TIMELINE

Victoria finally reveals her secret: Jamestown, an Atlanta-based real estate investment company buys Court Street and Downtown Centre in SLO from Copeland Properties. The deal, which includes 195,000 square feet, was valued around $50 million. Other tenants (aside from Victoria) affected include: Pottery Barn, Urban Outfitters, the Cal Poly Store, and the space that formerly housed Sports Authority.

A group of investors who control Wild Cherry Canyon, the 2,400 acres of open space between Avila Beach and Los Osos, effectively end the $21 million effort to convert the land into a public park, which would have added some 20 miles of new coastal trails. The lawsuit filed against the Air Pollution Control District (APCD) by Friends of Oceano Dunes and Kevin P. Rice is tossed out by Judge Charles Crandall. He found that the science and methodology used to monitor the air pollution at the dunes was solid and created by thousands of ATV enthusiasts, as was hypothesized by researchers.

After 12 years of fighting about code violations, Dan De Vaul, who had spent time in jail over the dispute at one point, finally gets legal approval to operate Sunny Acres, his homeless shelter on Los Osos Valley Road. Tenants are allowed to pay for their stay by working for De Vaul gratis on the 72-acre ranch. In what had been called the “deepest cuts in 10 years,” the San Luis Coastal Unified School District trustees voted unanimously to trim another $4.2 million from the budget, which will include more than 40 jobs. Two full-time elementary school counselors are preserved after heavy lobbying from parents and other community members.

Al Moriarty, owner of a Grover Beach-based financial services firm, is arrested in Washington State and booked on eight separate charges including fraud and embezzlement. Moriarty, a major supporter of Cal Poly Athletics, was extradited to San Luis Obispo County jail a few days later where he turned 80-years-old while awaiting his first court appearance.

SLO City Council unanimously consents to give third year City Attorney, Christine Dietrick, a 4.7% raise bringing her salary up to $168,000. The pay hike was on top of a 3.5% increase she received in 2012. At $14,000 per month Dietrick’s income is greater than that of California State Attorney General Kamala Harris, who after a 5% pay cut in December, takes home $143,571 per year. After ten years in business, popular Arroyo Grande ice cream parlor, Doc Burnstein’s, is moving into the space formerly occupied by Cold Stone’s Creamery on Higuera Street in SLO. In an effort to raise the $250,000 needed to open the store, owner Greg Steinberger sold stock to the community in a newly created “B-Corp.” Rumor has it that the first quarterly dividend will be paid in the form of two scoops of Peanut Butter Cup Delight on a sugar cone.

Cal Poly officials announce plans for a $200 million project to build additional on-campus housing for 1,400 students. It is reported that Residents for Quality Neighborhoods celebrated the news by throwing a backyard party, which is broken up by police after receiving a slew of anonymous calls from college students who complained that they just wanted a little peace and quiet so they could get the rest they needed to get up and go to school in the morning.

A confused, out of town black bear was found wandering around the base of Morro Rock. When questioned, he said he was just looking for “The Bears.” Authorities were puzzled for a while until one of them finally said, “Oh, you’re talking about Los Osos!” After explaining to the 250-pound bear that he was supposed to take a right on South Bay Boulevard not a left, they cautioned him to steer clear of Carlock’s Bakery where bear claws are a popular item on the menu. Similar to Yoga Berra’s description of a particular restaurant that “always has a line, so nobody goes there,” the Tour of California saw crowds that were much smaller than expected at the Avila Beach finish line. Tejay van Garderen wins the race, but one observer points out that he could also shave valuable seconds off the time it takes him to sign his name by going with just a “T” and a “J.”