Daniel Blackburn
Daniel Blackburn is editor of KCCN.tv
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Officer accused of lying to a judge
By KAREN VELIE and DANIEL BLACKBURN A member of the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force is under investigation for allegedly lying in a search warrant affidavit in order to gain access to a San Miguel man’s home and vehicle. The raid resulted in the reported discovery of about a fourth of an […]... (Continue Reading)
Will the real demagogues please stand up?
OPINION by DANIEL BLACKBURN Usually, those unusually insipid things we read so regularly in our local daily newspaper come and go from our thoughts like the pat of a subway groper. Until Joe. Look, I’ll say from the start that it pains me to criticize another media entity — mostly because it’s a practice most […]... (Continue Reading)
Ferrara now chasing write-in Hill
By DANIEL BLACKBURN At the tail end of a race he never expected to run, Arroyo Grande Mayor Tony Ferrara will spend the weekend mulling vote totals announced by county voting officials Friday afternoon showing a write-in candidate leading him by 43 votes. At day’s end, Ferrara still could not crack 50 percent of the […]... (Continue Reading)
Hill overtaking Ferrara in A.G. mayor race
By DANIEL BLACKBURN A spectacular political upset may be brewing in the colorful race for the mayor’s seat in the village of Arroyo Grande, with write-in candidate Jim Hill gaining substantial ground Thursday on longtime incumbent Tony Ferrara as county election officials continued counting additional ballots. Ferrara’s initial 9-point lead, fueled by early mail-in tallies, […]... (Continue Reading)
Paso council race almost seems civilized
By DANIEL BLACKBURN In a campaign season drenched in vitriol, the contest for two vacant city council seats in Paso Robles appears quite sanguine. And the mayor’s job there will be filled by default; former council member Steve Martin will assume the four-year post unopposed. Five candidates seek a pair of council seats. JIM REED […]... (Continue Reading)
Ferrara to oversee manager consultant pick
By DANIEL BLACKBURN Two of the most ardent supporters of disgraced Arroyo Grande City Manager Steve Adams will pick a consultant to find Adams’ replacement at an estimated cost of $26,000 if the city council approves a staff proposal on Tuesday. Mayor Tony Ferrara and Mayor pro Tem Jim Guthrie “will interview and recommend” a […]... (Continue Reading)
A crooked road to Arroyo Grande?
Editor’s note: The Arroyo Grande ordinance limiting how the mayor and city council members may legally interact with city staff is at the bottom of this story. By KAREN VELIE and DANIEL BLACKBURN Business owners and city staffers in Arroyo Grande have come out with accusations of graft and corruption by Mayor Tony Ferrara and […]... (Continue Reading)
Another back-room romance: government and local media
“If we don’t believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don’t believe in it at all.” — Philosopher and linguist Noam Chomsky OPINION By DANIEL BLACKBURN It used to be that citizens who had the nerve to stand up to government officials got blowback only from arrogant politicians lacking the time, patience, […]... (Continue Reading)
Big guns show for Arroyo Grande Council meeting
By DANIEL BLACKBURN Arroyo Grande city officials imported backup law enforcement fire power for Tuesday’s council meeting, but a tightly-regimented gathering of citizens remained in check as debate surrounding a July 3 City Hall incident continued to simmer. At Police Chief Steve Annibali’s request, San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson and Commander Brian Hascall […]... (Continue Reading)
SLO’s police chief brings back Israeli lessons on suicide bombers, rioters
By KAREN VELIE and DANIEL BLACKBURN San Luis Obispo Police Chief Steve Gesell spent a week in Israel learning how its police agencies deal with suicide bombers and attacks by militants armed with automatic weapons. The program, sponsored by the Anti-Defamation League, provides American police officials with training in Israeli police tactics that includes having […]... (Continue Reading)
