Friday, April 23, 2021
A group of local elected officials recently launched an initiative aimed at patching up the Central Coast’s post-pandemic economy, but the effort doesn’t appear to have much Republican support so far.
The Central Coast Economic Recovery Initiative is a set of policy concepts, program ideas, and proposals aimed at stimulating the local economy and creating jobs through housing, clean energy, and infrastructure investment, according to an April 14 press release announcing the program’s launch.
“With $85 million in federal relief funds coming to SLO County government agencies—and the potential for millions more earmarked for infrastructure improvements—now is the time to to work together to identify how we can invest in our community in a fiscally responsible way while also ensuring help goes to those who need it most,” Arroyo Grande City Councilmember Jimmy Paulding said in the release.
Paulding helped author the Economic Recovery Initiative and said the goal is to drive immediate decision making and meaningful action that will stimulate the local economy over the next two years. In short, he said it’s a place for local leaders and community members to hash out ways to stay economically stable after the COVID-19 pandemic and closures of both the Diablo Canyon Power Plant and the local Philips 66 refinery.
“How are we going to plan for all these things?” Paulding told New Times. “These are huge economic impacts.”
The group hopes to implement affordable housing strategies and pandemic relief programs, support clean energy investments, and modernize regional transportation, water, and broadband infrastructure. Cal Poly’s Institute for Climate Leadership and Resilience partnered with the Economic Recovery Initiative team to study the feasibility of its “more technical concepts” at low or no cost to local governments. Paulding hopes the initiative will tackle these economic challenges through in-depth research and using the talent, knowledge, and input of community members.
Economic Recovery Initiative authors also include SLO County 3rd District Supervisor Dawn Ortiz-Legg, Central Coast Community Energy Advisory Councilmember Bruce Severance, SLO Climate Coalition Chair Eric Veium, community organizer James Sofranko, and SLO City Councilmember Andy Pease. Like the initiative’s authors, its initial supporters are also local elected officials and leaders who lean left.
But Paulding said the program is still in its earliest stages.
“We’ve tried to structure this in a bipartisan manner,” Paulding said, “and that’s the goal, to get bipartisan support.” ∆
The Central Coast Economic Recovery Initiative is a set of policy concepts, program ideas, and proposals aimed at stimulating the local economy and creating jobs through housing, clean energy, and infrastructure investment, according to an April 14 press release announcing the program’s launch.
FILE PHOTO
ROAD TO RECOVERY A group of progressive elected officials recently launched the Central Coast Economic Recovery Initiative, an effort to repair and stimulate the local economy post pandemic.
Paulding helped author the Economic Recovery Initiative and said the goal is to drive immediate decision making and meaningful action that will stimulate the local economy over the next two years. In short, he said it’s a place for local leaders and community members to hash out ways to stay economically stable after the COVID-19 pandemic and closures of both the Diablo Canyon Power Plant and the local Philips 66 refinery.
“How are we going to plan for all these things?” Paulding told New Times. “These are huge economic impacts.”
The group hopes to implement affordable housing strategies and pandemic relief programs, support clean energy investments, and modernize regional transportation, water, and broadband infrastructure. Cal Poly’s Institute for Climate Leadership and Resilience partnered with the Economic Recovery Initiative team to study the feasibility of its “more technical concepts” at low or no cost to local governments. Paulding hopes the initiative will tackle these economic challenges through in-depth research and using the talent, knowledge, and input of community members.
Economic Recovery Initiative authors also include SLO County 3rd District Supervisor Dawn Ortiz-Legg, Central Coast Community Energy Advisory Councilmember Bruce Severance, SLO Climate Coalition Chair Eric Veium, community organizer James Sofranko, and SLO City Councilmember Andy Pease. Like the initiative’s authors, its initial supporters are also local elected officials and leaders who lean left.
But Paulding said the program is still in its earliest stages.
“We’ve tried to structure this in a bipartisan manner,” Paulding said, “and that’s the goal, to get bipartisan support.” ∆
—Kasey Bubnash
Monday, April 19, 2021
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is still considering whether Camp Roberts Army National Guard base will be the eighth site to house unaccompanied migrant children in California after it sent a request to the facility in early April.
While it is expected to announce its decision soon, no date has been disclosed.
