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Uncovered SLO


Law reported closing in on EFI principals

Written on 20 Jul, 2008 in Uncovered SLO | 35 comments

By KAREN VELIE and DANIEL BLACKBURN Local and federal law enforcement agencies are investigating Estate Financial Inc. (EFI) and a criminal case is said to be “moving forward” even as a battalion of interested parties scrap over control of the failing... (Continue reading)

Medical pot shop owner facing 100 years

Written on 18 Jul, 2008 in Uncovered SLO | 26 comments

By DANIEL BLACKBURN Charles C. Lynch sits in his South County home this weekend awaiting the start of a trial that poses for him the threat of a century in federal prison for doing what he thought was the right thing. The... (Continue reading)

Peppered, pounded, pizza shop owner seeks big SLO dough

Written on 17 Jul, 2008 in Uncovered SLO | One comment

By DANIEL BLACKBURN Posted 1/22/2008 San Luis Obispo businessman Jeff Milne, home after a long day baking and serving at his Babbo’s Pizzeria on Santa Rosa, was surprised when he looked through a window... (Continue reading)

San Luis Trust CEO says extensive exam routine.

Written on 16 Jul, 2008 in Uncovered SLO | 4 comments

By DANIEL BLACKBURN and KAREN VELIE San Luis Trust Bank’s (SLTB) chief executive officer believes that an ongoing bank exam is “routine” but insiders suggest the number of examiners is extraordinary. Brad Lyon, who also serves as president of the San Luis... (Continue reading)

Covert attack mounted on trauma center plan

Written on 12 Jul, 2008 in Uncovered SLO | 13 comments

Physicians and officials at French and Arroyo Grande hospitals have mounted a concerted but furtive effort to halt plans for a trauma center. ... (Continue reading)

EFI investors, creditors planning participation

Written on 9 Jul, 2008 in Uncovered SLO | 38 comments

By DANIEL BLACKBURN Investors, builders, and creditors misled by Paso Robles hard money lender Estate Financial Inc. (EFI) are forming a pair of “advisory” committees to participate in an upcoming series of bankruptcy hearings and related actions promising to be both... (Continue reading)

Where did Hurst’s Beacon Road money go?

Written on 9 Jul, 2008 in Uncovered SLO | 9 comments

By DANIEL BLACKBURN and KAREN VELIE Investors wooed by Atascadero hard money lender Hurst Financial’s owner Jay Miller raised $414,000 of an apparent $485,000 loan to help fund a new North County commercial park, but learned within four months that only... (Continue reading)

Crowded women’s jail is big lawsuit threat

Written on 6 Jul, 2008 in Uncovered SLO | 5 comments

By RON CRAWFORD A badly overcrowded women’s jail is the result of Sheriff's Department officials' penchant for punishment, a policy that poses for county taxpayers a distinct threat of costly litigation. Repeated warnings from successive San Luis Obispo County grand juries and... (Continue reading)

Cuesta College accreditation reaffirmed

Written on 4 Jul, 2008 in Uncovered SLO | 2 comments

By KAREN VELIE Cuesta College officials learned Wednesday the institution has been removed from warning status and that its accreditation has been fully reaffirmed by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC). “With all the changes we have made, we... (Continue reading)

Night Moves: EFI files fund Chapter 11

Written on 4 Jul, 2008 in Uncovered SLO | 21 comments

By KAREN VELIE and DANIEL BLACKBURN Estate Financial Inc. (EFI) principals Karen Guth and Joshua Yaguda placed EFI’s Mortgage Fund LLC into voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy with a July 1 appearance in Santa Barbara’s Central District of California United States Bankruptcy... (Continue reading)