Butterfly Protection in the Works
Expanding protections for monarch butterfly habitats along the coast of California moved a step further down the legislation line.
Assemblymember Dawn Addis (Dist. 30), announced that Assembly Bill 2254, the Coastal Monarch Protection Act, has passed the Assembly Natural Resources Committee.
AB 2254 would require coastal cities to include strong monarch habitat protections when updating their Local Coastal Plans and directs the California Coastal Commission to provide model policies to guide those efforts.
“The monarch butterfly is an iconic symbol of migration and resilience for California,” said Addis in a news release. “Here on the Central Coast, the Monarch helps generate significant year-round revenue for tourism each fall, as monarchs travel thousands of miles to overwinter in groves along California’s Central Coast – nesting together in cypress, pine, and eucalyptus trees from Pacific Grove to Point Mugu. AB 2254 helps protect the Monarch by maintaining these critical overwintering sites for generations to come.”
AB 2254 now moves to the Assembly Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committee.
$4,000 Scholarship Deadline April 30
The California Legislative Central Coast Caucus Foundation (CLCCCF) announces that applications for the 2026 Central Coast Impact Scholarship will officially close on April 30, 11:59 PM PST. Students from Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties are encouraged to apply.
The Central Coast Impact Scholarship supports students who call the Central Coast home. The Foundation launched the scholarship to invest directly in local students who are committed to strengthening their communities.
“Empowering Central Coast students is one of the most important commitments we can make. When we support their education, we’re strengthening the future of our entire state,” said Foundation Vice Chair Gregg Hart, Assemblymember for the 47th District.
“Every student deserves the opportunity to learn, grow, and succeed. Supporting Central Coast students today means building a stronger, more resilient California tomorrow,” said Foundation Secretary Assemblymember Gail Pellerin.
Applications must be submitted online at CLCCCF.org. The website includes eligibility requirements, scholarship criteria, and application instructions.
Poetry Walk Submissions Wanted
The City of San Luis Obispo’s Public Art Program, in collaboration with SLO County Arts and the SLO County Poet Laureate, is commissioning ten short original poems by writers and poets from throughout the county to display in downtown and neighboring public spaces creating a Poetry Walk.
In celebration of National Poetry Month, the Poetry Walk Request for Proposals are underway inviting the community to help shape this new literary experience. The Poetry Walk route will begin near Triangle Park on Osos Street and guide participants through our scenic town with sidewalk poetry.
Poems will be installed by a local stencil artist as spray-painted literary art on sidewalks encouraging the community to slow down and take a moment to enjoy thoughtful poetry. Request for Proposals will be open until May 24.
The deadline to submit is May 24. For more information, go to slocity.org/publicart.
Cal Poly Watches With Excitement
The Cal Poly community gathered April 10 to watch the Orion spacecraft return to Earth and cheer on alum Victor Glover and his fellow Artemis II crewmembers as they completed their historic mission to the moon and back.
Glover, a 1999 graduate of Cal Poly’s College of Engineering, piloted the craft on the mission that took humans farther from Earth than ever before and produced stunning images of the far side of the moon — which never faces Earth.
More than 300 campus and nearby community members gathered at the University Union on Cal Poly’s campus in San Luis Obispo to Watch Artemis II’s return. In addition, the university livestreamed the splashdown at Spanos Stadium on campus, where thousands were gathered for the second night of the Poly Royal Rodeo.
“I have enjoyed countless moments of pride in my 15 years at Cal Poly — but this one stands as a testament to why this university exists,” Cal Poly President Jeffrey D. Armstrong said in a news release. “We are honored to count Victor as part of the Cal Poly family and deeply appreciative of the faculty, staff and community that helped shape Victor’s journey and that continues to shape the journeys of talented students across every discipline at Cal Poly.
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