If Camp Roberts is found to be suitable to meet the needs of the children, the California Army National Guard post would temporarily house migrant minors as they are processed to be placed with family or a sponsor, prior to a court determination of their legality in the U.S.
Although the community is divided over its potential use as a temporary housing site, U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) has expressed his support for the idea.
Carbajal cited his recent visit to the Carrizo Springs Influx Care Facility in Texas—which also served as a holding facility for unaccompanied migrant minors—and reiterated his support for Camp Roberts to serve in that role in a recent joint press release with U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-Carmel Valley).
“Camp Roberts is a safe and well-run site and, if selected, I will keep working with the Biden administration to provide appropriate resources to the facility and will closely monitor conditions to ensure children are cared for,” Carbajal said in the statement.
Panetta added: “As we continue to deal with the deluge of people, including unaccompanied children of all ages, coming to our southern border to try to avail themselves of our nation’s laws, we must take appropriate steps to ensure order and compassion as we apply out laws to determine their claims of asylum and attempts to legally reunify with their parents or family members.
“We have and will continue to be in contact with the Biden Administration and HHS for any further developments on their decision on Camp Roberts, and we will provide the necessary oversight for such temporary housing,” Penetta continued. “Moreover, we will continue our fight for an orderly, efficient, and safe process during the legal determination for those unaccompanied children who came here seeking their family and, ultimately, a better life.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF CAL GUARD MILITARY DEPARTMENT
TEMPORARILY HOUSED The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is expected to announce a decision soon about whether Camp Roberts (pictured) will be one of eight sites in California to house unaccompanied migrant children.
While it is expected to announce its decision soon, no date has been disclosed.
If Camp Roberts is found to be suitable to meet the needs of the children, the California Army National Guard post would temporarily house migrant minors as they are processed to be placed with family or a sponsor, prior to a court determination of their legality in the U.S.
Although the community is divided over its potential use as a temporary housing site, U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) has expressed his support for the idea.
Carbajal cited his recent visit to the Carrizo Springs Influx Care Facility in Texas—which also served as a holding facility for unaccompanied migrant minors—and reiterated his support for Camp Roberts to serve in that role in a recent joint press release with U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-Carmel Valley).
“Camp Roberts is a safe and well-run site and, if selected, I will keep working with the Biden administration to provide appropriate resources to the facility and will closely monitor conditions to ensure children are cared for,” Carbajal said in the statement.
Panetta added: “As we continue to deal with the deluge of people, including unaccompanied children of all ages, coming to our southern border to try to avail themselves of our nation’s laws, we must take appropriate steps to ensure order and compassion as we apply out laws to determine their claims of asylum and attempts to legally reunify with their parents or family members.
“We have and will continue to be in contact with the Biden Administration and HHS for any further developments on their decision on Camp Roberts, and we will provide the necessary oversight for such temporary housing,” Penetta continued. “Moreover, we will continue our fight for an orderly, efficient, and safe process during the legal determination for those unaccompanied children who came here seeking their family and, ultimately, a better life.”
—Karen Garcia
Tuesday, April 13, 2021
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office arrested a Grover Beach man for the murder of Larry Bross, a 90-year-old Oceano resident who was killed in his home during January 2019, according to authorities.
David James Krause, 41, faces a second-degree murder charge for the alleged killing. Krause was already in SLO County Jail on an unrelated charge when detectives arrested him on April 8.
Krause has two prior felonies on his record related to residential burglaries. He was a “very loose acquaintance” of Bross’s, according to SLO County Assistant District Attorney Eric Dobroth.
“I can’t go into detail,” Dobroth said at an April 8 news conference announcing the arrest and charge. “They had met, and they were, in my words, very loose acquaintances.”
SLO County Sheriff Ian Parkinson said that an “extensive investigation” into the homicide ultimately uncovered “forensic evidence which clearly identified the suspect as being responsible for the crime.” He said Krause quickly became a person of interest in the case. He did not comment on a potential motive.
“Essentially, it came down to a combination of witnesses and physical evidence,” Parkinson said, and added: “This was a single person. We have no evidence to suggest anybody else is involved in this.”
A community activist and retired history teacher, Bross lived on the 1400 block of Strand Way, which borders the Oceano Dunes. A concerned neighbor discovered his body in his home on Jan. 24, 2019. Investigators said Bross died of “multiple chop force traumatic injuries.” While no murder weapon was recovered, Dobroth described it as likely being a “hammer-like instrument.”
