Karen Velie
Karen Velie lives in San Luis Obispo County.
The "Continue Reading" links open in a new window or tab.
Sex scandal sinks AG police officer confidence
By KAREN VELIE and DANIEL BLACKBURN Arroyo Grande police officers lodged a formal complaint and a vote of no confidence Thursday against City Manager Steve Adams and Mayor Tony Ferrara fueled by disagreements over the city’s failure to investigate an alleged violation of city policy following a late night romantic interlude between Adams and a […]... (Continue Reading)
Is law enforcement using Facebook to bust pot users?
By KAREN VELIE Law enforcement agencies throughout the country are using Facebook to help them catch criminals, and on the Central Coast, officers may have taken it a step further. Many departments are now training officers on how to navigate Facebook. In some cases, officers have arrested criminals who touted their illegal acts on social […]... (Continue Reading)
San Luis Obispo County makes the top 5 student truancy list
By KAREN VELIE San Luis Obispo County made the top-five list of California counties with the highest student truancy rates, according to a report released Friday by California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris. San Luis Obispo County had the fifth highest rate of truancy of California’s 58 counties during the 2012-2013 school year. Because of […]... (Continue Reading)
Arroyo Grande tape missing 80 minutes
By KAREN VELIE and DANIEL BLACKBURN Surveillance video provided by Arroyo Grande officials showing interior and exterior views of City Hall on July 3 — when a reported late night rendezvous involving two top employees occurred — is missing 80 critical minutes. The videos were provided to CalCoastNews in response to a public records request […]... (Continue Reading)
Is Arroyo Grande violating its own water conservation laws?
By KAREN VELIE Amid mandatory water conservation efforts, Arroyo Grande city staff has dumped 30,000 to 50,000 gallons of potable water down the gutter while telling the code enforcement officer to ignore the situation. After deciding to paint one of the city’s water tanks, city staff elected to drain the last 30,000 to 50,000 gallons […]... (Continue Reading)
Sex, lies, video, and a city cover-up
By KAREN VELIE and DANIEL BLACKBURN Arroyo Grande police officer reports and city video tapes support allegations of a late night romantic rendezvous at City Hall between City Manager Steve Adams and a subordinate. On July 3, shortly after Community Development Director Teresa McClish’s husband called 911 to report that his wife had not arrived […]... (Continue Reading)
San Miguel board fires district manager
By KAREN VELIE Three San Miguel Community Services District Board members voted Thursday to fire their district manager. The legality of which is questionable as the meeting was not on the agenda. On Aug. 28 at 6 p.m., four board members, Connie Jarvis was absent, met in a special meeting for a six-month evaluation of […]... (Continue Reading)
Contentious supervisor race impacts future candidates
By KAREN VELIE UPDATE: The Fair Political Practices Commission sent Lynn Compton a warning letter dated Sept. 2. The warning says Compton violated the Political Reform Act by not reporting the value of the use of vehicles adorned with advertising. And that because Compton took quick action and immediately amended her filing, no further action […]... (Continue Reading)
San Luis Obispo doctor on probation over pot prescriptions
By KAREN VELIE A San Luis Obispo physician who wrote 30,000 prescriptions for medical marijuana in three years has begun a probated sentence. Dr. Atsuko Rees, subject of an exclusive CalCoastNews story, had her medical license suspended for 45 days and remains under probation. Dr. Rees would see as many as 60 to 70 patients […]... (Continue Reading)
San Luis Obispo seeking Styrofoam container ban
By KAREN VELIE The San Luis Obispo City Council is scheduled to discuss the banning of Styrofoam products on Tuesday evening. In March, the city council asked staff to look into banning Styrofoam products. In California, 80 cities and counties have regulations against Styrofoam products, the staff report says. Styrofoam is not recyclable or biodegradable. […]... (Continue Reading)
