https://calcoastnews.com San Luis Obispo County’s on-line independent news source producing in-depth investigative news in the public interest. Fri, 15 May 2026 17:56:26 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://calcoastnews.com/images/2022/10/cropped-largetile-32x32.jpg https://calcoastnews.com 32 32 59345941 https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/bike-slo-county-leader-enters-plea-in-child-molestation-case/ https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/bike-slo-county-leader-enters-plea-in-child-molestation-case/#comments Fri, 15 May 2026 16:30:44 +0000 https://calcoastnews.com/?p=133217 By KAREN VELIE The former executive director of Bike SLO County pleaded no contest on Thursday to one count for molesting his 6-year-old step-granddaughter in a hot tub last year. As a result of his plea, Richard Ellison is facing a sentence of up to one year in the San Luis Obispo County Jail and […]]]> https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/bike-slo-county-leader-enters-plea-in-child-molestation-case/feed/ 1 133217 https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/santa-maria-police-arrest-teen-gang-member-with-firearm/ https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/santa-maria-police-arrest-teen-gang-member-with-firearm/#comments Fri, 15 May 2026 14:17:26 +0000 https://calcoastnews.com/?p=133211 By JOSH FRIEDMAN Santa Maria police officers on Thursday arrested a teenage gang member who was allegedly in possession of an illegal firearm and ammunition. Shortly before 5 p.m., the Santa Maria Police Department’s Gang Suppression Team conducted a probation compliance check at a home in the 300 block of Lolita Avenue. The compliance check […]]]> https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/santa-maria-police-arrest-teen-gang-member-with-firearm/feed/ 1 133211 https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/man-who-transported-teen-from-nipomo-to-mexico-for-sex-sentenced/ https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/man-who-transported-teen-from-nipomo-to-mexico-for-sex-sentenced/#respond Fri, 15 May 2026 14:14:52 +0000 https://calcoastnews.com/?p=133209 By JOSH FRIEDMAN A man who took an Arizona teen from her grandmother’s home in Nipomo to Mexico for illicit sexual activity received a sentence on Wednesday of 45 years in federal prison. Daniel Navarro, 42, of Victorville, was found guilty last July of two counts of sexual exploitation of a child for production purposes, […]]]> https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/man-who-transported-teen-from-nipomo-to-mexico-for-sex-sentenced/feed/ 0 133209 https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/oh-california-where-art-thou/ https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/oh-california-where-art-thou/#comments Thu, 14 May 2026 17:37:32 +0000 https://calcoastnews.com/?p=133204 OPINION by JOHN SUMMER It didn’t begin well. My mom’s family moved to San Diego in 1940 from Colorado. It was a relief from working the coal mines in Crested Butte. California was truly a promised land. And it was, for a while. Then on Christmas Eve of that year, my grandfather, John, was walking […]]]> https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/oh-california-where-art-thou/feed/ 6 133204 https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/crews-search-pirates-cove-area-for-missing-arroyo-grande-man/ https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/crews-search-pirates-cove-area-for-missing-arroyo-grande-man/#respond Thu, 14 May 2026 16:24:28 +0000 https://calcoastnews.com/?p=133197 By JOSH FRIEDMAN Search and rescue crews are trying to find a 72-year-old Arroyo Grande man who hasn’t been seen since Monday and whose vehicle was found near Pirate’s Cove. On Tuesday, deputies responded to missing person report at Pirate’s Cove. The missing man is Gary Kiehl, according to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s […]]]> https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/crews-search-pirates-cove-area-for-missing-arroyo-grande-man/feed/ 0 133197 https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/carpinteria-caregiver-arrested-for-stealing-from-patient/ https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/carpinteria-caregiver-arrested-for-stealing-from-patient/#comments Wed, 13 May 2026 21:14:32 +0000 https://calcoastnews.com/?p=133188 By JOSH FRIEDMAN Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s detectives arrested a Carpinteria man late last month on multiple felony charges related to elder financial abuse. On April 25, a relative of a care patient in Goleta discovered suspicious activity involving the elderly person’s checking account. The suspicious activity included an unexplained cashed check and several missing […]]]> https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/carpinteria-caregiver-arrested-for-stealing-from-patient/feed/ 4 133188 https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/police-investigating-alleged-rape-in-uc-santa-barbara-dorm/ https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/police-investigating-alleged-rape-in-uc-santa-barbara-dorm/#respond Wed, 13 May 2026 21:01:01 +0000 https://calcoastnews.com/?p=133182 By JOSH FRIEDMAN University of California Santa Barbara Police are investigating an alleged rape that reportedly occurred in a dorm on Saturday night. At about 11 p.m., a caller reported a rape at campus housing to the UCSB Police Department. The suspect and the alleged victim met earlier in the evening at a party in […]]]> https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/police-investigating-alleged-rape-in-uc-santa-barbara-dorm/feed/ 0 133182 https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/san-luis-obispo-county-attempts-to-rectify-voter-guide-error/ https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/san-luis-obispo-county-attempts-to-rectify-voter-guide-error/#comments Wed, 13 May 2026 18:32:02 +0000 https://calcoastnews.com/?p=133176 By KAREN VELIE The