Watch: Why is The Tribune suing Paso Robles? Join us for our online Q&A
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The Tribune is hosting a live online forum on Friday, March 21, addressing the turmoil in Paso Robles that led to city manager Ty Lewis’ departure, why we covered it in such detail over the course of the last four months, and what happens next following The Tribune’s public records lawsuit against the city.
This ongoing story, sparked by Lewis’ allegations that Councilman Chris Bausch and Cal Coast News reporter Karen Velie were conspiring to force him from his job, is the very essence of high-accountability local journalism.
And the timing of this Tribune Q&A couldn’t be better, as we will hold it during National Sunshine Week, which celebrates bedrock American rights like the First Amendment and freedom of information.
The goal is to focus attention on why our government must be accountable to the people, and why it is not allowed to conduct business in secrecy.
That gets to the heart of this story, which has evolved into a battle for public records Bausch has kept on personal devices, hidden from the eyes of the city, the voters of Paso Robles and The Tribune, which is now suing to force those records to be released after Bausch refused to turn them over in violation of the California Public Records Act.
At this forum, we will recap how we got here, what we know about the allegations and why The Tribune — as a watchdog for the people — is not giving up this fight.
Participating in the hourlong virtual forum will be Tribune reporters Chloe Jones and Sadie Dittenber, editor Joe Tarica and The Tribune’s media attorney Karl Olson.
It will be held at noon on Friday, March 21. The event is free and open to the public, and you can sign up to attend and get a reminder here.
You will be able to submit questions live during the event, but you can also submit in advance by email to jtarica@thetribunenews.com.
We look forward to this unique opportunity to provide an inside look at our reporting.
This story was originally published March 11, 2025 at 1:11 PM.
