[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6308020,"mediaKeyId","2425702-3b19ca1bf381d2b76a12225d9323d913","parentId",2425702,"title","Residents and service providers press Atascadero council on homeless loitering and drug activity near South El Camino businesses; police outline new enforcement","audioSeconds",1201,"startMs",1422000,"endMs",2623000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2425702-3b19ca1bf381d2b76a12225d9323d913&start=1422&end=2623","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2425702-3b19ca1bf381d2b76a12225d9323d913/thumbnail_1422000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6308020/Atascadero-City/San-Luis-Obispo-County/California/Residents-and-service-providers-press-Atascadero-council-on-homeless-loitering-and-drug-activity-near-South-El-Camino-businesses-police-outline-new-enforcement","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6308020-b8b548306c32c3f97c80181039c0c650/orig.mp4?Expires=1770440250&Signature=imZCWz4GWcT01dubdGHdZvLMnd3Z2k0ihiG4Hb-38nVsN-s3ou~bkGxo1wUU8CCTjg0YJHElGYQexSOZ2LC9GYvF~LaRyUXSYuYTQJkOCJ5k7tXuEi2Wt1eaZ-P40OoAVRhb-MJeS0lpVFTXbARWsIJthEQhcCakl7zQHycqDsoOw-gVCyXAT~nd3Tozxjvg1FK085HhCmBY7BMdo29vBBQpAY6BWMjVuAeXF2t15~0dYBc1T4YIc2hsbkEP7WVdpKQbE6inLWUz~FxrMKdRFKuT4dw6kLAqVRBrKkea0aFIKDavRTaVA9hzQNZxxNRgBtAq19pPyN8va1tdVs5fSA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Atascadero CA","date","2025-02-26T15:52:30Z","article","Business owners and residents told the Atascadero City Council on a night of public comment that loitering and street-level drug sales outside businesses on the south end of El Camino Real have driven customers away and left proprietors feeling unsafe.

The comments focused on Hawkins Plaza and the area in front of a laundromat that several speakers said is frequently used by people selling drugs and by people they described as unhoused. “I own a business in Atascadero...people bring food there to my laundromat, and they leave it,” business owner Jerry Tanamoto said. “I’ve called the police...they said we can’t do a whole lot unless they’ve committed a crime.”

The remarks drew similar testimony from an employee who said she repeatedly calls police when people sell drugs or loiter outside the laundromat. “A drug dealer...was charging his phone at the laundromat,” Pearl Castro said, describing an episode that prompted a police response.

Austin Solheim, director of development for El Camino Homeless Organization (ECHO) and a resident of Atascadero, told the council the public concern about drug activity is real but urged the public and the council to separate people using drugs from people experiencing homelessness who want help. He said the county has a very limited number of treatment beds for people seeking addiction services: “we only have a total of 25 beds between two organizations, Sun Street Center and Morro Bay Recovery,” Solheim said, adding that only six of those beds are for women and 13 serve people with co-occurring mental-health and substance-use disorders.

Police and city officials responded with a mix of immediate enforcement changes and longer-term service plans. Police Chief Suttles (identified in the meeting transcript as “chief Suttles”) said recent changes in state law and in department staffing give officers more tools. “In November, the state of California passed Proposition 36...after a certain amount of convictions, it now becomes a felony,” he said, adding that the change will allow law enforcement to pursue more serious charges against repeat drug dealers. He said the department has added a Community Action Team — which pairs outreach and resource referral with enforcement — and a Special Enforcement Team focused on drug dealing.

Suttles said the city’s ability to act has increased in recent months: “I think that we can bring that balance...there are things that have happened recently within the law, and there are some things that have happened within our department to try to change that balance to give us a little more resources that we can utilize to deal with these types of issues.”

Solheim and other commenters urged the council to invest in treatment and services. Solheim said access to treatment is a bottleneck: people who want help can wait weeks for available programs, especially women and people with co-occurring disorders. He thanked the police and city staff for recent outreach efforts and said local nonprofits are working to fill service gaps.

Council members did not take action during the public forum because the Brown Act limits discussion of items not on the agenda, but staff and the chief indicated they would follow up with affected business owners. City Manager Jim Lewis and Chief Suttles were both referenced as points of contact for business owners seeking further coordination.

Why it matters: Business owners said loitering and street drug sales have a measurable business impact and raise safety concerns; service providers warned that countywide shortages of treatment beds constrain the ability to move people who want help into care. The council did not adopt new policy at the meeting, but police described stepped-up enforcement and outreach that council members said they would monitor.

Ending: Council members closed the forum after hearing the comments and asked staff to coordinate follow-up with speakers who volunteered contact information. The city manager and police department will be the primary points of contact for next steps reported back to the council.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Atascadero City Council Meeting - February 25, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Business owners and residents told the Atascadero City Council on a night of public comment that loitering and street-level drug activity outside businesses on the south end of El Camino Real have driven customers away and left proprietors feeling unsafe.","taxTitle","Atascadero City, San Luis Obispo County, California","taxId",68531,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6308014,"Atascadero council approves consent calendar, lodging board nomination changes, CDBG awards, transit consolidation with RTA and zoo funding plan",4495,997000,5492000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2425702-3b19ca1bf381d2b76a12225d9323d913&start=997&end=5492","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2425702-3b19ca1bf381d2b76a12225d9323d913/thumbnail_997000.jpg","/articles/6308014/Atascadero-City/San-Luis-Obispo-County/California/Atascadero-council-approves-consent-calendar-lodging-board-nomination-changes-CDBG-awards-transit-consolidation-with-RTA-and-zoo-funding-plan","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6308014-322d0246ba64a8292c9705811fdae3f3/orig.mp4?Expires=1770440250&Signature=m36wms1LUlVG9V2HBZ-DGpx8NzDivodGus~G~nuu9CPmmcJTUxJIGPzfORSGEqSG2X45SSbzPr--ztCBiyJHPeDQFcH8m6LHeYFUMzmettrR25Tve4xecJ4RQJYR1C~vOuXn9oW8rYyuHV1laD5mxKaWs6AVefdhzmRVKiTWiwyrMlC5mZeuTw1LWViBCNuNdZZdf4C-BQ3CHqCWYL~Nl4DZ2MpluHEsrKLSPeRDIKa-ugFF4-YkJLZ65aC~VSIdf~CCNc0jGctZdxCmXx1HkyReTajRjF3Zlj5LwUQGiuX4n~ymOIekWwMR83nGvZ5VWErVVXCKWZKqxwHCef~z6A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Atascadero City Council on Feb. 11 approved several routine and policy items in unanimous votes that city staff said will affect tourism governance, federal grant allocations, transit operations and the Charles Paddock Zoo’s capital and staffing plans.

