SLO breaks decades-old heat record

Author

Carly Heltzel
March 19, 2026

Good morning. It’s Thursday, and I’m reading about a real possum who ended up in the stuffed animal section of an airport gift shop. Onto the five Cal Poly, SLO and California stories you need to know for today.

1.

SLO County broke two decades-old heat records on Tuesday. Here in SLO, the temperature measured at the airport reached 97 degrees, demolishing a 22-year old record of 91 degrees for March 17. This was also a record for the month of March. Meanwhile, Paso Robles hit a high of 93 on Tuesday, breaking a 54-year-old record of 88 degrees that was set in 1972. 

2.

California Democrats, who have long embraced César Chávez as the figurehead for the farmworkers movement, are grappling with the allegations that he sexually abused women and girls for years. Gov. Gavin Newsom said he and his wife were shocked to find out that their close ally and co-founder of the movement Dolores Huerta said Chávez had raped her twice. Local leaders from across California, including in Santa Barbara, are deciding whether to rename the dozens of parks and streets that bear his name.

3.

The Texas-based oil company that is now drilling on oil platforms off of Santa Barbara’s coast hopes to be able to sell 50,000 barrels of crude oil per day by April 1. It says it can transport 200,000 barrels through its pipeline to shore, which runs through SLO County, and has 540,000 barrels in storage. California consumes nearly 2 million barrels per day. “These pipelines are incredibly risky, and the risk is not offset by the tiny impact it would have on the price of oil,” the chair of an environmental nonprofit said.

4.

An algorithm created by UC San Francisco is making big strides in mitigating high blood pressure, which affects 48% of U.S. adults. A new study shows that the algorithm improved health for nearly 5,000 patients of the 90,000 being treated across the UC. That translates to preventing 72 strokes, 48 heart attacks and 38 deaths, the study’s author said. “This is all about having a system-wide focus that actually moves the needle,” he said.

5.

The taco truck was invented in 1972 in Los Angeles. It was just one family who revolutionized the game after immigrating from Mexico City and converting an ice cream truck into a fully functional kitchen, something relatively unheard of back then. With its flattop grill and ordering window, King Taco was born. The street-style, meat-focused taco model took off. It only took a decade before some 500 trucks roamed the city.