2023 was hard for many. But here are 10 good things that happened in SLO County | Opinion

The Tribune Editorial Board
·7 min read

Let’s face it, 2023 was a challenging year for many, even in (mostly) sunny San Luis Obispo County.

We saw white supremacists peddling hate ... LGBTQ rights under attack ... neighborhoods littered with antisemitic literature.

There was economic hardship brought on by inflation — remember $9-a-dozen eggs? — and rising interest rates that made home ownership even more of an impossible dream for many in SLO County.

We continued to struggle for solutions to homelessness, addiction and poverty.

Per usual, there was political discord — including an ongoing effort to oust County Supervisor Bruce Gibson. And let’s not forget acting County Administrative Officer John Nilon, who resigned in November to avoid being fired for “improper conduct toward women.”

That’s just scratching the surface of the disappointments, frustrations and tragedies of 2023. Yet there were high points as well, which are too often overlooked in year-end rundowns of top events.

Before we close out the year, it’s worth revisiting the small victories, the smart decisions and the human kindnesses that deserve to be celebrated. Here’s our highly subjective Top 10 list of good things that happened in SLO County in 2023.

10. Return of the superbloom

Once again, wildflowers coaxed us off our couches to enjoy another (free) display of nature at its most spectacular. And because it’s hard to be grumpy in a field full of flowers, even on crowded weekends there wasn’t a sneer in sight.

Wildflower fans turned out along Highway 58 on April 7, 2023. A series of drenching atmospheric river storms filled creeks and made for a solid wildflower season.
Wildflower fans turned out along Highway 58 on April 7, 2023. A series of drenching atmospheric river storms filled creeks and made for a solid wildflower season.

9. Cheap gas

It’s not likely to last, and you won’t find low prices everywhere in the county, but regular gasoline is still below $5 a gallon at several stations — and less than $4 a gallon in Morro Bay. It (sort of) offsets the rising cost of utilities, at least for now.

8. We have a Nordstrom Rack!

We had to say goodbye to some longtime businesses that closed their doors in 2023.

Restaurants were especially hard hit. Closures include Big Sky Restaurant, Splash Cafe and Mint & Craft in San Luis Obispo; Doc Burnstein’s Ice Cream parlors; Vic’s Cafe in Paso Robles; the Tea Trolley in Atascadero; Willow in Nipomo.

Retail faired better. Several businesses opened or expanded, with the new Nordstrom Rack in the SLO Promenade topping the list.

7. City of San Luis Obispo reinstated ‘first hour free’ parking

You did it, people! You revolted, and the city listened.

It did away with that silly “locals only” requirement that required preregistering and decided that everyone gets the first hour free — though it only applies to parking structures.

This wasn’t just about saving money; it was also a reminder that it sometimes pays to fight City Hall.

If the city is smart, it will keep that first hour free in perpetuity, or at least as long as personal cars are still a thing.

6. SLO County (finally) joined Community Choice Energy

Every city in the county gave its residents the opportunity to ditch PG&E as its energy provider and switch to Central Coast Community Energy.

San Luis Obispo County was the only holdout, due to a Board of Supervisors majority that seemed to believe their constituents were incapable of making an informed decision.

The new board that took office in January reversed course, which meant that ratepayers in unincorporated communities like Cambria, Nipomo and Los Osos were finally on an equal footing with everyone else.

5. $65 million grant for ‘part-time’ freeway lane in Pismo Beach

The formal name is the Five Cities Multimodal Transportation Network Enhancement Project, but in plain English it’s a third southbound lane on Highway 101 that will be open only during peak traffic hours.

Not everyone likes the plan — the Pismo Beach City Council split 3-2 on it — but something has to be done to relieve the awful congestion though the area known as the Shell Beach Straits.

Now that the money has been allocated, let’s see how long it takes to get it built.

4. Reservoirs filled and spilled

Rains brought the Central Coast some much-needed drought relief this year, filling local reservoirs that had reached alarmingly low levels.

Lopez Lake spilled for the first time in more than two decades. The reservoir was less than a quarter full at the start of the year.

“It was one of the last local reservoirs to reach full capacity after a winter with heavier-than-usual storms filled most all to capacity in recent weeks,” The Tribune reported in March.

Months later, Lopez was still at 95.6% capacity on Dec. 26.

