HOLIDAY EXTRAVAGANZA Features a wintry yet ultimately heartwarming retelling of A Christmas Carol, which is followed by a fractured fairy tale opera parody and the Melodrama’s signature holiday vaudeville review. Through Dec. 31 Great American Melodrama, 1863 Front St., Oceano.

IMPROV TASTER Curious about improv?

Want to give it a try? This one-hour class provides a taste of what unscripted theater is all about. Dec. 22 6-7 p.m. $5. Women’s Club of Arroyo Grande, 211 Vernon St., Arroyo Grande, (805) 270-5523.

CULTURE & LIFESTYLE

NORTH COAST SLO COUNTY

CAMBRIA CHRISTMAS MARKET

Experience the magic of the holiday season at the Cambria Christmas Market, a dazzling winter wonderland, open most dates between late November and late December. Stroll through more than 3 million lights, meet Santa, explore an authentic German vendor market, and savor festive food and drink. Through Dec. 31, 5-9 p.m. $25-$40. (800) 966-6490. cambriachristmasmarket.com/. Cambria Pines Lodge, 2905 Burton Dr., Cambria.

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.

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. Dec. 21, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and Dec. 28 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.

EMBODIED YOGA ON THE CENTRAL COAST Described as a complete class with meditation, connection to your energy centers, vital movement, and a nourishing cool down. Dec. 29, 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m. my805tix.com. Beach Access Parking Lot, 102 Atascadero Road, Morro Bay.

MEDITATE WITH DAWN Join this semi-private Chakra meditation class led by Dawn Feuerberg, founder of Aurora Adventures, who is a certified classical ashtanga yoga teacher and tantra meditation guide. Visit link for tickets and more info. Dec. 28 , 10-11:15 a.m. $49. (805) 540-1762. auroraadventures.us. Aurora Sacred Events, 21 24th St, Cayucos. MEET & GREET SANTA CLAUS Bring the whole family to this meet and greet event where children can share their wishes, snap festive photos, and experience the joy of the season. Dec. 20, 6-8 p.m. Free. (805) 225-5088. The Old Circle Inn Building, 875 Main Street, Morro Bay.

OPEN FLOW: DANCE AND MOVEMENT

A community of movers and shakers who come together to express themselves through dance and movement. Inspired by a variety of conscious movement modalities, Open Flow is led by Silvia Suarez and Matt Garrity, embodiment teachers who share a passion for integration through movement exploration. Wednesdays, 6:30-8 p.m. $10 (general), $5 (ages 55 and older). SilviaAthaSomatics. org. Morro Bay Community Center, 1001 Kennedy Way, Morro Bay, 772-6278.

SHAMANIC MORNING RITUALS FOR VITALITY Participants are guided into intentional movement, laughter, earthing practices, and gratitude rituals while connecting with nature and the sacred Morro Bay rock. Dec. 27, 8:30-9:45 a.m. my805tix.com/. Beach Access Parking Lot, 102 Atascadero Road, Morro Bay.

WEEKLY QIGONG PRACTICE AT FITNESSWORKS MORRO BAY Calm your mind and nourish your joints with a weekly Qigong practice led by Mike Raynor of Tai Chi Rejuvenation. The practice is rooted in Qigong fundamentals, and standing/moving meditations. Forms include: Eight Brocades, Five Elements, Shibashi 18, and Tai chi 24. Saturdays, 10:45-11:45 a.m. Members free; non-members $8-$10. (805) 772-7466. fitnessworksmb.com. FitnessWorks, 500 Quintana Rd., Morro Bay.

WINTER SOLSTICE MARKET Celebrate this holiday season shopping from a collection of handmade and handpicked holiday gifts made by local artisans and creators. RSVP for tickets. Dec. 21, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Free. my805tix.com. Noi’s Little Thai Village, 668 Santa Maria Avenue, Baywood-Los Osos, (805) 235-4868.

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.

YOGA’SSAGE Join this winter solstice experience, that will blend two healing mediums of yoga and massage during the 90-minute workshop. No experience needed. Visit link for tickets and more info. Dec. 22 6-7:30 p.m. $49. my805tix. com. Central Coast Body Therapy Center, 2005 9th St., Los Osos, (805) 709-2227.

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/ yoga/. Templeton Tennis Ranch, 345 Championship Lane, Templeton.

Send event information to events@newtimesslo.com or submit online.

CHRISTMAS AT THE RANCH The Central Coast’s newest holiday tradition for the whole family is back for the second season. Features train rides, meet-ups with Santa, and more. Through Dec. 22 my805tix.com. Santa Margarita Ranch, 9000 Yerba Buena Ave, Santa Margarita.

DOWNTOWN PASO ROBLES MAIN

STREET TEDDY BEAR AFFAIR Dress up your favorite teddy bear and bring him for juice and cookies during this event in downtown Paso Robles. Children and families can meet Santa, and enjoy music, food, and prizes. Dec. 21 , 2-4 p.m. $23 for adults and $10 for children. (805) 238-4103. my805tix.com. Downtown Paso Robles Main Street Association, Vine Street, Paso Robles.

GODDESS GROUP Please join Oracle Owner/Intuitive Medium, Tiffany Klemz, for this twice monthly, Goddess Group. The intention of this group is to curate connection, inspiration, unity, and empowerment. Every other Tuesday, 6:30-8 p.m. $11. (805) 464-2838. oracleatascaderoca.com. Oracle, 6280 Palma Ave., Atascadero.

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.

HOLIDAY KID’S CAMPS AT TEMPLETON

TENNIS RANCH Children ages 7 to 12 can learn to play tennis, pickleball and bocce at this tennis camp. To register, call the number provided. Dec. 23 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Dec. 26, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. and Dec. 27 9-1 a.m. Prices vary per camp date. (805) 434-9605. ttrtennis.com. Templeton Tennis Ranch, 345 Championship Lane, Templeton.

HOLIDAY MAGIC AT CHARLES

PADDOCK ZOO The zookeepers have prepared gifts for the zoo’s animals, and Santa is visiting to help deliver them. Dec. 21 , 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Charles Paddock Zoo, 9100 Morro Rd., Atascadero.

THE PROCRASTINATORS HOLIDAY

BAZAAR The perfect opportunity to get your holiday shopping finished. Features more than 20 artists and makers, oracle readings, sweet treats, a wine bar, and Mr. Krampus. Dec. 21 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Free. Santa Margarita Community Hall, 22501 I St., Santa Margarita, (805) 438-9981.

RESILIENT SOULS CHRISTMAS BINGO

BBQ Mix bingo with a BBQ dinner at this event which will provide kids Christmas movies, raffles, and a silent auction. For more information, visit the link. Dec. 21 4:30-8:30 p.m. $15 -$25. (833) 322-1920. resilientsouls.org. Rancho Paso Mobile Home Main Clubhouse, 2945 Theater Drive, Paso Robles, CA 93446, Paso Robles.

SOCRATES DISCUSSION GROUP Have a topic, book, or article you wish to discuss with interested and interesting people? Join this weekly meeting to discuss it, or simply contribute your experiences and knowledge. Contact Mark Plater for instructions on entering the Chapel area. Wednesdays, 10 a.m.-noon (805) 528-7111. Coalesce Garden Chapel, 845 Main St., Morro Bay.

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.

HANUKKAH DOWNTOWN All members of

CULTURE & LIFESTYLE continued page 17

Dr. John B. Cotter

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.

Together, they provide world-class services across California’s Central Coast, including LASIK, cataract surgery, lens implants, glaucoma treatment, and general eye care.

We are also accepting new patients!

If you’ve been a patient of Dr. Cotter, or are seeking exceptional eye care, we invite you to schedule your appointment today!

PASO ROBLES

Dr. Adam Abroms

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31

SUNDAY, JANUARY 5

Yoga on the Central Coast SUNDAY, DECEMBER 29

FRIDAY, JANUARY 10

A Christmas Story: Screening Fundraiser for Los Osos Cares MONDAY, DECEMBER 23

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31

FRI-SUN, JANUARY 10-26

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31

SATURDAY, JANUARY 11

BUNNY BUSINESS

Performances of A Christmas Story at the San Luis Obispo Repertory Theatre (SLO REP) are scheduled to run through Sunday, Dec. 22. Attendees can look forward to seeing iconic moments from the classic 1983 comedy recreated live on stage during this annual SLO REP tradition. Call (805) 786-2440 or visit slorep.org for tickets or more info.

the SLO community are invited to join. Visit website for updates and details on this year’s schedule of events. Dec. 25 -Jan. 2 jccslo.com/hanukkah.html. Mission Plaza, Downtown, San Luis Obispo.

KROBAR LAST DITCH HOLIDAY MARKET

Come shop for last ditch holiday gifts from a variety of local vendors. Food and drink will be for sale. Dec. 22 , 1-6 p.m. Free. my805tix.com. Krobar Craft Distillery, 1701 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo.

NATURE NIGHTS 2024 Come see what’s going on at Nature Nights, a holiday light festival featuring live music, local food vendors, and beverages like beer and wine. Also features a local artisan marketplace.

Dec. 20-23, 5-8 p.m. and Dec. 26-28 5-8 p.m. $28 for adults. (805) 541-1400. slobg. org. San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden, 3450 Dairy Creek Rd., San Luis Obispo.

PLAY GROVE, AN OUTDOOR PRESCHOOL

PROGRAM A nature-based and placebased 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) 2426301. onecoolearth.org/play-grove.html. Jewish Community Center, 875 Laureate Lane, San Luis Obispo.

SLO COMMUNITY HOLIDAY FEAST The SLO Community Holiday Feast provides a holiday meal, entertainment, and care packages to San Luis Obispo’s unhoused community. Volunteers and donors are needed and anyone interested can sign up at the link provided. Dec. 25 2:45-5:45 p.m. Free. slocommunitycares.org. Odd Fellows Hall, 520 Dana St., San Luis Obispo.

SOUTH COAST SLO COUNTY

AQUATIC BIRDS OF OSO FLACO LAKE Join The Land Trust for Santa Barbara County for a short hike to explore the dune ecosystem and learn about our lakes’ aquatic birds. Dec. 21, 9-11:30 a.m. Free. (805) 448-8012. sblandtrust.org. Oso Flaco Lake, 3098 Oso Flaco Lake Road, Arroyo Grande.

BEGINNING BALLET FOR ADULTS Enjoy the grace and flow of ballet. No previous experience needed. Wednesdays, 5:15-6:15 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.

MULTICULTURAL DANCE CLASS

FOR ADULTS Experience dance from continents around the earth, including

characters during this annual tradition. Dec. 21 , 2-4 p.m. Park Ballroom, 1232 Park St., Paso Robles.

CLUB CAR BAR TRIVIA WITH DR. RICKY Teams of 1 to 6 people welcome. Visit site for more info. Wednesdays, 7-10 p.m. my805tix.com. Club Car Bar, 508 S. Main Street, Templeton, (805) 400-4542.

CLUB SUPSUP Check out the Central Coast’s newest pop-up dinner experience the last Wednesday of every month. Last Wednesday of every month, 6-9 p.m. $125. (310) 692-0046. clubsupsup.com/. Kindred Oak Farm, 1250 Paint Horse Plaza, Paso Robles.

PASO FOOD CO-OP MONTHLY MEETING

All welcome. Get involved and help spread the word about the co-op. Tell a friend, associate, or neighbor. Meet in the Community Room at Oak Creek Commons near Pat Butler Elementary School. Fourth Wednesday of every month, 6-7 p.m. pasofoodcooperative.com. Oak Creek Commons, 635 Nicklaus St., Paso Robles.

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.

SANTA CLAUS: HISTORIC VILLAGE OF ARROYO GRANDE Santa is returning to the Village of Arroyo Grande for holiday visits, with special appearances by Mrs. Claus. Saturdays, Sundays, 1-4 p.m. and Tuesdays, Thursdays, 3-6 p.m. through Dec. 22 my805tix.com. Historical Society Heritage Garden, 126 S. Mason St., Arroyo Grande.

SANTA IS COMING TO THE DISCOVERY CENTER Santa is coming to the Exploration Discovery Center in conjunction with Grover Beach Library. Dec. 21 , 10-midnight Free. (805) 4731421. Exploration Discovery Center, 867 Ramona Ave., Grover Beach.

SANTA YNEZ VALLEY

SOLVANG TROLLEY CHRISTMAS LIGHT

TOUR Guests will tour the lights of the Santa Ynez Valley, passing through decorated neighborhoods and past illuminated storefronts, all aboard one of Solvang’s recognizable Trolleys. Thursdays-Sundays. through Dec. 29 Downtown Solvang, Citywide, Solvang.

FOOD & DRINK

NORTH COAST SLO COUNTY

COOKIES AND COCOA WITH SANTA Enjoy a magical holiday experience at Cambria Nursery. This family-friendly event is a fun way to get into the holiday spirit. Only 36 spots available. Saturdays, 1-3 p.m. through Dec. 21 $20. (805) 927-4747. cambrianursery. com/events/. Cambria Nursery and Florist, 2801 Eton Rd., Cambria.

