Dear Editor,

It should be obvious that the rebranding of our zoo to Central Coast Zoo has created problems for the city and our zoo. A Google search states that the Central Coast is generally located between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Central Coast implies “coast,” which is 17.4 miles from Atascadero. Being more specific, the Central Coast probably is more aligned between Santa Cruz and Lompoc, but no one can be sure. I did a limited search for those companies, entities, etc., that start with Central Coast and found close to 30, including 3CE (Central Coast Community Energy) located in Monterey. It is also interesting that Monterey has its own zoo, named Monterey Zoo. Central Coast is an attractive and general name that works for many things, but the feeling from many in this community is that it is a little boring, bland, not location specific, and it definitely does not work for our historic zoo in Atascadero.

Rebranding seems to be a hot topic these days on social media, but also on the major news networks, and the most current example is Cracker Barrel. There are always two sides to every story, but this one is complicated because, according to reports, in just one day there was a casual 7% stock drop and nearly $100 million in market value gone. This might also be the result of reported active boycotts and empty parking lots. Some are just fine with the change, but there are a lot of comments on social media, and here are just a few: loss of identity, disconnection from heritage, absolutely soulless, generic, and void of character. “Rebranding” is the current buzzword, but over and over we are witnessing process failures. A marketing expert said that when you decide to rebrand, start with just a bit of change, and also have a story and narrative ready on what exactly is being changed and why. Also he said, it is wise to do a tiny survey of your most loyal customers to see how this change is received.

Rebranding might work if you know your clients, but the reason for outrage over this rebranding is that people who were in shock about the change are filling the silence. The real lesson is that loyalty is hard to build and easy to lose. Any of this sound familiar? The rebranding of the Charles Paddock Zoo was also the result of a very flawed process, and at the same time resulted in defamation of character to its founder. After an 18-month process of rebranding, the first time that many of us heard of the name change was around June 7, 2025, and the change had already taken place. Charles Paddock founded the zoo and started building it over 70 years ago, in the same spot that the zoo is located today. The Charles Paddock Zoo was first adopted by the County of San Luis Obispo and then by the City of Atascadero when it first became a city in 1979, 45 years ago. You can’t erase history, so why did the city try with rebranding? In June of 2025, 45 years after the city adopted the zoo, Charles Paddock was accused of a crime that can’t be proven. If you have read any of the Sally Bishop Smith letters, it is obvious that there is also the possibility of a defamation-of-character case to defend the Charles Paddock name and his character. Our basic law says that a person is innocent until proven guilty, and was this law applied to Charles Paddock after 45 years of silence? Absolutely not!

There is a very good reason why all zoos are connected to a real city and not a general region, such as the Los Angeles Zoo and not the Southern California Zoo. It should also be obvious that you get better support by local and loyal customers, better attendance, improved financial support, and the marketing is unified along with local pride of ownership that our zoo belongs to a city and not a general region or area. With all the marketing that has been done over the years with Atascadero, the name Atascadero has always been front and center, and then all of a sudden, we are in the back seat with Central Coast. Not sure who, but someone was responsible for being out of touch with our identity, history, and character in a disconnected, disappointing, and illogical marketing and rebranding decision about renaming our zoo. A good example of a city making a great decision is Tampa, Florida. Zoo Tampa at Lowry Park was originally known as the Tampa Fairyland, and later Tampa Fairyland Zoo, and then Lowry Park Zoo. For a long time, they struggled with the name and finally came back to the city of location, and obviously for very good reasons.

It is so obvious that the process for making this decision regarding our zoo was extremely flawed. There were no public hearings, no outreach to the community through newspapers and news sources, or through social media. As the Atascadero News reported, the rebranding of our zoo was hidden from the public, because there was no outreach, questioning, or sampling of the community regarding this decision. Once again, a very wide segment of this community did not hear about the changing of the name of our zoo until the decision had already been made. The zoo is on our doorstep, not the Central Coast, so no other name than Atascadero is appropriate or acceptable. Our personality is missing. The zoo is on our property, along with our famous Atascadero Lake, Atascadero Lake Pavilion, Park and Bandstand. It is on Atascadero property and needs to have the Atascadero connection, which defines our local pride and the real basis for marketing.

Currently, the Friends of Charles Paddock and the Bishop family are in a three-phase campaign to change the name of our zoo to Atascadero Paddock Zoo, kind of similar to the Fresno Chaffee Zoo. Another suggestion is the Atascadero Zoo, Founded by Charles Paddock. The first phase is the one in which myself and interested citizens are currently engaged. We are asking the Atascadero City Council to change the name as requested, because we don’t know of anyone privately or publicly that says that Central Coast is an appropriate name for our zoo. We are hopeful that the city will do what is right, which will also bring justice and closure for Charles Paddock, its founder. Let’s use an old-fashioned technique of getting the people together, do some brainstorming on this decision and involve our leaders in an open, transparent and honest process. If that does not happen, then we are asking that this measure be placed on the ballot for the people of Atascadero to decide. Do you want the name our zoo to be Atascadero Paddock Zoo or Atascadero Zoo, Founded by Charles Paddock, yes or no? Along with that, we will publicly endorse any councilmember, mayor, or any new candidates that support this platform. Lastly, if the city is not willing to follow either of our two suggestions, then we are prepared to take legal and other steps. The Friends of Charles Paddock, the Bishop Family, and those that support this change are not stopping or going away. This is not about rebranding, it is about protecting our community, and its unique identity and history, which revolves around Atascadero.

Rolfe Nelson, Atascadero

P.S. I moved to the Atascadero Lake area in 1953, knew the Paddock family very well and Charles Sr. when he founded the zoo 70 years ago, and was a member of Atascadero’s first City Council in 1979, when we adopted the Charles Paddock Zoo from San Luis Obispo County. As the saying goes, I have skin in the game.