A nonprofit land trust has struck a deal to acquire 2,060 acres of wildlands above Avila Beach in San Luis Obispo County and turn what has been part of a sprawling buffer for the oceanfront Diablo Canyon Power Plant into a nature preserve. The move shuts down a competing plan for high-end homes at the site and sets the stage for trails and campsites.
While Sen. Monique Limón doesn’t have a blockbuster legislative victory to show for her first year as pro tem, her biggest win so far is her popularity with Senate colleagues. Unlike her predecessor, who was known as a micromanager, Limón’s egalitarian, “govern by consensus” approach has kept her caucus in lockstep.
The Trump administration this week moved to block California’s plan to phase out sales of the single-use propane cylinders that campers use to fuel their camping stoves. A California law passed in 2024 would ban sales of disposable one-pound propane products — the handheld, forest-green canisters made by Coleman and Bernzomatic — beginning in 2028. Advocates say switching to reusable cylinders — which can be refilled at home or through a canister-exchange program — will save consumers money and cut down on hazardous waste.
Communities around the United States are turning September 25, written as 9/25, into a celebration of Dolly Parton, using the date as a nod to “9 to 5.” Several local and state authorities have announced commemorations following Parton’s death on August 25 at age 80, while organizers in New Orleans and Lexington have scheduled public gatherings.
Swimmers will be allowed to dive into Santa Margarita Lake for the first time ever next year. On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 1253 into law, which empowered the county to open the lake to body contact on Jan. 1. But swimming likely won’t be allowed until the summer of 2027, according to the county.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Monday aiming to accelerate Pajaro River critical flood protection projects by expanding contracting tools available. Senate Bill 1055 was introduced by Sen. John Laird, D-Santa Cruz, and works to expand the contracting tools available to the Pajaro Regional Flood Management Agency to help the agency conduct levee repairs and flood control improvements more efficiently. It authorizes the agency to use additional construction procurement methods — or methods for acquiring necessities like materials, equipment, resources, consultants and contractors.
Paso Robles wineries that make wine with grapes grown by other producers will soon be allowed to sell those products and offer tastings at certified farmers markets. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 917 on Thursday, Aug. 27. The law, authored by state Sen. John Laird, whose district includes most of San Luis Obispo County, will take effect Jan. 1, 2027.
Lawmakers spent two years negotiating a compromise that would protect sexual assault survivors’ path to justice without bankrupting cash-strapped school districts, cities and counties.
A Senate proposal to fund climate and other programs caught up in a fight over cash from the state’s emissions trading program is here. The plan, released late Thursday by Senate Budget Chair John Laird and Sen. Eloise Gomez Reyes, who chairs the subcommittee overseeing environmental issues, is a stopgap measure that would allow lawmakers to tap $500 million in cap-and-invest revenues for transit, clean water and other legislative priorities, instead of using it to fund Cal Fire.
PG&E will pay San Luis Obispo County $16.6 million to make up for lost unitary tax payments related to the continued operation of the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant. The county will receive two annual payments of $8.3 million this year and next, through an agreement recently secured by Sen. John Laird and announced Monday morning.