https://calcoastnews.com San Luis Obispo County’s on-line independent news source producing in-depth investigative news in the public interest. Sun, 10 May 2026 05:18:07 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://calcoastnews.com/images/2022/10/cropped-largetile-32x32.jpg https://calcoastnews.com 32 32 59345941 https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/kristin-smarts-remains-not-found-search-of-arroyo-grande-home-concludes/ https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/kristin-smarts-remains-not-found-search-of-arroyo-grande-home-concludes/#respond Sun, 10 May 2026 05:18:07 +0000 https://calcoastnews.com/?p=133077 By KAREN VELIE The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office concluded its search for the remains of murder victim Kristin Smart at the Arroyo Grande home of the mother of her killer Paul Flores on Saturday. Investigators have not recovered Smart’s remains. Early Wednesday morning, investigators arrived at Susan Flores’ home on the 500 block […]]]> https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/kristin-smarts-remains-not-found-search-of-arroyo-grande-home-concludes/feed/ 0 133077 https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/calcoastnews-reporter-wins-defamation-case/ https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/calcoastnews-reporter-wins-defamation-case/#comments Sat, 09 May 2026 20:07:41 +0000 https://calcoastnews.com/?p=132671 By JOSH FRIEDMAN Jody Bernat’s defamation lawsuit against CalCoastNews reporter Karen Velie has been dismissed. San Luis Obispo County Superior Court Judge Tana Coates issued a ruling Friday applying California’s anti-SLAPP law to end the case. “The anti-SLAPP statute enables defendants to quickly terminate meritless actions against them that are based on their constitutionally protected […]]]> https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/calcoastnews-reporter-wins-defamation-case/feed/ 8 132671 https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/man-shoots-santa-barbara-officer-in-the-head-with-pellet-gun/ https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/man-shoots-santa-barbara-officer-in-the-head-with-pellet-gun/#comments Sat, 09 May 2026 19:30:19 +0000 https://calcoastnews.com/?p=133061 By JOSH FRIEDMAN Police arrested a man who allegedly shot a Santa Barbara officer in the head with a pellet gun on Friday morning. [KCOY] Shortly after 9:30 a.m., an officer attempted to contact a suspect near La Cumbre Plaza in Santa Barbara. The suspect, later identified as 30-year-old Mitchell Grant Grote, began to walk […]]]> https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/man-shoots-santa-barbara-officer-in-the-head-with-pellet-gun/feed/ 2 133061 https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/search-for-kristin-smarts-remains-continues-in-arroyo-grande/ https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/search-for-kristin-smarts-remains-continues-in-arroyo-grande/#comments Fri, 08 May 2026 21:13:36 +0000 https://calcoastnews.com/?p=133046 By KAREN VELIE Investigators continue on Friday to search for the remains of murder victim Kristin Smart at the Arroyo Grande home of the mother of her killer Paul Flores. Paul Flores murdered Smart during an attempted rape in 1996 following a Cal Poly frat party. After the party, Paul Flores helped escort Smart, who […]]]> https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/search-for-kristin-smarts-remains-continues-in-arroyo-grande/feed/ 3 133046 https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/house-fire-and-other-blazes-extinguished-in-atascadero/ https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/house-fire-and-other-blazes-extinguished-in-atascadero/#respond Fri, 08 May 2026 15:55:13 +0000 https://calcoastnews.com/?p=133041 By JOSH FRIEDMAN Atascadero firefighters extinguished multiple blazes that ingnited in the North County city on Wednesday, including a house fire that was reportedly caused by discarded rags. Shortly before noon, a fire broke out at 8315 Los Osos Road. Firefighters arrived at the scene and found a house that was 25% engulfed in flames, […]]]> https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/house-fire-and-other-blazes-extinguished-in-atascadero/feed/ 0 133041 https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/man-who-murdered-nipomo-woman-to-be-released-from-prison/ https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/man-who-murdered-nipomo-woman-to-be-released-from-prison/#comments Thu, 07 May 2026 16:53:28 +0000 https://calcoastnews.com/?p=133035 By KAREN VELIE A man who robbed, raped and murdered a Nipomo woman in 1974 is slated to be released in San Luis Obispo County after spending m0re than 50 years in prison. The California Board of Parole granted 75-year-old Alberto Tamez, Jr. parole during a hearing in Dec. 2025. After the governor took no […]]]> https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/man-who-murdered-nipomo-woman-to-be-released-from-prison/feed/ 11 133035 https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/uncovering-san-luis-obispo-countys-campaign-finance-coverups/ https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/uncovering-san-luis-obispo-countys-campaign-finance-coverups/#comments Wed, 06 May 2026 18:46:34 +0000 https://calcoastnews.com/?p=133032 OPINION by GREG HASKIN Campaign season is shifting into high gear. With less than a month to go, and mail-in ballots already out, the pressure is on. One tool that has become quite prevalent late in political campaigns is the independent expenditure committee (IE). This is a scheme for getting around campaign finance limits and […]]]> https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/uncovering-san-luis-obispo-countys-campaign-finance-coverups/feed/ 7 133032 https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/investigators-search-susan-flores-arroyo-grande-home-for-kristin-smart-evidence/ https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/investigators-search-susan-flores-arroyo-grande-home-for-kristin-smart-evidence/#comments