GOOD NEWS REAL NEWS HOMETOWN NEWS
SINCE 1916 Making Communities Better Through Print.™ VOL. CVIII, NO. XLI
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2023
GOVERNMENT
atascaderonews.com • $1.00 • WEEKLY
BUSINESS
EDUCATION
County health The Historic Carlton Hotel Has New Ownership director issues Father/son team vaccine mandate Robert and Kamal for health Patel bought the Trustee Board hotel in March care workers introduced to By CHRISTIANNA MARKS Supervisors reject christianna@atascaderonews.com new school resolution declaring ATASCADERO — After resource officer support for Israel By CAMILLE DEVAUL camille@atascaderonews.com
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY — After hearing pleas from the public during the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors meeting, District 1 Supervisor John Peschong made a motion to condemn the recent terrorist Hamas attacks on Israel. However, the motion failed by a 3-2 vote, with Supervisors Jimmy Paulding, Dawn OrtizLegg, and Bruce Gibson dissenting. Paulding said that while he also condemns the actions, the current situation in Israel and Palestine is fluid, and the resolution may not be timely enough. He requested the supervisors’ public information officers collect statements from each supervisor for a press release. Peschong’s motion was voted down, and Paulding made a new motion for the statement press release, which passed unanimously. Supervisor Debbie Arnold, however, did argue that she would rather see a formal resolution on the record. “We can all make statements on the website, but I am in favor of a resolution in favor of Israel,” Arnold said. During public comment of the same Tuesday, Oct. 17, meeting, residents issued concerns of a mandate recently issued by SLO County Public Health Director Dr. Penny Borenstein. The mandate came in a letter sent to health care workers on Sept. 21 and titled “Mandatory Influenza and COVID-19 Vaccination of Health Care Workers in San Luis Obispo County.” Many of the residents spoke against the mandate order which reads: Pursuant to Health Officer authority (CA Health & Safety Code §120175), I hereby order all healthcare facilities/organizations to adopt and implement a policy to require that all HCWs receive the annual influenza vaccine and remain up-todate on COVID-19 vaccination (receive at least one dose of an updated 2023-24 COVID-19 vaccine) OR sign a written declination and wear a surgical mask or higher-level respirator (e.g., N95, KN95, KF94) with good fit while on duty during respiratory illness season. Duration of Order Unless and until rescinded, this Order applies during each influenza season, def ined as November 1 to April 30 of the following year. If surveillance data in a particular year demonstrate that the peak season is CONTINUED ON PAGE A7
being for sale for a little over a year, the historic Carlton Hotel sold to the father/son team of Robert and Kamal Patel, known as Capricorn Property Group. The group is a family-owned business out of the San Francisco Bay Area, which has been in the hotel business for the last 40 years, with roots in San Luis Obispo for just as long. “ We ’ve k n o w n S LO County for about 40 years. A lot of our family members have been in the area for 40 years, so we have a lot of attachments here,” stated Kamal Patel when asked what brought them to Atascadero. Members of the Patel family have not only lived in San Luis Obispo County for over four decades, but they’ve also been contributing through being a part of the local hospitality industr y and supporting the local community the whole time. So, it made sense for Robert and Kamal to choose Atascadero and the Carlton
Volunteers deemed employees for purposes of workers’ compensation By CHRISTIANNA MARKS christianna@atascaderonews.com
Robert Patel (left) and son Kamal Patel stand in front of the Carlton Hotel with Carlton dog Ipoh. Photo by Christianna Marks.
