New candidates enter race for Paso Robles City Council
Three district seats up for election
– The City of El Paso de Robles will hold its general election on Nov. 5. The public will vote on three new city council members, a treasurer, and various resolutions. Districts 1, 3 and 4 have a seat open, and each has an incumbent council member running.
The Paso Robles district map.
District 1
District 1 will elect a council member to serve a partial term of two years. This district covers most of the north part of Paso Robles, such as the Paso Robles Municipal Airport and Hunter Ranch Golf Course, and extends to the west towards Spring Street. It’s the second largest district with a population of 8,360, according to the 2020 Census.
Kris Beal
Kris Beal
Beal’s professional career includes a 23 year role leading Vineyard Team, a local non-profit organization, as their founding executive director. Beal moved to Paso Robles in 1976, raised her son here, and has lived in the area for nearly 50 years. She is a Bearcat and graduated from Cal Poly SLO with a B.A in Political Science and M.S. in Agriculture. Beal volunteers with schools, clean up events, and various outreach programs, such as the Boys & Girls Club.
Beal notes that she goes door to door speaking with local community members about their concerns and goals for the city. She is focused on fostering partnerships for affordable housing, creating more job opportunities, youth spaces, and infrastructure investment for the west side of the city.Â
Sharon Roden
Sharon Roden
Roden is the incumbent council member. She was appointed in 2023. Some issues she has focused on during her time in office include improving infrastructure, strengthening the economy, and providing support for the unhoused population.
Roden’s family has lived in Paso Robles for over 150 years; she has resided here for 45 years and received her degree in Agricultural Management from Cal Poly SLO. Her work with the family pistachio business gave her experience with issues facing agriculture and water usage. She served as Chair of American Pistachio Growers for two years, along with three years on the Board of Directors.
Linda George.
Linda George
George has worked in various state agencies, such as CalTrans, the Department of Social Services, and Agnews Developmental Center for close to 30 years, followed by working as a legislative contact for mobile homeowners. She also served on the Paid Parking Referendum Team and participated in city council meetings.
Some of George’s focuses include fixing the local roads, finding solutions for the unhoused population, and ensuring taxes remain low. She is a fiscal conservative and aims to provide transparency in local government.
District 3
District 3 encompasses the southwest part of Paso Robles, including the downtown city park and portions of South River Road. One seat is open for election for a full term of four years. It has a population of 7,470.
Jeff Carr
Jeff Carr
Carr moved to Paso Robles in 2016 after visiting for over 40 years on motorcycle riding tours. He is a retired engineer whose focus was on government space and defense engineering and consumer electronics. He received his bachelor of electrical engineering in computer engineering from Cal Poly Pomona.Â
He has served on the Downtown Parking Ad Hoc Committee and Twin Cities Community Hospital Patient and Family Advisory Council; he also joined the Paso Robles Resident Academy. He has volunteered with the California Long Term Care Ombudsman. His focus includes government transparency through community workshops and surveys, prioritizing infrastructure and budgets for public safety agencies, and more.
Steve Gregory
Steve Gregory
Gregory is an incumbent council member and has served on the Development Review Committee and volunteered as a Planning Commissioner. His volunteer work in the community includes the Rotary Club, youth sports, and Paso Robles Youth Arts Foundation. He owns a consulting business and has lived in Paso Robles for 44 years.
His work in office included working on the Paso Robles Airport infrastructure, improving roads and downtown lighting, and partnering with ECHO in assisting the unhoused population. He aims to support the police and fire agencies, provide affordable housing, and more.
Michael Rivera
Michael Rivera
Rivera has experience serving as the Santa Maria Parks and Recreation Commission as chairman and member and the Santa Barbara County Private Industry Council as chairman, chief financial officer, and board member. He was on the PRJUSD 7/11 committee, Measure M committee, and facility naming committee. He has lived on the Central Coast for 50 years.
Some of his priorities include maintaining and improving infrastructure, working with community members and businesses for the tourism industry, and promoting government fiscal accountability. He also supports public safety and preserving Paso Robles history.
District 4
The district 4 seat is open for a full term of four years. It covers the south-eastern region of Paso Robles, including Sherwood Park and Virginia Peterson Elementary School. It has the smallest population of 7,180.
Fred Strong
Fred Strong
Strong is an incumbent councilman and has served on the North County’s First District Water Advisory Committee, co-founded the Parks and Recreation youth soccer program, and was the coordinator for the S.H.A.R.E. and Healthy Share county food program. He volunteers at events for the Vine Street Showcase and Main Street Association.
His work as an advocate at the state and federal government levels brought financial assistance to Paso Robles infrastructure projects. His priorities include high quality utility and city services, keeping taxes low, and maintaining water resources.Â
For more information about the City Council election, visit the city’s website here.
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How about working on the water prices in Paso Robles. I have been here all my life and don’t get where the money is going. 46 percent raise on water rates last year building homes and businesses and apartments and why is the city not making developers pay for the infrastructure. They want to raise water rates every year when there is no drought. What is wrong with the city
Why aren’t any people running saying anything about the water issues? Where is the money going hmmmm the city council and the mayor need to go
Why does my comment need to be approved. No freedom of speech anymore?
Hi Gary, we are testing a new commenting system, because the old system was filled with spam. Your comment was automatically filtered by the system. We are working on the issue, because we want local readers to be able to post comments and have them appear immediately. Thank you for the feedback. – Publisher Scott Brennan, Paso Robles Daily News.
Guess we are becoming a society where we have to be approved for everything we say 😂
What is our state and country doing. Nothing but enabling people who don’t want to work
How about working on the water prices in Paso Robles. I have been here all my life and don’t get where the money is going. 46 percent raise on water rates last year building homes and businesses and apartments and why is the city not making developers pay for the infrastructure. They want to raise water rates every year when there is no drought. What is wrong with the city
Why aren’t any people running saying anything about the water issues? Where is the money going hmmmm the city council and the mayor need to go
Why does my comment need to be approved. No freedom of speech anymore?
Hi Gary, we are testing a new commenting system, because the old system was filled with spam. Your comment was automatically filtered by the system. We are working on the issue, because we want local readers to be able to post comments and have them appear immediately. Thank you for the feedback. – Publisher Scott Brennan, Paso Robles Daily News.
Guess we are becoming a society where we have to be approved for everything we say 😂
What is our state and country doing. Nothing but enabling people who don’t want to work