e-Insider
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Insiders report that there is good news in the near future for a landmark building in downtown. Ever since House of Bread vacated the building at 858 Higuera Street to relocate to a larger space, their former location has sat empty in the downtown shopping core. A new retail store -- “The Flip Flop Shop” -- is expected to occupy the space. The retail store, which is a franchise, sells flip flops and other accessories. |
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Retirement benefits and compensation received by city council members may soon be less costly to city coffers. Council members all agreed to consider making the same changes to their benefits that they are asking city employees to make including an agreement to pay their portion of PERS as well as a 6.8% reduction in total compensation. The mayor is entitled to receive $1,200 a month and the council member salaries are set at $1,000, although some have previously chosen to receive less. The proposals are part of an update to the city’s policies and procedures manual which was addressed in a special meeting of the council last night. Staff was also directed to consider an earlier start time for council meetings, from 7pm to 5pm and a move to having paperless agendas. |
The City of San Luis Obispo may soon be facing a legal challenge stemming from recent steps taken to move forward with the Los Osos Valley Road/Highway 101 interchange improvement project. Los Verdes Parks 1 and 2, which are in the project zone, have filed their intent to sue the City. The homeowners’ associations have long held concerns about residential safety. The city council has already approved funds necessary to defend against the suit. The move comes following the city council’s approval of the State of California Department of Transportation’s environmental determination which took place earlier this month. The $30 million project is anticipated to begin construction in 2015.
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Insiders report the Mexican grill restaurant Chipotle is planning to open a second location in San Luis Obispo on Madonna Road next to Panera Bread. The national chain opened its first local location in downtown SLO in February 2010. The company reports that with increasing revenues they expect to open a total of 135 to 145 new restaurants throughout the 2011 year. As of the end of June 2011, it had a total of 1,131 Chipotle restaurants. |
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Numerous efforts are currently underway to create a safer atmosphere for the nightlife in downtown San Luis Obispo. One group -- the Safe Nightlife Association, which represents a number of bars and restaurants downtown -- will be rolling out a number of strategies intended to increase safety for both the patrons and the community in surrounding areas. New programs include one that’s being called, “One 86, All 86,” which would give the bars a way to keep the most out-of-control customers out of their establishments by creating a database that would distribute their picture and information. Other program ideas include a cleanup process for the downtown area at night, efforts to decrease excessive drinking and fighting, and increased transportation options. |
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The long-planned implementation of the Airport Area Specific Plan and the Chevron Tank Farm Project moved one step closer to reality last night at City Council. The project, which calls for a business park (27 acres), manufacturing uses (26 acres), and dedicated open space (265 acres), incorporates tremendous area-wide infrastructure benefits like widening Tank Farm Road and numerous public amenities. However, as Chevron is the first proposed developer in the area, the upfront costs of putting in the desired infrastructure are significantly higher. In fact, it is projected to cost $11 million more than Chevron’s “fair share” of $6 million, which Chevron is willing to provide in what essentially amounts to a 0 percent interest loan to the public and other future developers in the area. In a strong show of support for its own economic development goals and community priorities, the Council last night was in total consensus to continue negotiations with Chevron to explore potential avenues for reimbursement. |
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Insiders report that significant progress is being made to replace some key positions at City Hall after recent retirements. The Finance and IT department head position -- long held by Bill Statler -- is in the final stages of recruitment and is expected to have a director announced later this month. This is the second attempt at filling the role that Mary Bradley has been fulfilling on an interim basis since Statler’s retirement. Meanwhile, more than 100 applications came in for the Community Development director position previously held by John Mandeville. The city has narrowed down the search to eight candidates. And the recently announced retirement of Police Chief Deborah Linden is set to begin recruitment next week. Candidates for all three positions are being informed of the city’s current financial state and are aware of the 6.8 percent across-the-board concessions that staff were asked to make in this year’s financial plan. |
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Congratulations and a huge thank you to all of those who worked so hard to see the successful passage of Measures A and B, which repeal binding arbitration and set the stage for pension reform. Yesterday’s 70 percent-plus wins were important statements by the residents of their desire for long-term fiscal sustainability. The issues engaged the energy and resources of a diverse and broad-based coalition of community members and local businesses, many of whom had never previously been involved in political action. The work now must be focused on how to move forward as a community committed to continuously improving the quality of life in San Luis Obispo through civic engagement and respectful discourse. |
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iCracked, Inc., a company that started in San Luis Obispo and replaces broken iPhone screens, is in the spotlight again. Forbes recently named nine young men and women as "All-Star Student Entrepreneurs" and one of them is iCracked founder AJ Forsythe. The magazine features student entrepreneurs from across the country who started businesses while attending school full-time. Forsythe started iCracked as a Cal Poly student after he broke the screen on his iPhone twice in two days. The article on Forsythe chronicles the young entrepreneur’s journey and his early success as a business owner. |
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Insiders report that former San Luis Obispo City Manager Ken Hampian has been named the short-term interim city manager of Bell, Calif. Last Friday, the long-suffering city parted ways with its interim city manager, leaving the city’s new mayor to run the day-to-day tasks. Bell also has no department heads, no acting department heads, no budget and no advisory bodies, among other challenges. The city has been in financial ruin since 2010 when it was revealed that several key city officials were earning excessive salaries, perhaps the highest in the nation, resulting in a lawsuit filed by the California Attorney General’s office as well as several state and federal investigations into the city’s finances.
Hampian agreed to serve the city of Bell temporarily on a pro-bono basis. He retired from his 10-year post as the San Luis Obispo city manager in 2009. His post in Bell is expected to last through most of August.
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