as their next hotel property. “I think what we’ve seen is the county change in good ways. It’s still kept its very down-to-earth, local feel with local artisans, craftsmen, and breweries while the wine and tourism industry grew. It’s kept its small-town feel, but it’s also attracting a lot of outside interest. What that’s meant is a lot of the motor lodges, etc., are converting into experience-based hotels,”
added Patel. “What we really like about Atascadero is that it’s a community with a lot of exciting things happening — local events, Calming [traffic on] El Camino Real, and a rejuvenated downtown corridor — we want [to be part of ] the revitalization of that downtown corridor.” Kamal stated that he and his father are excited to be able to renovate the historic hotel, given that it has such
TOURNAMENT
good bones and so much history flowing through it. The main plan with any form of renovation is to refresh and bring out the vibrancy of what is already there. He also looks forward to more community involvement and working with old partnerships locally to make the Carlton a vocal point in Atascadero. “We find immense joy in CONTINUED ON PAGE A7
ATASCADERO — The Atascadero Unified School District (AUSD) met for their regularly scheduled trustee meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 17, at 7 p.m. At the top of the meeting, the AG Leadership from Atascadero High School (AHS) FFA gave a presentation that told the trustee board what they’d been up to at the California Mid-State Fair. FFA students participated in the fair with mechanic projects, welding, and showing multiple kinds of livestock. At the end of the FFA students’ 10-minute presentation, the Trustee Board congratulated them on all of their accomplishments, including the speakers. “I will tell you, being a CONTINUED ON PAGE A7
ISRAEL
North County shows support for Israel by attending prayer gathering United for Israel was held virtually through the Paso Robles Chabad website By CHRISTIANNA MARKS christianna@atascaderonews.com
The 7th Annual Showdown Cornhole Tournament is in session at the Sunken Gardens. . Photo by Christianna Marks
Showdown Cornhole Tournament raises approximately $3,400 for local charity Fifty cornhole teams played the tournament in Sunken Gardens in Atascadero By CHRISTIANNA MARKS christianna@atascaderonews.com
ATASCADERO — The Annual Showdown Cornhole Tournament was back for a very successful seventh year. Hosted by the Knights of Columbus and Atascadero City, the tournament brought in 50 teams from all over California to raise money for local charities while they also competed to be top dogs and get a little bit of the pot for themselves on Saturday, Oct. 14. “It’s been a great little family event. And it truly is a family event,” said Knights of Colum-
AGRICULTURE
bus Officer and Event Coordinator Mike LoPicolo. “I mean, we have some advanced players, we have a lot of social players, we have families come. It’s fun. It’s always a good time of year to play cornhole.” One thing that stood out this year is that due to having fewer players than years before, the Cornhole Tournament dropped down from a two-day event to just taking place on Saturday. This year, 50 teams signed up to play for money and bragging rights. “This is our smallest year, and yet we still have 100 players,” added LoPicolo. “You know 100 people out here throwing cornhole bags is pretty good.” Proceeds from the tournament, mixed with money raised by the North County Annual Showdown Auction, came to a
NORTH COUNTY LIFE
total of approximately $3,400. Approximately $2,800 of that will go to the North County Adaptive Sports and Recreation Program (NCASRP), a North County program for youth and adults. “They do a heck of a job,” LoPicolo said of NCASRP. “All adult volunteers, volunteers from Cal Poly. It’s a great program for our community. Knights of Columbus and the City just love to support them.” Boy Scout Troop #51 was also there to help and will receive approximately $550 of the money raised at the event. This year’s advanced Showdown winners were Thorne Squad (Hunter Thorne/Mike Thorne) from Moorpark in first place, Team Bro (Tony CONTINUED ON PAGE A7
SPORTS
NORTH COUNTY — The North County’s Jewish community and supporters of Israel showed up for a prayer gathering called United for Israel that Rabbi Meir Gordon hosted on behalf of the Chabad of Paso Robles. The gathering was held virtually on the evening of Thursday, Oct. 12, just days after the terror attack that took the lives of over 1,000 Israeli civilians and has left almost 200 Jewish hostages being held prisoner by Hamas. “We find ourselves this week in a time of great darkness and pain. We’re here to grieve for close to the 1,500 victims whose lives were brutally taken the past few days and to pray that God shall avenge their blood,” stated Rabbi Gordon at the beginning of the gathering. “We pray the hostages are immediately redeemed, and the wounded have a complete and speedy recovery. We pray that our soldiers succeed in their heroic and holy work and they all come home safely. We pray for the safety, security, and well-being of all our brothers and sisters in the Holy Land during this terrible war and forever.” Hamas’s attack on Israel
Rabbi Meir Gordon hosted the virtual prayer gathering United for Israel for the North County Jewish community and Israel supporters on Thursday, Oct. 12. Photo by Camille DeVaul/ATN
started in the morning of Saturday, Oct. 7, during one of the holidays on the Jewish calendar, Shemini Atzeret/ Simchat Torah — which translates to “joy of Torah.” The holiday takes place after the seven days of the Festival of Booth, Sukkot, and is essentially a holiday that symbolizes the public assertion of Jewish identity. “It’s clear to all that this is a war against evil, and although we may be physically distant from the battle raging in Israel, we’re all called upon to participate in the spiritual battle against evil by increasing in acts of goodness and kindness,” Gordon said. The 40-minute program included Torah study, prayer, CONTINUED ON PAGE A7
WEATHER
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