By KAREN VELIE
A tiny, invasive bivalve and a statewide drought of increasing severity are on a collision course in San Luis Obispo County.
Hoping to prevent an infestation of the Quagga mussel into local waters, the county Parks and Recreation Department has launched a counterattack that some observers suspect may be counterproductive. Those efforts also may be wasting water and financial resources.
Read MoreBy KAREN VELIE and DANIEL BLACKBURN
Red ink sullies Cal Poly’s College of Engineering and the internationally respected educational institution now operates at a deficit for the first time in decades, according to a slide prepared, presented, and distributed by the College of Engineering during the fall conference.
Former and current associates on both coasts point blame at the controversial three-year reign of college dean Mohammad Noori, the highest paid dean, adding salary and perks, in the California State University system.
Read MoreBy THE EDITORS
Internet journalism and Web sites like this wade through uncharted legal and ethical waters.
One of the first difficult issues to surface related to the content not of our news articles, but to the readers’ comments that the news generated. Sometimes edgy, sometimes salty, sometimes border-line idiotic, these comments are nevertheless informative, interesting, fun. We delete only under the most extreme circumstances.
And then a second, more important, concern raised its head: Is the identity of authors who post comments fair game for anyone who might make such a demand?
Read MoreA controversial proposal to partner Cal Poly’s engineering department with a fledgling university in Saudi Arabia has spurred a steam of leaked e-mails between Cal Poly officials, who express a desire to push ahead with the pact despite possible gender restrictions.
Read MoreBy KAREN VELIE
Atascadero City Council member Tom O’Malley challenged Mayor Mike Brennler to handle a dispute regarding council procedures his way, man-to-man out in the parking lot, said numerous attendees of Thursday’s “public trust and campaign reform workshop.”
During the conciliatory-turned-contentious meeting, O’Malley interrupted and argued with a speaker during public comment. Brennler asked O’Malley to let the speaker finish. When it appeared O’Malley couldn’t hear the mayor over the altercation, Brennler began waving his hand at the council member.
Read MoreOne of our readers posted what we here at UncoveredSLO.com think is a great idea: If you like this site and think it should continue to report on San Luis Obispo County activities, tell ten friends about UncoveredSLO.com. And ask each of them to tell ten friends. Help pass the word. Suggest to your business friends that they advertise; it makes good economic sense. We thank the many people who have contributed to UncoveredSLO.com, either by advertising, writing a check or by hitting our PayPal button (see yellow button at top right of this page). And we thank those who soon will contribute. There is strength in numbers. We are in this to stay, with your help. – The Editors
Read MoreCounty Supervisor Jerry Lenthall is threatening KSBY with legal action if the station doesn’t cease airing an opponent’s campaign commercial.
Read MoreBy KAREN VELIE and DANIEL BLACKBURN
Bank loans which appear inadequately secured made to a well known North County developer — as well as an accompanying tangled web of loan transfers — may have created significant problems for some San Luis Obispo County banks.
Kelly Gearhart owns an 884-square-foot house on a small, oddly shaped Atascadero lot at 5120 Traffic Way. The property transferred several times between Gearhart family members before San Luis Trust Bank, in 2005 and 2006, lent Gearhart a total of $3,696,677 on the house. The property is worth approximately $250,000 in today’s market, according to real estate experts contacted by UncoveredSLO.com.
Read MoreBy KAREN VELIE
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced earlier today that his revised plan would restore billions of dollars to the state budget, greatly improving previously grim prospects for higher education.
Current fiscal year cuts to Cuesta College have diminished from an estimated $714,000 to $150,000. In addition, state budget cuts of 5 to 15 percent will impact categorical student services such as financial aid programs and disabled student services.
Read MoreBy KAREN VELIE and DANIEL BLACKBURN
Hard money lending schemes and questionable business practices have jeopardized hundreds of millions of dollars of investors’ money and placed several San Luis Obispo financial firms directly in the path of a sweeping probe by federal, state, and local investigative agencies.
Some lenders have closed up shop; others have simply ceased making interest payments on loans.
Read MoreBy KAREN VELIE and DANIEL BLACKBURN
Local investors are alleging they were bilked out of millions by Hurst Financial and developer Kelly Gearhart.
David Rios and Murray Powell filed an 11-count lawsuit Tuesday in San Luis Obispo County Superior Court. Allegations include fraud and civil conspiracy by Hurst Financial president Jay Hurst Miller, Hurst loan officer Courtney Brard, and Gearhart, and claims they misled investors and misappropriated funds.
Read MoreBy KAREN VELIE
You know how the SLO County criminal court system is in turmoil right now? That’s because the county Probation Department and administrative offices came up with the brilliant idea of letting everyone use the public defender’s office, with no pre-check on a defendant’s ability to pay, until later… when everybody gets a bill.
This allows the system to (maybe) save or make the county a few bucks and cover the cost of the four new employees hired to staff the Probation Department’s Revenue Recovery Unit.
County Supervisors voted to enact the fledgling collection system, which measures the theoretical threat of financially able criminal defendants abusing the system against the theoretical threat of indigent defendants not having access to competent counsel.
Read MoreIn an April 29 story about Paso Robles’ Vista del Hombre project, UncoveredSLO.com reported incorrectly that “Hurst has not foreclosed on Vista del Hombre, despite its contractual promise to protect investors if developers are delinquent on their agreements for at the most 180 days. That delinquency now approaches eight months.” In fact, Gearhart has not paid interest on the project for approximately two months.
Read MoreBy KAREN VELIE
County administrators have pulled the plug on easy, free legal counsel for the indigent.
In a move resulting in considerable confusion and contention, San Luis Obispo County’s Probation Department recently began billing indigent individuals who have claimed the right to be represented by an attorney after being charged with a crime.
A county official called the collection effort “a work in progress.”
Read MoreBy KAREN VELIE
Cal Poly President Warren Baker will sign a controversial agreement to partner Cal Poly’s College of Engineering with a Saudi Arabian university despite growing campus discord with the plan.
The Saudi proposal would appear to exclude women, Jews and other minorities from participating in the new college, largely because of Saudi law and custom.
Baker announced he will sign the pact with Jubail University College (JUC) in approximately a month; he cemented the proposal during a student government board of directors meeting April 9. The president’s intent was reported earlier this week by Roger Freberg on his Web site.
Read More