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Police chief accused of sexually assaulting her officers

Law enforcement officers have names for the girls offering them sex on the beat: Badge Bunny. Holster Sniffer. Uniform Jumper. Handcuff Hugger. In Paso Robles, brethren in blue have one more: The Chief. A flurry of complaints and mounting formal grievances... (Continue Reading)

Homeless director accused of pocketing donations

KEEPING THEM HOMELESS By KAREN VELIE, JOSH FRIEDMAN and DANIEL BLACKBURN (Editor’s note: This is part of an ongoing series about San Luis Obispo County Homeless Services and the nonprofits managing the program.) Homeless Services Coordinator Dee Torres routinely took... (Continue Reading)

Morro Bay officials shut down business competitors of council members

By JOSH FRIEDMAN (Editor’s note: This is the first in a series about allegations of abuse of power and selective enforcement of laws in Morro Bay. Several videos, showing police and planning staff interacting with people who have business interests... (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... (Continue Reading)

San Luis Obispo’s homeless barred from services

By JOSH FRIEDMAN, KAREN VELIE and DANIEL BLACKBURN Scores of homeless, barred from Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo’s homeless services, spend their days begging for food, looking for shelter and avoiding city police who target them. CAPSLO receives... (Continue Reading)

Love letter to the NRA

OPINION By PETE EVANS Recently the United Nations, those black booted thugs the neo cons hate, passed an arms control treaty (opposed by the National Rifle Association and its selfish allies) in an attempt to manage the obscene weapons traffic... (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... (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... (Continue Reading)

AG mayor seeks restraining order on public speaker

By DANIEL BLACKBURN Arroyo Grande City Council members met Wednesday morning to “discuss” hiring a private investigator who  apparently had already started his job, and Mayor Tony Ferrara angrily asked for a restraining order on outspoken critic Otis Page. According... (Continue Reading)

Police chief under fire for retaliating against her men

A Paso Robles police officer, who says his numerous attempts to force the chief to run the department in a legal and productive manner were rebuffed, filed a claim against the city in December and plans to follow up with... (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... (Continue Reading)

Paso Robles’ police protection dwindling

Rattled by a recent spike in violent crime, several Paso Robles police officers are questioning the impact the department’s current policy of not always responding to some criminal activities is having on public safety. Paso Robles has been operating under a... (Continue Reading)

Update: Parkinson unaware of tax liens?

In response to allegations that San Luis Obispo County Sheriff candidate Ian Parkinson was untruthful when he said that he has never had any tax liens, attorney John Ronca said his candidate had paid off three liens and asserts Parkinson... (Continue Reading)

Sheriff’s department sex scandal lands three under investigation

CORRECTION: While senior deputy Todd Steeb and Pozdolski’s wife are under investigation, Sheriff Ian Parkinson placed only John Pozdolski on paid administrative leave. By KAREN VELIE An alleged affair between a senior San Luis Obispo County Sheriff deputy and a... (Continue Reading)

Arroyo Grande tryst a group affair

By KAREN VELIE and DANIEL BLACKBURN A late night rendezvous at Arroyo Grande City Hall involving two city officials ended abruptly when emergency workers, responding to a 911 call about a missing spouse, discovered a partially dressed couple in the... (Continue Reading)

Atascadero woman attacks Obama protesters

By JOSH FRIEDMAN Claiming she was defending President Barack Obama from an unwarranted attack, an Atascadero woman pepper sprayed a group of peaceful protestors on Monday afternoon. Atascadero police then charged the woman with two counts of battery. During the... (Continue Reading)

Morro Bay councilman says vehicle code not for locals

Morro Bay Councilman George Leage said last week that only non-locals are prohibited from parking in Morro Bay red zones, according to a video submitted by a resident. Leage, who was standing outside his residence at his family’s sushi restaurant... (Continue Reading)

Adam Hill running for reelection, not the assembly

By KAREN VELIE San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Adam Hill filed an intention to run for supervisor in 2016 with the clerk recorder on Feb. 9. Hill had been considering a run for the 35th District Assembly seat, according to... (Continue Reading)

CAPSLO threatens whistleblowers in homeless inquiry

By CALCOASTNEWS STAFF Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo (CAPSLO) is threatening more than a dozen persons who have come forward with information about wrongdoing at the nonprofit which serves the homeless in San Luis Obispo County. These threats... (Continue Reading)

An Open Letter to the SLO City Council and the Citizens For SLO

OPINION By ROB FARINO My name is Rob, and I am a Fire Engineer for the City of San Luis Obispo. My wife is a local business owner downtown, and we live here in the City. I am one of... (Continue Reading)

Does Ann Coulter make you hot?

OPINION By ROGER FREBERG Conservative author and activist Ann Coulter will speak at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo on Feb. 28 from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Chumash Auditorium in the University Union. The event is free and... (Continue Reading)

Adam Hill tied to phony mailer

Members of the San Luis Obispo County Republican Party contend Adam Hill’s campaign is trying to influence the vote by sending out phony mailers in an attempt to give the false impression Hill has the Republican Party endorsement. An advertising... (Continue Reading)

Chick-Fil-A battle reaches Cal Poly

In support of GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee’s proclamation that today is Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day, several church groups plan to bus parishioners to Cal Poly to support the restaurant’s anti-gay marriage stance by purchasing meals at Chick-fil-A. The fast food... (Continue Reading)

Hill supporters accused of manipulating poll

In an apparent attempt to keep Adam Hill seated as 3rd District San Luis Obispo County Supervisor, several supporters allegedly used unethical methods to vote multiple times in a New Times poll. [NewTimes] The weekly poll question asked, “Which of... (Continue Reading)

Is Adam Hill crying wolf?

By KAREN VELIE San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Adam Hill says he’s getting death threats and as a result is being protected by the sheriff’s department. Hill has sent multiple emails describing the threats and posting photos of sheriff’s department... (Continue Reading)