Happy Thursday, Central Coast! Take a look at our top stories from Daybreak:
- SpaceX launch today at Vandenberg: A Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to launch today between 10:12 a.m. and 2:12 p.m. from Vandenberg Space Force Base, carrying 28 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit. A few minutes after liftoff, the first-stage booster will land on a droneship in the Pacific, and viewers can watch the launch live on SpaceX.com.
- King Tides along the Central Coast: California’s winter king tides are back, and Cal Poly and California State Parks are encouraging residents to document them through a “Tide and Seek” photo game. The images will support the California King Tides Project, helping scientists visualize future sea-level rise while participants compete for photo challenges across mapped coastal locations.
- SLO CAL Open brings world-class surfing to Morro Bay: The SLO CAL Open kicks off today in Morro Bay, drawing more than 100 surfers from around the globe to the Central Coast. The World Surf League 1,000-point event runs through Sunday, December 7, and the competition can also be streamed live on the WSL website.
A new California law will ban all plastic grocery bags, including the thicker “reusable” kind, starting January 1, 2026. Stores will only be allowed to offer recycled paper bags (for a 10-cent fee), or compostable produce bag options. Locally in Cambria, some stores already phased out plastics long ago; others say they’ll discontinue even the thicker plastic bags to follow the law. Many shoppers and store owners say they have mixed feelings, some welcome the environmental push, others worry about convenience.
Volunteers in Solvang who send care packages to U.S. troops deployed overseas say donations have dropped dramatically this year, from about 200 boxes typically packed, down to roughly 80. The nonprofit “We Support the Troops” fills packages monthly and relies on community contributions to supply items for small, remote military units often lacking basic comforts. Organizers say they’re still determined to support service members but are asking the public for help to meet demand.
To support local businesses this holiday season, the City of San Luis Obispo is offering free parking in all three downtown garages on select days, including Thanksgiving weekend, Sundays in December, Christmas Eve/Day, and New Year’s Eve/Day. The free-parking promotion is part of a broader “Buy Local Bonus” initiative designed to encourage in-person shopping downtown and help small retailers compete during the busy holiday period.
