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TUESDAY AUGUST 11 2020 $2.00 76°/54° See 6B preliminary plan in place for now. “Our plan is to have a small Is racism a Cal Poly problem? percentage of our classes in person to allow for our learn by doing: our labs and projects,” Armstrong said. “And that is President talks about issues slated to be about 15% or less of the sections offered, and the rest of the courses would be while wrapping up a massive, offered either synchronously or BY MACKENZIE SHUMAN multi-year fundraising cam- asynchronously — online, vir- [email protected] paign. tual, however the faculty mem- The Tribune recently sat ber chose to do it.” As positive COVID-19 cases down with Armstrong via a On Friday the California continue to rise at Cal Poly, the video conference to discuss how Department of Public Health San Luis Obispo university is he and his administration are released health and safety nailing down plans for its up- dealing with Cal Poly’s past and guidelines for public colleges coming fall term. looking toward its future. Ques- and universities to open cam- President Jeffrey Armstrong is tions were provided to Arm- puses in the fall. That guidance, at the head of a massive effort strong ahead of the interview outlined in a 34-page that must balance safety and per a request from a media document, goes over certain physical health with the impor- relations official from the uni- restrictions for schools in tance and benefits of in-person versity. “watch-list” counties such as learning. restricting indoor lectures, re- But the coronavirus pandemic CAL POLY’S PLANS FOR quiring mask wearing on cam- isn’t his only concern. The JOE JOHNSTON [email protected] REOPENING AMID COVID-19 pus, implementing social dis- 21,000-student university has Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong says “we’re really about Right now, Cal Poly is still in tancing and prioritizing single- seen racist incidents involving minimizing risk” in dealing with campus coronavirus exposure. planning mode for its upcoming room occupancy for housing. Greek life that led to protests fall term, Armstrong said, large- Armstrong said the university and national outrage, and the ly because of a lack of guidance will be prepared to implement a botched hiring of a former Mi- worst collegiate sexual abuse In addition, Armstrong must from both the state and the strict hygiene protocol that will chigan State University official scandals in U.S. history has balance significant budget con- California State University sys- whose connection to one of the been hotly debated. straints connected to COVID-19 tem. But the university has a SEE CAL POLY, 5A Calif. spent $43M suing Trump, his officials BY ANDREW SHEELER AND KATE IRBY [email protected] [email protected] California has spent $43 million suing President Don- ald Trump’s administration over the past four years in a legal campaign that the state’s Democratic attorney general says has saved bil- lions of dollars in funding the state would have lost had the White House carried out its policies. The lawsuits have prevent- ed or stalled the Trump ad- ministration’s efforts to put a citizenship question on the census, weaken climate DAVID MIDDLECAMP [email protected] change policies, revoke Protest organizer Tianna Arata holds a flag at a No Justice No Peace protest, which began at Mitchell Park in San Luis Obispo on July 21. California’s authority to set its own car pollution standards and rescind an Obispo County Jail, though the Obama-era Deferred Action precise maximum sentence will for Childhood Arrivals that Criminal case of SLO not be known until the county protects young immigrants District Attorney’s Office makes from deportation. a filing decision. The lawsuits have also Arata, 20, has not been for- stymied some of Trump’s key protest leader goes viral mally charged in court, and campaign promises, at least prosecutors say they have sub- temporarily, such as his as- stantial work to do reviewing sertion that he’d build a wall the San Luis Obispo Police De- on the Mexico border and BY MATT FOUNTAIN AND partment’s case against her. She rescind the Affordable Care MACKENZIE SHUMAN and another arrested protester, Act. [email protected] Elias Bautista, are not in police “Every single case is based [email protected] custody and are scheduled to on Donald Trump and his The ongoing criminal case appear in court for an arraign- administration doing some- against a Black Lives Matter ment Sept. 3. thing against the law,” said protest leader