By Oct. 7, vote-by-mail ballots will be mailed to every active registered voter in SLO County

NORTH COUNTY — Following our update on candidates running for local office last week, another candidate was added to the Atascadero City Council race. The initial period to file as a candidate for the Nov. 5 election closed on Friday, Aug. 9 — the filing period was extended to Aug. 14 if an incumbent does not file.

In Atascadero, residents will vote for a new mayor after Heather Moreno won the District 5 San Luis Obispo County Supervisor seat, replacing Debbie Arnold, who did not seek another term on the county board. In addition, City Councilmembers Charles Bourbeau and Mark Dariz both have terms ending this year. 

Bourbeau announced his campaign for Atascadero mayor in April and no one filed to run against him for the seat.

For the remaining two at-large seats on City Council, there are now three candidates vying for a position in local government. Tori Keen, Seth Peek, and Dariz have been qualified for the two at-large seats available for the Atascadero City Council. Peek is a local business owner and long-time resident and Keen has been on the Atascadero Planning Commission since 2019 and is a family law paralegal. Dariz, an architect, has been holding a seat on the City Council since 2020.

City of Atascadero election details can be found here along with each candidate’s statement: atascadero.org/2024-general-election

For a full summary on candidates running for North County government seats, please refer to our Aug. 15 article titled: “A look at who is running for election in North County.” It can be found online at atascaderonews.com/news/elections/a-look-at-who-is-running-for-election-in-north-county/

More candidates were also added to the campaign list for Templeton Unified School District (TUSD). In TUSD, there are three at-large seats open. Current trustees with expiring terms are Ted Dubost, Cheryl Parks, and Nelson Yamagata. Vying for seats in November are Dubost, Parks, Matt Allison, and Jason Tesarz.

Campaigns for all seats throughout the county are sure to ramp up in the coming weeks. Below is a look at the voter timeline and important dates you may need to know:

By Oct. 7, county voter information guides will be mailed, vote-by-mail ballots will be mailed to every active registered voter in SLO County, and the Atascadero Elections Office and the Elections Window at the SLO Elections Center will be open. From Oct. 8 through Nov. 5, all ballot drop boxes will be open throughout SLO County. 

You can keep up to date with all San Luis Obispo County elections here slocounty.ca.gov/departments/clerk-recorder/all-services/elections-and-voting/elections-conducted-by-county-of-san-luis-obispo/november-5,-2024,-presidential-general-election

We will be following the election and providing coverage in the upcoming months.