Atascadero council race draws four candidates for two seats

Atascadero voters will choose from a four-way field this November as candidates compete for two seats on the Atascadero City Council, in a race shaped largely by concerns over housing affordability, jobs, and how the city grows without losing its character.

Incumbent Susan Funk is seeking a third term, while Councilmember Heather Newsom is not running for reelection — guaranteeing at least one new face on the five-member council. Mayor Charles Bourbeau is running unopposed for another two-year term, according to New Times SLO, which first reported the candidate field.

The candidates and why they're running

Funk, first elected in 2018 and reelected in 2022, is running on her record and experience. She told New Times that when she joined the council, Atascadero faced aging public safety facilities, staffing shortages, and a downtown that became a "dead zone at 5 o'clock at night." She pointed to the city's downtown transformation and Measure D-20 — the local funding measure voters approved in 2020 for public safety and infrastructure improvements — as evidence of progress.

Going forward, Funk said her priorities include traffic and fire safety, parks, roads, wastewater infrastructure, housing, and jobs.

"We need to really pay attention to attracting housing that young people and seniors can afford," Funk told New Times, along with "the jobs that will help them pay for that housing."

She has drawn endorsements from the SLO County Democratic Party, the Central Coast Labor Council, former Mayor Tom O'Malley, and former county Supervisor Jim Patterson.

A housing professional and a planning commissioner join the field

Emily Baranek brings more than two decades of experience in design, construction, housing, and community development to the race. A fourth-generation Atascadero resident, she has served nearly six years on the city's Design Review Committee and works as a senior construction manager with People's Self-Help Housing, a Central Coast nonprofit affordable housing developer.

"I'm really excited by the opportunity to be on the council and fill that role... and use my experience in the affordable housing world to help steer the housing element," Baranek told New Times. "It has been something I've been considering my whole life. I'm a huge community cheerleader, and this is kind of the next natural step in that progression."

Her campaign platform centers on expanding opportunity, preserving Atascadero's character, and bringing people together — encouraging housing, supporting local businesses, and investing in infrastructure while protecting oak trees, open spaces, established neighborhoods, and historic places. "What we build today shapes what is possible tomorrow," she said in her campaign statement. Her endorsements include the SLO County Democratic Party, the Atascadero Democratic Club, the Central Coast Labor Council, and Shatter PAC.

Mike Avila, who has lived in Atascadero with his wife, Kellie, for more than 20 years, co-founded two businesses, including a roadway safety company that grew to employ more than 100 people. He currently represents District 5 on the San Luis Obispo County Planning Commission. His campaign emphasizes public safety, infrastructure, parks, and economic development — including streamlining permitting, attracting good-paying jobs, strengthening wildfire preparedness, and directing infrastructure funding toward deteriorating roads. Avila's endorsements include county Supervisor Heather Moreno, former Mayor O'Malley, and current Atascadero Councilmembers Mark Dariz and Seth Peek. New Times reported it did not receive comment from Avila before publication.

The self-described outsider

Ian Denchasy wants voters to see him as something different. The owner of A-Town Humble Pies, who lives with his wife in a 460-square-foot off-grid tiny home, identifies as an independent and calls himself the "outsider candidate."

"I feel that Atascadero is stuck and that there's a lot of potential of the city not being realized," Denchasy told New Times.

His top issue is affordability. "The No. 1 thing is affordable housing here because we're not building quick enough and we're not making the process easy enough for builders to come in and add housing," he said. He also argues too many young people leave because they can't afford to build lives in the city — a concern he extends to his business, where he hosts weekly lunches with an $8 suggested contribution after seeing residents struggle with the cost of eating out.

Denchasy said he would refuse endorsements from either major political party. "This is local politics," he said. "You're supposed to serve everyone, not because a party donated to you." His campaign has raised more than $5,000 from roughly 150 donors giving $100 or less, he said. "I want to win on the people."

What's at stake for Atascadero

The election comes as Atascadero continues implementing voter-approved infrastructure investments and grappling with the same affordability pressures felt across the Central Coast. With Newsom stepping away, the council's composition — and its approach to growth — could shift depending on which two candidates prevail.

Notably, the endorsement landscape splits along experience and party lines: Funk and Baranek share backing from county Democrats and labor, while Avila counts two sitting councilmembers and county Supervisor Moreno among his supporters — though former Mayor O'Malley appears in both Funk's and Avila's camps. Denchasy is betting that a grassroots, party-free appeal resonates in a city where municipal races are officially nonpartisan.

Ballots for the November election will be mailed to registered voters, and residents can verify their registration status through the San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder. With two seats open and a guaranteed newcomer joining the council, Atascadero residents will have a meaningful say in shaping the city's approach to housing, jobs, and infrastructure for the next four years.