TIMELINE

Supervisor Frank Mecham was the first on the scene when he happened to be driving by as a fire broke out in Paso Robles. He was able to help a 91-year-old man safely exit his home and attempted to fight the blaze with a small extinguisher he had in his car. Mecham also called the fire department, which showed up within minutes to prevent it from spreading. No one was hurt in the incident, and Mecham did earn himself at least one “Yes” vote in the next election.

Fifty-year-old Watsonville resident, Cristina Fernandez Padilla, is arrested on suspicion of robbing six banks, including Coast Hills Credit Union, over an eight month period in San Luis Obispo, Monterey, and Stanislaus Counties. Nicknamed “The Central Coast Bandit,” Padilla’s luck finally ran out at the Golden 1 Credit Union on Foothill in San Luis Obispo. After having initially admitted her guilt, she later retracted and entered a not guilty plea in court. Padilla is currently being held on $1 million bail. The SLO County Board of Supervisors, by a unanimous vote, approved an emergency ordinance that immediately halts new housing construction and agricultural planting within the Paso Robles water basin, unless the applicant can prove a 1-to-1 offset ratio. The decision, which is in effect for 45 days, was made after hours of public comment from approximately 75 speakers who presented opposing views.

goodbye

During the Huckfest Weekend at the Oceano Dunes, which attracted more than 2,000 vehicles to the park, Felipe de Jesus Amezcua, 19, of San Leandro passed away from injuries sustained during a solo motorcycle accident. According to Huckfest organizer, Manuel Garner, 21, of Nipomo, the incident was not related to the competition. The event, which has been permitted by State Parks, has become so popular that people were turned away at the gate this year. Rosetta, a San Luis Obispo marketing agency, announced that it terminated Bentley Murdock, the ShareSLO social media ambassador, halfway into his $50,000 year-long contract. Murdock was hired for the role after a highly public selection process that featured 44 other candidates. In the aftermath of the termination, Murdock issued a press release stating that he opted to “step down from his position,” citing a “limited budget” and further explained that he would be “donating” the remainder of his salary back to the campaign. Representatives at Rosetta, a company that has a $600,000 contract with the city, remained tight-lipped, but did indicate that Murdock was threatening a law suit.

In the midst of an epic drought, cities around the Central Coast announced water shortages. In addition to Paso Robles, both Cambria and Nipomo issued warnings that their supplies are running short. Even in Atascadero, where the aquifer is not at risk, the lake is drying up and leaving hundreds of dead fish on its banks.

No disciplinary action was taken against two long-time Morro Bay city employees following a day-long city council meeting. A block of three councilmembers, Mayor Jamie Irons, Christine Johnson, and Noah Smukler have been on a crusade to remove City Attorney Robert Schultz and City Manager Andrea Leuker, although their rationale has not been revealed. The meeting was held on short notice, yet had to be moved to a larger location where it was standing room only and attended by an overwhelming number of townspeople who expressed their support of Schultz and Leuker. In a rare ceremonial proceeding at City Hall, SLO Police Chief, Steve Gessell, is deputized temporarily as a city clerk for the purpose of swearing in the new SLO Fire Chief, Garrett Olson. Earlier in their careers the two had worked together in Scottsdale, Arizona and now lead the city’s police and fire departments.

A month after Clint Pearce of Madonna Enterprises announces that he is no longer partnering with Gary Grossman of Coastal Community Builders in the proposed development of the long-fought-over 131-acre Dalidio property, a strange flyer landed in local mailboxes. The message is in support of big box retailers who will provide “good paying retail jobs.” Because the mailer misspells “Obispo” as “Opispo,” some suspect that it was the work of Chick-fil-A’s marketing department. The largest ever freshman class to arrive at Cal Poly numbers 4,750—a 28% increase over last year, which goes along with a 25% uptick in the number of transfer students. To accommodate the expansion, two-person dorms are triple-bunked and 472 beds at Poly Canyon Village, normally reserved for continuing students were reassigned for incoming freshman. Against this backdrop, President Jeffrey Armstrong announces his desire to grow the student body by an additional 4,000-5,000, which represents a 20% to 25% increase. [Turn to page 62, “Bursting at the Seams,” to learn more.]