MORRO BAY MAIN STREET FARMERS MARKET Get fresh and veggies, fruit, baked goods, sweets, and handmade artisan crafts. Come have some fun with your local farmers and artisans and enjoy delicious eats while enjoying the fresh breeze of Morro Bay. Saturdays, 2:30-5:30 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

34TH ANNUAL TEDDY BEAR

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.

TASTE OF TIN CITY WALKING TOUR

Enjoy the first ever walking tour of Tin City – an industrial area just outside of downtown Paso Robles – that is home to a community of innovative and passionate producers of high-quality wines, spirits, beer, and more. Saturdays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. $125. (805) 400-3141. toasttours.com/tour/ tin-city-walking-tour/. Toast Tours, 1722 Stillwater Ct, Paso Robles.

SAN LUIS OBISPO

DOWNTOWN SLO FARMERS MARKET

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

HEAD GAMES TRIVIA NIGHT Live multi-media trivia every Wednesday. Free to play. Win prizes. Teams up to six players. Wednesdays, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Free. headgamestrivia.com. Antigua Brewing, 1009 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo, (805) 242-1167.

QUEER TRIVIA Sip some cider, test your LGBTQ trivia knowledge, and learn new fun facts. Topic themes and hosts rotate each week. Prizes for winners. BYO food. Third Friday of every month, 6-8 p.m. Free. (805) 292-1500. Two Broads Ciderworks, 3427 Roberto Ct., suite 130, San Luis Obispo, twobroadscider.com.

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

TRIVIA NIGHT Reservations are no longer required to play. Reservations are now for teams who want to guarantee a table to play. Tables available first come, first serve. Wednesdays, 7-9 p.m. my805tix.com. Bang the Drum Brewery, 1150 Laurel Lane, suite 130, San Luis Obispo.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT PUB TRIVIA Bring your thinking cap as questions vary from pop culture, geography, to sports. There is a little for everyone. Prizes for the winning teams. Wednesdays, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Free. (805) 439-2529. Oak and Otter Brewing, 181 Tank Farm Road, suite 110, San Luis Obispo.

WEDNESDAY PUB TRIVIA Bring your thinking caps as questions vary from pop culture, geography, to sports. There is a little for everyone. Prizes for the winning teams. Trivia provided by Geeks Who Drink. Wednesdays, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Free. (805) 439-2529. Oak and Otter Brewing, 181 Tank Farm Road, suite 110, San Luis Obispo.

SOUTH COAST SLO COUNTY

CHRISTMAS SLAY DRAG BRUNCH

Spend your Sunday at this drag brunch featuring Nova Cane and Daphne J. Visit site for tickets and more info. Dec. 22 noon $28. La Casita, 1572 W. Grand Ave., Grover Beach. ∆

COURTESY PHOTO BY RYAN LOYD, RYLO MEDIA DESIGN

Baez

Concert: “The Lady from the House in the Tree”

JANUARY 12 Cambria Center For The Arts

Arts

Boys & Girls Clubs of Mid Central Coast holds annual youth art exhibit

A showcase of art by young members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Mid Central Coast opened at the Santa Maria Town Center on Dec. 13 and is scheduled to remain on display through the end of December.

Every year, the local Boys & Girls Clubs organization hosts activities related to the National Fine Arts Program at each of its club sites across San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties—namely in San Luis Obispo, Atascadero, Paso Robles, Creston, Shandon, Santa Maria, and Guadalupe. As part of the program, young participants have their art judged and put on display for the public in an annual exhibit.

Artworks on display in the mall showcase were arranged according to age level and medium. The featured categories of this year’s local Boys & Girls Clubs showcase are monochromatic drawing, multicolored drawing, pastel, watercolor, oil or acrylic, printmaking, mixed media, and collage.

Since the Boys & Girls Clubs of Mid Central Coast encompasses cities in both San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties, the group has held two separate displays of contest participants’ artworks in past years, with one exhibit location chosen in each county. Similar to the program’s 2023 iteration, this year’s display will showcase contest submissions from participants that reside in both counties under one roof in Santa Maria, at the city’s mall. For more info on the Boys & Girls Clubs of Mid Central Coast and its youth exhibition, visit centralcoastkids.org.

Floral design students and teachers from Nipomo and Santa Maria contribute to Rose Parade

On Dec. 7, more than 100 floral design and advanced floral design students and teachers from Nipomo High School, Santa Maria High School, and Pioneer Valley High School’s

FFA programs joined forces with Kiwanis International and the Phoenix Decorating Company to help prepare floats for this year’s Rose Parade in Pasadena, aka the Pasadena Tournament of Roses.

At the decorating company’s facilities in Irwindale prior to the parade (slated for Jan. 1, 2025), the participating students and teachers were part of a team of more than 200 volunteers, who spent about seven hours meticulously preparing flowers, creating designs, and contributing to float decorations.

“I was blown away by the grand scale of the floats and the incredible attention to detail in every component,” participating student Jenna Ramirez said in press materials. “It was fun working with other floral design students, and I’m proud of the work our team contributed.”

∆

—Caleb Wiseblood

BY CAMILLIA LANHAM

New Nutcracker

The SLO Movement Arts Center blends local history into a classic Christmas ballet

The waltz of the Carrizo Plains wild owers is 13-year-old Violet Nielsen’s favorite part of the San Luis Obispo Movement Arts Center’s (SLOMAC) e Nutcracker: A San Luis Obispo Story.

“It’s just so pretty and just very di erent,” said Nielsen, who participates in three of the upcoming production’s dances, including performing as a ower.

Wild owers and a monarch butter y ballerina uttered across the rehearsal stage on Dec. 11, combining ballet and contemporary dance into the piece that Nielsen enjoys so much because of the way she feels as she’s moving.

“A lot of contracting and opening and feeling very free,” she said.

For eight years Nielson has taken dance at SLOMAC, which she describes as one big family— from the owners, teachers, and parents to the seniors in high school down to the littles. While she’s participated in portions of e Nutcracker before, Dec. 20 and 21 mark SLOMAC’s rst ever full Nutcracker performance. But this version of the traditional ballet takes place in 1894 San Luis Obispo, when the city celebrated its rst Christmas.

With help from the SLO History Center, SLOMAC owners Ryan Lawrence and Maartje Hermans-Lawrence incorporated local history and culture into the ballet.

Hermans-Lawrence said the whole dance world becomes e Nutcracker at this time of year, so it wasn’t something that SLOMAC felt pulled to do in past years. is year, though, they wanted to try it, she said, but knew that it wouldn’t be traditional.

Hermans-Lawrence said they wanted to make it speci c to the area and speci c to SLOMAC.

“We tried to make it more Clara’s story on Buchon Street,” she said. “She kind of goes on an adventure and ends up in Chinatown … where she sees a bunch of people she’s never seen before.”

In 1894, SLO was building a railroad with the help of Chinese workers, rancheros were working cattle, shepherds were minding their ocks for the dairy industry, and miners were mining for mercury. SLOMAC swapped these characters into the dances that make up the bulk of Clara’s dream sequence, as well as tarantulas and a rattlesnake.

Cal Poly Costume Shop manager Laina Babb designed costumes, and dancers’ parents built sets in the parking lot on weekends. One parent dropped o freshly painted axes for the dancing miners before rehearsal on Dec. 11.

“ e only axes we found were Halloween axes with blood all over them,” Hermans-Lawrence said

Celebrate SLO

The Nutcracker: A San Luis Obispo Story takes the stage at Cuesta College’s Harold J. Miossi Cultural and Performing Arts Center on Dec. 20 at 7 p.m. and Dec. 21 at 2 and 6 p.m. Find tickets at cuesta.universitytickets.com. Find out more about the San Luis Obispo Movement Arts Center by visiting slomac.com.

with a laugh. “I would have just left that if it wasn’t for these kinds of people. … It’s just been amazing.”

Parent Hannah Wassenberg, who will be sharing the stage with one of her two children and other dancers during the Mother Ginger sequence, said that sort of close-knit, supportive community is one of the reasons she decided to sign her kids up for the conservatory dance program at SLOMAC.

REHEARSAL The Sugar Plum Fairy (Micaela Anderson) performs for Dream Clara (Lily Cate Treadwell) as part of a rehearsal for the San Luis Obispo Movement Art Center’s The Nutcracker: A San Luis Obispo Story, which will be at Cuesta’s Performing Arts center on Dec. 20 and 21.

Wassenberg has been dancing since she was 2 years old and said she was reticent to do the same with her kids until she went to one of SLOMAC’s performances. She was impressed with the quality and technicality of the dancing, so she spoke with both Hermans-Lawrence and Lawrence, and she liked what they had to say. at was six years ago.

“She puts the kids’ humanity and life experiences rst,” Wassenberg said of Hermans-Lawrence. “And how does dance help us with that expression.”

She’s performed in a couple of hundred Nutcrackers over the years, Wassenberg said, adding that SLOMAC really went out on a limb to put on a unique performance, leaning into their dancers’ personalities and choreographing dances that worked for them. For instance, as Mother Ginger, Wassenberg was able to pull in some of the contemporary dance she’s focused on as an adult.

Describing the performance as a “lighthearted take on a really challenging job,” Mother Ginger is a laundress with children and laundry ying everywhere.

“Mostly a celebration, celebrating the chaos of motherhood,” Wassenberg said. “It’s a super fun part and really unique, because it’s usually played by a man.”

Lily Cate Treadwell,

CONVEYING EMOTION

Lily Cate Treadwell, who performs as Dream Clara in SLOMAC’s local take on The Nutcracker, said that her favorite dance is the “Grand Pas de Deux,” a fiveminute-long duet with The Nutcracker Prince.

who performs as Dream

Clara, watches the Mother Ginger sequence unfold and many of the other dances as well, weaving her own performances in between and among them. e 17-year-old has been dancing since she was 1 and has been with SLOMAC for almost ve years. Her favorite Nutcracker dance is the “Grand Pas de Deux” a ve-minute-long duet with the Nutcracker Prince, Justin Grapevine. Performed en pointe by Treadwell, she said it’s a nice shift in music from the rest of the show, and it’s also where she feels the most connected with her dance partner.

“It’s the longest dance that I do. De nitely, it’s the most tiring and hard on my body,” she said. “It’s really hard to stay really present in the moment when I’m thinking about all the dances that come next.”

If you leave the connection, if you stray from relaying the tenderness that’s needed for the sequence, it can ruin the scene, she said. But she’s up for the challenge.

“ ere’s de nitely more to it than just choreography,” she said. “I love dance so much because I struggle to communicate my feelings. … It allows me to convey a lot with people I might not even know, and they can feel what I’m communicating.” ∆

Editor Camillia Lanham is always up for a challenge. Send recommendations to clanham@ newtimesslo.com.

NEW

CHARACTERS

Lucy Peterson performs as the shepherdess, one of many local characters

Ryan Lawrence and Maartje HermansLawrence incorporated into SLOMAC’s version of The Nutcracker, which is set in 1894 San Luis Obispo.

COURTESY PHOTOS BY NICOLE PRATT

Baggage check

Jaune Collet-Serra (Orphan, Unknown, Non-Stop) directs this screenplay by T.J. Fixman about a mysterious terrorist known only as Traveler (Justin Bateman) who blackmails LAX TSA agent Ethan Kopek (Taron Egerton) into allowing a dangerous suitcase through security and onto a Christmas Day ight. If he doesn’t, Traveler promises to kill Ethan’s pregnant girlfriend, Nora (So a Carson). (119 min.)

CARRY-ON

What’s it rated? PG-13

What’s it worth, Anna? Stream it

What’s it worth, Glen? Stream it

Where’s it showing? Netflix

Glen Christmas terrorists? A hero scrambling to save the day? A romantic partner in peril? Cheeky jokes colliding with action sequences? Carry-On clearly wants to be Die Hard, but it’s not. Instead, it’s an implausible and byzantine story about a conspiracy to pass an unpopular piece of legislation by staging a terrorist attack using Russian-made Novichok nerve agent to target the bill’s author, Congresswoman Grace Turner (Jill Flint). Her bill would bene t arms dealers, so counterintuitively, the gunrunners think murdering her in a faked Russian terrorist attack will generate sympathy and make her bill pass instead, bringing them a windfall. Just writing that nonsense was painful.

Anna No one is more willing to cozy up and watch terribly great Christmas movies than me, but I would call this Christmas-adjacent. While there may be baubles baubling and bells a-ring-ching-chingalinging, there isn’t much Christmas here. It’s the wrapping paper on the gift of a pretty terrible action rom-com. Kopek failed cop academy and seems stuck in the rut of a boring day-to-day job with TSA, while his girlfriend holds a position of more importance and would love to see Kopek follow a dream instead of sitting in the humdrum of day-to-day normalcy. It’s

BLACK DOVES

What’s it rated? TV-MA

When? 2024

Where’s it showing? Netflix

Created by Joe Barton ( The Lazarus Project), Giri/Haji ), Black Doves is a compelling action thriller about international espionage and political intrigue. The storyline, as it moves back and forth in time to offer the characters’ backstories that give context to their present actions, can feel unduly complicated, but if you stick with it, you’re rewarded with a mystery thriller that’s fun to untangle.

The story centers on Helen Webb (Keira

banal bullshit, but the lm tries in earnest to keep its audience interested. Unfortunately, I just kept seeing plot holes left and right, but at least in the end (spoiler alert) the good guy prevails. It’s not a complete waste of time, but I recommend hitting the eggnog before you press play. is one bene ts from a fuzzy sense of reality.

