Uncovered SLO


Ian Parkinson: Witness for hire

San Luis Obispo County Sheriff candidate Ian Parkinson’s testimony as an expert witness in a 2000 civil case helped his sister-in-law Rita Tavernetti collect a $1.4 million dollar settlement, causing some to question Parkinson's ethics. By his own account, Parkinson, currently... (Continue reading)

Copelands fined by FPPC

After four years of anonymity, Thomas and James Copeland have been identified as the principals of the LLC that committed 16 campaign violations in their fight against Ernie Dalidio’s proposed San Luis Obispo County development. California campaign rules require the transparency... (Continue reading)

Pismo Beach Chamber clams up over missing funds

The former chief executive officer for the Pismo Beach Chamber of Commerce is under investigation for allegedly embezzling thousands of dollars from the chamber. Rebecca McMurry left the chamber in May, shortly after the annual Taste of Pismo. There are allegations... (Continue reading)

FPPC to expose Dalidio’s opponents

The California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) plans to publish the names of the controversial San Luis Obispo LLC members who allegedly committed 16 campaign violations in their fight against Ernie Dalidio’s proposed development on the FPPC website. FPPC counsel Sukhi... (Continue reading)

FPPC to level fines against Dalidio’s foes

The California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) has determined that the LLC that funded the No on Measure J campaign violated rules in their fight to stop Ernie Dalidio’s proposed San Luis Obispo retail development. On Oct. 14, at a... (Continue reading)

DA investigating Oceano CSD

The San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s office is investigating the auditing and accounting practices of the Oceano Community Service District. “It has come to my attention that the District Attorney is concerned with some auditing and accounting practices here,” said... (Continue reading)

Seclusion and restraint practice poses risks, prompts questions

A week after Cliff Detty’s death at Santa Barbara County’s Psychiatric Health Facility, a short obituary popped up online. Without going into detail, the article described a 46-year-old man who had died at a Santa Barbara hospital the night of... (Continue reading)

Seclusion, restraints and screams marked man’s final hours at psychiatric unit

After hours of screaming, Cliff Detty wasn’t breathing. His chest lay still beneath the restraint that held it down. His limbs, also strapped down, stopped thrashing. Under the clinical lights of the room in which he was placed for observation,... (Continue reading)

While son struggled with mental illness, father fought his own battle

Just before 4 a.m., Rich Detty heard a knock. The Santa Maria man opened his front door and was surprised to see a Santa Barbara County sheriff’s deputy standing there. Detty assumed the officer was trying to find his son,... (Continue reading)

Allegations of misdeeds dog the sewage plant

Accusations that the administrator of a sanitation district in San Luis Obispo County’s South Bay has been funneling thousands of dollars to a private engineering company he owns while concealing environmental violations has drawn the attention of local, state and... (Continue reading)