arrested by the A District Attorney’s Office California Attorney General San Luis Obispo Police Depart- spokesman said it’s possible Xavier Becerra. ment made national headlines that prosecutors will not have “We didn’t wake up in the Monday as donations flowed in made a filing decision by then. morning and say, ‘Wouldn’t to her legal defense campaign. As of Monday morning, a it be fun to sue Donald On Monday, the news maga- GoFundMe fundraising Trump again?” he said. zine Newsweek reported on the campaign to cover Arata’s legal His department provided a police department’s case against fees had raised more than summary of its costs in fight- local activist Tianna Arata. $33,000 from 1,100 donors — ing the lawsuits to The Sacra- Other publications such as nearly doubling over the week- mento Bee, updating figures Teen Vogue, Hip Hop Wired end — and a Change.org it released in 2018. and MadameNoire have also petition calling on the District The new tally shows rising written about Arata’s case. MATT FOUNTAIN [email protected] Attorney’s Office to not file spending on the cases. Cali- On Aug. 5, the agency asked Protesters urge the San Luis Obispo Police Department to drop charges had garnered more than fornia has spent county prosecutors to charge potential charges against Tianna Arata and Elias Bautista. 140,000 signatures. A $3.7 million in the state Arata with five felonies and Much of that nationwide budget year that ended on three misdemeanors related to support came from social media her July 21 arrest after marchers If convicted of all charges ment, Arata could potentially SEE SUING, 5A blocked traffic on Highway 101. proposed by the police depart- face several years in San Luis SEE PROTEST, 6A CUSTOMER SERVICE Classified Obituaries Sports To subscribe or report delivery issues, 5B 4A 1B Comics 4B Opinion 2B TV 6B 800-288-4128 or sanluisobispo.com/customer-service Espresso 2A Puzzles 3B THE DNC: NIGHT 4 Extra Look to our eEdition LOCAL for coverage of the Restaurants close EXTRA final night of the Subscribers will find Democrats’ virtual for outdoor this bonus content at sanluisobispo.com/ convention. dining because eedition COURTLAND WELLS NYT of smoke 3A STAY CONNECTED FACEBOOK.COM/SLOTRIBUNE NEWS ALL DAY. FRIDAY AUGUST 21 2020 SANLUISOBISPO.COM TWITTER.COM/SLOTRIBUNE YOUR WAY. SATURDAY AUGUST 22 2020 $2.00 * Because of fires, SLO County has worst air quality in world LAURA DICKINSON [email protected] Smoke on Spring Street in Paso Robles reduced visibility to no more than a few blocks as drivers navigated the conditions with their headlights on. quality in the world on Thurs- BY CASSANDRA GARIBAY Heavy smoke could day, according to the air quality How to stay [email protected] monitoring company IQAir. At one point Thursday, Paso Ro- an Luis Obispo County last into the weekend bles, San Miguel, Atascadero safe from had the worst air quality and Lake Nacimiento held the in the entire world ogist John Lindsey told The top four spots for the worst air smoke, S Thursday as smoke from BY NICK WILSON Tribune on Thursday. quality in the nation. wildfires in the Bay Area poured [email protected] Winds from the northwest are Lindsey said that national south to the Central Coast, driving the thick, hazardous weather models showed the poor air blocking the sun and darkening San Luis Obispo County will haze from the Monterey County mass of smoke collecting along skies. continue to suffer under a fires to the Central Coast, Lind- the Central Coast. quality The conditions were worst in blanket of smoke at least sey said. “Smoke cover can be hard to the North County, which was through Friday and possibly into It’s so bad, North County blanketed in a choking haze the weekend, PG&E meteorol- towns registered the worst air SEE WEEKEND, 7A throughout the day. BY KAYTLYN LESLIE “I can’t remember a time in [email protected] my 30 years where (the poor air quality) was this widespread for San Luis Obispo County resi- this long,” San Luis Obispo Big Sur fire dents woke up to another day of County Air Pollution Control hazy skies on Thursday, as air officer Gary Willey said. 0% contained; quality across the county drop- The conditions were so bad ped to dangerous levels due to that at noon, four North County Highway 1, wildfire smoke. locations held the top four spots As fires continued to burn for the worst air quality in the parks closed across California, three North United States, according to County spots ranked among the IQAir, an air quality monitoring worst areas for air quality in the company.