https://calcoastnews.com San Luis Obispo County’s on-line independent news source producing in-depth investigative news in the public interest. Sat, 02 May 2026 23:00:53 +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/san-luis-obispo-mma-fighter-steven-sainsbury-at-table-mountain-casino-resort/ https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/san-luis-obispo-mma-fighter-steven-sainsbury-at-table-mountain-casino-resort/#respond Sat, 02 May 2026 23:00:53 +0000 https://calcoastnews.com/?p=132937 By KAREN VELIE San Luis Obispo Mixed Martial Arts fighter Steven Sainsbury is competing in his seventh professional bout on May 2 – Valley Fight Series 25 at Table Mountain Casino Resort. Sainsbury will go toe-to-toe with Fresno native James Porter. Porter is 6 feet 2 inches tall with a 79 inch reach. Sainsbury is […]]]> https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/san-luis-obispo-mma-fighter-steven-sainsbury-at-table-mountain-casino-resort/feed/ 0 132937 https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/kayaker-drowns-off-coast-of-san-luis-obispo-county/ https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/kayaker-drowns-off-coast-of-san-luis-obispo-county/#respond Sat, 02 May 2026 22:27:02 +0000 https://calcoastnews.com/?p=132931 By KAREN VELIE A male drowned while kayaking off the coast of Montana de Oro State Park in San Luis Obispo County on Saturday morning. Shortly after 10:20 a.m., a caller reported a kayaker was flipped over by waves. It appeared the Kayaker’s life vest somehow slipped off his body. The SLO County Sheriff’s Office, […]]]> https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/kayaker-drowns-off-coast-of-san-luis-obispo-county/feed/ 0 132931 https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/man-who-threatened-slo-county-official-seeks-plea-agreement/ https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/man-who-threatened-slo-county-official-seeks-plea-agreement/#respond Sat, 02 May 2026 19:01:30 +0000 https://calcoastnews.com/?p=132918 By KAREN VELIE The man accused of planning to kill San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow is likely to be released from prison in less than a year because of a plea agreement. On Jan. 24, 2025, FBI agents disrupted David Platek’s plan to kill Dow and then explode a bomb at Templeton […]]]> https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/man-who-threatened-slo-county-official-seeks-plea-agreement/feed/ 0 132918 https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/slo-county-unemployment-rate-continues-falling/ https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/slo-county-unemployment-rate-continues-falling/#comments Fri, 01 May 2026 18:51:06 +0000 https://calcoastnews.com/?p=132911 By KAREN VELIE San Luis Obispo County’s unemployment rate fell slightly in March to 4.1%, the state Employment Development Department reported Friday. During the same time, unemployment rates in California and the United States also declined. The county unemployment rate fell from 4.6% in January, to 4.4% in February, to 4.1 in March. During March, […]]]> https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/slo-county-unemployment-rate-continues-falling/feed/ 2 132911 https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/shooting-results-in-brief-lockdown-of-lompoc-high-school/ https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/shooting-results-in-brief-lockdown-of-lompoc-high-school/#respond Fri, 01 May 2026 18:06:22 +0000 https://calcoastnews.com/?p=132905 By JOSH FRIEDMAN A shooting on Thursday resulted in the brief lockdown of Lompoc High School. Prior to 2 p.m., multiple 911 callers reported the sound of gunshots in the area of the 600 block of West College Avenue. Thus far, there have been no reported injuries resulting from the shooting, according to the Lompoc […]]]> https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/shooting-results-in-brief-lockdown-of-lompoc-high-school/feed/ 0 132905 https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/california-coastal-commission-issues-apology-to-elon-musk-spacex/ https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/california-coastal-commission-issues-apology-to-elon-musk-spacex/#comments Fri, 01 May 2026 16:12:30 +0000 https://calcoastnews.com/?p=132895 By JOSH FRIEDMAN As part of a settlement with Elon Musk’s aerospace company SpaceX, the California Coastal Commission issued an apology for remarks its commissioners made about Musk last year, specifically for letting their political beliefs about the CEO influence their regulatory decision-making. [Washington Examiner] On Oct. 10, 2024, the Coastal Commission held a hearing […]]]> https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/california-coastal-commission-issues-apology-to-elon-musk-spacex/feed/ 9 132895 https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/san-luis-obispo-officers-seek-help-identifying-alleged-thieves-2/ https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/san-luis-obispo-officers-seek-help-identifying-alleged-thieves-2/#comments Fri, 01 May 2026 15:49:29 +0000 https://calcoastnews.com/?p=132898 By KAREN VELIE The San Luis Obispo Police Department is seeking the public’s help identifying a pair of thieves who allegedly stole merchandise from the Home Depot on April 24. The man and woman arrived at the store in a brown Silverado pickup truck. One of the suspects is a man wearing a cap, glasses […]]]> https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/san-luis-obispo-officers-seek-help-identifying-alleged-thieves-2/feed/ 