I hope CalCoastNews owner and “reporter” Karen Velie has her copy of Britney Spears “Oops! … I Did It Again” cued up, because she’s once again being sued for defamation. It’s a pretty sad and sordid tale involving alleged aliases, very important pickleball tournaments, and an Arizona community called Surprise. No foolin’!
The short version is that Velie wrote about former SLO resident Jody Bernat (formerly Jody Belsher), claiming she was living under an alias in Surprise with her legally separated husband, John Belsher, who was using the alias Jon Bailey and entering pickleball tournaments and presenting themselves as a married couple.
This is exactly the kind of outrage that Velie and CalCoastNews … Can. Not. Let. Stand. Velie’s expert journalism skills also uncovered Surprise resident and pickleball kingpin Steven Cable, who corroborated the pickleball “ruse.” Bernat is also suing Cable, and in an “I didn’t see that coming yes I did” revelation, Bernat’s ex-husband (or are they just separated?) John “Jon Bailey” Belsher is representing Jody in both defamation suits “because she has a meritorious claim, and I am available.”
Bailey-Belsher, a real estate and land use attorney, also has a $8.6 million fraud judgment to pay with his former partner, Ryan Wright (formerly known as Ryan Petetit—can no one stick to their given name? Sheesh!), whose development companies bilked investors Jeffrey and Debora Chase out of millions.
In her defense, Bernat said she legally changed her name because, she claimed, she was being stalked and physically confronted by a person allegedly known to have unregistered weapons. A Maricopa County Superior Court granted the name change last October—so not an alias.
In his defense, and in a letter to Velie, John/Jon wrote, “I have used my legal
name for all matters other than some pickleball events, where we used my nickname in order to keep Jody’s name private (officially sealed with the court for protection). At one point Jody offered to give you our side of things, but you told her, ‘No thanks, I have all the information I need.'”
Why mess up a perfectly juicy sensationalist nothing-burger story with more information that might not align with Velie’s agenda? Is it any wonder some people don’t believe in journalism anymore?
Hey, what’s that sucking sound? It’s 13,700 acre-feet of water being overdrawn from the Paso Robles Groundwater Basin every year. Yes, the ongoing saga continues, with the newest move by the Paso Robles City Council to join a shared management system that could carry out regulatory and administrative functions under the state’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act of 2014. I know, it sounds very dry for a wet, wet water issue, but it’s a juicy topic. Just ask the nearby residents who made their ire known at the March 4 meeting.
Public Works Director Christopher Alakel urged Paso to join four other groundwater sustainability agencies. Sounds great, right? So what’s got people’s panties in a bunch? The usual suspect: fees, which Alakel said each joint member could set based on a property’s usage. Use a lot, pay a lot. Use a little, pay little. What’s wrong with that?
Paso City Councilmember Chris Bausch thought only big users should pay, and that the suggested $12 to $20 annual fee for domestic or de minimis users (who don’t use a lot of water) was charging “the small guy for something they didn’t sign up for.”
Losing your shit over 20 bucks? Huh?
“Now if you ask me, not having a [joint powers authority] and having this ground water basin continue its state of decline, to me that’s far greater risk to those de minimis pumpers than it is to pay a $12 to $20 a year annual fee to ensure the long-term sustainability to their water supply,” Alakel countered.
Another problem with inaction is that the state could decide to take control of the basin. Isn’t local control better?
You know who’s out of control? Cuesta College President Jill Stearns! At least according to former Engineering and Technology Division Chair John Stokes, who retired early in 2023 due to leadership issues. He told New Times, “Jill Stearns is a manager. She is not a leader. One of the classes that I teach is a professional development class, which works on workplace skills. She has none of those.”
Oh snap! He doesn’t seem to be alone in his assessment. A recent campuswide climate survey asked employees if it fosters an environment of job satisfaction among other areas, and the answer is: not so much. Only 17.7 percent of respondents said they felt that college leadership provides a climate of trust and openness.
Cuesta board trustee Debra Stakes can’t believe it! She thinks administration is very open and communicative
“Yet somehow, they’re not taking advantage of it,” Stakes said. “I don’t know what else we can do, maybe provide free food or something.”
Oh, yeah. That’s not dismissive or tone-deaf at all.
“I think one of the big problems is that the board of trustees is not doing their job,” said Stokes, who has also accused Stearns of retaliating against employees who challenge her. “They get their information through board meetings [instead of seeing] with their own eyes what’s going on.” Δ
The Shredder informs, you decide. Tell it it’s wrong as heck at shredder@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Mar 13-23, 2025.