SLO LIFE Aug/Sep 2012

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Meet Kimberly Walker 

Writing, White Teeth, and The Lunacy Club 

SLO LIFE Magazine AUG/SEP 2012 | 1

2 | SLO LIFE Magazine AUG/SEP 2012



2 little monkeys jumping 

on the bed... 

When one fell off and bumped her head, 

Mama took her to the French Hospital 

Medical Center Emergency Room, and 

now they’re jumping again. 

At the French Hospital ER, the average wait time to be seen by a 

Board Certified Emergency Physician is 20 minutes or less and we 

never ask you to pay a pre-registration fee. Just a few reasons why 

the French ER is nationally ranked for patient satisfaction. 

frenchmedicalcenter.org | arroyograndehospital.org | marianmedicalcenter.org 


| PUBLISHER’S MESSAGE 

I’ve never much liked sitting at a desk, but writing requires quite a lot of it—at least that was the assumption I 

had been working under all this time. 

Last year, while researching the health hazards of prolonged sitting (I heard someone boldly declare 

recently that “sitting is the new smoking”… if that’s true, I expect that the City of San Luis Obispo 

will soon ban it in bars and restaurants) for an article I was writing when I came across the concept of a 

“walking desk.” 

Someone had figured out how to beat the system by fashioning a treadmill to an elevated desk, making it possible 

to walk and work at the same time. I looked into it and, sure enough, there are people doing this, including 

employees at some forward-thinking corporations. The concept is that you walk at a very low rate of speed, about 

one mile per hour, while doing all of the normal stuff you would do at your desk... working on the computer, 

making phone calls, etc. I became fascinated with the concept and decided that I needed one for myself. 

I had a treadmill in the garage that wasn’t getting much use and I have a reputation for creativity with 2 x 4’s 

and plywood, so I decided to build my own. Explaining to friends and family what I was up to was a bit of a 

challenge, but, despite their chuckles and good-natured joking, I just knew that they would come around to my 

way of thinking once they witnessed the awesomeness of my new walking desk. 

After getting everything in place and arranging my desk the way I wanted it, I stepped on to the treadmill and hit “Start.” The belt slowly whirled to life 

and I started on my first walk at the office. It was great, too easy, in fact, so I upped the speed. Pretty soon I was moving at a near jog and decided that 

it was time to get some work done, so I grabbed the keyboard and began replying to an email. The only problem was that as I bounced up and down I 

couldn’t seem to focus my eyes on the monitor. It was a sensation similar to watching the horizon from a boat bobbing in the waves and I started feeling 

a little seasick, so I turned the speed back down to the recommended one mile per hour. 

Next, I tried to type. That presented quite a problem as I would occasionally start walking off the side of the treadmill and lose my balance, 

forcing me to catch myself, which had the effect of holding one of the keys down too long, so I found a lot of thisssssssssssssssss kind of thing 

in my typing. 

Aside from the mild seasickness and the funky typing, the walking desk was, just as I had predicted, awesome! But, it was more of a theoretical 

awesomeness as opposed to a practical awesomeness. My experiment lasted about an hour until my treadmill went back to its normal function: collecting 

dust. That afternoon, as I pondered my project, I realized this may be one of those brilliant ideas that is far, far ahead of its time. But, when I close my 

eyes, I can imagine a day when we are all wearing those cool, futuristic monotone jumpsuits, working away on our walking desks, having banned sitting 

in public places. All of that will have to wait for now… 

I’d like to take this opportunity to say “thank you” to everyone who has helped produce this issue of SLO LIFE Magazine and, most of all, to our 

advertisers who make it all possible. 

Live the SLO Life! 

Tom Franciskovich 

tom@slolifemagazine.com 


magazine 

4251 S. HIGUERA STREET • SUITE 800 • SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA 93401 

SLOLIFEMAGAZINE.COM • (805) 543-8600 • (805) 456-1677 fax 

CONTRIBUTIONS: 

Submit your story ideas, events, recipes and announcements 

by visiting us online at slolifemagazine.com 

Contributions chosen for publication may be edited for 

clarity and space limitations. 

ADVERTISING: 

If you would like to advertise, please contact Tom 

Franciskovich by phone at (805) 543-8600 or by email at 

tom@slolifemagazine.com. 

NOTE: 

The opinions expressed within these pages do not 

necessarily reflect those of SLO LIFE Magazine. No part 

of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part 

without written permission of the publisher. 

PUBLISHER 

Tom Franciskovich 

Sheryl Disher 

Jeanette Trompeter 

Paden Hughes 

CIRCULATION, COVERAGE AND ADVERTISING RATES: 

Complete details regarding circulation, coverage and 

advertising rates, space, sizes and similar information are 

available to prospective advertisers. Please call or email for 

a media kit. Closing date is 30 days before date of issue. 

LETTERS TO THE PUBLISHER/EDITOR: 

CREATIVE DIRECTOR 

CONTRIBUTING 

WRITERS 

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS 

Brad Danne 

Elliott Johnson 

4251 S. Higuera Street, Suite 800 

San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 

Letters chosen for publication may be edited for clarity and 

space limitations. 



magazine 

16 

Meet Your Neighbor: 

Kimberly Walker 

36 Music 

Three Martini Lunch 

8 | Notes 

10 | Timeline 

12 | Q&A 

14 | Places 

20 

The Way 

We Live: 

The Cullen Home 

Caring , Qualified 

Legal Representation 

Estate Planning & Trust Administration 

Will, Trust & Conservatorship Litigation 

IRS, Assessor & FTB v. Taxpayer Disputes 

Personal Fiduciary Services 

Elder Law Planning & Litigation 

“Estate and Tax Planning is complicated. Call me, and 

let’s talk about your plan for the future.” 

24 | San Luis Obispo Real Estate 

26 | Countywide Real Estate 

28 | No Place Like Home 

30 | Outdoors 

32 | To Your Health 

34 | Alternative Health 

38 | Special Interest 

42 | Local Food by Local People 

44 | Community Calendar 

Jed D. Hazeltine 

LL.M. Taxation 

Attorney At Law 

Currently serving San Luis Obispo County and Northern Santa Barbara County. 

778 Osos Street, Suite C 


805.439.2323 

www.coastfiduciarylaw.com 


| NOTES 

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8 | SLO LIFE Magazine AUG/SEP 2012 

TIME FOR A CHANGE 

Dear SLO LIFE, 

I feel compelled to voice my opinion. I love 

your magazine, but the cover shot is just not 

flattering. The mug shot look isn’t a good look 

for anyone. Even the most beautiful people 

don’t look great in these types of photos. Please, 

please switch it up. How about a nice shot of 

the next person doing something active? Or 

a shot of the person with his or her family? 

Something, anything to convey who the person 

is, instead of just an image of a face. I know you 

think this is your signature look, but I’m sure 

that if you polled your audience, they would 

agree with me. It’s time for a change. 

Best, 

Whitney Diaz 

San Luis Obispo 

ONE TICKED OFF MARINE 


Thank you so much for exposing one of the 

Central Coast’s last few secrets, Big Falls Little 

Falls. Now I can enjoy this long time favorite 

summer destination along with hundreds of 

drunken Cal Poly students and every Bake-o 

with a 4 wheel drive. Stay in your lane and get 

off my lawn. 

Sincerely, 

John Wellford 

USMC 


THE BITTER TRUTH 


In regards to your article in last month’s issue 

that you called “Sweet Problem”… I had no 

idea that sucralose was actually Splenda… I 

try so hard to eat only natural products… I 

feel so deceived! 

Janet 

Arroyo Grande 

As avid label readers ourselves, Janet, we were 

also shocked to learn about this one. We had 

assumed that something as benign sounding 

as “sucralose” was akin to fructose or sucrose 

or some other natural sugar that ends in “ose.” 

But, that is not the case with sucralose because 

it is actually Splenda, a highly processed 

compound that is made in a laboratory in 

Alabama and is chemically more similar to 

DDT than it is to natural sugar. And, despite 

their FTC approved slogan “Made from Sugar 

so it Tastes Like Sugar” the finished product 

contains zero elements of sugar and instead 

depends on chlorine among other things to 

artificially increase the sweetness. You can 

thank the FDA, who under heavy lobbying 

from the makers of Splenda (pharmaceutical 

giant Johnson & Johnson via their subsidiary 

McNeil Nutritionals), caved on the ruling 

allowing American consumers to be deceived 

by the deliberately confusing name. SLO LIFE 

BIPOLAR FEEDBACK 


I am the Executive Director of Transitions- 

Mental Health Association, an agency 

dedicated to helping people recover from 

mental illness and live stable, productive 

lives. Two years ago, TMHA produced 

the SLOtheStigma campaign aimed at 

eliminating the stigma of mental illness by 

describing the process of recovery from mental 

illness for four local people. SLOtheStigma 

directly targets people like “Matthew,” the 

anonymous subject of the article “Helping 

One Person” published in the June/July 

edition. Just as important, SLOtheStigma 

targets friends and family members of 

people with mental illness because their 

understanding and attitude related to mental 

illness are critical to successful treatment. 

Mental illness is a medical condition. In 

that sense it is no different from diabetes 

or other conditions that people develop 

through no fault of their own. And like 

diabetes, mental illness can be managed with 

medication and the support of family, friends 

and therapy. Unlike diabetes, mental illness 

is so stigmatized that few people realize 

how common it is, or that mental illness is 

disproportionately common in successful 

people like Matthew. Whether we realize it or 

not, we all have people like Matthew in our 

lives. The critical message of SLOtheStigma 

is that treatment of mental illness is more 

effective when it is openly acknowledged. 

