HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC_2023_04_25_AgendaPacket CITY OF ATASCADERO CITY COUNCIL AGENDA
HYBRID MEETING INFORMATION:
The City Council meeting will be available via teleconference for those who wish to
participate remotely. The City Council meeting will also be held in the City Council
Chambers and in-person attendance will be available at that location.
HOW TO OBSERVE THE MEETING REMOTELY:
To participate remotely, residents can livestream the meeting on Zoom, SLO-SPAN.org,
on Spectrum cable Channel 20 in Atascadero, and listen live on KPRL Radio 1230AM
and 99.3FM. The video recording of the meeting will repeat daily on Channel 20 at 1:00
am, 9:00 am, and 6:00 pm and will be available through the City’s website and on the
City’s YouTube Channel. To participate remotely using the Zoom platform please visit
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ZwJ7a031S3KXauEym9ehaA.
HOW TO SUBMIT PUBLIC COMMENT:
Individuals who wish to provide public comment in-person may attend the meeting in
the City Council Chambers. Individuals who wish to participate remotely may call
(669) 900-6833 (Meeting ID: 889 2347 9018) to listen and provide public comment via
phone or via the Zoom platform using the link above.
If you wish to comment but not via a live platform, please email public comments to
cityclerk@atascadero.org. Such email comments must identify the Agenda Item Number
in the subject line of the email. The comments will be forwarded to the City Council and
made a part of the administrative record. To ensure distribution to the City Council prior
to consideration of the agenda, the public is encouraged to submit comments no later
than 12:00 p.m. the day of the meeting. Those comments, as well as any comments
received after that time, but before the close of the item, will be distributed to the City Council,
posted on the City’s website, and will be made part of the official public record of the meeting.
Please note, email comments will not be read into the record.
AMERICAN DISABILITY ACT ACCOMMODATIONS:
Any member of the public who needs accommodations should contact the City
Clerk’s Office at cityclerk@atascadero.org or by calling 805-470-3400 at least 48
hours prior to the meeting or time when services are needed. The City will use their
best efforts to provide reasonable accommodations to afford as much accessibility
as possible while also maintaining public safety in accordance with the City procedure
for resolving reasonable accommodation requests.
City Council agendas and minutes may be viewed on the City's website:
www.atascadero.org/agendas.
Copies of the staff reports or other documentation relating to each item of business referred to on
the Agenda are on file in the office of the City Clerk and are available for public inspection on our
website, www.atascadero.org. Contracts, Resolutions and Ordinances will be allocated a number
once they are approved by the City Council. The Minutes of this meeting will reflect these numbers.
All documents submitted by the public during Council meetings that are made a part of the record or
referred to in their statement will be noted in the Minutes and available for review by contacting the
City Clerk's office. All documents will be available for public inspection by appointment during City
Hall business hours.
Page 1 of 205
CITY OF ATASCADERO
CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA
Tuesday, April 25, 2023
City Hall Council Chambers, 4th Floor
6500 Palma Avenue, Atascadero, California
REGULAR SESSION – CALL TO ORDER: 6:00 P.M.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Council Member Newsom
ROLL CALL: Mayor Moreno
Mayor Pro Tem Funk
Council Member Bourbeau
Council Member Dariz
Council Member Newsom
APPROVAL OF AGENDA: Roll Call
Recommendation: Council:
1. Approve this agenda; and
2. Waive the reading in full of all ordinances appearing on this agenda, and the titles
of the ordinances will be read aloud by the City Clerk at the first reading, after the
motion and before the City Council votes.
CLOSED SESSION – REPORT (IF ANY)
1. April 19, 2023
PRESENTATIONS:
1. Proclamation to Lumina Alliance in Recognition of Sexual Assault Action Month
A. CONSENT CALENDAR: (All items on the consent calendar are considered to be routine
and non-controversial by City staff and will be approved by one motion if no member of
the Council or public wishes to comment or ask questions. If comment or discussion is
City Council Regular Session: 6:00 P.M.
Page 2 of 205
desired by anyone, the item will be removed from the Consent Calendar and will be
considered in the listed sequence with an opportunity for any member of the public to
address the Council concerning the item before action is taken.)
1. City Council Draft Action Minutes – April 11, 2023 Regular Meeting
▪ Recommendation: Council approve the April 11, 2023 Draft City Council
Regular Meeting Minutes. [City Clerk]
2. March 2023 Accounts Payable and Payroll
▪ Fiscal Impact: $2,693,605.44.
▪ Recommendation: Council approve certified City accounts payable, payroll
and payroll vendor checks for March 2023. [Administrative Services]
3. Atascadero Creek Capacity Restoration Project Analysis, Design, and
Permitting Phase Award
▪ Fiscal Impact: $360,000.
▪ Recommendation: Council:
1. Approve a professional services contract for $276,910 with Schaaf &
Wheeler Consulting Civil Engineers to provide professional engineering
services for the Atascadero Creek Capacity Restoration Project; and
2. Approve a professional services contract amendment for $64,820 with
SWCA Environmental Consultants to provide environmental permitting
services for the Atascadero Creek Capacity Restoration Project.
[Public Works]
UPDATES FROM THE CITY MANAGER: (The City Manager will give an oral report on any
current issues of concern to the City Council.)
COMMUNITY FORUM: (This portion of the meeting is reserved for persons wanting to
address the Council on any matter not on this agenda and over which the Council has
jurisdiction. Speakers are limited to three minutes. Please state your name for the record
before making your presentation. Comments made during Community Forum will not be a
subject of discussion. A maximum of 30 minutes will be allowed for Community Forum,
unless changed by the Council. Comments will be allowed for the entire 30-minute period
so if the final speaker has finished before the 30 minute period has ended and a member of
the public wishes to make a comment after the Council has commenced another item, the
member should alert the Clerk within the 30 minute period of their desire to make a comment
and the Council will take up that comment upon completion of the item which was
commenced. Any members of the public who have questions or need information may
contact the City Clerk’s Office, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. at (805) 470-
3400, or cityclerk@atascadero.org.)
B. PUBLIC HEARINGS: None
C. MANAGEMENT REPORTS:
1. North County Broadband Strategic Plan
▪ Fiscal Impact: None.
▪ Recommendation: Council adopt the North County Broadband Strategic Plan.
[Community Development]
Page 3 of 205
2. Affordable Housing Incentives: Phase 1
▪ Fiscal Impact: Projected approximately $3,000,000 in deferred impact fees
and wastewater capacity charges for the term of the deferment.
▪ Recommendation: Council:
1. Direct staff to bring back a policy to allow deferral of development impact
fees and wastewater capacity charges for affordable housing projects in
accordance with City Housing Element Policy; and
2. Authorize staff to prepare a letter for People’s Self-Help Housing that
commits the City to offering an impact fee deferral for their Del Rio Ridge
Affordable Housing project. [Community Development]
D. STUDY SESSION:
1. 2023 Draft Action Plan
▪ Fiscal Impact: None.
▪ Recommendation: Council review and provide staff direction on the Draft
Action Plan. [City Manager]
E. COUNCIL ANNOUNCEMENTS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS: (On their own
initiative, Council Members may make a brief announcement or a brief report on their
own activities. The following represent standing committees. Informative status
reports will be given, as felt necessary):
Mayor Moreno
1. City Selection Committee
2. County Mayors Round Table
3. Regional Economic Action Coalition (REACH)
4. SLO Council of Governments (SLOCOG)
5. SLO Regional Transit Authority (RTA)
Mayor Pro Tem Funk
1. Atascadero Basin Ground Water Sustainability Agency (GSA)
2. Design Review Committee
3. Homeless Services Oversight Council
Council Member Bourbeau
1. City of Atascadero Finance Committee
2. City / Schools Committee
3. Integrated Waste Management Authority (IWMA)
4. SLO County Water Resources Advisory Committee (WRAC)
Council Member Dariz
1. Air Pollution Control District
2. California Joint Powers Insurance Authority (CJPIA) Board
3. Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo (CAPSLO)
4. Visit SLO CAL Advisory Committee
Council Member Newsom
1. City of Atascadero Finance Committee
2. City / Schools Committee
3. Design Review Committee
4. League of California Cities – Council Liaison
Page 4 of 205
F. INDIVIDUAL DETERMINATION AND / OR ACTION: (Council Members may ask a
question for clarification, make a referral to staff or take action to have staff place a
matter of business on a future agenda. The Council may take action on items listed
on the Agenda.)
1. City Council
2. City Clerk
3. City Treasurer
4. City Attorney
5. City Manager
ADJOURNMENT
Page 5 of 205
ITEM NUMBER: A-1
DATE: 04/25/23
CITY OF ATASCADERO
CITY COUNCIL
DRAFT MINUTES
Tuesday, April 11, 2023
City Hall Council Chambers, 4th Floor
6500 Palma Avenue, Atascadero, California
REGULAR SESSION – CALL TO ORDER: 6:00 P.M.
Mayor Moreno called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. and Council Member Bourbeau led
the Pledge of Allegiance.
ROLL CALL:
Present: Council Members Bourbeau, Dariz, Newsom, Mayor Pro Tem Funk, and
Mayor Moreno
Absent: None
Others Present: Treasurer Sibbach
Staff Present: City Manager Rachelle Rickard, Administrative Services Director Jeri
Rangel, Acting Police Chief Bob Molle, Public Works Director Nick
DeBar, City Attorney Brian Pierik, Deputy City Manager/City Clerk Lara
Christensen, Deputy City Manager – Marketing, Promotions and
Outreach Terrie Banish, and Technical Support Specialist II Abby
Getahun
APPROVAL OF AGENDA:
MOTION: By Council Member Bourbeau and seconded by Council Member
Newsom to:
1. Approve this agenda; and
2. Waive the reading in full of all ordinances appearing on this
agenda, and the titles of the ordinances will be read aloud by
the City Clerk at the first reading, after the motion and before
the City Council votes.
Motion passed 5:0 by a roll-call vote.
City Council Regular Session: 6:00 P.M.
Page 6 of 205
ITEM NUMBER: A-1
DATE: 04/25/23
A. CONSENT CALENDAR:
1. City Council Draft Action Minutes – March 28, 2023
▪ Recommendation: Council approve the March 28, 2023 Draft City Council
Regular Meeting Minutes. [City Clerk]
2. Weed/Refuse Abatement Program
▪ Fiscal Impact: The City recovers costs for administering this program.
▪ Recommendation: Council adopt Draft Resolution, declaring vegetative growth
and/or refuse a public nuisance, commencing proceedings for the abatement
of said nuisances, and placing all abatement fees on the San Luis Obispo
County Special Tax Assessment for the Fiscal Year 2023-2024 Tax Roll.
[Fire Department]
4. Barrel Creek
▪ Fiscal Impact: None.
▪ Recommendation: Council:
1. Adopt, on second reading, by title only, Draft Ordinance A, approving of a
Zone Map Change modifying the zoning map designation of the Barrel
Creek project from Residential Suburban (RS) to Residential Multi-Family
10 (RMF-10) and Commercial Park (CPK); and
2. Adopt, on second reading, by title only, Draft Ordinance B, approving a
Zoning Text Amendment to establish Planned Development Overlay
Zone No. 38 (PD38) over the Barrel Creek project site.
[Community Development]
5. Emergency Contract Award for Graves Creek Slope Stabilization Project at
Del Rio Road Bridge
▪ Fiscal Impact: $244,756.
