Tickets on Sale for Atascadero Chamber’s Sweetheart Stroll

Over 20 businesses will participate in the Sip and Shop

ATASCADERO — The Atascadero Chamber of Commerce is hosting its annual Sweetheart Stroll Sip & Shop downtown Atascadero on Friday, Feb. 3, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 between Jan. 30 and Feb. 2 and $30 on the day of the event. Online ticket sales close at noon on Feb. 3. A limited number of tickets will be available to purchase in person at the event. Every ticket comes with a complimentary wine glass. At 5:30 p.m., Sweetheart Stroll ticket holders can begin shopping while sipping wine, beer, coffee, and cider and enjoying treats from over 20 participating businesses.

Valentines Day

According to Montse Cross, Sip & Shop event coordinator, “Whether it’s time with your special valentine or for television show ‘Parks and Rec’ fans, a ‘Galentine’s’ celebration with your girlfriends, this event is a fun way to spend a Friday night in charming downtown Atascadero.”

Some of the beverage participants include Absolution Cellars, Brecon Winery, Bristols Cider House, Bubble Butt, Carbon 6 Wine Bar, Colony Mash Hard Seltzers, Epoch Estate Wines, Felten Cellars, Grey Wolf & Barton Family Wines, Grocery Outlet Wines, Kula Vineyards & Winery, La Perdignus Wine, Lapis Luna Wines, Lone Madrone Winery, MEA Wines, MVC Wines, and Unhinged Wine Bar.

Downtown businesses participating include 805 Boardshop, Ametza, Baby’s Babble,

Bee’s Blossom, Black Sheep, Bloke, Bramble Pie Company, Century 21 Hometown Realty, City of Atascadero, Ernest Grace, Farron Elizabeth, Gold Standard Mortgage, Gordon’s Good Games, Juice Boss, Little Bit 805, Oracle, Salon AER, Specs by Kyla, The Book Odyssey, and The Wandering Blonde. Additional food vendors include Alex’s Corn, Byblos Mediterranean Grill, and Carndonagh Kitchen.

Local artists participating include Adam Eron Welch, Alecia Tegue, Charles Matthews, Claudia Mapes, Elliot Hawe, Guy Kinnear, Laura Reed, Lois Helwig, Lily Clark, Madeline Persin, Thomas Jordy, and Tristan Ehrheart.

For more information or to purchase tickets, call (805) 466-2044 or go to atascaderochamber.org.

18th Annual Father-Daughter Sweetheart Dance Goes ‘Under the Sea’

annual Father-Daughter Sweetheart Dance. The theme of the dance this year is “Under the Sea.”

ATASCADERO — Fathers, uncles, grandfathers, or anyone with a special girl is invited to spend a semi-formal evening of great fun dancing to music from DJ Manny Medina with snacks, door prizes, and more at the 18th

Don’t miss your chance to win fantastic prizes as couples dance the night away. Due to the popularity of this event, the Friday, Feb. 3, dance is almost sold out. Tickets are available for the Saturday, Feb. 4, dance from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Pavilion on the Lake, 9315 Pismo Ave. in Atascadero. Jimmy De, professional photog- rapher, will be on-site with affordable picture packages to make your memories last forever. Advance ticket purchases only. Tickets will not be available at the door.

Ticket prices are $34 per couple for Atascadero residents with a 93422 zip code and $39 per couple for non-residents. Tickets for additional daughters are $5. Tickets can only be purchased at the Colony Park Community Center, located at 5599 Traffic Way, Atascadero,

Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The city said it would not be able to bring events to the community without the support of its sponsors and thanks its presenting sponsors, H&R Block and Guest House Grill, and its in-kind sponsors, All Signs and Graphics and Sylvester Burgers.

Visit visitatascadero.com to download and print the ticket registration form, or call (805) 470-3360 for additional information.

CONTINUED FROM A1 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 COVID19 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 senator invited CSDA to present positions and thoughts on climate change legislation and budget actions to the group of senators.

In 2021, Laird authored Senate Bill 418, urgency legislation to establish the Pajaro Valley Healthcare District, a special district tasked with providing public oversight of the Watsonville Community Hospital. A stalwart of the community for nearly a century, the hospital evolved through several ownership structures over the years, which included nearly continuous turnover in ownership for two decades.

In December 2021, amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the hospital filed for bankruptcy. Shortly thereafter, in an effort to ensure the hospital’s continued operations, and with the support of numerous community organizations and local governments, Laird introduced SB 418. The bill passed the Legislature unanimously, and on Feb. 4, 2022, Newsom signed the legislation into law. The hospital was officially transferred to public ownership on Aug. 31, 2022, just months after the introduction of SB 418.

“I am truly honored to be named Legislator of the Year by the California Special Districts Association (CSDA),” said Laird. “Having worked with special districts throughout my entire career of public service in local government, the Assembly, the Governor’s Cabinet, and now as a senator, I know firsthand the value they bring to their local communities in essential services. In a district with numerous special districts, I have had the pleasure to work with many of them and partner with CSDA. I am particularly proud to author SB 418 to create the Pajaro Valley Health Care District that met an urgent need for an underserved community by saving the local hospital. I look forward to continuing to work with CSDA and my special districts.”

