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SINCE 1916 Making Communities Better Through Print.™ VOL. CXII, NO. XV
THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 2026
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L.W. “Lon” Allan is shown with one of the miniature Navy boats he made for the Estrella Warbirds Museum. Allan, known for being the city historian and a longtime editor at The Atascadero News, died April 11 at the age of 86. Atascadero News file photo
L.W. Allan, longtime Atascadero News editor and community historian, dies at 86 Veteran journalist, educator, and civic leader spent decades documenting Atascadero’s growth — from a small town to a city By HAYLEY MATTSON Publisher, Editor in Chief
ATA S C A D E R O — Lawrence Wayne “Lon” Allan, a longtime editor of the Atascadero News, respected historian, and beloved community figure, died April 11, 2026. He was 86. For more than five decades,
Atascadero Fire Chief Casey Bryson (left) and Mayor Charles Bourbeau were among the “celebrity servers” at the El Camino Homeless Organization’s (ECHO) Empty Bowls fundraiser on April 8. Photo by Rick Evans/ATN
Empty Bowls fundraiser supports ECHO’s growing mission
Allan helped shape the identity of Atascadero — not only by recording its history, but by More than 250 attend living it alongside the commu- Atascadero event as community nity he came to love. rallies to fund shelter services His journey to Atascadero, By CAMILLE DEVAUL as he once recalled in an intercamille@atascaderonews.com view with the Atascadero News, was almost accidental. ATASCADERO — On Wednesday, After serving in the U.S. April 8, the Empty Bowls fundraiser in CONTINUED ON PAGE A2 Atascadero brought together more than
250 attendees in a show of community support for El Camino Homeless Organization (ECHO), with organizers reporting record ticket sales and a growing base of supporters committed to addressing homelessness across San Luis Obispo County. According to ECHO Development Manager Stephanie Potter, the event
exceeded expectations, with ticket sales surpassing last year’s totals. “We actually ended up selling more tickets than we did last year … it’s always a good thing to be able to know that you’re improving,” Potter said. “I think that word of mouth is great … it becomes little traditions for people to do it every single year CONTINUED ON PAGE A2
City Council approves Measure D-20 report in brief meeting Second reading of Chick-fil-A project, vegetative growth nuisance designation also part of the Consent Calendar By MIKE CHALDU michael@atascaderonews.com
(From left) Deryk Izou, Kayla Morrow, and owner Ryan Fields of Wild Fields Brewhouse in Atascadero, are shown April 11 at Lagerville in Buellton, where they won the Gold for Best Dark Lager. Photo by Mike Chaldu/ATN
Atascadero’s Wild Fields Brewhouse shines at Buellton’s Lagerville event Figueroa Mountain Brew Co. hosts a block party celebrating the popular brew style By MIKE CHALDU michael@atascaderonews.com
ATASCADERO — On Saturday, April 11, Buellton’s Figueroa Mountain Brew Co. threw a festival of sorts celebrating the lager variety of beer. Welcome to Lagerville, the annual event that’s part brewery convention, part competition, and part block party with food and entertainment, and it didn’t disappoint.
The event celebrated the lager style of beer, prevalent in the mostpopular brands like Coors, Budweiser, and Miller. Among the 60 or so breweries on hand was Wild Fields Brewhouse in Atascadero, and they were successful, taking the Gold in the Dark Lager category and receiving a surfboard-shaped prize noting their accomplishment. Owner Ryan Fields manned his brewery’s tent along with Assistant Brewer Kayla Morrow, and her fiance Deryk Izou, who’s also involved in the business. Fields grew up in Templeton, just north of Atascadero, and moved around a lot in adulthood before returning to the Central
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Coast in Atascadero. Like many brewers attending Lagerville, Fields started out making the beer at home. “I brewed my own beer, and as I kept going I thought ‘this sounds like fun,’” Fields said. “So I went into business and eventually opened Wild Fields. The name is a play on my name, and I want it to represent natural things like wood and trees.” Wild Fields as a bit unique among breweries: Opened at the site of a former bowling alley, it offers some mini-lanes, along with arcade games, foosball, air hockey, and a toddler corner. CONTINUED ON PAGE A2
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ATASCADERO — The Atascadero City Council convened for it regular meeting on Tuesday, April 14, although the meeting itself didn’t last much longer than a coffee break. With no public hearings, reports, or business items on the agenda, the City Council completed its business in about 17 minutes. Councilmembers began by approving the four-item Consent Calendar, although one item was pulled for questions from Councilmember Susan Funk. Funk pulled item 2, the Sales Tax Measure D-20 Annual Report. Sales Tax Measure D-20 is a General Fund “Essential Services Transaction and Use Tax” approved by Atascadero voters in November 2020. The measure increased the local sales tax rate by one percent, to 8.75%, to fund key community priorities and City Council goals.
Funk sought information on three items: The change in city police personnel and salaries, the debt service that the city will be paying for its two upcoming public safety improvement projects (construction of a new Fire Station #1, and upgrades to Fire Station #2), and the investment in the city’s aquatics program. Director of Administrative Services Jeri Rangel answered each point, reporting that the city was successful on all three counts: the debt service is expected to be a manageable $1.9 million a year; $41,000 was invested last year into the aquatics program, which was a “big hit” according to Rangel; and for the Atascadero Police Department, since 2020, payroll has gone up almost $3.8 million, a 60% increase. Funk was pleased at the news: “This is telling folks we’re honoring our commitments,” she said. During Public Comment on the item, Atascadero resident Geoff Auslin praised the D-20 CONTINUED ON PAGE A2
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