What antisemitic incidents will Armstrong talk about?

Author

Carly Heltzel
April 30, 2025

Good morning. It’s Wednesday, and I’m reading poems submitted by local writers for National Poetry Month. Onto the five Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and California stories you need to know for today.

1.

The House Committee finally told Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong exactly what antisemitic incidents he must answer for when he testifies in front of them next week. Their letter said when Jewish student groups hosted a former Israeli soldier, a professor protesting outside held a Palestinian flag over a woman’s face while shouting “F*** Israel.” In that same protest, others allegedly compared Zionists to the KKK. The Committee also took incidents from a pro-Israel organization’s assessment of Cal Poly that alleged “verbal harassment of Jewish students” and spray paint that read “From Gaza to Cal Poly, let the intifada spread.”

2.

Babies aren’t born as much as they used to be. And the Central Coast is no exception to the declining national fertility rates. The region has always sat below state and national levels due to its older population, but even then birth rates here have been on a slow decline since 2007. The national average is roughly 54 babies born per 1,000 women aged 15-44, but the Central Coast is in the mid-to-low 40s. Santa Barbara is the only exception with rates increasing since 2018 to 57.7 babies per 1,000 women. 

3.

President Trump has promised to make it illegal for undocumented immigrants to pay in-state tuition for higher education where they reside. This could mean a skyrocketed cost for non-citizens who live and pay taxes that contribute to universities. At Cal Poly, this could be the difference between $13,500 and over $20,000 in base tuition, and at a UC it’s $15,000 versus $50,000. Across the Cal State there are about 8,500 nonresident students, with almost 1,150 students registered as DACA, or people who arrived as undocumented children. 

4.

Dolphins keep turning up dead and injured on LA beaches, and the lifeguards aren’t taking it well. There’s been a spike in lifeguard mental health days after four dolphins turned up dead or in “horrendous shape” within the past four weeks. The cause? A major algae bloom that was potentially triggered by runoff from the fires in January, wildlife is being suffocated in the waters, literally choking the food chain. One expert said this is “the worst thing we’ve ever seen and had to respond to ... and there’s no end in sight.”

5.

Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade is looking pretty dire. With rampant vacancies and barely any people promenading around, the city is looking for a holy grail to save the iconic mall. Their answer might be booze. Officials came up with a plan to allow drinking within a designated area from 8 a.m. (yes, in the morning) until 2 a.m., meaning you could stroll down the street margarita in hand just a few blocks from the beach. The plan could come into effect as early as June, just in time for tourist season.