CSU employees to receive one-time bonus

Author

Carly Heltzel
October 17, 2025

Good morning. It’s Friday, and I’m reading about the vintage Monterey Bay Aquarium otter shirt that’s been revived after Taylor Swift wore it at her movie premiere. Onto the five Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and California stories you need to know for today.

1.

Cal State employees will receive a one-time bonus from a $144 million loan the university system got from the state. California cut Cal State’s budget by that same amount in July, cutting Cal Poly’s funding by $9.7 million, and gave Cal State the option to take out the no-interest loan. The bonus is to appreciate “extraordinary skill and dedication” among employees. The loan must be paid back by July 1, 2026. 

2.

Sal Vulcano’s upcoming show at the Performing Arts Center sold out in less than a minute in yet another frustrating battle for ASI tickets. Even students who wait online and refresh the page right when the tickets drop fail to acquire one. It’s certainly not the first time students got stonewalled at the box office. “Where’s my money going if I can’t attend these events?” one student said. “I was ready, and I was very disappointed that this is such a recurring thing at Cal Poly.”

3.

Downtown SLO is bracing for up to 10,000 protesters tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for its second anti-Trump “No Kings Day” protest. The first was held in June with an attendance of 5,000 people. This protest will have more security, 100 volunteers, improved sound and a built-up stage at the corner of Monterey and Osos Streets. This time, it will double as a rally for California’s special election redistricting measure, Proposition 50.

4.

Paso Robles school board won’t consider restricting transgender students beyond state law, as a large portion of people at their meetings are asking them to. State law dictates that transgender students must be allowed to use facilities associated with their identity and participate in the sports under the gender they identify with. Several people spoke out about these policies or wrote letters about their discomfort with this policy, but the board confirmed they won’t pass a resolution to change it.

5.

When SLO got a tornado warning on Monday, a small farm north of Santa Cruz might have gotten a real tornado. Authorities are investigating five-figure damage, where a plastic and metal structure was ripped from the ground and the owner struggled to close the door to the house to escape. In addition to that, Salinas and Hollister residents saw tunnel clouds forming Tuesday afternoon. The last confirmed tornado in the Central Coast was in Santa Cruz County in December 2024.