Charles Tenborg v. CalCoastNews/UncoveredSLO.com
This is a collection of articles around the lawsuit Charles Tenborg v. CalCoastNews/UncoveredSLO.com, including what we discovered after the case was lost and what has happened that will help set things right again.
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PDFA failed try to kill CalCoastNews
OPINION by DANIEL BLACKBURN Six years ago today, an article was published on CalCoastNews that would forever reshape the lives of its authors and their families — and ultimately those of the article’s subjects. The article discussed questionable practices by the county’s garbage agency, the Integrated Waste Management Authority (IWMA), its 20-year manager William Worrell, […]... (Continue Reading)
Worrell on leave, IWMA fraud investigation continues
By Cal Coast Times staff The San Luis Obispo County Integrated Waste Management Authority Board voted unanimously on Wednesday to place the agency’s manager on paid administrative leave because of criminal allegations of misuse of public funds. [Cal Coast Times] In May, several members of the public asked the board to call for a forensic […]... (Continue Reading)
Is the IWMA’s proposed Styrofoam ban ordinance illegal?
By KAREN VELIE While arguments rage over a proposed countywide ordinance to ban Styrofoam food containers, a retired San Luis Obispo County deputy county counsel contends the Integrated Waste Management Authority (IWMA) does not have authority to pass ordinances. [Cal Coast Times] The California Constitution grants only cities and counties power to pass ordinances — […]... (Continue Reading)
IWMA credit card used for personal costs, audit shows
By Cal Coast Times staff The San Luis Obispo County Integrated Waste Management Authority spends thousands of dollars of taxpayer money every month on a US Bank credit card “for what appear to be personal uses,” reported Carl Knudson, an investigator hired by a citizens’ group. [Cal Coast Times] Based on documents obtained under the […]... (Continue Reading)
Investigator uncovers false testimony in CalCoastNews libel case
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the third in a multi-part series of articles about San Luis Obispo County’s waste disposal agency. The first reported on the agency’s free-spending use of a public credit card and the lack of credit card documentation of nearly a half-million dollars. The second reported that the SLO County District Attorney’s office […]... (Continue Reading)
SLO IWMA Board calls for special meeting to discuss criminal investigation
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the second in a multi-part series of articles about San Luis Obispo County’s waste disposal agency. The first reported on the agency’s free-spending use of a public credit card and the lack of credit card documentation of nearly a half-million dollars. By Cal Coast Times staff District Attorney Dan Dow has […]... (Continue Reading)
Charles Tenborg pays restitution to CalRecycle for false claims
A CalCoastNews investigation has led to the payment of almost $35,000 to CalRecycle in a false claim investigation of Charles Tenborg, a contractor working with the San Luis Obispo Integrated Waste Management Authority (IWMA). [Cal Coast Times] Tenborg paid $34,634 in restitution to the state after a CalRecycle investigation found that Tenborg had submitted false […]... (Continue Reading)
CalCoastNews staff appeals million-dollar libel award
CalCoastNews reporters have filed an appeal of a $1.1 million libel judgment in the case where much of the information used by Karen Velie and Dan Blackburn was kept from the jury. In 2012, CalCoastNews reported on the Integrated Waste Management Authority and one of its contractors, Eco Solutions. Eco Solutions owner Charles Tenborg later […]... (Continue Reading)
CCN trial delayed until March
CalCoastNews and its founders will face trial March 6 after a delay was granted by San Luis Obispo County Superior Court Judge Barry LaBarbara. The trial had been scheduled to start this week. The libel action has been brought by Charles Tenborg, whose company, Eco Solutions, hauled hazardous waste and contracted with the county’s Integrated […]... (Continue Reading)
CCN set to battle pernicious lawsuit
By CalCoastNews staff CalCoastNews is preparing to defend itself against a claim of libel in a trial now set for next month in a San Luis Obispo County courtroom. A Northern California journalist predicts the outcome “may determine the fate of CalCoastNews’ eight-year-long experiment to offer local news coverage amid a trend of shrinking news […]... (Continue Reading)