▪ Recommendation: Council ratify, by review and determination, that there is a
need to continue the Emergency Services Director’s authorization to contract
with Michael Frederick Paving Company, Yeh & Associates, and SWCA
Environmental Consultants to complete emergency Graves Creek Slope
Stabilization Project at the Del Rio Road Bridge, pursuant to the City’s
Purchasing Policy and Public Contract Code Section 22050. [Public Works]
6. Participation in Settlements with Teva, Allergan, Walgreens, Walmart, and
CVS in the National Opioid Litigation
▪ Fiscal Impact: $365,400 in received settlement funds over 15 years.
▪ Recommendation: Council authorize the City Manager to execute the five
California State Subdivision Agreements and any other required documents to
participate in settlements with Teva, Allergan, Walgreens, Walmart, and CVS
defendants in the National Opioid Litigation. [City Attorney]
Mayor Pro Tem Funk removed Consent Item #A-3 for brief comment and separate vote.
MOTION: By Council Member Bourbeau and seconded by Mayor Pro Tem
Funk to approve Consent Calendar Items #A-1, A-2, A-4, A-5, and A-
6. (#A-2: Resolution No. 2023-015) (#A-4: Ordinance Nos. 663 and
664)
Motion passed 5:0 by a roll-call vote.
Page 7 of 205
ITEM NUMBER: A-1
DATE: 04/25/23
3. General Plan & Housing Element Annual Progress Report 2022
▪ Fiscal Impact: None.
▪ Recommendation: Council review and accept the Annual General Plan and
Housing Element Progress Reports for 2022. [Community Development]
Mayor Pro Tem Funk made brief comment on the item regarding affordable housing units.
MOTION: By Council Member Bourbeau and seconded by Council Member
Newsom to review and accept the General Plan and Housing
Element Progress Reports for 2022.
Motion passed 5:0 by a roll-call vote.
UPDATES FROM THE CITY MANAGER:
City Manager Rickard gave an update on projects and events within the City.
1. Marketing Update
Deputy City Manager Banish gave an update on marketing efforts in the City and answered
questions from the Council.
PUBLIC COMMENT:
The following citizens spoke on this item: Geoff Auslen
Mayor Moreno closed the Public Comment period.
COMMUNITY FORUM:
The following persons spoke in-person, by telephone or through the webinar: Dave Dutcher,
Geoff Auslen, and Austin Solheim
B. PUBLIC HEARINGS: None
C. MANAGEMENT REPORTS:
1. Comprehensive Financial Strategy
▪ Fiscal Impact: None.
▪ Recommendation: Council review and file the Comprehensive Financial
Strategy. [Administrative Services]
Administrative Services Director Rangel gave the report and answered questions from the
Council.
PUBLIC COMMENT:
The following citizens spoke on this item: None
Mayor Moreno closed the Public Comment period. Page 8 of 205
ITEM NUMBER: A-1
DATE: 04/25/23
The Comprehensive Financial Report was reviewed and filed.
D. COUNCIL ANNOUNCEMENTS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS:
The following Council Members gave brief update reports on their committees since their
last Council meeting:
Mayor Pro Tem Funk
1. Atascadero Basin Ground Water Sustainability Agency (GSA)
2. Design Review Committee
3. Homeless Services Oversight Council
Council Member Bourbeau
1. Integrated Waste Management Authority (IWMA)
2. SLO County Water Resources Advisory Committee (WRAC)
Council Member Dariz
1. Air Pollution Control District
3. Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo (CAPSLO)
Council Member Newsom
1. City of Atascadero Finance Committee
E. INDIVIDUAL DETERMINATION AND / OR ACTION:
1. City Council
a. Council Member Bourbeau will ask Council to discuss and provide
feedback regarding Integrated Waste Management Authority’s (IWMA)
upcoming consideration of the County’s request to rejoin IWMA.
Council Member Bourbeau briefed the City Council on the IWMA’s upcoming consideration
of the County’s request to rejoin IWMA and answered questions from the Council.
PUBLIC COMMENT:
The following citizens spoke on this item: Geoff Auslen
Mayor Moreno closed the Public Comment period.
Following discussion, the City Council provided feedback to Council Member Bourbeau
regarding the County’s request to rejoin IWMA.
F. ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Moreno adjourned the meeting at 8:11 p.m.
MINUTES PREPARED BY:
______________________________________
Lara K. Christensen
City Clerk
APPROVED:
Page 9 of 205
ITEM NUMBER: A-2
DATE: 04/25/23
Page 10 of 205
Check
Number
Check
Date Vendor Description Amount
City of Atascadero
Disbursement Listing
For the Month of March 2023
4689 03/02/2023 ANTHEM BLUE CROSS HSA 9,605.16Payroll Vendor Payment
173804 03/02/2023 WEX BANK - 76 UNIVERSL 12,524.25Accounts Payable Check
173805 03/02/2023 WEX BANK - WEX FLEET UNIVERSAL 9,404.31Accounts Payable Check
173806 03/02/2023 ATASCADERO MID MGRS ORG UNION 40.00Payroll Vendor Payment
173807 03/02/2023 ATASCADERO POLICE OFFICERS 2,199.75Payroll Vendor Payment
173808 03/02/2023 ATASCADERO PROF. FIREFIGHTERS 1,151.80Payroll Vendor Payment
173809 03/02/2023 CA FIREFIGHTERS BENEFIT TRUST 1,800.00Payroll Vendor Payment
173810 03/02/2023 EMPOWER RETIREMENT, LLC 7,753.88Payroll Vendor Payment
173811 03/02/2023 MISSIONSQUARE 8,587.92Payroll Vendor Payment
173812 03/02/2023 NATIONWIDE RETIREMENT SOLUTION 570.85Payroll Vendor Payment
173813 03/02/2023 NAVIA BENEFIT SOLUTIONS 1,488.86Payroll Vendor Payment
4691 03/03/2023 CALIF PUBLIC EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT SYSTEM 20,797.43Payroll Vendor Payment
4692 03/03/2023 CALIF PUBLIC EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT SYSTEM 33,214.08Payroll Vendor Payment
4693 03/03/2023 CALIF PUBLIC EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT SYSTEM 2,252.59Payroll Vendor Payment
4694 03/03/2023 CALIF PUBLIC EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT SYSTEM 2,333.00Payroll Vendor Payment
4695 03/03/2023 CALIF PUBLIC EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT SYSTEM 5,062.28Payroll Vendor Payment
4696 03/03/2023 CALIF PUBLIC EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT SYSTEM 8,830.62Payroll Vendor Payment
4697 03/03/2023 CALIF PUBLIC EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT SYSTEM 13,133.52Payroll Vendor Payment
4698 03/03/2023 CALIF PUBLIC EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT SYSTEM 20,171.93Payroll Vendor Payment
173814 03/06/2023 ANTHEM BLUE CROSS HEALTH 208,135.79Payroll Vendor Payment
173815 03/06/2023 BENEFIT COORDINATORS CORP 9,493.80Payroll Vendor Payment
173816 03/06/2023 FIDELITY SECURITY LIFE INS CO 1,823.31Payroll Vendor Payment
173817 03/06/2023 LINCOLN NATIONAL LIFE INS CO 2,030.88Payroll Vendor Payment
4699 03/07/2023 RABOBANK, N.A. 61,504.16Payroll Vendor Payment
4700 03/07/2023 EMPLOYMENT DEV DEPARTMENT 18,487.77Payroll Vendor Payment
4701 03/07/2023 EMPLOYMENT DEV. DEPARTMENT 2,484.18Payroll Vendor Payment
4705 03/07/2023 SEIU LOCAL 620 877.36Payroll Vendor Payment
173818 03/10/2023 13 STARS MEDIA 1,555.46Accounts Payable Check
173819 03/10/2023 A & R CONSTRUCTION 5,651.00Accounts Payable Check
173820 03/10/2023 AGP VIDEO, INC. 2,350.00Accounts Payable Check
173821 03/10/2023 ALLIANT INSURANCE SERVICES INC 335.00Accounts Payable Check
173822 03/10/2023 AMERICAN WEST TIRE & AUTO INC 3,688.48Accounts Payable Check
173823 03/10/2023 APPLIED TECHNOLOGY GROUP, INC. 1,780.63Accounts Payable Check
173824 03/10/2023 AT&T 708.30Accounts Payable Check
173825 03/10/2023 AT&T 380.59Accounts Payable Check
173826 03/10/2023 AT&T 137.19Accounts Payable Check
173827 03/10/2023 ATASCADERO HAY & FEED 1,143.29Accounts Payable Check
173828 03/10/2023 ATASCADERO MUTUAL WATER CO. 7,573.79Accounts Payable Check
173830 03/10/2023 ATASCADERO MUTUAL WATER CO. 4,335.40Accounts Payable Check
173831 03/10/2023 ATHLETIC STUFF 5,893.98Accounts Payable Check
173832 03/10/2023 AVILA TRAFFIC SAFETY 1,735.00Accounts Payable Check
173833 03/10/2023 BASSETT'S CRICKET RANCH,INC. 448.22Accounts Payable Check
173834 03/10/2023 BATTERY SYSTEMS, INC. 166.77Accounts Payable Check
ITEM NUMBER: A-2
DATE: 04/25/23
ATTACHMENT: 1
Page 11 of 205
Check
Number
Check
Date Vendor Description Amount
City of Atascadero
Disbursement Listing
For the Month of March 2023
173835 03/10/2023 BAY AREA DRIVING SCHOOL, INC. 34.99Accounts Payable Check
173836 03/10/2023 KEITH R. BERGHER 551.25Accounts Payable Check
173837 03/10/2023 BERRY MAN, INC. 606.55Accounts Payable Check
173838 03/10/2023 KABELO E. BLAIS 51.00Accounts Payable Check
173839 03/10/2023 BRENDLER JANITORIAL SERVICE 1,200.00Accounts Payable Check
173840 03/10/2023 BREZDEN PEST CONTROL, INC. 70.00Accounts Payable Check
173841 03/10/2023 BURKE,WILLIAMS, & SORENSON LLP 31,148.50Accounts Payable Check
173842 03/10/2023 CA ASSC.OF CODE ENF. OFFICERS 500.00Accounts Payable Check
173843 03/10/2023 CARBON HEALTH MED GROUP OF CA 80.00Accounts Payable Check
173844 03/10/2023 KRYSTAL CARLON 307.86Accounts Payable Check
173845 03/10/2023 CARQUEST OF ATASCADERO 73.40Accounts Payable Check
173846 03/10/2023 CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS 6,460.22Accounts Payable Check
173847 03/10/2023 LARA CHRISTENSEN 489.45Accounts Payable Check
173848 03/10/2023 CITY OF ATASCADERO 1,525.00Accounts Payable Check
173849 03/10/2023 CLEVER CONCEPTS, INC. 187.95Accounts Payable Check
173850 03/10/2023 COAST ELECTRONICS 4,161.55Accounts Payable Check
173851 03/10/2023 AUDREY S. COHEN 144.00Accounts Payable Check
173852 03/10/2023 COLE FARMS, INC. 6,987.37Accounts Payable Check
173853 03/10/2023 CONSOR NORTH AMERICA, INC. 17,791.92Accounts Payable Check
173854 03/10/2023 SHARON J. DAVIS 182.00Accounts Payable Check
173855 03/10/2023 CHRISTOPHER DEATON 100.00Accounts Payable Check
173856 03/10/2023 NICHOLAS DEBAR 300.00Accounts Payable Check
173857 03/10/2023 JOE DEBRUIN, PH.D. 360.00Accounts Payable Check
