In the ring: SLO vs. the frats

Author

Carly Heltzel
November 13, 2025

Good morning. It’s Thursday, and I’m watching the heartwarming reunion of an otter pup and its mom. Onto the five Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and California stories you need to know for today.

1.

Since Cal Poly began, there’s been tension between residents and students in SLO’s neighborhoods. Greek life made it a whole lot worse. A county entity released a scathing report that detailing qualms like unauthorized frat houses in the wrong zones, a lack of city permit enforcement, consistent noise and unruly gathering violations. Long term residents have been forced to move out over the years and frats complain there are no opportunities for dialogue. 

2.

In a survey, 70% of Cal Poly students said they were in support of Proposition 50, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s statewide redistricting initiative that passed last week. Statewide in in SLO County, the margins were lower, with 64% of Californians supporting the measure and 56% of SLO County voters approving. At Cal Poly, roughly 32% of people thought that less than half of students knew that the election was even happening. 

3.

Going into Thanksgiving break, travellers should be wary of flight delays and “pack their patience,” SLO airport officials warned. Even though the government shutdown concluded yesterday, fallout from the 42-day affair will continue across the nationwide system. SLO’s air traffic controllers are contracted so they’ve been paid, but the TSA officers haven’t seen a paycheck in weeks. The airport has helped connect those TSA officers with resources to support themselves. 

4.

The states that draw from the Colorado River failed to reach an agreement by Tuesday’s federal deadline. Two years since negotiations began for this new agreement, the seven western states, including California, are deadlocked. Much of the strain comes from fractured relationships between states and decreasing water supply that officials are calling “perilous.” “You’re cutting a smaller pie, for more people,” one professor said.

5.

Waymo is expanding out from San Francisco, the newest move in the robotaxis’ global takeover. The self-driving cars will now drive on Bay Area freeways all the way down to San Jose, where its services will now be available. And at San Jose’s airport, Waymos will now line up curbside for travellers. This means Waymo’s zone of operation will now include more than 260 square miles. Only 57.3 million more to go to conquer all of Earth’s land.