Cal Coast News

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Cal Coast News
TypeOnline Newspaper
FormatDigital-only
Staff writersKaren Velie, Josh Friedman, Ben DiGuglielmo
Founded2008 (2008)
LanguageEnglish
HeadquartersP.O. Box 15508, San Luis Obispo, California
Websitecalcoastnews.com

Cal Coast News is an online investigative news site that covers San Luis Obispo County, California. It is generally abbreviated as CCN. The news group focuses its coverage on issues particularly relevant to the Central Coast of California.

The news group's readership grew substantially in 2010 after a series of stories on hard money lending led to multiple indictments, including the arrests of developer Kelly Gearhart and lender Karen Guth.[1] In recent years, Cal Coast News reported on county corruption regarding a county supervisor, cannabis business owners and developers.[2][citation needed]

History[edit]

Cal Coast News was founded in 2008 by Karen Velie, and Daniel Blackburn[citation needed]. Three time Pulitzer Prize winning journalist George Ramos was once an editor[3] who was also serving as the head of the journalism department at California Polytechnic State University.[4] From its inception, CCN emphasized independent investigative journalism and tackled controversies in local government and industry.[5][6]

Following Ramos's death in 2011, the role of editor was passed on to Cal Poly professor and former journalism department chair Bill Loving.[7] Currently the newspaper is staffed by editors Bill Loving and Karen Velie, as well as reporters Josh Friedman and Ben DiGuglielmo[8]

Libel suit[edit]

In 2012, an article by Cal Coast News inappropriately cited sources referencing a contractor's employment history and accusing him of mishandling hazardous waste.[9] In 2017 the publication lost the resulting libel case and was asked to pay 1.1 million dollars in damages.[10][11] After the case ended, Charles Tenborg, the Arroyo Grande waste-management business owner who sued the paper, purchased the paper's Limited Liability Corporation and canceled it.[12][13] The LLC had been suspended by the Secretary of State after the libel case and Tenborg registered the name himself. While Tenborg controlled the name Cal Coast News he did not gain access to or control over the website where stories were being published, though rumors circulated that he and his co-claimants had taken over the paper.[14] The case was being taken to the SLO County Superior Court in 2017.[12] Subsequent investigations by the Cal Coast News into Tenborg led to claims that Tenborg had given false testimony during the libel suit.[15] Tenborg tried to settle CCN's libel suit appeal out of court, but Blackburn and Velie rejected his demands.[16] In 2019, the appeals court upheld the original libel verdict citing the lack of a full record of the original trial. Also as of 2019, Tenborg and his co-claimant Bill Worrell were under criminal investigation for fraud.[17][18]

Adam Hill[edit]

CCN has published articles accusing former San Luis Obispo County District 3 Supervisor Adam Hill of corruption and bribery. Hill claimed they were false.[19] In a 2012 interview with the New Times (weekly), Hill said Velie was a former student of his. He alleged that Velie was someone who said "fabrications".[20] Velie and CCN accused Hill of corruption, bribery with local developers and special interest groups, and personal and financial retaliation. The website accused Hill of backing the Tenborg libel lawsuit as part of "an undisguised effort to destroy the eight-year-old online news agency.".[21]

CCN was the first to report that Hill's office and home was searched by the FBI in early 2020. These events would be followed by Hill's suicide attempt.[22] CCN implied the FBI raid and suicide attempt was linked to allegations they published that Hill solicited money from the marijuana and development industries. In August 2020, Hill was found dead at his home from a suspected suicide. CCN erroneously reported the cause of death was a gunshot wound.[23]

Video footage[edit]

Also in 2019, Cal Coast News released video footage of a physical assault of a woman at a bar by a San Luis Obispo city employee. The employee pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor to avoid more serious charges, but CCN's release of the video led to local outrage and the eventual firing of the city employee.[24]

Black Lives Matter[edit]