173858 03/10/2023 HYRUM C. DEL CASTILLO 235.80Accounts Payable Check
173859 03/10/2023 DOOMSDAY SKATE, LLC 543.00Accounts Payable Check
173860 03/10/2023 PHILIP DUNSMORE 300.00Accounts Payable Check
173861 03/10/2023 ELECTRICRAFT, INC. 530.54Accounts Payable Check
173862 03/10/2023 STEVEN J. ERNST 119.00Accounts Payable Check
173863 03/10/2023 ETHAN J. FANNING 127.00Accounts Payable Check
173864 03/10/2023 FARM SUPPLY COMPANY 1,129.24Accounts Payable Check
173865 03/10/2023 FGL ENVIRONMENTAL 186.00Accounts Payable Check
173866 03/10/2023 TIMOTHY K. FOSTER 144.00Accounts Payable Check
173867 03/10/2023 GAS COMPANY 3,778.91Accounts Payable Check
173868 03/10/2023 LANCE GRIFFIN 241.94Accounts Payable Check
173869 03/10/2023 HART IMPRESSIONS PRINTING 250.13Accounts Payable Check
173870 03/10/2023 KELLIE K. HART 570.50Accounts Payable Check
173871 03/10/2023 BRETT HILDEBRAND 379.00Accounts Payable Check
173872 03/10/2023 HOT FOCUS, INC. 180.00Accounts Payable Check
173873 03/10/2023 RACHEL HUNTER 104.00Accounts Payable Check
173874 03/10/2023 JIFFY LUBE 67.06Accounts Payable Check
173875 03/10/2023 JK'S UNLIMITED, INC. 7,230.01Accounts Payable Check
173876 03/10/2023 JUSTIN KAMP 199.46Accounts Payable Check
173877 03/10/2023 KNECHT'S PLUMBING & HEATING 12,916.92Accounts Payable Check
ITEM NUMBER: A-2
DATE: 04/25/23
ATTACHMENT: 1
Page 12 of 205
Check
Number
Check
Date Vendor Description Amount
City of Atascadero
Disbursement Listing
For the Month of March 2023
173878 03/10/2023 LAURA AND ARJUN KURPAD 2,556.98Accounts Payable Check
173879 03/10/2023 COLETTE LAYTON 379.00Accounts Payable Check
173880 03/10/2023 LEAGUE OF CALIFORNIA CITIES 500.00Accounts Payable Check
173881 03/10/2023 LIN LI 180.00Accounts Payable Check
173882 03/10/2023 LIFE ASSIST, INC. 1,401.40Accounts Payable Check
173883 03/10/2023 MARK'S TIRE SERVICE 195.97Accounts Payable Check
173884 03/10/2023 MCCLATCHY SHARED SERVICES, LLC 2,500.00Accounts Payable Check
173885 03/10/2023 MICHAEL FREDERICK PAVING,INC. 176,258.42Accounts Payable Check
173886 03/10/2023 MICHAEL K. NUNLEY & ASSC, INC. 52,929.10Accounts Payable Check
173887 03/10/2023 MID-COAST MOWER & SAW, INC. 48.45Accounts Payable Check
173888 03/10/2023 MIG 86,558.47Accounts Payable Check
173889 03/10/2023 MINER'S ACE HARDWARE 309.83Accounts Payable Check
173890 03/10/2023 MISSION UNIFORM SERVICE 113.04Accounts Payable Check
173891 03/10/2023 MP ANNEX, LLC 5,920.13Accounts Payable Check
173892 03/10/2023 MV TRANSPORTATION, INC. 11,521.56Accounts Payable Check
173893 03/10/2023 MARC NOBRIGA 50.00Accounts Payable Check
173894 03/10/2023 NORTH CO SEPTIC SERVICE, INC. 900.00Accounts Payable Check
173895 03/10/2023 NUTRIEN AG SOLUTIONS, INC. 2,164.90Accounts Payable Check
173896 03/10/2023 ODP BUSINESS SOLUTIONS, LLC 64.34Accounts Payable Check
173897 03/10/2023 ON DUTY HEALTH, PLLC 3,750.00Accounts Payable Check
173898 03/10/2023 OROZCO ROOFING 2,850.00Accounts Payable Check
173901 03/10/2023 PACIFIC GAS AND ELECTRIC 69,187.74Accounts Payable Check
173902 03/10/2023 PACIFIC OVERHEAD DOOR SERVICE 666.45Accounts Payable Check
173903 03/10/2023 PASO ROBLES FORD LINCOLN MERC 680.00Accounts Payable Check
173904 03/10/2023 PASO ROBLES SAFE & LOCK, INC. 340.07Accounts Payable Check
173905 03/10/2023 PEAKWIFI, LLC 650.00Accounts Payable Check
173906 03/10/2023 PERRY'S PARCEL & GIFT 150.00Accounts Payable Check
173907 03/10/2023 PROCARE JANITORIAL SUPPLY,INC. 449.42Accounts Payable Check
173908 03/10/2023 MCKENZIE R. PULLEN 144.00Accounts Payable Check
173909 03/10/2023 RAINSCAPE, A LANDSCAPE SVC CO. 350.00Accounts Payable Check
173910 03/10/2023 RAMINHA CONSTRUCTION, INC. 55,564.05Accounts Payable Check
173911 03/10/2023 JERI RANGEL 300.00Accounts Payable Check
173912 03/10/2023 RACHELLE RICKARD 300.00Accounts Payable Check
173913 03/10/2023 BRIAN S. RICKS 416.00Accounts Payable Check
173914 03/10/2023 ROB DAVIS CONSTRUCTION 15,800.00Accounts Payable Check
173915 03/10/2023 RODMAN REPAIR & FABRICATION 330.00Accounts Payable Check
173916 03/10/2023 ISAIAH D. RODRIGUEZ 204.00Accounts Payable Check
173917 03/10/2023 SAFARI LTD. 589.36Accounts Payable Check
173918 03/10/2023 SAM'S TREE 805, INC. 29,150.00Accounts Payable Check
173919 03/10/2023 SANTA MARIA TIRE, INC. 2,040.72Accounts Payable Check
173920 03/10/2023 SCHINDLER ELEVATOR CORP 473.37Accounts Payable Check
173921 03/10/2023 SITEONE LANDSCAPE SUPPLY, LLC 218.00Accounts Payable Check
173922 03/10/2023 SLO COUNTY HEALTH AGENCY 109,732.00Accounts Payable Check
ITEM NUMBER: A-2
DATE: 04/25/23
ATTACHMENT: 1
Page 13 of 205
Check
Number
Check
Date Vendor Description Amount
City of Atascadero
Disbursement Listing
For the Month of March 2023
173923 03/10/2023 SLO COUNTY HEALTH AGENCY 92,013.50Accounts Payable Check
173924 03/10/2023 OWEN T. SMITH 128.00Accounts Payable Check
173925 03/10/2023 SOUZA CONSTRUCTION, INC. 72,776.17Accounts Payable Check
173926 03/10/2023 SPEAKWRITE, LLC. 70.85Accounts Payable Check
173927 03/10/2023 SPECIALIZED EQUIPMENT REPAIR 396.59Accounts Payable Check
173928 03/10/2023 SPECIALTY CONSTRUCTION, INC. 1,967.15Accounts Payable Check
173929 03/10/2023 JENNIFER L. SPOTTEN 441.60Accounts Payable Check
173930 03/10/2023 STANLEY CONVERGENT SECURITY 304.71Accounts Payable Check
173931 03/10/2023 STAPLES CREDIT PLAN 414.84Accounts Payable Check
173932 03/10/2023 STATE WATER RES CONTROL BOARD 600.00Accounts Payable Check
173933 03/10/2023 DANE J. STOVER 144.00Accounts Payable Check
173934 03/10/2023 SUNLIGHT JANITORIAL, INC. 1,650.00Accounts Payable Check
173935 03/10/2023 MADELINE M. TAYLOR 259.20Accounts Payable Check
173936 03/10/2023 TESCO CONTROLS, INC. 1,773.71Accounts Payable Check
173937 03/10/2023 KARL O. TOERGE 243.00Accounts Payable Check
173938 03/10/2023 SKYLER E. TUCKER 160.00Accounts Payable Check
173939 03/10/2023 U.S. BANK 3,155.00Accounts Payable Check
173940 03/10/2023 U.S. POSTAL SERVICE 3,000.00Accounts Payable Check
173941 03/10/2023 UNITED RENTALS (NORTH AM), INC 13,645.87Accounts Payable Check
173942 03/10/2023 VERIZON WIRELESS 3,799.35Accounts Payable Check
173943 03/10/2023 VINO VICE, INC. 645.00Accounts Payable Check
173944 03/10/2023 VITAL RECORDS CONTROL 184.09Accounts Payable Check
173945 03/10/2023 WALLACE GROUP 59,625.54Accounts Payable Check
173946 03/10/2023 KAREN B. WYKE 786.60Accounts Payable Check
173947 03/10/2023 ZOOM IMAGING SOLUTIONS, INC. 986.91Accounts Payable Check
4702 03/14/2023 BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON 341,431.25Accounts Payable Check
4703 03/16/2023 ANTHEM BLUE CROSS HSA 9,703.23Payroll Vendor Payment
173948 03/16/2023 ATASCADERO MID MGRS ORG UNION 20.00Payroll Vendor Payment
173949 03/16/2023 ATASCADERO POLICE OFFICERS 2,199.75Payroll Vendor Payment
173950 03/16/2023 ATASCADERO PROF. FIREFIGHTERS 1,151.80Payroll Vendor Payment
173951 03/16/2023 CA FIREFIGHTERS BENEFIT TRUST 1,800.00Payroll Vendor Payment
173952 03/16/2023 EMPOWER RETIREMENT, LLC 7,819.87Payroll Vendor Payment
173953 03/16/2023 MISSIONSQUARE 8,584.40Payroll Vendor Payment
173954 03/16/2023 NATIONWIDE RETIREMENT SOLUTION 529.12Payroll Vendor Payment
173955 03/16/2023 NAVIA BENEFIT SOLUTIONS 4,701.46Payroll Vendor Payment
4704 03/17/2023 SEIU LOCAL 620 918.30Payroll Vendor Payment
4706 03/17/2023 CALIF PUBLIC EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT SYSTEM 20,797.43Payroll Vendor Payment
4707 03/17/2023 CALIF PUBLIC EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT SYSTEM 33,976.94Payroll Vendor Payment
4708 03/17/2023 CALIF PUBLIC EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT SYSTEM 2,398.37Payroll Vendor Payment
4709 03/17/2023 CALIF PUBLIC EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT SYSTEM 2,333.00Payroll Vendor Payment
4710 03/17/2023 CALIF PUBLIC EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT SYSTEM 5,062.28Payroll Vendor Payment
4711 03/17/2023 CALIF PUBLIC EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT SYSTEM 9,085.28Payroll Vendor Payment
4712 03/17/2023 CALIF PUBLIC EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT SYSTEM 13,695.25Payroll Vendor Payment
ITEM NUMBER: A-2
DATE: 04/25/23
ATTACHMENT: 1
Page 14 of 205
Check
Number
Check
Date Vendor Description Amount
City of Atascadero
Disbursement Listing
For the Month of March 2023
4713 03/17/2023 CALIF PUBLIC EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT SYSTEM 20,831.56Payroll Vendor Payment
4714 03/21/2023 RABOBANK, N.A. 63,530.22Payroll Vendor Payment
4715 03/21/2023 EMPLOYMENT DEV DEPARTMENT 19,255.55Payroll Vendor Payment
4716 03/21/2023 EMPLOYMENT DEV. DEPARTMENT 2,552.07Payroll Vendor Payment
173956 03/24/2023 13 STARS MEDIA 2,445.72Accounts Payable Check
173957 03/24/2023 2 MEXICANS, LLC 2,655.00Accounts Payable Check
173958 03/24/2023 A & F SOUVENIR 553.06Accounts Payable Check
173959 03/24/2023 A SUPERIOR CRANE, LLC 660.00Accounts Payable Check
173960 03/24/2023 AK & COMPANY 1,750.00Accounts Payable Check
173961 03/24/2023 ALL SIGNS AND GRAPHICS, INC. 400.20Accounts Payable Check
173962 03/24/2023 ALLIANT INSURANCE SERVICES INC 185.00Accounts Payable Check
173963 03/24/2023 ALPHA ELECTRIC SERVICE 187.50Accounts Payable Check
173964 03/24/2023 AMERICAN WEST TIRE & AUTO INC 2,950.41Accounts Payable Check
173965 03/24/2023 APPLIED TECHNOLOGY GROUP, INC. 13,491.70Accounts Payable Check
173966 03/24/2023 ASSC. OF ZOOS & AQUARIUMS 100.00Accounts Payable Check
173968 03/24/2023 AT&T 955.44Accounts Payable Check
173969 03/24/2023 AT&T 683.22Accounts Payable Check
173970 03/24/2023 ATASCADERO HAY & FEED 554.44Accounts Payable Check
173971 03/24/2023 AVILA TRAFFIC SAFETY 1,373.85Accounts Payable Check
173972 03/24/2023 BASSETT'S CRICKET RANCH,INC. 658.23Accounts Payable Check
173973 03/24/2023 BATTERY SYSTEMS, INC. 140.03Accounts Payable Check
