Hometown News Since 1916 Making Communities Better Through Print.™ VOL. CIV, NO. XXXVIII
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2020
atascaderonews.com • $1.00 • WEEKLY
MEET THE CANDIDATES
Mayoral Election 2020 Q&A
T
he City Council is composed of five members, a Mayor and four Council members, elected at large by Atascadero’s citizens. The Mayor serves a two-year term, and Council members serve four-year overlapping terms. The Mayor presides over the meetings and performs other ceremonial duties. As the policy-making legislative body, the City Council is responsible for enacting all city programs, policies, and services. This year three people are running for mayor of Atascadero, and five people are running for two City Council seats. Atascadero Mayor Heather Moreno is running for reelection and will face opposition from Jerry Tanimoto and Josh Donovan. Moreno is a local business owner who was unopposed in her bid for mayor two years ago. Tanimoto is a small business owner and taught at Atascadero High School for 31 years. Donovan is a small business owner and veteran, who was born and raised in Atascadero. Atascadero Mayoral Election 2020 Q&A The Election Board of The Atascadero News sent a questionnaire to all of the Atascadero Mayoral Candidates and asked them to share their campaign statement along with their stance on various issues affecting the City of Atascadero. Each candidate had the opportunity to answer
JOSH DONOVAN DONOVANFORATASCADERO.COM
HEATHER MORENO (INCUMBENT) HEATHERFORATASCADERO.COM
the same list of questions in 100 words or less in addition to their introduction at 200 words. The candidate’s statement in their entirety is provided below. The candidate’s answers are presented in alphabetical order by last name. Candidate Statements Donovan: Born and raised in Atascadero, Josh Donovan is a true entrepreneur passionate about business, leadership, and people. He is a United States Marine Corps veteran, has a B.S. in Organizational Management, and is certified as an Integrative Wellness and Life Coach. He serves as CEO of two companies, is a business consultant, executive coach, and co-hosts the podcast All Things Atascadero. Josh will tell you that his most important roles in life are being a husband and a father to his three daughters. Modeling integrity and humility through service above self are top priorities, which is why he has always dedicated significant amounts of time and energy serving the community of Atascadero. Coaching and consulting provide opportunities to invest in the lives of others, personally and professionally, fulfilling Josh’s ultimate purpose. Our city is struggling with its ability to accomplish the basics or listen to its own people.
Atascadero maintains a notorious reputation for being difficult to work with, scaring away business and good-paying jobs from our community. We deserve a business-friendly Atascadero, with leadership that is willing to listen and take appropriate action, not bureaucrats. We deserve a Stronger Atascadero, and that is what Josh will deliver. Moreno: As a CPA, business owner, and your Mayor, I am deeply committed to the health of our community and the health of our economy. I initiated a public outreach campaign to ensure your voice is heard as we make decisions about the future of Atascadero. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished together. With your support, I will continue the work of building a strong, balanced economy, sustaining fiscal stewardship, and strengthening the connection between you and our City. I was appointed to our City’s Planning Commission in 2008, serving as Chairperson in 2010. I became an Atascadero City Councilwoman in 2012 and served as Mayor Pro-Tem during 20152016. I serve on the San Luis Obispo Council of Governments, Regional Transit Authority, and SLO County Economic Vitality Corporation. Since 2012, I have also served on the Design Review Committee and as Chair of the City’s Finance Committee.
