••• “The Backbone Trail takes hikers from Pacific Palisades to Malibu on a single 67-mile trail in the Santa Monica Mountains. Most people hike L.A.’s newest trail in sections because there are few campgrounds and water stops along the way. Trail Magic Adventures is out to change all that. It’s the first company to offer guided hikes and all-inclusive overnight camping as an option along the little-known coastal route. That means hikers can experience the high points and wide-angle ocean views without having to carry a heavy backpack.” (When I asked Trail Magic if I could run the above photo, the company offered Siteline readers a 10% discount; use code Siteline2020.) —Los Angeles Times
••• Students at Richard B. Haydock Academy of Arts and Science in Oxnard discovered that the man the junior high school is named after was an avowed racist, so they’re pushing to get the name changed. —KEYT
••• “If you’ve been wondering when the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art is getting its swanky new building, we’ve got bad news. […] At a meeting of the nonprofit organization’s board of directors on Jan. 14, the board confirmed that it canceled a capital campaign that aimed to raise $15 million for the new building—effectively putting plans for the new center on hold.” —San Luis Obispo Tribune
••• “‘Mule Man’ John Sears was recently arrested near Paso Robles after drivers complained the nomad and his animals were creating a traffic hazard by walking in the middle of the road.” —San Luis Obispo Tribune
••• “Lompoc’s city leaders have undertaken campaigns to restore recreational activity to the Santa Ynez River estuary, and surf fishing at a nearby beach in an attempt to expand the city’s connection to the coastline. […] Both sites sit outside the city limits on Vandenberg Air Force Base property.” —Noozhawk
••• “The three oil platforms off Point Arguello up by Vandenberg Air Force Base may soon have their 62 wells plugged and the casings pulled up and out of the water. The project, proposed by Freeport-McMoRan, which owns the three platforms—Hidalgo, Harvest, and Hermosa—is to be scheduled as the platforms have reached the end of their economic life.” —Independent
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