173974 03/24/2023 BELLA VISTA INVESTIGATIVE SERV 4,700.00Accounts Payable Check
173975 03/24/2023 BERRY MAN, INC. 1,045.50Accounts Payable Check
173976 03/24/2023 BORJON AUTO CENTER 39,808.06Accounts Payable Check
173977 03/24/2023 BOUND TREE MEDICAL, LLC 219.48Accounts Payable Check
173978 03/24/2023 BREZDEN PEST CONTROL, INC. 183.00Accounts Payable Check
173979 03/24/2023 AIDEN J. CAPOZZOLI 384.00Accounts Payable Check
173980 03/24/2023 SOPHIA N. CAPOZZOLI 176.00Accounts Payable Check
173981 03/24/2023 KRYSTAL CARLON 328.81Accounts Payable Check
173982 03/24/2023 CARQUEST OF ATASCADERO 430.04Accounts Payable Check
173983 03/24/2023 CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS 227.30Accounts Payable Check
173984 03/24/2023 COBAN TECHNOLOGIES, INC. 14,860.91Accounts Payable Check
173985 03/24/2023 VINCENT CORCORAN 204.00Accounts Payable Check
173986 03/24/2023 CRYSTAL SPRINGS WATER 20.00Accounts Payable Check
173987 03/24/2023 CUESTA POLYGRAPH & INVEST. LLC 550.00Accounts Payable Check
173988 03/24/2023 CULLIGAN SANTA MARIA 430.04Accounts Payable Check
173989 03/24/2023 DARRYL'S LOCK AND SAFE 221.85Accounts Payable Check
173990 03/24/2023 PATRICIA DEIRMENJIAN 109.05Accounts Payable Check
173991 03/24/2023 DELTA LIQUID ENERGY 2,068.79Accounts Payable Check
173992 03/24/2023 DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE 561.00Accounts Payable Check
173993 03/24/2023 DESTINATION TRAVEL NETWORK 100.00Accounts Payable Check
173994 03/24/2023 EL CAMINO VETERINARY HOSP 102.45Accounts Payable Check
173995 03/24/2023 EMERGENCY VEHICLE SPECIALISTS 15,291.83Accounts Payable Check
ITEM NUMBER: A-2
DATE: 04/25/23
ATTACHMENT: 1
Page 15 of 205
Check
Number
Check
Date Vendor Description Amount
City of Atascadero
Disbursement Listing
For the Month of March 2023
173996 03/24/2023 ETHAN J. FANNING 68.00Accounts Payable Check
173997 03/24/2023 FENCE FACTORY ATASCADERO 800.00Accounts Payable Check
173998 03/24/2023 FERRELL'S AUTO REPAIR 1,667.31Accounts Payable Check
173999 03/24/2023 FGL ENVIRONMENTAL 639.00Accounts Payable Check
174000 03/24/2023 TIMOTHY K. FOSTER 96.00Accounts Payable Check
174001 03/24/2023 GAS COMPANY 3,767.94Accounts Payable Check
174002 03/24/2023 ELIAS E. GONZALES 234.00Accounts Payable Check
174003 03/24/2023 HANSEN BRO'S CUSTOM FARMING 14,960.00Accounts Payable Check
174004 03/24/2023 HIGH COUNTRY OUTDOOR, INC. 450.00Accounts Payable Check
174006 03/24/2023 HOME DEPOT CREDIT SERVICES 5,198.05Accounts Payable Check
174007 03/24/2023 J. CARROLL CORPORATION 484.32Accounts Payable Check
174008 03/24/2023 BEN JABSON 215.87Accounts Payable Check
174009 03/24/2023 JEFF'S AUTO WORKS 236.50Accounts Payable Check
174010 03/24/2023 KMIT SOLUTIONS 3,315.00Accounts Payable Check
174011 03/24/2023 KPRL 1230 AM 320.00Accounts Payable Check
174012 03/24/2023 L.N. CURTIS & SONS 7,323.27Accounts Payable Check
174013 03/24/2023 LANTERN PRESS 311.26Accounts Payable Check
174014 03/24/2023 LEE WILSON ELECTRIC CO. INC 775.04Accounts Payable Check
174015 03/24/2023 JULIO LEYVA 1,500.00Accounts Payable Check
174016 03/24/2023 CRAIG C. LOWRIE 104.00Accounts Payable Check
174017 03/24/2023 MARBORG INDUSTRIES 419.63Accounts Payable Check
174018 03/24/2023 MARK43, INC. 26,538.80Accounts Payable Check
174019 03/24/2023 MCMASTER-CARR SUPPLY CO. 133.76Accounts Payable Check
174020 03/24/2023 SAMUEL HENRY MCMILLAN, JR. 130.00Accounts Payable Check
174021 03/24/2023 MIG 6,552.50Accounts Payable Check
174022 03/24/2023 NICK MILLER 1,550.00Accounts Payable Check
174023 03/24/2023 MINER'S ACE HARDWARE 496.84Accounts Payable Check
174025 03/24/2023 MISSION UNIFORM SERVICE 863.62Accounts Payable Check
174026 03/24/2023 MP ANNEX, LLC 35,424.00Accounts Payable Check
174027 03/24/2023 MUNICIPAL MAINT EQUIPMENT, INC 1,702.54Accounts Payable Check
174028 03/24/2023 NATIONAL AUTO FLEET GROUP 48,131.15Accounts Payable Check
174029 03/24/2023 NEW TIMES 419.00Accounts Payable Check
174030 03/24/2023 NORTH COAST ENGINEERING INC. 2,062.50Accounts Payable Check
174031 03/24/2023 ODP BUSINESS SOLUTIONS, LLC 657.89Accounts Payable Check
174032 03/24/2023 PHILLIPS INTERNATIONAL, INC. 700.80Accounts Payable Check
174033 03/24/2023 THE PIN CENTER 389.50Accounts Payable Check
174034 03/24/2023 PROCARE JANITORIAL SUPPLY,INC. 981.68Accounts Payable Check
174035 03/24/2023 RAINSCAPE, A LANDSCAPE SVC CO. 8,895.00Accounts Payable Check
174036 03/24/2023 RAMINHA CONSTRUCTION, INC. 62,723.61Accounts Payable Check
174037 03/24/2023 READYREFRESH BY NESTLE 241.27Accounts Payable Check
174038 03/24/2023 RECOGNITION WORKS 355.62Accounts Payable Check
174039 03/24/2023 RICK ENGINEERING COMPANY 7,730.95Accounts Payable Check
174040 03/24/2023 BRIAN S. RICKS 548.00Accounts Payable Check
ITEM NUMBER: A-2
DATE: 04/25/23
ATTACHMENT: 1
Page 16 of 205
Check
Number
Check
Date Vendor Description Amount
City of Atascadero
Disbursement Listing
For the Month of March 2023
174041 03/24/2023 ROLSON MUSIC & SOUND 1,350.00Accounts Payable Check
174042 03/24/2023 SAN LUIS POWERHOUSE, INC. 555.00Accounts Payable Check
174043 03/24/2023 SCHINDLER ELEVATOR CORP 1,030.70Accounts Payable Check
174044 03/24/2023 KYLA SKINNER 327.34Accounts Payable Check
174045 03/24/2023 SLO COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE 3,951.20Accounts Payable Check
174046 03/24/2023 OWEN T. SMITH 80.00Accounts Payable Check
174047 03/24/2023 SOUTH COAST EMERGENCY VEH SVC 692.59Accounts Payable Check
174048 03/24/2023 CONNER M. SPEARS 4,440.00Accounts Payable Check
174049 03/24/2023 SPECIALIZED EQUIPMENT REPAIR 2,613.68Accounts Payable Check
174050 03/24/2023 SPECIALIZED UTILITY SERVICES 7,625.00Accounts Payable Check
174051 03/24/2023 STANLEY CONVERGENT SECURITY 476.04Accounts Payable Check
174052 03/24/2023 DANE J. STOVER 80.00Accounts Payable Check
174053 03/24/2023 STRYKER SALES CORPORATION 6,590.46Accounts Payable Check
174054 03/24/2023 SUNBELT RENTALS, INC. 1,535.77Accounts Payable Check
174055 03/24/2023 TARGET SOLUTIONS LEARNING, LLC 15.56Accounts Payable Check
174056 03/24/2023 TEMPLETON UNIFORMS, LLC 1,664.48Accounts Payable Check
174057 03/24/2023 TESCO CONTROLS, INC. 2,589.66Accounts Payable Check
174058 03/24/2023 CHRISTOPHER DANIEL THOMAS 130.00Accounts Payable Check
174059 03/24/2023 THOMSON REUTERS - WEST 180.35Accounts Payable Check
174060 03/24/2023 T-MOBILE USA, INC. 125.00Accounts Payable Check
174061 03/24/2023 AYLA TOMAC 231.00Accounts Payable Check
174062 03/24/2023 SKYLER E. TUCKER 96.00Accounts Payable Check
174068 03/24/2023 U.S. BANK 37,040.10Accounts Payable Check
174069 03/24/2023 U.S. POSTMASTER 2,820.03Accounts Payable Check
174070 03/24/2023 UNIVAR SOLUTIONS USA, INC. 7,018.56Accounts Payable Check
174071 03/24/2023 USA BLUE BOOK 626.69Accounts Payable Check
174072 03/24/2023 JEFFREY VALDES 370.00Accounts Payable Check
174073 03/24/2023 RENE VASQUEZ 111.46Accounts Payable Check
174074 03/24/2023 VERDIN 20,509.32Accounts Payable Check
174075 03/24/2023 VERIZON WIRELESS 63.10Accounts Payable Check
174076 03/24/2023 VINO VICE, INC. 236.50Accounts Payable Check
174077 03/24/2023 VITAL RECORDS CONTROL 184.09Accounts Payable Check
174078 03/24/2023 WALLACE GROUP 10,797.50Accounts Payable Check
174079 03/24/2023 WEST COAST AUTO & TOWING, INC. 505.00Accounts Payable Check
174080 03/24/2023 CHRISTINE S. WRIGHT 500.00Accounts Payable Check
174081 03/24/2023 XO PANDORA 200.00Accounts Payable Check
4717 03/30/2023 ANTHEM BLUE CROSS HSA 9,703.23Payroll Vendor Payment
174082 03/30/2023 ATASCADERO PROF. FIREFIGHTERS 1,151.80Payroll Vendor Payment
174083 03/30/2023 CA FIREFIGHTERS BENEFIT TRUST 1,800.00Payroll Vendor Payment
174084 03/30/2023 EMPOWER RETIREMENT, LLC 7,785.28Payroll Vendor Payment
174085 03/30/2023 MISSIONSQUARE 7,842.04Payroll Vendor Payment
174086 03/30/2023 NATIONWIDE RETIREMENT SOLUTION 669.62Payroll Vendor Payment
4718 03/31/2023 SEIU LOCAL 620 942.58Payroll Vendor Payment
ITEM NUMBER: A-2
DATE: 04/25/23
ATTACHMENT: 1
Page 17 of 205
Check
Number
Check
Date Vendor Description Amount
City of Atascadero
Disbursement Listing
For the Month of March 2023
4719 03/31/2023 CALIF PUBLIC EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT SYSTEM 20,797.43Payroll Vendor Payment
4720 03/31/2023 CALIF PUBLIC EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT SYSTEM 33,214.08Accounts Payable Check
4721 03/31/2023 CALIF PUBLIC EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT SYSTEM 2,637.03Accounts Payable Check
4722 03/31/2023 CALIF PUBLIC EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT SYSTEM 2,333.00Accounts Payable Check
4723 03/31/2023 CALIF PUBLIC EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT SYSTEM 5,062.28Accounts Payable Check
4724 03/31/2023 CALIF PUBLIC EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT SYSTEM 9,072.70Accounts Payable Check
4725 03/31/2023 CALIF PUBLIC EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT SYSTEM 13,790.10Accounts Payable Check
4726 03/31/2023 CALIF PUBLIC EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT SYSTEM 20,938.28Accounts Payable Check
$ 2,693,605.44
ITEM NUMBER: A-2
DATE: 04/25/23
ATTACHMENT: 1
Page 18 of 205
ITEM NUMBER: A-3
DATE: 04/25/23
Atascadero City Council
Staff Report - Public Works Department
Atascadero Creek Capacity Restoration Project
Analysis, Design, and Permitting Phase Award
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Council:
1. Approve a professional services contract for $276,910 with Schaaf & Wheeler
Consulting Civil Engineers to provide professional engineering services for the
Atascadero Creek Capacity Restoration Project; and
2. Approve a professional services contract amendment for $64,820 with SWCA
Environmental Consultants to provide environmental permitting services for the
Atascadero Creek Capacity Restoration Project.