San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorders Office on Tuesday mailed out a list of endorsed candidates it wrongly omitted from voter guide pages to all registered voters in an attempt to correct its error. California law allows the six approved parties – Democrat, Republican, American Independent, Green, Libertarian and Peace and Freedom […]]]> https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/san-luis-obispo-county-attempts-to-rectify-voter-guide-error/feed/ 9 133176 https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/officers-identify-paso-robles-man-killed-in-drunk-driving-crash/ https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/officers-identify-paso-robles-man-killed-in-drunk-driving-crash/#respond Wed, 13 May 2026 16:18:28 +0000 https://calcoastnews.com/?p=133173 By KAREN VELIE California Highway Patrol officers identified the 48-year-old Paso Robles man killed in a drunk driving crash as Matthew Baumgardner. Shortly after 7 p.m., 44-year-old Joseph Pate of Paso Robles was driving a 2015 Chevrolet Camaro on Nacimiento Lake Drive when he over corrected and hit a tree near Frazier Road. Baumgardner, who […]]]> https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/officers-identify-paso-robles-man-killed-in-drunk-driving-crash/feed/ 0 133173 https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/child-suffers-major-injuries-after-e-bike-collides-with-car-in-san-luis-obispo/ https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/child-suffers-major-injuries-after-e-bike-collides-with-car-in-san-luis-obispo/#comments Tue, 12 May 2026 22:33:38 +0000 https://calcoastnews.com/?p=133169 By JOSH FRIEDMAN A 12-year-old suffered major injuries on Saturday after the child’s electronic bike collided with a vehicle at a San Luis Obispo park. Shortly before 5 p.m., 911 callers reported a collision between a vehicle and a bicycle at De Vaul Park near Spooner Drive and Welsh Court. The bicyclist was not wearing […]]]> https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/child-suffers-major-injuries-after-e-bike-collides-with-car-in-san-luis-obispo/feed/ 8 133169 https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/semi-truck-crashes-into-highway-101-construction-zone-in-pismo-beach/ https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/semi-truck-crashes-into-highway-101-construction-zone-in-pismo-beach/#respond Tue, 12 May 2026 17:20:47 +0000 https://calcoastnews.com/?p=133162 By JOSH FRIEDMAN A semi-truck crashed into a construction zone on Highway 101 in Pismo Beach Monday night, resulting in a temporary closure of the highway to southbound traffic in the area. Shortly before 10:15 p.m., the  semi-truck drove into the construction zone on southbound Highway 101 south of Price Street. The truck hit a […]]]> https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/semi-truck-crashes-into-highway-101-construction-zone-in-pismo-beach/feed/ 0 133162 https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/arroyo-grande-faces-a-water-crisis-paulding-faces-a-conflict/ https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/arroyo-grande-faces-a-water-crisis-paulding-faces-a-conflict/#comments Tue, 12 May 2026 08:44:36 +0000 https://calcoastnews.com/?p=133156 OPINION by CISSIE PACE San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Jimmy Paulding says he opposes the lawsuits. So why has he said so little about them publicly? South County faces two major legal threats that could reshape its future. One targets Lopez Dam operations and the region’s drinking water supply. The other continues the long-running legal […]]]> https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/arroyo-grande-faces-a-water-crisis-paulding-faces-a-conflict/feed/ 15 133156 https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/officers-arrest-san-luis-obispo-burglary-suspects/ https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/officers-arrest-san-luis-obispo-burglary-suspects/#comments Tue, 12 May 2026 07:47:19 +0000 https://calcoastnews.com/?p=133136 By JOSH FRIEDMAN Law enforcement officers arrested San Luis Obispo retail burglary suspects as they were attempting to flee through Santa Maria last month. Shortly after 4 p.m. on April 26, the San Luis Obispo Police Department issued a be on the lookout for a vehicle connected with a burglary at a retail store. CHP […]]]> https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/officers-arrest-san-luis-obispo-burglary-suspects/feed/ 2 133136 https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/fire-at-natural-gas-platform-off-carpinteria-extinguished/ https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/fire-at-natural-gas-platform-off-carpinteria-extinguished/#respond Tue, 12 May 2026 07:42:09 +0000 https://calcoastnews.com/?p=133149 By KAREN VELIE Firefighters extinguished a fire at a natural-gas rig about nine miles off the coast of Carpinteria on Monday morning. Shortly before 7 a.m., a fire was reported at the non-operational platform. Rescue crews then evacuated 26 crew members working to decommission the platform. Two workers suffered minor injuries. The cause of the […]]]> https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/fire-at-natural-gas-platform-off-carpinteria-extinguished/feed/ 0 133149 https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/arroyo-grande-water-rates-expected-to-increase-because-of-lawsuit/ https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/arroyo-grande-water-rates-expected-to-increase-because-of-lawsuit/#comments Tue, 12 May 2026 00:18:36 +0000 https://calcoastnews.com/?p=133126 By KAREN VELIE Most of south San Luis Obispo County is facing increased water rates because of an ongoing lawsuit over Lopez Lake water, with Arroyo Grande residents in line to pay the bulk of the costs in the fight over water for residents or for an endangered fish. In Dec. 2024, a U.S. district […]]]> https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/arroyo-grande-water-rates-expected-to-increase-because-of-lawsuit/feed/ 6 133126