Glen Spoiler alert, eh? Was the hero’s triumph ever in doubt? Ethan’s cop-dreams backstory adds a little interest to the proceedings. Can he redeem himself, save the day, and be found worthy to wear a badge. LAPD Detective Elena Cole (Danielle Deadwyler) hears about the Novichok on a wiretap and learns Ethan tried to contact the police, so she shows up and butts heads with Ethan. Will she realize Ethan’s worth? It’s all very predictable. Maybe you and I are missing something because this lm has—to my mind—an improbably high critics score of 86 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. I don’t get the appeal. Maybe it’s because Bateman is playing against type,

Knightley), who’s married to British Secretary of State for Defense Wallace Webb (Andrew Buchan), who’s completely unaware his wife is a Black Dove, a spy for a clandestine organization. He also doesn’t know Helen has been carrying on an affair with Jason Davies (Andrew Koji), who’s murdered, leading Helen’s handler, Reed (Sarah Lancashire), to bring in a “triggerman,” Sam Young (Ben Whishaw), to protect Helen and investigate Jason’s murder.

Sam’s backstory is also fascinating, and along the way, we meet two other assassins, Williams (Ella Lily Hyland) and Eleanor (Gabrielle Creevy), who add some humor. Knightly and Whishaw are both terrific as tragic figures caught up in a horrible game. The six-part series has already been renewed for a second season, and I’m all in. (six 52- to 56-min. episodes)

—Glen

or maybe critics see something in Egerton’s performance that I’m missing. It’s all rote, by-the-numbers, phone-it-in, standard-issue, straight-to-video action pablum, but hey, if you have Net ix and a couple of hours to burn, and don’t mind plot holes big enough to drive a Mack Truck through, settle in and enjoy this Die Hard-lite.

Anna Bateman has proven himself to be a worthy on-screen bad guy in recent years, but we barely get to interact with him beyond his voice via earbud for at least half of the lm. It all is just so ridiculous, and I’m OK with ridiculous, but this just didn’t hit for me. I’ll choose Die Hard anytime, all the time over this. e actors did ne, the direction was ne, but the story was just plain unbelievable. Maybe folks are more forgiving than we are at the holidays, but this one isn’t going to make its way into our yearly rotation, I can guarantee that. ∆

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

THE DAY OF THE JACKAL

What’s it rated? TV-MA

When? 2024

Where’s it showing? Peacock

Ronan Bennett (Public Enemies, Top Boy, Gunpowder ) created this spy thriller loosely based on Frederick Forsyth’s 1971 novel of the same name. It follows The Jackal (Eddie Redmayne), a ruthless assassin, and Bianca Pullman (Lashana Lynch), the relentless intelligence officer determined to catch him.

It’s quickly established that The Jackal is a preternaturally skilled marksman with a very specialized custom-made weapon, which Pullman believes was made by underground

Irish gunsmith Norman Stoke (Richard Dormer), offering her a lead. The Jackal’s current target is ultra-rich tech bro Ulle Dag Charles (Khalid Abdalla), who’s preparing to release a computer program called River, which will make transparent how money flows through society, ending up in the hands of the rich at the expense of everyone else. A cabal of richie-riches led by Timothy Winthorp (Charles Dance) arranges to pay The Jackal $10 million if he can assassinate Ulle Dag before he releases River. What follows is a smartly written cat-andmouse with a romantic side story about The Jackal’s Spanish wife, Nuria (Úrsula Corberó), who’s become suspicious of the husband she knows as “Charles Calthrop.” Redmayne is terrific as the morally complex killer, whose backstory helps explain his casual callousness. (10 approximately 1-hour episodes) ∆ —Glen

and an

SEE TARON RUN Taron Egerton stars as low-level TSA agent Ethan Kopek, who’s trying to stop a terrorist attack at LAX on Christmas Day, in Carry-On, streaming on Netflix.

PHOTO COURTESY OF NETFLIX

KILLER ELITE

Eddie Redmayne stars as The Jackal, an assassin for hire who’s a master of disguise

expert marksman, in The Day of the Jackal, streaming on Peacock.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PEACOCK

THRILLER (Left to right) Triggerman Sam Young (Ben Whishaw), spy Helen Webb (Keira Knightley), and Helen’s handler, Reed (Sarah Lancashire), are wrapped up in international intrigue, in Black Doves, streaming on Netflix.

PHOTO COURTESY OF NETFLIX

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Music

BY GLEN STARKEY

Merry Shucking X-Mas, SLOcals!

Two of our finest—

The Mother Corn Shuckers and Cuesta Ridge—play The Siren

If you like your Christmas beer-soaked and bluegrassy, The Siren has just the doubleheader for you when it presents Merry Shucking X-Mas with The Mother Corn Shuckers (TMCS) and Cuesta Ridge on Friday, Dec. 20 (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; $18.48 at tixr.com).

Led by Che Miller, TMCS formed in 2009 and plays what they call “BeerGrass.”

“Well, it’s a mixture of bluegrass and country that evolved into Americana folk and then evolved into jammy electric guitars and two drummers,” Miller explained. “What the hell else you gonna call it?”

Miller came up with the band name after a brainstorming and drinking session: “I rounded it down from about 60 names on a piece of paper,” he recalled. “In the morning after a night of a lot of whiskey, Mother Corn Shuckers was circled.”

TMCS are known for their boisterous party songs and plain spoken lyrics about familiar topics, such as “Tradition,” a song Miller wrote with Leo Mathews (aka Miss Leo): “Will you be the one who wakes me in the morning/ Will you be the one to hold me at night/ Won’t you be the one who shares my coffee/ Won’t you be the one to drink with me at night// Hang on the couch on a Friday night/ You and me and the fire light/ Count on you to fix what’s broken/ Count on you to make it all alright.”

A more recent song, “Eyes Wide Open,” explores the travails of social media: “Social media wasting my time/ images of reality destroying my mind, Recycled truth turns into lies/ Clouds the brain, burns the eyes.” Where do Miller’s song ideas come from?

“The heart,” he said. “It’s a cheesy answer, but it’s the truth. I write about everyday life and the struggles and love that is a part of everything that surrounds me and the situations and lives of our friends and families.”

Get in on the fun this Friday!

“The Mother Corn Shuckers are alive and well and getting ready to unleash some great tunes onto everyone in 2025 and a whole lot more to follow,” Miller added. “I have a lot of songs to record!”

Cuesta Ridge traces their genesis even further back, having formed in 2002 when two monster guitarists—Toan Chau and

Live Music

NORTH COAST SLO COUNTY

BLUES AGENDA JAM AND SHOWCASE

A rockin’ blues dance party at Niffy’s Merrimaker every first, third, and now fifth Wednesdays. The Blues Asylum house band welcomes local, visiting, and newcomers to the blues groove. Spirits, beer, and wine, with outside food welcome. Every other Wednesday, 7-10 p.m. Free. (805) 235-5223. The Merrimaker Tavern, 1301 2nd Street, Los Osos.

CAB STREET BAND Enjoy a casual

Patrick Pearson—got together. Later they added Dan Keller (mandolin), Brent Vander Weide (drums), and Dylan Johnson (Bass).

“We only play about six or seven gigs per year in the last five years or so now,” Chau said. “We have over 100 songs, so we try to make every gig special by playing new covers or bringing back old originals in out set list.”

Expect each band to play a 90-minute set.

Also at The Siren this week, see Brass Mash when they play a Big Ass Brass Christmas Bash on Saturday, Dec. 21 (7 p.m.; 21-and-older; $18.48 at tixr.com), the

blend of original music and stylized covers from this blues and jazz act. Dec. 28 2-5 p.m. Free admission. The Siren, 900 Main St., Morro Bay, (805) 225-1312, thesirenmorrobay.com/.

FAN HALEN Described as the world’s most authentic tribute to Van Halen. For ages 21 and over. Dec. 27 7:30 p.m. The Siren, 900 Main St., Morro Bay, (805) 225-1312, thesirenmorrobay.com/.

LESLIE ROGERS COMBO Join this combo of Central Coast musicians as they play a mix of R&B, Motown, and soul at this event. For ages 21 and over.

Dec. 21 , 2-5 p.m. Free. The Siren, 900 Main St., Morro Bay, (805) 225-1312, thesirenmorrobay.com/.

LIVE MUSIC WITH GUITAR WIZ AT LUNADA GARDEN BISTRO “Guitar Wizard” Billy Foppiano plays a wide range of music, including blues, R&B, classic rock, and more. Fourth Sunday of every month, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. (805) 900-5444. Lunada Garden Bistro, 78 N. Ocean Ave., Cayucos.

MERRY SHUCKING X-MAS WITH THE MOTHER CORN SHUCKERS AND CUESTA RIDGE The Mother Corn

club announced. The band takes songs from the ’60s to the present and mixes two or more together in an arrangement for a horn band.

For example, their song “Rolling in the Crazy Jeans” mashes Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” with Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” and Gnarles Barkley’s “Crazy.”

“Back in the 2010s, I was playing and arranging in a mash-up band up in Oakland,” bandleader Colin Dean explained, “but upon moving back to the SLO area in 2015, I noticed there was no brass group in the area, so I decided to

Shuckers is an Americana, bluegrass, and country jam band hailing from the Central Coast. Listen to them live at this event, for ages 21 and over. Dec. 20 7:30-10:30 p.m. $18. The Siren, 900 Main St., Morro Bay, (805) 225-1312, thesirenmorrobay.com/.

THE MORRO BAY WHITE CAPS TO PERFORM HOLIDAY MUSIC The Morro Bay White Caps Community Band will perform holiday music. Come listen to the sounds of the season with the pride of Morro Bay. Dec. 21 2:30-4:30 p.m. Free; donations

create my own. I wanted to create a group to feature myself on trombone and my incredibly talented horn player friends! In a lot of ways, it was to demonstrate to my music students on the Central Coast that brass and woodwinds are cool, viable, and capable of so much more than most folks think.

“Moreover, that music doesn’t have to be just about the guitars. I’ve found over the years that mash-ups get folks listening carefully to the music and discussing the

accepted. (805) 459-9543. Morro Bay Main Street Farmers Market, Main Street and Morro Bay Blvd., Morro Bay, morrobayfarmersmarket.com.

OPEN MIC NIGHT Each Wednesday, enjoy this Open Mic Night in the downstairs dining area. Grab some friends and show off your talents. Food and drink service will be available. Wednesdays, 6 p.m. Free. (805) 995-3883. schoonerscayucos. com. Schooners, 171 North Ocean Ave, Cayucos.

THE ROLLING CROWS A tribute to the Rolling Stones and Black Crowes. Dec. 28 7:30-10:30 p.m. The Siren, 900 Main St., Morro Bay, (805) 225-1312, thesirenmorrobay.com/.

THE SIREN’S BIG ASS BRASS CHRISTMAS BASH For ages 21 and over. Santa Claus is coming to town, and he’s bringing Brass Mash to The Siren for this festive event. Doors open at 7 p.m. Dec. 21 , 7-10:30 p.m. The Siren, 900 Main St., Morro Bay, (805) 225-1312, thesirenmorrobay.com/.

LIVE MUSIC continued page 27

STARKEY

A VERY LOCAL CHRISTMAS Two killer local bluegrass/Americana bands—The Mother Corn Shuckers (top) and Cuesta Ridge (bottom)—play a Merry Shucking X-Mas party at The Siren in Morro Bay on Dec. 20

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE MOTHER CORN SHUCKERS (TOP)/ CUESTA RIDGE (BOTTOM)

songs with their neighbor. Of course, the name Brass Mash seemed like the most concise way to describe the format of the band.”

Dean recruits players from the local classical and jazz music scene, and because so many of the band members are busy with other gigs, he often brings in substitutes, who sometimes become mainstays.

“We have a really unique and delightful group of people right now,” Dean noted. “Very talented and very positive!”

If you ever wondered if there’s life after high school band, the answer is a resounding yes.

The Clark Center

The Beach Boys formed in 1961 and had already released six hit albums by 1964 when they entered the studio to record their seventh—a Christmas album, of all things. The Beach Boys’ Christmas Album contained five original songs, notably “Little Saint Nick” and “The Man with All the Toys,” and seven standards including “Frosty the Snowman,” “We Three Kings of Orient Are,” “Blue Christmas,” “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town,” “White Christmas,” “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” and the perennial classic, “Auld Lang Syne.” I imagine that when The Clark Center

presents the ultimate Christmas with Surfin’ The Beach Boys Tribute on Saturday, Dec. 21 (7:30 p.m.; all ages; $39 to $59 at clarkcenter.org), you’re going to hear all that and more, as well as some of The Beach Boys’ biggest hits.

Also at the Clark Center, hear The Pan American Nutcracker Suite interpreted by Joe McCarthy’s New York Afro Bop Alliance Big Band on Sunday, Dec. 22 (7 p.m.; all ages; $34 to $59 at clarkcenter.org).

The Afro-Cuban jazz ensemble is immersed in the bebop tradition and rich rhythmic sounds of Afro-Caribbean music.

