News Briefs 6-17-2021

Written by Theresa-Marie Wilson

Theresa-Maria Wilson has been a journalist covering the North Coast and South County area for over 20 years. She is also the founder of Cat Noir CC and is currently working on a novel.

June 17, 2021

Supervisors Re-Appoint Tourism Board Members

County Supervisors re-appointed three people to the Los Osos tourism advisory board, which decides how to spend special assessments on lodging properties.

May 18, Supervisors approved re-appointing Alex Benson, Pandora Nash-Karner and Jamie Wallace to the Los Osos/Morro Bay (unincorporated) Local Area Advisory Board.

The board is funded through the County Business Improvement District (CBID), which imposes a 2% tax on the cost of a room night at motels, hotels, B&Bs and vacation rentals in the unincorporated areas of SLO County — mainly Cayucos, Cambria and San Simeon, which have the most lodging properties.

Half of the money raised in each town goes back to the local advisory board to fund localized promotions and support special events that bring visitors to town. The other half is used by the County CBID board to promote tourism in the unincorporated areas.

Of note, each city in the county also has its own BID to promote tourism in their jurisdictions.

There is also a countywide “Tourism Marketing District” (TMD) at 1.5% that includes the properties within incorporated cities and in the unincorporated towns and promotes the county as a whole, though active promotions by any of these bodies have been petty much on hiatus since last spring (2020) due to the Coronavirus Pandemic.

The appointees’ new terms will expire July 1, 2023.

July 4th Events Canceled in Cayucos

The annual 4th of July Cayucos Pier Fireworks and events have been canceled this year despite the State reopening on June 15.

The Cayucos Chamber of Commerce, host of the pier event, posted information on their website stating that although the event would be “great for town morale,” the logistics of putting everything together couldn’t happen.

“July 4th festivities are a group effort,” the Chamber’s website said. “The Chamber manages the fireworks, parade balloon arches, and Front Street Faire, and supports town infrastructure needs, like street barriers, waste management, extra portable toilets, etc. Each group has made independent decisions to cancel based on COVID impacts and restrictions, but we’re all largely facing the same issues.”

Those issues include permits, required from county, state, and federal agencies, not being issued at this time; fundraisers that normally help pay the nearly $30,000 price tag were not held this year or last year; and gathering the large number of volunteers needed to put on an event of this scale was hindered by COVID-19.

“There may be some smaller-scale activities we can pull together for the day to help celebrate across town,” the Chamber said. “If so, stay tuned to our news sites for updates. We know this is frustrating and we join those who are disappointed. We thank everyone for their patience and understanding as we navigate this challenging situation.”

Folks with questions can reach out to Lori Stone, Cayucos Chamber community manager at cayucoschamber@gmail.com or leave a voicemail at (805) 995-1200.

Save Water

The Los Osos Community Services District reminds everyone that their service area has been under a Stage III Emergency of the District’s Water Shortage Contingency Plan since 2015.

Stage III states that water usage allocation is 50 gallons per occupant per day based on a household of 3 occupants. So that equates to 150 gallons per household per day. If you look at your water bill, one unit (100 cubic feet) of water is equal to 748 gallons.

  • Here are some ways residents can conserve water:
  • Take short showers instead of baths.
  • Turn off the water to brush teeth, shave and soap up in the shower.
  • Fill the sink to shave.
  • Repair leaky toilets, or replace with a dual flush or low flow toilet.
  • Only run the washing machine and dishwasher when you have a full load.
  • Use a low flow showerhead and faucet aerators.
  • Fix leaks.
  • Don’t overwater your lawn or water during peak periods.
  • Monitor your landscape irrigation system
  • Monitor your water usage on your water bill.

Cal Poly Receives Gift to Fund Homelessness Initiative

The estate of the late Carole Tanklage donated a revenue-generating commercial real estate property that will fund a Cal Poly initiative aimed at ending student homelessness.

The real estate gift will fund the Tanklage Family Initiative to End Homelessness, which Mrs. Tanklage initially established with a three-year gift totaling $150,000 in 2018. Mrs. Tanklage, who passed away in 2020, originally created the initiative in 2018 in honor of her late husband, Cal Poly alumnus Donald Tanklage (Architectural Engineering, ’57), to assist Cal Poly students struggling with Since its inception, the fund has provided more than 100 struggling students with on- and off-campus housing support. The real estate property gifted by the Tanklage estate, which houses a KFC restaurant will provide a yearly stream of rental proceeds to support the initiative well into the future.

Since its inception in 2018, the homelessness initiative has been administered through the Cal Poly Cares program, which provides one-time emergency grants to students unable to afford housing, tuition and other expenses essential to their success and wellbeing. Overall, Cal Poly Cares has provided more than $1.4 million in emergency grants since its creation in 2015.

In addition to its homelessness initiative, the Tanklage family has supported more than 50 Cal Poly students since 2006 through the Donald Tanklage Scholarship for Construction Management and Architecture students in the College of Architecture and Environmental Design.

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