SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. - Many are upset in San Luis Obispo because of rumors that came out of the city ordering flags that were flown at half-staff to be raised back to the normal position on December 7th, Pearl Harbor remembrance day.
City officials say the matter is a huge misunderstanding, and that they never instructed anyone to raise the flags. Not only that, but they say flags were never flown at half-staff in the first place.
San Luis Obispo city council member John Ashbaugh says the rumors are "patently untrue."
"If anyone would have bothered to check the facts on this rather than just posting stories about it, they'd know the truth about the matter," says Ashbaugh.
Ashbaugh says rumors that city staffers flew the American flag at half-staff on their own without city approval are false. According to assistant city manager Michael Codron, the flags around city hall were never at half-staff on December 7th. Codron says several angry emails have been sent to the city from those upset over the matter.
Ashbaugh says the city's intent was not to slight anyone.
"There was certainly no intent on anyone's part to slight the cause for which our service members died in World War II," says Ashbaugh.
San Luis Obispo Mayor Jan Marx did not return phone calls, but Codron insists there was no order to put the flags back in place. Ashbaugh says people can attend city council meetings and suggest flags be set to half-staff for upcoming dates. When asked if December 7th will now be on the list of dates where flags are at half-staff, Ashbaugh hinted that it would.
"I'm sure that we will because I suspect that there will be several veterans at our meeting on the 18th," says Ashbaugh.
Codron says the city flag policy has been in place since 2004.