DISCUSSION:
Background:
During the storm event of January 9-10, 2023, Atascadero Creek swelled from the heavy,
intense rainfall and caused creek water levels to overtop and scour the creek banks and
changed its natural channel. There was significant soil erosion that occurred from the
velocity and volume of the creek flow, which was further worsened by loss of riparian
vegetation stripped from the storm flow and obstructions in the channel. This caused
significant sediment to be deposited in the creek channel that has impacted the creek’s
ability to convey the same amount of water within the natural channel bank, causing areas
to flood that did not flood previous to the storm event. In order to limit risk to essential
City facilities and private property in the future, staff is recommending that the City pursue
an expedited mapping, modeling, and work plan to restore Atascadero Creek capacity
through the City of Atascadero. The project limits are proposed to include the vast
majority of Atascadero Creek from the confluence with the Salinas River upstream to the
State Route (SR) 41 bridge near the Three Bridges Oak Preserve Trailhead.
Page 19 of 205
ITEM NUMBER: A-3
DATE: 04/25/23
A similar topographic survey and mapping effort of this corridor was last conducted in
stages from 1990-1993. This work was completed by Volbrecht Surveys and done at an
aerial topography level. Having this aerial survey data, along with elevations generated
in 1979 with the FEMA flood mapping effort, will provide valuable historical baseline
information. Additionally, Caltrans inspects and prepares bridge inspection reports on a
biennial basis that include limited cross-section elevations from the riverbed to the bottom
of the bridge structure.
Atascadero Creek within City limits is contained within a series of 26 fee-owned legal
“Creek Reservation” parcels. The majority of these parcels are owned by the City,
including the segments from West Mall (Sycamore Road) Bridge to San Andres Road
Page 20 of 205
ITEM NUMBER: A-3
DATE: 04/25/23
Bridge, and from Curbaril Avenue to the SR 41 Three Bridges area. The remaining
segments are owned by the Atascadero Mutual Water Company (Salinas Confluence to
the UPRR Railroad Bridge), Atascadero Land Preservation Society (UPRR Railroad
Bridge to West Mall Bridge), and a series of five different private owners (San Andres
Road Bridge to Curbaril Avenue). There is also a small segment of Atascadero Creek
within Caltrans right-of-way where it crosses below State Route 101. While this survey
and analysis will include the entire corridor within City limits, locations identified for
sediment removal and capacity restoration will be limited to areas within parcels owned
by the City. It is anticipated that if there are recommended improvements located within
the boundaries of properties owned by others, those will be provided to the owners for
their information.
The City wishes to expedite this project in order to mitigate the impacts of future storms
and associated high water flows. Subsequently, the intention is to split the effort into
phases, largely due to environmental permitting requirements. The initial phase will
identify spot locations for capacity restoration at critical infrastructure, primarily bridge
crossings, which can be done under a streamlined emergency permit process. This will
be important to complete first since many of the bridge crossings have significant
sediment deposits that make them prone to overtopping. The second phase will identify
other areas within the corridor requiring sediment removal to restore capacity, but that do
not pose an immediate threat to critical infrastructure of private property. These identified
areas, along with the spot locations, will be included in a long-term Atascadero Creek
Channel Capacity Restoration Project. This project will be subject to a traditional
permitting process.
Finally, vegetative debris removal through the Atascadero Creek corridor resulting from
the January and March storm events is being managed concurrently, but as a separate
project. Provided that the work can be done largely with hand crews, vegetative debris
removal has minimal environmental permitting requirements and can proceed on a much
quicker timeline. City staff is working to coordinate the efforts of vegetative and sediment
removal within Atascadero Creek to the greatest extent possible, but does not want to
jeopardize the timeline for removal of vegetation prior to fire season by grouping that work
with sediment removal.
Analysis:
Staff initially prepared and advertised a Request for Proposal (RFP) for topographic
surveying, modeling, and design services for the restoration project from qualified consultants
on February 14, 2023, with a short deadline for submittals due on February 24, 2023.
Services in the proposal include detailed and aerial topographic survey services;
hydrologic and hydraulic modeling and analysis; preparing construction plans,
specifications, cost estimates (PS&E); and providing engineering assistance during the
bid and construction process. The initial expedited submittal deadline was too short for
interested firms to prepare a proposal, so the submittal deadline was extended to March 24,
2023.
Concurrently, staff prepared an informal Request for Proposal (RFP) for environmental
permitting support services with a submittal date of March 10.
Page 21 of 205
ITEM NUMBER: A-3
DATE: 04/25/23
Topographic Survey, Modeling, and Design Services:
Staff received two proposals from Rick Engineering Company (RICK) and Schaaf &
Wheeler Consulting Civil Engineers for the topographic survey, modeling, and design
services RFP. Proposals were individually reviewed and scored by a technical selection
committee that considered experience with similar projects, responsiveness to City
needs, experience of key personnel, and other factors. The City was fortunate to receive
excellent proposals from both firms, but the review committee agreed that Schaaf &
Wheeler submitted the proposal that best combined qualifications and value to the
project. Schaaf & Wheeler is a specialized Water Resources firm, with significant
hydraulic modeling experience and channel engineering design.
Schaaf & Wheeler provided a detailed fee estimate worksheet with their proposal for
$276,910 that included labor hours and costs, reimbursable expenses, and subconsultant
fees for the RFP work scope. Staff reviewed Schaaf & Wheeler’s work scope and fee
and determined that it is reasonable given the extensive scope of work and vast project
area. Staff is recommending the Council award a contract with Schaaf & Wheeler on a
labor plus reimbursable expenses basis for an estimated maximum fee of $276,910. This
modeling effort, along with determining short-term mitigation projects, will also provide
valuable baseline channel information for ongoing maintenance, and would be utilized to
update the FEMA 100-year floodplain maps if it is determined that effort will be of benefit
to adjacent landowners.
Environmental Permitting Support Services:
Staff received three proposals from Rincon Consultants, Inc. (Rincon), SWCA
Environmental Consultants (SWCA) and Althouse & Meade, Inc. for the environmental
permitting support services RFP. Proposals were individually reviewed by a technical
selection committee that considered experience with similar projects, understanding of
key permitting requirements, experience working with regulatory agencies, and
experience of key personnel, and other factors. The City was (again) fortunate to receive
excellent proposals from three firms, but the review committee agreed that SWCA
submitted the most qualified proposal to provide these services based upon their
combined qualifications, familiarity with the Atascadero Creek channel, and value to the
project. SWCA has extensive experience with environmental permitting on similar
projects, including with other local area agencies (most recently on a nearly identical
project with the City of San Luis Obispo) and has recently coordinated similar emergency
permits for the Atascadero Creek bank stabilization for Lift Station No. 5 and Graves
Creek abutment stabilization at Del Rio Road Bridge. Another key element that could
come to play on this project is a preliminary cultural resources survey, which SWCA (as
well as Rincon) can provide with in-house specialists. SWCA included a detailed fee
estimate worksheet for $64,820 to perform the RFP’s scope of work and compensation
will be on a labor plus reimbursable expenses basis.
SWCA will prepare surveys and assessments and apply for required environmental
permits on behalf of the City if approved by Council for this work. This also includes work
to prepare emergency permit applications for Phase 1 “Point Location Debris and
Sediment Removal” and Phase 2 “Creek Channel Capacity Restoration Plan” planned
work. Permits required to work in the creek channel include a 401 Certification from the
Regional Water Quality Control Board, a Lake and Streambed Alteration Agreement
Page 22 of 205
ITEM NUMBER: A-3
DATE: 04/25/23
(LSAA) from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and a Section 404 Permit
from the US Army Corps of Engineers. Permit fees are estimated to be around $18,000.
Schedule:
Phase 1 work to perform a topographic survey and prepare point location design plans is
expected to take three months to complete once started. Emergency permit applications
will be completed concurrently and is not expected to cause any delays to this first phase
of the project. Staff anticipates having Phase 1 bid documents ready in July 2023 with
construction work occurring in August through October 2023.
Phase 2 work will largely be controlled by the environmental permitting process.
