The Reckoning of Cal Coast News: A Decade in the Making
After more than a decade of calling for mainstream media to fact-check Cal Coast News, it’s finally happening.
There is an ongoing discussion between The Tribune and New Times about how much responsibility the press has in holding the controversial website accountable for its pattern of publishing misinformation and disinformation. This raises an interesting question: At what point does fact-checking a misleading news source become its own form of sensationalism?
I encourage readers to check out my viewpoint, published in both The Tribune and New Times, where I dive deeper into this issue.
The Case of Paso Robles
One of the most glaring examples of Cal Coast News’s reckless reporting is its role in the Paso Robles controversy involving former City Manager Ty Lewis. According to Lewis, he endured a hostile work environment after uncovering an alleged conspiracy between Cal Coast News co-founder Karen Velie and Paso Robles City Councilmember Chris Bausch to ruin his reputation. The situation ultimately led to a settlement and an early retirement for Lewis, costing the city approximately $366,000.
The Tribune published a substantial number of articles on this issue, largely in response to the flood of unsubstantiated, salacious claims Velie pushed through her platform. Her reporting wasn’t just misleading — it fueled widespread distrust in local government and directly impacted Lewis’ reputation. The fallout didn’t stop at his early departure; the online hysteria escalated to the point where Lewis, a former police chief, was harassed and threatened by some members of the community.
While New Times acknowledges that Cal Coast News is problematic, they take issue with The Tribune’s exhaustive coverage, suggesting that their rival publication might be overindulging in a feud. It’s a valid concern, but it lacks context. New Times itself hasn’t conducted a deep dive into the Paso Robles controversy, likely due to their weekly print schedule or an editorial decision to let The Tribune carry the torch. But if New Times hasn’t held Velie to account through its own reporting, is it fair to criticize The Tribune for stepping up?
SLO County’s Media Blind Spot
For years, SLO County’s mainstream media largely ignored Cal Coast News, opting for a “hands-off” approach. After Cal Coast News lost a $1.1 million libel lawsuit in 2017, local media became more comfortable acknowledging the site’s credibility issues. But for much of the last decade, the prevailing strategy was to deprive Velie and her network of oxygen, assuming they would fade into irrelevance.
That strategy backfired.
When mainstream media failed to cover certain controversial issues with the same tenacity as Cal Coast News, the site grew in influence. Their articles weren’t hidden behind a paywall, and they weren’t afraid to name names. While their reporting was often reckless and agenda-driven, they tapped into a segment of the public that felt underserved by traditional outlets.
This is where I stepped in. Seeing the lack of accountability, I made it my mission to fact-check Cal Coast News. In doing so, I became a target. The website retaliated against me in ways that were so extreme, I had to document it in a book.
Had SLO County’s media ecosystem truly held Velie accountable from the start, I wouldn’t have had to do any of this. There would’ve been no book, no personal attacks, and no years-long struggle to push back against a source of disinformation masquerading as independent journalism.
Lessons from the National Media’s Trump Coverage
he New Times raises an important question: Have we, as a media-consuming public, learned from the way national outlets covered the Trump administration? Or are we making the same mistakes on a local level when it comes to covering figures like Cal Coast News co-founder Karen Velie?
During Trump’s presidency, the media was locked in a never-ending cycle of reacting to his every statement, tweet, and controversy. While some of that coverage was necessary for accountability, it also meant that deeper, more systemic issues — economic uncertainty, health care access, and political polarization — were often drowned out by the constant noise of scandal and outrage.
The national media had a dilemma: Was the nonstop fact-checking and real-time debunking of Trump’s statements actually helping inform the public, or was it simply feeding into the chaos? Did media outlets, in their attempt to hold Trump accountable, unintentionally elevate his voice and further entrench his support base?
Here in San Luis Obispo County, a similar dynamic has unfolded between mainstream media and Cal Coast News. Like Trump, Velie thrives on controversy, positioning herself as an outsider fighting against entrenched institutions. Like Trump, she uses media coverage — both positive and negative — to amplify her influence.
For years, mainstream media outlets avoided covering Velie, fearing that engaging with her misinformation would give it more legitimacy. But in the absence of accountability, Cal Coast News flourished, attracting an audience that felt ignored by traditional news outlets. Much like Trump’s supporters, Velie’s readers saw her as a rare truth-teller, willing to report on topics that mainstream media wouldn’t touch.
Over the years, I’ve had conversations with Trump voters who admit that his rhetoric was often inflammatory, but they also felt ignored by mainstream media and political elites. They believed the press was more focused on reacting to Trump’s latest outburst than on addressing their real struggles — job insecurity, inflation, health care costs, and the decline of middle-class opportunities.
Locally, we need to learn from this. Yes, Cal Coast News deserves scrutiny for spreading misinformation. But if mainstream media only focuses on Velie’s latest falsehoods while ignoring the real issues that Cal Coast News claims to cover — corruption, government mismanagement, public safety concerns — then we risk alienating the same people we are trying to inform.
If the local press is going to hold Cal Coast News accountable, it must also do a better job of covering the important stories that Velie exploits to push her own agenda. That means publishing more investigative journalism about local government failures, community concerns, and institutional accountability — without the tabloid-style spin Velie applies.
If we fail to strike that balance, we run the risk of reinforcing the very distrust that allowed Cal Coast News to gain influence in the first place. The goal should not be to replace one form of sensationalism with another, but to provide the community with fact-based, balanced reporting that rebuilds trust in local journalism.
The Path Forward
Now that mainstream media is finally addressing Cal Coast News’s tactics, the question remains: How much fact-checking is enough? And how much is too much?
Journalism should always be in the business of truth, not feuds. Holding bad actors accountable is a responsibility, not a spectacle. The local media landscape should continue fact-checking Cal Coast News, but it must also ensure that accountability efforts don’t devolve into the very sensationalism they aim to combat.
For the first time in years, SLO County’s media is waking up to the damage Velie has caused. Now, they need to decide how to prevent history from repeating itself.
Aaron Ochs is a Morro Bay resident and columnist, and author of Defamers: How Fake News Terrorized a Community & Those Who Dared to Fight It.
