Trans athlete draws a crowd in Arroyo Grande

Author

Carly Heltzel
April 22, 2025

Good morning. It’s Tuesday, and I’m reading about a few environmental do-gooders to give me Earth Day optimism. Onto the five Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and California stories you need to know for today.

1.

Arroyo Grande High School is the newest lightning rod for the debate over transgender participation in sports. A sophomore girl who competes in track and field has caused a stir that amassed 50 commenters at the latest school board meeting. One female student spoke out against the girl being allowed in the women’s locker room, saying that the girl being able to watch her change was traumatizing. But nothing will change because state law enshrines the girl’s rights, the school board said.

2.

As the CSU onboards its hundreds of thousands of students to ChatGPT Edu, it begs the question: What is the environmental cost? It’s not your individual searches that suck the most energy, it’s training the models that can take up to 5 million gallons of water per day and release the same amount of carbon as the lifetime of five cars. A Cal Poly spokesperson said the Cal State seeks to be a leader in the ethical use of AI, including accounting for sustainability. Companies have pledged to be carbon negative by 2030, a historically difficult and unmeasurable goal. 

3.

The SLO Mission rang its bells 88 times yesterday afternoon in honor of Pope Francis’ death — a papal tribute to his 88 years of life before he died on Monday. The mission also hung a banner of black fabric from the bell tower to symbolize mourning. “I am saddened by this loss,” the pastor at the mission said. “He was a wonderful man and pope.” He added that he is “trusting in God” to find the next worthy pope.

4.

Officials suspect malfunctioning transmission equipment caused the LA fires, setting off a statewide call to bury power lines to prevent future devastation. But the cost is astronomical. It’s estimated that rebuilding with buried lines would cost around $860 million, an expense that would inevitably be passed along to consumers. This equates to $3 million to $5 million per mile and can take 25 to 48 months to complete. And, maintenance costs for underground power grids are a lot higher in the long run. 

5.

The movement for California to secede from the U.S. has had a bizarre run. A once-united front has dissolved into factions with one co-founder vying to destroy the CalExit movement. That guy left after authorities opened an unresolved investigation into his ties to Russia and he turned MAGA, yielding to the movement’s greatest fear: Trump’s America. This leaves the other co-founder destitute and scrambling to obtain 546,000 signatures by July 22 in order to put secession on the ballot for 2026. Then convince 55% of Californians that it’s a good idea.