I hope that Tom Franciskovich writes more 

articles about “Matthew.” I hope we learn 

who he is and learn more about his continued 

recovery from bipolar disorder. Those who 

already know Matthew will see his bipolar 

disorder as just one element of a person who is 

a father, a husband, a businessman and friend. 

Those who don’t know Matthew may realize 

they know people like him. And that will help, 

one person at a time. 

Jill Bolster-White 

Executive Director 

Transitions-Mental Health Association 


I would like to greatly thank you for taking 

the initiative and writing the article you did 

on Bipolar Disorder. I was diagnosed with 

Bipolar Disorder, Type II in February of last 

year. When I was officially diagnosed, it was 

devastating. Since then, I’ve come to terms with 

my illness (with the help of frequent counseling 

and a plethora of medications) and have been 

stable for several months now. But since my 

diagnosis, I’ve been trying to put a face on 

mental illness. I work on a project called Stamp 

Out Stigma. Essentially, I go around the 

county with another representative and I share 

my story, showing people that I, a “normal”

person (whatever that means), have a mental 

illness. It’s amazing how many people think 

that in order to have a mental illness, you have 

to be crazy, and I often have to remind myself 

not to judge other people with mental illnesses. 

I’m not entirely sure why I felt the need to 

write you, I guess I just want to tell you that 

I appreciate the article you wrote. The world 

needs to be educated on mental illness. 

Thank you, 

Randall Oglesby 


I appreciated reading your articles on bipolar 

disorder, an illness which affects me and my 

family. The question of stigma and anonymity 

requires sophisticated consideration. Your 

writer, Tom Franciskovich, handled it 

gracefully. 

When facts are learned through research 

and shared through education, perceptions 

change. I am a yoga instructor conducting 

research on yoga therapy as an adjunctive 

treatment for bipolar disorder in San 

Luis Obispo County. As a member of The 

International Association of Yoga Therapists, 

my mission is to establish yoga as a respected 

and recognized therapy for bipolar disorder 

through research and education. 

If you or someone you know might be 

interested in supporting this project whether 

by participating in yoga classes measuring the 

effects on bipolar mood management, sharing 

if you have found relief of bipolar symptoms 

through a yoga practice, or with funding, I 

would appreciate hearing from you! 

Developing greater understanding of this 

illness, its causes and its management, will help 

to erode the pain of stigma that we share. 

Brooke West 

Certified Yoga & Meditation Teacher 

Los Osos 

FUZZY MATH 


How do we get some Melody Klemin music? 

Made me look twice at this magazine, good 

music must be a good magazine. 

Jennifer Lechuga 

Montecito 


SLO Life Magazine TV Commercials = Poop. 

xoxo, 

Tiffany 

Go to slolifemagazine.com and click on 

“See Our Commercials” and decide for 

yourself whether the correct math is SLO 

LIFE Magazine TV Commercials x 2 looks 

+ good music = good magazine or SLO 

LIFE Magazine TV Commercials = Poop. 


THE ULTIMATE ADVENTURE 

We are happy to announce that our 

adventure writer, formerly named Paden 

Followwill, has embarked on one of life’s 

ultimate adventures and has gotten herself 

hitched. Congratulations to Paden Hughes 

and her husband, Michael. Despite the 

wedding and honeymoon, she still made 

time to do her usual great work for us in this 

issue although under a new byline. Turn to 

page 30 to learn about her recent adventure 

at the Oceano Dunes. SLO LIFE 

CORRECTION 

It must have come as quite a surprise to 

Melody Klemin’s partner, Charlotte, when we 

incorrectly identified her as “Savannah” in our 

most recent Music feature. But, in fairness 

to us, we were pretty much mesmerized by 

Klemin and forgot just about everything 

she said after being treated to a private 

performance of her song “Cannoli.” Please 

accept our apologies for the oversight. SLO LIFE 

Maintaining 

Excellence 

Building trusted relationships 

for 36 years. 

Rizzoli’s is your dealership alternative—state 

of the art diagnostic equipment and ASE Master 

certified technicians means you get the best 

service, and your warranty stays in-tact. 


805.541.1082 

Santa Maria 

805.922.7742 

RizzolisAutomotive.com 

Central Coast 

College Consultants 

Know your options. Follow your dreams. 

Would you like to have your letter published? 

notes@slolifemagazine.com 

facebook.com/slolifemagazine 

slolifemagazine.com/feedback 

Letters may be edited for content and clarity. To be considered for publication your letter must 

include your name, city, state, phone number or email address (for confirmation purposes). 

Erin Ogren 

Call us for guidance 

through the college 

admissions process. 

cccollegeconsultants.com 

805.546.8230 

info@cccollegeconsultants.com 


| TIMELINE 

Debbie Arnold beats Jim Patterson in 

her second try for a seat on the Board of 

Supervisors, while Adam Hill fought off a 

challenge from Pismo City Councilman, 

Ed Waage. With Arnold’s victory, many 

expect a more pro-growth and 

anti-regulatory direction led 

by Arnold and right-leaning 

supervisors, Frank Mecham 

and Paul Teixeira. 

After 33 years in county 

government, Jim Grant 

announces his retirement. The 

county’s top executive was 

widely credited for restoring 

stability after his scandalplagued 

boss, David Edge, was 

fired along with his second-incommand, 

Gail Wilcox, in 2009. 

In an ongoing effort to curb nuisances 

caused by late night drinking, SLO City 

Council tightens 

rules for new 

establishments 

wishing to 

serve alcohol. 

Now it is 

required that a 

manager be on-site 

when entertainment 

is performed; additional 

employee training; and 

video surveillance among other things. 

June 8 

June 15 

June 5 

June 12 

June 19 

The SLO County Sheriff ’s 

Department hires Tony Cipolla, a 

longtime favorite newscaster as its 

public information officer 

and Lou Ferrigno (aka 

“The Incredible Hulk”) as 

a reserve deputy. It is rumored that 

Cipolla’s first press release stated, 

“Don’t make Ferrigno angry, you 

wouldn’t like him when he’s angry.” 

Despite their survey that says that 59% of voters will 

approve it, the SLO City Council decides to hold off on a 

½ cent sales tax extension, kicking the can down the road 

until the November, 2014 election when they will ask for a 

renewal of Measure Y. If nothing changes, or the renewal is 

voted down, the current rate of 7.75% will remain in effect 

until March 31, 2015 when the 8-year measure expires. 


In a surprise ruling that San 

Luis Obispo City Attorney 

characterized as “judicial 

misrepresentation,” Superior 

Court Judge Charles Crandall 

ruled that the city’s ordinance 

prohibiting overnight sleeping in 

vehicles does not apply to public 

streets but only to private property. 

In a 4-1 vote (Ashbaugh dissented) 

the San Luis Obispo City Council 

passes an emergency ordinance 

that effectively overturns Judge 

Crandall’s ruling by applying it to 

a different set of municipal code, 

setting up renewed debate about 

the state homelessness locally. 

June 27 

July 5 

July 17 

July 3 

July 10 

The Arroyo Grande cross burning saga 

finally comes to an end when Jeremiah Leo 

“Smurf ” Hernandez, a 33-year old San 

Simeon resident, is sentenced to 11 years 

in state prison on four criminal counts 

including hate crime enhancements. 

Former Atascadero Citizen of the year, 

Kelly Gearhart, is indicted on federal 

fraud and money laundering charges 

related to his real estate development 

projects. If convicted, the fifty-year-old 

who is now living in an empty Ohio 

warehouse, faces up to 300 years in prison. 

In a 3-2 vote (Mecham 

and Teixeira dissented), the 

County Board of Supervisors 

establishes a ban on smoking 

in such public areas as county 

“mini-parks,” neighborhood 

parks, parking lots near county 

buildings, and an assortment of 

other outdoor locations. 



| Q & A 

Guy Rathbun 

He grew up at Edwards Air Force Base during the Golden Age of experimental flight and space travel only to be 

mesmerized by a radio news reporter during a contest he won in high school. A lover of books and 1920’s era music, 

he left KCBX last year, a station where he had a 36-year tenure ranging from volunteer during its start-up as a 

community radio station in 1975 to Program Director. Today he is busy producing radio shows where his little studio 

in Santa Margarita now reaches people all over the country. We dropped by one day to see how he was doing… 

Guy, we really didn’t prepare any 

questions for our interview today. 

I don’t prepare questions either. 

Well, I don’t and I do. I don’t write 

them down. Generally speaking, 

I’m comfortable with the first 

question I’m going to ask. And the 

first question is usually a general 

overview type of thing. From 

there I just listen. And inside the 

comment they make to the first 

question is going to be the followup 

question, or maybe two or three 

questions. So, in a way, I’m kind of 

taking their lead. If everything is 

prepared it can be too forced and 

you end up missing opportunities. 

I remember my very first interview 

in 1972, my boss said, “Ok, I need 

for you to interview these two 

women who had written a book 

on the history of Morro Bay.” And 

so I went to the library and picked 

up a book on how to interview and 

it said, “Write down ten prepared 

questions.” So, I wrote down my 

questions and I did the interview. 

