Cal Poly faces backlash over Border Patrol at career fair

Author

Carly Heltzel
October 21, 2025

Good morning. It’s Tuesday, and I’m voting for San Luis Obispo’s cutest dog and cutest cat. Onto the five Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and California stories you need to know for today.

1.

Cal Poly students and faculty plan to protest the presence of U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the career fair tomorrow. Groups say Cal Poly is being “hypocritical” by allowing their presence while trying to earn the designation of Hispanic-Serving Institution (despite legal guardrails that prevent the university from excluding them) and say it’s “frustrating” for people of color to feel like their voices aren’t being heard.

2.

Downtown business owners can’t seem to agree on whether SLO is headed downhill or just coasting. After an article was published saying SLO’s main street was “on the brink,” owners are split as to whether this reflects their reality. Over 90% of shop windows are filled and while 14 businesses have closed in 2025, 21 have opened and the city has seen an increase in sales tax revenue. “No the sky is not falling,” the owner of Moondoggies Beach Club said.

3.

Pismo Beach celebrated its clams last weekend with a festival that drew 10,000 people. The Pismo Beach Clam Festival taught attendees about the species, its importance and how to know whether or not a clam is good for harvest. The popular event gave local businesses a boost during the fall tourist off season. 

4.

Researchers found that some bird species might benefit greatly from wildfires, thriving while burn scars heal and well after. After looking at 42 species, 41 of them had higher population density after prescribed burns in the area, providing new insight into the benefits these measures can have. But that’s only for smaller, controlled fires, as the mega-blazes Californians see increasingly often still eliminate habitat and harm bird numbers.

5.

Front Porch got a major refresh over the summer, overhauling decorations, getting a fresh coat of paint and renewing its spaces to optimize them for community building. Since 2004, the Christian coffee hang out has evolved to become less outwardly religious, though its roots with the Presbyterian church go back to the 1950s. Now that the scale of demand and overall profile of the organization has been raised, the changes will accommodate that larger campus presence.