Paso Robles, Templeton, and Atascadero see growing roster of hopefuls for city and school board seats

NORTH COUNTY — We are another month closer to the Nov. 5 General Election, and more hopefuls have joined the local political race. We have taken a look at hopeful candidates looking to run for both Paso Robles, Templeton, and Atascadero seats.

In Paso Robles, there are three City Council member seats up for grabs this November: 

  • City Council District 1 for a partial term of two years
  • City Council District 3 for a full term of four years
  • City Council District 4 for a full term of four years

Find the district map here: prcity.com/DocumentCenter/View/34109/District-Map—2022-2032-PDF

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Currently vying for the District 1 seat are now four candidates: Xavier Abarca, Kris Beal, Sharon Roden, and Linda George.

Roden currently holds this seat and was officially sworn in to serve the District 1 seat during the Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2023, City Council meeting. Roden is a farmer and fifth-generation San Luis Obispo County resident. She previously stated that her focus is to help Paso Robles move forward while preserving its history.

Beal and George were both candidates in the September 2023 interviews and were beat out by Roden. Beal is a Paso Robles High School alumna and former nonprofit executive director. George has a background as a campaign member and lobbyist.

Abarca entered the race at the start of August. There is no further information on Abarca at this time, but according to the Paso Robles City elections website, Avarca and George had not yet collected the number of signatures required to qualify for running for the seat at the time of printing this article.

As of Tuesday, Aug. 6, there are four candidates vying for the District 3 seat. Jeff Carr, David Nelson, Michael Rivera, and Steve Gregory. All except Nelson have been qualified to run. Gregory is currently serving as the District 3 City Councilmember. Rivera threw his hat in the ring for Paso Robles City Mayor in a previous election against the late Steve Martin. 

In District 4, we see the current City Councilmember Fred Strong running for another term, with Glenn O’Hagan also bidding for the spot. Neither have been qualified to run yet.

Also up for election is the City Treasurer which is an at-large seat for a full term of four years. Incumbent Ryan Cornell is the only person so far running for the position.

Additionally, Paso Robles residents will vote on Measure I-24 which includes three resolutions: 

    • Resolution 24-069 — Calling for the Placement of a General Tax Measure on the Ballot for the General Municipal Election (edocs.prcity.com/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=74351&dbid=0&repo=CityOfPasoRobles&cr=1)
    • Resolution 24-070 — Requesting Consolidation of Municipal Election: Ballot Measure (edocs.prcity.com/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=74352&dbid=0&repo=CityOfPasoRobles)
    • Resolution 24-071 — Providing for the Filing of Primary and Rebuttal Arguments and Setting Rules for the Filing of Written Arguments Regarding a City Measure (edocs.prcity.com/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=74353&dbid=0&repo=CityOfPasoRobles)

For more information on how to run for City Council, visit prcity.com/1041/Elections.

In Atascadero, residents will vote for a new mayor after Heather Moreno won the District 5 San Luis Obispo County Supervisor seat, replacing Debbie Arnold, who did not seek another term on the county board. In addition, City Councilmembers Charles Bourbeau and Mark Dariz both have terms ending this year. Bourbeau has already announced that he is seeking the Atascadero mayor’s seat. 

More details for the Atascadero City Council seats will be available after Aug. 9.

On June 25, the Atascadero City Council approved a resolution to place Measure L-24 on the ballot for the November 5General Election that will extend Measure F-14 — a sales tax adopted in 2014. The measure, titled Atascadero Local Roads and Vital Services Funding Extension Measure, will ask voters to extend the existing half-cent per dollar (0.5 percent) general sales tax that is otherwise set to sunset in 2027.

You can find more information on the resolution here: atascadero.org/news/november-5th-general-election-ballot-measure-l-24

For the Atascadero Unified School District (AUSD), there are three at-large seats available each running a term of four years.

Current board members with expiring terms in 2024 are: Matt Pennon, Terri Switzer, and Corinne Kuhnle. Pennon and Kuhnle have both confirmed they will run for another term alongside challenger Veronica “Roni” DeCoster, whose occupation is listed as paralegal, bookkeeper, and parent.

The district is also adding Measure B-24 to the November ballot. You can find more information on the measure here: slocounty.ca.gov/departments/clerk-recorder/forms-documents/elections-and-voting/current-elections/2024-11-05-presidential-general/documents/appendix-c-signed

The Paso Robles Joint Unified School District (PRJSUD) has four seats up for grabs this November for Trustee Areas 3, 5, 6, and 7.

For Trustee Area 3, Nathan Williams and Hunter M. Breese are vying for the seats. Williams is currently on the board and is serving as board president.

For Trustee Area 5, Laurene D. McCoy, who is already on the board, is running for a second term. 

For Trustee Area 7, incumbent Kenney Enney and challenger Tracy Dauterman are vying for the seat.

There is no one in the running for Trustee Area 6. The PRJUSD is currently making the transition from an at-large to a Trustee Area board.

In the Templeton Unified School District (TUSD), there are three at-large seats open. Current trustees with expiring terms are Ted Dubost, Cheryl Parks, and Nelson Yamagata. Only Dubost is currently running for another term. Thereare no other candidates running for TUSD as of Aug. 6.

The candidate nomination period is July 15 through Aug. 9. To run, candidates must submit their nomination paper signed by no less than 20 or more than 30 registered voters within their district boundaries. An at-large seat like treasurer must include registered voters within city limits. Candidates must make their initial appointment with the City Clerk, allowing for enough time to get the signatures and return them to the clerk prior to the Aug. 9 deadline.  

The deadline to return completed nomination papers is Aug. 9 at 5 p.m. However, it may be extended to Aug. 14 if the incumbent does not file the necessary papers by the initial deadline.

Atascadero News/Paso Robles Press will be following the election and providing coverage in the upcoming months.