The San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce held its annual “State of the State” meeting at the Embassy Suites. There were two featured speakers at the event Tuesday — State Senator John Laird and the co-founder of the non-profit newsroom CalMatters, Dave Lesher.
There, they both talked about national, state-wide and local Central Coast issues with moderator Christine Robertson, the executive director of the San Luis Coastal Education Foundation.
Lesher and Laird discussed current environmental topics in the state, like the switch to renewable energy and offshore wind. Laird commented on PG&E’s extension deal for operating the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant.
“I really leveraged a billion dollars for renewable energy in that deal, because the reason we were talking about Diablo Canyon is we didn't have enough energy,” Laird said. “And whether it was extended or non-extended, we needed more renewables.”
They also touched on the homeless crisis, with Laird recognizing SLO County for its current 5-year plan to reduce the issue by 50 percent.
During a Q&A portion, the speakers discussed taxes, raises in minimum wage and the current state budget deficit.
