Welcome to the first edition of our second year of the Slo Coast Journal. Published online monthly, the Journal is here to bring you information specific to our part of the Central Coast.
"The notion of a free press, of an institution that monitors those in power and those who wish to be in power, that ferrets out truth from lies, that draws public attention to the pressing issues of our times, is a cornerstone of a liberal democratic theory." Robert McChesney in the Political Economy of the Media
Photos courtesy Mike Baird
Sea Otter Pup Shot
Reward offered for information.
A sea otter pup was found dead on Morro Strand beach in north Morro Bay on Thursday, June 24. Cause of death was determined to be a shot to the head with a pellet gun. The California Department of Fish and Game is seeking witnesses or any information related to the incident. Read More (Warning: Graphic Images)
Beach Near Killing
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People who are running as incumbents have significant leverage over opponents, political scientists have found, because name familiarity "can be a powerful advantage," usually the result of holding office and getting known accordingly. That's because "the average voter . . . is likely to recognize their names on the ballot and vote for them," the book, The Irony of Democracy (Dye and Zeigler), has concluded, along with other scholarly works. Read More
Movement on the Los Osos Sewer Project
The hotly-debated Los Osos sewer project, immobilized for four years by a lack of community and governmental consensus on what to develop and mired in ongoing controversy across the county, appears to have turned the corner with approval of a general plan by the California Coastal Commission—but with stringent conditions and required monitoring by Commission staff to ensure that it maximizes protection of the environment and serves Los Osos residents as effectively and economically as possible. Read More
Morro Bay's Adopted Budget
The jobs of three employees and the hours of three others were cut, and pickups and drop-offs at front doors by the Dial-A-Ride service that seniors depend on to see their doctors and run other errands were sharply restricted under a 2010-11 budget adopted by the City Council, which at the same time granted pay raises as high as four percent to the city's remaining employees starting on July 1. Read More
A Tale of Two Cities' Wastewater Treatment Plant Projects
Morro Bay and Cayucos residents have noticed that their concerns regarding the Morro Bay/Cayucos wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) upgrade project are similar to those expressed several years ago by residents of the City of Fillmore, California. That City undertook a project to replace its own aging WWTP, and final costs exceeded the original cost estimate by approximately $59 million. Read More
Removal of Morro Bay /
Dynegy Oil Tanks
Dynegy, the owner of the Morro Bay Power Plant, says it hopes in the coming weeks to begin removing from the plant site the six 32-feet tall storage tanks that contained the oil to fuel the plant since it opened in 1955 through the mid-1990s. The oil had been something of a plague on Morro Bay until Dynegy switched to natural gas in 1995. Read More
Delay for Coastal Commission Plan Review
The California Coastal Commission (CCC) has not yet completed its formal review of the General Plan/Local Coastal Plan (GP/LCP) and Zoning Ordinance documents submitted by the City of Morro Bay in 2005. City officials have repeatedly expressed frustration with the delay and wondered aloud, in the course of public meetings, what is taking so long. Read More
Downtown Enhancement Project Exploration Approved
A set of proposed plans to makeover downtown Morro Bay—highlighted by such new features as a three-story building, a public plaza, an art center, a public swimming pool, a grand staircase extending down from Morro Bay Boulevard to the Embarcadero, a public park with an amphitheater, public restrooms, "pocket parks," entertainment "venues," and extended mixed residential and business uses—has won the support of the City Council for exploration. Read More
PERC'S New Technology for Wastewater Treatment to be Considered
After several months of adamant opposition, the Morro Bay City Council and Cayucos Sanitary District board have reversed course and apparently are going to investigate an alternative design for their planned new wastewater treatment plant. Read More