In January of this year, the Sheriff’s Office asked for the public’s help in locating a “friend or acquaintance” of Bross’s who was observed visiting him two days before his body was found.
The Bross murder was the first of six homocides to hit SLO County in 2019. Parkinson said that his office has now solved all six of those cases, which have led to arrests and pending charges. ∆
FILE PHOTO BY JAYSON MELLOM
SEEKING JUSTICE SLO County authorities are charging a Grover Beach man with the 2019 murder of Oceano activist Larry Bross (pictured).
Krause has two prior felonies on his record related to residential burglaries. He was a “very loose acquaintance” of Bross’s, according to SLO County Assistant District Attorney Eric Dobroth.
“I can’t go into detail,” Dobroth said at an April 8 news conference announcing the arrest and charge. “They had met, and they were, in my words, very loose acquaintances.”
SLO County Sheriff Ian Parkinson said that an “extensive investigation” into the homicide ultimately uncovered “forensic evidence which clearly identified the suspect as being responsible for the crime.” He said Krause quickly became a person of interest in the case. He did not comment on a potential motive.
“Essentially, it came down to a combination of witnesses and physical evidence,” Parkinson said, and added: “This was a single person. We have no evidence to suggest anybody else is involved in this.”
A community activist and retired history teacher, Bross lived on the 1400 block of Strand Way, which borders the Oceano Dunes. A concerned neighbor discovered his body in his home on Jan. 24, 2019. Investigators said Bross died of “multiple chop force traumatic injuries.” While no murder weapon was recovered, Dobroth described it as likely being a “hammer-like instrument.”
In January of this year, the Sheriff’s Office asked for the public’s help in locating a “friend or acquaintance” of Bross’s who was observed visiting him two days before his body was found.
The Bross murder was the first of six homocides to hit SLO County in 2019. Parkinson said that his office has now solved all six of those cases, which have led to arrests and pending charges. ∆
—Peter Johnson
Monday, April 12, 2021
Cambria Technology Collective, an information technology (IT) support and services nonprofit, expanded its free Wi-Fi project along Main Street in Cambria on April 4.
The expansion provides internet access to electronic devices along the cross street of Tamson, near the Cookie Crock. It also covers the San Luis Obispo Regional Transit Authority Route 15 bus stop area, providing the service to those awaiting transportation services.
The next phase of the project includes building a network in the West Village area along Main Street between Mechanics Bank and the Shell gas station.
Jeremy Main, CEO of Cambria Technology Collective, told New Times via email that the nonprofit is slowly setting up access points in the community, however, the two areas that currently provide internet connection “have had hundreds of sign-in connections within the past month.”
The current design of the project is focused on providing coverage along Main Street between Windsor Boulevard to just past Bridge Street.
Anyone that needs connection can do so in the currently established areas, Main said, where the network name “Cambria Free WiFi” is visible on devices.
He said that local residents and individuals who live and work in the area part-time have expressed their gratitude for the free service.
“We know of several people who have stated that they can not afford their own internet or phone service, who have been able to communicate and stay connected with others during the time that COVID-19 restrictions have been in effect,” Main said.
The project came about after a conversation with former Cambria Community Services District Director Amanda Rice about Main’s experience as an IT network and systems administrator and previous large-scale Wi-Fi projects he had built.
Creating free access to Wi-Fi for Cambria visitors and residents is one of Main’s personal goals, among other projects that the nonprofit is designing.
“With Cambria having limited cell phone coverage, we see the ability to provide residents and guests here in Cambria with the ability to contact emergency services through Wi-Fi calling, in addition to the capability of the various local businesses and organizations to provide information about our amenities, services, and sights,” he said. ∆
IMAGE COURTESY OF THE CAMBRIA TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
CONNECTION The Cambria Technology Collective expands on its free Wi-Fi program along Main Street in Cambria.
The next phase of the project includes building a network in the West Village area along Main Street between Mechanics Bank and the Shell gas station.
Jeremy Main, CEO of Cambria Technology Collective, told New Times via email that the nonprofit is slowly setting up access points in the community, however, the two areas that currently provide internet connection “have had hundreds of sign-in connections within the past month.”
The current design of the project is focused on providing coverage along Main Street between Windsor Boulevard to just past Bridge Street.
