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SINCE 1916 Making Communities Better Through Print.™ VOL. CV, NO. III
GOVERNMENT
County Supervisors Pass Priority Projects for Planning Department County Health Director Dr. Borenstein gives update on COVID-19 effects for county By MICHAEL CHALDU michael@atascaderonews.com
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY — The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors met for their regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 25. This meeting was a virtual meeting scheduled due to rising COVID-19 cases in the county. In fact, the first item of the meeting was the added Item 25, a resolution to have the supervisor’s meetings held remotely (via Zoom) for the next 30 days because of the COVID19 spike. The resolution passed by a 5-0 vote. That vote was followed by an update from Dr. Penny Borenstein, County Health Officer, and Public Health Director, on COVID-19 in San Luis Obispo County. “We have continued to see a surge that continues to break all-time records in San Luis Obispo County,” Borenstein said as she began to recite county numbers from just the past two weeks. She reported that COVID19 cases are up to 43,234 in the county, which represents a 21 percent increase from the total given just two weeks ago, and the increase represents 17 percent of the cases reported over the past two years. Borenstein also said that there had been 4,400 cases reported this week, which is more than the last two months combined. Finally, Borenstein said there were five deaths reported Tuesday, bringing to an all-time total of 389 county residents since March of 2020. “If anyone thinks we are not in the middle of a pandemic with these kinds of numbers, it’s really remarkable what we are seeing,” she said. Borenstein said COVID-19 testing sites are over capacity, and people without an appointment are being turned away, with contact tracing only being done for high-risk patients. She advised those with mild symptoms to avoid going to the emergency room. She also CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
SPORTS
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ANNIVERSARY
Community Supports Expansion of Homeless Services ECHO Shelter Celebrates One Year in Paso Robles By CAMILLE DEVAUL camille@atascaderonews.com
ATASCADERO — On Dec. 7, 2020, the El Camino Homeless Organization (ECHO) opened its first shelter in Paso Robles after operating in Atascadero for over twenty years. Located in the former Motel 6 at 1134 Black Oak Drive, they successfully made it through their first full year on Dec. 7, 2021, even through all the challenges of COVID. ECHO was formed 20 years ago and currently operates three overnight shelters in Atascadero and now one in Paso Robles. The Paso Robles facility is running as a full-service shelter with several emergency shelter rooms, a meal service program, and case management supportive services, the first for Paso Robles. This past year, over
Z Villages owners Mike and Max Zappas donated $11,000 that will go directly into helping support the mission of ECHO. Photos by Christianna Marks
15,000 nights of stay have been provided, and over 600 unduplicated men, women, and children have received support through ECHO. While it is great to see numbers like this, ECHO President and CEO, Wendy Lewis, says, “We have to see that person
and know them personally and know their story. Everyone’s story is different, but it’s pretty amazing for our staff and for myself to be a part of someone’s journey back into housing and to be able to support them along the way.” She continues, “It’s been really
neat to see from an organization standpoint that the work we are providing is helping a community and changing lives.” It’s no secret that people have been taking shelter in the Salinas Riverbed that runs through Paso Robles for years. But that is something Lewis and her team
ART & LITERATURE
Atascadero City Council Approves Applying for SAFER Grant
A motion to receive and accept the 20202021 Audit Report passed unanimously
The Write Group Meets in Atascadero Every 1st and 3rd Thursday By CAMILLE DeVAUL camille@atascaderonews.com
ATASCADERO—In 2013, some creatives got together and created The Write Group. Though they had to take a break due to COVID, the group’s playwrights, poets, novelists, and screenwriters started gathering together
EVENTS
again in July of 2021. The Write Group meets at the Cherent Ranch Theatre in Atascadero every first and third Thursday of the month to elevate each other’s writing. The theatre is owned by current member, Brent Keast. “The theater’s been around for about eight to 10 years. We do straight plays, small plays (which we call parlor theater), and then we do radio plays as if we are in a radio studio. The audience is treated like an audi-
KRISTIN SMART CASE
ence in a radio play,” said Keast, who is a graduate of USC’s film school and has 23 screenplays under his belt. The group’s main goal is to get their member’s words out into the public. Whether that’s in the form of theater workshops, published novels, poetry slam nights, or film screenings, the main objective is to have an audience for the member’s works. “I am so fortunate to have CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
SENIOR LIVING
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GOVERNMENTT
Group Provides Community for Local Writers
The group’s goal is to provide feedback on each other’s work and get their member’s words out to the public. File photo by Christianna Marks
were fully aware of, “Going into this project, we knew there was a lot of population housed in the riverbed, and we were hoping to connect with them to reach them and give them their first access to these types of resources in Paso Robles.” She recounts that some of the residents the organization has helped in its first year had been living in the riverbed for over ten years. COVID has inevitably played a role in a lot of their residents seeking support. Because of COVID in one way or the other, some have lost their homes or jobs. But whatever their reason for needing support, Lewis says, “We find for the most part it’s circumstantial, and something in their life has led them to where they are at and having the community and resources like ECHO be there for them is the safety net they need to get back into housing and employment.” However, due to COVID
By CHRISTIANNA MARKS christianna@atascaderonews.com
ATASCADERO — The Atascadero City Council met for their regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 25, at 6 p.m. It was preceded by the City Council’s closed session. The evening’s agenda passed unanimously, as did the consent calendar, which featured the Jan. 11 Draft Action Minutes and the September 2021 Investment Report. The City Manager of Atascadero, Richelle Rickard, addressed the Council. This Friday, Jan. 28, a City
Council Special Economic Development workshop from 1 to 5 p.m., and from 6 to 9 p.m., there will be a General Plan Scoping Session held by the City Council and Planning Commission. “Both sessions will be held virtually, and the public is highly encouraged to join and participate,” said Rickard. There was a public hearing for the removal of a hazardous Heritage Coast Live Oak. The Council was asked by the property owner to continue the item to the Feb. 22 meeting— no public comment was made regarding the tree’s removal. There was a motion to continue the item to the upcoming Feb. 22 meeting. It passed. Administrative Services Director, Jeri Rangel, gave the Council a management report on the Fiscal Year 2020-2021 Audit. “The auditors agreed that financial statements were presented fairly and in compliance with the county principles. CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
WEATHER
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