Gaea Powell’s delay tactics continue, another attorney appointed
By KAREN VELIE The sentencing hearing for Gaea Powell, a San Luis Obispo County woman convicted of election fraud, was delayed again, this time after she claimed a conflict of interest with the entire public defender’s office. A SLO County jury on Sept. 21 found Gaea Powell guilty of nine...
Both Grover Beach citizen initiative measures winning
By KAREN VELIE For several years, Grover Beach resident have successfully promoted citizen initiative measures including recalls, making the city clerk an elected position and limiting the height of buildings in the coastal community. Two of the measures were on the Nov. 3 ballot: electing a city clerk and limiting...
SLO County jury convicts illegal alien of rape, child sexual abuse
By KAREN VELIE A 33-year-old illegal alien is facing up to 513 years in prison after a San Luis Obispo County jury found him guilty of sexually molesting three young children and raping a woman. Jose Manuel Ventura Garcia is scheduled for sentencing on Dec. 16. Shortly after his conviction,...
Sex trafficker ordered to pay more than $450,000 in restitution
By KAREN VELIE A San Luis Obispo County judge on Tuesday ordered convicted child sex trafficker Joshua Diante Murphy to pay $451,680 in restitution to the young woman he exploited. Murphy was sentenced in Oct. 2025 to 14 years and four months in state prison and ordered to register as...
Paso Robles school district needs accountability, transparency
OPINION by KENNEY ENNEY Statements issued by Paso Robles Joint Unified School District Board President Joel Peterson and Paso Robles Joint Unified School District Superintendent Jennifer Loftus fail to address the substance of the credit card concerns. Instead, they focus on process complaints while ignoring the underlying questions about public...
Santa Maria police chase armed 13-year-old boy
By JOSH FRIEDMAN Santa Maria police officers on Wednesday evening chased a 13-year-old suspect who fled by foot while armed with a handgun. Officers eventually caught the teen and recovered the firearm. Shortly after 8 p.m., officers conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle believed to have been involved in...
California billionaire tax likely headed for defeat
By JOSH FRIEDMAN California voters appear to be rejecting wealth taxes, particularly on billionaires, but an initiative to make it more difficult to raise taxes via ballot measures is currently failing. As of Wednesday morning, Proposition 40, a wealth tax on billionaires, appears headed for defeat. Meanwhile, a countermeasure banning...