1 132898 https://calcoastnews.com/2026/04/slo-county-group-drops-effort-to-put-transportation-tax-on-ballot/ https://calcoastnews.com/2026/04/slo-county-group-drops-effort-to-put-transportation-tax-on-ballot/#comments Thu, 30 Apr 2026 17:56:51 +0000 https://calcoastnews.com/?p=132890 By JOSH FRIEDMAN A San Luis Obispo County citizens’ group has halted its effort to get a .5% sales tax measure for transportation projects on the November ballot. The SLO Council of Governments (SLOCOG) could still place the same initiative on the ballot, but it would need a two-thirds vote to pass, rather than a […]]]> https://calcoastnews.com/2026/04/slo-county-group-drops-effort-to-put-transportation-tax-on-ballot/feed/ 20 132890 https://calcoastnews.com/2026/04/its-time-congressman-salud-carbajal-stopped-blaming-others/ https://calcoastnews.com/2026/04/its-time-congressman-salud-carbajal-stopped-blaming-others/#comments Thu, 30 Apr 2026 17:28:49 +0000 https://calcoastnews.com/?p=132887 OPINION by JOHN SUMMER An open letter to Congressman Saul Carbajal: I received your latest email and commentary on April 15, tax day. First, I honor your military service to our country as a U.S. Marine Corps reservist. Most of my family also served our country, but in combat conditions, including my father as a […]]]> https://calcoastnews.com/2026/04/its-time-congressman-salud-carbajal-stopped-blaming-others/feed/ 25 132887 https://calcoastnews.com/2026/04/lompoc-police-arrest-teen-over-shooting/ https://calcoastnews.com/2026/04/lompoc-police-arrest-teen-over-shooting/#comments Thu, 30 Apr 2026 14:52:49 +0000 https://calcoastnews.com/?p=132881 By JOSH FRIEDMAN Lompoc police officers on Wednesday arrested an 18-year-old alleged gang member over a shooting in the Santa Barbara County city last month.  On March 15, a caller reported a physical altercation at a business in the 700 block of North H Street. Gunshots were fired while officers were in route to the […]]]> https://calcoastnews.com/2026/04/lompoc-police-arrest-teen-over-shooting/feed/ 5 132881 https://calcoastnews.com/2026/04/oceano-man-charged-with-distributing-child-pornography/ https://calcoastnews.com/2026/04/oceano-man-charged-with-distributing-child-pornography/#comments Thu, 30 Apr 2026 04:07:05 +0000 https://calcoastnews.com/?p=132875 By KAREN VELIE San Luis Obispo County Sheriff detectives served a search warrant in Oceano and then arrested a 25-year-old man for possession and distribution of suspected child pornography on Wednesday. As part of an ongoing investigation, deputies served a search warrant at a home in the 2200 block of Beach Street. Investigators identified Joshua […]]]> https://calcoastnews.com/2026/04/oceano-man-charged-with-distributing-child-pornography/feed/ 8 132875 https://calcoastnews.com/2026/04/big-rig-overturns-blocking-highway-166-overnight/ https://calcoastnews.com/2026/04/big-rig-overturns-blocking-highway-166-overnight/#comments Wed, 29 Apr 2026 22:31:13 +0000 https://calcoastnews.com/?p=132868 By JOSH FRIEDMAN A big rig rolled over on Highway 166 Tuesday night, blocking traffic in both directions. Shortly after 10:40 p.m., a semi-truck crashed and overturned on Highway 166 near Miranda Canyon Road, according to Cal Fire. Cal Fire personnel from San Luis Obispo County came out to the scene, along with a Santa […]]]> https://calcoastnews.com/2026/04/big-rig-overturns-blocking-highway-166-overnight/feed/ 2 132868 https://calcoastnews.com/2026/04/gang-member-given-42-years-to-life-in-prison-for-oceano-murder-knife-assault/ https://calcoastnews.com/2026/04/gang-member-given-42-years-to-life-in-prison-for-oceano-murder-knife-assault/#comments Wed, 29 Apr 2026 03:14:21 +0000 https://calcoastnews.com/?p=132858 By JOSH FRIEDMAN A San Luis Obispo County judge on Tuesday sentenced a 31-year-old gang member from Santa Maria to 42 years to life in prison for the murder of an Oceano man and a separate knife assault of a juvenile. Last year, a San Luis Obispo County jury found Angel Ramos-Ramirez  guilty of the […]]]> https://calcoastnews.com/2026/04/gang-member-given-42-years-to-life-in-prison-for-oceano-murder-knife-assault/feed/ 5 132858 https://calcoastnews.com/2026/04/under-scrutiny-slo-county-political-commitee-amends-filings/ https://calcoastnews.com/2026/04/under-scrutiny-slo-county-political-commitee-amends-filings/#comments Wed, 29 Apr 2026 00:01:02 +0000 https://calcoastnews.com/?p=132852 By KAREN VELIE Amid allegations a political action committee that supports the reelection of San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Jimmy Paulding was not complying with election laws, the South County Coalition changed its filing to include several other candidates. Paulding’s 2022 campaign committee treasurer Dorthy Hines formed the coalition on March 26, after retired attorney […]]]> https://calcoastnews.com/2026/04/under-scrutiny-slo-county-political-commitee-amends-filings/feed/ 9 132852 https://calcoastnews.com/2026/04/of-buddhists-and-bukowski/ https://calcoastnews.com/2026/04/of-buddhists-and-bukowski/#comments Tue, 28 Apr 2026 18:11:32 +0000 https://calcoastnews.com/?p=132849 By DELL FRANKLIN Editor’s Note: The following series, “Life in Radically Gentrifying Cayucos by the Sea,” to be posted biweekly includes the notes, thoughts, and opinions of an original American voice: author Dell Franklin.  Franklin’s memoir, “The ballplayer’s Son” and “Life on The Mississippi, 1969” are currently on Amazon. A couple weeks ago around nine […]]]> https://calcoastnews.com/2026/04/of-buddhists-and-bukowski/feed/ 5 132849