August, 2010

Jerry Brown flying high–in a state-owned plane

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown may boast of flying Southwest Airlines, but a review of government records shows the state Attorney General often using a state-owned plane. [AP] Records reviewed by the Associated Press shows that Brown has used the... (Continue reading)

Dean ousts Cal Poly journalism chair

Cal Poly Liberal Arts College Dean Linda Halisky asked journalism department chair Bill Loving to step down Thursday. When he refused, the dean announced he would be terminated, amid allegations by a faculty member that she had been treated... (Continue reading)

Pinnacles to be California’s new National Park?

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-California) introduced legislation Thursday designed to elevate Pinnacles National Monument to a National Park. [LA Times] The 26,000 acre parcel of land, located near Soledad, is a nesting place for the endangered California condor. Hikers and naturalists... (Continue reading)

Sacramento wants to limit debit card fees

The state Assembly is expected to take up a bill this week, already passed in the Senate, that would make it illegal for merchants to charge debit card fees. [Chronicle] The legislation, originally introduced by state Senator Jenny Oropeza (D-Long... (Continue reading)

Times: Prop 8 ruling “changes the debate over same-sex marriage forever”

Wednesday’s historic court ruling in San Francisco, striking down Proposition 8 and giving gays and lesbians the legal right to marry, prompted a newspaper editorial to suggest the decision “changes the debate over same-sex marriage forever.”[LA Times] “When the evidence... (Continue reading)

It’s time to stand up for public education

OPINION BY JOHN LAIRD In May of this year, the Board of Trustees of San Luis Coast Unified School District, the largest district in San Luis Obispo County, voted unanimously to inform the California School Boards Association that no local... (Continue reading)

Santa Barbara County supervisors try to halt Diablo Canyon re-licensing

The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors wants the federal government to not relicense the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant in Avila Beach. [AP] Supervisors voted Tuesday to send a letter to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, asking for a halt... (Continue reading)

Maldonado struggling in lieutenant governor race

New financial reports indicate that Abel Maldonado’s campaign for California lieutenant governor is tens of thousands of dollars in debt, while the Republican still struggles to make himself known to voters. [Mercury News] A Field Poll from July shows Maldonado... (Continue reading)

Morro Bay sucked into City of Bell scandal

Taxpayers in Morro Bay are about to find out they’re on the hook for the pension bills of disgraced public officials in a city more than two hundred miles away. [LA Times] A public firestorm erupted earlier this summer in... (Continue reading)

City fires officers convicted of drug smuggling

The two San Luis Obispo police officers who plead guilty to charges they had attempted to bring Mexican prescription drugs into the United States by way of the San Ysidro port of entry were fired following an internal investigation. On... (Continue reading)