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REVIEW<br />
july 2<br />
Tommy Gong leaves his position as <strong>SLO</strong> County<br />
Clerk-Recorder to take a position as the Deputy<br />
County Clerk-Recorder for Contra Costa County.<br />
Elected to his post in 2014, he cites a desire to<br />
be closer to his elderly parents, as well as the<br />
contentious political environment following the<br />
November 2020 election. The Board of Supervisors<br />
will appoint a new interim clerk-recorder, and until<br />
then Gong’s duties will fall to two deputy clerks.<br />
july 11<br />
After hearing from <strong>SLO</strong> County District Attorney Dan Dow, Governor Gavin Newsom<br />
reverses a Board of Parole Hearing decision in March to release Royce Casey, one of three<br />
people convicted and sentenced to prison for the 1995 murder of Arroyo Grande High<br />
School freshman Elyse Pahler. Casey, along with two teenage accomplices, was convicted in<br />
1997 based on his plea to first degree murder. Dow argued that Casey remains a threat to<br />
public safety, as he “has never adequately explained why he participated in such a sadistic and<br />
heinous crime.”<br />
july 6<br />
<strong>SLO</strong> City Council returns to in-person meetings.<br />
Members of the general public looking to<br />
address an issue before the council can also<br />
speak in-person during public comment periods.<br />
You can also send a written email or video to<br />
emailcouncil@slocity.org, send a letter via U.S.<br />
mail, or call 805-781-7164 to leave a three-minute<br />
verbal comment.<br />
july 8<br />
The <strong>SLO</strong> County Regional Airport begins<br />
overnight rehabilitation work on its primary<br />
runway, including upgrading taxiway connectors,<br />
runway lights, and directional signs. Preparation<br />
for the $13.5 million project began months ago,<br />
and the construction calendar was designed to<br />
align with the airport’s commercial air traffic<br />
so that much of the work will be conducted at<br />
night when some flights have been rescheduled.<br />
It’s expected to be completed in early fall.<br />
july 9<br />
California Congressman Devin Nunes proposes<br />
HR 4394, the “Clean Energy Protection Act,” that<br />
would require the state to issue permits needed for<br />
the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant to remain<br />
open. PG&E continues its decommissioning<br />
process announced in 2016, however, that will see<br />
its current permits expiring in 2025.<br />
july 14<br />
San Luis Obispo Superior Court Judge Craig van Rooyen denies a motion<br />
from the <strong>SLO</strong> County District Attorney’s Office to add two rape charges from<br />
Los Angeles against Paul Flores in the Kristin Smart murder case. During the<br />
2020 search of the murder defendant’s home located in San Pedro, California,<br />
investigators discovered “rape fantasy” videos as well as pornography that<br />
allegedly showed Flores raping an intoxicated woman. Rooyen called evidence<br />
of a sexual assault in the Smart case “weak” further explaining, “Proof of the<br />
LA charges can’t act as a substitute ... for the <strong>SLO</strong> case.” On that same day,<br />
documents were unsealed showing that twenty-nine women reported Flores’<br />
history of violent sexual misconduct to investigators. Additionally, during the<br />
trial, the judge also moves discussion of a subpoena issued for Susan Flores, the<br />
mother of Paul Flores, until just prior to a preliminary hearing scheduled on<br />
August 2, at which time details about the investigation will be discussed in open<br />
court testimony for the first time. <strong>SLO</strong> <strong>LIFE</strong><br />
AUG/SEP <strong>2021</strong> | <strong>SLO</strong> <strong>LIFE</strong> MAGAZINE | 27
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