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SINCE 1916 Making Communities Better Through Print.™ VOL. CIX, NO. XXXII
THURSDAY, AUGUST 15, 2024
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A look at who is running for election in North County From Paso Robles to Atascadero, the candidate roster is full for this Nov. 5 election By CAMILLE DEVAUL camille@atascaderonews.com
Adult second-place winners Justin and Steffi McMillan (left) and third-place winners Ambrose Galaviz and William Wallace show off their winning certificates after the talent show. Photo by Rick Evans.
is roughly 75,000 meals per year that are provided by volunteers from the community.” Meal teams at ECHO started back in 2001 when community volunteers came together to support their neighbors who were facing homelessness. Now, 23 years later, ECHO has expanded to two campuses, the original in Atascadero and its newest location in Paso Robles. Between the two of them, they have 130 emergency shelter beds. Still, the Nightly Meal Program continues to be one of ECHO’s vital resources for the community. “Meal teams are composed of friends, families, coworkers, restaurant partners, and more, with each member typically contributing a different dish, such as the main course or side dishes,” Solheim added. “ECHO’s Volunteer Coordinators manage the schedule to ensure every day of the month is covered.” The program itself and the volunteers who make it happen
Atascadero In Atascadero, residents will vote for a new mayor after Heather Moreno won the District 5 San Luis Obispo County Supervisor seat, replacing Debbie Arnold, who did not seek another term on the county board. In addition, City Councilmembers Charles Bourbeau and Mark Dariz both have terms ending this year. Bourbeau announced his campaign for Atascadero City Mayor in April and no one filed to run against him for the seat. For the remaining two at-large seats on City Council, Seth Peek and Dariz are the only candidates running, making the new City Council essentially a done deal — meaning Peek, a local business owner and long-time resident, will be the only new blood joining the council. On June 25, the Atascadero City Council approved a resolution to place Measure L-24 on the ballot for the November 5 General Election that will extend Measure F-14 — a sales tax adopted in 2014. The measure, titled Atascadero Local Roads and Vital Services Funding Extension Measure, will ask voters to extend the existing half-cent per dollar (0.5 percent) general sales tax that is otherwise set to sunset in 2027. You can find more information on the resolution here: atascadero.org/news/november-5th-general-election-ballot-measure-l-24 City of Atascadero election details can be found here atascadero.org/2024-general-election For the Atascadero Unified School District (AUSD), there are three at-large seats available, each running a term of four years. Current board members with expiring terms in 2024 are: Matt Pennon, Terri Switzer, and Corinne Kuhnle. Pennon and Kuhnle have both confirmed they will run for another term alongside challenger Veronica “Roni” DeCoster, whose occupation is listed as paralegal, bookkeeper, and parent. Two more candidates have joined the race: Joey Arnold, a businessman and rancher, and Jodi M. Taylor, a small business owner. This gives Atascadero
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Printery talent show North County Has Talent returns for third year The evening ended in a recount with five winners instead of four By CHRISTIANNA MARKS christianna@atascaderonews.com
ATASCADERO — North County Has Talent was back for its third year on Friday, Aug. 9, on the Printery’s expanded and much-improved outdoor stage, which no longer looks like the skate ramp it’s made from. The talent, who came from all over, varied in age and entertainment. In fact, this was the first year that the talent show featured a 15-and-under age category and a 16-and-over category, with winners in both. “We bring in a wonderful variety of local talent,
City Council selects candidate for Centennial Plaza
both youth and adults, and it’s a great evening under the trees. It’s just a fabulous night,” said Printery Board President Karen McNamara. The show kicked off with last year’s first-place winner, Julz Muya, performing her winning song “Macho Yako (Your Eyes)” for the crowd before wishing the evening’s competitors luck. “A big thank you to everybody that’s here,” said Emcee Rick Evans. “The talent, the parents, the friends, everybody that’s supporting the Printery Foundation. Give yourself a big round of applause.” There were five acts in the youth part of the show, including original songs, a harpist, dance, and singing. They kicked off the evening and performed in front of this year’s judges, returning world-renowned vocalists Kristina Prozesky and Jonathan Ritter, who has been all over the
Broadway stage and even understudied Fiyero in “Wicked.” At the end of the night, when votes were tallied, sisters and best friends Juniper and Ivy Neumann, who both sang “Riptide” by Vance Joy and their original song, “Beautiful Hanna,” while Juniper played ukulele, won first place in the youth category and $200. “Honestly, I had no idea. I thought I wouldn’t even place,” Juniper said. “Honestly, I thought no way I wouldn’t place at all. Hearing my name come up first was such a shocker.” “My heart was beating so fast, and I was so surprised,” added Ivy. Their original song is about their friend’s mom, Hanna, who was recently diagnosed with ALS. CONTINUED ON PAGE A2
El Camino Homeless Organization (ECHO) conducting search for volunteers
City employees recognized for their hard work By CHRISTIANNA MARKS christianna@atascaderonews.com
ATASCADERO—At the start of the Tuesday, Aug. 13, City Council meeting, city employees were recognized for their hard work in making Atascadero the place we know and love. “It is a joy to recognize our best asset, and that is our people. These incredible people we are recognizing tonight with service awards,” said City Manager Jim Lewis before he called up each employee and introduced them. Accounting specialist Krys Clark and Police Officer Robert Hammer were both honored for five years of service to Atascadero. Police Sgt. Samuel Rodriguez was recognized for his 10 years working with the city. To finish off the honors, Operations Manager Timm Cleaver was awarded for his 20 years working for the City of Atascadero. Police Chief Dan Suttles then addressed the council with a CONTINUED ON PAGE A2
COUNTY
An El Camino Homeless Organization (ECHO) meal team is ready to serve. ECHO is seeking volunteers to serve on its Nightly Meal Program. Contributed Photo
Meal teams especially short on numbers By CHRISTIANNA MARKS christianna@atascaderonews.com
NORTH COUNTY — The El Camino Homeless Organization (ECHO) is looking for more volunteers to join their mission of helping the local unhoused. Specifically, ECHO is searching for people who would like to serve on its meal teams that provide and help distribute food for its Nightly Meal Program at both the Atascadero and Paso Robles campuses. The food program runs every night of the year from 5 to 6 p.m. “Although we also serve breakfast and lunch to the residents of our shelter programs, the Nightly Meal Program alone serves between 80 to 120 individuals at each campus each night,” said ECHO’s Director of Operations and Development Austin Solheim. “That
CRIME
NORTH COUNTY — The initial period to file as a candidate for the Nov. 5 election closed on Friday, Aug. 9. As a result, some local incumbents have not qualified to move forward through the election period. Here is an update for candidates running local elections from Paso Robles to Atascadero.
NORTH COUNTY NEWS
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