Daily Briefs


Santa Barbara supervisor enters congressional race

Democratic Santa Barbara County Supervisor Salud Carbajal announced Thursday that he will enter the race to replace retiring Congresswoman Lois Capps. Capps announced Wednesday that she will retire when her current term expires at the end of 2016. Later Wednesday,... (Continue reading)

Los Osos man reportedly admits he’s a child molester

A Los Osos man accused of raping a developmentally disabled girl told detectives, “I’m a child molester,” a police report states. [Tribune] Steve Linzmeier, 57, told sheriff’s detectives that he had gone skinny-dipping with the 16-year-old girl and that he... (Continue reading)

Hammer wielding man evades deputies

San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Deputies were searching Thursday night for a man wielding a hammer who escaped into a creek near the Santa Margarita Park. [KSBY] At 7:19 p.m., deputies responded to a report of a disturbance on the... (Continue reading)

Are Cuesta College students serial cheaters?

A Cuesta College history teacher recently caught 67 of his 250 students cheating on exams. [New Times] Dr. Anthony Koeninger noticed that students across his six classes had performed unusually well on the first few quizzes of this semester’s “History... (Continue reading)

Field of candidates taking shape in race to replace Capps

Three candidates have announced their intention to run in the congressional race to fill a seat that Rep. Lois Capps announced she would vacate at the end of her current term. Capps released a video Wednesday in which she says... (Continue reading)

Lucia Mar strike likely avoided

The Lucia Mar Unified School District has reached a tentative agreement with its teachers’ union that may settle a heated contract dispute. District officials and the Lucia Mar Teachers’ Association have clashed for months, and union members voted late last... (Continue reading)

Lois Capps announces retirement

Democratic Rep. Lois Capps, who has represented the Central Coast in Congress since 1998, released a video statement Wednesday announcing that this will be her final term in the House of Representatives and that she will retire at the conclusion... (Continue reading)

Where does California stand in property tax rankings?

California has the 17th lowest property taxes among all 50 U.S. states, according to a report compiled by consumer financial website WalletHub. [LA Times] The average property tax paid by California real estate owners in 2015 is $1,431. Hawaii has... (Continue reading)

SLO County supervisors vote in favor of new animal shelter

San Luis Obispo County’s Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to replace the county’s dilapidated animal shelter with a new 15,000 square foot shelter. Currently, animals are housed in a 45-year-old facility that was built over a landfill. Because of issues... (Continue reading)

Did Santa Barbara health clinic infect patients with Hepatitis C?

Santa Barbara health officials have closed a medical clinic while they try to determine if its staff infected patients with Hepatitis C and other blood-borne illnesses. In February, a patient at the unnamed clinic was diagnosed with an acute case... (Continue reading)