Permitting agency review and approval typically takes at least seven to nine months, so
it is unlikely that any construction for Phase 2 work will occur before summer 2024. Staff
anticipates Phase 2 bid documents ready in spring 2024 with construction work occurring
during summer 2024.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Approving staff recommendations will result in estimated expenditures of $360,000 of
unbudgeted funds to complete the pre-construction phase of this project. The City will
include this project in the Damage Inventory submitted to FEMA and will aggressively
pursue funding from FEMA, Cal OES, City insurance, grants, and other potential disaster
assistance. Construction costs to perform the creek capacity restoration is unknown at
this time.
The following table summarizes the estimated expenditures and proposed funding
sources.
ESTIMATED EXPENDITURES
Construction Contract $ 276,910
Environmental Permitting 64,820
Regulatory Agency Permit Fees 18,270
Total Estimated Expenditures: $ 360,000
PROPOSED FUNDING
FEMA/Grants/General Fund $ 360,000
Total Proposed Funding: $ 360,000
ALTERNATIVES:
Council may elect to not award this project or to direct staff to seek other alternatives for
evaluating hydraulic capacity loss within the Atascadero Creek channel.
ATTACHMENTS:
None
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ITEM NUMBER: C-1
DATE: 04/25/23
Atascadero City Council
Staff Report – Community Development Department
North County Broadband Strategic Plan
RECOMMENDATION:
Council adopt the North County Broadband Strategic Plan.
DISCUSSION:
Project Background:
The City of Atascadero Action Plan for 2021-2023 prioritized the enhancement of
broadband internet infrastructure in our community and committed funding from California
Senate Bill 1090 (SB 1090) and the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) toward the
advancement of broadband technology. With residents continuing remote work and online
learning from home, telehealth doctor appointments, virtual meetings, and more,
Atascadero residents increasingly rely on stable, fast, reliable internet.
On May 11, 2022, the Cities of Atascadero and Paso Robles engaged in a collaborative
effort to develop a Broadband Strategic Plan and formalized a Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU). The Cities released a joint Request for Qualifications in July 2022,
and in August selected TeleworX to develop the North County Broadband Strategic Plan.
On November 4, 2022, the Cities were notified that they had successfully secured a
Broadband Local Area Technical Assistance (LATA) grant through a joint Paso Robles-
Atascadero application submitted in September to the California Public Utilities
Commission (CPUC). The Cities will be reimbursed for the full $200,000 costs of the
project through this grant.
The Strategic Plan Project was a 25-week effort, beginning in October 2022, and is now
complete. The Project included data analysis, the identification of broadband needs and
gaps in Northern San Luis Obispo County, and the creation of a strategic plan to meet
those needs. The Strategic Plan synthesizes the following components into one
comprehensive strategy:
1. An understanding of the North County's needs and preferences from data
collection and analysis including:
a. Housing data, speed testing, assets inventory, land information,
construction policies and processes, unserved and underserved areas,
utility infrastructure, and broadband plans.
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ITEM NUMBER: C-1
DATE: 04/25/23
b. An open-access Interactive Mapping tool including data, assets, and
infrastructure with layers that can be searched by query.
c. A broadband Gap Analysis.
2. A concise plan describing specific areas of focus and the next steps toward
fulfilling North County's broadband vision including:
a. A comprehensive engagement strategy that involves staff, decision-
makers, technical experts, anchor institutions, strategic parties, and
internet service providers.
b. An education packet demonstrating how to align with California’s
Broadband for All Initiative with clear actions and recommendations to
support the initiative.
c. Preferred scenarios for broadband deployment to ensure a complete and
reliable high-speed network, universal coverage and access to affordable
service regardless of demographic, and a sustainable business model for
a long-lived network operation.
d. Recommendations for policy and process improvements to facilitate
broadband deployment (such as right-of-way permitting, access to
subsidies, and digital literacy programs for vulnerable populations).
e. Templates and roadmaps for securing grant-funding opportunities within
key timeframes and parameters.
3. Public presentation of the Final Broadband Strategic Plan to the agencies’
governing Councils and Boards.
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ITEM NUMBER: C-1
DATE: 04/25/23
Project Timeline and Deliverables:
Key Findings:
Gap Analysis: To summarize the results of the gap analysis, the Speed Test Program
performed through this project showed a significant mismatch of Atascadero resident’s
broadband availability in comparison to the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) and CPUC data.
Source Underserved Unserved
FCC 1.3% 0.5%
CPUC 4% NA
Our Speed Test 72% 17%
Oct 22'
•Stakeholder outreach
•Data collection plan
•GIS plan
Nov/Dec
22'
•Data collection & Public Forums
•Survey deployment
•ISP Request for Information (RFI)
•Aggregate past work efforts
•Identify priority planning areas
Jan 23'
•Data Analysis
•Develop connectivity scenarios and operating models
•Digital divide analysis (connecting the underserved)
Feb 23'
•Strategy closeout
•Funding Sources Assessment
•Economic Impact Analysis
•ISP Engagement for Concept Proposals
Mar 23'
•Strategy Closeout
•Final Report Integration
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ITEM NUMBER: C-1
DATE: 04/25/23
The project team used the data collected from local residents to submit a challenge to
the FCC and request revision to, and consideration of, their data and mapping. A
challenge has been submitted and we await word from the FCC on any approved map
revisions. If the FCC does accept the data collected by this project to be included in the
official statewide mapping process, the City of Atascadero may be eligible for additional
funding in areas demonstrating gaps or deficiency in our fiber network.
Infrastructure: The main infrastructure assets that can be leveraged for broadband
deployment include city locations, middle mile fiber, and abandoned sewer lines.
Policy: The Broadband readiness of the City of Atascadero was evaluated by
examining various areas, identifying recommendations to improve the positioning of the
City to motivate service providers to extend their broadband infrastructure.
• The City has begun to establish efficient and transparent permitting processes to
facilitate broadband buildout and deployment.
• The City has yet to implement policies that create conditions to incentivize
broadband deployment.
• The City has defined construction standards for broadband infrastructure
construction but will need to continue to make improvements to further clarify
and/or expedite the process.
• The City has yet to maintain detailed, accurate, and available broadband and civil
infrastructure data that facilitates the planning and design phase.
Digital Inclusion: According to US Census Data, 9.6% of Atascadero households do
not have internet access. Of those surveyed, 32% say internet access is not available in
their area, and 40% of households cannot afford service.
Of those households who do have service, 35% say that their service is unreliable and
73% say that their service is very expensive.
Plan Recommendations:
Infrastructure:
• City should pursue concept proposal discussions with interested internet service
providers (ISPs) and look for mutually beneficial deployment scenarios.
• City should pursue or work with an ISP to pursue a California Advanced Services
Fund (CASF) Broadband Infrastructure Grant to aid in deployment.
• City should pursue public-private partnerships.
• City should work with private sector to reach 1G service deployment.
Digital Inclusion:
• City should pursue or work with an ISP to pursue a CASF Adoption Grant to aid
in closing the digital divide.
• City should continue to engage in regional coordination with neighboring
jurisdictions and agencies including SLOCOG and SLO County.
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ITEM NUMBER: C-1
DATE: 04/25/23
• City should encourage or work with ISPs to encourage resident enrollment in the
federal Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) financial support program.
Policies and Management:
• City should Monitor FCC and CPUC data and watch for changes to official
mapping.
• City should work on streamlining the permitting process.
• City should work on broadband policy implementation that facilitates deployment:
o Streamline, document, and publish Atascadero permitting process.
o Review permitting fees for broadband.
o Establish “microtrenching” and “dig-once” policies.
o Develop broadband construction standards.
o Establish Public GIS Platform with essential City infrastructure data.
FISCAL IMPACT:
None.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. North County Broadband Strategic Plan
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1
North County Broadband
Strategic Plan March 2023
ITEM NUMBER: C-1
DATE: 04/25/23
ATTACHMENT: 1
Page 29 of 205
North County Broadband Strategic Plan 2
Table of Contents
Table of Contents..........................................................................................................................................2
List of Figures ................................................................................................................................................4
List of Tables .................................................................................................................................................7
Executive Summary.......................................................................................................................................8
Recommendations and Next Steps...........................................................................................................9
1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................11
1.1 What is Broadband?....................................................................................................................12
1.2 Why Broadband,Why now?.......................................................................................................13
1.3 Broadband Technologies and concepts......................................................................................15
1.4 Project Scope &Approach..........................................................................................................22
2 BroadbandCommunity Profile ...........................................................................................................25
2.1 Socioeconomic and demographic profile ...................................................................................26
2.2 Broadband Availability................................................................................................................31
2.3 North County Priority Area Identification...................................................................................40
2.4 Infrastructure Assessment..........................................................................................................45
2.5 Broadband Readiness .................................................................................................................51
2.6 Key Findings and Recommendations..........................................................................................55
3 ISP Assessment and Engagement .......................................................................................................57
3.1 ISP Engagement through an RFI..................................................................................................58
3.2 Request forConcept Proposals...................................................................................................63
4 Analysis of Broadband Scenarios........................................................................................................65
4.1 Architecture Overview ................................................................................................................66
4.2 Operating Models and Network Scenarios.................................................................................66
4.3 Funding Sources Overview and Assessment...............................................................................81
4.4 Economic Impact Analysis...........................................................................................................83
5 Digital Divide Analysis .........................................................................................................................86
5.1 Digital Equity Barriers forCovered Populations .........................................................................87
5.2 Priority Area Assessment............................................................................................................91
5.3 Digital Inclusion Programs and Partners.....................................................................................92
5.4 Alignment with California Broadband for All..............................................................................95
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North County Broadband Strategic Plan 3
6 Broadband Strategy &Action Plan .....................................................................................................97
6.1 Broadband Infrastructure ...........................................................................................................99
6.2 Broadband Policies....................................................................................................................101
6.3 Digital Inclusion.........................................................................................................................102
Appendix I.Broadband Needs Assessment Survey &Results ..................................................................104
Appendix II.ISP Engagement Package......................................................................................................123
Appendix III.Public Forum Summary........................................................................................................127
Forums Scope,Objective &Participants...............................................................................................127
Key Findings ..........................................................................................................................................127
Challenges in Broadband Access,Use and Adoption............................................................................128
Closing the Digital Divide ......................................................................................................................129
Appendix IV.GIS Views.............................................................................................................................131
FCC Unserved /Underserved location clusters ....................................................................................131
Distribution on served and underserved census blocks according to CPUC ........................................135
Served Status by Census block based on speed test data ....................................................................137
Disadvantaged Communities (Socioeconomic Vulnerability Index (SEVI))...........................................139
City buildings and anchor institutions ..................................................................................................141
City conduit and dark fiber in Paso Robles ...........................................................................................145
California Middle Mile Broadband Initiative –Current Design for SLO County....................................146
Appendix V.Analysis of State and Federal Funding Programs.................................................................148
Last Mile Federal Fund Account............................................................................................................148
CASF Broadband Infrastructure Grant Account....................................................................................149
Loan Loss Reserve Fund ........................................................................................................................150
BEAD Program.......................................................................................................................................150
Acronyms ..................................................................................................................................................152
Definitions.................................................................................................................................................154
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North County Broadband Strategic Plan 4
List of Figures
Figure 1.Broadband Service Speeds Definitions........................................................................................13
Figure 2.High-level broadband network architecture...............................................................................16
Figure 3.DSL high-level architecture..........................................................................................................18
Figure 4.DOCSIS high-level architecture ....................................................................................................19
Figure 5.FTTH high-level architecture........................................................................................................20
Figure 6.FWA high-level architecture ........................................................................................................20
Figure 7.Satellite system high-level architecture.......................................................................................21
Figure 8.Project Methodology...................................................................................................................23
Figure 9.Paso Robles Qualified Opportunity Zone.....................................................................................27
Figure 10.Paso Robles Level of Education..................................................................................................28
Figure 11.Atascadero Level of Education...................................................................................................30
Figure 12.Number of wireline ISP options offering broadband service >25/3 by Census Block ..............33
Figure 13.FCC Unserved /Underserved locations by census block...........................................................35
Figure 14.Distribution on server and underservedcensus blocks according to CPUC..............................36
Figure 15.CPUC maps and FCC data comparison shows significant alignment in the identification ofunservedlocations......................................................................................................................................37
Figure 16.CPUC and FCC views discrepancies............................................................................................38
Figure 17.Served Status by Census block based on speed test data.........................................................39
Figure 18.Distribution of low-income census blocks falling under CPUC Unserved Areas........................41
Figure 19.Disadvantaged Communities (Socioeconomic Vulnerability Index (SEVI))................................42
Figure 20.Identification of unserved locations in the economic development area.................................43
Figure 21.Housing Developments..............................................................................................................44
Figure 22.Housing Developments &CPUC Unserved Areas......................................................................44
Figure 23 City buildings...............................................................................................................................46
Figure 24.Anchor Institutions.....................................................................................................................47
Figure 25.City conduit and dark fiber in Paso Robles................................................................................48
Figure 26.Nacimiento Water Pipeline........................................................................................................49
Figure 27.California Middle Mile Broadband Initiative –Current Design for SLO County.........................50
Figure 28.Abandoned Sewer Lines in Atascadero......................................................................................51
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North County Broadband Strategic Plan 5
Figure 29.Broadband Readiness Assessment Categories..........................................................................52
Figure 30.Broadband Readiness Assessment Summary............................................................................54
Figure 31.ISP Assessment and Engagement Process.................................................................................58
Figure 32.List of ISPs analyzed...................................................................................................................59
Figure 33.Operating models for broadband expansion through City involvement...................................67
Figure 34.Scenario 1 –Task Track:Light-form Public Private Partnership................................................68
Figure 35.Light-form Public-Private Partnership Operating Model...........................................................70
Figure 36.Network Scenario for the Light-Form Public-Private Partnership Model..................................70
Figure 37.Financial view for Scenario 1 –City of El Paso Robles...............................................................71
Figure 38.Financial view for Scenario 1 –City of Atascadero....................................................................71
Figure 39.Scenario 2 –Conventional:Leverage City assets to establish a middle mile dark fiber network.