Council members voted to adopt changes to the Atascadero Tourism Business Improvement District (ATBID) ordinance that limit lodging-owner ballot eligibility to the lodging category the owner represents. The council also approved the city’s recommended funding allocations for the federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, authorized an agreement to consolidate the city’s Dial-A-Ride transit service with the San Luis Obispo Regional Transit Authority (RTA), and approved an investment plan to support the Charles Paddock Zoo’s path to re-accreditation and financial sustainability.

ATBID ordinance: The council adopted an ordinance to modify the ATBID advisory board composition and the nomination and voting process. Under the revised language explained by Community Services and Promotion Director Terry Banish, the advisory board will have five members: four representing lodging businesses in commercial zones with 25 or more rooms and one representing vacation rentals/bed-and-breakfast/short-term rental properties not considered hotels under city code. Lodging owners will vote only for board members representing their lodging category. Councilmember Funk moved to approve the ordinance; Mayor Pro Tem Dares seconded. Roll call was unanimous: Funk, Newsom, Peake, Dares and Mayor Barbot voted yes.

CDBG recommendations: Public Works Director Nick DeBarr summarized the city’s draft CDBG recommendations. The city recommended using federal HUD-allocated funds for a Via El Camino sidewalk and ADA improvement project (city application $95,248) and awarded funds to two public-service applicants: youth activity scholarships through the Atascadero Recreation Department ($12,520) and ECHO’s homeless shelter operations ($9,460). The total draft recommendation is $146,534; staff noted final awards will be adjusted proportionally if the final HUD allocation differs. Councilmember Funk moved approval of the draft recommendations; Councilmember Peake seconded. Roll call: Funk, Peake, Newsom, Dares and Barbot voted yes.

Transit consolidation with RTA: Public Works Analyst Ryan Betts presented an agreement to consolidate Atascadero’s Dial-A-Ride service into the San Luis Obispo Regional Transit Authority (RTA). Betts said Dial-A-Ride ridership has fallen since 2019 and operating costs and federal/state reporting requirements have grown more complex; several other county cities have consolidated with RTA. RTA would assume vehicle ownership, maintenance and federal/state reporting, integrate Dial-A-Ride with fixed-route services and handle procurement and compliance; Betts and RTA Executive Director Jeff Straw said local control over service levels, fares and other rider-facing decisions remains with the city. Staff estimated an approximate annual operating budget in the ballpark of $650,000; the contract would begin after a brief implementation period with an anticipated effective date of June 22, 2025, subject to final negotiation and CPI/service-level work. Councilmember Funk moved approval; Mayor Pro Tem Dares seconded. The motion passed unanimously (Funk, Newsom, Peake, Dares, Barbot).

Zoo accreditation and investment plan: Community Services Director Terry Banish and the zoo’s new director described work toward Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) re-accreditation and a multi-year financial plan. The council approved the staff recommendation to expend $1,000,000 in budgeted zoo project funds and to commit up to $340,000 in additional staff costs over an incentive period to hire two full-time positions (a zookeeper and a maintenance worker) intended to expand programs, reduce outsourced maintenance costs and move the zoo toward sustainability. The Friends of the Charles Paddock Zoo leadership said the nonprofit will launch a capital campaign and expand membership and sponsorship activity to accelerate revenue growth. Councilmember Newsom moved approval; Councilmember Funk seconded. Roll call: unanimous yes.

Consent calendar: Council approved the consent calendar (items A1–A4) on a single motion. The motion was made by Councilmember Funk and seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Dares; roll call was unanimous.

Why it matters: The ATBID ordinance change narrows voting to within lodging categories and could affect who serves on the tourism advisory board; the CDBG awards direct federal dollars to local sidewalk/ADA work and social services; the RTA consolidation shifts Dial-A-Ride administration and vehicle management to a regional agency while preserving local oversight of service levels; and the zoo investment authorizes material city funds to pursue AZA re-accreditation and a path to reduced operating deficits.

Ending: All five recorded votes were unanimous. Staff will carry the transit agreement to the RTA board for review, the CDBG recommendations to the county for finalization, and the zoo plan into the city’s budget process and future council budget hearings.","The Atascadero City Council on Feb. 11 approved several routine and policy items in unanimous votes that city staff said will affect tourism governance, federal grant allocations, transit operations and the Charles Paddock Zoo’s capital and staffing plans.","actionData","errors"]

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Residents and service providers press Atascadero council on homeless loitering and drug activity near South El Camino businesses; police outline new enforcement

Atascadero council approves consent calendar, lodging board nomination changes, CDBG awards, transit consolidation with RTA and zoo funding plan