Mogul accused in RICO lawsuit; CA farm linked to outbreak. Today’s top stories

San Luis Obispo County saw a major federal fraud lawsuit, a national food safety scare with local ties and a fatal military incident make headlines Friday.

Here’s a look at the top stories from The Tribune on July 17, 2026:

• King Ventures owner accused of fraud: SLO County real estate mogul John King is accused of orchestrating a years-long “scheme” using shell companies and insider-controlled entities to shield his family’s property empire from tens of millions in unpaid debts, according to a federal RICO lawsuit filed in December. The case, brought by two judgment creditors seeking a combined $21 million, is set for trial on July 27, 2027, and defendants deny the allegations.
• Taylor Farms linked to parasite outbreak: Salinas-based Taylor Farms is facing federal scrutiny over its possible role in a national cyclosporiasis outbreak tied to shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants across five Midwestern states, as detailed in reporting on the FDA investigation. The outbreak was traced to a single independent farm in Mexico representing less than 1% of the U.S. iceberg lettuce supply.
• Service member dies at Vandenberg: A military member stationed at Vandenberg Space Force Base died at approximately 11:30 a.m. Thursday and was pronounced dead at the scene by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office Coroner’s Bureau, base officials confirmed. Col. James Horne, commander of Space Launch Delta 30, said the base was “absolutely devastated” and pledged to mobilize resources to support the family.
• Driver arrested after 110-mph chase: A California Highway Patrol officer arrested a driver on suspicion of reckless driving after the person hit speeds over 100 mph and repeatedly veered into the median to pass vehicles on Highway 101 Tuesday night, as shown in dashcam and bodycam footage shared by CHP. The Templeton CHP office said the driver “put countless lives at risk” during the 7:53 p.m. incident.
• Paso Robles Trader Joe’s opening date set: The long-awaited Trader Joe’s location in Paso Robles will officially open July 23 at 2457 Golden Hill Road in Golden Hills Plaza, staffed by 60 crew members, the grocery chain announced. It will be the fourth Trader Joe’s in San Luis Obispo County, joining stores in SLO, Arroyo Grande and Templeton.
• Top county salaries revealed: SLO County’s 50 highest-paid public employees collectively made more than $12.7 million in salaries, overtime and other wages in 2025, with 24 of them working for the Sheriff’s Office and earning over $6 million combined, according to a Tribune analysis of county compensation records. Only 19 of the top earners received overtime pay, but that overtime totaled more than $1.7 million.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.