Free Republic

Jessica Canning often begins her day at a beach on the Central Coast, walking her Cavalier King Charles spaniel on pristine white sand. But when the second-generation Carmel resident ends the day strolling the village in high heels, she knows to pack her permit. “I like to say that I am ‘Licensed to Heel,’” she told SFGATE via email. Video above of another controversial Carmel law. The reason for the formal license is due to a 1963 law that banned shoes with spiked heels more than 2 inches high and a base of less than 1 square inch. At the...

For the Central Coast town of Solvang, its signature will always be its faux-traditional Danish village, built in the 1940s. It now stands today as a mile-long cartoon backdrop of gift shops and Danish Renaissance-style buildings. But beneath the surface of the town’s kitschy appeal, a new generation of world-class chefs, barkeeps and merchants is making steady gains to revitalize Solvang. Yet they’re discovering that changing a beloved place’s carefully orchestrated image — transforming Solvang from a spot to roll in on a tour bus and grab a mini Danish flag into a true destination — is a heady task....

Every autumn the male tarantula wanders in search of a female to mate with which is why you're more likely to see the usually docile creature out and about, even here on the Central Coast. Tarantulas are generally shy creatures and will retreat to their burrow if disturbed, said Garland Ranch Regional Park, but they don't recommend that you handle them. "Handled, they may bite with their fangs or rub the hairs of their abdomen with their back legs, creating a cloud of stinging hairs that settle in the skin," the park wrote on Facebook.

For generations, the arch on the right side of Spooner’s Cove in Montaña de Oro State Park has been a source of second glances from passersby and inspiration for landscape photographers, family photos and no doubt even a few seaside marriage proposals. It also was written into area history for centuries. But, as Kerry Keltz of El Moro wrote on NextDoor, “Nature giveth, nature taketh away!” On Christmas Eve, locals started reporting that the arch, which added an artistic flair to an already stunning landscape, had collapsed. “What?!,” wrote Sophie Fauchier of Ferrell on NextDoor, “I have been admiring that...

Caltrans is on the scene of a rock slide on Highway 1 at Ragged Point in San Luis Obispo County. The slide has closed off a 40-mile stretch of Highway 1 stretching from just north of Ragged Point Inn to Fullers Point, just south of Deetjen's Big Sur Inn. "[The rock slide] doesn't look too bad by Big Sur standards," said the Big Sur Chamber of Commerce in an email.

An endangered gray wolf that traveled at least 1,000 miles from Oregon to California's Central Coast before his tracking collar stopped giving signals in the Spring, may still be alive and roaming in Ventura County. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife said Friday that it received three reports last month of a wolf with a purple collar in the northern part of the county, and officials were able to confirm wolf tracks in the vicinity. The reports match the description of OR-93, the young male who was fitted with a purple tracking collar by federal wildlife officials in Oregon...

Eager visitors will soon be able to visit Toro Park, once the gates open in April. The popular Central Coast recreational facility is preparing to once again host outdoor enthusiast and family outings after the River Fire burnt through it last August. Since then, crews have had their hands full removing damaged trees and cleaning trails, while still carrying out the day to day operations. But their hard work is about to pay off. Bryan Flores, Administrative Operations Manager said,"Were making preparations to have events and reservations whether it's somebody's birthday or wedding reception, bike race, cross country race and...

AS the rest of Australia rolled out its New Year’s Eve celebrations, thousands were evacuated from a beach on the NSW Central Coast after a fireworks barge caught on fire during NYE celebrations. The barge caught fire during the 9pm fireworks at Terrigal. Two pyrotechnicians were forced to jump off a fireworks barge on the NSW Central Coast and suffered minor injuries after a NYE display went horribly wrong. Crowds were evacuated from the Terrigal beach after the barge caught fire just minutes into the New Year’s Eve fireworks show shortly after 9pm. NSW Fire and Rescue said the two...

A state appeals court has ruled that a landowner can build his dream home on an oceanfront cliff along the Central Coast despite attempts to block the construction because it would be an eyesore for boaters and surfers. The California Coastal Commission sued Dennis Schneider, trying to stop construction of his 10,000 square foot mansion in San Luis Obispo County. In a unanimous opinion Wednesday, the 2nd District Court of Appeal said there were no grounds to restrict seaside development. "We believe that it is unreasonable to assume that the Legislature has ever sought to protect the occasional boater's views...