Anyone that needs connection can do so in the currently established areas, Main said, where the network name “Cambria Free WiFi” is visible on devices.
He said that local residents and individuals who live and work in the area part-time have expressed their gratitude for the free service.
“We know of several people who have stated that they can not afford their own internet or phone service, who have been able to communicate and stay connected with others during the time that COVID-19 restrictions have been in effect,” Main said.
The project came about after a conversation with former Cambria Community Services District Director Amanda Rice about Main’s experience as an IT network and systems administrator and previous large-scale Wi-Fi projects he had built.
Creating free access to Wi-Fi for Cambria visitors and residents is one of Main’s personal goals, among other projects that the nonprofit is designing.
“With Cambria having limited cell phone coverage, we see the ability to provide residents and guests here in Cambria with the ability to contact emergency services through Wi-Fi calling, in addition to the capability of the various local businesses and organizations to provide information about our amenities, services, and sights,” he said. ∆
—Karen Garcia
Wednesday, April 7, 2021
A recently opened “safe parking” area for local homeless residents at Railroad Square in San Luis Obispo has seen little to no participation since it launched three weeks ago, according to its operator, the Community Action Partnership of SLO County (CAPSLO).
“Most nights it’s nothing,” said Grace McIntosh, deputy director of CAPSLO. “My hope is people will come and avail themselves. It’s about as low barrier and low key as you can get.”
The 20-space lot next to the SLO Railroad Museum has been open since March 16 for the local houseless in SLO County to park and sleep overnight. A porta-potty, hand-washing station, and trash disposal are also available on-site.
McIntosh said that the nonprofit’s early outreach efforts indicate a lack of interest in the service. Other than being a SLO County resident, parkers are required to have a car with a registration that’s no more than six months expired. CAPSLO can assist drivers with car registration if needed, McIntosh said.
“The communication that our outreach workers are getting is that people don’t see any reason why they should leave where they’re currently parked,” she said. “This is still very, very early and we’re still trying to get the word out.”
CAPSLO has a one-year contract with SLO city, which owns the parking lot, to oversee the program launched in response to a growing homelessness crisis amid the pandemic.
Michael Codron, SLO’s community development director, said he’s not too concerned about the lack of early participation, believing that the demand will eventually increase.
“I think it’s consistent with other safe parking programs in terms of how they started relatively slow and built up a clientele that appreciates the service over time,” Codron said. “We intend to increase our outreach to people who are parking in areas of the city overnight.”
In addition to the sanitation services provided at the parking area, and CAPSLO’s optional social services offered at the 40 Prado Homeless Services Center, parkers will also avoid being cited for parking overnight against the municipal code, Codron said.
Yet, despite the pitch, some homeless residents have expressed objections to a heightened police presence near the parking lot and the surveillance cameras on-site.
“Some parkers will prefer to have the video surveillance for their safety, and I understand why some will not. That’s their choice,” Codron said. ∆
FILE PHOTO BY KASEY BUBNASH
WAITING FOR DEMAND Three weeks after opening, a new safe parking program for homeless residents in SLO—designed after success with a pilot program at the SLO Veteran's Hall (pictured)—is seeing little use.
The 20-space lot next to the SLO Railroad Museum has been open since March 16 for the local houseless in SLO County to park and sleep overnight. A porta-potty, hand-washing station, and trash disposal are also available on-site.
McIntosh said that the nonprofit’s early outreach efforts indicate a lack of interest in the service. Other than being a SLO County resident, parkers are required to have a car with a registration that’s no more than six months expired. CAPSLO can assist drivers with car registration if needed, McIntosh said.
“The communication that our outreach workers are getting is that people don’t see any reason why they should leave where they’re currently parked,” she said. “This is still very, very early and we’re still trying to get the word out.”
CAPSLO has a one-year contract with SLO city, which owns the parking lot, to oversee the program launched in response to a growing homelessness crisis amid the pandemic.
Michael Codron, SLO’s community development director, said he’s not too concerned about the lack of early participation, believing that the demand will eventually increase.
“I think it’s consistent with other safe parking programs in terms of how they started relatively slow and built up a clientele that appreciates the service over time,” Codron said. “We intend to increase our outreach to people who are parking in areas of the city overnight.”
In addition to the sanitation services provided at the parking area, and CAPSLO’s optional social services offered at the 40 Prado Homeless Services Center, parkers will also avoid being cited for parking overnight against the municipal code, Codron said.
