Timeline

SLO City Council, by a 4-0 vote, chooses to hold a special vote-by-mail election that will take place from May 20 to June 18 to finish the term of councilmember Andrew Carter, who has resigned to become the city administrator of Guadalupe. The council has allocated $100,000 from the general fund for the election.

February 5 After an emotionally charged meeting, the San Luis Coastal Unified School Board unanimously agrees to keep Teach Elementary School open. The decision comes with a catch: enrollment will be curtailed and an advisory committee will be formed to advise the board on a permanent solution. [You can learn more about this issue by turning to page 42]

February 20 Naked sunbathers vow to protest if things change much after the Board of Supervisors announces that Pirates Cove, a longtime nudist beach in Avila, will be added to the SLO County parks system. The news prompted one particularly fired-up sunbather to climb a nearby rock formation and shake his fist at the ocean while shouting, “They can take our clothes, but they can’t take our rights!”

February 27

February 14

After finding her abandoned horse in the Huasna Valley near her grandparent’s house, a massive search concludes for Mikayla Anderson. The missing 12-yearold Grover Beach resident is found by her father. The girl, who told investigators that she just wanted “to clear her head,” had spent the night in a tree. February 23

San Luis Coastal Unified School District announces that a $6 million deficit may force it to trim 29 positions, which would include counselors and librarians. The district, which had already identified $2 million in cuts to reduce the shortfall arising from $80 million in expenses with $72 million in revenue, expects pink slips to mail out in May.

After 44 contestants vied for the opportunity to represent San Luis Obispo online, the City chooses Bentley Murdock as its first-ever social media ambassador. Murdock is a professional singer, who is known, appropriately, for his rendition of Bobby McFerrin’s 1988 hit song “Don’t Worry Be Happy.” [Get to know Murdock by turning to page 16] A sea lion named “Doug” finally got fed up with seafood, so he left the beach, crossed Highway 1, and tried to order a burger at the Silver Surf Motel. Motel employees reported that Doug, who tried to pay for his meal with clams, was loud, obnoxious, and a lousy tipper. It was the second time in as many days that a sea lion had stopped traffic on the highway.

February 28 March 9

February 28

Seeing that it was a slow news day, Sheriff Ian Parkinson decides to shake things up by sending Vice President Joe Biden a letter affirming his support of the Second Amendment claiming that he “will not take firearms from law abiding citizens and turn law abiding citizens into criminals by enforcing gun control legislation that will not solve or prevent tragedy.” Local reaction is strong, but mixed. Through a $600,000 grant from the state, with the City of SLO kicking in $350,000, it is announced that the ever-popular Bob Jones trail will be extended all the way through to Los Osos Valley Road. If the expansion trend continues at the same pace, experts estimate that the trail will reach Bakersfield by the year 2137 which will allow for easy access to both the beach and, well, uh, Bakersfield…

March 5 March 14

In a tough couple of months for Downtown SLO, Jim’s Campus Camera, Cold Stone Creamery, and Coalition all announce that they are closing up shop. To top it all off, the Downtown Association decides that it will no longer be producing its Taste of San Luis event. SLO LIFE