When I listened to it afterward 

I thought to myself, “No! You 

missed it, you completely missed 

it!” So I tore up that whole idea 

and since then it’s been just do 

your homework and have a good 

opening question. The rest takes 

care of itself. 

What was it like growing up 

during the heyday of space travel? 

One of the Yeager brothers was a 

year ahead of me, one was a year 

behind [Chuck Yeager was the first 

pilot to break the sound barrier]. I 

was right in the middle of the test 

programs. My dad was in charge of 

base communications and my mom 

worked for General Electric which 

made a lot of the engines and was 

there when the sound barrier was 

first broken. So, sonic booms were 

a part of my childhood because 

they were going on all of the time. 

The reverberation from the boom 

was so powerful that when the 

jets hit sonic speed it would break 

windows in the houses below. The 

Air Force people were out 

replacing windows all the time. 

I remember it happening at our 

house once, it was our kitchen 

window. But that was part of the 

excitement. The first sonic boom 

would surprise you. Then us kids 

playing in the desert would stop 

and wait to see when the next one 

would hit and count the seconds to 

the one after that to see how many 

they could get as they went Mach 1, 

Mach 2, Mach 3, and so on. 

Did you know any of the astronauts? 

Ed White was a good friend of our 

family. He was the first American 

to do a spacewalk. He lost his life 

in Apollo 1. He helped me build 

a glider for a contest I entered 

which was just an unbelievable 

experience. He was an aeronautics 

engineer and he built this glider 

with a massive wingspan, just an 

incredible wingspan. And when we 

finished it after weeks of working 

on it together we went out to test it 

at the baseball field. And we let 

this thing go in the early morning 

air and it seemed to lay in the air 

forever. And even when it finally 

started coming down to kiss the 

ground and lightly brush all of the 

dew which had built up on the 

baseball field; it just glided over it 

in a such a way that it left a long 

trail where it had cut through the 

dew. It was just an unbelievable 

experience. 

So, how did you go from flying 

gliders with astronauts to radio? 

I was over at a friend’s house 

building a soapbox derby car in 

his garage with the radio playing 

in the background. And they had 

a “name this tune” contest going 

where the winner got to be a disc 

jockey for a week. Anyway, as 

soon as the song started playing 

I told Joe, “Oh, I know this one.” 

And Joe said, “Call ‘em, you have 

to call ‘em!” And I had absolutely 

no interest. I didn’t want to do it. 

The broadcast kept saying, “We’ve 

had a lot of good guesses but still 

no winner.” Finally Joe went in 

the kitchen and called the station 

and handed me the phone and 

said, “Tell ‘em, Guy!” So, I won 

the contest, but I did everything I 

could to convince Joe to go down 

to the station and pretend he was 

me. When I went down to the 

station I found myself just totally 

enamored with the newsperson 

there. I was the DJ for the last hour 

of each day that week and at the 

end of those 60 minutes I would 

point to the newsperson on the 

other side of the glass indicating it 

was his turn to take over. He had 

a pencil behind his ear and this 

mellifluous voice with this fluid, 

great delivery. As I sat back and 

watched him I said to myself, “That 

is what I want to do.” 

Any interviews stand out in 

particular for you? 

In the late 70’s Leon Panetta was 

our local congressman. Now, of 

course, he’s Obama’s Defense 

Secretary. His office then was 

on Marsh Street located on the 

second story of the original French 

Hospital. He was going to be 

holding a major news conference 

and for some reason I arrived really 

early, so I went over to Sunshine 

Donuts which is where the 

government office building is now 

where the county supervisors meet. 

I got my coffee and donut and 

sat down at a table when in walks 

Congressman Panetta. I mentioned 

to him that I was going to be 

attending his news conference 

and he says, “Do you mind if I 

join you?” We sat there and talked 

until we were both almost late to 

his news conference. I don’t want 

to imply that Leon and I are good 

friends, but over the years, even 

when he was at the White House, 

I was able to get him on the phone. 

If he didn’t answer immediately, 

he’d call me back and it would be 

just like we were sitting at that little 

table at Sunshine Donuts. SLO LIFE 


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| PLACES 

Montana 

It was a perfectly calm, still day with almost no wind or waves when Elliott Johnson, a professional photographer with a studio in 

Los Osos, chartered a 40-minute helicopter ride out of the San Luis Obispo Airport. He had the door removed so there would 

be no obstructions. After harnessing himself in, he asked the pilot to go up and down to set up the perfect shot of the Bluff Trail 

at Spooner’s Cove. “I paid particular attention to Valencia Peak in the background because the higher we went the more it would 

blend into the other hills. We bobbed up and down, moved in and out from the shore, and made a few passes when I got this shot 

which provides a nice perspective, particularly with Spooner’s Cove there off to the left,” explains Johnson. Montana de Oro or 

“Mountain of Gold” is named for the yellow wildflowers pictured on the bluff. The fingers of land jutting out into the ocean are 

actually part of an ancient sea floor, which is comprised of the mudstone that had been deposited millions of years ago when the 

fragments of once-living organisms drifted to the bottom and mixed with silt and sand. Here, where the Pacific Plate meets the 

North American Plate, the constant seismic grinding action has buckled and tilted the sedimentary layers, raising them out of the 

sea in this distinctive pattern that delights hikers along the Bluff Trail. SLO LIFE 


de Oro 

Do you have an amazing photo to share? Email it to places@slolifemagazine.com 


| MEET YOUR NEIGHBOR 

Meet Kimberly Walker 

In this installment of our “Meet Your 

Neighbor” series, SLO LIFE Magazine sits 

down for a conversation with Kimberly 

Walker. She grew up in Southern California 

and moved to the Central Coast after 

graduating from college where she studied 

screenwriting. She then spent six months in 

East Africa where she wrote and directed a 

play designed to bring awareness to women’s 

rights there. Upon her return she bounced 

around at a few jobs before realizing that 

she needed to find work that would allow 

her to live in San Luis Obispo—that quest 

led her to create Wine Wipes, a product 

which discreetly removes red wine stains 

from teeth. After launching the company 

five years ago, she also started a restaurant 

in the old Granda Hotel, which she named 

Granda Bistro. And, today she, along 

with three other partners have formed the 

Lunacy Club to purchase and remodel the 

historic building on Morro Street which 

they expect will open next month as a 17- 

room luxury hotel in downtown San Luis 

Obispo. Here is her story… 

Tell us, where are you from, Kimberly? 

I was born and raised in Southern California actually, a town called 

Upland which is near Claremont and Ontario. I grew up there, but moved 

up here after college. I went to an all girls Catholic high school. That was 

interesting. It was a pretty normal childhood. I didn’t get into too much 

trouble. I went to college to study screenwriting. I love writing, but it’s 

challenging because you are alone all the time. I don’t think people realize 

how challenging it is because everybody can write—I mean a majority 

of people can write—and so when you read a story you almost don’t 

appreciate how difficult it is to choose the words that end up telling the 

story in such a beautiful way that you are going to continue to read it and 

kind of lose yourself in it. 

Have you done much screenwriting? 

Nothing substantial. I wrote a lot of stuff. I write a lot. I still write every 

day. The biggest thing I wrote was a play when I was in East Africa, 

Tanzania. I wrote a play called “Wanawake Jukwaani,” which translates 

to “women center stage” in Swahili. And, that was definitely the biggest 

writing that I ever did. I loved it, but I don’t think I’m cut out for the 

screenwriting business and the whole L.A., Hollywood lifestyle. I worked 

for a producer while I lived there and was going to school and I loved it, 

but… I don’t know. It’s just a hard industry to feel good about yourself. 

And, I don’t know, it was a challenge for me to be the person that I kind 

of wanted to be. It’s sort of hard to explain. 

Why East Africa? 

I left L.A. and I wanted to go on an adventure. I wanted to figure out 

what my next move was. I had moved up to San Luis Obispo because my 

parents had a vacation home in Oceano. I thought I would stay up here 


for a few months and finish this writing project that I was working on 

at the time and it just never happened. I just couldn’t get it finished. I 

didn’t feel passionate about it. I don’t know if you call it writer’s block or 

what, but I just knew that I needed to do something with my life and I 

wasn’t sure what that was. For some reason I chose Tanzania and I went 

there to teach AIDS awareness workshops. I went from village to village 

teaching these workshops on how to, you know, practice safe sex and 

how to say “No” and I realized that all of that was so far advanced from 

where the Tanzanians were at in their culture because women had no 

rights over their bodies. So, I thought the play was a sort of reflection of 

what I saw there. And I thought that if women and men were to come 

together on a stage in front of their whole community and be able to at 

least role play a different kind of conversation, a conversation where the 

woman was able to say “No” to men that it could potentially have some 

sort of an impact. And, like all volunteer work it probably had more 

of an impact on me then on them. [laughter] It was truly just such an 

amazing experience for me, but I don’t know if it really had much of an 

effect with the people there. 

Were you ever able to have that play performed in public? 

Yep, on stage in Arusha [Tanzania]. There ended up being over 40 

performers in the play because I worked with six different villages. So, 

each day of the week I would go to a different village and rehearse with 

the people that were in the play. And we did that over the course of 

about a month. We had the final performance in the middle of town 

in this area that was like a large outdoor pavilion. We passed out flyers 

and people came from all over. I wrote it in English, but the play was 

in Swahili so people were able to understand it. I had two translators 

that came with me everywhere when we were rehearsing the play and 

(continued on page 18)

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| MEET YOUR NEIGHBOR left Walker’s play translated to Swahili and 

performed in Arusha, Tanzania. 

right Walker, second from right, and the staff 

of Granada Bistro in front of their converted 

ice cream truck that is used for food service at 

local events. 

they would help me articulate what it was that I wanted to say. And 

they would change it themselves. It was really fun. 

