Businesses target shoplifters on social media

Author

Carly Heltzel
April 04, 2025

Good morning. It’s Friday, and I’m looking at the remodel results for the world’s “most beautiful” Taco Bell. Onto the five Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and California stories you need to know for today.

1.

Downtown business owners are turning to social media to stop shoplifters. The founder of vintage store Thrifty Beaches posted a video of him chasing a biker who stole a jacket this month that amassed over 11 million views. Then, a few days later he posted a video confronting a woman who stole two Gucci bags. In 2024, there were 48 reports of theft in SLO and there have been six so far this year. Shop owners have a group chat to share security footage. “If someone gets hit, we warn everyone,” Jeff said.

2.

While the Carrizo Plains may be lacking in the wildflower realm, here are a few places in the county to get you in the spring mood. Up north, Avenales Ranch along Shell Creek Road is touted for an “above average” display this year, mostly boasting bright yellow. In south county, Osos Flaco Lake has a few wildflower hikes that include sprinkles of purple. Fiscalini Ranch Preserve in Cambria has an annual wildflower walk at the start of May to appreciate the later-bloomers. 

3.

Cal Poly Baseball is on a hot streak. The team hasn’t lost a conference game yet this season, standing 9-0 in the Big West. Through the whole season, the team is 19-8, and the team is ranked 26th for Rating Percentage Index in the NCAA. Tonight at 6 p.m the Mustangs are slated to play UC San Diego at home in the first of a three game series this weekend. The coach said home games typically get 2,000 to 3,000 energized attendees. “Our fans always come out,” the coach said.

4.

Your car insurance could get a lot more expensive soon. The reason? You (probably) guessed it: tariffs. Experts have said the Trump administration’s policies will directly raise prices of car parts and cars, causing any repairs or insurance related coverage to increase as well after years of rates “galloping” ahead, one insurer said. But it’s not just cars. The recent blanket 10% tariff could hike up home, commercial and liability insurance rates too. “It’s going to be brutal,” the insurer said.

5.

The L.A. fires destroyed a lot — and the world’s largest collection of over 60,000 rabbit-related items at The Bunny Museum was no exception. When the owners first started dating, she began calling him “honey bunny,” a nickname that started off an eventually daily exchange of rabbits that amassed the museum’s portfolio. Now in the wreckage, little stuffed bunnies have been left at their property for them, a sign of what the site meant to leporine enthusiasts. “The love has been incredible,” one of the owners said.