After child’s death, Atascadero council and staff discuss traffic safety and possible grant to study countermeasures

The Atascadero City Council and city staff addressed community concern and possible next steps after 11-year-old Jose Gutierrez was struck and killed by a suspected impaired driver while walking on El Camino Real.

Mayor Borbeau opened the meeting by noting the death and offering condolences: "Our thoughts are first and foremost with Jose's family, who must now deal with grief and loss that most of us can only imagine." She said the city will consider further remarks on the incident at a future meeting and called for a moment of silence.

Public commenters urged immediate action. Clyde Snyder, a resident who lives near the crash site, said traffic through the south El Camino area is fast and suggested strict speed enforcement or a stoplight at Rio Camino to protect pedestrians. Jeff Vosland, another resident, raised specific operational concerns about the El Camino Real (ECR) improvement project, identifying curb "pop-outs" he said are too narrow for buses and create traffic problems near Trafficway and Whiskey 'n June's.

City response and next steps: Police and public works staff described ongoing monitoring and potential countermeasures. The chief of police said the department is "looking into the potential of getting a grant, that would allow us to, focus on, traffic safety, through the office of traffic safety." Public works director Mr. DeBara said the ECR corridor is still under construction and urged patience while final configurations are completed; he added the city will monitor traffic flow and safety after construction and make adjustments as needed.

Council conversation stressed limitations and oversight: Mayor Borbeau noted that some standard traffic-calming measures can have unintended effects and said no single change would have prevented the crash involving an intoxicated driver. She said the city and its emergency responders did a prompt investigation that led to an arrest.

What it means: No formal policy or funding decision was made at the meeting. Staff said they will continue to evaluate enforcement and engineering options and pursue grant funding if appropriate; the council indicated it will return to the matter at a later meeting once staff report back.

Context: The city's ECR project is under active construction; staff repeatedly emphasized that traffic lane configurations remain in flux during construction and that some complaints may resolve when work is finished. Residents urged both short-term enforcement and longer-term infrastructure changes to reduce pedestrian risk.