Karen Velie
Karen Velie lives in San Luis Obispo County.
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Arroyo Grande’s mayor elect wants lawsuit abandoned
By KAREN VELIE Amid mounting legal costs, incoming Arroyo Grande Mayor Jim Hill asked the South San Luis Obispo County Sanitation District Board to immediately cease and desist legal action against the state. Two weeks ago, the sanitation district board voted unanimously to file a lawsuit against the state over a $1.1 million fine in […]... (Continue Reading)
Write-in Jim Hill wins Arroyo Grande mayor’s seat
By KAREN VELIE and DANIEL BLACKBURN Amid allegations of poor leadership and abuse of power, write-in candidate Jim Hill has scored a stunning victory in the Arroyo Grande mayor’s seat, trumping incumbent Tony Ferrara by 95 votes, according to unofficial results released by the San Luis Obispo Clerk Recorder’s Office on Monday. Ferrara is newly […]... (Continue Reading)
Professor sues Cal Poly over flu preparedness secrecy
By KAREN VELIE A California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo journalism professor has filed an open records suit against the university. Bill Loving, professor and editor of CalCoastNews, is suing to get records about the university’s preparation in the event of an outbreak of an infectious disease on campus. Loving named Cal Poly President […]... (Continue Reading)
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)
Adam Hill lobbies SLO Council members
By KAREN VELIE The day before San Luis Obispo City Council members are scheduled to make a decision on disciplining Councilman John Ashbaugh for violation of the state’s open meeting law, San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Adam Hill lobbied the council to drop the issue. On Sunday afternoon, Hill called and emailed council members asking […]... (Continue Reading)
Sanitation district mounting lawsuit against the state
By KAREN VELIE The South San Luis Obispo County Sanitation District Board voted unanimously Wednesday to file a lawsuit against the state over a $1.1 million fine in a fight that has already cost ratepayers over $750,000. In 2010, issues at the sanitation district resulted in 384,000 million gallons of raw sewage flowing into Oceano […]... (Continue Reading)
Arroyo Grande residents vote for change
By KAREN VELIE Amid a scandal and allegations of abuse of power, the Arroyo Grande mayor and two incumbents failed to get 50 percent of the vote. With 5,041 votes counted, Mayor Tony Ferrara has 2,353 and write-in candidate Jim Hill has 1,967 votes leaving 721 either blank or with the write in candidate’s name […]... (Continue Reading)
Arroyo Grande Council attendees pick sides, the mayor or police
By KAREN VELIE At Tuesdays Arroyo Grande City Council meeting, proponents and opponents of Mayor Tony Ferrara spoke out during public comment while three San Luis Obispo sheriff deputies and a police commander stood by in case of any altercations. Fifteen people spoke during public comment, five in favor of the mayor and 10 supporting […]... (Continue Reading)
A reckoning for Councilman John Ashbaugh
By KAREN VELIE In the aftermath of San Luis Obispo Councilman John Ashbaugh’s public tirade that included violating open meeting laws, San Luis Obispo City staff announced plans to discuss the violations at the Nov. 10 council meeting. Following months of lobbying by several developers and San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Adam Hill to override […]... (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)
