Below is a press release from the County of San Luis Obispo, Office of the Clerk-Recorder regarding early voting made available for the upcoming Primary Election.

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) – Turnout in primary elections is typically low, and here in SLO County the June 2 Statewide Direct Primary Election looks to be following this trend. Fortunately, the Elections Office is making it easier for voters to balance voting later in the cycle with convenience — while also ensuring their vote is reflected in Election Night results.

The office will be open on Saturday, May 30 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm for early, in-person voting. Voters can opt to have their signature verified on the spot, allowing them to vote and cast their ballot at the counter without a return envelope. This new process streamlines the steps that confirm a voter’s eligibility and will help speed the process of counting ballots cast at the office.

In past elections, any ballot cast at the Elections Office needed to be returned in a sealed and signed return envelope. This system requires the envelopes to be scanned and every signature to be verified before the ballots could be extracted, processed, and tabulated.

“We’re excited to be able to offer this new voting option,” said Clerk-Recorder Elaina Cano. “Importantly, ballots cast in person at our office will be counted on Election Night, just like the ballots cast at the polls. Voting this way means that your vote is included in those Election Night results, not added to the total in the days afterward.

This new efficiency will be particularly useful as a new law effective January 1, 2026, requires the vast majority of mail ballots to be processed and counted within 13 days of the election. In the past, the processing of mail ballots dropped off at a polling place on Election Day has created a bottleneck in the official canvass, which can be particularly challenging when more than 90 percent of local voters choose to use their mail ballot.

“Voters still have all of the same options as before, including putting a mail ballot in any official drop box, like our 24/7 box here. They can also drop it off at any polling location, or they can surrender it in exchange for a precinct ballot at their assigned location on Election Day,” said Cano.

She hopes the Saturday hours and the ability to vote early in person will inspire many voters to check voting off the to-do list before Tuesday.

“It will mean more comprehensive Election Night results and a faster path to getting all of the ballots counted and reported.”

Voters are encouraged to bring in their mail ballot if they want to vote at the Elections Office but it is not required; staff can void the mail ballot and issue them a replacement while they wait.

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SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) – A Florida-based real estate agency agreed to a settlement over its predatory real estate scheme offering immediate cash payments for decades-long listing rights.

MV Realty, its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and its Chief Operating Officer (COO) operated a predatory real estate scheme that offered immediate cash payments to homeowners in exchange for the exclusive right to be the owner's listing agent if they sold their homes in the next 40 years explained the Attorney General's Office on Wednesday.

The company misled its customers regarding the terms of those agreements and recorded liens on properties, preventing sellers from transferring ownership, unless they paid MV Realty tens of thousands of dollars in what the company characterized as "early termination fees" noted the state prosecutor's office.

Those liens could also stop homeowners from refinancing or receiving home equity loans added the Attorney General's Office.

According to the settlement, all homeowner contracts with MV Realty are void, MV Realty must individually terminate all liens and the company and its CEO and COO are prohibited from engaging in any business in California that requires a real estate license for five years.

The company must also pay $1,327,069.15 in restitution to consumers and pay $1,172,930.85 in civil penalties per the agreement.

"We will not tolerate predatory conduct that targets vulnerable Californians and puts their homes at risk," stated Attorney General Rob Bonta. "This settlement delivers the relief we sought in our lawsuit, including full restitution for consumers and the complete undoing of the unlawful practices at issue. At a time when Californians are facing an affordability crisis, exploitation like this only adds pressure on households struggling to make ends meet — and it is unacceptable."

MV Realty began doing business in California in early 2022 and by December of 2023, the company was facing lawsuits filed by the Attorney General and District Attorneys in Santa Barbara and Napa counties.

"The Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office was proud to team with the Attorney General's Office and the Napa County DA's Office in getting relief for Californians who were victimized by a predatory scheme that took advantage of people who were already struggling financially," Santa Barbara County District Attorney John T. Savrnoch explained. "Californians have a right to expect that when they contract with a real estate company that the company will act in their best interests. This settlement provides an example of how California authorities will respond when a company fails in its duties to its customers by trying to take advantage of them through a predatory and unfair scheme."