Anything in particular stand out for you? 

The Maasai—you’ve probably seen them in photographs of East Africans, 

they have the big red scarves and swords—they’re very photogenic. 

Anyway, they’re also notorious for how they treat their women. They 

treat women so poorly that they are considered to be beneath cattle in 

their culture. But they are also wonderful people, they don’t lie, they don’t 

steal. They just have a different way of looking at women in their society. 

Women are the property of their husbands. Anyway, I told the Maasai in 

the play that they could go home and really put their own stamp on their 

part of the performance, their vignette. So, they come back the next week 

and, in their version of the story, all of the men are drinking and having a 

great time, and all the women die, and all the men live happily ever after. 

[laughter] And, so I’m watching them act this out and thinking, “Ohhhh 

my gosh, I really have my work cut out for me.” They didn’t even want 

women to participate; they wanted it to be all men. Some of the men even 

dressed up as the women so they didn’t have to include them, but I said, 

“No, you have to include women.” It was a really neat experience, it was 

really, really fun. I think everybody had a good time and it was definitely 

a highlight of my life. I was there for six months. I felt safe and secure the 

whole time. People are amazing wherever you go. I truly believe that. I 

don’t know, I think there’s good in everybody. 

What did you do when you returned to the Central Coast? 

I came back from that and ended up getting a job in radio sales because 

I wanted to stay here. And that was my first real job outside of film. It 

was scary going out every day and cold calling businesses. Ah, and radio 

sales, you know people joke around and say that radio advertising is the 

hardest thing in the world to sell. And it’s true, it was hard. But, it taught 

me so much about sales and business and what it takes to actually make 

a company go. And that’s putting yourself out there, and dealing with 

rejection and not giving up and continually going back to customers and 

really listening to what they are saying and figuring out how to make their 

business better. I think all of those skills are really valuable for any career. 

“...if you follow your passion I think 

that’s where you will find happiness. 

And, next?... 

And, then I was a regional manager for a 1031 exchange company—I 

didn’t even know what a 1031 exchange was when I applied for the job. 

So, I quickly crammed in as much knowledge as I could right before the 

interview and somehow they gave me the job. I found myself at these real 

estate offices giving seminars with like 20 or 30 real estate professionals 

and accountants and I’m teaching them about 1031 exchanges. And the 

entire time I’m thinking to myself, “Please, please don’t raise your hand, 

please don’t ask me a question. Most likely, I’m not going to know the 

answer because really I have no idea what I am talking about.” [laughter] 

I quickly realized that was not where I wanted my focus to be and I 

realized I would have to come up with my own job if I wanted to stay in 

San Luis Obispo. The 1031 exchange wasn’t me. I always look at life and 

think, “Okay, what is it that I want to be doing? What am I passionate 

about?” And if you follow your passion I think that’s where you will find 

happiness. And basing careers on money or anything other than passion, 

I find for myself personally, that I’m usually not satisfied or happy. At the 

end of the day you’re spending the majority of your life working, why not 

make it something that you love? With Wine Wipes it all just sort of 

happened at the same time. 

What’s the story behind Wine Wipes? 

I started Borracha almost five years ago with the idea of creating this 

product, Wine Wipes which removes red wine stains from your teeth. I 

came up with the concept while having dinner one night at Guiseppe’s in 

Pismo. I always get that purple stain on my teeth after drinking red wine 

then I’d go into the bathroom and try to scrub it off. So, I decided to start 

looking for products out there that I could carry with me in my purse and 

I didn’t find anything, and I thought, “Well, why don’t I come up with my 

own product?” I spent about a year developing it, creating something that 

could be sold in the marketplace. You know, getting insurance, making 

sure the formula complied with regulations, all the things you need in 

order to have a product in the marketplace. I brought it to market in 2008 

and have just been growing since then. We’ve had amazing publicity. Dr. 

Oz did a segment on Wine Wipes and basically said, “If you’re not going 

to drink wine out of a straw then you should use Wine Wipes.” And we’ve 

been on Rachael Ray, Good Day LA, The Today Show, even Jay Leno 

did a bit about Wine Wipes on the Tonight Show. We’re an all-woman 

company. There are five us in all: me, my mom, and three others. 

Okay, but what’s up with the name “Borracha” and what does it have to 

do with Wine Wipes? 

In Spanish, there’s a word “barracho” which means “intoxicated man.” I 

was in Guatemala traveling—my mother’s side of the family is Hispanic 

and I was trying to learn to speak Spanish—and had a bit to drink the 

night before and I was talking to my grandmother on the phone and I 

said, “I was a barracha last night.” And she became so upset. She said, 

“Mija, there is no such thing as a barracha! Women do not get drunk.” I 

had a conversation about it with her later and she said, “No, really, there is 

no such word as ‘barracha’—women do not drink.” You know, women do 

not get drunk. Our role is much different than that. Sure enough, I looked 

it up in a Spanish dictionary and there is no female version of the word 

“barracho” to be found. Sometimes when we go to events where there are 

some older Hispanic women like my mother or grandmother, they are 

very much offended that I even say the word “borracha” much less use it to 

name my company. But, we don’t take ourselves too seriously around here. 

What’s it like to have Dr. Oz and Jay Leno talking about your product? 

It’s always shocking. I mean the Dr. Oz segment, I didn’t even know about 

it. They called the office and requested ten samples because they had to 

put it through all this testing before he would put a product on his show. 

And that was the last thing I heard from them. Then, one day at the office, 

our online sales just spiked. I mean, our server nearly shut down. We had 

so many sales and it was going in this wave with people calling the office 

and saying, “I saw your product on Dr. Oz!” And, I thought maybe we 

were on for a second, but no, it was like a two minute segment where he 

actually had them there and was testing them and was using them and had 

a thorough conversation about them [you can view the Dr. Oz segment 

by going to this article online at slolifemagazine.com]. And I watched it 

from my computer just thinking, “Oh my gosh, that’s Dr. Oz talking about 

Wine Wipes!” Our next focus is Ellen. We want Ellen to try our Wine 

Wipes on her show. 

Aside from trying to keep Ellen’s teeth sparkly and white, what else is new? 

We just got back from a launch party, which we held at a restaurant in 

Manhattan. We invited magazine editors to come. And for three days our 


PR company had set up appointments so we went to those and did what 

they call “desk-sides,” which is where we basically sit on the side of the 

desk and pitch the product to the editors. We’ll bring some wine and the 

product and actually do a demo. It’s pretty funny, especially for some of 

the appointments that are first thing in the morning. Asking an editor to 

drink some wine first thing in the morning is always interesting. 

What do you do for fun? 

Lately I haven’t had much time off because of Granada. The Granada 

Bistro was my little restaurant that was on Morro Street. I was renting 

space there for Borracha when the landlord said that he would be 

demolishing the building and building something new in a year and no 

one wanted to move in with just a year lease so he said, “Kimberly, why 

don’t you take it over and open up a wine bar or something?” He rented 

it to me cheap. And I thought it would be kind of fun. I thought it’s just 

a year so I’d get in and out. I had no idea that I would actually love it as 

much as I do. All of the equipment, everything in the Granada Bistro 

was purchased used. Really, with a one year lifespan, my goal was just to 

make my investment back during that time [laughter], so I had to buy 

everything on the cheap. 

That’s pretty gutsy to just dive into the restaurant business with no 

experience—how was it? 

I fell in love with it. It’s such a cool industry. It’s challenging, it’s 

humbling, but it’s a very intimate connection that you have with people. 

And it was such a small space that it was almost like having a dinner 

party every night. It was a really special little place. It was so small that 

you would end up talking to someone that you didn’t know, but it wasn’t a 

bar environment by any means. It was just a very comfortable space. Then 

the landlord got behind on his loan and lost the building to the bank and 

the bank was going to sell it to another party that was also planning to 

demolish the building. So four of us got together and formed the Lunacy 

Club, and purchased the building from the bank. And that’s what we’ve 

been doing ever since. We’re now in the final stages of remodeling and are 

planning to open next month. 

What is the history of the building? 

It was originally a hotel when it was built. It was called Hotel Granada. 

It was built in the twenties and someone actually found an envelope 

from the original hotel so we have their original logo and it was next to 

the Elmo Theatre, which is now the Union Bank. And, I guess the Elmo 

Theatre was a Vaudeville theatre and the Hotel Granada was the hotel 

next to it. We haven’t been able to find a lot of information, although 

somebody told me that you could rent rooms by the hour there and that’s 

why you can’t find much information about it. [laughter] I had this vision 

that ‘Oh, it was next to Vaudeville, so there’s probably all these artists in 

there and it’s just like Paris in the twenties but it’s in San Luis Obispo’ and 

then… No, it was a brothel. [laughter] 

Did you imagine that this is what your life would be like when you were 

growing up? 

No, I wanted to be a writer. I’ve always wanted to be a writer. And I still 

miss that a little bit. I still write every day, it’s just that I write to myself. 

