GOOD NEWS REAL NEWS HOMETOWN NEWS
SINCE 1889 Making Communities Better Through Print.™ VOL. CXXXIV, NO. XXXII
THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2024
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Community marches in unity for 17th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Day Paso Robles High School students boycott event due to keynote speaker
Paso Robles GSA approves county as contracting agent for Paso Basin Cooperative Committee
By CAMILLE DEVAUL camille@pasoroblespress.com
PASO ROBLES — The City Park was filled as it welcomed the community to celebrate the 17th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Day on Monday, Jan. 15, in Paso Robles. Chair of the Martin Luther King Jr. Committee Lovella Walker welcomed the turnout. “I was very pleased and humbled with the turnout for the Unity Walk and the event,” she said. “Seeing the crowd grow to standing room only made all the effort worth it.” The celebration began with a unity walk around downtown Paso Robles and was followed with pizza, dance performances, and speeches. However, some planned performances were canceled due to some groups boycotting the event ’s keynote speaker, Laurene McCoy. Walker was able to confirm that some Paso Robles High School (PRHS) students backed out of performing at the event, but no further information could be provided.
ECHO helps house 41 individuals and 16 people find employment in third quarter Community members march together in City Park during the the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Day on Monday, Jan. 15. Photo by Camille DeVaul
However, McCoy, who is on her second year as a Paso Robles Joint Unified School District (PRJUSD) board trustee, was not deterred. “I felt honored and so excited that they asked me [to be keynote speaker],” she said. “Martin Luther King Jr. has always been someone that I looked up to and quote often. To be part of such a monumental event brought
me pure joy.” McCoy, a Bearcat who graduated in 2003, is currently serving the community as a full-time family life pastor for a local church. According to her trustee biography on pasoschools.org, she is working towards “a solid education and strong parental engagement are vital to the well-being of our students. Laurene wants our students to get the
most out of their education while learning how to function in the real world.” While it could not be confirmed why the students chose to boycott the event on Monday, some social media posts accused McCoy running her campaign following the ideals of the “Moms for Liberty ” group. The nationwide nonprofit organization says their mission is
“dedicated to fighting for the survival of America by unifying, educating and empowering parents to defend their parental rights at all levels of government.” Paso Robles Press did reach out to the Paso Robles Joint Unified School District (PRJUSD) but did not receive a response at the time of printing this story. CONTINUED ON PAGE A7
County City prepares to begin Creston Road repairs advances Community shares towards concerns over road potential conditions in city By CAMILLE DEVAUL independent camille@pasoroblespress.com redistricting P A S O R O B L E S commission — Concerns have been raised Staff directed to further study aspects of commission with 4-1 supervisor vote By CAMILLE DEVAUL camille@pasoroblespress.com
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY — The county has advanced closer to potentially having an independent redistricting commission after a special meeting on Tuesday with the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors. The Tuesday, Jan. 14, meeting included a study session overviewing different independent redistricting commission options. Federal and state laws mandate a decennial review CONTINUED ON PAGE A7
NEWS
among the local community regarding the conditions of roads in Paso Robles. The city currently has a road repair schedule through 2024, along with its six-year Streets Plan plus two large infrastructure projects that recently received grant funding. Paso Robles Press reached out to the community for their thoughts on the city’s road conditions and many replied with concerns around the status of Creston Road. Bob Springer said, “It [roads] should be City Hall’s No. 1 priority. Especially Creston Road, Niblick Road, Vine Street, Charolais, and Commerce. River Road will need repaving soon as well. I am sure there are others. The roads are a disgrace.” Jon Waterfield added
his concerns regarding roads around Creston and Commerce roads: “Creston Road, Commerce Road, they are all so terrible it’s sad. And they keep ‘fixing’ only a small portion of the roads like Creston that was only repaired in the middle and now they moved the lanes to have a middle turn lane and we drive on the crappy portion of the road again. It seems like the people in charge don’t ever
think about long-term repairs, only to fix things temporarily. But hey, we have some great curbs and ramps on every street corner making it near impossible to tow a trailer around town — and don’t get me started on 21st Street again.” Creston Road, one of the projects to receive grant funding, has contractors beginning to mobilize this week. Capital Projects Engineer
Ditas Esperanza explained the latest in the project updates: “Creston Road from South River to Orchard repairs began today [Tuesday, Jan. 9] when we had our first construction meeting coordination. [The] contractor will be mobilizing next week, and folks will begin to see equipment next week as the work begins. Work should last for about 18 months. At the comple-
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The first phase of maintenance repairs on Creston Road are set to begin soon with contractors beginning to mobilize this week. Photo by Camille DeVaul
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By CAMILLE DEVAUL camille@pasoroblespress.com
PASO ROBLES — The Paso Robles Groundwater Sustainability Agency Board acted jointly with the City Council on Tuesday night, Jan. 16, to discuss and approve the County of San Luis Obispo to serve as an additional contracting agent with the Paso Basin Cooperative Committee (PBCC). In 2014, the California State Legislature enacted the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), mandating local management of groundwater through Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) and Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs). The Paso Robles GSA, along with four other local agencies, formed the Paso Basin GSAs to collectively manage the Paso Groundwater Subbasin. They established a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), creating the PBCC for GSP development and SGMA implementation. This implementation stage involves projects like importing supplemental water to reduce groundwater pumping for sustainable use. The city is currently the contracting agent, but the newly approved resolution allows the County of San Luis Obispo to act as a contracting agent, allowing for flexibility. This change, according to the city, aims to utilize county resources, easing the demand on city staff. However, it was not a unanimous approval, with Councilmember Chris Bausch voting no. Agreeing with some resiCONTINUED ON PAGE A7
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