Lopez Lake spills over the chute in the early morning, Thursday, March 23, 2023, for the first time in more than two decades.
Lopez Lake spills over the chute in the early morning, Thursday, March 23, 2023, for the first time in more than two decades.

3. An emergency shelter opened in South County

Cabins for Change was declared officially open in January, providing individual cabins for 20 previously unhoused South County residents, plus support services to help them move into permanent housing. It was a long time coming; the 5 Cities Homeless Coalition had been trying for years to find a location but ran into a series of roadblocks before successfully partnering with the city of Grover Beach and San Luis Obispo County to open a shelter at 16th Street and Longbranch.

More good news: The Homeless Coalition has broken ground on a second, similar facility in Grover Beach that will include 30 cabins. It’s located on city-owned land on 4th Street.

“To be opening another shelter, I’m kind of gobsmacked,” the agency’s executive director, Janna Nichols, told The Tribune. “It only happens because we have had our community come together.”

Marcos David Rodriguez was living in his car when a police officer told him about the Cabins for Change program in Grover Beach. He went from there to this no-frills cabin, seen here on April 28, 2023, and now graduating from the program to a home of his own.
Marcos David Rodriguez was living in his car when a police officer told him about the Cabins for Change program in Grover Beach. He went from there to this no-frills cabin, seen here on April 28, 2023, and now graduating from the program to a home of his own.

2. Afghan family safe at last

An Afghan family that spent two years hiding from the Taliban is safe in San Luis Obispo County, thanks largely to the efforts and generosity of Cambria residents Mike Reeves and his wife, Linda Giordano.

For three years, Reeves worked with engineer Kawa Barakazai in the Middle East, for a company that made turbines for U.S. hydroelectric power projects that brought electricity to rural villages.

After the U.S. pulled out of Afghanistan in 2021, Barakazai, his wife and their two children were forced into hiding.

Back in Cambria, Reeves worked to bring them to California, which meant acquiring special visas for the family and providing financial support. On Sept. 6, the family touched down in Los Angeles and headed to Cambria, to an apartment located on Reeves’ property.

This was not an isolated case; over the past several months, San Luis Obispo County residents helped several other Afghan refugees begin new lives here. To learn more, go to www.slo4home.org.

Kegina Barakzai, son Ben Yamin, husband Kawa and daughter Maryam in a 2022 selfie. Kawa Barakzai is an Afghan engineer who worked with the U.S.
Kegina Barakzai, son Ben Yamin, husband Kawa and daughter Maryam in a 2022 selfie. Kawa Barakzai is an Afghan engineer who worked with the U.S.

1. Showing up and speaking out for justice

Just days after two masked men unfurled an “Embrace White Pride” banner on the Highway 101 bridge, locals staged a Rally Against Hate at the same location.

When some South County residents denounced the rainbow flag as ungodly and urged the Arroyo Grande City Council not to fly it for Pride Month, citizens showed up to defend the flag — and the council sided with them.

And when some Paso Robles parents opposed a new advanced placement chemistry textbook because it briefly mentioned the United Nation’s 17 sustainable development goals, the school board adopted it anyway — albeit on a 3-2 vote.

Too often, apathy is the enemy of justice.

While the hoped-for result isn’t always achieved, the fact that San Luis Obispo County residents are willing to show up and speak out is, in and of itself, good news.

Honorable mention

  • New county Board of Supervisors ditches gerrymandered map adopted by the former board — an action made possible by the work of concerned citizens who had filed suit against the county

  • NASA astronaut Victor Glover, a Cal Poly alum, was selected for a manned flight around the moon.

  • The county Board of Supervisors adopted a 5-year plan to reduce homelessness by 50% — a far more realistic goal than the 10-year plan to end homelessness.

  • Medical advances included the opening of a new spine center and use of artificial intelligence to diagnose strokes.

  • The historic Sebastian’s General Store in Old San Simeon Village reopened after four years of renovations.

  • Alaska Airlines added daily flights from San Luis Obispo to Las Vegas — which means we no longer have to drive to Santa Maria to hop a flight to Sin City.

  • Work finally began at the derelict Pirate’s Cove parking area.

  • SLO County Board of Supervisors allocated $2 million to keep affordable housing at the Anderson Hotel.