Karen Velie
Karen Velie lives in San Luis Obispo County.
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Marx seeking sales tax renewal end-run around law
By KAREN VELIE San Luis Obispo Mayor Jan Marx is seeking to use an appellate court ruling to forego the two-thirds council vote requirement to place a tax increase on the November ballot. In 1986, California voters passed Proposition 62, which requires a two-thirds vote of a city council or county board of supervisors to […]... (Continue Reading)
Is it time for a forensic audit of the South County sanitation district?
By KAREN VELIE Amid allegations of mismanagement, the South San Luis Obispo County Sanitation District’s former administrator stepped down, and less than a year later the plant is operating cleaner at less than 50 percent the cost, according to financial reports obtained from the district. Under former administrator John Wallace, the district regularly exceeded its […]... (Continue Reading)
SLO County supervisors violate campaign disclosure laws
By KAREN VELIE Two members of the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors violated the Political Reform Act this year, according to the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC). Developer Gary Grossman donated $1,000 to Adam Hill the same week the supervisor attended a groundbreaking for one of Grossman’s Pismo Beach developments. Even so, on […]... (Continue Reading)
Push poll sullies supervisor race
By KAREN VELIE A mysterious group has been placing highly misleading phone calls to south San Luis Obispo County voters, trying to dissuade them from voting for Mike Byrd or Lynn Compton in the June supervisorial election. San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisor races have a reputation for political dirty tricks, and this year’s […]... (Continue Reading)
Compton leads in San Luis Obispo County supervisorial fundraising
By KAREN VELIE After sporting the largest number of contributors during the latest reporting period, San Luis Obispo County supervisorial candidate Lynn Compton has jumped further ahead of her South County rivals Caren Ray and Mike Byrd, according to their latest campaign finance statements. During her campaign, Compton has collected $114,076 in cash and non-monetary […]... (Continue Reading)
Hill goes to battle with CAPSLO
By KAREN VELIE and JOSH FRIEDMAN Editor’s note: Read a letter from Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo to the board of supervisors that includes a statement by Supervisor Adam Hill at the bottom of this article. San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Adam Hill publicly chastised and threatened his fiancée’s employer this week, prompting […]... (Continue Reading)
Jailhouse death preceded by excess force claim
By KAREN VELIE and JOSH FRIEDMAN A 28-year-old man filed a $1.5 million lawsuit against the San Luis Obispo Police Department claiming officers physically assaulted him. He died less than two weeks later just hours after another encounter with city police officers. At 11:26 p.m. on Tuesday, police officers booked Josey Richard Meche into the […]... (Continue Reading)
Nuanced definitions muddy water debate
By DANIEL BLACKBURN and KAREN VELIE San Luis Obispo County supervisors are preparing the framework for facilitating a North County-based water district even while advocates scramble to describe what such a district would, or could, do. A widening rift over water rights to the Paso Robles basin, pitting agricultural and rural neighbors against one another, […]... (Continue Reading)
High speed pursuit suspect hit by a truck
By KAREN VELIE A 39-year-old man who evaded Arroyo Grande police during a high-speed chase on Tuesday was hit by a truck while fleeing San Luis Obispo police on Wednesday. San Luis Obispo police officers discovered Arroyo Grande resident Cameron Hein walking on Los Osos Valley Road near Highway 101. Hein then hid in some […]... (Continue Reading)
James Miller pleads guilty, daughter gets immunity
By KAREN VELIE Former Hurst Financial President James Miller agreed to plead guilty to a four-count criminal complaint under an agreement that his daughter Courtney Brard will not be prosecuted. Miller, 63, pled guilty in 2011 to charges of mail fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, and making a false statement to a bank. Miller and […]... (Continue Reading)
