News
April 15 - 22, 2021
➤ Conditional relief [8] ➤ Educational representation [9] ➤ Strokes & Plugs [10]
What the county’s talking about this week
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Tom Falconer, Barbara Alvis, Kevin Reed, Dennis Flately, Edward Barnett, Vanessa Dias New Times is published every Thursday for your enjoyment and distributed to more than 100,000 readers in San Luis Obispo County. New Times is available free of charge, limited to one copy per reader. The contents of New Times are copyrighted by New Times, and may not be reproduced without specific written permission from the publishers. We welcome contributions and suggestions. Accompany any submissions with a self-addressed stamped envelope. We cannot assume responsibility for unsolicited submissions. All letters received become the property of the publishers. Opinions expressed in byline material are not necessarily those of New Times. New Times is available on microfilm at the SLO City-County Library, and through Proquest Company, 789 E Eisenhower Pkwy., Ann Arbor, MI 48106, as part of the Alternative Press Project. Subscriptions to New Times are $156 per year. Because a product or service is advertised in New Times does not necessarily mean we endorse its use. We hope readers will use their own good judgment in choosing products most beneficial to their well-being. Our purpose: to present news and issues of importance to our readers; to reflect honestly the unique spirit of the region; and to be a complete, current, and accurate guide to arts and entertainment on the Central Coast, leading the community in a positive direction consistent with its past. ©2021 New Times
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SLO County DA says Paul Flores raped and murdered Kristin Smart
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PHOTO BY JAYSON MELLOM
early 25 years after Cal Poly student Kristin Smart went missing, SLO County law enforcement agencies arrested Paul Flores, the last person seen with her in 1996, and his father, Ruben Flores, on suspicion of murder and accessory to murder. Smart’s body has yet to be located. On the morning of April 13, Paul, 44, was taken into custody at his residence in San Pedro and Ruben, 80, in Arroyo Grande. At a press conference on April 14, SLO County District Attorney Dan Dow announced that his office was charging Paul with firstdegree murder. Dow alleged that Paul killed Smart while attempting to rape or raping her. The district attorney alleged that Ruben helped conceal Smart’s body after she was murdered. Both father and son are scheduled to be arraigned in San Luis Obispo Superior Court on April 15. “As with any criminal case, our investigation is always ongoing up until the very end. Until the case is resolved. So we want to put out today a request for information from the public,” Dow said. The agency is seeking public assistance in providing any information about this case or other potential crimes believed to have been perpetrated by Paul or Ruben, including assaults or other acts. “Paul Flores was known to frequent bars in the San Pedro area from 2005 to present. Individuals with any information are encouraged to contact San Luis Obispo County Crime Stoppers at (805) 549-7867,” Dow said. In terms of holding the trial in San Luis Obispo County Superior Court, Dow said the court process is designed to pick a fair jury no matter how significant the case is. “It will be a decision at some future point that a judge will have to make if there are requests to move it to a different venue,” he said. Dow and SLO County Sheriff Ian Parkinson
both stated that sealed search warrants served at Ruben’s Arroyo Grande home on March 15 and 16 and April 13 don’t allow either agency to reveal the evidence they discovered that led to the arrests. During a press conference on April 13, Parkinson said that forensic physical evidence was located that the Sheriff’s Office believed to be linked to Smart’s disappearance. Parkinson also credited Arroyo Grande local Chris Lambert’s podcast, ALMOST A QUARTER CENTURY LATER SLO County Sheriff Ian Your Own Backyard, with Parkinson holds a press conference on April 13 to announce the arrests of Paul and Ruben Flores on suspicion of murder and accessory to bringing forward several murder in connection with missing Cal Poly student Kristin Smart. Law new witnesses. enforcement officials haven’t located her body. In respone to the arrests, the Smart family released The statement thanked Parkinson and a statement via the Justice for his department for their professionalism, Kristin Smart Facebook page: compassion, and perseverance and Lambert for “For over 24 years, we have waited for this his “exceptional skills, indefatigable work, and bittersweet day. It is impossible