Daniel Blackburn
Daniel Blackburn is editor of KCCN.tv
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Report: Water district plan endangers basin’s future
By DANIEL BLACKBURN A new, wide-reaching state law ostensibly intended to “sustain” water basins throughout California actually opens the door to privatization of the Paso Robles aquifer, according to a recently released report. Writing for the Golden Gate University Environmental Law Journal, authors Adam Keats and Chelsea Tu conclude that the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act […]... (Continue Reading)
Judge questions overdraft of Paso Robles basin
By DANIEL BLACKBURN A North County group of landowners seeking adjudication of water rights have gained a significant foothold in their quest to acquire “quiet title” to their properties overlying the Paso Robles Water Basin. Ruling tentatively in a case brought by Paso Robles vineyard owner Cindy Steinbeck and 200 other individuals and entities, San […]... (Continue Reading)
Hill zeroes in on broadcaster Dick Mason
By DANIEL BLACKBURN San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Adam Hill apparently has selected his next target for his unique brand of vitriol: veteran radio newsman Dick Mason. Mason is set to take over the morning news assignment at KVEC/920 on Jan. 18. Mason, let go from station KKJL a day before New Years’ Eve, discussed […]... (Continue Reading)
No rush for Paso Robles water district board slots
By DANIEL BLACKBURN Days away from a Friday deadline, only six people have thus far indicated they will compete for nine open seats on a proposed Paso Robles-area water district board, a controversial proposed district which itself has yet to be authorized by voters. More potential candidates likely will surface before the end of the […]... (Continue Reading)
Petetit out as PB Companies’ CEO
By DANIEL BLACKBURN A local developer accused of attacking and beating his live-in girlfriend is “stepping down” from his position of PB Companies chief executive officer. Prosecutors have charged Ryan Petetit with felony false imprisonment, felony battery with serious bodily injury, felony domestic violence and a misdemeanor charge of disabling a wireless device. He remains […]... (Continue Reading)
Supervisor Hill’s 2 jobs raise conflict of interest
Editor’s Note: This is part one in a two-part series about San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Adam Hill’s consulting work for a company tied to a prominent developer. Find the 2014 articles of organization for San Luis Consulting, Adam Hill’s Form 700 and a 2015 statement of information for San Luis Consulting at the end […]... (Continue Reading)
Tribune columnist is a paid lobbyist
By DANIEL BLACKBURN A regularly-featured columnist for San Luis Obispo County’s daily newspaper, who is a vocal critic of a controversial rail spur project proposed by Phillips 66, is a paid lobbyist for at least two entities poised to benefit financially if the project is eventually denied. Tom Fulks’ Sunday column appears in The Tribune […]... (Continue Reading)
Water district opposition growing, may sink plan
By DANIEL BLACKBURN A county commission pushed forward a proposal to form a Paso Robles water regulatory district Thursday while its top executive deflected assertions that more than a thousand letters of opposition have been kept from public view. The Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo) gave a nod to the Paso Robles Water Basin district’s […]... (Continue Reading)
Dollars or sense for Carroll family children?
By KAREN VELIE and DANIEL BLACKBURN Editor’s Note: This is the last of a three-part exclusive series detailing how three children were taken from their parents and placed in a home with a man now accused of sexual assault. Find part one here and part two here. San Luis Obispo County expects $21 million in […]... (Continue Reading)
A twisted road into the hands of a child rape suspect
By KAREN VELIE and DANIEL BLACKBURN Editor’s Note: This is part two in a three-part series on how three children were taken from their parents and placed in a home with a man now accused of sexual assault. Find part one here. Three San Luis Obispo children were taken from their homeless parents by the […]... (Continue Reading)
