Category: Central Coast

Gloomy forecast

January was hot across the US and dry in California and now February looks like a duster as well, at least through the 20th as high pressure along the California coast pushing the jet stream far north into the Rockies. 

Here are two maps. The top shows much below rainfall in California in January and the second shows the forecast cumulative precipitation in February.

Statewide snowpack is 63% of average as of February 7

-January 5,2019-

The California Strawberry Commission predicts higher production in California in 2020 led by the Santa Maria district that includes San Luis Obispo County.Their survey says summer volume could be huge this year with volume starting in April.

Over the past five years, higher-yielding strawberry varieties have allowed growers to achieve record production despite decreasing acres. But in 2019  a rainstorm in late May followed by June heat wave disrupted production, the survey noted.

Last year the Salinas growing area was hardest hit with it annual production falling off from 115 million trays in 2018 to 91 million in 2019.Meanwhile  Santa Maria district saw 70 million trays in 2018 increase to 74 million in 2019.

Fall planted acres for spring and summer production is expected to increase 4.3% statewide this year but up 7.2% in the Santa Maria area   about 35% of state supply- see chart.

Statewide strawberry producers shipped 201.9 million trays in 2019, down from 224.5 million in 2018 and 206 million in 2017.

-January 31,2019-

  

Drone footage of Grapevine before it opened (from KTLA). After the  significant storms this past week a dry pattern is expected  over much of California through at least the first 10 days of January. Here is a computer model map showing strong high pressure over the state into first week of 2020.

Reservoir storage looks good

California’s key reservoirs are above historical average for this time of the year, a good sign for the coming year even as the  winter snow season is just beginning.The state largest reservoir Shasta stands at 118% of average for Jan 1.To the south, Castaic sits at 99%. Around San Luis Obispo Whale Rock and Santa Margarita sit at 85% of capacity and Lake Nacimiento, supply for SLO city, sits at 50% and is ahead of last year.

-December 13,2019-

Alaska Airlines will launch two new flights from San Luis Obispo in 2020, one to San Diego, California, with daily, non-stop service beginning January 7, 2020 and the other to Portland, Oregon, with daily service beginning June 18, 2020.

 Also another new destination,Las Vegas is on the schedule with the announcement in October that  Contour Airlines is beginning nonstop service between Las Vegas and San Luis Obispo.The airline’s flight schedule is designed for weekend travel and flights are offered four times per week, on Thursday, Friday, Sunday and Monday. The quick 80-minute flight leaves Las Vegas at 10:35 a.m. and lands in San Luis Obispo at 11:55 a.m.; the return flight from San Luis Obispo departs at 12:25 p.m. and arrives in Las Vegas at 1:45 p.m. Base fares for the new service start at $99 one way.

Contour will operate 30-seat Embraer ERJ-135 aircraft between the two cities, featuring all leather seating with expanded legroom, complimentary snacks and beverages, and a free checked bag included with every fare. Tickets for the new Las Vegas flights are available for purchase now on contourairlines.com.

These 3 new flights will mark the fifth and sixth and seventh new routes announced within 34 short months, and brings the airport’s total nonstop destinations to 10.

“These two new flights to Portland and San Diego, coming so close on the heels of our Dallas/Ft. Worth and Las Vegas flights, have made 2019 our most productive year on record,” said Kevin Bumen, A.A.E., Director of Airports. “We are excited to offer the Central Coast more options than ever before, and to bring more visitors to experience our incredible community.”

Statistics at the airport through October show  passenger traffic is up 10.5% from the previous year.

-December 2,2019-

Wake up call – County Democratic registration surges

As of October 1, 2019 Democrats outnumbered Republicans in the county 60,694 to 59,546 – a slim majority to vote in the March 2020 primary. Historically the GOP outnumber Demos in the county by a good size majority. Looks like things are changing.

Much more significant is how dramatically Democratic registration has increased from January 2016 during the primary season that year. Back then, Democratic voters numbered 48,212 and GOP registration stood at a commanding 57,783 – almost 10,000 more Republicans than Demos. Figures are from the Secretary of State.

So over that 4-year period Demos added just under 12,500 voters eligible while the GOP added just 1763 in SLO County. That’s a 7 to 1 advantage.

The trend matches an even bigger surge in Demo voters across California, up over 1.5 million voters since January 2016 while the GOP added just 26,000 statewide.

Gas prices: good news, bad news

Gas prices may be lower as we move into December 2019 but SLO County is still one of the most expensive counties in the state to buy gas. According to AAA the average price in SLO  this week is $4.02 down from $4.25 a month ago.  Diesel prices in SLO are still up there at 20 cents more than regular. Ironically the cheapest place to buy gas in the state is in Lemoore just 30 miles from the SLO county line where you can buy gas for $2.76 a gallon.

