GOOD NEWS REAL NEWS HOMETOWN NEWS
SINCE 1889 Making Communities Better Through Print.™ VOL. CXXXV, NO. XI
THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 2024
pasoroblespress.com • $1.00 • WEEKLY
Four candidates running for TUSD seats By Oct. 7, vote by mail ballots will be mailed to every active registered voter in SLO County
City Council considers changes to Downtown Employee Parking Program
By CAMILLE DEVAUL camille@pasoroblespress.com
NORTH COUNTY — Following our update on candidates running for local office last week, another candidate was added to the Atascadero City Council race. The initial period to file as a candidate for the Nov. 5 election closed on Friday, Aug. 9 — the filing period was extended to Aug. 14 if an incumbent does not file. 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 mayor in April and no one filed to run against him for the seat. For the remaining two at-large seats on City Council, there are now three candidates vying for a position in local government. Tori Keen, Seth Peek, and Dariz have been qualified for the two at-large seats available for the Atascadero City Council. Peek is a local business owner and long-time resident and Keen has been on the Atascadero Planning Commission since 2019 and is a family law paralegal. Dariz, an architect, has been holding a seat on the City Council since 2020. City of Atascadero election details can be found here along with each candidate’s statement: atascadero. org/2024-general-election For a full summary on candidates running for North County government seats, please refer to our Aug. 15 article titled: “A look at who is running for election in North County.” It can be found CONTINUED ON PAGE A2
Reese Jaureguy (third from left), the 2024 Pioneer Day Queen, representing Shandon, poses with her court (from left): Lindsay Moffatt, representing Adelaida; Kyhlah McKee, Hog Canyon; Adelaida Coelho, Adelaida; Cassidy Heer, Estrella; Kiana Martinez, La Panza; and Ava Friedling, Estrella. Photo by Derek Luff
Paso Robles celebrates pioneer heritage at Royalty Dinner Reese Jaureguy announced as 2024 Belle representing Shandon area By MAYLIA BAIRD Guest Contributor
PASO ROBLES — The annual Pioneer Royalty Dinner was an intimate gathering at the Estrella Warbirds Museum in Paso Robles on Sunday, Aug. 18. The event was by reservation only, so there were tables filled with family and close friends of the chosen Marshal, Queen, and Belle nominees of the upcoming 94th annual Pioneer Day Parade. On Sunday, guests explained more about the Queen and Marshal’s family history and later officially announced Reese Jaureguy as this year’s Belle, representing the Shandon area. Pioneer Day and all the events leading up to it are important to Paso Roblans because it recognizes families who have lived here for generations. Choosing a Marshal and Queen honors those who have deeply planted roots in the community while choosing a Belle and her attendants gives young women a chance
Bonnie Cary Thorndyke and Richard “Dick” Woodland will serve as Queen and Marshal, respectively, for the 2024 Pioneer Day Parade in Paso Robles. Photo by Derek Luff
to remember their ancestors and explore more of their family history. This year’s chosen Queen is Bonnie Cary Thorndyke. She is related to a long line of pioneer families, such as the Allen, Forbes, Cox, Frazier, Beck, and Smith families. She is very proud of her heritage and loves that she gets to call Paso Robles her home. Thorndyke has lived here since 1947, when she moved from Fresno. During her younger years, she loved anything to do
Wine Country Theatre brings the magic of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s ‘Cinderella’ to the North County You can still catch the show yourself this weekend and next By CHRISTIANNA MARKS christianna@pasoroblespress.com
PASO ROBLES — Wine Country Theatre has returned to the Park Ballroom stage with its very own take on the Broadway version of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “Cinderella.” Paso Robles Press was lucky enough to be in the audience opening weekend for the magical experience, but not to worry; the whimsical show is still running for two more weekends. “It was a long process that was very fun with a lot of challenges. Everybody was on the team,
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with horses, from grooming to riding in horse shows for fun. When asked what being honored as Pioneer Day royalty means to her, she told Paso Robles Press, “It means an awful lot because my mother was Queen years ago, in 2003.” This parade is a big deal to Thorndyke and many of her family members because they have been attending their whole lives. It’s a way for them to spend time with their relatives — many of which come from out of town to attend
the parade — and honor their heritage. Richard “Dick” Woodland was chosen as this year’s Marshal. He was born in Paso Robles during World War II in 1943 and graduated from Paso Robles High in 1960. Woodland has always had a love for cars and racing. He didn’t stay in college at Fresno State for long since he was more interested in automobile racing, and he left to follow his dream.Woodland has had a lot of involvement with Paso Robles and achieved many things here. He donated land to the city to help encourage it to build the original Niblick Bridge and again when they expanded it to four lanes. In the 1990s, hedeveloped the Woodland Plaza I shopping center, where Albertsons is located, and later the Walmart shopping center. He is honored to be recognized and chosen as this year’s Marshal, as he loves and cares about this town very much. “What can I say, it’s a feeling of acceptance, friendship,” Woodland said during his speech, adding humorously, “and looking forward to the rest of the meals that come CONTINUED ON PAGE A2
City staff to gather input from local merchants and explore options for maintaining 30-minute parking spots By CAMILLE DEVAUL camille@pasoroblespress.com
PASO ROBLES — Following a discussion Tuesday night, Aug. 20, at the Paso Robles City Council meeting, city staff will be reaching out to Downtown merchants for input on the Employee Parking Permit Program, along with keeping or possibly adding more 30 minute parking spaces. Following the removal of the paid parking program in Downtown Paso Robles in May, the Employee Parking Permit Program remained in effect. Council requested staff to bring the employee parking program forward for discussion. With the frequent changes to paid parking downtown, enforcement of the employee and 30-minute spots has been pulled back. Currently, the downtown employee parking lots provide employees with dedicated parking spots. Downtown employee parking permits are valid daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and come at $5 each. They can be purchased in bulk or individually, monthly or annually, by employees or the business. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2023, the number of employee permits issued was 4,286, which decreased to 3,845 for FY 2024, which comes to about $12,000 per year for the City. There are 98 parking spots dedicated to the permitted parking. Those lots are located at: Spring Street and 12th Street; 12th Street, near Marv’s Pizza; CONTINUED ON PAGE A2
whether it was cast or crew. We all had ideas. The best ideas won. It was such a collaborative group, and that was the focus. Community theater is at its best; we’re all pitching in,” said director Jacob Shearer about making “Cinderella” into a reality. The musical was originally written by Rodgers & Hammerstein for television in 1957 and starred Julie Andrews as the lead role, with the more popular film version starring Lesley Ann Warren releasing in 1965, and the Dinsey version which starred Brandy as Cinderella and Whitney Houston as the Fairy Godmother appearing in 1997. “Cinderella” has also seen a multitude of stage versions all over the world and finally The Fairy Godmother (Veronica Surber), has the Footman, played by Will Schulte, place the glass slippers upon Cinderella CONTINUED ON PAGE A2
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(Grace Anthony). Photo by Rex Thornhill.
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