MV Realty filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the Southern District of Florida in September of 2023, but federal courts dismissed the filing in May of 2024 noted the Attorney General's Office.

In September of 2024, California's joint prosecution secured a preliminary injunction against MV Realty which was upheld on appeal in December of 2025 and required the company to terminate its liens on properties in the state shared the Attorney General's Office.

A trial concerning MV Realty's business practices in the golden state was scheduled to begin on June 10 of this year and the settlement announced Wednesday resolved the lawsuits filed by the statewide and county-based prosecutor's offices, bringing relief to alm

Análisis de Andrea Saint Martin, CNN en Español

La selección mexicana de fútbol hará historia en 2026 al convertirse en la primera en jugar tres Copas Mundiales de la FIFA en casa. Dicho escenario podría jugarle a su favor de múltiples maneras. De hecho, no es casualidad que las mejores participaciones que ha tenido el Tri en su historia fueran siendo anfitrión, alcanzando los cuartos de final en las dos ediciones anteriores.

En México 1970, el equipo dirigido por Raúl Cárdenas cayó 4-1 ante Italia, mientras que en 1986, ya bajo la dirección de Bora Milutinović, quedó afuera del certamen ante la República Federal de Alemania en tanda de penales.

Esta última fue la única vez que la selección jugó cinco partidos en una Copa del Mundo, hito que no ha vuelto a alcanzar desde entonces, siempre quedando eliminada en octavos de final, en la fase de grupos (como sucedió en Qatar 2022) o ni siquiera clasificando (quedó inhabilitada rumbo a Italia 1990 por el escándalo de los “cachirules”).

Volver a ser sede del torneo futbolístico más importante del mundo trae esperanzas renovadas en la afición de volver a llegar a los cuartos de final, o incluso ir más allá, para los más soñadores. Sin embargo, el panorama no es alentador, pues, aunque se cuenta con algunas ventajas que podrían ayudar en su desempeño, hay múltiples áreas de oportunidad que podrían pesar.

La mayor ventaja que tiene cualquier selección anfitriona de un Mundial es la clasificación automática, porque, ¿cuál es el chiste de organizar una fiesta si no te dejan participar en ella?

Tener un lugar asegurado quita mucha presión a la federación, pues se puede dejar de lado el torneo clasificatorio. En el caso de México, es el de la Concacaf, del que suele liderar su ranking de selecciones.

Formar parte de esta confederación puede hacer suponer a más de uno que la selección azteca tiene un boleto asegurado prácticamente cada cuatro años. No obstante, el Tri ha sufrido en procesos clasificatorios, como fue el caso de Brasil 2014, cuando tuvo que derrotar a Nueva Zelandia en el repechaje intercontinental.

Esto parecería indicar que México llega con un mejor panorama por delante. Desafortunadamente, no se puede dejar de lado que la presión de disputar un torneo clasificatorio ayuda a elevar la exigencia de una selección. Si a esto se le suma que la selección mexicana viene de quedar eliminada en fase de grupos en Qatar 2022 (su peor resultado desde Argentina 1978), quizá avanzar directamente al Mundial 2026 no era lo mejor para el anfitrión.

En los casi tres años y medio que pasaron desde el descalabro del Tri en Medio Oriente, el mal sabor de boca se ha disipado sumando dos títulos de la Copa Oro (2023 y 2025) y uno de la Liga de Naciones de la Concacaf (2024-2025). Tres logros que, hay que decirlo, lo muestran como el mejor seleccionado de Centroamérica y Norteamérica.

Asimismo, en los últimos meses de preparación, la federación ha buscado partidos amistosos con selecciones que pintan como candidatas, como Portugal y Bélgica, con las que finalizó en empate.

No obstante, México está cerrando su preparación para el torneo con duelos amistosos ante equipos que están por debajo en el ranking FIFA: Ghana (74), Australia (27) y Serbia (39).

¿Será suficiente para compensar el no haber disputado el clasificatorio de la Concacaf? No lo sabremos hasta que se inicie la Copa del Mundo.

Tras el sorteo de los grupos para el Mu