“Created and co-arranged by Joe McCarthy and Vince Norman, the evening will feature Tchaikovsky’s timeless masterpiece ‘The Nutcracker Suite’ reimagined for Joe McCarthy’s 18-piece Latin Grammy AwardWinning New York Afro Bop Alliance Big Band and reflecting the beautifully diverse musical traditions of the Americas and beyond,” organizers announced.

Expect two sets of big band music with The Pan American Nutcracker Suite following intermission.

Sing-along!

I grew up in Wisconsin, and caroling was a thing. On any given winter night around Christmastime, you’d hear singing outside your house, open the front door, and voila,

a cluster of five or six people would be crooning Christmas classics. Mom always had a plate of cookies ready to hand out to the singers.

Since moving to California a zillion years ago, I’ve never once had carolers come to my door, but there are still opportunities to feel the down-home holiday spirit—like SLO Master Chorale’s Holiday Festival & Sing-Along Messiah at the Performing Arts Center on Saturday, Dec. 21 (7:30 p.m.; $12 to $39 at pacslo.org).

The choir will perform the choruses from Handel’s ever-popular masterpiece, Messiah. You’ll also hear the majestic Forbes pipe organ played by Cal Poly University Organist Paul Woodring . Hear traditional carols and arrangements for chorus, organ, and orchestra with a guest appearance from Los Angeles’ Westwood Brass. ∆

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

SURFIN’ X-MAS MAGIC Surfin’ The Beach Boys Tribute brings their Christmas show to Arroyo Grande’s Clark Center on Dec. 21

PHAT HORNS, BABY Brass Mash will perform mash-ups of familiar songs with fresh arrangements for

NYC BOP The Clark Center also hosts Joe McCarthy’s New York Afro Bop Alliance Big Band performing The Pan American Suite on Dec. 22

PHOTO COURTESY OF JOE MCCARTHY’S

NORTH SLO COUNTY

FRIDAY NIGHT DJ Weekly DJ series, with a different DJ every Friday.

Presented by friends at Traffic Record store in Atascadero. Come listen, dance, drink, and unwind every Friday.

All ages event; no cover charge. Fridays, 7-10 p.m. (805) 460-6042. ancientowlbeergarden.com. Ancient Owl Beer Garden, 6090 El Camino Real, suite C, Atascadero.

KARAOKE NIGHT Food and drink available for purchase. Last Saturday of every month, 8 p.m. Free admission. my805tix.com. Club Car Bar, 508 S. Main Street, Templeton, (805) 400-4542.

KJUG COUNTRY CHRISTMAS Features

Pryor Baird, Jane & Shane, and Stephen Styles. Visit site for tickets and more info. Dec. 20 , 6:30-9:30 p.m. my805tix. com. Blast and Brew, 7935 San Luis Ave., Atascadero.

MELODIOUS FUNK LIVE Melodious

Funk will stir up classic jazz and funky fusion at Club Car Bar with a few Christmas tunes mixed in. Dec. 21 , 7-10 p.m. Free. Club Car Bar, 508 S. Main Street, Templeton, (805) 400-4542.

OPEN MIC NIGHT Hosted by The Journals 805 (John and Dylan Krause).

Mondays, 9 p.m. Pine Street Saloon, 1234 Pine St., Paso Robles.

RADIANT RHYTHMS: SUNDAY JAZZ

AT SENSORIO WITH LIBRETTO

PRESENTS THE ADAM HERSH TRIO

An unforgettable evening of stunning visuals and live music on the Market Stage and Lawn at Sensorio. Food and beverage options available. Dec. 22 4:30-8:30 p.m. $15, or included with Sensorio ticket. (805) 226-4287. sensoriopaso.com/radiant-rhythms.

Sensorio, 4380 Highway 46 East, Paso Robles.

RUMOR LIVE A local six-piece cover band led by vocalist Dani Cole. All ages welcome. Dec. 28 5:30-8:30 p.m. rumorslocal.com. Barrelhouse Brewing Co. Brewery and Gardens, 3055 Limestone Way, Paso Robles, (805) 296-1128.

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.

SUNNY WRIGHT JAZZ TRIO WITH JACOB ODELL AND DYLAN JOHNSON

Enjoy the dazzling sights of Sensorio with live jazz tunes. Dec. 28 , 4:30-8:30 p.m. Sensorio, 4380 Highway 46 East, Paso Robles, (805) 226-4287.

WINES ON MAIN PRESENTS THE JOURNALS 805 Enjoy live music from John and Dylan Krause. Dec. 20 , 6-8 p.m. Wines on Main, 624 Main Street, suite 101, Templeton.

SAN LUIS OBISPO

EMILY V: NOT YOUR TYPICAL VIOLINIST

Originally from the Central Coast, Emily V. is now based in LA. This is an event for ages 21 and over. Dec. 27 8:30-11:30 p.m. $13. libertinebrewing.com. Libertine Brewing Company, 1234 Broad St., San Luis Obispo, (805) 548-2337.

FAMILY FUN FRIDAYS: A FAMILY

DANCE CLASS Join this all ages event for a whirlwind of rhythm and laughter. There will be 45 minutes of line dancing followed by open dance time. Dec. 20 , 5:30-7 p.m. $10. nexusslo.com. Nexus

SLO, 3845 S Higuera St.( Lower Level), San Luis Obispo, (805) 904-7428.

FLAVOR PACKET Flavor Packet is a jazz combo that “stirs up an imaginative sound with its contemporary and world-beat-influenced jazz music.”

Dec. 20 6-9 p.m. Free. eastoneverett. com. Krobar Craft Distillery, 10 Higuera St., 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.

PALM STREET POINSETTIAS The Ah Louis Store is thrilled to bring caroling to the corner of Chorro and Palm Street every Saturday this holiday season. Saturdays, 4-7 p.m. through Dec. 21 Ah Louis Store, 800 Palm St., San Luis Obispo. SAN LUIS OBISPO MASTER CHORALE PRESENTS “HOLIDAY FESTIVAL” Join in with the San Luis Obispo Master Chorale to perform the great choruses from Handel. There will also be a sing-along “Messiah.” Visit the site for more info. Dec. 21 7-9:30 p.m. $10-$30. (805) 756-4849. pacslo.org. Cal Poly Performing Arts Center, 1 Grand Ave, San Luis Obispo.

WINTER SOLSTICE: DRUM CIRCLE AND CELEBRATION An event to honor the quiet magic of winter and the return of sunlight and longer days. Embrace the warmth of community in a safe, welcoming space, surrounded by winter’s beauty and breathtaking views at the ranch. Dec. 21 , 2-4 p.m. my805tix. com. Eagles Landing Ranch, 4615 Prefumo Canyon Road, San Luis Obispo.

SOUTH COAST SLO COUNTY FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD BIG BAND CHRISTMAS CONCERT Enjoy a night of big band music and Christmas jazz. All donations go to the church. Dec. 19 7:30 p.m. Free. Nipomo Community Presbyterian Church, 1235 N Thompson Rd., Arroyo Grande, (805) 219-0133, nipomopresbyterian.org.

KARAOKE EVERY WEDNESDAY A weekly event with barbecue offerings and more. Wednesdays, 4-8 p.m. Rancho Nipomo BBQ, 108 Cuyama Ln., Nipomo, (805) 925-3500.

THE PAN AMERICAN NUTCRACKER SUITE Created and co-arranged by Joe McCarthy and Vince Norman, the evening will feature original orchestrations performed by Joe McCarthy’s Latin Grammy Awardwinning New York Afro Bop Alliance Big Band that celebrates the brilliance of Tchaikovsky’s timeless masterpiece, “The Nutcracker Suite,” followed by big band compositions. Dec. 22 7-9:30 p.m. $34-$54. (805) 489-9444. clarkcenter. org/shows/pan-american-nutcrackersuite/. Clark Center for the Performing Arts, 487 Fair Oaks Ave., Arroyo Grande.

ULTIMATE CHRISTMAS WITH SURFIN’: A BEACH BOYS TRIBUTE A special night filled with Christmas magic and popular holiday tunes. Dec. 21 7:30-10:30 p.m. $39-$54. (805) 489-9444. clarkcenter.org/shows/ surfin-christmas/. Clark Center for the Performing Arts, 487 Fair Oaks Ave., Arroyo Grande.

SANTA MARIA VALLEY/LOS ALAMOS

HAPPY HOUR MUSIC SERIES Enjoy live music at the winery most Friday evenings. Check site for concert schedule. Fridays presquilewine.com. Presqu’ile Winery, 5391 Presqu’ile Dr., Santa Maria, (805) 937-8110.

LADIES NIGHT OUT Music by DJ Van Gloryious and DJ Panda. Features delicious daiquiri specials. Thursdays, 8 p.m.-midnight Roscoe’s Kitchen, 229 Town Center E, Santa Maria, (805) 623-8866.

LIVE MUSIC AND FOOD BY LOBO

BUTCHER SHOP Check out live music every Friday night from a variety of artists at Steller’s Cellar in Old Orcutt. Dinner served by Lobo Butcher Shop between 5 and 7:30 p.m. Fridays, 5-9 p.m. Varies according to food options. (805) 623-5129. stellerscellar.com. Steller’s Cellar, 405 E. Clark Ave., Orcutt. MUSIC AT ROSCOE’S KITCHEN Live DJ and karaoke every Friday and Saturday night. Featured acts include Soul Fyah Band, DJ Nasty, DJ Jovas, and more. Fridays, Saturdays, 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Roscoe’s Kitchen, 229 Town Center E, Santa Maria, (805) 623-8866.

MUSIC LESSONS AT COELHO

ACADEMY Learn to play piano, drums, guitar, base, ukulele, or violin, or take vocal lessons. ongoing (805) 925-0464. coelhomusic.com/Lessons/lessons. html. Coelho Academy of Music, 325 E. Betteravia Rd., Santa Maria.

OLD TIME GOSPEL SING-ALONG All are welcome. Call for more details. Last Saturday of every month, 5-6 p.m. (805) 478-6198. Roscoe’s Kitchen, 229 Town Center E, Santa Maria.

SUNDAY NIGHT FUN End the weekend with some good vibes. Music by DJ Van Gloryious. Sundays, 8 p.m.-midnight Roscoe’s Kitchen, 229 Town Center E, Santa Maria, (805) 623-8866.

THIRD ANNUAL OLD TOWN COUNTRY

CHRISTMAS Listen to live acoustic performances from featured musicians (including Pryor Baird) at The Stockyard. This is an all ages show. Visit site for tickets and more info. Dec. 21 , 2-7 p.m. $15. my805tix.com. Blast 825 Brewery, 241 S Broadway St., Ste. 101, Orcutt, (805) 934-3777.

LOMPOC/VANDENBERG

ALWAYS TINA AND START ME UP

Enjoy live music from tributes to Tina Turner and the Rolling Stones. All ages welcome. Dec. 21 , 7 p.m. $18 in advance; $20 at the door. my805tix. com. FCB, 110 W. Ocean Ave., Lompoc, (805) 810-0714.

KARAOKE AT COLD COAST BREWING

CO. Pick out a song, bring your friends, and get ready to perform. Wednesdays, 6-9 p.m. COLD Coast Brewing Company, 118 W Ocean Ave., Lompoc, (805) 8190723, coldcoastbrewing.com.

YOUTH OPEN MIC NIGHT A fun, welcoming environment for first time performers and an opportunity for kids and teens to showcase their talent. Prizes awarded every month for Outstanding Performer. Last Friday of every month, 6-8 p.m. certainsparks.com/. Certain Sparks Music, 107 S. H St., Lompoc.

SANTA YNEZ VALLEY

BOYZ II MEN The vocal harmony group from Philadelphia best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. Dec. 21 8 p.m. $99$159. Chumash Casino Resort, 3400 E. Highway 246, Santa Ynez, (800) 248-6274, chumashcasino.com/ entertainment.

LIVE MUSIC SUNDAYS Sundays, 2-6 p.m. Brick Barn Wine Estate, 795 W. Hwy 246, Buellton, (805) 686-1208, brickbarnwineestate.com.

NIGHTLY LIGHT AND MUSIC SHOWS

This holiday-themed, choreographed light and music display, which is free to attend, entails two different shows that will alternate on the hour each evening. Through Jan. 5, 2025, 5, 6, 7, 8 & 9 p.m. solvangusa.com/things-to-do/solvangjulefest/. Solvang Park, Mission Dr. and First St., Solvang.

WINE DOWN WEDNESDAYS

Wednesdays, 4:30-5:30 p.m. Brick Barn Wine Estate, 795 W. Hwy 246, Buellton, (805) 686-1208, brickbarnwineestate.com. ∆

Voted Best Indian Food!

INDIAN RESTAURANT

Lunch - $15.99 Mon-Sat 11:30am – 2:30pm Monday Dinner Bu et - $16.99 5:00pm – 9:30pm Sunday Brunch - $16.99 Served with one champagne or Lassi

• Indoor & Outdoor Dining

• Bu et Take Out • Banquet

• Catering • Dine Out Available

Flavor

BY CAMILLIA LANHAM

Food for the Seoul

Family-run Korean pop-up gets ready to dish up more hours near Cal Poly

Two perfectly formed dumplings peer out from under the plastic lid of a to-go container. Etched with crispy brown patches and still steaming, Seoul Food’s mandu dumplings hover over spicy pork bulgogi and rice.

