Local News
Christian faith runs deep among Cal Poly students. Some let it seep into their political beliefs
The stress was intolerable. As the thought of college, relationships and jobs surfaced all at once in his mind, Andrew Jones was overwhelmed behind the driver’s wheel one night. He turned off the radio in his car, and began to speak to the one person he could rely on most in his life: God. As…
🎙️THE ROUNDUP: The Exit Interview
For the final episode of The Roundup podcast, Archana Pisupati and Fiona Hastings, this year’s Mustang News Editor-in-Chief and KCPR News Director, sat down with all of the student managers from the 2025-26 school year for the Exit Interview. Find some of the words this year’s manager’s used to describe their year working in MMG!…
Cal Poly Maritime Academy’s training ship embarks on final voyage
As the Training Ship Golden Bear set out from Vallejo on May 8, over 300 Cal Poly Maritime Academy students lined its hull. For cadets, the departure marked the start of a 65-day training voyage across the Pacific. For the TS Golden Bear, it marked the beginning of its final voyage. At the end of…
Cal Poly Basketball players overcome walk-on status to excel
For most college athletes, the guarantee of playing time and scholarship money when joining a Division-1 program is never a given. For Cal Poly women’s basketball sophomore and business administration major, Avery Knapp, none of that was promised. Instead, Knapp’s journey began as a walk-on, a role she said many people misunderstand. “People see being…
Cal Poly opens Mustang Commons, a hub for cultural and academic support
Cal Poly officially named its newest student space Mustang Commons, bringing several cultural and academic support centers under one roof. Located near North Perimeter Road and Safety Way East, the building now houses the Latinx Center for Academic Success and Achievement (LA CASA), the Black Academic Excellence Center, TRIO Achievers, Cal Poly Scholars and the…
Students at Cal Poly react to the birthright citizenship case
Encuentre la versión en español aquí. The Supreme Court has heard oral arguments regarding the case about birthright citizenship, and while their decision will have an impact on the entire country, students at Cal Poly are worried about what it could mean for their families and their experience attending a predominantly White institution. On April…
Estudiantes de Cal Poly reaccionan al caso de la ciudadanía por nacimiento
Find the English version here. La Corte Suprema ha escuchado argumentos orales sobre el caso de la ciudadanía por derecho de nacimiento, y aunque su decisión tendrá un impacto en todo el país, los estudiantes de Cal Poly están preocupados por lo que podría significar para sus familias y su experiencia al asistir a una…
Keeping health care in human minds: Can AI be trusted to maintain patient confidentiality?
The California Assembly is currently debating the role of AI in the health care system, with the introduction of AB 1979, which aims to protect patient privacy and ensure that AI is used as a tool to assist human clinicians, not replace them.
Meet the man behind Ubert! pedicab service
In downtown San Luis Obispo, transportation is familiar: cars navigate through intersections, bikes weave through traffic and pedestrians file sidewalks. “I’m a pedicab operator,” Robert Grajeda said. “If you don’t know what that is, it’s basically a tricycle with a couch on it that I pull people around with, a pedal cab, and I call…
Meet the three candidates running for San Luis Obispo clerk-recorder
Three candidates are running for the San Luis Obispo Clerk-Recorder position, with Eliana Cano focusing on security and transparency, Vanessa Rozo advocating for mail-in ballots, and Gaea Powell pushing for stricter voting laws and facing election fraud charges.
Francis announces reelection plans for SLO city council
Emily Francis, a current city council member, announced her reelection for city council on May 17, and is running against Michelle Shoresman and Felicia Lewis for the two city council seats up for election in November.
San Luis Obispo’s jazz community battles venue closures and noise complaints
Cal Poly Jazz students and alumni are fighting to keep the jazz community alive in San Luis Obispo. In the heart of Downtown SLO, a hub of alumni from Cal Poly to Cuesta College, come together to share their love of jazz. They regularly appear at local venues like BA Start Arcade and Taproom, Libertine…
Over $1 million spent on Morning on the Green: How do the costs breakdown?
Over $1 million was spent on this year’s St. Fratty’s day music festival Morning on the Green, a decrease from last year’s expenses. The event, which was first held in March 2025 as an alternative to off-campus block parties, cost the university $1,167,157 last year, according to past Mustang News coverage. This year, the event…
Assemblymember rundown: Who is running to represent the Central Coast?
The 2026 primary election for California’s District 30 Assemblymember has three front-running candidates, Dawn Addis, Shannon Kessler and Susannah Brown, who are all focused on affordability, housing and environmental issues for the local community and Cal Poly students.
