Timeline

Protestors gathered at Cal Poly, the location of the only Chick-fil-A outlet in SLO County to hold a “kiss in.” The fast food chain’s president, Dan Cathy, who had made controversial statements regarding gay marriage failed to show up at the protest prompting some to call him “Chikin.”

August 3 By a unanimous decision, SLO County Supervisors denied Excelaron’s application to build a dozen oil wells in the Huasna Valley. As the vote was tallied, the chamber erupted with the emotional cheers and highfives of local residents who had banned together to send the multinational energy company packing.

August 22 Arguing that it violates the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), a group called “Save the Plastic Bag Coalition” sues SLO County over its ordinance banning the use of plastic bags in grocery stores, which had been scheduled to take effect on October 1st. As of this writing, Superior Court Judge Charles Crandall has yet to answer the question: “Will that be paper or plastic?”

August 30

August 10

In a settlement with the SLO Homeless Alliance, the City Council agrees to dismiss all tickets written for illegal overnight car camping during this year. City Attorney Christine Dietrick explained that it was just too expensive to continue hiring outside lawyers (the tab was $120,000 at the time) and that she and her staff did not have enough time to do the work themselves. City Council has vowed to find alternatives to prevent overnight car camping.

August 23

This summer’s “Whale-a-palooza” reached a crescendo as visitors and national media descend on Avila Beach to catch a rare glimpse of our friends from the deep. Concerned about whale safety, the NOAA issues a warning to bystanders requiring them to remain at least 100 yards away, prompting one seismic testing protestor to respond: “Seriously? We can’t get near the whales, but you are going to allow them to be blasted to Kingdom Come?”

A 77-year-old father and his 36-year-old son count their lucky stars as the single engine plane they had been flying to British Columbia for their annual fishing trip lost power and crashed off the coast of Cambria. The pair waited for two hours in heavy seas until a Coast Guard helicopter gave them a lift. As their pontoon plane sank to the bottom they were notified that they would have to pay to retrieve it because it’s in a marine sanctuary. Figuring fishing the plane out was going to cost quite a lot, they denied medical assistance, rented a compact car and headed to Wal-Mart to buy some dry clothes.

September 9

September 6 September 10

Before the sun came up, someone saw something that didn’t look quite right on a remote beach about 12 miles north of Hearst Castle: it was a bunch of fast-moving guys carrying large packages from a boat to an RV parked on Highway 1. One phone call was all it took for a massive law enforcement response that included planes and helicopters. At the end of the day, 3,000 pounds of marijuana with a street value estimated at $4.5 million had been seized and 20 smugglers were in federal custody. Trial begins for SLO Firefighter, John Ryan Mason, who fought Los Osos furniture maker Jory Brigham in Pappy MacGregor’s men’s room following a wedding reception. Brigham’s injuries were likened to a car crash victim by the prosecution as he suffered 17 facial fractures including a broken nose and jaw and was left unconscious by Mason, who had no wounds. PG&E receives another in a series of approvals in its steady march toward seismic testing off the shores of Diablo Canyon, scheduled to begin November 1st. This time, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), approves PG&E’s request to pass off the cost of the test to local rate payers—all $64 million of it will be paid by its customers.

September 13

September 15

A rodeo clown at the Creston Classic Rodeo makes racist comments involving Michelle Obama while addressing the crowd on the public address system prompting executives at the rodeo headquarters to consider using a mime next year.