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THURSDAY, JUNE 30, 2022
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GOVERNMENT
City Council Moves Forward with Del Rio Marketplace Project
Atascadero adopts new sewer service charges By CHRISTIANNA MARKS christianna@atascaderonews.com
Attendees to the Atascadero Lakeside Wine Festival had the opportunity to decorate their wine glasses. Photo by Rick Evans/ATN
Atascadero Lakeside Wine Festival Returns Forty-seven wineries poured, and 1,300 people attended By CHRISTIANNA MARKS christianna@atascaderonews.com
ATA S C A D E R O — Lovers of wine headed out to Atascadero Lake on Saturday, June 25, from 4 to 8 p.m. to enjoy the 25th Annual Atascadero Lakeside Wine Festival. With 47 wineries
pouring and around 1,300 community members in attendance, Atascadero’s evening wine fest is back. “After a two-year hiatus, it was wonderful to see the park filled with vendors and happy attendees enjoying the only evening wine festival on the central coast,” said Gail Kudlac, the event’s coordinator. The festival, which was put on by the Atascadero Chamber along with the festival’s
committee members, including Kudlac, Dawn Smith, Rosey Parks, Gina Lutz, Carol Porter, Josh Cross, Julie Mathews, Terrie Banish, Mark Dariz, and Erin Fintan du Fresne, didn’t only feature wine. There were also craft beer, distilleries, and cider houses featured. Some of the distillers and wineries present were Ancient Peaks, Ballast Point, BarrelHouse, Eberle, Lone Madrone, Opolo, SLO Cider,
Stilson Cellars, Tooth & Nail, Wild Fields Brewery and many more. There was even an art wall timeline for everyone attending to paint that featured the 25-year history of the fest. Twenty-seven years ago, Atascadero local Barbie Butz helped organize the first Lakeside Wine Festival. Originally named “Cabernet and Cousins,” the inaugural committee’s goal was to put Atascadero on CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
AGRICULTURE
By CAMILLE DEVAUL camille@atascaderonews.com
CALIFORNIA — Farmers up and down California are once again facing an uncertain season ahead of them as a state water curtailment order issued in August 2021 continues to take its toll on farming and ranching families. In July 2021, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order calling a drought emergency and asking for water conservation. Soon after, farmers and ranchers in California received curtailment orders from the California Water Board (CWB) to either immediately or prepare to suspend their senior water rights. Water rights are a complicated and century-long system that farmers and ranchers are all too familiar with — because
COMMUNITY
water is their lifeline. A water right is a legal entitlement authorizing water to be diverted from a specified source and put to beneficial, nonwasteful use. Water rights are property rights, but their holders do not own the water itself. They possess the right to use it. However, one cannot sell water rights without selling the land attached to it. In June 2022, Newsom announced a $1.5 billion proposal to use taxpayer money to buy out farmers’ water senior rights to benefit endangered fish species in the state. California Farm Water Coalition (CFWC) Executive Director Mike Wade, who is familiar with the proposal, expressed concern that buying the water right means farmers would have to sell the land attached to the water right. Selling their water right could mean a permanent end to the farms and ranches attached to it. CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
NONPROFIT
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BUSINESS
Farmers Preparing for State Water Curtailment Orders UN leader warns of ‘catastrophe’ from global food shortage
ATASCADERO—The Atascadero City Council met for their regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, June 28, at 6 p.m. The hybrid meeting was held in the City Council Chambers and preceded the council’s 5 p.m. closed session. The night’s agenda and the consent calendar both passed unanimously at the start of the meeting. During Community Forum, Frank Rimkus, CEO and co-founder of Galaxy Theatres and the managing partner of Galaxy Theatre Atascadero, addressed the council. The Galaxy Theatre operator announced on Thursday, June
23, that they would be vacating the Atascadero theater location end of the day, and the theater has been closed since. “I came up here today for really one reason, and that is to address all of you and say thank you,” said Rimkus. “It’s bittersweet that we’re leaving. We’re not leaving because of our decisions, but other decisions. But I would say reflecting on a positive note, we’ve had 11 years of a wonderful experience here in Atascadero with the people. We made a lot of friends, we’ve got a lot of stories, we’ve got a lot of support. I want you to know we really appreciate the love and the support for that theatre over the years.” Rimkus went on to say that the city has a theater that is a landmark that is well known; he also added that the theater is still in good condition and usable. The Sanborn Theatres family cinema business will replace Galaxy Theatre as operator. Sanborn Theatres is a local operator that also runs the Downtown Centre Cinemas in San Luis Obispo.
The Galaxy Theatre’s iconic stars were taken down on June 24 following the announcement that Sanborn Theaters will be taking over operations of the local downtown Atascadero theater. Photo by Rick Evans
Galaxy Theatre Replaced as Operator of Downtown Cinemas Sanborn Theatres take over and rebrand as Colony Cinemas By CHRISTIANNA MARKS christianna@atascaderonews.com
ATASCADERO — The movie theater in the Colony Square shopping center will have a new operator effec-
NEWS
tive immediately. Sanborn Theatres, the local family cinema business, will replace Galaxy Theatre as operator after 10 years, Jeff Nelson, CEO of Cinema Square, LLC, and the theater’s owner, announced on Thursday, June 23. While the Galaxy Theatre’s lease does not run out until the end of June, the theater officially closed its doors as
EVENTS
a Galaxy Theatre end of day on June 23. However, Bruce Sanborn is hoping to reopen the theater soon under the new name Colony Cinemas. “Mr. Sanborn has offered employment to the current theater employees, most all of whom look forward to staying at that theater location. The theatre will now be called Colony Cinemas,” Nelson said.
During the community forum at the June 28 City Council meeting Frank Rimkus, CEO and co-founder of Galaxy Theatres and the managing partner of Galaxy Theatre Atascadero, addressed the council regarding the theaters closing. “I came up here today for really one reason, and that is to address all of you and say
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