Two weeks after Nipomo area property owners voted against a tax increase that would have financed a water pipeline from Santa Maria, local leaders took the first step toward curtailing future growth in the unincorporated community.

County air quality officials will consider a variety of cost-cutting measures before resorting to raising fees as a way to balance the air district’s budget over the next five years.

San Luis Coastal school trustees narrowly agreed to cut more than $4.5 million from the 2012-13 budget that will change the way elementary music is taught, alter the way that English learners receive specialized instruction and ultimately lead to larger class sizes.

About 100 emergency agency employees from throughout San Luis Obispo County converged on the San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport on Wednesday to participate in a simulated plane crash in which numerous people acted like they were injured.