Do San Luis Obispo residents realize they have no art center? Local artists need one | Opinion

Missing arts center

“Somewhere over the rainbow: SLO art museum is getting colorful new mural,” (sanluisobispo.com, Feb. 15)

Do San Luis Obispo residents realize they have no art center? For decades, the SLO Museum of Art was a bustling art center run by volunteers. Those artists raised the money to purchase the building on Mission Plaza, while the city retains the land.

Two years ago, however, the museum’s board cut ties with local artists that had been their mainstay and decreed a change of direction to favor national and international artists. In need of the lost services, four artist groups formed the Central Coast Artists Collective. Yet they have no place to exhibit their work in San Luis Obispo.

Many top-notch artists live and work here. That they are deprived of a venue to exhibit their art diminishes art, artists and the cultural life of the community. We artists enjoy museum shows of art from far and wide. We would like a place to show ours in our hometown.

Charlotte Daigle

San Luis Obispo

Affordable housing now

“Dana Reserve in Nipomo would add missing-middle housing,” (sanluisobispo.com, July 15)

I support the housing development known as the Dana Reserve in Nipomo. Our area is in desperate need of housing, especially affordable housing for young, working adults. This neighborhood will directly address this need by providing a significant number of affordable housing units, which will enable young people like my own kids to find suitable homes within our community.

Our own son was only able to buy his older, fixer-upper because we helped him to do so. We want to do the same for our daughter, but the prices have exceeded our budget. This project will even help my elderly parents who rent in the area and have also been priced out of a home. By providing a mix of housing options, this development fosters a sense of diversity and inclusivity within our region.

As a Nipomo property owner, I am apprehensive of the upcoming increase in water fees which is estimated to be in excess of 30%. This project pays for water from Santa Maria helping the Nipomo Community Services District to reduce its reliance on groundwater.

Shannon Kessler

Nipomo

Ignorance and cowardice

“SLO mayor condemns ‘racist hate speech’ after masked men display white pride banner,” (sanluisobispo.com, July 25)

Emily Francis put it perfectly when she wrote “ignorant, cowardly people ... spread hate.” The men on the bridge are uneducated and unsophisticated. I am surprised that no one has made a stated and direct connection between the hooded KKK members (and their actions) and these masked men.

Christine Willis

San Luis Obispo

The other costs

“Keeping Diablo Canyon open could cost ratepayers more than $20 billion, report says,” (sanluisobispo.com, July 25)

The front-page article about the billions of dollars needed to sustain Diablo Canyon through its licensing renewal timeframe says the cost is a huge burden on ratepayers. But good, respectful journalism would have informed readers of the flip side to that equation: What will it cost to engineer, permit and build facilities to reliably supply that amount of electricity to Californians? Furthermore, are we expected to go back to kerosene and candles in the downtime while we wait for such facilities to be built?

Karin Gray

Los Osos

Opinion

Keep the lights on

“’Numbskulls’ are trying to put Diablo Canyon out of business,” (sanluisobispo.com)

Mark Henry’s letter is right on. Most of the self described “environmentalists” rapidly change their tune when their lights go off.

Lee Drocco

Morro Bay

Immediate action needed

“Coastal Commission should keep fighting to close Oceano dunes to off-roading | Opinion,” (sanluisobispo.com, July 22)

While we are deeply disappointed in the recent decision by Judge Coates on Off-Highway Vehicle riding on the Oceano Dunes, and disagree with her decision, we also see her judgment as an opportunity. The judge specified that her ruling was narrow and “makes no findings regarding the substance or judiciousness of the commission’s decisions or findings.” In other words, the basis for the Coastal Commission’s decision to ban OHVs is not disputed.

Thus, Coates implies that it’s up to the county to address the issues through its Local Coastal Program and puts future responsibility in the lap of the Board of Supervisors to address the twin negative impacts of environmental damage and containment of the hazardous dust pollution on local residents. That Local Coastal Plan calls for the county-owned LaGrande Tract to be treated as a non-riding “buffer zone” and disallows riding on county land.

This has been true since 1984, but the LCP has not been enforced. Considering the damage to local citizens and to the environmentally sensitive habitat, we think the Board of Supervisors has no choice but to do so. We call on them to take immediate action.

Rachelle Toti and Arlene Versaw

Co-founders, Concerned Citizens for Clean Air