Daily Briefs


Judge reinstates Jarmin and Jordan plea deals

A San Luis Obispo judge has reinstated plea deals that will allow hard money lenders Rod Jarmin and Tammy Jordan to escape jail time. San Luis Obispo County prosecutors had been trying for months to overturn the plea agreements, but... (Continue reading)

Court to rule on teen’s enrollment at Cuesta College

A former 4.0 high school student is at risk of getting kicked out of Cuesta College on a court order. [Tribune] Bret Stephen Landen, 18, is accused of placing a fake chemical weapon at an elementary school on Sept. 11.... (Continue reading)

Paso Robles police arrest homeless at river encampment

Paso Robles police have begun arresting homeless individuals who are not complying with the city’s order to evacuate their encampments along the Salinas River. On Tuesday, officers arrested five homeless people for camping and another one for having an outstanding... (Continue reading)

SLO County hires new fire chief

Cal Fire has hired a new chief to head the San Luis Obispo County Fire Department. Scotty Jalbert, currently fire chief of the Cal Fire unit that serves Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties, will take over duties in San... (Continue reading)

SLO County moves ahead with Laura’s Law

The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors has declared it plans to adopt Laura’s Law, a state program that allows judges to order mentally ill individuals into treatment. On Tuesday, the supervisors endorsed a resolution on implementing the program.... (Continue reading)

Santa Cruz students arrested over international drug ring

Authorities have arrested six UC Santa Cruz students for running an international Ecstasy ring. All of the suspects are fraternity and sorority members. [LA Times] On Friday, investigators seized more than $100,000 in MDMA shipments from three homes in Santa... (Continue reading)

Proposed Paso Robles water district trampled by voters

Correction: The number of Measure B-16 votes for the formation of the district was 753 and the votes against the district 2,643. In a crushing loss to large North County agribusiness interests, 77.83 percent of landowners above the Paso Robles... (Continue reading)

Reservoir levels rising in SLO County

While reservoir levels remain low in San Luis Obispo County, they are increasing noticeably as a result of this year’s rainfall. [KSBY] Lake Nacimiento has risen 16 feet since the beginning of January. Lake General Manager Mark Sandoval said he... (Continue reading)

Salinas, like Santa Maria, rife with gang violence

Salinas and Santa Maria, two cities similar in size and demographics, are experiencing epidemics of gang violence. Both cities had record homicide totals last year. [KSBY] In 2015, there were 13 murders in Santa Maria and 40 in Salinas. There... (Continue reading)

Cal Poly reports attempted sexual assault at frat house

Cal Poly officials issued an alert to students Monday informing them of an attempted sexual assault that reportedly occurred at a fraternity house. Between midnight and 1 a.m. Sunday, a male allegedly held down a female and tried to sexually... (Continue reading)