Cal Poly Pier found suitable for offshore wind docking

Author

Carly Heltzel
May 04, 2026

Good morning. It’s Monday, and I’m looking at archival photos of filming Star Wars. Onto the five Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and California stories you need to know for today.

1.

The Cal Poly Pier is the only suitable landing spot for an offshore wind operation facility on the SLO County coast, a study showed. Cal Poly’s 3,000-foot steel pier near Avila Beach is the only thing even close to being able to dock 300-foot operations vessels, while the neighboring Harford Pier could dock the smaller crew transfer vessels ina propose option. Both would need significant renovations, and it’s unclear if Cal Poly would ever agree to move its Coastal Marine Science Center.

2.

Downtown pastry chef Florencia Breda will compete in the finale of the “The Ultimate Baking Championship” airing on Food Network tonight at 9 p.m. The Italian-raised Michelin-star chef has worked at restaurants around the world before coming to SLO, and said she knows how to work well under pressure because of it — the only difference this time is it’s being filmed, she said. She will compete for the grand prize of $50,000.

3.

The Editorial Board of the SLO Tribune’s parent company, McClatchy Media, endorsed former Rep. Katie Porter for governor as California's primary election is just a month away. They said that after one-on-one conversations with all but one of the candidates, Porter came away from it as the most able to genuinely grasp the issues Californians are facing today. A few factors were age (52), ability to communicate, willingness to fight off big money lobbying groups and a drive to uplift struggling Californians.

4.

Asylum seekers have one of the most difficult pathways to getting a higher education degree in California. Not only are asylum seekers one of the least protected immigration statuses often caught in years of legal battle to stay in the country, they have fled their home country fearing persecution. Then, if they want to attend college, they have to pay out-of-state tuition for any public school, aren’t eligible for any federal financial aid and very few can get state aid.

5.

The World Dog Surfing Championships Exhibition Tour stopped by Pismo Beach this weekend with pups of all sizes surfed waves in front of an adoring crowd. The pros showed off their skills, but local surfing dogs had a shot in the limelight too. For many dogs, this was their first ever competition. Stars like “Rippin’ Rosie” have large social media following and drew a crowd of supporters as she shredded the gnar.