Just the act of writing, it just feels good. I guess it’s almost like therapy. 

But, sometimes I go back and read what I wrote and I think, “Ugh, I hope 

that when I die nobody reads this because they are going to say, ‘She was 

boring… why was she writing about the pasta that she made and why did 

she write about her cat again?’” [laughter] We have a blog for Barracha 

that all of us contribute to from time-to-time, but other than that, no. 

When I travel I like to write about my experience. But, usually I just write 

it for myself and don’t publish it. When you’re traveling and in another 

place it’s so easy to write because everything is so new and exciting and 

interesting. I like that kind of writing, about travel and adventure. 

Thanks so much, Kimberly, we’d love to continue our conversation but 

we know you have work to do. 

No, thank you—it’s been a pleasure visiting with you. SLO LIFE 

smart, eclectic, art to live on 

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Hours : Monday - Saturday 10-6pm 


| THE WAY WE LIVE 

Historic 

Revived 

Home 

PHOTOS BY ELLIOTT JOHNSON 


The nice thing about dealing with a really tiny house is that you can pick 

it up and move it. When Frank Cullen and his wife, Kristen, purchased 

the Western Cedar Shingle home originally built in 1926, escrow closed 

in 2007 on the same day their first daughter was born. The house was just 

580 square feet, one bedroom and one bath. The growing Cullen Family 

needed more room and planned to add a second story, which meant a new 

foundation was needed. So a crane rolled down Islay Street to hoist the last 

property in San Luis Obispo’s Old Town Historic District. 

According to Cullen, a contractor and owner of Cullen Construction, 

“The whole neighborhood showed up to watch the crane literally pick 

up the home… the crane came back when they were done with the new 

foundation and then just set the home back down.” The second story and 

an addition to the backside of the house included a second bedroom and 

bathroom. For Cullen, who specializes in the construction of straw bale 

buildings, it was a unique opportunity to put his expertise in sustainable 

building to work. But, his desire to be sustainable while also preserving 

the historic character of the home were about to run headlong into the 

many restrictions imposed by the Department of Interior’s Guidelines to 

Restoring Historic Structures. 

For starters, Cullen was not allowed to build a porch because he had to 

maintain the original street-facing structure. And instead of going with 

some more sustainable options, he had to use materials consistent with the 

period of the original construction, including using all-wood windows and 

wood siding. So, he decided to re-use the original windows and salvage as 

many of the original shingles as possible. The city planning department did 

approve a variance, however, that allowed Cullen to have a zero lot line at 

the back of the property so that he could expand the home’s footprint. 

SPACE SAVERS 

Built-in shelving, bookcases and 

seating with storage provide plenty 

of hideaways giving the Cullen 

home a functionality not normally 

seen in historic homes. 

The home, now 1,325 square feet is still relatively small, but Cullen opted 

for many space-saving features including a hidden walk-in closet inside the 

downstairs powder room; a clothes hamper built into the half-wall facing the 

stairs; and a clever method for building in the washer and dryer at the top of 

the stairs. Additionally, the kitchen cabinets and the fireplace mantle were 

built out of reclaimed redwood from the original roof. After many creative and 

resourceful techniques mixed to preserve history and promote sustainability, 

the Cullen Family now enjoys their house, which is just big enough. 


| THE WAY WE LIVE 

CONTRASTING FLOW 

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PRETTY IN PURPLE 

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| SAN LUIS OBISPO REAL ESTATE 

by the numbers 

laguna 

lake 

tank 

farm 

cal poly 

area 

country 

club 

foothill 

blvd 

johnson 

ave 

Total Homes Sold 

Average Asking Price 

Average Selling Price 

Sales Price as a % of Asking Price 

Average # of Days on the Market 































*Comparing 1/1/11 - 7/20/11 to 1/1/12 - 7/20/12 

YTD 2011 

28 

481,649 

467,830 

96.80 

128 

YTD 2011 

21 

627,819 

612,190 

97.58 

93 

YTD 2011 

12 

547,408 

524,375 

95.39 

115 

YTD 2011 

16 

779,456 

684,875 

91.63 

131 

YTD 2011 

14 

993,629 

930,571 

94.34 

130 

YTD 2011 

20 

558,994 

531,975 

95.60 

56 

YTD 2011 

21 

513,014 

488,642 

95.07 

108 

YTD 2012 

30 

559,120 

542,250 

97.28 

76 


17 

569,276 

555,852 

97.54 

68 


15 

502,880 

479,633 

95.31 

50 


21 

564,238 

552,805 

98.19 

55 


10 

772,000 

745,850 

96.76 

165 


27 

503,383 

498,284 

99.22 

35 


29 

580,034 

568,289 

98.30 

68 

+/- 

7.14% 

16.08% 

15.91% 

0.48% 

-40.63% 

+/- 

-19.05% 

-9.32% 

-9.20% 

-0.04% 

-26.88% 

+/- 

25.00% 

-8.13% 

-8.53% 

-0.08% 

-56.52% 

+/- 

31.25% 

-27.61% 

-19.28% 

6.56% 

-58.02% 

downtown 

+/- 

-28.57% 

-23.31% 

-19.85% 

2.42% 

26.92% 

+/- 

35.00% 

-9.95% 

-6.33% 

3.62% 

-37.50% 

+/- 

38.09% 

13.06% 

16.29% 

3.23% 

-37.04% 

SOURCE: San Luis Obispo Association of REALTORS 

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| COUNTYWIDE REAL ESTATE 

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by the numbers 

Arroyo Grande 

Atascadero 

Avila Beach 

Cambria/San Simeon 

Cayucos 

Creston 

REGION 

Grover Beach 

NUMBER OF 

HOMES SOLD 

YTD 

2011 

108 

109 

7 

46 

20 

2 

34 

YTD 

2012 

126 

114 

3 

59 

17 

6 

43 

AVERAGE DAYS ON 

MARKET 

YTD 

2011 

122 

106 

85 

127 

183 

96 

82 

YTD 


120 

107 

392 

129 

122 

326 

90 

MEDIAN SELLING 

PRICE 

YTD 

2011 

458,000 

320,000 

702,500 

484,500 

680,000 

347,500 

288,000 

YTD 


436,500 

315,000 

610,000 

515,000 

565,000 

427,500 

315,000 

Los Osos 

39 

67 

102 

96 

330,000 

305,000 

Morro Bay 

49 

42 

127 

139 

415,000 

422,000 

Nipomo 

85 

75 

127 

104 

340,000 

387,500 

Oceano 

24 

21 

109 

100 

235,000 

221,000 

Pismo Beach 

33 

45 

126 

135 

670,000 

570,000 

Paso (Inside City Limits) 

157 

144 

102 

92 

297,000 

297,000 

Paso (North 46 - East 101) 

37 

25 

118 

82 

220,000 

214,000 

Paso (North 46 - West 101) 

34 

36 

138 

101 

255,950 

340,500 

Paso (South 46 - East 101) 

34 

25 

101 

198 

315,500 

320,000 


92 

116 

129 

73 

541,250 

499,500 

Santa Margarita 

8 

10 

108 

96 

250,000 

261,750 

Templeton 

29 

47 

87 

107 

515,000 

385,000 


Countywide 

947 1,021 

*Comparing 1/1/11 - 7/20/11 to 1/1/12 - 7/20/12 

116 108 365,500 375,000 

SOURCE: San Luis Obispo Association of REALTORS ® 

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Cayucos 

Cass House 

BY JEANETTE TROMPETER, KSBY NEWS 

In the quaint little beach community of 

Cayucos there is a landmark that stands as a 

monument to the roots of this town and the 

man who put this place on the map. James 

Cass is considered the founder of Cayucos. 

“He built the pier, built a warehouse, had a 

dairy, shipped butter to San Francisco and 

shipped lumber down to Cayucos, and was 

responsible for a lot of the development 

of the town. He built the first store, and 

the church, and the school,” says Grace 

Lorenzen, co-owner of the Cass House 

restaurant. 

Captain Cass’ house was not only the biggest 

on the block, it was the only one. But long 

after his family sold it, it became more of an 

eyesore than an attraction. 

After standing as simply a reminder of days 

gone by, Gary and Nancy Bagnall bought 

the place and began a 15-year labor of 

love. “I mean, I really think if Gary and 

Nancy hadn’t bought the house when they 

did, somebody would have just bought the 

property and torn the house down and used 

it for commercial use,” says Lorenzen. 

Instead the place got a new foundation, 

new roof, new garden, new paint, new life, 

but there’s still a lot of old within the walls. 

The footprint of the house has not changed, 

the floors are original douglas fir and the 

windows, shutters, and accents throughout 

are original. It all helps make you feel right 

at home when you pay a visit today. 

Grace and her husband Jenson Lorenzen 

now run a restaurant and bed and breakfast 

at the restored Cass House. “Great great 

grandchildren of Captain Cass will come in 

and tell me stories,” she says. 

Their menu changes depending on what they 

can get from the garden out back and from 

nearby farmers. Locals rave about the food, 

and the fact that your meal comes with a 

connection to the past, and an appreciation 

of what was saved from the wrecking ball. 

Legend has it that Old Man Cass still wanders 

these halls now and then, but Lorenzen says 

she hasn’t seen any ghosts personally. “I like 

to say if James Cass is still around, he’s really 

happy.” And you likely will be too, when you 

pay a visit to this little gem, right in our own 

backyard. And it offers more proof, There’s No 

Place Like Home. SLO LIFE 

Jeanette Trompeter, KSBY News anchor and 

reporter, hosts the “No Place Like Home” series 

every Tuesday evening at 6pm. 


