Ishan Pandhare's first court appearance is tomorrow

Author

Carly Heltzel
February 03, 2026

Good morning. It’s Tuesday, and I’m exploring a map that shows every farm nearby and how you can visit. Onto the five Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and California stories you need to know for today.

1.

Ishan Pandhare, the Cal Poly junior charged with a hit and run that seriously injured two Cal Poly sophomores, will be read his charges on Wednesday morning in his first court appearance. His three felony counts include reckless driving causing specified injury, driving under the influence causing injury and leaving the scene of the accident. He will also be charged with a hit and run misdemeanor causing damage to surrounding property and an unsafe speeding violation.

2.

SLO County land owned by the Bureau of Land Management could be opened up to oil and gas leasing. The acreage is equivalent to 14 times the size of SLO. This is part of Trump administration push to expand energy operations in the U.S., and the bureau already filed the legally required environmental impact statement for over 400,000 acres of land in central and southern California. Environmentalists say the report vastly understates the impact that fracking or other operations would have on this land.

3.

When buying your dream home, you usually expect the houses in the listings actually exist. Well check twice because there are a few real estate schemes targeting SLO County. The district attorney’s office identified 120 properties since 2023 that have listed homes under false pretenses, but almost all of the pending sales of those homes were blocked. In the schemes, 70 bank accounts were tied to moving shady money. 

4.

California lawmakers introduced a slew of bipartisan bills targeting dangerous drivers after a CalMatters investigation uncovered how repeat DUI offenders were responsible for a spike in deaths on the road. The proposed bills would require in-car breathalyzers after a person’s first DUI, draw out license suspensions following incidents, up training on DUIs for law enforcement and close a loophole that allowed people who have killed on the road to avoid jail.

5.

Disney has a secret 708-acre movie ranch that it doesn’t really want you to know about. Golden Oak Ranch in Santa Clarita, just 20 miles north of the Disney studio in Burbank, is the site where Disney filmed many popular shows and movies, including “The Mickey Mouse Club” which featured a young Brittney Spears and Justin Timberlake, “Wandavision,” “Holes,” the original 1961 “The Parent Trap” movie and the second and third “Pirates of the Caribbean.” “It was a real thrill,” one former employee said of being there.