giving you the scoop on all the things. literally
You haven’t been to a new SLOcal eatery to check out the restaurant month faire? Seriously, what is your major malfunction? This doesn’t last all year folks – you only have until January 31st to impress that sexy boo you’ve been eyeing lately. Try heading north for some crispy coconut shrimp, south to get your hands on local Morro Bay oysters or finish the night off with chocolate ganache. Dress to impress; V-Day is only a few weeks away.
One of our favorite things about SLO is the hiking… and probably the most beloved and breathtaking of our hikes is Bishop Peak & Felsman Loop. Buuuuuut, In the name of “egress” for the 5 rich folks living at the top of the street, the fire dept wants to poop on the fun… and the new City Council just agreed with their plan to eliminate the 95 street parking spots leading up to the Highland Drive trailhead.
Seems weird, right? Ya, let’s force hikers to use the illegal trailhead (Foothill) or already busy one (Patricia) or better yet, let’s have hundreds of people huffing it up the middle of a steep and windy street with no sidewalk! Yay. It’s not a done deal, so let’s speak up about this one, y’all. Email the Council, the City Manager and the Fire Chief and let them know there are other ways to balance safety and fun than… pooping on hikers.
2017 New Year’s Reso = More hikie, less poopie.
Paying tribute to San Francisco’s H20 bottle no-nos, SLO City Council just poured one out for their eco-friendly homies. At the Jan 3 council meeting, staff provided policy recommendations for a potential ordinance regulating single-use plastic bottles on city-owned property and adding water bottle filling stations. The direction came after locals urged City Council to research how other cities have ditched bottles. RIP plastic.
2017 New Year’s Reso = Waste less. Reuse more.
It’s your time to shine and tell SLO City management to put those dolla bills where YOU think is coolest. Just so happens SLOMA thinks that coolness should be their new digs. In case you’ve been slacking on your Scoop reading, SLOMA has a killer new plan for their space. If you think the city should support things like access to public arts, then show up and speak next Tuesday!
2017 New Year’s Reso = Be artsy fartsy
What do you want to spend more time doing in 2017? What does our community need? When’s the last time you changed your underwear? MyIntent.org is challenging people to ask these important questions (and more!) as a catalyst for intentional conversations. If your intention span rivals that of a goldfish, worry not, because MyIntent sells customizable jewelry as a creative reminder to stay inspired. Grab their Maker Kit to motivate!
2017 New Year’s Reso = Focus on one meaningful word
Much has been made about the closure of Diablo and the difficulty of replacing that semi-clean energy with totally clean renewables. What if we could make that happen for realz? Well, SLO county (along with Ventura and Santa Barbara counties) is looking into adopting a Community Choice Energy program to give our 1.5 million residents the option of following in the footsteps of Marin, Sonoma, Alameda, SF, the East Bay… and many others.
This would create local green jobs, lower our electricity rates, reduce our carbon footprint, encourage energy innovation, and empower homeowners and landowners to become their own power plants. Seriously, it’s the best thing since sliced bread and it could be oursss, all OURSSS. You just have to want it. Get involved with our local non-profit advocacy group, SLO Clean Energy, before you pay that next PG&E bill!
Building permits for two new hotels have officially been issued. First up is the 80-room Hotel SLO, part of the Chinatown project, which will be operated by the swanky Piazza Group out of northern California. Better start saving pennies now. In NoMo (that’s North of Monterey Street for you slackers), the YUGE 102-room Monterey Hotel will bring at least 37 pieces of flair to a part of town that’s quickly adding more and more excitement.
Ok so the City of SLO isn’t actually giving away any cash, but they do sort of want to hear your hot takes on what they should do with all their cash money for the next 2+ years. Want more fancy painted boxes around town? Want a place to live you can actually afford? Or maybe you just want Santa around longer in the Mission (OMG I KNOW HIM!). Whatever it is, speak now or just keep complaining endlessly…
“Oh the Wells Fargo Wagon is a comin’ down, oh please let it be”…new digs for SLO Little Theatre? The stage where the magic happens belongs to the city of SLO, who’s playing take-backsies to redevelop. Recognizing Little Theatre’s decades-long contribution to downtown’s vibrancy, the city’s passing a peace pipe to the tune of a $2 million parcel at Monterey & Nipomo in downtown’s cultural corridor. All jazz hands on deck to raise funds for the new theatre!