July, 2012

Judge orders SLO police to stop ticketing homeless

By KAREN VELIE A San Luis Obispo County Superior Court judge granted a preliminary injunction barring police from ticketing homeless who sleep in their vehicles, in a ruling on Tuesday. In April, attorneys Saro Rizzo and Stew Jenkins filed a... (Continue reading)

Mesa land sale offer on table

By DANIEL BLACKBURN A 17-acre parcel atop the Nipomo Mesa would make an ideal site to augment the region’s future water supply, perhaps with a desalting plant, says a prominent local businessman, but water officials appear lukewarm to the idea.... (Continue reading)

Court bars Gearhart tax sale

An Ohio court barred the San Luis Obispo County tax collector from selling former North County developer Kelly Gearhart’s properties at auction during a hearing on Monday. As of June 6, Gearhart, his wife Tamara Gearhart, and several of their... (Continue reading)

Mammoth Lakes files bankruptcy

The Town Council of Mammoth Lakes Town voted unanimously on Monday to approve a bankruptcy filing, less than a month after Stockton filed for bankruptcy protection. The council said it was the only option it had left after its largest... (Continue reading)

Atheists cry foul over Pismo Beach City Council’s Christian invocations

Pismo Beach’s City Council may find itself in court if it continues to allow Christian laden invocations to lead its supposed secular meetings. Members of Atheists United of San Luis Obispo have repeatedly asked the Pismo Beach City Council to... (Continue reading)

Oceano board squelches public comment

By KAREN VELIE The public comment period during last week’s Oceano Community Services District Board meeting was squelched after the board inaccurately determined rules barring elected officials from speaking about personnel issues also extended to members of the public. Public... (Continue reading)

Indestructible tomatoes explained

Consumers have known for years that tomatoes from the grocer often taste bland, have bad texture, and can be as hard as baseballs. And while it is no mystery that the fruit was the result of scientific tinkering to create... (Continue reading)

Sanitation district needs an independent investigation

OPINION By SAN LUIS OBISPO SURFRIDER FOUNDATION Following the major sewage spill of December 2010 and news reports of water quality reporting irregularities at the waste water treatment plant of South San Luis Obispo County Sanitation District (SSLOCSD), Surfrider Foundation... (Continue reading)

Arnold was not Maldonado’s special guest

Republican Congressional candidate Abel Maldonado was enticing supporters to attend a Friday fundraiser in Pismo Beach with the promise of a “special guest,” prompting his Democratic opponent, incumbent Rep. Lois Capps, to report the surprise guest was likely former California... (Continue reading)

Body found in ocean off Pismo Beach

Two men paddle boarding in the pacific ocean near Pismo Beach discovered the body of a 34-year-old man floating in the water on Sunday at 11:20 a.m. Jonathan Blankeship of Pismo Beach is thought to have fallen off an ocean-side... (Continue reading)