Daily Briefs


Whitman spends $76 per vote to win primary

Meg Whitman clinched the Republican nomination for California governor Tuesday night, but the victory came with a pretty steep price tag. [California Watch] Whitman, the former eBay CEO, spent $76 per voter to claim the nomination from insurance commissioner Steve... (Continue reading)

Absentee ballots expected to be counted by Friday

Tuesday’s election may be over, but there are still 18, 198 absentee ballots to be counted as of Wednesday afternoon. County officials hope to have all the votes tallied by Friday afternoon. Meanwhile, Santa Barbara County officials have yet to... (Continue reading)

Bomb scare in Atascadero

UPDATE: The “bomb” turned out to be a firecracker. Atascadero police are reporting that a pipe bomb has been found Wednesday morning on the Santa Barbara overpass. The Highway 101 overpass at the south end of town remains closed off.... (Continue reading)

Whooping cough on the increase in San Luis Obispo County

County public health officials are continuing to investigate a major increase in the number of cases of whooping cough, also known as pertussis. Locally, more than 100 cases of whooping cough have been identified, compared to 2 cases in 2009... (Continue reading)

And the winners are . . .

Here we are, live in CalCoastNews Election Central, waiting for the first returns to be posted. Check with us throughout the evening as we report on the results from today’s California primary. And feel free to add comments as we... (Continue reading)

Coastal Commission head steps aside to fight lung cancer

Peter Douglas, executive director of the California Coastal Commission and an author of the state’s landmark Coastal Act, is fighting lung cancer and will now have a reduced day-to-day role in this key state agency. [Los Angeles Times] Douglas, 67, is... (Continue reading)

More funding approved for Montana de Oro expansion

State conservation officials have approved nearly $7 million to purchase 2,400 acres of land west of San Luis Obispo, part of an ongoing effort to expand Montana de Oro Stare Park. [Tribune] The state Wildlife Conservation Board voted to allocate... (Continue reading)

Meg Whitman: The $71 million candidate

According to public campaign records, Meg Whitman has so far spent $71 million of her personal fortune to become the next governor of California–and that is just for the primary. [Associated Press] The former eBay CEO is expected to prevail... (Continue reading)

California’s white population continues to decline

Newly released figures indicate that California’s white population has declined since 2000 at an unprecedented rate, making it possible for Hispanics eventually to emerge as the state’s largest population group. [San Francisco Chronicle] There were 500,000 fewer whites living in... (Continue reading)

Missing Nipomo woman found

The 70-year-old Nipomo woman, believed to have dementia symptoms, was found alive and well by a tow truck driver near the intersection of Highway 101 and Los Berros Road in Arroyo Grande Saturday morning. Martha Henderson’s family reported her missing... (Continue reading)