Good morning, San Luis Obispo.

Holiday festivities wrap the Central Coast this weekend as San Luis Obispo hosts its 49th parade at 7 PM today, and Paso Robles, Atascadero, Solvang, Santa Maria, and Cal Poly mark celebrations with parades, tree lightings, sip-and-shop and plant sales (10 AM to 3 PM).

Welcome Home Military Heroes will honor local veterans with its annual Veteran Holiday Giving Trees event across the Central Coast this December — community members can select gift requests and drop off unwrapped donations by Dec.

10 while volunteers will wrap gifts on Dec. 13 and 14.

San Luis Coastal Unified School District is proposing additional cuts in its 2026 budget that will remove $150,000 from its musical instrument budget, affecting field trips and repairs, and the board will vote on the proposal on (Dec.

16) as it works to manage its deficit.

Cal Poly's 2+2 program is expanding to offer liberal studies at Cuesta College and business administration at Allan Hancock College beginning fall 2026, giving local students the option to complete lower-division coursework at partner colleges before transitioning to upper-division classes at Cal Poly (press release).

Cal Poly will open a $3M AI Factory in building 14 in January where students and faculty can train AI models using four NVIDIA supercomputers — a move that offers advanced computing resources for projects in fields like agriculture, energy, and transportation.

The Atascadero Cemetery District updated its flower policy on Nov.

19 and will begin a gravesite cleanup on Jan. 6, 2026 in Section F to maintain neat cemetery grounds (only flowers may be placed on gravesites, with a few flag exceptions).

On Wednesday, the 9th Circuit canceled an order to release extra water from Lopez Lake, siding with SLO County in its legal battle over dam operations.

The case will continue in court to review the plan's impact on protected species (steelhead trout, red-legged frogs, tidewater goby).

The City of San Luis Obispo is offering free parking for downtown shoppers as part of its Buy Local Bonus initiative; this holiday season, select days include Sundays in December, Christmas Eve/Day, and New Year’s Eve/Day to support local retailers.

Cal Poly Men’s Basketball beat Redlands 87-81 on Nov.

29 at Mott Athletic Center after overcoming a five-point deficit late in the game—freshman Austin Goode and sophomore Cayden Ward led key plays as the Mustangs prepared for conference play.

Cal Poly on Dec. 4 named Tim Skipper (former interim head coach from UCLA) as the 19th head football coach.

He brings 25 years of experience and will hold a press conference Monday, Dec. 8 in the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center lobby.