TIMELINE

Dan Dow, a Deputy D.A., beat his higher-ranking colleague, Tim Covello, the Assistant D.A., in a contest to replace Gerry Shea as the next District Attorney. Also, the Board of Supervisors District 4 was unable to select a winner with more than 50% of the vote, so there will be a runoff this November between Caren Ray and Lynn Compton. At last count, the two campaigns had raised $400,000. The fiercely contested race, which is expected to have implications for both water and oil policy in the county, could top $1 million. The City of Pismo Beach took a big step in its effort to expand its open space and continue to attract tourists. The city council unanimously voted to allocate $900,000 toward the purchase of the 900-acre property known as the “Pismo Preserve.” And, it also approved the city’s strategic plan with major improvements to its downtown, including converting its beachside parking lot into a public plaza complete with a Ferris wheel, fountain, and colorful, oversized letters that double as a sculpture spelling out “Pismo Beach.”

Cal Poly celebrated another graduation. This time the closely watched fouryear graduation rate climbed to 40% from 31% the year prior. Identifying improvement to the subpar figure as a major priority on which he vows to “focus like a laser beam,” President Jeffrey Armstrong set a goal of achieving a 75% four-year graduation rate within 8 years, which would put the university on equal footing with other leading public institutions. The 66-year-old retired landscaper who identifies himself as “Mule” passed through San Luis Obispo where it was determined that he camped illegally. SLOPD refused to make an exception for the drifter, who is also known as John C. Sears, when he was cited for violating the city’s ordinance. In 2012 he had passed through town with three mules, but he was down to two during this visit. Sears blogs about his travels on Facebook where nearly 28,000 people follow his “3 Mules” page. After his post announcing that the DA would not be pursuing his case, he received 548 “likes.” Citing “adverse environmental impacts” including public safety, air quality, noise and traffic, a group calling itself the Alliance of SLO Neighborhoods filed suit against the California State University Board of Trustees to stop Cal Poly’s plan to build a 1,475-bed freshman complex near the Alta Vista neighborhood. At a city council meeting earlier in the month where members of the Alliance filled the seats, impassioned speakers expressed frustration at Cal Poly’s unwillingness to relocate the dorms elsewhere. [see “Help me, help you” on page 52]

A series of bond and taxation matters were announced over the span of a few days. Central Coast voters will be asked to make difficult choices in the November election concerning revenue matters, including the proposed Atascadero sales tax increase—taking it from 7.5% to 8.0%; the San Luis Coastal Unified School District’s $177 million bond to improve and update its facilities; a $48 million bond to improve Grover Beach streets; and there could be an additional bond request by Cuesta College in the $280 million range to repair its aging facilities. Further, San Luis Obispo residents will be asked to extend the half-percent sales tax, known as Measure G. A protracted drought spurred the California legislature to criminalize water wasting. From this day forward, excessive use of water, such as hosing off sidewalks, is punishable by a fine of $500 per day. Locally, officials estimate that Atascadero Lake will become completely dry in a matter of months. In San Luis Obispo, however, the city council took the opportunity to revitalize its partially dry 100-acre Laguna Lake by allocating $10 million over 10 years to the project. Facing major resistance from the neighbors, Dero Parker, a Bakersfield oilman, scaled back his permit application to drilling just one exploratory well in the Huasna Valley. Parker is representing a consortium of multinational energy companies who are backing his efforts to pump as many as 10 million barrels they believe are below the surface. One of the companies connected to the effort is Excelaron, which is the same multi-national firm that sued the county for $6.24 billion last year when its permit application to drill 12 wells was denied.

The county parks department was rebuffed by the California Coastal Commission in its effort to improve access to Pirate’s Cove. The plan had been 10 years in the making and would have included a variety of improvements: paving the parking lot, installing bathrooms, and building a proper beach access. The county, which was set to allocate $1.5 million to the capital project, was told by Commissioner Erik Howell, also a member of the Pismo Beach City Council, and a vocal opponent, that, “I have serious concerns.”

A surfer was attacked by what was believed to be an eightfoot-long great white in the water near Pier Avenue in Oceano. After taking an 11-inch bite out of his board, the surfer pushed away and the shark left. Yelling, “Shark attack! Everybody get out of the water!” the surfer paddled as fast as he could toward the beach. About an hour later, beachgoers spotted a shark swimming near the shore just south of the Pismo Pier. Later in the month, another great white, estimated between 10 and 12 feet, was seen at Avila Beach.