Young Entrepreneurs Take Part in First Jr. CEO Business Day

By CHRISTIANNA MARKS christianna@atascaderonews.com

ATASCADERO — The Atascadero Chamber of Commerce closed out its inaugural Jr. CEO program on Saturday, April 1, with a Jr. CEO Business Day. After weeks of virtual classes, close to 25 young entrepreneurs, ages 6 to

16, sold their products through their own small businesses to the public. The small business fair was held next to La Plaza from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with many of the youth-run businesses selling out of their wares.

“Today has been going amazing. The weather is cooperating, it’s sunny out, and our Jr. CEOs are smiling from ear to ear because their booths and their sales are just exploding, and they’re making connections with the community,” said Atascadero Chamber of Commerce Presi- dent and CEO Josh Cross at the event. “They’re selling their products, and they’re having a great time doing it. I don’t think many of them expected this to be as successful as it has been. So they’re all just grinning with dreams of what they’re going to do with their profits.”

The young entrepreneurs thrived at the Jr. CEO Business Day, selling everything from bracelets, bookmarks, lemon bars, macrame, and much more.

Ava Cuatepotzo was there with her business Ava’s Pupsi- cle Pop-Up, where she made tasty treats for your four-legged friends. She said she was inspired to create her business because of a Beagle puppy named Charlie and her Snoopy plushie.

Meanwhile, Levi Cogan was at the Business Day selling Birdy Bungalows made from recycled pallets.

“I’ve learned a lot about business and working with money and how to sell things,” said Cogan of the Jr. CEO program.

He added that he got the idea

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NORTH COUNTY —

With the sun shining, over 100 cyclists rode through the green countryside of Paso Robles in the 15th Annual Tour of Paso Bike Ride, supporting the Cancer Support Community – Califor- nia Central Coast (CSC-CCC) in Templeton.

Cyclists met early in the morning at Niner Wine Estates on Sunday, April 2, eager to get active for a cause.

“We were so pleased with the forecast and the weather,” CSC-CCC Executive Director Candice Sanders said. “It was a Beautiful day, sun shining, all the green, wildflowers, it was pretty.”

The ride had both a 50-mile and a 26-mile option for partic- ipants, with a gourmet luncheon and award ceremony at Niner Wine Estates once the ride concluded at noon. This is the event’s 15th year and one of the nonprofit’s biggest fundraisers of the year.

The mission of CSC-CCC is to help those affected by cancer and their loved ones. They offer support through numerous programs “so that no one faces cancer alone.”

Tour of Paso raised close to

$65,000, and every penny of the funds will go directly to the CSC-CCC. The money will stay in San Luis Obispo County and support families touched by a cancer diagnosis. Each participant had a suggested fundraising goal of $200.

The continuous rain that came through San Luis Obispo County the past two months did turn some riders away from signing up this year. Even then, 111

COUNTY

— A hearing to adopt new supervisorial district boundaries is set for April 18, but members of the public and supervisors had much to say about the recently repealed map at the Tuesday San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors meeting.

The map, approved by supervisors at the end of 2021, was repealed by the coalition San Luis Obispo County Citizens for Good Government (SLOCCGG), who sued the county in early January 2022. The suit was taken to state court under the allegations of “illegal partisan gerrymander under the Fair Maps Act and the California Constitution.”

In March 2023, a settlement was reached, leaving the county to again draw new boundary maps to comply with the Fair Maps Act. During public comment, members from both the SLOCCGG and the League of Women Voters of SLO County voiced their support for the repeal, while others highly disagreed with it.

Supervisors Debbie Arnold (District 5) and John Peschong (District 1) both voted no in the motion to approve the hearing.

“[In] telling the truth in that we have violated the Fair Maps Act — that has never been determined and certainly wasn’t the intent of any of the supervisors at the time,” said Arnold of the repealed map.

The 2021 approved map was given the green light by the previous board, which included Bruce Gibson (District 2), Lynn Compton (then District 4 supervisor), Dawn OrtizLegg (District 3), Arnold and Peschong.

Arnold further explained the 2021 map was approved as legal by the court and cited the reason for repeal due to discussion around the map and political parties was not heard. This notion was backed up by Peschong at the end of consent agenda comments. Gibson, Ortiz-Legg and Jimmy

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