Senator John Laird Honored as Legislator of the Year

By CAMILLE DEVAUL camille@atascaderonews.com

SAN LUIS OBISPO

COUNTY — The California Special Districts Association (CSDA) honored Senator John Laird (District 17) as their Legislator of the Year at an event held at the South Bay Community Center in Los Osos on Friday, Jan. 27.

According to a press release from CSDA, Laird was honored for his support for the “local service specialists responsible for providing water, sanitation, fire protection, parks, healthcare and other essential services and infrastructure to communities throughout California.”

Laird represents San Luis Obispo County, including Paso Robles and Atascadero within his district, alongside portions of Monterey and Santa Clara counties.

Assemblymember Dawn Addis (District 30) was present and offered her own congratula- tions to Laird for his recognition.

“State Senator Laird is accessible to listen to our needs and is accountable to the follow-up actions needed to bring those resources to our county, including special districts,” said Addis. Laird was praised for his accessibility and engagement with his constituents.

“We are so fortunate to have an engaged and effective representative in the State Legislature like Senator Laird,” stated CSDA Board President Elaine Magner. “His background in local government brings a perspective that recognizes the importance of special districts and the essential services they provide, and his legislation in 2022 creating the Pajaro Valley Healthcare District preserved a critical community resource for the residents of Watsonville.”

His was one of 46 signatures asking Newsom to extend COVID-19 relief funding access to special districts. This eventually led a $100 million allocation in the 2021-22 State Budget. As chair of the Senate Climate Working Group, the

The project will have at least one more round with the Planning Commission before going to the City Council

By CHRISTIANNA MARKS christianna@atascaderonews.com

ATASCADERO — The main topic discussed at the Jan. 17 Atascadero Planning Commission meeting was the proposed Barrel Creek Project. The mixed-use project will be a blend of commercial, residential, and short-term rental properties. The proposed site containing 15.2 acres, is located on the west side of the 101 north of Del Rio Road and is situated across Del Rio from the Apple Valley development. The Barrel Creek Project is currently proposing 20

By CHRISTIANNA MARKS christianna@atascaderonews.com

ATASCADERO — Once again, downtown Atascadero will be peppered with hearts this February. The campaign, known as #ATownWithHeart, was started in 2021 by local businesswomen and friends Janet Wallace and Jenna Hartzell.

for the past three years.

Master Facilitator Coaches

Kasia Roether and Jutta

PASO ROBLES — One local nonprofit is using horses to help people embark on life-changing journeys. Life Coaching with Horses, located just outside of Paso Robles, has been operating as a nonprofit

Thoerner began Life Coaching with Horses as a for-profit organization, conducting workshops, but at the start of the COVID pandemic, they sat down to discuss the future of their organization. Working for profit never felt right to Roether and Thoerner. The two wanted to give back to people and other nonprofits who don’t usually get to receive.

“It instantly felt better,” said

Roether about their transition.

“We both have experienced the value of this work, and we’ve seen the benefits and results when working with others, and we wanted to make it available to a wider range of people.”

Since becoming a nonprofit, Roether and Thoerner have worked with Hospice SLO County, Lumina Alliance, Resilient Souls and more. They support military personnel, law enforcement agencies, first responders, firefighters,

“I started the heart campaign during the pandemic,” stated Wallace. “The hearts were meant to send a simple but heartfelt message that we love our downtown and are committed to ensuring it thrives. We also wanted to send a little love note to the Atascadero community for their ongoing support of local businesses. Last year [2022], the Chamber joined the campaign by assisting with the purchase of the hearts.”

Originally, in 2021 Wallace and then chair of the Downtown Association teamed up to start the tradition. Together they donated $300 to buy 3,240 hearts to distribute to local businesses. Hartzell jumped into the Atascadero love fest and volunteered her artistic talents to design a scavenger hunt that year, the campaign’s social media imagery, and banners for downtown. And thus, #ATownWithHeart was born.

“The goal was (and is) to get our community to drive by or stroll downtown to feel the love,” added Wallace.

In 2022, Wallace and Hartzell teamed up with the Atascadero Chamber of Commerce, which now provides the community with packs of hearts to display in their storefronts.

“The Chamber is great. As more and more businesses requested hearts, the Chamber made it possible to supply the thousands of paper hearts [needed],” said Wallace. “It’s so nice for the businesses just to get a pack of hearts delivered for free — rather than asking busy business owners to go out and spend time and money to acquire hearts. Plus, even though each business adds their own flair, the continuity of hearts from window to window creates a lovely sense of community.”