In 2020, CCN covered protests throughout San Luis Obispo inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement and initiated after the murder of George Floyd, a black American man, during an arrest in Minneapolis. Its reporting evoked criticism from protesters for the allegations and reporter publishing them. In August 2020, Friedman accused Black Lives Matter protesters of planning to protest in front of the home of SLO County District Attorney Dan Dow.[25] His website cited a flyer announcing the protest that was allegedly sourced from local activist groups. BLM Community Action, a coalition group responsible for organizing most of the protests in San Luis Obispo, denied being involved in the creation of the flyer and denounced the protest at Dow's home.[26]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Exclusive: Kelly Gearhart pleads guilty". Cal Coast News. 2014-05-14. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  2. ^ Alex Tavlian (2021-07-28). "Weed mogul – owner of Lemoore dispensary, lounge – pleads guilty in Federal bribery probe". The San Joaquin Valley Sun. Retrieved 2022-04-07.
  3. ^ "George Ramos dies at 63; former Times reporter and columnist". Los Angeles Times. 2011-07-25. Retrieved 2022-04-02.
  4. ^ "Cal Poly journalism professor George Ramos dies at age 63". Mustang News. 2011-07-24. Retrieved 2022-04-02.
  5. ^ McGuinness, Chris. "Fit to print? Defamation trial highlights the complicated legacy of CalCoastNews". Santa Maria Sun. Retrieved 2018-10-26.
  6. ^ McGuinness, Chris. "Fit to print? Defamation trial highlights the complicated legacy of CalCoastNews". New Times San Luis Obispo. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
  7. ^ "New editor for CalCoastNews". Cal Coast News. 2011-08-30. Retrieved 2022-04-02.
  8. ^ "Cal Coast News". Cal Coast News. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  9. ^ Perdue, Lewis. "Fate of local news operation on Calif Central Coast may rest on libel suit outcome". Retrieved 2019-06-25.
  10. ^ "California Today: A Journalism Scandal Roils the Central Coast". Retrieved 2018-10-26.
  11. ^ McPhate, Mike (2017-03-20). "California Today: A Journalism Scandal Roils the Central Coast". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
  12. ^ a b McGuinness, Chris. "Fight erupts over CalCoastNews name". New Times San Luis Obispo. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
  13. ^ California Department of State; needs more input
  14. ^ "Has CalCoastNews been taken over?". Cal Coast News. 2017-07-18. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
  15. ^ "Investigator uncovers false testimony in CalCoastNews libel case". Cal Coast News. 2018-07-31. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
  16. ^ "Worrell on leave, IWMA fraud investigation continues". Cal Coast News. 2018-08-10. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
  17. ^ Vaughan, Monica. "SLO County waste manager placed on leave amid fraud investigation". sanluisobispo. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
  18. ^ McGuinness, Chris. "Appeals court upholds libel verdict against CalCoastNews". New Times San Luis Obispo. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
  19. ^ Johnson, Peter (2016-10-05). "Supes up: Two SLO County supervisor seats, two very different races". SLO New Times. Retrieved 2020-08-09.
  20. ^ Rigley, Colin (2012-04-19). "Regarding Adam". SLO New Times. Retrieved 2020-08-09.
  21. ^ Velie, Karen (2016-10-25). "CCN set to battle pernicious lawsuit". Cal Coast News. Retrieved 2020-08-09.
  22. ^ Velie, Karen (2020-03-25). "FBI raids SLO County Supervisor Chair Adam Hill's home". Cal Coast News. Retrieved 2020-08-09.
  23. ^ Velie, Karen (2020-08-06). "SLO County Supervisor Adam Hill dead, suspected suicide". Cal Coast News. Retrieved 2020-08-09.
  24. ^ Abcarian, Robin. "She was assaulted by a city employee. It was caught on video, but jurors let him off". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
  25. ^ "BLM protesters threaten to harass district attorney at his Templeton home". Cal Coast News. 2020-08-07. Retrieved 2020-08-09.
  26. ^ "Facebook". Race Matters SLO County Facebook. 2020-08-08. Retrieved 2020-08-09.
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