Hometown News Since 1889 Making Communities Better Through Print.™ VOL. CXXXI, NO. XII
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2020
BUSINESS
pasoroblespress.com • $1.00 • WEEKLY
COMMUNITY
GOVERNMENT
City Council Continues Beechwood Specific Plan Public Hearing
JOEL PETERSON
Paso Wine Country Alliance Talks Resiliency
By CAMILLE DeVAUL For The Paso Robles Press
People wave flags on Highway 101 overpasses from Paso Robles to Santa Maria on Saturday, Aug. 29, during the ‘Back the Blue’ Freedom Rally. photo by Rick Evans
By BRIAN WILLAMS brian@pasoroblespress.com PASO ROBLES — After what has been a challenging year, North County wineries are weathering the pandemic surprisingly well, all things considered. “I would say certainly, it’s been a challenge, but it’s also been an opportunity for so many wineries to pivot, strengthen their marketing and get creative and find ways to survive,” said Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance (PRWCA) Executive Director Joel Peterson. “You are still seeing folks selling wine. It’s just through different channels.” Peterson said PRWCA partners with Community Benchmark, which uses proprietary algorithms to measure the relative success of tasting rooms and help wineries discover new growth opportunities. Nearly a third of the 175 PRWCA winery members take advantage of the affiliation. Comparing numbers from early August of 2020 to the previous year, Peterson said participating wineries saw club sales up 5 percent and online sales were up across the board 143 percent. It appears a pandemic pairs well with wine. When Gov. Gavin Newsom issued his stay-at-home orders in mid-March, effectively shutting down the nation’s largest economy and one of the world’s most significant, people used some of the downtime to drink and order wine. Wineries instantly turned their attention to their website, making sure it was user friendly, especially when it came time to fill their digital cart, and that deliveries arrived promptly and in the right number of pieces. Simultaneously, staff attention turned to social media, and teams brainstormed creative ways to reach former, current, and potential customers. Winery owners, winemakers, heck anybody with a big, likable personality went live on any number of platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and Zoom, just to name a few. CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
COMMUNITY
Central Coast Overpasses Along Highway 101 Filled with ‘Back the Blue’ Freedom Rally on Saturday By HAYLEY MATTSON show their support for the local hayley@pasoroblespress.com law enforcement. Cars that passed the “Back ack the Blue” groups the Blue Freedom Rally” filled along the Central the air with honking horns, Coast from Santa waves, and whistles showing Maria to Paso Robles gathered their support. Saturday morning from 10 a.m. Attendees shared that they to 12 p.m. along Highway 101, were there supporting law decorating the overpasses with enforcement in opposition to American flags and signage to what one attendee called “the
“B
energy level,” Peterson said. “Kind of makes me feel young again.” Peterson is the first full-time chief since 2012, taking over for interim Chief Bill White, who was instrumental in getting Measure A passed. White and Peterson were battalion chiefs in AFD. “I thought my counterpart in Atascadero, Chief White was going to take it, but he said nope, too close to retirement, not going to do it. Peterson is no stranger to Templeton. He and his wife put Southern California in the rearview mirror in 1987 and
PASO ROBLES — The Paso Robles City Council met virtually on Tuesday, Sept. 1, with a few technical difficulties. The start of the meeting, including the first three presentations, were not streamed live online. The three presentations included: a Constitution Week Proclamation, a COVID19 Community Update, and an update on the Temporary Homeless Shelter. The public hearing for the Beechwood Specific Plan was pushed to the next meeting. Council was expected to consider Planning Commission recommendations. The Beechwood Specific Plan was continued because negotiations between the developer and the City were not completed in time for this week’s meeting. Council will continue this item to the City Council meeting on Sept. 15. Council approved nearly all of the consent agenda. One was pulled to highlight that the City made a $2.7 million loan repayment to the State for a low-interest loan for Wastewater Treatment upgrades and directed $1 million to water utilities, mainly the final work stages at the 21st Street reservoir. Some homeowners expressed to the Council that their home insurance premiums are rising. The Insurance Services Office (ISO), an independent organization that serves insurance companies by providing property and casualty insurance risk, evaluated the City of Paso Robles. Paso Robles received a score of 71% or 75/105 from ISO. The City earned the same score in 2020 as it did in its 2014 evaluation, 03/3X. A 3X category represents a Class 9 rating, the lowest rating available. The 3X pertains to properties farther from the City’s fire stations and fire hydrants. According to City staff, owners of these properties can see a significant increase in insurance premiums. The City received low scores from ISO in five different areas:
CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
dehumanization of police officers.” The attendee identified herself as Marie explained, “local law enforcement is not the enemy, but instead, they are our family, friends, and neighbors.” Attendee Valoree Fredendall explained that the “Back the Blue” groups in San Luis
Obispo and Atascadero discussed how they could show their continued support. They decided to hold the “Back the Blue Freedom Rally” along Highway 101 overpasses to positively and peacefully show unity and support. “It is such a great turn out; CONTINUED ON PAGE A15
TEMPLETON FIRE DEPARTMENT
Templeton’s New Fire Chief Putting Pieces into Place Peterson laying the foundation for the department’s success By BRIAN WILLIAMS brian@pasoroblespress.com TEMPLETON — Templeton Fire Department’s new full-time fire chief is not wasting any time. Thomas “Tom” Peterson has been on the job for two weeks and every day, the department gets closer to adequate 24-7 station coverage with full-time staff. He’s rounding out the full-time staff with the next big piece, a third captain, who will start in October. “This will allow the department to shift to a 48-96 work schedule, two days on four days off, with an A, B and C shift. That will give us 24-7 coverage with three captains,” Peterson said. The next crucial hire will be the addition of a full-time engineer who will work when the department is busiest. “We’ll at least have full-time captains, a full-time engineer and then really step up our training program and augment with our part-time folks,” Peterson said. “We will probably be bringing on several more part-time folks.” This is made possible in part due to the community’s passing of Measure A, a parcel tax increase of $15 per month in 2019 to provide additional funding for the District’s Fire and Emergency Services Department.
LOCAL NEWS
Templeton’s new Fire Chief Tom Peterson, left, takes over for outgoing interim Fire Chief Bill White, right. Photo courtesy of Templeton Fire Department
“The community has entrusted us with Measure A and we have to be able to serve the community because they have bestowed upon us that trust,” Peterson said. “I’m not wasting any time.” Peterson is a decorated 30-year veteran of the fire services and relies on his many years to build a department that will meet the community’s needs now and in the future. He spent the past 16 years with the Atascadero Fire Department, most recently as a battalion chief. In 2014, he was named Firefighter of the Year by the Atascadero Elks. “It’s awesome. I’m enjoying the excitement with all of the new folks and the
COVID UPDATE
SOCIETY
pasoroblespress.com
WEATHER
twitter.com/ @PasoRoblesPress facebook.com/ @PasoRoblesPress
GLOBAL WATER AWARDS Project of the Year goes to Paso Robles Tertiary project | A3
PASO ROBLES MAYOR announces who will be on the Diversity Panel | A4
GOV. NEWSOM INTRODUCES new 4-tier, color-coded reopening plan for state | A5
NEW MONTHLY FEATURE from Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force Board | A13
Paso Robles Press
High 98º | Low 62º
pasoroblespress.com
67808 24135
Support Local Journalism Only one local newspaper.
Paso Robles. Real News. Good News • Real News • Your Hometown News
5
Ranked No. 1 online by alexa.com Traffic Metrics. Employs professional journalist. Owned by local publishers. The Paso Robles Press
Subscribe today!
7