There’s a shot of hope for local sportsmen who are eager to use the San Luis Obispo County shooting range again, said Robert Brennan, who’s currently working with the state to have the facility reopened since it closed in January.
Brennan is a board member of the San Luis Obispo Firearms and Safety Training group, or SLOFAST, that was created last November to help ensure the most credentialed and enthusiastic organization would take management of the range after the previous contract ended in December 2024.
“This group was formed specifically for the purpose of working with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to reopen the range through the state’s bidding process,” Brennan said. “All of us are interested in firearm training, safety, and education, and that’s why we want to be able to open the range.”
While Brennan said the state hasn’t given confirmation of an opening date, it’s indicated “soon,”—thanks to the work of SLOFAST, Fish and Wildlife, and District Director for state Sen. John Laird Kara Woodruff.
New Times contacted Woodruff for comment but didn’t receive a response before publication.
The range, located at 3270 Gilardi Road, between SLO and Morro Bay off Highway 1, has sat vacant for nearly five months as Fish and Wildlife navigates a new bidding process amid state requirements and a 2024 audit that found the previous managing organization, SLO Sportsmen’s Association (SLOSA), to have violated multiple terms of its contract.
According to Fish and Wildlife’s audit, SLOSA violated five terms of its contract including providing improper discounted rates to users, accepting payments outside of the state system, and allowing some law enforcement agencies to use the range without charging daily fees. In total, the audit determined SLOSA owed the state nearly $400,000 in missing fees.
SLOSA was also sued in March 2024 by former range shooting instructor, Robert Grillo, who claimed to have faced retaliation after he notified Fish and Wildlife of concerns regarding safety at the range and SLOSA’s management of the property. The case is still ongoing.
In previous New Times reporting, a member of SLOSA, who goes by BK, said the accusations and findings of the audit were unfounded and that Fish and Wildlife, namely Senior Environmental Scientist David Hacker, had an agenda against the shooting range.
BK accused Hacker of being “anti-firearm” or “extremely vindictive,” wanting to use the shooting range as his personal wildlife preserve. But Brennan told New Times after working with Hacker and Fish and Wildlife, he has experienced just the opposite.
“This wasn’t a vendetta by Mr. Hacker. There are significant violations in that audit that caused the range to close,” he said. “I should say that there were continued violations—things that they had spoken with them about and tried to correct but were not corrected over a period of time, and therefore the range is closed.”
Brennan said that although SLOFAST is working with the state to reopen the range, it also hopes to eventually manage it. But even if they aren’t selected, they just hope it goes to the most qualified organization.
“Obviously the state will pick whoever they feel will manage that range, which is what we all want,” he said. “If we don’t get it and somebody else does and they’re going to be a better fit, then I’m very happy because I just don’t want the range to be opened by somebody and then closed again in a year.” Δ
This article appears in Summer Guide 2025.
This nonsense with the delay by the Fish and Wildlife department in creating a contract for bids to operate the range has gone on long enough. What was wrong with the contract they accused the SLO Sportsman’s Association of violating? Must not have been well written. The department seems to want to place more environmental restrictions on the operation. There are thousands of acres of free range land for wildlife and nature in that area using a few hundred unrestricted acres for humans doesn’t seem unreasonable. What’s with the fees owed by the SLOSA? This range is not supposed to be a money making endeavor for the state. If SLOSA was able to maintain the property, pay the employees using discounts and give free use to law enforcement under their financial structure without costing taxpayers anything where’s the problem? They need to install ADA access to the office? A simple exterior elevator would suffice. I was told that the Department of General Services had to wait to approve a contract from the DFW. Perhaps they should cut out the middle man DFW and turn supervision over to General Services or another competent state department.
There’s no legitimate reason for this “selection” process to take so long, especially given the state is working hand-in-hand with SLOFAST, a newly formed group whose sole reason for existence is to be exactly what the state decided was needed there.. Sadly, unless full and total transparency begins to suddenly occur around this process, countless previous closed-door, feet-dragging episodes by state and federal entities in similar situations ought to make it clear an alternate agenda(s) is at play.
Google AI says the CDF&G manages (in total) about ~18M acres and almost 900 contracts. State Government has not come to a stop, yet CDF&G says they have new requirements from 2024 that impact the process?
CDF&G remains very vague why they have not put out a new RFP. CDF&G hasn’t provided a date by which they plan to do it. No timeline at all, just lofty words that only confirm there is a delay.
With all due respect to SLOFAST it seems their purpose is for a just cause, but.. It’s said CDF&G are working with SLOFAST says nothing. We have no idea of SLOFAST’s size, budget, number of full/part/volunters, how many ‘formal’ meetings have been held. We have no timeline with deliverables and milestones from CDF&G.
What we do have are vague words and time marches on…the facilities & grounds are not being maintained, there is seemingly no security there – who’s taking this seriously? Actions speak louder than words – gee who’s said that before?
We’re left with three upside cups and it’s said the pea is under one of them. It seems they may have forgotten the pea…
Google AI says the CDF&G manages (in total) about ~18M acres and almost 900 contracts. State Government has not come to a stop, yet CDF&G says they have new requirements from 2024 that impact the process? How many of the 900 are new? Has CA stopped issuing RFPs? I think not.
CDF&G remains very vague why they have not put out a new RFP. CDF&G hasn’t provided a date by which they plan to do it. No timeline at all, just lofty words that only confirm there is a delay – so far we’re into month 8…
With all due respect to SLOFAST it seems their purpose is for a just cause, but.. it’s said CDF&G are working with SLOFAST – says nothing. We have no idea of SLOFAST’s size, budget, number of full/part/volunters, seemingly no website to learn more about SLOFAST. How many ‘formal’ meetings have been held? Where are the minutes? We have no timeline with deliverables and milestones from CDF&G.
What we do have are vague words from CDF&G and time marches on…The facilities & grounds are seemingly not being maintained, there is seemingly no security there – who’s taking this seriously? Actions speak louder than words – gee who’s said that before?
We’re left with three turned over cups and it’s said a pea is under one of them. It seems they may have forgotten the pea…
New times article
Google AI says the CDF&G manages (in total) about ~18M acres and almost 900 contracts. State Government has not come to a stop, yet CDF&G says they have new requirements from 2024 that impact the process? How many of the 900 are new? Has CA stopped issuing RFPs? I think not.
CDF&G remains very vague why they have not put out a new RFP. CDF&G hasn’t provided a date by which they plan to do it. No timeline at all, just lofty words that only confirm there is a delay – so far we’re into month 8…
With all due respect to SLOFAST it seems their purpose is for a just cause, but.. it’s said CDF&G are working with SLOFAST – says nothing. We have no idea of SLOFAST’s size, budget, number of full/part/volunters, seemingly no website to learn more about SLOFAST. How many ‘formal’ meetings have been held? Where are the minutes? We have no timeline with deliverables and milestones from CDF&G.
What we do have are vague words from CDF&G and time marches on…The facilities & grounds are seemingly not being maintained, there is seemingly no security there – who’s taking this seriously? Actions speak louder than words – gee who’s said that before?
We’re left with three turned over cups and it’s said a pea is under one of them. It seems they may have forgotten the pea…
8 months now and still closed to the general public..