Removing the cable lines

City of Morro Bay reports that several large ships have been seen off of Montana de Oro State Park recently, which are there removing two disused undersea transoceanic fiberoptic cables that land in the park. Their smaller support vessels have been working in and out of the harbor on a daily basis.

Butterflies are back

The Monarch butterfly population has made sudden come back along the coast of California according to the Western Monarch Research Center. 

A month ago KSBY reported the Pismo Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove saw a significant drop in the number of monarch’s this winter  season.

At the time  the report the grove has about 1,000 monarchs. The number of monarch’s at the grove at this same time last year was 3,077 according to docents.

But the latest Nov 2019 count is way up, more than double the number seen this time  last year at the Pismo Reserve (see chart).It is migration time for this species so the numbers are changing.

Sea otters double in Morro Bay

In a November 28 blog published by the Morro Bay Estuary Program, the blog pointed to the fact that  “Sea otters thrive in Morro Bay”

It says “Southern sea otters, once thought to be extinct, thrive in Morro Bay. They spend much of their time resting to conserve energy and hunting for the shellfish, octopuses, crabs, urchins, and other invertebrates that live at the bottom of the bay. Over the past decade, the population of sea otters within the estuary has more than doubled. Wildlife watchers would once thrill to see a dozen otters in the bay. Now, it’s common to see between thirty and fifty otters inside the bay on any given day.”

Morro Bay may sell water to Cal Poly

Over the past several months, Morro Bay staff has met with Cal Poly representatives to discuss the possibility of the City providing the campus with additional water supply that had been identified in their master planning for water supply resiliency. This water supply would be from Morro Bay’s State Water Allocation. The City would be able to provide this allocation to Cal Poly as a result of the additional potable water added to the City’s portfolio through the WRF project. In concept, Cal Poly would take delivery of the water from the Chorro Valley Pipeline and said allocation and the sale would also be subject to District approval. The potential benefits to the City could include: Cost recovery of unused State Water allocation, recovery of capital and debt service costs for the WRF potable water infrastructure, interconnection with other water purveyor and emergency supply agreements.”

Merrimaker bar set to open in Baywood

After an interior remodel, new owner Bill  Lee is ready to open the Merrimaker bar he bought last summer. The bar has been closed for weeks as work to upgrade plumbing and interior walls has moved forward. No worries that the rough exterior and iconic  sign remain the same.The Baywood bar is expected open again for business this coming Wednesday, December 4.

Purple urchins for dinner?

Looking to give kelp beds a chance to recover an explosion of purple urchins along the West Coast, how about pitching in by dining on purple urchins? Odd way to save the planet?

UC Davis researchers are working with Bay Area shellfish company Urchinomics to explore the possibility of removing purple urchins from their sea floor barrens and fattening them up for market—in short, urchin ranching.

If the resulting product gives kelp beds a chance to recover, dining on purple urchin could go beyondRogers-Bennett and UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory Director Gary Cherr will begin trials this fall to see if urchin ranching could be a viable strategy.

-November 11,2019-

Morro Bay like the rest of Central California is seeing fewer visitors this year compared to 2018. Morro Bay’s occupancy rate was 73% through September compared to 81% for the same period in 2018. Revenue per available room in Morro Bay dropped to $118 from $124 in 2018, city figures show.

Around the county the story is the same although it varies.  The City of San Luis Obispo’s hotel occupancy is listed at 77% compared to 81% in 2018. Cambria is down 3 percentage points with Pismo Beach down around 3% as well.

This year we had no Highway 1 slide to worry about and in 2018 the massive slide closed the highway until July 20 of that year. Nevertheless, receipts have been down in 2019.

This year Santa Barbara has been down by less than a percentage point.Figures collected by STR suggest a slight decline around the state.

Fewer international travelers are coming into the state through LAX – down 1.38% through the first 9 months of the year. California airports’ domestic traffic increased 2.7 percent, and international traffic decreased -0.2 percent in August 2019 year over year.

This fall much for the state has been suffering wildfires that have hurt visitation around the the Bay Area’s wine country.Nevertheless. STR says the state’s highest room rate in September were in Napa Valley with an average daily rate of $415.

-November 7,2019-

Frog study delays construction of Morro Bay sewer facility

The City of Morro Bay has been working with the Environmental Protection Agency for the past several years to secure low-interest funding through the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act for the Water Reclamation Facility project.

Since the project will be receiving Federal funds, it must comply with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). One of these requirements is review by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act. With technical support being provided by the City, this review began in June 2019.

On October 10, 2019, the EPA received a letter from USFWS indicating that, based on the information that had been provided, that agency did not agree with EPA’s determination that the project “may affect, but is not likely to adversely impact” the California Red-Legged Frog and its critical habitat. The EPA responded to USFWS on October 22, 2019 with additional information on proposed mitigation efforts and requested USFWS to update its determination.