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| OUTDOORS 

Oceano Dunes 

more than tracks in the sand 

WRITTEN BY PADEN HUGHES 

There are three hotly debated issues 

surrounding the Oceano Dunes. The first 

one is related to the safety of the dunes 

and the vehicular accidents that occur here 

every year. The second issue pertains to 

environmental impact, as the dunes are in 

the midst of protected wildlife habitats. The 

third issue revolves around air quality and 

particulate matter allegedly causing health 

problems for people living downwind. 

“ 

” 


Are you one of those proud locals with a license plate 

frame that reads, “I live where you vacation?” Though my 

English relatives may find it “cheeky,” it is nonetheless 

true. In the summer, San Luis Obispo County attracts 

thousands of families looking for an incredible array of 

scenery and natural playgrounds to refresh them. One 

popular destination is the sand dunes of Oceano. 

Oceano is the only beach in California allowing vehicles 

to careen across 3,600 acres of sand dunes naturally 

created by the ocean. There are three hotly debated issues 

surrounding the Oceano Dunes. The first one is related 

to the safety of the dunes and the vehicular accidents 

that occur here every year. The second issue pertains 

to environmental impact, as the dunes are in the midst 

of protected wildlife habitats. The third issue revolves 

around air quality and particulate matter allegedly causing 

health problems for people living downwind. While 

controversial and often compared to the movie Mad 

Max, the dunes allow for adrenaline-fueled activities 

while racing across the sand on an all terrain vehicle 

(ATV) or any four-wheel drive vehicle. 

Being such a popular destination for tourists, and even 

some locals, I had to give it a try to see what all the hype 

was about. The beauty of the ocean from the flat, sandy 

beach to the scalloped, rippling dunes is incredible. But I 

wasn’t here to enjoy the beauty—I was here to ride. And, 

once I got the hang of it, I had the time of my life. The first 

dune I climbed brought me to the top of what looked like 

an 80-foot drop. I braced myself, knowing that I had to 

build up enough momentum to get up the next dune ahead. 

I flew down the dune. It was exhilarating to say the least. 

I climbed high dunes, sped down 50+ foot drops, whirled 

around sand bowls, and raced across hard-packed straighta-ways, 

unleashing my inner speed demon. 

The dunes provide a playground for any adventurer looking 

to design their own personal roller coaster. It is not for the 

timid, but it can be a great place to push past fears and try 

something new and exciting. 

My advice for those new to the sand dunes: Approach 

curves and hillcrests with caution. Blind hills on either 

side can cause mid-air collisions. Reduce your speed 

when approaching blind drops and have a spotter to 

communicate if the coast is clear. This is critical—there 

are a great deal of tall dunes, and on busy weekends, 

many vehicles in one area with blind corners can be a 

recipe for disaster. SLO LIFE 

Getting there... 

The recreation area is located in Oceano, three miles south of Pismo Beach off Highway 1. One mile south of the Pier Avenue beach ramp is Post 2, a 

post on the beach which marks the beginning of the off-highway vehicle riding and camping area. Off highway vehicles must be transported to this 

point before unloading. Any areas on the beach or in the dunes that are fenced or have signs posted are closed to vehicular use because they either 

contain sensitive plant and animal life or are private property. 


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sleep like a baby 

Skimping on your sleep makes 

you more than cranky, a review 

published in the April, 2012 issue 

of Science Translational Medicine 

found that it also raises your risk 

for diabetes and obesity.

Health 

According to the CDC 

(Centers for Disease 

Control and Prevention) 

35.7% of the adult U.S. 

population is obese. 

Based on the last set of 

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California’s population 

is obese. 

The most recent 

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show 21.5% of San Luis 

Obispo County adults 

are obese. 

Try this! 

eat 

Increase your consumption of organic, whole foods, like raw or lightly 

cooked vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, whole grains and omega-3 rich 

foods. Avoid sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, trans fats, processed 

food, food additives, preservatives and artificial sweeteners. 

* 

what we love 

Quinoa is one of our favorite seeds. It’s grain-like in texture and 

considered a complete protein (containing 9 essential amino 

acids). Mix with your favorite veggies for a quick, satisfying, 

healthy meal—we like it with garbanzo beans, ground flax 

seeds, raw broccoli, diced purple onion, julienned carrots, sliced 

olives, cubed avocado, and minced garlic. SLO LIFE 


| ALTERNATIVE HEALTH 

rganic: 

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) 

has released its 2012 guide to the most 

contaminated crops out there—its “Dirty 

Dozen Plus” list. 

OThis year’s “Dirty Dozen” has been expanded to the “Dirty Dozen Plus” in order to include green beans and leafy greens like collards and kale. Though 

they don’t meet traditional criteria for the Dirty Dozen, green beans and leafy greens are often contaminated with organophosphate insecticides. “These 

insecticides are toxic to the nervous system and have been largely removed from agriculture over the past decade,” the EWG said in its report. “But they 

are not banned and still show up on some food crops.” 

And while fruit and vegetable wash might work for some produce, pesticides aren’t necessarily just on the surface of the food, Chensheng (Alex) Lu, 

Associate Professor of Environmental Exposure Biology at the Harvard School of Public Health explains, “If you look at apples, for example, they often 

spray from March to late June. After that they don’t spray anything.” In addition, there are many cases where the fruit grows with pesticides already in it, 

thanks to pesticide seed treatment programs where seeds are soaked in pesticides before they’re even planted. The program has expanded, Lu points out, 

“It started with corn, but now is used with a lot of different kinds of produce.” 

And if that weren’t enough reason to buy organic, according to a study published in January, 2012 by Purdue University scientists, honeybee deaths have 

been linked to seed insecticide exposure. The United States is losing about one-third of its honeybee hives each year, according to Greg Hunt, a Purdue 

professor of behavioral genetics, honeybee specialist and co-author of the findings. “We know that these insecticides are highly toxic to bees; we found 

them in each sample of dead and dying bees,” said Christian Krupke, associate professor of entomology and co-author of the findings. 

Check out the Dirty Dozen Plus list below: 

apples 

celery 

sweet bell peppers 

peaches 

stawberries 

imported nectarines 

grapes 

spinach 

lettuce 

potatoes 

cucumbers 

domestic blueberries 

green beans 

kale/greens 



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| MUSIC 

Three Martini 

PHOTO BY BRAD DAANE 

Pure joy is a rare thing, but you know it when you see it—picture a 

child slowly savoring a fast-melting ice cream cone on a hot summer 

day. You can see that same joy on the faces of Three Martini Lunch, 

a high energy, up-tempo classic jazz trio, while they perform their 

music live. The unlikely threesome has been taking Central Coast 

audiences along with them on their joyful journey back in time for 

the last four years. And, the group, which pays meticulous attention 

to period detail with their trademark white tuxedo jackets and black 

bowties, has worked hard to perfect its authentic “60’s swank” vibe and 

achieve a style that recalls the late, great Frank Sinatra. 

Band members, Michael “Mickey” Dias (bass/vocals), Len “Dr. 

Swank” Hardt (keyboard), and Isaac Laing (drums/percussion), have 

recently recorded and released an album called “Swankified,” which is 

full of many period favorites ranging from Dean Martin’s “Ain’t That 

a Kick in the Head” to Brazilian inspired “Blue Bossa.” It’s all cool, 

hip, stand-up-and-tap-your-feet-and-snap-your-fingers-type music 

that fans of Frank Sinatra and those that enjoy the hit television show 

“Mad Men” will appreciate. 

Despite, the swanky shtick, the three musicians come with some 

serious chops in “the biz” and a combined 100 years of experience. 

And, when they decided to meet one evening at Hardt’s Morro Bay 

home for an impromptu jam session, it all clicked and the trio found 

that they “shared the same deep-rooted passion for music” which 

came to each of them in unique ways. Dias, who originally hails from 


Lunch 

MUSIC VIDEO 

Coming soon... go to slolifemagazine.com and 

click on “See our Commercials” to watch music 

performed by Three Martini Lunch. 

the Bay Area, put himself through college by “touring around playing 

music at every bar in nightclub that could be found.” Hardt came up 

as a “road warrior” crisscrossing the country to promote and produce 

live music shows and has worn many hats as the nature of the business 

has evolved over the years (today he works to develop local talent 

in an effort to help further their careers). And, Laing, the youngest 

member of the group, observes that “the language of music doesn’t 

know any ages,” and has been playing professionally since turning 18 

years old—he also teaches drums locally. 

Three Martini Lunch averages twelve to twenty gigs per month, 

“everything ranging from non-profit fundraising events to backyard 

weddings and everything in-between.” One mainstay over the years 

has been their regular Thursday evening appearance in Shell Beach 

where the Lido Restaurant in the Dolphin Bay Inn is transported 

to a much less complicated time. And, again, it’s that palpable joy in 

playing and sharing their music while interacting with the crowd that 

makes it a special and distinctively unique Central Coast experience— 

although sipping on a martini while watching the sun tuck itself into 

the Pacific for the evening certainly doesn’t hurt either. SLO LIFE 

above (left to right) Len Hardt, Michael Dias and Isaac Laing 


| SPECIAL INTEREST 

HOMELESSNESS 

BY TOM FRANCISKOVICH 

in san luis obispo 

Wading into an honest conversation about homelessness is fraught with 

risk. Almost by definition, an “us” and “them” dynamic arises. But, with the 

homeless debate heating up in San Luis Obispo, we decided to dig into 

the issue and attempt to bring the facts to light… 

Yes, it is a fact that homelessness is on the rise in San Luis Obispo. 

