Public Safety · San Luis Obispo County
PG&E warned that more than 8,000 San Luis Obispo County customers, most in unincorporated areas, could face Public Safety Power Shutoffs beginning as early as Thursday morning and extending through Saturday evening due to elevated wildfire risk from dry and windy conditions. The county activated its Emergency Operations Center, with officials cautioning residents they could be without power for more than two days and that traffic signals may go dark if outages persist long enough. A PSPS watch for the City of San Luis Obispo was lifted Wednesday afternoon, but county-wide monitoring continues. Approximately 1,100 PG&E customers in Santa Barbara County were also flagged as potentially affected.
Public Safety · San Luis Obispo County
A wildfire named the Oaks Fire was discovered at 4:38 p.m. on October 14, 2026, burning on private land in San Luis Obispo County, California. As of publication, no containment data was available and the cause had not been determined. The report is sourced from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Crime · San Luis Obispo County
A jury convicted 42-year-old Genaro SantanaAvalos of two felonies for contacting a minor with intent to commit a sexual offense and arranging a meeting, plus two misdemeanor drug possession charges, after he drove from Paso Robles to a San Luis Obispo park on Dec. 12, 2024, to meet what he believed was a 15-year-old girl but was actually a Sheriff's Office detective. Detectives found a condom, methamphetamine, and a pipe in his vehicle; forensic phone evidence confirmed his messages and saved directions. He faces up to five years and six months in state prison and must register as a sex offender, with sentencing set for Nov. 19.
Crime · San Luis Obispo, CA
Vanessa Rose Noblitt, 45, was sentenced Tuesday by Superior Court Judge Rita Federman to nine years and eight months in state prison for vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated in the July 23, 2024, hit-and-run death of 86-year-old cyclist Saul Goldberg of Avila Beach. Noblitt, whose blood alcohol concentration was .31 percent—nearly four times the legal limit—drifted into a bike lane on South Higuera Street in San Luis Obispo around noon, striking Goldberg and his riding companion Martin Suits before fleeing the scene. She pleaded guilty Sept. 15 to vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, DUI causing great bodily injury (a strike offense), and hit-and-run. A restitution status hearing is set for Jan. 12.
Public Safety · San Luis Obispo County
San Luis Obispo County Emergency Manager Joe Little urges residents to sign up for AlertSLO at ReadySLO.org, noting that only about 12,000 of the county's roughly 280,000 residents are enrolled. Two separate systems exist—AlertSLO and Reverse 911, managed by the SLO County Sheriff's Office—and officials recommend subscribing to both while a long-term merger is pursued. A recent example involved an evacuation order for Higuera Street between Chorro and Broad in downtown San Luis Obispo due to a natural gas leak. Alerts are tied to a resident's address, so those who move within the same city should update their profiles.
Public Safety · San Luis Obispo County
A collision between a 77,000-pound semi-truck hauling cauliflower and a Kia Sportage SUV was reported shortly after 10:10 p.m. Wednesday at the southbound Highway 101 off-ramp at Vineyard Drive in Templeton, California. Two people were transported to Sierra Vista Adventist Health hospital, with one requiring extrication from a vehicle. Southbound lanes were closed and traffic diverted toward Las Tablas Road while crews cleared debris and gravel across both lanes. The California Highway Patrol had not released the cause of the crash or the extent of injuries as of late Wednesday night.