to put into unselfish dedication.” It pointed to indifference words what this day means for our family; we and a lack of resolve early in the case that pray it is the first step to bringing our daughter changed when Parkinson took office in 2011. home. While Kristin’s loving spirit will always “The task he and his team accepted was live in our hearts, our life without her hugs, unprecedented in volume and scope, yet they laughs, and smiles is a heartache that never met every setback and challenge with resolve abates. The knowledge that a father and son, and an unequaled commitment to Kristin despite our desperate pleas for help, could have withheld this horrible secret for nearly 25 years, and our family,” the statement read. “Chris, along with four incredible angels (C, J, J, and denying us the chance to lay our daughter to J), balanced Kristin on their shoulders while rest, is an unrelenting and unforgiving pain. lightening our burden and held our hearts and We now put our faith in the justice system and hopes with fierce resolve and commitment. move forward, comforted in the knowledge that There simply are ‘no words’!” Δ Kristin has been held in the hearts of so many and that she has not been forgotten.” —Karen Garcia
SLO codifies ban on tents in parks, will regulate shopping carts
due to activities being obscured from view. “Having spent time at a lot of the parks, but in particular, as does come up, Mitchell Park, it is and has been really at times truly scary,” Mayor Heidi Harmon said, before voting for the amendment. “I recognize that not everyone who’s unsheltered is a certain type of person. And, I think we all have to acknowledge that there are folks that are concerning for families with young kids there. I do feel a responsibility to make sure we’re advocating for the next generation as well. “We get ourselves into a really bad situation, including for the unsheltered folks,” she continued, “by essentially allowing for an encampment to be established in a place like a public park that’s intended to be inclusive for all members of the community.” Homeless advocates opposed the tent ban— calling it discriminatory, punitive, and poorly timed during a public health crisis and recession. Some claimed that the city and county lacked sufficient social services and shelter options for the unhoused, and said that the ordinance violated Martin v. City of Boise, a court ruling that requires cities enforcing camping ordinances to have adequate shelter alternatives.
At an April 13 special meeting, the San Luis Obispo City Council amended its municipal code to explicitly ban the use of tents in public parks and passed a new ordinance regulating shopping carts—both moves that aim to curb the impacts of homelessness, but that opponents say target and punish the unhoused during a pandemic. The City Council voted 4-1 to pass the prohibition on tents at parks. In January, city officials began interpreting existing laws on “encroachment” to include tents—which had proliferated in parks, especially Mitchell Park— issuing three citations thus far. The April 13 amendment codified that interpretation into law, officials told the council. “This isn’t really new material,” City Attorney Christine Dietrick said. “This really is a transparency measure.” Council members, city staff, and police all cited an influx of recent complaints from local residents who said they don’t feel safe in the park with their children due to the presence of tents. Parks officials say the tents disrupt park maintenance, degrade the property, and pose a safety concern
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Michelle Mansker, a volunteer with SLO Street Medics, called in from Mitchell Park, where she and some unhoused individuals were listening to the meeting. Mansker reminded the council that two community members recently died while living in Mitchell Park. “I think that we as a city need to meet these folks where they are and actually listen to their needs,” Mansker said. “Many folks report that they’re not being heard. SLO County and SLO city lack diversity in services. There needs to be other options. ... There needs to be more help … more compassion … more empathy.” Frank Kopcinski, an attorney with the California Rural Legal Assistance, said he’s representing several local unhoused individuals. He called the amendment unconstitutional. “In attempting to hide the humanity, clean it up, and sweep it away, you hide the constitutional violations against humans who are just trying to sleep,” Kopcinski said. “The proposed enactment of this amendment as it’s written is discriminatory and unconstitutional.” City leaders countered that the 40 Prado Homeless Services Center located in town has beds available and emphasized that a new NEWS continued page 6