Although, by its transient nature, it is very difficult to obtain an accurate 

census of this segment of the population. Local officials estimate that 

there are currently more than 1,000 homeless with approximately half 

living in vehicles. Starting about a year ago, according to officials, there 

was a sharp rise in homelessness which accelerated over the last six 

months. The issue reached a fever pitch this summer when, in response 

to a lawsuit brought by local attorneys Stewart Jenkins and Saro Rizzo 

on behalf of the SLO Homeless Alliance, Superior Court Judge Charles 

Crandall ruled, in essence, that it was unlawful to prohibit people from 

sleeping in their cars on public streets. The city council responded 

immediately by passing a new ordinance under a different set of code, 

effectively allowing the police department to continue to cite people 

for sleeping in their vehicles (tickets can be as much as $500). All of 

this took place in the shadow of a renewed debate over the wisdom of 

building a new homeless shelter on South Higuera near the Department 

of Social Services. The proposed 200 bed facility, originally approved in 

2009, is opposed by many nearby business owners who are concerned 

that this will create a homeless “mecca,” arguing that “if you build it, 

they will come.” Their fear is that more homeless people in the area will 

drive away their customers. 

As the county seat, San Luis Obispo primarily bears the burden 

of supporting this segment of the population and also houses the 

Department of Social Services where much of the county-based transient 

population travels to pick up their social security checks (52% receive 

assistance according to California’s 2009 Homeless Count) and obtain 

other government services. After the checks are dispersed and social 

services rendered, there is a well-traveled path from South Higuera down 

Prado Road to the Prado Day Center for meals and other services during 

the day and then typically out to local creeks or vehicles or the Maxine 

Lewis Memorial Night Shelter on Orcutt Road for an overnight stay. The 

cycle repeats, but it generally begins in the vicinity of the intersection of 

Prado and South Higuera. To simplify the objection of some businesses in 

the area: expand available services and word will get out that this is a great 

place to be homeless. And once demand again outstrips supply, we will be 

left with a bigger problem. But, maybe there is a different solution. 

In 2006, Malcolm Gladwell penned a controversial article for The New 

Yorker titled “Million-Dollar Murray: Why problems like homelessness 

may be easier to solve than to manage.” Gladwell tells the story of Murray 

Barr, a likeable transient with a severe drinking problem. During a study 

commissioned by the City of Reno where Barr lived, it was determined 

that the value he had received in health care, food, goods and services was 

over a million dollars during the ten years the research was conducted. 

Gladwell, citing this study, argues that it would be cheaper and more 


efficient to deal with chronic homelessness by building and funding 

supportive housing. In other words, instead of managing homelessness 

with soup kitchens and temporary shelters, why not invest in permanent 

housing with live-in services and structure. This was a format, apparently, 

where Barr had thrived. 

It appears that the Obama Administration has been paying attention. 

In a recent appearance on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” Housing 

and Urban Development Secretary, Shaun Donovan, said, “The thing 

we finally figured out is that it’s actually, not only better for people, but 

cheaper to solve homelessness than it is to put a band-aid on it.” He then 

claimed that “between shelters, emergency rooms, and jails it costs about 

$40,000 a year for a homeless person to be on the street.” Some research 

on that figure —$40,000—leads one to believe that it may actually be 

on the low end of the spectrum. For example, Philip Mangano, formerly 

the Homelessness Czar under President George W. Bush, puts the cost 

at somewhere between $35,000 and $150,000 annually. While they may 

quibble on the current cost, both Donovan and Mangano assert that 

chronic homelessness can be ended for much less. An idea called “housing 

first” came about during the 1990’s in New York City and spawned the 

supportive housing program in Reno where Barr thrived (Barr eventually 

returned to the streets after the pilot program was discontinued for lack 

of funding). Donovan and Mangano do agree on these numbers: the cost 

to administer a group home that offers holistic services for the chronically 

homeless ranging from drug treatment, to job placement, to psychiatric 

services, would cost somewhere between $13,000 to $25,000 per year per 

individual and would effectively end homelessness at a fraction of the cost 

that we are currently paying to manage it. 

But, to really understand the homeless 

situation here in San Luis Obispo, 

you first have to understand the 

demographics because they are unique 

and distinct from other communities... 

” 

But, to really understand the homeless situation here in San Luis Obispo, 

you first have to understand the demographics because they are unique 

and distinct from other communities, such as Reno and New York. People 

who deal first-hand with this issue locally refer to the three subsets of the 

homeless population here as the “have-nots,” the “can-nots,” and the “willnots.” 

The “have-nots” are people who have lost their jobs, or experienced 

some other setback or misfortune such as divorce. They usually enter and 

exit homelessness relatively quickly. The next category is known as the 

“can-nots,” people who are just not able to provide shelter for themselves; 

typically they are mentally ill. The genesis of this group came about in 

1963 when President John F. Kennedy signed the Mental Health Act, a 

law that set into motion “deinstitutionalization,” which was intended to 

be a cost-cutting process that favored “community release” of mentally 

(continued on page 40)

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| SPECIAL INTEREST 

ill patients. In California deinstitutionalization enjoyed support under 

Governor Pat Brown and reached a crescendo in 1967 when Governor 

Ronald Reagan signed the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act which released 

massive numbers of psychiatric patients during the 70’s and 80’s. The 

United States went from 550,000 mental hospital patients in 1955 to 

just 40,000 today (to put it in perspective, the general population nearly 

doubled during that same period). It is estimated that those displaced 

patients now represent between 30% and 50% of the American homeless 

population. The fact is that the “can-nots” are the direct result of those 

policies. And, then there are the “will-nots”—they are individuals that 

are of sound body and mind, but, for different reasons, are unwilling to 

seek permanent housing. 

It would be reasonable to assume that the sudden increase in homelessness 

came as a result of the lingering effects of a still-struggling economy. 

Logically, it would be driven by the “have-nots” who are experiencing job 

loss, or, perhaps, loss of the safety net provided by unemployment checks 

that had finally run out. However, according to Dee Torres, Program 

Director at the Prado Day Center, “We usually aren’t seeing people that 

have lost their jobs and are suddenly out on the street. Those individuals 

often have family to turn to, or support from friends. We deal more with 

chronic homelessness, people with physical disabilities, mental illness 

including many who are self-medicating [and have] drug addictions.” 

“The goal,” continues Torres, “is self-sufficiency, and the first step in that 

process is getting them to accept case management.” Accepting case 

management is a big deal because, not only does the individual cede much 

of their independence to a social services case worker, they also must turn 

over a big chunk of their income. If they are receiving social security, it is 

as much as 70%, which is saved on their behalf to help them accumulate 

enough funds to secure permanent housing. During this period of case 

management very little, if any, discretionary income is needed, however, as 

meals are provided, a roof is overhead, and most of the basic needs are met. 

The case manager also serves as a gateway to secure other services on their 

behalf from other government entities and local non-profits. “If we can 

get someone into case management, we have a 100% success rate,” claims 

Torres. “But, they have to want to do it; they have to want to get out of the 

situation that they are in.” 

And while they are in case management, or even if they are not—it is not 

a requirement—the local homeless population can get a meal at the Prado 

Day Center and a bed to sleep in at the Maxine Lewis Memorial Night 

Shelter. Both facilities are operated by Community Action Partners of San 

Luis Obispo County (CAP SLO) and neither require any drug testing— 

as long as visitors abide by some basic rules and are non-threatening 

to others they are welcome. The overnight facility has 50 beds yearround, 

but is able to handle an overflow of 25 to 35 beds through their 

partnership with the Interfaith Coalition, which is made up of a group of 

local churches. In addition to a place to sleep and free meals, the Prado 

Day Center provides services such as laundry, showers, mail and message 

retrieval, clothing vouchers, pet kennels, storage and locker space. All of 

these services are designed to support individuals who are actively seeking 

employment and searching for permanent shelter. 

CAP SLO and the City of San Luis Obispo have also been working 

together on a pilot program where five spots are reserved for overnight 

parking at the Prado Day Center. The only catch: the occupants of 

those vehicles must submit to case management. So far, the program, 

which received an exemption in the overnight parking ordinance, has 

proven successful. 

Despite the effectiveness of CAP SLO’s case management program, 

many people do not want to sign up for it. The elephant in the room, 

at least according to mostly anecdotal evidence, is usually drugs and 

alcohol that often come out ahead of the desire for what amounts to, 


according to Torres, a 100% shot at self-sufficiency. Therein lies the 

problem. As hard as it is to understand, there is a sizeable population 

that willfully remains homeless. 

It is not the “have-nots” that are the fast-growing subset of the homeless 

population, it’s the relocated “will-nots.” Officers on the street claim 

that there is a “homeless circuit” that exists where a group will migrate 

from Santa Cruz to San Luis Obispo to San Diego, for example. And 

it is not just a tour of the California coast that is bringing homeless to 

our area; a story was recently shared with us of two men that had just 

arrived from Florida. The police department had made contact with the 

individuals because they received a call alerting them that someone had 

built a campfire in the Irish Hills. When asked what they were doing here, 

they said, “We heard this was a great place to live, so we moved out here.” 

