Lieutenant governor candidate visits Cal Poly

Author

Carly Heltzel
May 14, 2026

Good morning. It’s Thursday, and I’m reading about a new grocery store in Los Angeles to rival Erewhon for the bougiest and most expensive. Onto the five Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and California stories you need to know for today.

1.

A candidate in California’s race for lieutenant governor stopped by Cal Poly’s campus on his “Books not Bombs” tour encouraging universities to think critically about their budgets. Oliver Ma spoke about his upbringing as a child of immigrants, career as a lawyer and his campaign — which he said isn’t taking any money from large corporations, billionaires or a notable pro-Israel group. Several students spoke at the event too, about accountability, grassroots movements and Flock cameras.

2.

In the battle for water in Paso Robles, farms and wineries have been sucking wells dry and leaving well-dependent residents without a water source on their property. Now, the Paso groundwater authority will charge large water users $22.90 per acre-foot of water used; visually, that’s the amount to cover a football field in a foot of water. The city of Paso Robles will be the most affected, but it can’t and won’t pass the cost on to residents for now. 

3.

A state program to install solar panels and batteries for free at low-income households is slow, bogged down in paperwork, biased in giving large companies contracts and not paying people on time. Developers front the costs for installing eligible, approved projects, then have to wait for the state to reimburse them within a year. That lengthy window can pose issues for small solar developers who can't afford to go without payment for that long. 

4.

Safe drinking water programs could be at risk after California overhauled its carbon market, one of the main sources of funding. About 600,000 people in the state lack access to a safe and affordable source of drinking water. The funding is being diverted to the high speed rail that will connect the state and to the legislature’s budget for future allocation. The reality is stark for those at risk of losing their access. “If that funding goes away,” one resident said. “Oh my god, I can’t even imagine.”

5.

Cal Poly Racing will send its electric Formula 1 car to a Michigan raceway for a four day competition this June. Teams work intensely throughout the year, rebuilding an almost completely new car per the competition rules. The competitions test the cars on four aspects: a 75-yard acceleration test, a figure-eight course to test the lateral handling of the car, an “autocross” race that is a cone course and an endurance race that is 22 kilometers with one pit stop and no ability to stop and fix parts if they fail.