Biting through the satisfyingly firm exterior, the first taste reveals that these extra large dumplings don’t need sauce. The flavor mingling through the pork, glass noodles, tofu, leek, cabbage, and green onion is enough all on its own.

Mandu dumplings, bulgogi beef, japchae noodles, kimchi, and spicy bulgogi pork are the regular stars of Korean ghost kitchen Seoul Food, which has served up Seon Kim’s authentic dishes out of commissary kitchens near the SLO Airport and off Foothill Boulevard for the last 10 months. Seoul Food manager and Seon’s daughter-in-law Anna Kim said that starting at the beginning of 2025, they will be working solely out of the Myndful Kitchen Collective on Foothill with plans to be open more days and hours to cater to the Cal Poly college crowd on that side of town.

Owning a restaurant was “just an idea,” Anna said—something that her husband’s parents talked about for 20 years. The biggest reason is because her mother-in-law is such a good cook, Anna said.

Share tasty tips!

Get fed

Find out more about Seoul Food’s hours, location, and menu by visiting seoulfood.kitchen. You can order takeout in person during business hours, preorder food on the website for pickup, or order food from Harvestly for delivery. Myndful Kitchen Collective is located at 977 E. Foothill Blvd. in SLO.

seemed ridiculously impossible,” Anna said. “But then we learned about these commissary kitchens.”

Commissary kitchens provide a licensed, commercial-grade space that businesses like Seoul Food can rent for a few hours at a time to store, prepare, cook, and sell their food. Kim said she noticed them popping up during the pandemic, and now there are several options to choose from in SLO County, including The Kitchen Terminal by the SLO Airport and Myndful (formerly Benny’s Kitchen) on Foothill.

Being able to use a commissary kitchen as a way to test how people felt about Seon’s food gave the family confidence to take that first step. Customers can also get what Seoul Food has to offer via local food delivery app Harvestly.

“She says that it’s been enjoyable for her and for people to try her food,” Anna said, adding that the response from customers has been positive. “That’s been something that has given her a meaningful reason to continue doing this.”

Send tidbits on everything food and drink to bites@newtimesslo.com.

“She’s always been very good at choosing good, quality ingredients and making it into a good, flavorful dish for us,” she said. But the family thought of a restaurant as more of a dream than anything else—that is until COVID-19, when commissary kitchens started popping up in SLO.

“We never thought of it as something that we could carry out, especially for them as immigrants, because they were tight on finances, and owning a restaurant just

Customers who have tried Seoul Food’s kimchi, for instance, often order a bulk side of it to take home with their orders. Some even bring their own kimchi in to share with the family.

Anna said that Seon’s kimchi is Seoul style. It’s not too salty, with less of a fish sauce flavor than other areas of Korea might produce. She described it as a lighter, more approachable kimchi.

All of the food dished out by Seoul Food is Seoul style, Anna said, because that’s where Seon and her husband are from. They immigrated to the Bay Area first, which is where Anna’s husband grew up, before moving to San Luis Obispo in 2019

to be closer to their grandkids.

Seoul Food sources local Napa cabbage from Talley Farms for the fermented, spiced accompaniment to almost any Korean meal. The family tries to source its veggies as locally as possible while staying true to authentic Korean dishes at the same time.

“Not a lot of the vegetables here are the same as the vegetables in the Los Angeles area or even Korea,” she said. “Broccoli, for instance, isn’t something you would use in Korea.”

Therefore, it’s not something Seoul Food will use either. Their goal, Anna said, is to stay away from fusion-style food and stick to serving up dishes like they would make at home.

“We actually get the majority, like 90 percent, of our ingredients locally because we want to minimize us having to rely on long distance travel for us to get the ingredients,” she said.

But, still, they have to travel to Los Angeles for things like bulk Korean glass noodles made from sweet potato starch for the japchae, which aren’t available in SLO. In addition to the regulars like japchae, beef bulgogi, and spicy pork bulgogi, Seoul Food serves up specials a couple of times a month to offer customers some variety.

Sometimes, you’ll find kimbap, which Anna described as similar to a sushi roll but without the fish. It’s meat, veggies, and rice rolled up in seaweed and sliced into rounds. Or bibimbap, stir-fried veggies and rice served with bulgogi, gochujang (a Korean pepper paste), and a fried egg.

Gochujang is also the star of Seoul Food’s pork bulgogi. The pepper paste adds depth to the soy sauce-marinated meat alongside serrano pepper. Over some rice, it’s a 10/10. ∆

Editor Camillia Lanham is all about that gochujang. Send heat to clanham@ newtimesslo.com

BULGOGI BEEF Thin-sliced beef is marinated is soy sauce, then stir-fried with onions, carrots, and mushrooms and topped with sesame oil, sesame seeds, and green onions and served over rice.

SLIPPERY AND DELICIOUS Sweet potato starch glass noodles are the base for japchae, which get stir-fried with carrots, mushrooms, bell pepper, and onions.

SPICE IS NICE A little on the spicy side and full of depth, the spicy pork bulgogi is marinated with gochujang, a Korean pepper paste.

PERFECT PACKAGE Seoul Food’s mandu dumplings are so delicious, you don’t need sauce. The large fried dumplings are stuffed with pork, glass noodles, tofu, and vegetables.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ANNA KIM

In re: The Conservatorship of the Person and Estate of Patrick Alvin Munroe Case No. 22PR-0327

DATE: JANUARY 10, 2025 TIME 9:00 AM DEPT.: PASO ROBLES 2 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT subject to confirmation by this Court, on January 10, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. in Department Paso Robles 2, or thereafter within the time allowed by law, Shawna Thomson, Conservator of the Person and Estate of Patrick Alvin Munroe, Conservatee, will sell at private sale to the highest and best net bidder on the terms and conditions stated below, all right, title, and interest of Conservatee, in the real property located in the County San Luis Obispo, State of California.

NOTICE OF AMENDED PETITION TO ADMINISTER

ESTATE OF: JOHN ZIEGLER DECEDENT CASE NUMBER: 24PR-0103

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of: JOHN ZIEGLER AN AMENDED PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by WENDY OLSON in the Superior Court of California, County of SAN LUIS OBISPO. THE AMENDED PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that WENDY OLSON be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

THE AMENDED PETITION requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court.

copy to the personal representative appointed by

T.S. No. 127357-CA APN: 001-023-036 NOTICE OF TRUSTEE’S SALE IMPORTANT NOTICE TO PROPERTY OWNER: YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST, DATED 3/2/2015. UNLESS YOU TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY, IT MAY BE SOLD AT A PUBLIC SALE. IF YOU NEED AN EXPLANATION OF THE NATURE OF THE PROCEEDING AGAINST YOU, YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LAWYER On 1/21/2025 at 11:00 AM, CLEAR RECON CORP, as duly appointed trustee under and pursuant to Deed of Trust recorded 3/5/2015 as Instrument No. 2015009488 of Official Records in the office of the County Recorder of San Luis Obispo County, State of CALIFORNIA executed by: SETH ROBERTS AND DANIELLE ROBERTS, HUSBAND AND WIFE AS JOINT TENANTS WILL SELL AT PUBLIC AUCTION TO HIGHEST BIDDER FOR CASH, CASHIER’S CHECK DRAWN ON A STATE OR NATIONAL BANK, A CHECK DRAWN BY A STATE OR FEDERAL CREDIT UNION, OR A CHECK DRAWN BY A STATE OR FEDERAL SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATION, SAVINGS ASSOCIATION, OR SAVINGS BANK SPECIFIED IN SECTION 5102 OF THE FINANCIAL CODE AND AUTHORIZED TO DO BUSINESS IN THIS STATE; IN THE BREEZEWAY ADJACENT TO THE COUNTY GENERAL SERVICES BUILDING, 1087 SANTA ROSA STREET, SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA 93408 all right, title and interest conveyed to and now held by it under said Deed of Trust in the property situated in said County and State described as: MORE ACCURATELY DESCRIBED IN SAID DEED OF TRUST. The street address and other common designation, if any, of the real property described above is purported to be: 898 MISSION ST, SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA 93405 The undersigned Trustee disclaims any liability for any incorrectness of the street address and other common designation, if any, shown herein. Said sale will be held, but without covenant or warranty, express or implied, regarding title, possession, condition, or encumbrances, including fees, charges and expenses of the Trustee and of the trusts created by said Deed of Trust, to pay the remaining

THE AMENDED PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the AMENDED petition will be held in this court as follows: January 7, 2025, at 9:01 a.m. in Dept.: 4 in person at the Superior Court of California, County of San Luis Obispo, located at 1035 Palm Street, Room 385, San Luis Obispo, CA 93408.

1. The property is commonly referred to as 765 Mutsuhito Avenue, San Luis Obispo, California, Assessor’s Parcel Number 053-197030, and more particularly described as: Lot 30 of Tract No. 2066 in the City of San Luis Obispo, County of San Luis Obispo, State of California, according to map recorded May 12, 1992 in Book 16, Page 71 of Maps, and amended Map recorded December 31, 1992 in Book 16, Page 85 of Maps. Exempting therefrom the interest in 5% of the value of all oil and minerals removed from beneath the above described property through operations conducted thereon, including oil or minerals taken therefrom by so-called slanting wells which may be bottomed on or under above described premises, as reserved by Pacific Coast Railway Company, a California Corporation, in deed dated October 31, 1941 and recorded June 8, 1942 in Book 335, Page 78 of Official Records.

2. The property will be sold on an “AS-IS” basis and subject to current taxes, covenants, conditions, restrictions, reservations, rights, rights of way, and easements of record. Examination of title, recording of conveyance(s), transfer taxes, and any title insurance policy shall be at the expense and obligation of the purchaser(s).

3. The Conservator has given a nonexclusive listing to Monica King and Kate Hendrickson, broker associates, of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Haven Properties.

4. Bids or offers to purchase this property which conform to this notice are invited. They must be in writing, sealed, mailed and received, or personally delivered to Karen L. Scott, Attorney at Law, attorney for the Conservator, at 567 Camino Mercado, Suite E4, Arroyo Grande, California, at any time after first publication of this notice, and before any sale is made.

5. The property will be sold on the following terms: cash, or part cash and part credit, the terms of such credit must be acceptable to the undersigned and the Court. In either case, ten (10) percent (%) of the amount of the bid must accompany the offer in the form of a certified check and the balance must be paid on confirmation of sale by the Court.

6. The right is reserved to reject any and all offers or bids.

7.For further information, contact Karen L. Scott, Attorney at Law, 567 Camino Mercado, Suite E4, Arroyo Grande, California.

Date: 12/2/2024

/s/ Shawna Thomson Conservator

/s/ Karen L. Scott, Esq. Attorney for Conservator

December 5, 12, & 19, 2024 STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME NEW FILE NO. 2024-2394 OLD FILE NO. 2017-0447

MONARCH WINDOW CLEANING 880 N. First St Grover Beach 93433. San Luis Obispo County. The Fictitious Business Name referred to above was filed in San Luis Obispo County on 02/16/2017. The following person (s) has abandoned the use of the fictitious business name: Eric Gonzales Mettler (880 N. First St Grover Beach 93433), Kanani Marie Mettler (880 N. First St Grover Beach 93433). This business was conducted by A Married Couple /s/ Kanani Marie Mettler. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of San Luis Obispo on 11/20/2024 hereby certify that this copy is a correct copy of the statement on file in my office. (Seal) Elaina Cano, County Clerk. By A. Trujillo, Deputy Clerk. November 21, 28, December 5, 12, 2024

the Trustee is unable to convey title for any reason, the successful bidder’s sole and exclusive remedy shall be the return of monies paid to the Trustee, and the successful bidder shall have no further recourse. The beneficiary under said Deed of Trust heretofore executed and delivered to the undersigned a written Declaration of Default and Demand for Sale, and a written Notice of Default and Election to Sell. The undersigned or its predecessor caused said Notice of Default and Election to Sell to be recorded in the county where the real property is located. NOTICE TO POTENTIAL BIDDERS: If you are considering bidding on this property lien, you should understand that there are risks involved in bidding at a trustee auction. You will be bidding on a lien, not on the property itself. Placing the highest bid at a trustee auction does not automatically entitle you to free and clear ownership of the property. You should also be aware that the lien being auctioned off may be a junior lien. If you are the highest bidder at the auction, you are or may be responsible for paying off all liens senior to the lien being auctioned off, before you can receive clear title to the property. You are encouraged to investigate the existence, priority, and size of outstanding liens that may exist on this property by contacting the county recorder’s office or a title insurance company, either of which may charge you a fee for this information. If you consult either of these resources, you should be aware that the same lender may hold more than one mortgage or deed of trust on the property. NOTICE TO PROPERTY OWNER: The sale date shown on this notice of sale may be postponed one or more times by the mortgagee, beneficiary, trustee, or a court, pursuant to Section 2924g of the California Civil Code. The law requires that information about trustee sale postponements be made available to you and to the public, as a courtesy to those not present at the sale. If you wish to learn whether your sale date has been postponed, and, if applicable, the rescheduled time and date for the sale of this property, you may call (855) 313-3319 or visit this Internet website www.clearreconcorp.com, using the file number assigned to this case 127357CA. Information about postponements that are very short in duration or that occur close in time to the scheduled sale may not immediately be reflected in the telephone information or on the Internet Web site. The best way to verify postponement information is to attend the scheduled sale. NOTICE TO TENANT: Effective January 1, 2021, you may have a right to purchase this property after the trustee auction pursuant to Section 2924m of the California Civil Code. If you are an “eligible tenant buyer,” you can purchase the property if you match the last and highest bid placed at the trustee auction. If you are an “eligible bidder,” you may be able to purchase the property if you exceed the last and highest bid placed at the trustee auction. There are three steps to exercising this right of purchase. First, 48 hours after the date of the trustee sale, you can call (855) 313-3319, or visit this internet website www.clearreconcorp.com, using the file number assigned to this case 127357-CA to find the date on which the trustee’s sale was held, the amount of the last and highest bid, and the address of the trustee. Second, you must send a written notice of intent to place a bid so that the trustee receives it no more than 15 days after the trustee’s sale. Third, you must submit a bid so that the trustee receives it no more than 45 days after the trustee’s sale. If you think you may qualify as an “eligible tenant buyer” or “eligible bidder,” you should consider contacting an attorney or appropriate real estate professional immediately for advice regarding this potential right to purchase. FOR SALES INFORMATION: (855) 313-3319 CLEAR RECON CORP 3333 Camino Del Rio South, Suite 225 San Diego, California 92108 December 12, 19, & 26, 2024

IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the amended petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a formal Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk.

