Daily Briefs


Fire burns at Pismo Beach campground

A fire caused the California State Park Pismo Beach Campground to be evacuated Monday afternoon. Around 3:30 p.m. Monday, vegetation caught on fire and four acres burned near the entrance to the Oceano Dunes. The fire threatened several structures, but... (Continue reading)

Bill aims to give Coastal Commission teeth

A bill providing the Coastal Commission with authority to issue fines for the first time in its 37-year history is moving through the state legislature. The 1976 law that set up the commission permits the agency only tocollect money from... (Continue reading)

Grover Beach Council spurns mayor’s campaign against APCD dust rule

Grover Beach Mayor Debbie Peterson, who is campaigning to repeal the San Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Control District dust rule, petitioned her fellow council members Monday to join her in opposition to the regulation. Peterson did not win over... (Continue reading)

State ignoring federal school mandate

California school officials have largely disregarded the Obama Administration’s direction for education, marking a rare state departure from adherence to federal policy. (Los Angeles Times) At issue is the practice of grading performances of teachers, and rewarding or punishing individuals... (Continue reading)

Yosemite rental ban reconsidered

Plans to curtail commercial recreational vendors in Yosemite National Park, proposed as a possible solution to federal environmental mandates, are being reconsidered by parks officials after a huge public outcry. (San Jose Mercury News) Parks Director Jon Jarvis said his... (Continue reading)

Panga boat beaches near Piedras Blancas Lighthouse

San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s deputies and State Park rangers discovered an abandoned panga boat Sunday morning near the Piedras Blancas Lighthouse outside of San Simeon. The deputies and rangers discovered the abandoned boat in a remote cove north of... (Continue reading)

Motorcyclist dies in crash on Highway 227

A motorcyclist died Saturday after colliding with a car on Highway 227 near Cold Canyon Landfill. [KSBY] The crash occurred around 1:30 p.m. Saturday. The collision threw the motorcyclist off his bike, which then caught on fire, according to the... (Continue reading)

Arroyo Grande Council recognizes officer harassment injuries

The Arroyo Grande City Council agreed on July 9 to recognize that police officer Michelle Cota suffered psychological injuries while on the job. [NewTimes] As a result of the council vote, Cota will be able to retire and collect bi-weekly... (Continue reading)

Homeland Security secretary named University of California president

Janet Napolitano, the U.S. secretary of Homeland Security and former governor of Arizona, has been selected as the next president of the University of California system. [LATimes] Napolitano’s appointment is the first time in its 145-year history the 10-campus system... (Continue reading)

Murdered Santa Maria man owed drug taxes

Santa Barbara County Grand Jury transcripts suggest that a Santa Maria gang brutally murdered and tortured 28-year-old Anthony Ibarra over a drug tax debt. [KEYT] Gang members tortured and killed Ibarra on March 17 at a residence on West Donovan... (Continue reading)