Josh Friedman
Writer Josh Friedman may or may not live in San Luis Obispo County.
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New Year’s vacationers reroute travels to Grover Beach City Hall
By JOSH FRIEDMAN Residents from across California flocked to a Grover Beach City Council meeting Monday night in support of reseating Mayor Debbie Peterson on a regional air pollution control board — something the council, including Peterson, did not bring to the table. Peterson called the special meeting to try and stem off an appeal […]... (Continue Reading)
Grover Beach air board rift spills over to conference center project
By JOSH FRIEDMAN Following the removal of Grover Beach Mayor Debbie Peterson from a regional air pollution board, an organization that supports off-road activity on the Oceano Dunes is planning to appeal the construction of an 11,000 square foot conference center and lodge in Grover Beach. On Dec. 16, the Grover Beach City Council voted […]... (Continue Reading)
Los Osos board member stepping down
By JOSH FRIEDMAN Los Osos Community Services District board member David Vogel moved outside of the district, making him ineligible to remain in office. Vogel moved to a house on Cimarron Way, which is just outside the southeastern district boundary, according to a San Luis Obispo Local Agency Formation Commission map. “I had no clue […]... (Continue Reading)
Oceano board to meet pre-Christmas after manager plagiarism charge
By JOSH FRIEDMAN The Oceano Community Services District Board of Directors will hold a special meeting two days before Christmas to discuss the performance of its general manager, who is accused of plagiarizing part of his job application. Since longtime engineer Lonnie Curtis took over as district general manager on October 15, the board has […]... (Continue Reading)
Oceano general manager under board scrutiny
By JOSH FRIEDMAN The Oceano Community Services District Board of Directors will meet in closed session Wednesday evening to review the performance of recently hired General Manager Lonnie Curtis. Wednesday’s closed session hearing will mark the second time Curtis’s performance has come under review in his first two months on the job. Government watchdogs have […]... (Continue Reading)
Morro Bay Harbor Board weighs alleged misuse of funds
By JOSH FRIEDMAN The Morro Bay Harbor Advisory Board discussed allegations Thursday that the city misappropriated funds from the outfall lease agreement for the Morro Bay Power Plant. For nearly a decade, owners of the Morro Bay Power Plant have paid the city approximately $800,000 annually in order to pipe cooling water through state granted […]... (Continue Reading)
Grandchildren of CCN publisher spend holidays in county hands
By JOSH FRIEDMAN and DANIEL BLACKBURN In the midst of a CalCoastNews investigation into alleged abuses of power by a county agency, three grandchildren of the news agency’s co-founder and publisher have been removed from their family and forced to spend Thanksgiving in foster homes. Karen Velie’s grandchildren, 10-year-old Gwen, 8-year-old Brenden, and 7-year-old Kaleb, […]... (Continue Reading)
State commission investigating Morro Bay for misuse of funds
By JOSH FRIEDMAN Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of articles detailing allegations of misappropriation of funds and questionable lease agreements promoted by Morro Bay officials. The California State Lands Commission is investigating the city of Morro Bay over concerns that it misused funds it received from the owners of the soon-to-close […]... (Continue Reading)
Where does Morro Bay’s George Leage live?
By KAREN VELIE and JOSH FRIEDMAN Morro Bay Councilman George Leage does not have a legal residence in Morro Bay; instead he sleeps in an apartment in his family’s sushi restaurant, Off the Hook. Off the Hook is located in Morro Bay tidelands, an area of which the city acquired ownership through a state grant. […]... (Continue Reading)
Oceano board accused of skirting Brown Act
By JOSH FRIEDMAN A government watchdog organization has again accused the Oceano Community Services District Board of Directors of violating California’s open meeting law, the Ralph M. Brown Act. Attorney for Californians Aware Terry Francke authored a letter Friday to recently hired General Manager Lonnie Curtis stating the Oceano board violated the Brown Act by […]... (Continue Reading)
