Daily Briefs


Shunning lawyers while facing felonies

A well-known county ad executive told CalCoastNews this week he remains uncertain if he will be represented by an attorney upon his Sept. 15 return to a Santa Barbara courthouse to face a variety of felony charges. Jeff Lind, an Orcutt... (Continue reading)

Measures A and B landslide wins

The contentious battle over binding arbitration and benefits between San Luis Obispo city and its safety workers has ended with a landslide victory for the City Council. A preliminary count of ballots showed that both Measure A and B passed... (Continue reading)

Council members must uncloak stipends

A law taking effect in January targets a common practice of some California city council members of improperly fattening their paychecks with multiple-meeting stipends. The new law requires local lawmakers to announce the amount of stipends they will receive when... (Continue reading)

Homeless booted from Sunny Acres—including daughter of Maxine Lewis

More than a dozen homeless people left the Sunny Acres sober living facility in San Luis Obispo last Sunday—including the adult daughter of local homeless advocate Maxine Lewis. The Sunny Acres residents were asked to leave by rancher Dan DeVaul... (Continue reading)

New editor for CalCoastNews

Bill Loving, media attorney, journalist and college professor, has joined CalCoastNews as the new editor. Loving replaces George Ramos, his Cal Poly journalism colleague, who died unexpectedly last June of a heart attack. Loving, former chair of Cal Poly San... (Continue reading)

Child abandonment suspect caught in Cambria

A Minnesota architect accused of abandoning his 11-year-old son was arrested Monday afternoon in Cambria while working in a deli. [MinneapolisStarTribune] Steven Alexander Cross, 60, appeared to be living in his van, reported arresting deputies. The Ford Windstar van Cross... (Continue reading)

Hit and run driver arrested

Police arrested a 34-year-old Oceano man Monday morning who allegedly fled the scene of a traffic accident two days earlier which left a motorcyclist injured on a Grover Beach roadway. Jason W. Wallin was taken into custody following an investigation... (Continue reading)

Seeking the death penalty’s demise

Urging termination of California’s death penalty, an advocacy group launched a ballot initiative effort Monday, just days after a similar proposal stalled in the legislature. Taxpayers for Justice announced a signature-gathering campaign aimed at giving state voters a chance to... (Continue reading)

Elected coroners vary from appointed in reporting suicides

In the vast majority of California counties, including San Luis Obispo County, elected sheriffs have the final say in determining the manner of death in coroners’ cases. [CaliforniaWatch] Researchers at Temple University concluded in a new study that the political... (Continue reading)

Journalist Richard Palmer dies in Hawaii

Former Central Coast reporter and newspaper editor Richard Palmer died at his home in Hawaii Thursday after a long bout against a rare form of cancer. He was 63. Born in Santa Monica, Palmer graduated from Cal Poly with a... (Continue reading)