Attorney for Petitioner: Guy W. Murray 255 N. Wilson St. Suite B Mail (P.O. Box 180) Nipomo, CA 93444 805-929-7150 December 12, 19, & 26, 2024

NOTICE OF AMENDED PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF: LEONARD MARTIN MELMAN DECEDENT CASE NUMBER: 24PR-0149

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of: LEONARD MARTIN MELMAN A AMENDED PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by MICHAEL MELMAN in the Superior Court of California, County of SAN LUIS OBISPO. THE AMENDED PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that MICHAEL MELMAN be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. THE AMENDED PETITION requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court. THE AMENDED PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the amended petition will be held in this court as follows: February 18, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. in Dept.: 4 in person at the Superior Court of California, County of San Luis Obispo, located at 1050 Monterey Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93408.

IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.

IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a

of California, County of SAN LUIS OBISPO. THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that MARY SAHAGUN be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. THE PETITION requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court.

THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held in this court as follows: January 28, 2025, at 9:01 a.m. in Dept.: 4 in person at the Superior Court of California, County of San Luis Obispo, located at 1035 Palm Street, Room 385, San Luis Obispo, CA 93408.

IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.

IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal

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FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT FILE NO. 2024-2093 (10/15/2019)

New Filing The Following Person is Doing Business As: SKIN LOVE, 1244 Pine St, Suite 209, Paso Robles, CA 93446. San Luis Obispo County. This Business Is Conducted By An

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Tastry, Inc. seeks a Senior Software Developer (San Luis Obispo, CA). Duties include: Write and test product or system development code; Participate in, or lead design reviews with peers & stake holders to decide amongst available technologies; Review code developed by other developers & provide feedback to ensure best practices (e.g. style guidelines, checking code in, accuracy, testability and efficiency); Contribute to existing documentation or educational content and adapt content based on product/ program updates and user feedback; Triage product or system is sues and debug/track/resolve by analyzing the sources of issues and the impact of hardware, network or service operations and quality; Requires Master’s Degree in Computer Science, 5 yrs exp with software development in one or more programming language such as Python; demonstrated knowledge with machine learning algorithms & tools, AI, deep learning and/or natural language processing; Demonstrated knowledge of scientific programming related to microbiology, organic chemistry or enology; Salary: $158,933.00 annually. Send resumes to: Timothy Scott, COO, Tastry, Inc. 3450 Broad Street Suite 101, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 Or email to: tim@tastry.com

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FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE NO. 2024-2260 (10/31/2024)

NAME STATEMENT FILE NO. 2024-2281 TRANSACTION BUSINESS DATE (09/01/2024) New Filing The following person is doing business as, HONEY BELLY, HONEY BELLY KOREAN BBQ 1127 Broad St. #B, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401. County of San Luis Obispo. Joyfulkitchen (768 Clearview Ln San Luis Obispo, CA 93405). State of California This business is conducted by A CA Corporation /s/Joyfulkitchen Jiwon Kim, President. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of San Luis Obispo on 11/06/2024. hereby certify that this copy is a correct copy of the statement on file in my office. (Seal) Elaina Cano, County Clerk, mmaltby, Deputy. Exp. 11/06/2029. December 19, 26, 2024, January 2, 9, 2025

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT FILE NO. 2024-2295 (11/06/2024) New Filing

The Following Person is Doing Business As: DIVINE DESIGN, 178 S 4th St #101, Grover Beach, CA 93433. San Luis Obispo County. This Business Is Conducted By An Individual Trevor Brook Martin (PO Box 40 Grover Beach CA 93483). This Statement Was Filed With The County Clerk Of San Luis Obispo On 11/06/2024. I Hereby Certify That This Copy Is A Correct Copy Of The Statement On File In My Office. (Seal) Elaina Cano, County Clerk, atrujillo,

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT FILE NO. 2024-2501 (N/A) New Filing

The following person is doing business as Person Is Doing Business As: SAPLINGS 510 La Jolla St Morro Bay CA 93442. San Luis Obispo County. This Business Is Conducted By An Individual Julia S Valentine (510 La Jolla St Morro Bay CA 93442). State of California. This Statement Was Filed With The County Clerk Of San Luis Obispo On 12/11/2024 I Hereby Certify That This Copy Is A Correct Copy Of The Statement On File In My Office. (Seal) Elaina Cano, County Clerk, mkatz, Deputy. Exp. 12/11/2029.

December 19, 26, 2024, January 2, 9, 2025

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT FILE NO. 2024-2507 (04/09/2019) New Filing

The following person is doing business as Person Is Doing Business As: CASA PALOMA 2306 Santa Ynez Ave, San Luis Obispo, CA 93405. San Luis Obispo County. This Business Is Conducted By An Individual Kelly C Holcomb (2306 Santa Ynez Ave, San Luis Obispo, CA 93405). State of California. This Statement Was Filed With The County Clerk Of San Luis Obispo On 12/12/2024 Hereby Certify That This Copy Is A Correct Copy Of The Statement On File In My Office. (Seal) Elaina Cano, County Clerk, atrujillo, Deputy. Exp. 12/12/2029. December 19, 26, 2024, January 2, 9, 2025

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE NO. 2024-2509 (01/01/2022)

New Filing

The following person is doing business as Person Is Doing Business As: CCC Hospitality LLC 1735 Diablo Drive San Luis Obispo, CA 93405. San Luis Obispo County. Central Coast of California Hospitality, LLC (3333 Michelson Drive, Suite 430 Irvine CA 92612). State California. This Business Is Conducted By A Limited Liability Company Central Coast of California Hospitality, LLC, Colleen Jimenez, CEO This Statement Was Filed With The County Clerk Of San Luis Obispo On 12/12/2024. I Hereby Certify That This Copy Is A Correct Copy Of The Statement On File In My Office. (Seal) Elaina Cano, County Clerk, mmaltby, Deputy. Exp. 12/12/2029. December 19, 26, 2024, January 2, 9, 2025

CITY OF GROVER BEACH NOTICE TO BIDDERS

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT FILE NO. 2024-2511

(12/11/2024)

New Filing

The following person is doing business as Person Is Doing Business As: PENELOPE PAIGE ESTHETICS AND BOUTIQUE

787 E. Foothill Blvd. San Luis Obispo, CA 93405. San Luis Obispo County. This Business Is Conducted By An Individual Heidi Win Hendrix (6707 Calf Canyon Highway Santa Margarita CA 93453). State of California. This Statement Was Filed With The County Clerk Of San Luis Obispo On 12/13/2024 Hereby Certify That This Copy Is A Correct Copy Of The Statement On File In My Office. (Seal) Elaina Cano, County Clerk, mkatz, Deputy. Exp. 12/13/2029. December 19, 26, 2024, January 2, 9, 2025

Sealed bids will be received by the City Clerk of the City of Grover Beach (“City”) at the City Clerk’s Office at 154 South 8th Street, Grover Beach, CA 93433 until 3:00 p.m. on the clock designated by the Owner or its representative as the bid clock, on January 22, 2025 No bid will be accepted by the Owner after this time. Facsimile (FAX) copies of the bid will not be accepted. Promptly thereafter, all bids that have been duly received will be publicly opened and read aloud for furnishing to said City all labor, materials, equipment, transportation, services and supplies necessary to construct and complete the construction of the: RAMONA GARDEN PARK IMPROVEMENTS PHASE 1 & 2 CIP 1259

General Work Description: In general, the Base Bid Work shall include removal of existing turf, site grading, proposed playground area with rubber surfacing, concrete pedestrian paths, picnic tables, benches, premanufactured restroom building, utility services to restroom, bandshell and concrete stage, concrete seat wall amphitheater, stormwater infrastructure, proposed landscaping and irrigation, site lighting.

The estimated opinion of probable construction cost for this Base Bid Work is approximately $2,000,000.00.

Conditions of Submitting a Bid: Bids are required for the entire Work described herein.

The Contractor shall possess a Class A license at the time this Contract is awarded through Contract acceptance and all applicable warranty periods.

The Contractor and all subcontractors will be required to obtain a City Business Tax Certificate by the time the Contract is awarded.

This Contract is subject to state contract nondiscrimination and compliance requirements pursuant to Government Code, Section 12990.

The successful bidder will be allowed to substitute securities or establish an escrow in lieu of retainage, pursuant to Public Contract Code Section 22300, and as described in the Agreement Between Owner and Contractor and General Conditions.

Notice to Bidders, Plans, Special Provisions, and Bid Forms may be inspected at the Public Works Office in Grover Beach, California, and copies of said documents may be obtained on the City’s website at https://www.grover.org/Bids.aspx. No bid will be received unless it is made on a Bid Form furnished by the City. Bids received via FAX will not be considered.

Each bid shall be accompanied by cash, certified or cashier’s check, or bidder’s bond for not less than ten percent (10%) of the amount of the base bid, made payable to the City.

The lowest bid shall be determined on the amount of the base bid.

Pursuant to Section 1773 of the Labor Code, the general prevailing wage rates in the county, or counties, in which the work is to be done have been determined by the Director of the California Department of Industrial Relations. These wages are set forth in the General Prevailing Wage Rates for this project available from the California Department of Industrial Relations’ Internet web site at http://www.dir.ca.gov/OPRL/PWD/. Future effective general prevailing wage rates, which have been predetermined and are on file with the California Department of Industrial Relations are referenced but not printed in the general prevailing wage rates.

The project is federally funded thus Davis Bacon requirements will be enforced. Federal minimum prevailing wage rates, as predetermined by the U.S. Department of Labor have been attached to this bid documents. If there is a difference between the federal minimum wage rates predetermined by the U.S. Department of Labor and the Prevailing Wage Rates determined by the Director of the Department of Industrial Relations of the State of California for similar classifications of labor, the Contractor and his subcontractor shall pay no less than the higher wage rate. Additionally, the prime contractor (and their subcontractors) will be required to be registered with the System of Award Management (SAM.gov) prior to work commencing.

A pre-bid site visit is not required. By submitting a bid, the contractor confirms that they have conducted a site visit and that any questions or clarifications regarding the bid documents have been submitted in writing to the city.

This project is subject to compliance monitoring and enforcement by the Department of Industrial Relations. For all projects over Twenty-Five Thousand Dollars ($25,000), a contractor or subcontractor shall not be qualified to submit a bid or to be listed in a bid proposal subject to the requirements of Public Contract Code section 4104 unless currently registered and qualified under Labor Code section 1725.5 to perform public work as defined by Division 2, Part 7, Chapter 1 (§§1720 et seq.) of the Labor Code. For all projects over Twenty-Five Thousand Dollars ($25,000), a contractor or subcontractor shall not be qualified to enter into, or engage in the performance of, any contract of public work (as defined by Division 2, Part 7, Chapter 1 (§§1720 et seq.) of the Labor Code) unless currently registered and qualified under Labor Code section 1725.5 to perform public work and proof of registration is provided.

Notice is also hereby given that any or all bidders may be required to furnish a sworn statement of their financial responsibility, technical ability and experience before award is made to any particular bidder.

The Contract Time shall be two hundred (200) working days and liquidated damages for delay shall accrue.

Bidders shall contact the City’s Department of Public Works office at publicworks@groverbeach.org the day prior to bid opening to obtain any bidding addenda information. Submittal of a signed bid shall be evidence that the Bidder has obtained this information and that the bid is based on any changes contained therein.

Submittal of Bidder’s Inquiries: Inquiries or questions based on alleged patent ambiguity of the plans, specifications or estimate must be communicated as a bidder inquiry prior to bid opening.