....................................................................................................................................................................72
Figure 40.Conventional Operating Model:Leveraging City assets to establish a middle mile dark fiber
network.......................................................................................................................................................73
Figure 41.Network Scenario for the Middle Mile Dark Fiber Network......................................................74
Figure 42.Financial view for Scenario 2 –City of Paso Robles...................................................................74
Figure 43.Financial view for Scenario 2 –City of Atascadero....................................................................75
Figure 44.Scenario 3 –Pump Priming:Deploy a middle mile Open Access Network to improve last-mile
economics...................................................................................................................................................75
Figure 45.Middle Mile Open Access Network Operating Model...............................................................76
Figure 46.Financial view for Scenario 3 –City of Paso Robles...................................................................77
Figure 47.Financial view for Scenario 3 –City of Atascadero....................................................................77
Figure 48.Scenario 4 –Bold (and Risky):Own the last-mile Open Access Network..................................78
Figure 49.Last Mile Open Access Network Operating Model....................................................................79
Figure 50.Financial view for Scenario 4 –City of Paso Robles...................................................................79
Figure 51.Financial view for Scenario 4 –City of Atascadero....................................................................80
Figure 52.Broadband Scenarios Summary.................................................................................................81
Figure 53.Funding Sources Categories.......................................................................................................81
Figure 54.Grant application roadmap........................................................................................................83
Figure 55.Broadband economic impact on North County.........................................................................85
Figure 56.Digital skills in North County......................................................................................................90
Figure 57.California Broadband For All Action Plan Elements...................................................................95
Figure 58.North County High-Level Action Plan ........................................................................................99
Figure 59.Last-Mile Federal Funding Account summary.........................................................................148
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North County Broadband Strategic Plan 6
Figure 60.CASF Broadband Infrastructure Grant Account summary.......................................................149
Figure 61.Loan Loss Reserve Fund summary...........................................................................................150
Figure 62.BEAD infrastructure estimated timeline..................................................................................151
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North County Broadband Strategic Plan 7
List of Tables
Table 1. FCC’s Broadband Speed Guide......................................................................................................16
Table 2.Last-Mile Technology Comparison................................................................................................22
Table 3.ISP Service Offering in North County ............................................................................................32
Table 4.Served locations per type of ISP....................................................................................................32
Table 5.Available wireline ISPs per Census Block and served population.................................................33
Table 6.Unserved Serviceable Locations considering wireline and wireless connectivity........................34
Table 7.CPUC Unserved households..........................................................................................................36
Table 8.Speed Test Statistics......................................................................................................................39
Table 9.Vulnerable households in unserved/underserved areas by SEVI score........................................42
Table 10.ISP Service Offering Summary.....................................................................................................59
Table 11.State and Federal Funding Programs Summary..........................................................................83
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North County Broadband Strategic Plan 8
Executive Summary
In October of 2022 the Cities of Atascadero and Paso Robles (collectively “North County”) embarked on
a regional effort to assess the broadband condition of their respective communities driven by a view
that broadband is becoming the fourth utility.Determined to set a course for a broadband future,the
Cities selected TeleworX to develop this North County Broadband Strategic Plan (“the Plan”).
With State and Federal broadband funding at historic levels,the Cities took a regional approach (e.g.,
Atascadero and Paso Robles working together)to accelerate planning in the quest for enhanced
broadband infrastructure solutions.
Through community outreach,stakeholder engagement,data analysis,development and assessment of
network,business,and operating models,a comprehensive Plan was developed including:
•A comprehensive broadband needs and market analysis
•Internet Service Provider (ISP)engagement and Request for Information (RFI)assessment
•Network design to inform broadband operating model alternatives
•Assessment and recommendations for a broadband course of action for the Cities,including
public-private partnerships (PPPs)
While the methodology and analysis for this Plan is regional,recommendations are City specific.
The analysis of the broadband market in North County indicates that Paso Robles and Atascadero are
reasonably well served according to the standards set by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC).Only 1.3%of households in Paso Robles and 3.8%
in Atascadero are considered “unserved”. In contrast,the results of the Needs Assessment Survey
indicate significant dissatisfaction with current ISP service offerings with respect to cost (73%
dissatisfied),speed (25%dissatisfied),and reliability (35%dissatisfied).In short,the broadband status
quo fails to meet the expectations of the Cities and their residents.
The Cities possess attractive demographics including high income levels and population density which
are the key drivers in broadband deployment.Atascadero has a population density of more than 1,100
per square mile and Paso Robles has a density of more than 1,600 per square mile.For context,citywide
fiber networks have been or are being built in cities across the US with densities in the 1,000 households
per square mile1 range.The combination of high-income levels and density create “broadband positive”
conditions for the Cities that can support robust,modern broadband networks.
Broadband positive conditions juxtaposed against the imperative of 100%broadband availability,which
is the goal of the California Broadband for All initiative,led to an important upgrade of City objectives
during the development of this Plan.The strategic framework evolved from addressing unserved and
underserved areas to seeking and ensuring a path towards 100%availability of fiber-to-the-home (FTTH)
broadband services capable of 1000 Mbps (1 gigabit per second)symmetrical speeds2.This upgrade in
1 Kansas City,KS,Rancho Cordova City,CA,Ventura City,CA
2 Symmetrical speeds have equivalent downstream and upstream speeds and are becoming increasingly important
for video conferencing,AR/VR and other upload intensive applications such as gaming.
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Executive Summary
North County Broadband Strategic Plan 9
the Cities’ objectives is further supported by ambitious economic development plans that require best-
in-class broadband infrastructure and services.Becoming “gigabit symmetrical Cities” is a highly desired
feature needed to compete in the economic development arena.
Two other important factors that shape this strategic plan include an “expectation leveling”for
broadband funding and the need to engage with the ISPs in a “light form” private-public partnership
(PPP):
1)Broadband Funding:Municipal funding through grants is available today and additional funding is
forthcoming through the much discussed $65 billion Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act (IIJA).
That said,municipal funding from state and federal sources will be oversubscribed and largely
targeted to rural unincorporated areas and the more disadvantaged communities across California
and the US.There is a lane for North County to apply for and receive funding but not enough andnotwithsufficientprobabilitytoserveasthebasisforthisstrategicplan.
2)Light Form Private-Public Partnership (PPP):Engagement with the ISP community through an initial
Request for Information (RFI)and a subsequent request for concept proposals confirmed the abilityandwillingnessofISPstocollaboratewiththeCitiesprovidedthereisalevelofsupportandother
financial inducements.
This process points to broadband business models that favor a light-form PPP which do not requiresignificantfinancialinvestmentbytheCitiesintheformofbondsorotherfinancialmeasures.
Recommendations and Next Steps
The basis for the Strategic Plan is engagement with the ISP community,principally the incumbent ISPs
already present in North County.Significant effort has been taken to signal to the ISPs that the Cities of
Atascadero and Paso Robles are ready and willing participants in ISP-led solutions that move the Cities
closer to their objective of 100%availability of gigabit service.Importantly,thePlan complements
expanded access with digital inclusion programs to achieve digitalequity goals.Specific tasks and nextstepsareorganizedintoan18-month plan with three workstreams that are summarized below:
1.Broadband Infrastructure.Continue discussion of the ISP Concept Proposal(s)with
incumbents or with out-of-area ISPs under the model of a light-form public-private partnership
with the target to enter into andconclude negotiations leading to the ISP-led deployment of 1
Gbps broadband infrastructure across the Cities.In parallel,assess potential applications to
Infrastructure Grants.
2.Broadband Policies.Maintain an active monitoring of FCC and CPUC broadband maps and
data as a best practice for the Cities.In addition,improve the permitting processes and
supporting tools to streamline broadband permits.Implement “broadband friendly” policies
such as Dig Once,micro trenching,and conduit installation.
3.Digital Inclusion.Engage and coordinate with regional partners including libraries,school
districts,higher education,community-based organizations (CBOs),and the Broadband
Consortium of the Pacific Coast (BCPC)to support existing programs,apply for a CASF Adoption
Funding Account grant to fund devices for digital inclusion programs,and support enrollment to
the FCC Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).
The development of the Plan has positioned the Cities to initiate discussions and negotiations with ISPs
to implement a last-mile network capable of providing 100%access to gigabit symmetrical services,
enabling the community to grasp the benefits of robust and affordable high-speed broadband access,
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Executive Summary
North County Broadband Strategic Plan 10
including attraction of investments,workforce development,improved healthcare,andincreased
productivity.Furthermore,the infrastructure side is complemented with digital inclusion programs to
advance digital equity goals,ensuring alignment with the California Broadband for All Initiative.
The graphic below provides an overview of the North County Broadband Strategic Plan:
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North County Broadband Strategic Plan 11
1 Introduction
The Cities of Atascadero and Paso Robles have joined efforts to
accelerate the deployment of broadband infrastructure and services to
provide higher quality,more affordable,and more inclusive internet
coverage for businesses and residents while increasing disaster
preparedness,encouraging industry competition,reducing the digital
divide,and preparing our Cities for a Smart City vision for the future.