COMMUNITY
JERRY TANIMOTO TANIMOTO4MAYOR.COM
Our thriving volunteer spirit and strong community partnerships are key to keeping our City vibrant. That’s why, like you, I’m a dedicated community volunteer. I am committed to preserving the uniqueness of Atascadero, and it’s a privilege serving our great City. I respectfully ask for your vote. Serving community. Prospering together. Tanimoto: I have been a leader for the past 44 years in Atascadero, working with every group and organization in various possible situations, to promote and improve our quality of life. I have the experience of working successfully with just about everyone in the city during that time. Simply, I know how to bring different groups together to solve the various issues we face as one community. As a small business owner, I appreciate the importance of local businesses in creating the community we enjoy. As a former board member of Big Brothers Big Sisters and North County YMCA, and a founder of the Atascadero Optimist Club, I am passionate about supporting families and kids. Whether it’s chairing the Colony Days Committee, serving meals at ECHO Homeless Shelter or inspecting election CONTINUED ON PAGE A11
GOVERNMENT
Atascadero Chamber Holds Virtual Forum Between City Council Candidates By CONNOR ALLEN & BRIAN WILLIAMS
Josh Cross New Atascadero Chamber of Commerce CEO By CONNOR ALLEN connor@atascaderonews.com ATASCADERO — The Atascadero Chamber Of Commerce announced in August that former CEO and President Emily Reneau would be stepping down and didn’t have to go far to find her replacement. Atascadero native Josh Cross stepped into the position on Monday, Sept. 21, technically on an interim basis. Pending something very unforeseen, he is expected to shed the temporary interim tag and officially begin to leave his fingerprints all over the city where he grew up. Due to the Chamber’s need to hire a CEO following Reneau’s departure, they quickly performed a round of interviews but per their bylaws, need to fly the position for a certain period of time before selecting an official candidate. “The Chamber Bylaws state that they need to publish the position on various job
LOCAL NEWS
JOSH CROSS
boards and sites and collect resumes for a period of, I’m not actually sure, but let’s say a long period, at least a month,” Cross told The Atascadero News. “Now, being the incumbent CEO, I think I’ve got a good shot to stick around if they will have me.” Cross went to Atascadero High School and graduated as a Greyhound in 1996 and has spent his life since then working on the Central Coast. Out of high school, Cross attended Cal Poly and eventually took a job CONTINUED ON PAGE A11
COUNTY
ATASCADERO — The Atascadero Chamber of Commerce held a forum on Thursday night between all five city council candidates running in the November elections. The forum included introductions, three questions, and closing remarks between the candidate’s Mark Dariz, Brett Heinemann, Tori Keen, Nic Mattson, and incumbent Charles Bourbeau. The five candidates are running for two available seats as councilwoman Roberta Fonzi has decided not to run for reelection. The forum began at 7 p.m. and was held virtually via Zoom and broadcast on Facebook Live for anyone at home to watch. The format made for a unique viewing experience where viewers could see the candidates and those with their cameras on who were also in the Zoom meeting. The forum was moderated by Chamber of Commerce Chairman Tom Jones, who opened the forum stating that the questions were generated from the Atascadero Chamber of Commerce membership, the Atascadero Chamber of Commerce Diversity Council, and our Legislative and Economic Council. This was the second forum in a series of
COMMUNITY
three the Chamber will hold. In January, they held a forum between District Supervisor candidates Ellen Beraud and Debbie Arnold. On Oct. 1, the Chamber will hold its final forum of 2020 with the Atascadero Mayoral candidates. The order was determined alphabetically and rotated with each opportunity to speak. This gave each candidate a chance to speak first and last with their three permitted minutes for each question.
Jones started the forum, asking the candidates what they thought the City’s most pressing need is and how they plan to address it. Each of the candidates agreed that Atascadero’s local economy is one of the primary issues the City faces and proposed their plans for economic development. Candidate Keen also talked about the issues surrounding homeless-
LOCAL NEWS
ness and affordable housing. The only deviation came from candidate Mattson who started with public safety as a part of a three-pronged platform that included economic growth and municipal accountability. The second question Jones asked was centered around diversity, asking the candidates how they would further equity and inclusion in City matters. Heinemann opened the round, stating that he would use his character, values of honesty, integrity, and trust and closed, saying, “I want to be open and research and understand the problem and offer perspectives.” Candidate Dariz spoke last on matters of diversity and inclusion. “I want to reach out to groups that maybe feel underrepresented to let them know that they are welcome to join in every part of our city,” Dariz said. “If there is equity and inclusion issues that are happening in our City, then we need to reach out to these people, and we need to do our part to ease that problem and not let it happen.” The third and final question Jones asked was centered around the proposed one-cent sales tax increase. Jones asked CONTINUED ON PAGE A11
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