Sharpen your proverbial pencils. It’s time for our end-of-year SLO County news quiz
What a year.
2021 was one for the ages: COVID, climate change, political upheaval the likes of which we’ve never seen in our lifetimes.
Here in San Luis Obispo County, we split over redistricting, mask mandates, voting rights and what can and can’t be taught in local schools. We even reopened the debate over whether Diablo Canyon should continue to operate after 2025.
There were plenty of joyful moments as well: New businesses opened, kids went back to the classroom, and, hey, monarch butterflies returned in abundance!
Before we close the door on 2021, we invite you to revisit some of the highs and lows of the past 12 months through our annual SLO County end-of-year quiz.
Scoring is simple: One point for each correct answer.
As always, we thank you for reading, and we wish you health, happiness and a little magic in 2022.
Multiple Choice
1. It was a record-breaking year for climate; SLO County experienced the hottest November since 1926. What was the average temperature?
a) 60.3
b) 58.4
c) 65.8
d) 71.2
2. Which of the following was NOT on the list of proposed county redistricting maps?
a) Richard Patten Map
b) Blatant Republican Power Grab Map
c) Keep SLO Whole Map
d) Redistricting Map by Marco
3. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy made headlines when he went maskless at what event?
a) His son’s wedding
b) A Devin Nunes fundraiser
c) A COLAB dinner where he was guest speaker
d) A beach party
4. Monarch butterflies made a comeback this year. The number counted at the Pismo Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove increased by what percentage over last year?
a) 350%
b) 35%
c) 3,500%
d) 530%
5. When is Sensorio, the Field of Light exhibit in Paso Robles, closing?
a) Never
b) Who knows?
c) When hell freezes over
d) December 2022
6. Lokum, a new cafe in downtown San Luis Obispo, serves Turkish delight, a confection featured prominently in what novel?
a) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
b) The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
c) The Wizard of Ozd
d) Dune
7. What musician made a video in support of saving the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant?
a) Jackson Browne
b) Olivia Rodrigo
c) Grimes
d) Weird Al
8. What’s happening with the Oceano Dunes off-road vehicle park?
a) It’s finished. The Coastal Commission shut it down.
b) Nothing has changed. It’s like the Wild West out there!
c) It’s being converted into a sanctuary for snowy plovers. No humans allowed!
d) It’s tangled up in lawsuits.
9. As part of its climate action plan, the city of SLO has partnered with local hotels to do what?
a) Request hotel guests to shower only every other day. That saves water and energy!
b) Plant 10,000 trees by 2035.
c) Offer reduced room rates to guests who drive electric vehicles.
d) All of the above.
10. What did the Morro Bay City Council decide to do about the iconic power plant stacks?
a) They’re coming down.
b) It’s still up in the air.
c) Morro Bay voters will have the final say.
d) They’ve been declared a historic monument and will be preserved in perpetuity.
Who said it?
We give you the quote, you pick from the list of names below and tell us who said what. Extra credit: Give us the context to score an additional point per question.
1) “Let’s be clear. I’m stepping down to step up.”
2) “This money is not about me. It’s about all of the good that can come from it.”
3) “Obviously, I think diversity is the last thing that we really need to consider as a qualification.”
4) “Oh boy, you know, they’re really on a rampage ...”
5) “People can come together. They just need to do so in a smart way.”
6) “This is where it all began on the campus of Cal Poly university. Twenty-four years without a resolution. Until today.”
7) “To be one of the few teams left in California still playing at this stage, it was a great accomplishment, especially for Morro Bay.”
8) “No skin off your nose, is it? And I’m really upset about this, because I know that people in Cambria, Cayucos and Morro Bay, they are physically sick about this.”
Pick from: Tommy Gong; Dr. Penny Borenstein; Ian Parkinson; Scott Godfrey; Heidi Harmon; Jake Goossen-Brown; Dawn Ortiz-Legg; Christopher Arend
True or false
1. District Attorney Dan Dow announced that, going forward, he will personally prosecute businesses that violate COVID rules.
2. Cal Poly is dropping out of the Cal State system after refusing to be strong-armed into switching from quarters to semesters.
3. They’re baaack! Thousands of iconic Pismo clams started showing up on South County beaches, confounding scientists.
4. SLO City Councilmember Jan Marx celebrated the decision to allow night hiking at Cerro San Luis (AKA Madonna Mountain) by hosting a moonlight meet-and-greet at the “M.”
5. Talk show host Dave Congalton is quitting his day job to run for county supervisor. He’ll be challenged by Tom Fulks.
6. The Paso Robles school board banned critical race theory, in part because it doesn’t want white kids to feel bad.
7. The defense in the Paul Flores murder case wanted the prosecution team disqualified for wearing purple ties to court.
8. The entire North Coast has decided to incorporate, to avoid being split up again during the next county redistricting process. Bruce Gibson is leading the charge.
9. A citizens’ panel researching the best reuse of the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant property is recommending a golf course resort, complete with an upscale hotel modeled after the twin reactors.
10. Traffic through the Shell Beach area could be eased with the addition of a third lane on southbound highway 101, but there’s a catch: It will only be open part time.
Answers
Multiple choice: 1. b; 2. c; 3. a; 4.c; 5. a or b (the attraction will be open indefinitely); 6. b; 7. c; 8. d; 9. b; 10. a
Who said it: 1. Heidi Harmon, upon announcing she was stepping down as mayor; 2. Scott Godfrey, after winning $699 million lottery jackpot; 3. Christopher Arend, while discussing appointment to the Paso Robles school board; 4. Tommy Gong, reflecting on controversy during his time as SLO County clerk/recorder; 5. Dr. Penny Borenstein, on holiday gatherings; 6. Sheriff Ian Parkinson, announcing an arrest in the Kristin Smart murder case; 7. Coach Jake Goosen-Brown, on Morro Bay High football team’s playoff run; 8. Supervisor Dawn Ortiz-Legg, during county redistricting discussion.
True or false: 1. F; 2. F; 3. T; 4. F; 5. F; 6. T; 7. T; 8. F; 9. F; 10. T
Scoring: 36-25: Wow! You’re a news junkie; 24-12: Good for you. Obviously, you’ve been paying some attention; Under 12: Can we interest you in a Tribune subscription?