Yet, despite the pitch, some homeless residents have expressed objections to a heightened police presence near the parking lot and the surveillance cameras on-site.
“Some parkers will prefer to have the video surveillance for their safety, and I understand why some will not. That’s their choice,” Codron said. ∆
—Peter Johnson
Thursday, April 1, 2021
U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) and California's senators are requesting transparency in the Department of Defense’s upcoming process for determining STARCOM’s Headquarters after the department’s U.S. Space Command decisions left them with questions.
In 2019, Vandenberg Air Force Base was initially selected as a finalist for the U.S. Space Command Headquarters.
“The governors of Texas and Florida balked at that: Their areas were not included,” Carbajal said. “So there was a whole new process that ensued, and in 2020, there was a new list of finalists that were unveiled. Lo and behold, Vandenberg Air Force Base was removed from the list, and bases in Texas and Florida were added.”
Carbajal and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California) sent requests to the department asking for transparency over the selection process, and now the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General is conducting a review of the decision.
The Space Force will soon embark on a selection process to pick a location for its new Space Training and Readiness Command (STARCOM). Carbajal, Feinstein, and Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California), want to ensure that the process is more transparent this time around.
The lawmakers penned a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin earlier this month requesting that the basing decision process for STARCOM be more clear, and urged the department to consider Vandenberg Air Force Base for the headquarters.
“We believe that Vandenberg AFB will be a top-tier candidate due to its existing training assets, including the 533d Training Squadron,” the letter said. “We look forward to learning more about the methodology that will be used in this basing decision and respectfully request that you give Vandenberg AFB all due consideration during the evaluation process.”
Carbajal said the search for STARCOM’s headquarters is expected to kick off in the near future, though he wasn’t aware of an exact timeline.
“We want to get ahead of the process by putting them on notice that Vandenberg is uniquely and exceptionally situated and qualified for the STAR Command that will be based in the United States,” Carbajal said.
One of those unique qualifications is that Vandenberg hosts the 533d Training Squadron, which already trains Air Force and Space Force personnel in space systems.
“We think Vandenberg Air Force Base is absolutely, perfectly equipped as probably the best candidate to be considered when they decide to move forward with this strategic process,” Carbajal said.
He added that if STARCOM headquarters were on the base, the local community would benefit from the new jobs and people it brings to the area. Δ
PHOTO COURTESY OF SALUD CARBAJAL’S OFFICE
BASING DECISIONS U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) is asking for transparency in the future STARCOM headquarter selection process after Vandenberg Air Force Base was removed as a finalist for unclear reasons.
“The governors of Texas and Florida balked at that: Their areas were not included,” Carbajal said. “So there was a whole new process that ensued, and in 2020, there was a new list of finalists that were unveiled. Lo and behold, Vandenberg Air Force Base was removed from the list, and bases in Texas and Florida were added.”
Carbajal and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California) sent requests to the department asking for transparency over the selection process, and now the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General is conducting a review of the decision.
The Space Force will soon embark on a selection process to pick a location for its new Space Training and Readiness Command (STARCOM). Carbajal, Feinstein, and Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California), want to ensure that the process is more transparent this time around.
The lawmakers penned a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin earlier this month requesting that the basing decision process for STARCOM be more clear, and urged the department to consider Vandenberg Air Force Base for the headquarters.
“We believe that Vandenberg AFB will be a top-tier candidate due to its existing training assets, including the 533d Training Squadron,” the letter said. “We look forward to learning more about the methodology that will be used in this basing decision and respectfully request that you give Vandenberg AFB all due consideration during the evaluation process.”
Carbajal said the search for STARCOM’s headquarters is expected to kick off in the near future, though he wasn’t aware of an exact timeline.
“We want to get ahead of the process by putting them on notice that Vandenberg is uniquely and exceptionally situated and qualified for the STAR Command that will be based in the United States,” Carbajal said.
One of those unique qualifications is that Vandenberg hosts the 533d Training Squadron, which already trains Air Force and Space Force personnel in space systems.
“We think Vandenberg Air Force Base is absolutely, perfectly equipped as probably the best candidate to be considered when they decide to move forward with this strategic process,” Carbajal said.
He added that if STARCOM headquarters were on the base, the local community would benefit from the new jobs and people it brings to the area. Δ
—Malea Martin
