SLO LIFE Magazine Oct/Nov 2018

SEPTEMBER ’18
9/3
Morro Bay moved to the head of a list of potential sites for an offshore wind
farm, as the U.S. Navy entered talks with Seattle-based Trident Winds concerning
development of such a project a few miles out to sea. The site, which is considered
ideal because of its existing power infrastructure that had been mothballed with
the closure of “The Stacks,” as they are known to locals, face challenges concerning
zoning as well as objections within the fishing industry. However, the state
continues its aggressive push toward clean, renewable energy as the Assembly
recently approved a bill that would require California to generate 100% of its
electricity from renewable sources by 2045. It was reported that Trident Winds
expects to sign a memorandum of understanding with the City of Morro Bay this
fall as the first step in the process.
9/5
In a politically fraught decision, the San Luis Obispo City Council approved the
highly controversial Anholm District bike lanes. After many meetings and many
hours of debate, the council was split on the decision, 3 to 2, with Heidi Harmon
casting the deciding vote in favor of the project (Carlyn Christianson and Andy
Pease both voted “No,” while Dan Rivoire and Aaron Gomez voted “Yes”). The $3
million project put long-time residents along the Chorro Street corridor at odds
with local bicycle advocates, and clearly defined the central issue for the upcoming
election which pits the incumbent mayor, Heidi Harmon, against her challenger, an
outspoken project opponent, Keith Gurnee.
9/8
Pismo Beach Councilman and California Coastal Commissioner Erik Howell
was ordered by a judge to pay $959,307 in attorney’s fees and court costs related
to corruption charges from 2016. Howell, who was a defendant in the case along
with four others, was found to be personally liable for the judgment according to
San Diego Superior Court Judge Timothy Taylor in a 12-page ruling. Despite
the findings, Pismo Beach has failed to run a candidate against Howell, who
campaigns uncontested again this year for another term in office.
9/11
Oil companies dump money, nearly $1 million as of this
writing, into the campaign on Measure G, otherwise known
as the “fracking measure.” Vastly outspending supporters of
the legislation by a 7 to 1 clip, which would permanently
ban fracking in San Luis Obispo County, multinational
oil conglomerates from outside the area represented the
largest donors in the effort to stop the passage of Measure
G. The local, grassroots group, Coalition to Protect San
Luis Obispo County, has received far less funding and
expects the gap to widen, citing a similar vote in Monterey
County which led to oil companies spending $5 million in
opposition to their fracking ban, which ultimately passed
but remains tied up in court.
9/19
As the San Luis Obispo County Jail continued to be
among the leaders in the nation when it comes to inmate
deaths, the Board of Supervisors elected to outsource
medical care at the facility. Carty Holland, whose son,
Andrew, died at the jail last year after being placed in
a restraint chair for 46 hours, expressed his skepticism,
as he cited the need for culture change at the Sheriff ’s
Department, stating, “You have got to look at the root of
the problem.” The handoff to the private service provider is
expected to take up to six months, but will likely come at a
slightly lower cost overall. SLO LIFE
OCT/NOV 2018 | SLO LIFE MAGAZINE | 31