BASIN RULING

CONTINUED FROM A1 regulating agriculture in SLO County.”

Rescinding the December ordinance means the former Agricultural Offset Ordinance that has been in place since 2015 has been reinstated. It is expected the supervisors will extend the Agricultural Offset Ordinance until 2028.

According to the San

CITY COUNCIL

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LOCAL NONPROFIT

CONTINUED FROM A1 to hide them. But as she said, the horse’s nonjudgement has a way of making clients feel safe — a horse’s natural instinct is to feel their best self and that can project itself onto the person working with them, creating a calming or relaxing sense.

During sessions, Thoerner and Roether offer honest feedback to any human behavior changes, emotion, or intellectual state, providing the participants with unique support.

“It’s a joyous experience for me when I can see how people love what we are doing and how grateful they are. That’s what giving back is all about,” said Thoerner.

Thoerner and Roether both come from horse training backgrounds that eventually evolved to include life coaching.

Thoerner grew up on a horse ranch in Germany, where she spent her time in nature with her dog and pony. She developed a deep connection to both the horses and nature, which set a precedent for her future. Her education background includes horse breeding, physiology and all aspects of horse husbandry, as she earned a Master’s degree in farm management in 1983.

She immigrated to the U.S. in 1995, continuing to work with horses. Later, in 2010 she became interested in life coaching and enrolled and completed the Martha Beck Coaching program. In 2017, she graduated from the Center for Equus Coaching as a certified equine master facilitator and coach.

Roether, who is from Poland, was first introduced to horses when her parents owned a draft horse that she cuddled with in the barn when she was a little girl. That sense of peace was planted into her soul, and never forgotten.

“I had the memory of how I felt around the horses when I was a child and that never left layout designer neil schumaker neil@pasoroblespress.com layout designer evan rodda evan@pasoroblespress.com layout designer benson moore ben@pasoroblespress.com ad design jen rodman graphics@pasoroblespress.com correspondent christianna marks christianna@pasoroblespress.com me,” she said.

In 2000, Roether came to the U.S. to expand her knowledge and experience with equine through training a multitude of horses with professional trainers from top-rated, globally recognized breeding and boarding farms in Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and California.

Roether went on to collaborate with programs like PATH, EGALA, Morning Star Youth Ranch, and veterans organizations to facilitate and coordinate the use of horses for therapy, counseling, and alternative forms of support.

She too, eventually studied under Martha Beck and completed Center for Equus Coaching training and becoming a certified equine master facilitator. Roether and Thoerner met through a life-coaching training and after learning they both lived in North County, decided to work together.

“Our work helps people center, balance, and reconnect with themselves and figure out who they really are,” says Roether. “Life coaching in general, is about looking at things now and making forward progress.”

At the start of becoming a nonprofit, Roether and Thoerner were thankful to have a beneficiary help them with start-up funds. Since then, they have been able to receive a few small grants to help with ongoing costs. While they will not turn anyone away seeking their services, donations are always appreciated to help them serve more nonprofits and keep their operation going.

On Saturday, Feb. 25, Life Coaching with Horses is inviting the public to their facility for a Gathering with People and Horses event featuring Restoring Relationships. Throughout the year, they will have more opportunities for the public to learn more about Life Coaching with Horses.

Find more information on at lifecoachingwithhorses.org merchants would have the option to purchase merchant validations in bulk at a 50 percent discount. Their validations would be provided in one-hour increments and will be provided for one-time use.

A separate validation by Park Cinemas could be supplied by the city.

Residents spoke against the parking program during public comment, many saying it did not benefit residents who wanted to shop downtown.

Strong felt fast-moving technology makes it financially unrealistic to keep the parking program.

“I don’t see it serving a good purpose for this city at this point,” he said.

Councilman John Hamon argued that he believes the parking program would benefit residents as there is more parking space available in downtown.

Mayor Steve Martin was absent during the Tuesday night meeting, leaving no one to break the ties between the four councilmembers — Strong and Bausch against

Luis Obispo County Farm Bureau, they “will continue working with all of our Supervisors to address problems with the Agricultural Offset Ordinance and find longterm solutions to manage groundwater through the Paso Basin Groundwater Sustainability Plan process.” the current program and Hamon and Steve Gregory ready to move forward.

A repeal of the ordinance will be on the Board of County Supervisors Feb. 7 meeting agenda.

Bausch felt council was not ready to make a vote, saying he felt parts of the program did not support local residents the best they could.

Bausch, like many of the residents who spoke during public comment, wanted to increase the five hours for local residents as described in the local parking program, which Gregory agreed with.

In the end, council approved with a 4-0 vote to move the parking program to the next City Council meeting for final review and discussion.

So what does this mean for parking in downtown Paso Robles right now?

Paso Robles Press reached out to City Manager Ty Lewis who clarified that the city will continue to operate as normal until the vendors discontinue access to their management systems. If customers lose access to the kiosks or the mobile app, Way to Park, the city will discontinue enforcement.

The next Paso Robles City Council Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 21, at 6:30 p.m.