Sea barriers in Morro Bay have reached "failure"

Author

Carly Heltzel
March 07, 2025

Good morning. It’s Friday, and I’m taking a news quiz on Mustang News’ newest print edition. Onto the five Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and California stories you need to know for today.

1.

Seawalls and erosion barriers have a lifespan of 50 years. In Morro Bay, the three seawalls and 12 barriers were built 80 years ago. After a recent inspection, the results ranges from good condition to critical. Some of the barriers in the worst condition have technically reached “failure,” although the failing sections are not supporting pedestrian walkways or parking lots. Morro Bay has 10 years to fix all 15 structures, a way to spread out the financial burden. The most substantial damage comes from storm surge and runoff pounding the coastline.

2.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said it’s “deeply unfair” for transgender athletes to participate in women’s sports on a podcast episode with conservative media mogul Charlie Kirk. The podcast was the first in a series called “This is Gavin Newsom,” aimed to give liberals a foothold in the media, but, after this first episode, Democrats are pissed. State lawmakers responded saying the comments were “profoundly disturbing” and that they were “profoundly sickened and frustrated” at Newsom’s comments. Whatever they’re feeling, its pretty profound.

3.

California’s high-speed rail project could be at risk if it fails to close a significant funding gap. Its director said they need to “stabilize” inflow and rely less on federal sources. This comes two weeks after the Trump administration announced a “compliance review” of the high-speed rail project, threatening $4 billion that Biden promised to complete the Central Valley section. The original rail proposal had a $30 billion budget, but projections say the end cost will be more like $130 billion, leaving officials in a constant scramble for more cash.

4.

The National Park Service saw a record number of visitations last year, with a striking 2% increase from 2023. But you won’t probably hear about it. An internal memo instructed parks staff to release no “external communications” about the jump in visitors, a notable departure from previous years. Staff suspect the guidance is to avoid “bad press” about the economic value of the parks amidst the Trump administration’s mass firings, budget slashes and buyout offer to every parks employee. “The silence is a little weird,” a spokesperson for a parks advocacy nonprofit said.

5.

A SLO nonprofit has provided over 25,000 showers to those who need one since its founding in 2017. Every second Sunday of the month, Shower the People pulls up downtown with a shower trailer with three separate bathrooms, a mobile hair salon and a popup health clinic. While the services are open to anyone, no questions asked, the nonprofit typically serves “kind of bedraggled” people who live on the streets of SLO, the operations manager said. “They come out in a nice, clean set of clothes, and you can see it on their face,” he said.