Cal Poly student arrested in anti-human trafficking operation

Author

Carly Heltzel
February 09, 2026

Good morning. It’s Monday, and I’m reading about the best and worst commercials at the Super Bowl yesterday. Onto the five Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and California stories you need to know for today.

1.

Authorities arrested a Cal Poly student last month for allegedly meeting or arranging a meeting with a minor “for lewd purposes.” He was one of six people arrested by SLO County during last month’s statewide anti-human trafficking operation. Ashvir Singh is a manufacturing engineering senior, and he faces $5,000 in fines and up to four years prison time. County authorities also rescued three female victims during the same operation.

2.

This year’s St. Fratty’s concert will double in size, from 5,000 to 10,000 attendees on the Lower Sports Complex fields. Cal Poly will also set up sobering stations and an alternative jail for your friend who shows up way too drunk. University housing damage charges will double, police fines will double and only people who live in an on-campus building will have access to it, thanks to RAs checking IDs at the door. More details to come.

3.

Small wineries could get the opportunity to sell bottles and hold pop-up wine tastings at local farmers’ markets, which is currently reserved for large wineries. SLO’s state senator proposed the bill because currently, only two out of 586 licenced wineries in SLO County have farmers’ market permits. With the current trends shifting away from wine and the state’s industry plummeting, he hopes this will be a pick-me-up it needs.

4.

A state workers union is pushing for laws that will make remote work available “to the fullest extent possible” and document how much money it saves the government. Gov. Gavin Newsom is requiring state workers to come back into the office at least four days per week starting in July, but of those remote now, which is about half of state employees, 74% said they prefer remote work. The bill would require the state to justify any in person work mandates.

5.

Two unassuming Central Coast airports got a huge boost from wealthy Super Bowl attendees flying privately to the region, hoping to avoid the crowds and traffic to Levi’s Stadium. Salinas and Watsonville Municipal Airports saw a surge in reservations and needed extra security measures as VIPs flocked to their runways. But the influx was slightly less than what the airports saw 10 years ago when Levi’s Stadium last hosted. “I guess nobody likes the Patriots, right, besides me,” one Watsonville spokesperson joked.