Cal Poly students targeted by scammers using fake profiles and offers
Scammers have found a new hunting ground at Cal Poly, and they’re hiding in plain sight. Fraudsters are infiltrating GroupMe chats and digital spaces that students rely on to connect with clubs and organizations, impersonating their peers with convincing fake profiles designed to fly under the radar. Annika Bullock, the Associated Students Incorporated (ASI) officer…
Cal Poly’s HSI pursuit raises broader questions about underrepresented student enrollment
Encuentre la versión en español aquí. Cal Poly is on its way to becoming a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), but as it moves to boost Latino student enrollment, other underrepresented student groups are questioning whether similar efforts exist for them. Since the creation of the HSI Task Force in 2022, Cal Poly has been aiming to…
La búsqueda de HSI de Cal Poly plantea preguntas más amplias sobre la inscripción de estudiantes subrepresentados
Find the English version here. Cal Poly está compitiendo para convertirse en una institución que sirva a los hispanos, pero mientras se esfuerza por aumentar la matrícula de estudiantes latinos, surgen preguntas sobre si otros grupos subrepresentados están recibiendo el mismo trato. Desde la creación del Grupo de Trabajo HSI en 2022, Cal Poly ha…
What’s on the June 2 ballot?
In California’s primary election on June 2, voters will see candidates for Board of Supervisors, County Superintendent of Schools, County Assessor, County Clerk Recorder, Auditor-Controller-Treasurer-Tax Collector-Public Administrator, California Legislature, U.S. Congress, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, State Treasurer, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Insurance Commissioner, and Board of Equalization.
Fake ID crackdown at Haha Sushi and Ramen, 29 cited
29 individuals were cited and released for possession of a false or fraudulent identification at Haha Sushi and Ramen restaurant in San Luis Obispo, while 6 of them were additionally arrested for misdemeanor minor in possession of an alcoholic beverage.
Record-breaking $20,125 raised at Cal Poly’s Out of the Darkness Walk
Cal Poly’s annual Out of the Darkness Walk raised a record $20,125 this year, bringing together students, families, mental health advocates and suicide loss survivors in support of suicide prevention and mental health awareness.
Assemblymember Addis seeks to protect student privacy through new bill
Assemblymember Dawn Addis authored AB 1159 to extend personal privacy protections found in K-12 education into higher education, preventing educational technology from using student data to train and develop AI and allowing violated students to file civil suits against tech companies violating privacy protection laws.
A round-up of candidates for California governor
The California primary election on June 2 will feature eight candidates, six Democrats and two Republicans, vying for the governorship, with priorities ranging from healthcare and housing to education and crime.
Woman escapes burning BMW with the help of two local fathers
Two local fathers helped a woman escape unharmed from her burning BMW on Johnson Avenue before it was destroyed by flames.
Exadministrador de Cal Poly enfrenta hasta un año en la cárcel del condado
Nota del editor: Este artículo tiene menciones de acoso sexual. Se recomienda discreción al lector. Exadministrador de Cal Poly declaró no contestar a un cargo de felonía por cometer un acto lascivo contra su hijastra de 7 años. Richard Edward Ellison, anteriormente vicepresidente asociado de Desarrollo Universitario en Cal Poly de 2014 a 2015 y exdirector…
Cal Poly will wait to decide on CSU-approved three-year bachelor’s degrees
The CSU Board of Trustees has approved the creation of three new three-year bachelor’s degree programs aimed at adult, returning or working students, which Cal Poly will consider implementing in the next academic year.
Cal State Union sponsors bill to limit university executive salaries
California lawmakers have proposed AB 1831, a bill that would cap Cal State executive salaries at 125% of the governor’s salary, in an effort to prioritize student access and affordability.
Monday is the last day for Californians to register for early voting for the primary election
Californians have until today to register to vote by mail for the June 2 primary election. They can either mail in their ballots or vote in person at polling locations on June 2 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Former Cal Poly administrator faces up to a year in county jail
A former Cal Poly administrator pleaded no contest to a felony charge of committing a lewd act on his 7-year-old step-granddaughter. Richard Edward Ellison, previously Associate Vice President for University Advancement at Cal Poly from 2014-2015 and former executive director of Bike SLO, was charged by the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office on…
Dexter Lawn transforms into a circus with juggling and acro yoga clubs
The Cal Poly Juggling and Acro Yoga clubs offer students a variety of activities to learn, from juggling clubs and rings to balancing in gravity-defying poses, while sharing the same goal of making something intimidating from afar feel approachable up close.
ASI Farmers Market features free fresh produce for students
Students can get free produce, giveaways and live music at the University Union Plaza today from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. by bringing their PolyCard.