Pursuant to the Contract Documents, the successful bidder will be required to furnish a Payment (Labor and Material) Bond in the amount of one hundred percent (100%) of the Contract Sum, and a Faithful Performance Bond in the amount of one hundred percent (100%) of the Contract Sum. Bidder’s inquiries shall be submitted in writing via e-mail to the City of Grover Beach, Public Works Department, at publicworks@groverbeach. org. The cutoff time that the City will accept bidder’s inquiries is 5:00 p.m. on the fifth City business day prior to the bid opening date. The City will respond to bidder’s inquires via bidding addenda. Any such inquiries, submitted after the cutoff time of receiving bidder’s inquiries, will not be treated as a bid protest.

Bid Submittal Instructions: On the outside of the bid envelope the Bidder shall indicate the following:

1. Name and Address of Bidder

2. Name of project on which bid is submitted

3. Date and time of bid opening

The right is reserved by the City to reject any or all bids and to evaluate the bids submitted. The City further reserves the right to waive any informalities or minor irregularities in the bid.

No bidder may withdraw his bid for a period of sixty (60) working days after the date set for the opening thereof.

Dated this 17th day of December 2024, at the City of Grover Beach, California.

City of Grover Beach

STATE OF CALIFORNIA

Gregory A. Ray, P.E.

Public Works Director/City Engineer

Notice to be published twice in a newspaper of general circulation printed and published in the City, with the first publication at least ten days before the bid deadline,

December 26, 2024, in New Times

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS

NAME STATEMENT FILE NO. 2024-2518 (12/13/2024)

New Filing

The following person is doing business as Person Is Doing Business As: COASTAL BREEZE ELECTRIC 1358 Prescott Dr, Morro Bay, CA 93442. San Luis Obispo County. This Business Is Conducted By An Individual Derek A Kenney (1358 Prescott Dr, Morro Bay, CA 93442). State of California. This Statement Was Filed With The County Clerk Of San Luis Obispo On 12/10/24. I Hereby Certify That This Copy Is A Correct Copy Of The Statement On File In My Office. (Seal) Elaina Cano, County Clerk, mkatz, Deputy. Exp. 12/10/2029. December 19, 26, 2024, January 2, 9, 2025

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE NO. 2024-2521 (12/05/2024)

New Filing

The following person is doing business as Person Is Doing Business As: HAIR XO 3592 Broad Street Suite 106, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401. San Luis Obispo County. This Business Is Conducted By An Individual Nikole L Howell (3592 Broad Street Suite 106, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401). State of California. This Statement Was Filed With The County Clerk Of San Luis Obispo On 12/13/2024. I Hereby Certify That This Copy Is A Correct Copy Of The Statement On File In My Office. (Seal) Elaina Cano, County Clerk, mkatz, Deputy. Exp. 12/13/2029. December 19, 26, 2024, January 2, 9, 2025

CITY OF ARROYO GRANDE SUMMARY OF ORDINANCE NO. 733

AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ARROYO

GRANDE AMENDING TITLE 16 OF THE ARROYO GRANDE MUNICIPAL CODE RELATING TO ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS AND JUNIOR ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS AND FINDING THE ACTION TO BE STATUTORILY EXEMPT FROM CEQA

This Ordinance Summary is published in accordance with the provisions of Government Code Section 36933. On December 10, 2024, the City Council, by a 3-0 vote, adopted an Ordinance amending Title 16 of the Arroyo Grande Municipal Code (AGMC) to be consistent with AB 2533 and SB 1211 regarding accessory dwelling units and junior accessory dwelling units.

Ordinance No. 733 was adopted by the following roll call vote:

AYES: Council Member Guthrie, Mayor Pro Tem Secrest, and Council Member Loe

NOES: None

ABSTAIN: Council Member Maraviglia, and Mayor Ray Russom

A certified copy of the full text of the Ordinance is available for review by contacting the City Clerk at 805-473-5400.

Jessica Matson, City Clerk

Publish one time, The New Times, Thursday, December 19, 2024 Post: City Hall, 300 E. Branch Street, Arroyo Grande

COUNTY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING & BUILDING SUBDIVISION REVIEW BOARD

WHO County of San Luis Obispo Subdivision Review Board WHEN

Monday, January 6, 2025 at 9:00 AM: All items are advertised for 8:00 AM. To verify agenda placement, please call the Department of Planning & Building at (805) 781-5600.

WHAT

Hearing to consider a request by Randy Phillips (Wild Rose Vineyards, LLC) for a Tentative Parcel Map (N-SUB2024-00046 / CO 24- 0021) to subdivide an existing 89.9-acre parcel into two parcels of 42.8 acres and 47.1 acres each for estate planning purposes. The proposed project is within the Agriculture land use category. The site is located at 3230 Oakdale Road, three miles southwest from the city limits of Paso Robles and just west of Highway 46. The site is within the Adelaida 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-SUB2024-00046

Supervisorial District: District 1

Assessor Parcel Number(s): 040-101-005, -006

Date Accepted: 8/9/2024

WHERE

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

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 Eric Tolle, Project Manager, in the Department of Planning and Building at the address below or by telephone at 805-781-5600.

Ysabel Eighmy

Secretary Subdivision Review Board December 19, 2024

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE NO. 2024-2537 (12/01/2024)

New Filing

The following person is doing business as Person Is Doing Business As: GOOD EGG VENTURES 3560 Ranch House Rd, Unit 210, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401. San Luis Obispo County. This Business Is Conducted By An Individual James F Gausling(3560 Ranch House Rd, Unit 210 San Luis Obispo, CA 93401). State of California. This Statement Was Filed With The County Clerk Of San Luis Obispo On 12/17/2024 Hereby Certify That This Copy Is A Correct Copy Of The Statement On File In My Office. (Seal) Elaina Cano, County Clerk, mmaltby, Deputy. Exp. 12/17/2029. December 19, 26, 2024, January 2, 9, 2025

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME

CASE NUMBER: 24CV-0705

To all interested persons: Petitioner: Brianna Jeanene Simpson filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: PRESENT NAME: Brianna Jeanene Simpson PROPOSED NAME: Brianna Jeanene Heckson. THE COURT ORDERS: that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: January 8, 2025 9:00 am, Dept. 4, in person or by Zoom at the Superior Court of California, County of San Luis Obispo, 901 Park Street, Room 105 Paso Robles, CA 93446. Civil Court Operations. A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county: New Times Date: November 19, 2024. /s/: Tana L. Coates, Judge of the Superior Court.

December 5, 12, 19, 26, 2024 ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME

CASE NUMBER: 24CV-0713

To all interested persons:

Petitioner: Noe Chavez-Chavez filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: PRESENT NAME: Noe Chavez-Chavez PROPOSED NAME: Noah Xavier Chavez. THE COURT ORDERS: that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: January 8, 2025 9:00 am, Dept. 4, in person or by Zoom at the Superior Court of California, County of San Luis Obispo, 901 Park Street, Room 105 Paso Robles, CA 93446. Civil Court Operations. A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county: New Times Date: November 20, 2024.

/s/: Tana L. Coates, Judge of the Superior Court. November 28, December 5, 12, 19, 2024

Public Notice

Lien Sale 01/02/2025 @ 9am at 2160 NIPOMO STREET, OCEANO, CA 2015 BMW CA LIC# 8MQT773 VIN# 5UXWX7C50F0K34765

December 19, 2024

Public Notice

Lien Sale 01/02/2025 @ 9am at 2160

NIPOMO STREET, OCEANO, CA

2013 VOLKSWAGEN CA LIC# 9BVN533 VIN# 1VWBP7A38DC072846

December 19, 2024

Public Notice

Lien Sale 01/02/2025 @ 9am at 2160

NIPOMO STREET, OCEANO, CA

2016 CHEVROLET CA LIC# 11444C2 VIN# 3GCPCSEC5GG374453

December 19, 2024

must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: January 29, 2025 9:30 am, P2, in person or by Zoom at the Superior Court of California, County of San Luis Obispo, 901 Park Street Paso Robles, CA 93446. A copy of this Order to Show Cause shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county: New Times Date: December 9, 2024. /s/: MC Kelley, Judge of the Superior Court.

December 19, 26, 2024, January 2, 9, 2025

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME CASE NUMBER: 24CV-0732

To all interested persons: Petitioner: Sara Ogilvie filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: PRESENT NAME: Giana Marsalek PROPOSED NAME: Giana Ogilvie. THE COURT ORDERS: that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two days before the

DECEMBER 10, 2024

01. Items 1-26 & 33: Consent Agenda & Resolution (Res) Nos. 2024-264 thru 2024-295, approved as amended, Item 15 moved to 12/17.

02 Item 27: Public Comment Period – Items not on the agenda: G. Nelson; N. Dorfman; G. Kirkland; Marlea; D. Stebbens; L. Hatcher; S. Warren; M. Leicester-Cadaret: speak. No action taken.

03 Item 28: Consideration of community development needs identified during the 2025 Community Development Needs Assessment & public comment to establish funding priorities for allocating federal funds towards affordable housing, homelessness & community development, rec’d w/ direction provided to staff.

04 Item 29: Closed Session. Anticipated Litigation: Significant exposure to litigation - potential cases: 4. Initiation of litigation - potential cases: 3. Existing Litigation: L. Cooper, et. al v. Co. of SLO, et. al, U.S. District Court, Central District of CA, Western Division, Case No. 2:24-CV-08187-DDPAJRx; SLO Coastkeeper, et. al. v. Co. of SLO, U.S. District Court, Central District of CA, Western Division, Case No. 2:24-CV-06854-SPG-ASx; B. Pickell v. Co. of SLO, SLO Superior Court, Case No. 19CVP-0313. 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 Item 30: Planning & Building activities report & Annual FY2023-24 General Plan Progress Report, rec’d w/ direction provided to staff.

06 Item 31: Consideration re: the implementation of the Los Osos Habitat Conservation Plan (LOHCP, approved w/ amendments, w/ direction provided to staff.

07 Item 32: Board comments & reports on meetings: Motion by Supervisor Paulding by 4-1 vote, to direct Public Works to meet w/ Lucia Mar School District to negotiate & bring back a proposal early next year for the installation of the rapid flashing beacons. Supervisor Peschong announces Supervisor Arnold’s final meeting. 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 & Ex-Officio Clerk of the Board of Supervisors By: Annette Ramirez, Deputy Clerk of the Board of Supervisors December 19, 2024

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

The San Luis Obispo Council of Governments (SLOCOG) will hold a public hearing to receive public testimony on Unmet Transit Needs and Unmet Bike & Pedestrian Improvements within the County of San Luis Obispo and its seven cities. The hearing will be held during the SLOCOG Board meeting on Wednesday, February 5, 2025 at 9:00 a.m.

Unmet Transit Needs and Bike & Pedestrian Improvements requests can also be submitted online, by phone, fax, email, mail, or in person by February 12, 2025. Submissions can be made online at slocog.org/transitneeds; by phone at (805) 597-8022; by fax at (805) 781-5703; by email at: unmet_needs@slocog.org; and by mail or in person at 1114 Marsh Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401.

SLOCOG, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, is committed to providing special accommodations and translation services to those interested in participating in public hearings. Please note that a 48-hour notice is needed to honor your request. Call (805) 781-4219 to make arrangements.

Visit www.slocog.org for the agenda and meeting details. This SLOCOG meeting will be held in person at the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors Chambers, Katcho Achadjian Government Center San Luis Obispo County, 1055 Monterey Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401.

Members of the public may also submit written comments for this meeting by email or mail: Email: pio@slocog.org by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, February 3, 2025

Mail to: Clerk of the Board, SLOCOG, 1114 Marsh Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401. Mailed written comments must be received by SLOCOG no later than 5:00 p.m. on Monday, February 3, 2025. December 19, 2024 & January 9, 2025

NOTICE: SEIZURE OF PROPERTY AND INITIATION OF JUDICIAL 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:

$16,000.00 IN UNITED STATES CURRENCY

San Luis Obispo Superior Court, Case No. 24CV-0319

Notice is hereby given that on March 21, 2024, the above-described property was seized at or near 930 Huber Street, Grover Beach, CA 93420, by the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office, in connection with violations of section 11351 of the California Health and Safety Code. The estimated/appraised value of the property is $16,000.00.

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

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

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

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

DATED: December 16, 2024 DAN DOW District Attorney

Kenneth Jorgensen Deputy District Attorney

December 19, 26, 2024, & January 2, 2025

NOTICE: SEIZURE OF PROPERTY AND INITIATION OF JUDICIAL 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:

$143,250.00 IN UNITED STATES CURRENCY

San Luis Obispo Superior Court, Case No. 24CV-0745

Notice is hereby given that on October 29, 2024, the above-described property was seized at or near 1113 Broad Street, San Luis Obispo CA 93401, by the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office, in connection with violations of 11351, 11351.5, and 11352 of the California Health and Safety Code. The estimated/appraised value of the property is $143,250.00.

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

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

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

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

DATED: December 16, 2024

DAN DOW District Attorney

By: Kenneth Jorgensen Deputy District Attorney

December 19, 26, 2024, & January 2, 2025

CITY OF ATASCADERO

Downtown Infrastructure Enhancement Project –Supplemental Electrical Bore and Wiring Project Project No. C2017T01(2)

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT The City of Atascadero will receive bids for the “Downtown Infrastructure Enhancement Project – Supplemental Electrical Bore and Wiring” at the Atascadero City Hall, 6500 Palma Avenue, Atascadero, CA until January 9, 2025 at 1:30 P.M., when they will be publicly opened.