It turns out that all of the wonderful media our area has been receiving 

lately—being named the “Happiest City,” for example—may have the side 

effect of creating some complex challenges, as well. 

Right now, “70% of the service calls we have with the transient population 

are with the newly arrived group, meaning they are coming in from out 

of town,” explains Steve Gesell, San Luis Obispo Police Chief. “These 

are not local people that have fallen on hard times and need help, these 

are people that move here because they’ve heard that this is a nice place 

to live, and that the police department was ‘soft.’ And they want to 

impose their lifestyle on law-abiding citizens of our community.” When 

Gesell was tapped to head the police department earlier this year, it was a 

homecoming of sorts. He grew up locally and returned to a place that was 

much the same as he remembered it, except for one thing: there seemed to 

be a lot more homeless people around. 

It did not take Gesell long to confirm his suspicion. In a review of 

service calls over the last five years, he found that police dealings with the 

homeless population had doubled. He was further alarmed to find that 

fully 30% of the calls for service that the department currently receives 

are for issues related to the homeless population. According to Gesell, this 

is a percentage that is “significantly larger” than in cities such as Santa 

Barbara and Ventura. It should be pointed out that homelessness, in itself, 

is not a crime and the police department does not actively seek contact 

with the transient population. Department policy states that interaction 

is to be initiated by citizens who are feeling threatened, or witness or 

suspect that a crime has occurred. And, misdemeanors, which most petty 

crimes associated with a transient population are, such as trespassing, 

littering, public urination, and aggressive panhandling, must be actually 

observed by a police officer in order to generate a citation. “Frankly,” states 

Gesell, “citing overnight camping becomes a tool for us because we do 

not have the resources to place sentries up and down the street to allow 

us to witness these crimes. It’s the only bit of leverage we have to combat 

the problem.” Recently, Gesell announced that the department would 

be dedicating two of its officers full-time to the homeless population 

(this compares to Santa Barbara, a city twice the size, which has 14 

full-time officers focusing on the homeless). And the homeless are not 

just stretching law enforcement and social service resources, they are also 

putting additional stress on the environment. Last year alone, the city 

removed 23 tons of refuse from abandoned homeless encampments in 

local creeks. 

Mayor Jan Marx, who has been on a personal mission to collect donated 

toiletry items—the little bars of soap and shampoo found in hotel 

rooms—for the Prado Day Center says, “The thing that really bothers 

me is the kids, the children in homeless situations because they have no 

choice. But, what used to be the solution—to give more money, more 

services isn’t working anymore. And, when they relocate here and are 

willfully homeless, the question becomes what is our responsibility to 

those who have chosen to ignore the rules?” SLO LIFE

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2 medium onions, peeled and chopped 

1 pound carrots, peeled and chopped 

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2 tsp curry powder 

1 1/2 qt chicken stock 

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1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger 

sea salt and pepper 

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piima cream or coconut milk for serving 

1. Sauté the veggies slowly in the butter 

until very tender (about 45 min). 

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BASIC BISCUITS 

Everyday Grain-Free Gourmet 

by Jodi Bager and Jenny Lass 

2 cups almond flour 

1 tsp sea salt 

1 large organic free-range egg 

½ cup organic non-salted butter, softened 

* We spice up this recipe with these additions: 

3 tsp Garlic Gold Nuggets 

2 tbs fresh chopped dill 

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F and line a 

baking sheet with parchment paper. 

2. Mix dry ingredients in medium size 

bowl (dill, salt, flour). 

3. Add egg, garlic and butter and combine 

well. Knead the dough with your 

hands—it will be very stiff. 

4. Form 2-Tbs balls of dough and place 

them on the baking sheet. Flatten the 

balls slightly with the palm of your 

hand to form disks. 

5. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. 

6. Eat warm or store in the fridge in an 

airtight container. 

Note: Be careful not to brown the biscuits 

as almond flour will char upon browning. 

The cooked biscuits will be somewhat 

light in color. 

Some of Jeff and Sara’s favorite activities other than yoga and 

hiking are centered around food. They enjoy dining out at 

restaurants offering locally sourced farm to table cuisine, shopping 

at farmers markets and preparing meals for themselves, their 

dog, friends, and family. A strong-shared belief in traditional, 

nutrient rich, healing, ecologically responsible food goes into all 

their decisions in purchasing and preparing meals. 

Have a recipe to share? Go to slolifemagazine.com to tell us about it. 


SERVING 

San Luis Obispo | Avila | Los Osos 

Five Cities | Nipomo 

sloveg.com 

805.709.2780 


| COMMUNITY CALENDAR 

Dancin’ 2012 

August 12 

2:00pm 

Christopher Cohan Center 

pacslo.org 

Enjoy an entertaining afternoon brought to you by Academy of Dance. This exciting annual 

school performance will showcase the wide variety of the students’ skills and techniques. 

1027 B Marsh Street, San Luis Obispo 

Broadway by the Sea 

August 18 

Chapman Estate 

operaslo.org 

Celebrate summer with an outdoor concert featuring the voices of OperaSLO’s best singers 

performing the music of Broadway and more. Arrive early, picnic with friends, bid on 

silent auction treasures, stroll the gardens, observe Plein Air painters and marvel at the 

breathtaking views from this historic estate in Shell Beach. 

scanning • digital restoration • in-house printing 

photo finishing • darkroom supplies • passport photos 

805 543-4025 • photoshopslo.com 

The Marvelous Wonderettes 

August 31 – September 23 

SLO Little Theatre 

slolittletheatre.org 


The Marvelous Wonderettes takes you to the 1958 Springfield High School prom where we 

meet the Wonderettes, four girls with hopes and dreams as big as their crinoline skirts! You’ve 

never had this much fun at a prom and you will never forget The Marvelous Wonderettes—a 

must-take musical trip down memory lane! 

SLO LIFE

September 4th - October 4th, 2012 

Start your four person team today! 

Join the World CP Challenge to raise funds to create a 

life without limits for people with disabilities. Each team 

member tracks their steps with a pedometer as you 

team climbs towards your goal for the month. 

To learn more about the World CP Challenge or 

to register as a participant, visit the website: 

http://www.worldcpchallenge.org/ucpslo 

(805) 543-2039 • www.ucp-slo.org 

Headquartered in SLO, Advantage Answering Plus offers live and 

local telephone reception service for businesses large and small. 

Having important business calls answered professionally around 

the clock will: 

Improve customer satisfaction 

Increase operational efficiency 

Capture additional business opportunities 

Reduce business costs 

Let’s talk about how we 

can make a positive difference 

in your business, today. 

To learn more, go to 

advantage-plus.com 

or call us at 

805.545.8282 


| COMMUNITY CALENDAR 

Pops by the Sea 

September 2 

Avila Beach Golf Resort 

slosymphony.com 

This year’s Pops by the Sea will feature famed guitarist José María Gallardo del Rey and 

lovely violinist Anabel García del Castillo in a delightful concert of popular and romantic 

music. Classics like Ravel’s Bolero will be mingled with Beatles tunes such as “All You 

Need is Love” for a fun, family-friendly festival of music at the beach. 

Dog Training • Premium Daycare • Boarding • Grooming 

FIRST DAY OF DAYCARE FREE! 

173 Buckley Road • San Luis Obispo 

(805) 596-0112 

thousandhillspetresort.com 

Rotary Home Tour 

September 16 

11:00am – 5:00pm 

slorotary.org 

Hot Shaves • Cold Beer • ESPN • Quality Service 

Monday - Saturday 10am-6pm • Sunday 11am-4pm 

1351 Monterey Street . San Luis Obispo 

(805)783-2887 . clippersbarber.com 

Shalimar 

iNDiaN rESTaUraNT 

Lunch Buffet 

Mon - Sat 11:30am - 3:00pm $8.99 

Monday Dinner Buffet 

5:00pm - 10:00pm $9.99 

Sunday Brunch 

$9.99 

2115 Broad Street, SlO 

805.781.0766 | shalimarslo.com 

Enjoy the twelfth annual home tour. Visitors will not only experience a relaxing tour 

through unique homes at their own pace, but proceeds from every ticket purchased will go 

towards fulfilling the primary purpose of the event: Rotary’s funding of thousands of dollars 

in college scholarships for local students, as well as contributing thousands of dollars to 

local charities. 

Scott Tinley’s Triathlon 

September 28 – 30 

Lopez Lake 

tricalifornia.com 

Scott Tinley’s Triathlon is a fun-filled weekend with races to meet every multi-sport athlete’s 

interests. Races include open-water lake swimming, single-track and fireroad mountain bike trails, 

road bike courses through golden campgrounds, wildlife, the open fields of Arroyo Grande, and both 

on and off-road running trails through the hills. Grab a buddy and start training today! 



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Relax in confidence with state-of-the-art, 

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The Payne Team 

www.HomesofSLO.com 

It’s about the people we serve. 

The Payne Team 

Jed Damschroder 

805-550-7960 

Kate Hendrickson 

805-801-1979 

Gavin Payne 

805-550-3918 

Chris Engelskirger 

805-235-2070 

962 Mill Street, San Luis Obispo, California 93401

SLO LIFE Aug/Sep 2012

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