Good morning, Central Coast. Are you ready for a warm up? Here are the stories we are following on Daybreak:
- A local nursing facility in Atascadero is being transformed to keep up with the needs of its patients. Community Reporter Ashley Stevens visited the Danish Care Center, which will soon be turned into a behavioral health rehabilitation center. The 65-bed facility will have 32 special treatment beds with 33 skilled nursing behavioral health beds, and plans to be back at full capacity by July next year.
- Community members are invited to provide feedback on the "Pier Avenue Corridor Plan" in Oceano. The stretch of road provides access to Pismo State Beach, and all changes involve improving infrastructure, traffic, parking, and more. Public input is being encouraged for the development, May 9th is the final day for public comments.
- Mother's Day weekend is quickly approaching. I looked into the latest prices on one of the most popular gifts: flowers. Americans are expected to spend 3.2 billion dollars on flowers, according to Florist Review. With the average arrangement costing a little more than $65, here in California, that price jumps to nearly $72.
WATCH:
Cal Poly came under national scrutiny as President Jeffrey Armstrong testified before Congress about antisemitism on campus, following criticism from the House Committee on Education and Workforce over the university’s response to an April 2024 incident where a professor allegedly harassed Jewish students. While Armstrong acknowledged the need for improvement and emphasized the university's commitment to balancing student safety with free speech, the American Defamation League initially gave Cal Poly an “F” for its handling of antisemitism, later raised to a “D.” Some students and campus groups, including Chabad and Hillel, defended Cal Poly as a safe and inclusive environment for Jewish students, though others suggested fear may prevent some from speaking out.
A portion of the Bob Jones Trail will be temporarily closed from May 13 to May 15 between 7:30 A.M. and 4:30 P.M. for tree trimming work by Pacific Gas & Electric. Tammy Wise, PG&E’s senior vegetation program manager, explained that the timing was chosen to avoid peak trail usage and emphasized that the trimming will be minimal, just enough to maintain a 12-foot clearance from power lines. She reassured the public that their team, full of "tree geeks," is just as committed to protecting the health of the trees as they are to maintaining reliable power. While some trail users, like hiker Kate McGuire, will miss the trail during the closure, they plan to explore other scenic routes in the area.
A wildfire mapping workshop was held at Atascadero City Hall on Wednesday to help residents better understand local wildfire risks and review new draft maps that expand fire severity zones and update wildland-urban interface areas. City staff and Battalion Chief David Van Son explained that the updated maps are based on advanced modeling using modern climate data, vegetation, topography, fire history, and ember casting. These maps will guide new building-code requirements and defensible space standards to improve wildfire resilience. Residents were encouraged to provide feedback on the city’s fire hazard severity zones webpage before the city council votes to adopt the maps. Concerned locals, like Nancy Spitzer, welcomed the effort, noting the importance of preparedness, especially after recent close calls with wildfires.