There has not been a Red-Legged Frog occurrence within a square mile of the South Bay Site since 1996 says the city.

“The City considered the Red-Legged Frog in the Environmental Impact Report and began the review process with EPA and Fish and Wildlife in June. While the timing is unfortunate as we are prepared to start construction, we will work expeditiously with the EPA and Fish and Wildlife to resolve these important considerations,” said City Manager Scott Collins.
Construction on the South Bay Boulevard site cannot start until the EPA finalizes its environmental review.”

Within the next several weeks the City should know the approximate magnitude of the potential delays resulting from review by USFWS.The current schedule includes construction beginning in 2019 and project completion by 2022.

Batting cages on deck in Morro Bay

Morro Bay’s Planning Commission will take up a request to modify a permit for the former Flippo’s Roller Skating Rink at 210 Atascadero Rd, a 11,200sf building that has been mostly shuttered for a years. The old rink had been fixture in town from 1982 to 2001. The commission will meet November 5 to hear the plan to build a cafe and indoor baseball batting cage – the first batting cages planned in SLO County. The site is near the high school.

Morro Bay could see 35-unit affordable housing project

The Housing Authority of San Luis Obispo (HASLO) has submitted plans for a 35-unit multi story affordable housing project at 405 Atascadero Road. The project would consist of 17 one bedroom units, 9 two bedroom units and 9 three bedroom units.The Planning Commission will take up the application this week.

Firestone Brewery plans solar project

Firestone Brewery has received the OK to move forward on the construction of a 2.1-megawatt solar photovoltaic system on 9.78 acres adjacent their facility in Paso Robes.

Morro Bay Coast Guard expansion allows accommodation for women

The US Coast Guard is moving forward with a plan to add about 800sf to their facility on the Embarcadero in Morro Bay after years of study. So says Harbor Director Eric Endersby who adds he understands a contractor has been hired to begin the remodel after a lease agreement earlier this year.Part of the reason for the expansion would enable the Coast Guard to employ women here with new overnight accommodations.

-October 30,2019- 

California could get wet November 10 & 14

Just under  2 weeks out the latest NOAA computer models are indicating a  welcome break in the high-pressure that has choked California with winds and wild fire shutting off power to millions here.

The predictive map shows an increased chance  of rain coming down the California coast and into the state by November 10 and again on the 14th as far south as LA (see map).

This far out there is not a lot of confidence yet in the prediction  but it does offer some hope for a break in this awful pattern.

Satellite photo shows winds blowing smoke from the fire to the west just north of SF this week. Other map shows  extent of  record winds in southern California today.

Map below shows NOAA’s winter forecast released earlier in October predicting a drier forecast for much northern California.

 

from North American Windpower

Posted by Betsy Lillian –

October 1, 2019

A newly launched coalition, Offshore Wind California (OWC), is dedicated to growing the state’s offshore wind industry.

Noting advances in floating platform technology and declining costs, OWC urges California to set a goal of reaching a minimum of 10 GW of offshore wind by 2040, which would help meet the state’s commitment of 100% renewable power by 2045. Citing the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the group says building 10 GW of offshore wind in California would create 18,000 jobs and generate $20 billion in GDP by 2050.

Founding member companies of Offshore Wind California are Aker Solutions, Equinor, Magellan Wind, Mainstream Renewable Power, Northland Power, Ørsted and Principle Power. The nonprofit Pacific Ocean Energy Trust, which is supporting the formation of OWC, is also a founding member.

“California is committed to 100 percent power from renewable energy by 2045,” states Sunny Gupta, head of new markets at Ørsted and board chair at OWC. “Offshore wind is critical to reach this mark and will create jobs and green growth. It’s an ideal complement to existing renewable resources, with steady and powerful winds that grow even stronger after sunset. We want California to seize its opportunity to be a leading offshore wind market − in the U.S. and across the Pacific Rim.”

NREL estimates California’s technical potential for offshore wind at an enormous 112 GW, including up to 8.4 GW in the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s three designated call areas. Although deeper West Coast waters require floating technologies, this technology is now being deployed in various markets around the world; technology advances and economies of scale have established the commercial case for floating offshore wind, says OWC.

“It’s time for California, a renewable energy leader with one of the world’s best offshore wind resources, to stake its claim to the growing benefits of offshore wind, including jobs, economic development, lower emissions and potential savings for ratepayers,” says Adam Stern, the newly hired executive director of OWC, who has broad experience with California environmental and renewable energy issues and is based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

“Offshore wind is poised to play a major role helping California meet its renewable energy goals,” adds David Hochschild, chair of the California Energy Commission. “Working together, industry leaders, policymakers, environmental advocates, labor unions and power providers can advance the technology and make this renewable resource a mainstream, competitive clean energy source. Offshore wind holds great promise as part of the diverse power portfolio and transformative clean energy change California is looking for.”