2019

Mayor accused of extorting cash from marijuana sellers

With the inducement of huge profits in the cannabis industry, allegations of pay-to play in San Luis Obispo County and throughout the nation are common with pot sellers who regularly complain about public officials and government employees seeking bribes. On... (Continue reading)

Search warrants served on Santa Barbara diving boat company

Law enforcement agents searched the Santa Barbara office and two diving boats on Sunday belonging to the company that owned the Conception, the boat destroyed in a fire that killed 34 people last week. Multiple law enforcement agencies, including the... (Continue reading)

Supervisor Peschong has turned his back on constituents

Opinion by SLO Cannabis Watch Group “I fully admit I worked on this ordinance and this is what has come of it, and I am responsible for it. I own this ordinance….” These are the fateful and telling words spoken... (Continue reading)

Active military man gunned down in Lompoc

A man on leave from the Army was shot and killed in Lompoc Sunday morning while walking on the street, according to the Lompoc Police Department. Shortly before 2 a.m., a caller reported shots fired near the intersection of Ocean... (Continue reading)

Santa Barbara County releases names of 22 killed in boat fire

By STAFF Santa Barbara County officials on Friday released the names of 22 of the 34 people who were killed in the Conception dive boat disaster. The Coroner’s Office, with the assistance of rapid DNA technology, has now been able... (Continue reading)

SLO County inmate dies of drug overdose

A 56-year-old San Luis Obispo County Jail inmate died of a suspected drug overdose on Friday, while another inmate required medical treatment for an opioid overdose, according to the sheriff’s department. After eating his lunch, guards watched Ernest Leonard Ortiz... (Continue reading)

SLO County raids large illegal marijuana grow

Deputies destroyed 1,820 marijuana plants they found on Thursday growing near the intersection of Main Street and Santa Rosa Creek Road on private property in Cambria, according to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department. While searching for a homeless... (Continue reading)

Owners of sunken boat file 19th Century maritime lawsuit

By JOSH FRIEDMAN The owners of the boat that burned off the coast of Santa Barbara County this week, killing 34 people, filed a lawsuit in federal court Thursday making use of a 19th century maritime law in attempt to... (Continue reading)

Sulfuric acid leaks in rural Paso Robles

A hazardous substance leaked in rural Paso Robles Thursday, resulting in a spill of sulfuric acid and the San Luis Obispo Regional Hazmat Team coming out to the area. Approximately 1,500 gallons of an unidentified product leaked along Estrella Road... (Continue reading)

Man accused of shooting deputy spotted in Paso Robles

By STAFF A man who allegedly shot a Merced County deputy on Wednesday was spotted in the Paso Robles area Thursday morning and led authorities on a pursuit that ended in Fresno County. Guadalupe Lopez-Herrera, 51, of Dos Palos allegedly... (Continue reading)