2015

Overall agriculture value hit hard by ongoing Central Coast drought

By KCBX Newsroom • May 10, 2016
Jay Thompson - Cal Poly

The ongoing drought is taking a big bite out of the Central Coast agriculture industry. 

The latest numbers from the San Luis Obispo County Department of Agriculture, Weights and Measures shows a steep decline in total gross crop value. That number fell eight percent last year compared to 2014 coming in at nearly $828.8 million.

UCSB reports record-breaking donations approaching academic year

By Alex Ullrich & KCBX Newsroom • Sep 23, 2015
Wikipedia user: Coolcaesar

UC Santa Barbara begins the academic year Thursday on the heels of an historic fiscal year. 

Let's talk about the weather: what to expect this year

By Jordan Bell • Jan 9, 2015

Last year was the warmest on California's record books and it continued to move the state into it's prolonged drought.

John Lindsey is PG&E's Corporate Relations Representative and Marine Meteorologist. He says 2014 broke the previous record by 1.6 degrees Celsius.

Lindsey explains what to expect from 2015.

"We're definitely looking at a changing climate, a warming climate. A hypothesis is that if we do receive rain, storms could be more intense and it may produce longer and more prolonged drought," Lindsey said.

Land Conservancy to protect more SLO County land this year

By Jordan Bell • Jan 6, 2015
Kaila Dettman

Last year the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo took ownership of the 900-acre parcel of land now known as the Pismo Preserve and this year they hope to open it to the public. 

The organization raised more than $12 million last year to buy the land and make improvements, plus it finalized all the paperwork to switch it over to public use. Executive Director, Kaila Dettman says the Pismo Preserve is the beginning of a larger, county-wide effort, the Heart and Soil campaign.

Local lawmakers on Brown's sustainability goals

By Jordan Bell • Jan 5, 2015
Twitter feed @JerryBrownGov

Some Central Coast lawmakers are supportive of aspects of Governor Jerry Brown's Inaugural speech Monday.

Brown touched on the budget and stressed the importance of education and sustainability for the future of California.

Assemblymember Das Williams (D- Santa Barbara) says he agrees with the Governor's vision for the future and says that Brown focused on issues directly affecting the Central Coast.

State Senator's bill to prevent gun violence takes effect in 2015

By Jordan Bell • Dec 31, 2014
Jessica Paterson

Local Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson authored eight senate bills this year that take effect Thursday. One of these aims to help prevent gun violence.

Senate Bill 505 requires law enforcement agencies to create policies encouraging officers to search California's database of gun purchases before conducting a 'welfare check.' 

She says that this would have been helpful in the case of the Isla Vista killings in May, when roughly three weeks before the massacre, law enforcement visited Elliot Rodger to check on his well-being, but were not aware of firearms.