Wed, 06 May 2026 18:05:05 +0000 https://calcoastnews.com/?p=133025 By JOSH FRIEDMAN Investigators are currently serving a search warrant at the Arroyo Grande home of Susan Flores as part of an ongoing investigation in the Kristin Smart murder case, according to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office. Early Wednesday morning, investigators arrived at Susan Flores’ home on the 500 block of East Branch […]]]> https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/investigators-search-susan-flores-arroyo-grande-home-for-kristin-smart-evidence/feed/ 11 133025 https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/sheriffs-deputies-searching-for-templeton-burglary-suspect/ https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/sheriffs-deputies-searching-for-templeton-burglary-suspect/#respond Wed, 06 May 2026 16:33:54 +0000 https://calcoastnews.com/?p=133020 By JOSH FRIEDMAN The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office is asking the public for help locating a suspect who burglarized a consignment boutique in Templeton last week. On April 30, sheriff’s deputies responded to an audible alarm call at the Upscale Resale store located at 590 S. Main Street. When deputies arrived, they noticed […]]]> https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/sheriffs-deputies-searching-for-templeton-burglary-suspect/feed/ 0 133020 https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/felon-terrorizes-san-luis-obispo-neighborhood/ https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/felon-terrorizes-san-luis-obispo-neighborhood/#comments Wed, 06 May 2026 00:43:49 +0000 https://calcoastnews.com/?p=132915 By KAREN VELIE Neighbors near the airport in San Luis Obispo are living in fear of an alleged delusional felon who was arrested three times in less than three months for charges that include a naked burglary. Even so, less than two months after his latest arrest he is slated to be released. Neighbors are […]]]> https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/felon-terrorizes-san-luis-obispo-neighborhood/feed/ 16 132915 https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/paso-robles-man-sentenced-to-four-years-in-prison-for-embezzlement/ https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/paso-robles-man-sentenced-to-four-years-in-prison-for-embezzlement/#comments Wed, 06 May 2026 00:39:13 +0000 https://calcoastnews.com/?p=133002 By JOSH FRIEDMAN A San Luis Obispo County judge on Tuesday sentenced a Paso Robles man to four years and four months in prison for embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from an Atascadero business. In May 2024, the owner of Scott O’Brien Fire and Safety contacted the Atascadero Police Department to report a suspected […]]]> https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/paso-robles-man-sentenced-to-four-years-in-prison-for-embezzlement/feed/ 2 133002 https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/drunk-driver-crashes-into-parked-car-in-san-luis-obispo/ https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/drunk-driver-crashes-into-parked-car-in-san-luis-obispo/#comments Tue, 05 May 2026 15:08:14 +0000 https://calcoastnews.com/?p=132991 By KAREN VELIE A drunk driver landed in jail after he crashed into a parked car in San Luis Obispo over the weekend. Late Friday night, a caller reported a crash on the 1700 block of Garden Street. Officers arrived to find the driver of a white sedan had crashed into an unoccupied parked car. […]]]> https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/drunk-driver-crashes-into-parked-car-in-san-luis-obispo/feed/ 4 132991 https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/arroyo-grande-drowning-victim-identified/ https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/arroyo-grande-drowning-victim-identified/#respond Tue, 05 May 2026 01:38:51 +0000 https://calcoastnews.com/?p=132988 By KAREN VELIE Authorities identified the Arroyo Grande man who drowned while kayaking off the coast of Montana de Oro State Park on Saturday morning as 78-year-old Ralph Sutter. Shortly after 10 a.m., a caller reported waves flipped over a kayaker. It appeared Sutter’s life vest somehow slipped off his body. The San Luis Obispo […]]]> https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/arroyo-grande-drowning-victim-identified/feed/ 0 132988 https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/chp-searching-for-central-coast-driver-who-hit-and-killed-pedestrian/ https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/chp-searching-for-central-coast-driver-who-hit-and-killed-pedestrian/#comments Mon, 04 May 2026 22:36:48 +0000 https://calcoastnews.com/?p=132983 By JOSH FRIEDMAN The California Highway Patrol is asking the public for help identifying a hit-and-run suspect who struck and killed a pedestrian between Santa Maria and Guadalupe on Sunday evening. At about 8 p.m., an unknown vehicle hit a female pedestrian while traveling westbound from Santa Maria to Guadalupe on West Main Street. The […]]]> https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/chp-searching-for-central-coast-driver-who-hit-and-killed-pedestrian/feed/ 2 132983 https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/more-scrutiny-for-san-luis-obispo-county-political-committee/ https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/more-scrutiny-for-san-luis-obispo-county-political-committee/#comments Mon, 04 May 2026 20:49:19 +0000 https://calcoastnews.com/?p=132957 By KAREN VELIE A political action committee that supports the reelection of San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Jimmy Paulding amended its disclosures to comply with election laws, an action that instead led to further scrutiny. Attorney Don Ernst and retired attorney Ray Mattison donated a total of $40,002 to seed the political action committee, though […]]]> https://calcoastnews.com/2026/05/more-scrutiny-for-san-luis-obispo-county-political-committee/feed/ 8 132957