Proposals received after said time will not be considered. Proposals shall be submitted in a sealed envelope plainly marked with the project title, bidder’s name, and address.

There will be a non-mandatory pre-bid meeting on January 2, 2025 at 8:00 a.m. meet on the front steps of City Hall, 6500 Palma, Atascadero.

The Contractor must possess a valid CLASS A CONTRACTOR’S LICENSE at the time of award. This project is subject to the payment of Prevailing Wages, therefore the Contractor shall pay all wages and penalties as required by applicable law.

Per SB 854 (Stat. 2014, Chapter 28), no contractor or subcontractor may work or be listed on a bid proposal unless registered with the DIR. Every bid must be accompanied by a certified check/ cashier’s check or bidder’s bond for 10% of the bid amount, payable to the City of Atascadero.

Bid packages will be available by December 13, 2024 to download for a fee of $22.00 on the City website, www.atascadero.org or at www.QuestCDN.com using project number eBid #9460679

Question may be directed to the City of Atascadero at (805) 470-3180 or APerez@atascadero.org

Run Dates: December 19, 2024 and December 26, 2024

City of Atascadero

NOTICE OF CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING

DATE: Tuesday, January 14, 2025

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 ADU Ordinance Update to account for changes in State law (ZCH 2024-0098). This 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 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: December 16, 2024

S/ L Christensen, City Clerk

PUBLISH: December 19, 2024

NOTICE OF ADOPTION OF ORDINANCE NO. 677

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Atascadero City Council has adopted Ordinance No. 677. The primary provisions of the Ordinance are as follows:

This Ordinance amends Title 9, Chapter 3, Article 23 (Emergency Shelter) Overlay Zone of the Atascadero Municipal Code – Echo Homeless Organization.

The Ordinance was passed and adopted by the City Council on December 10, 2024, by the following roll call vote:

AYES: Council Members Bourbeau, Dariz, Funk, Newsom and Mayor Moreno.

NOES: None.

ABSENT: None

A complete copy of the Ordinance is on file in the City Clerk’s Office, 6500 Palma Avenue, Atascadero, California

DATED: December 12, 2024 S/ Lara K. Christensen, City Clerk PUBLISH: December 19, 2024

NOTICE OF ADOPTION OF ORDINANCE NO. 678

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Atascadero City Council has adopted Ordinance No. 678. The primary provisions of the Ordinance are as follows: This Ordinance amends Title 9 of the Atascadero Municipal Code to adopt discretionary review thresholds and standards for hillsides, historic, and archaeological resources and watercourse adjacent areas.

The Ordinance was passed and adopted by the City Council on December 10, 2024, by the following roll call vote:

AYES: Council Members Bourbeau, Dariz, Funk, Newsom, and Mayor Moreno.

NOES: None.

ABSENT: None

A complete copy of the Ordinance is on file in the City Clerk’s Office, 6500 Palma Avenue, Atascadero, California

DATED: December 12, 2024 S/ Lara K. Christensen, City Clerk PUBLISH: December 19, 2024

NOTICE OF ADOPTION OF ORDINANCE NO. 679

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Atascadero City Council has adopted Ordinance No. 679. The primary provisions of the Ordinance are as follows:

This Ordinance approves a Zoning Map amendment to the Atascadero Municipal Code to remove the Historic Site Overlay Zone from certain properties containing colony homes and apply the Historic Site Overlay Zone to state and federally registered historic resources.

The Ordinance was passed and adopted by the City Council on December 10, 2024, by the following roll call vote:

AYES: Council Members Bourbeau, Dariz, Funk, Newsom and Mayor Moreno. NOES: None.

ABSENT: None

A complete copy of the Ordinance is on file in the City Clerk’s Office, 6500 Palma Avenue, Atascadero, California

DATED: December 12, 2024

S/ Lara K. Christensen, City Clerk PUBLISH: December 19, 2024

NOTICE OF ADOPTION OF ORDINANCE NO. 681

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Atascadero City Council has adopted Ordinance No. 681. The primary provisions of the Ordinance are as follows:

This Ordinance amends Section 3-16.04 of the Atascadero Municipal Code, setting the assessment rate for the Atascadero Tourism Business Improvement District from 2% to 2.5%.

The Ordinance was passed and adopted by the City Council on December 10, 2024, by the following roll call vote:

AYES: Council Members Dariz, Funk, Newsom, Peek and Mayor Bourbeau. NOES: None. ABSENT: None

A complete copy of the Ordinance is on file in the City Clerk’s Office, 6500 Palma Avenue, Atascadero, California

DATED: December 12, 2024 S/ Lara K. Christensen, City Clerk PUBLISH: December 19, 2024

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

WHO:

San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors

WHEN:

Tuesday, February 4, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. All items are advertised for 9:00 a.m. To find out placement of this item on the Board of Supervisors Agenda, go to the County’s website at www.slocounty.ca.gov on the Wednesday before the scheduled hearing date.

WHAT:

Request by the County of San Luis Obispo to adopt an ordinance to establish Los Osos Habitat Conservation Plan mitigation fees.

County File Number: N/A

Assessor Parcel Numbers: N/A

Supervisorial District: 2

Date Accepted: N/ A

WHERE:

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

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

You may contact Cory Hanh, Planning Division Manager, in the San Luis Obispo County Department of Planning and Building, 976 OsosStreet, Room 200, San Luis Obispo, California 93408, atchanh@ co.slo.ca.us or(805)781- 5600. The staff report will be available for review the Wednesday before the scheduled hearing date on the County’s website at http://www. slocounty.ca.gov.

DATED: December 11, 2024

Matthew P. Pontes, Ex-Officio Clerk of the Board of Supervisors

By: /s/ Niki Martin

Deputy Clerk

December 19, 2024

PUBLISHED NOTICE INVITING BIDS

MERRY HILL / 15TH STREET / TERRACE HILL ROAD REPAIRS

PROJECT NO. 23-40

SEALED BIDS will be received by the City Clerk, or designee, of the City of El Paso de Robles until January 30, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. for the Merry Hill / 15th Street / Terrace Hill Road Repairs, DPW Project No. 23-40. 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 Merry Hill / 15th Street / Terrace Hill Road Repairs, DPW Project No. 23-40

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 Merry Hill / 15th Street / Terrace Hill Road Repairs, DPW Project No. 23-40, 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, placing 1-inch HMA leveling course and 2-inch HMA surface course. Contractor to provide all necessary work plans, permits, and inspections necessary, all as shown on the plans and/ or as specified herein.

Project is to be completed within Thirty (30) 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.

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: December 19, 2024 By: Ditas Esperanza P.E. Capital Projects Engineer

Publication Dates:

- December 19, 2024

- January 9, 2025

Free Will Astrology by Rob Brezsny

Homework: Get yourself a holiday gift that’s beyond what you imagine you deserve. Newsletter.freewillastrology.com

ARIES

(March 21-April 19): If you worked eight hours per day, seven days a week, it would take you 300 years to count to the number one billion. I don’t recommend you try that. I also discourage you from pursuing any other trivial tasks that have zero power to advance your long-term dreams. In a similar spirit, I will ask you to phase out minor longings that distract you from your major longings. Please, Aries, I also beg you to shed frivolous obsessions that waste energy you should instead devote to passionate fascinations. The counsel I’m offering here is always applicable, of course, but you especially need to heed it in the coming months.

TAURUS

(April 20-May 20): In 1951, minister and author Norman Vincent Peale was working on a new book. As he wrote, he would regularly read passages to his wife, Ruth. She liked it a lot, but he was far less confident in its worth. After a while, he got so discouraged he threw the manuscript in the trash. Unbeknownst to him, Ruth retrieved it and stealthily showed it to her husband’s publisher, who loved it. The book went on to sell five million copies. Its title? The Power of Positive Thinking I hope that in 2025, you will benefit from at least one equivalent to Ruth in your life, Taurus. Two or three would be even better. You need big boosters and fervent supporters. If you don’t have any, go round them up.

GEMINI

(May 21-June 20): I love how colorfully the creek next to my house expresses itself. As high tide approaches, it flows south. When low tide is on its way, it flows north. The variety of its colors is infinite, with every shade and blend of green, grey, blue, and brown. It’s never the same shape. Its curves and width are constantly shifting. Among the birds that enhance its beauty are mallards, sandpipers, herons, grebes, egrets, and cormorants. This magnificent body of water has been a fascinating and delightful teacher for me. One of my wishes for you in 2025, Gemini, is that you will commune regularly with equally inspiring phenomena. I also predict you will do just that. Extra beauty should be on your agenda!

CANCER

(June 21-July 22): Just 81 billionaires have commandeered half of the world’s wealth. Even worse, those greedy hoarders are usually taxed the least. That’s hard to believe! How is it even possible that such a travesty has come to pass? I also wonder if many of us non-billionaires have milder versions of these proclivities. Are there a few parts of me that get most of the goodies that my life provides, while other parts of me get scant attention and nourishment? The answer is yes. For example, the part of me that loves to be a creative artist receives much of my enthusiasm, while the part of me that enjoys socializing gets little juice. How about you, Cancerian? I suggest you explore this theme in the coming weeks and months. Take steps to achieve greater parity between the parts of you that get all they need and the parts of you that don’t.

LEO

(July 23-Aug. 22): Anthropologist Robin Dunbar theorizes that most of us have limits to our social connections. Typically, our closest circle includes five loved ones. We may also have 15 good friends, 50 fond allies, 150 meaningful contacts, and 1500 people we know. If you are interested in expanding any of these spheres, Leo, the coming months will be an excellent time to do so. In addition, or as an alternative, you might also choose to focus on deepening the relationships you have with existing companions and confederates.

VIRGO

(Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Uncle Tom’s Cabin was the best-selling novel of the 19th century. It was written by a Virgo, Harriet Beecher Stowe. Her story about the enslavement of African Americans in the US was not only popular. It awakened many people to the intimate horrors of the calamity—and ultimately played a key role in energizing the abolitionist movement. I believe you are potentially capable of achieving your own version of

that dual success in the coming months. You could generate accomplishments that are personally gratifying even as they perform a good service for the world.

LIBRA

(Sept. 23-Oct. 22): According to my reading of the astrological omens, you will be teased with an abundance of invitations to grow in 2025. You will be encouraged to add to your current skills and expertise. You will be nudged to expand your understanding of what exactly you are doing here on planet Earth. That’s not all, Libra! You will be pushed to dissolve shrunken expectations, transcend limitations, and learn many new lessons. Here’s my question: Will you respond with full heart and open mind to all these possibilities? Or will you sometimes neglect and avoid them? I dare you to embrace every challenge that interests you.

SCORPIO

(Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Scorpio-born Rudolf Karel was a 20th century Czech composer who created 17 major works, including symphonies and operas. His work was interrupted when Nazi Germany invaded and occupied his homeland. He joined the Czech resistance but was eventually arrested and confined to Pankrác Prison. There he managed to compose a fairy-tale opera, Three Hairs of the Wise Old Man No musical instruments were available in jail, of course, so he worked entirely in his imagination and wrote down the score using toilet paper and charcoal. I firmly believe you will not be incarcerated like Karel in the coming months, Scorpio. But you may have to be extra resourceful and resilient as you find ways to carry out your best work. I have faith that you can do it!

SAGITTARIUS

(Nov. 22-Dec. 21): What is the perfect gift I could offer you this holiday season? I have decided on a large square black box with nothing inside. There would be a gold ribbon around it bearing the words, “The Fruitful Treasure of Pregnant Emptiness.” With this mysterious blessing, I would be fondly urging you to purge your soul of expectations and assumptions as you cruise into 2025. I would be giving you the message, “May you nurture a freewheeling voracity for novel adventures and fresh experiences.”

CAPRICORN

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19): One of my paramount wishes for you in 2025 is this: You will deepen your devotion to taking good care of yourself. You will study and learn more about the sweet secrets to keeping yourself in prime mental and physical health. I’m not suggesting you have been remiss about this sacred work in the past. But I am saying that this will be a favorable time to boost your knowledge to new heights about what precisely keeps your body and emotions in top shape. The creative repertoire of self-care that you cultivate in the coming months will serve you well for the rest of your long life.

AQUARIUS

(Jan. 20-Feb. 18): To fulfill your life mission, to do what you came here to earth to do, you must carry out many tasks. One of the most important is to offer your love with hearty ingenuity. What are the best ways to do that? Where should you direct your generous care and compassion? And which recipients of your blessings are likely to reciprocate in ways that are meaningful to you? While Jupiter is cruising through Gemini, as it is now and until June 2025, life will send you rich and useful answers to these questions. Be alert!

PISCES

(Feb. 19-March 20): Mysteries of the past will be extra responsive to your investigations in 2025. Persistent riddles from your life’s earlier years may be solvable. I encourage you to be aggressive in collecting previously inaccessible legacies. Track down missing heirlooms and family secrets. Just assume that ancestors and dead relatives have more to offer you than ever before. If you have been curious about your genealogy, the coming months will be a good time to explore it. I wish you happy hunting as you search for the blessings of yesteryear— and figure out how to use them in the present. ∆

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