Opinion


Report on John Wallace presents a cautionary message

OPINION by ARROYO GRANDE MAYOR JIM HILL After six months of investigative work, the long awaited report on past management practices and operations of the South San Luis Obispo County Sanitation District will be released and presented at the sanitation... (Continue reading)

Should California charge for driving on roads?

OPINION by JIM MADAFFER California drivers are bearing the burden of the state’s transportation funding crisis, with the average driver spending more than $500 a year to repair the wear and tear on their vehicle caused by bad roads. Gas... (Continue reading)

Who are the real illegals?

OPINION by JIM GRIFFIN There’s been a massive amount of talk and blathering lately about so-called “illegal” immigrants, undocumented aliens, “anchor babies” and so on thanks to Donald Trump and the rest of the ultra right wing chorus of ignorant,... (Continue reading)

SLO is truly Camelot

OPINION by ALLAN COOPER Welcome to San Luis Obispo, the “happy city of denial” where city officials, the Downtown Association and the police department annually produce self-congratulatory crime reports. Just the other day, the city informs us that DUI’s aren’t... (Continue reading)

Arroyo Grande’s city manager a bad fit

OPINION By JULIE TACKER A year ago, in its search to replace embattled City Manager Steve Adams, the Arroyo Grande City Council voted unanimously to retain the same recruiting firm, Peckham & McKenney that the city of Bell had hired... (Continue reading)

Discourse, diversity and democracy

OPINION By DEBBIE PETERSON As the target of criticism over my role on the steering committee of the SLO County chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (a position also held by the fearless publisher of CalCoast News, Karen Velie),... (Continue reading)

Yes, we are criminalizing homelessness

OPINION by TIM WAAG Where can the homeless go without getting ticketed? Cities are judged by how they treat the less fortunate. On that basis, the “happiest place on earth” is doing poorly. SLO County has about 150 shelter beds... (Continue reading)

Common sense?

OPINION by RICK LONDON For many of us these days, making sense of certain human behaviors seems to defy common sense. In fact common sense doesn’t seem very common anymore. But was common sense ever very common? Before slavery was... (Continue reading)

Protect the United States, deny un-vetted refugees

OPINION by MATT KOKKONEN As a legal immigrant from Finland and being from a family whose members have been refugees, I have a personal perspective on the refugee issue during the war between Finland and Russia. First of all, you... (Continue reading)

Immigrants strengthen and enrich our culture

OPINION by PETE EVANS There is much talk about immigration these days, especially concerning the plight of the multitudes of Syrians fleeing their country due to war and terror. I believe we have in place a method of investigation and... (Continue reading)