St. Fratty's tally: 19 citations, 1 arrest

Author

Carly Heltzel
March 16, 2026

Good morning. It’s Monday, and I’m looking at old photos from Cal Poly’s lock shop that holds every key to campus. Onto the five Cal Poly, SLO and California stories you need to know for today.

1.

SLO Police issued 19 citations and arrested one person between midnight on Friday and Saturday at 10 a.m. during this year’s St. Fratty’s celebrations. The arrest followed an assault downtown. At Cal Poly’s on campus music festival, attendance peaked at 11,000 students, and the city said there were “no attempts at gathering in the streets in the neighborhoods.”

2.

Cal Poly sent a mandatory Freedom of Expression online training to students last week. While it was sent after a Christian-conservative booth sparked a large crowd earlier that day, a university spokesperson confirmed that the training has been planned for months and was not in response to the event. The training focuses on the First Amendment along with Cal Poly’s Time, Place and Manner policy that dictates what protests are allowed look like on campus.

3.

An inmate died at the SLO County jail on Saturday. Officials said the 48-year-old had been in medical distress as staff were dispensing medication. Staff then performed CPR and attempted to give other medical aid before the man was pronounced dead. The cause of death will remain unknown until an autopsy can be performed. No foul play is suspected.

4.

The Trump administration invoked emergency powers to order California’s offshore oil platforms to restart production off the coast of Santa Barbara, citing the oil crisis in Iran. Gov. Gavin Newsom immediately threatened to sue. The platforms have not operated for 11 years since a massive spill released thousands of barrels of oil into the Pacific Ocean. Several court orders restrict the Texas-owned company that owns the platforms from resuming production.

5.

USA Today named the SLO International Film Festival as the ninth best film festival in the country from their reader’s choice voting. This is the second year in a row that SLO made the top 10 list. The three that topped the list were in major cities like Pittsburgh, Chicago and Indianapolis. This year’s festival will take place from April 23-28 at the Fremont and Palm theaters — given the repairs to the Fremont’s iconic marquee are done in time.