Newport Beach

Gardiner Gets New Job: Capt. James Gardiner, a 17-year veteran of the Newport Beach Police Department, has been named police chief in San Luis Obispo. Gardiner, who assumes the job Monday, was one of about 100 candidates competing for the city’s top police position. Gardiner’s Newport Beach colleagues said Wednesday that his extensive background best qualified him for the job. Gardiner, who has a bachelor’s degree in criminology from Cal State Long Beach and a master’s degree in management from the University of Redlands, “has had experience in all divisions of the Newport Beach Police Department,” a department spokesman said. San Luis Obispo, which has a population of about 40,000, has a force of 83 officers.