As part of thiseffort,the Cities of Paso Robles and Atascadero, collectively “North County” have
formalized a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)agreement to partner on the North San Luis Obispo
County Broadband Strategic Plan.
The North County Broadband Strategic Plan was launched with the main objective ofdeveloping an
actionable plan to accelerate the deployment of high-speed broadband infrastructure to provide our
communities with broadband services that meet current and future bandwidth demands focusing on
unserved and underserved areas while contributing to digital equity in the region in alignment with the
California Broadband for All initiative.
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Introduction
North County Broadband Strategic Plan 12
The objective was upgraded during the Strategic Plan development process to deployment of1 Gbps
symmetrical service across the Cities from the more general objective of broadband services in
alignment with the California Broadband for All initiative which has as its goal 100 Megabit/s (Mbps)
downstream and 20 Mbps upstream.This upgrade in the objective for the Strategic Plan occurred after apositiveassessmentofCitydemographicsandCity,coupled with the fact that if the solution is FTTH
then by any reasonable measure it should be 1 Gbps symmetrical service.The ultimate goal for this plan
based on the objective upgrade is to provide FTTH access to 100%ofthe serviceable location across the
Cities rather than the narrower unserved,underserved,and priority areas3.
The Plan is supported by a comprehensive analysis of the existing City infrastructure,current ISPs and
their offerings,and the location and extent of unserved and underserved communities which are still
key to shaping the plan and assess funding options.This analysis informs the network design scenarios
and strategies to trigger broadband infrastructure deployment in priority areas and ideally throughout
the Cities with the resulting benefits of economic development,digital inclusion,and improved quality
of life of our residents.
The development of this Strategic Plan has been funded via a Local Agency Technical Assistance (LATA)
grant4,a program operated by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)to facilitate
development of broadband network deployment projects in areas of need.
TeleworX LLC,a Virginia based telecommunications consulting firm with national and international
experience in the development of broadband strategies and networks was selected to develop this Plan
in response to Request for Proposal (RFP)/Request for quotation (RFQ)Number CD-2022-01 requested
by the Cities of Atascadero and Paso Robles.
1.1 What is Broadband?
The FCC prevailing definition of broadband,established in 2015,is internet access that provides users
with the ability to transmit data at a minimumdownload speed of 25 Megabits per second (Mbps)and a
minimum upload speed of 3 Mbps.The FCC,and other federal andstate agencies,use this definition as
a threshold to determine areas that have or don’t have acceptable broadband service and to set
national broadband deployment goals and funding priorities.
The California Broadband for All5 initiative,developed by the California Broadband Council under the
auspices of the California Department of Technology is a “roadmap to accelerate the deployment and
adoption.” Released in 2020 and reviewed annually, it establishes a goal for statewide broadband at
100/20 Mbps.
In July of 2021,Senate Bill SB-1566 was signed by Governor Newsom,and among other items,it changed
the CPUC’s definition of “served” to greater than or equal to 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload,in
alignment with the FCC definitions.Speeds falling below that standard are deemed “Unserved”.“Priority
Unserved” refers to speeds below 10 Mbps downstream and/or 1 Mbps upstream.The definition of
“Underserved” is also introduced in this document to address the state goal of speeds >100/20 Mbps
3 Priority areas refer to thoseareas where low-income and socially disadvantaged communities are located plus
areas that are keyfor economic development as defined by the Cities.
4 Local Agency Technical Assistance Grant Program (ca.gov)
5 Broadband for AllCover Letter and Action Plan 2020 (ca.gov)
6 Bill Text -SB-156 Communications:broadband.
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Introduction
North County Broadband Strategic Plan 13
and that the Last Mile Federal Funding Account7 considers eligible not only unserved areas but also
“households and businesses with an identified need for additional broadband infrastructure
investment”. Therefore, this document considers speeds equal to or higher than 25/3 Mbps but lower
than 100 /20 Mbps as “Underserved”. Figure 1 summarizes these definitions.
Figure 1.Broadband Service SpeedsDefinitions
On July 15,2022 the FCC launched a “Notice of Inquiry” that proposes to increase the
national broadband standard to 100 Mbps for download and 20 Mbps for upload.
Moreover,the Notice of Inquiry proposes to set a separate national goal of 1 Gigabit per
second (Gbps)/500 Mbps for the future.
Broadband is a moving and escalating standard.The upward direction of broadband standards is a key
factor in the decision to upgrade the objective for North County Broadband Strategic Plan to 1 Gbps
symmetrical service.
1.2 Why Broadband,Why now?
It is apparent that our lives are becomingincreasinglydigitalandinterconnected,leading totheneedforhigh-speed broadband in many daily
activities.Broadband access and adoption have far-
reaching impacts,including work,health,
education,banking,eCommerce,and many others.
It also advances economic development by
enabling online job searches,job creation,and access to the digital economy.Furthermore,broadband
can enhance government services by improving online access to the administration and thus bringing
government and public services closer to the citizens.
Another crucial aspect of broadband is public safety,as it can aid in disaster and emergency response by
ensuring early and frequent communicationduring emergency events.In addition,broadband can
contribute to sustainability by facilitating the use of smart efficient technologies that include remote
sensors,optimization of energy consumption and road traffic management,among others.Broadband
technologiesare a facilitator of the concept of Smart City,which uses broadband capacity to bring all
these capabilities together.
7 Federal Funding Account Program Rules and Guidelines
What is Broadband?
Broadband definitions are an
expression of speed measured in
bits per second.Broadband is a
moving and escalating standard.
ITEM NUMBER: C-1
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Broadband improves quality of life by providing access to entertainment through
streaming services,online games,and social media interactions.As the world continues
to shift toward a hybrid physical and virtual environment,high-speed broadband will
become increasingly necessary for individuals and communities to thrive in multiple
aspects of daily life.
•A study by Stanford University8 found that remote work leads to a 13%increase in productivity.
•A report by Global Workplace Analytics9 estimated that companies can save up to $11,000 per
year per employee by allowing them to work remotely,reducing office space requirements,
lowering utility costs,and decreasing absenteeism.
•A study conducted through searching different medical databases identified the important roleoftelehealthservicesinpreventing,diagnosing,treating,and controlling diseases during COVID-19 outbreak10.
•An article from Salesforce showed that E-government can help modernize administration
procedures,improve economies,and promote transparency in the process11.
•An article from Granicus,a provider for government online solutions,states that online
communication can increase citizen participation rates by providing flexible access to participate
and democratize community voices,bringing new opinions and options to the light of day12.
•A report from Pew Research13 showed that 70%of Americans over the age of 65 now use the
internet,and many of them use it for online shopping,eliminating the physical barriers that may
prevent them from visiting stores.
The Digital Divide
The digital divide refers to the gap between those who have access to high-speed broadband services
and those who don’t.The lack of broadband access has significant consequences for individuals and
communities,including educational and economic disadvantages,limited access to healthcare and socialandpoliticalisolation.It is therefore crucial to address this issue to achieve digital equity, “a condition in
which all individuals and communities have the information technology capacity needed for full
participation in our society,democracy,and economy”14.
The motivation for large scale federal and state funding initiatives is to close the digital divide.The most
important initiatives are summarized below:
8 Does Working from Home Work?Evidence from a Chinese Experiment |Stanford Graduate School ofBusiness
9 Telework Savings Potential -Global Workplace Analytics
10 The role of telehealth during COVID-19 outbreak:a systematic review based on current evidence -PMC (nih.gov)
11 Advantages and Obstacles of Making the Transition to E-Government -Salesforce.com
12 8 Advantages of Online Communication |Granicus
13 Share of tech users among Americans 65 and older grew in past decade |Pew Research Center
14 The Digital Equity Act of 2021
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1.The American Rescue Plan Act of 202115 includes funding for broadband
infrastructure deployment and affordable adoption,particularly in rural and low-income areas.
The American Rescue Plan Act created the Emergency Connectivity Fund16,providing $7.171
billion to reimburse schools and libraries for providing free broadband service (and connected
devices)to students and patrons at their homes.
2.The California Broadband for All Action Plan17 which ledto SB 156,aims to provide
high-speed broadband access to all Californians by 2030 through a comprehensive approach
that includes increasing infrastructure investment,streamlining permitting processes,and
promoting public-private partnerships.
3.The SB-156 initiatives18 focus on identifying and addressing broadband service gaps
through the deployment of broadband infrastructures in unserved and underserved areas of the
state,typically formed by rural and low-income communities.As part of the state’s 2021 Budget,
SB 156 (Chapter 112,Statutes of 2021)allocated a $6 billion multi-year investment to this effort.
4.The Federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA)19 provides $65 billion
in investment funding for high-speed broadband infrastructure projects.
5.The Broadband Equity,Access &Deployment (BEAD)program20 a major
component of the IIJA,provides $42.45 billion in funding to support broadband infrastructure
deployment and adoption,particularly in underserved anddisadvantaged communities.
The North County Broadband Strategic Plan establishes a strategy to improve and accelerate the state of
broadband while closing the digital divide and preparing the communities for a broadband future.
1.3 Broadband Technologies and concepts
1.3.1 Broadband Concept and Architecture
Broadband refers to telecommunications technologies that provide high-speed internet connections to
end users including households,businesses,and anchor institutions.
Broadband connectivity provides users with access to advanced digital services such as telehealth,E-
Learning,remote working,videoconferencing,interactive gaming,and pervasive video monitoring.The
FCC has defined the minimum download speeds required for adequate performance of typical online
activities21,which are displayed in Table 1.
15 American Rescue Plan |The White House
16 Emergency ConnectivityFund |Federal Communications Commission (fcc.gov)
17 Action Plan |California Broadband Council
18 State of California Middle-Mile Broadband Initiative
19 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act -IIJA
20 Broadband Equity,Access,and Deployment (BEAD)Program|BroadbandUSA (doc.gov)
21 Broadband Speed Guide |Federal Communications Commission (fcc.gov)
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Table1. FCC’s Broadband Speed Guide
Activity Minimum download speeds (Mbps)
General Browsing and Email 1
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)Calls Less than 0.5
E-learning 5 -25
Telecommuting 5 -25
File Downloading 10
Social Media 1
Streaming High Definition (HD)Video 5 -8
Streaming Ultra HD 4K Video 25
Standard Personal Video Call (e.g.,Skype)1
HD Personal Video Call (e.g.,Skype)1.5
HD Video Teleconferencing 6
It is noteworthy that the available connection bandwidth for a broadband connection is distributed
among all services that are simultaneously being utilized.Therefore,a broadband connection must have
sufficient bandwidth to accommodate a range of services at the same time.
ISPs are the companies that provide broadband connectivity to the global Internet network.To acquire
the services of an ISP,a physical link must be established between the customer premise and the ISP's
Point-of-Presence (PoP).
The broadband network is subdivided into distinct segments,each of which manages a larger number of
connections and data volumes. These segments are referred to as the “last mile/access network”,
"middle mile",and “backbone” or “first mile”. Figure 2 displays these network segments.
Figure 2.High-level broadband network architecture.
Customer Premises
A “customer premise”refers to a specific location where users access and utilize the internet.This may
include residential homes,businesses,enterprises,or community anchor institutions.Premises are also
referred to as “broadband serviceable locations”.
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The internet connection providedby the ISP is terminated at a device known as the Customer Premises
Equipment (CPE).The CPE facilitates local connections for users to access the internet,usually with a
networkcable or Wi-Fi connection.
Last Mile
The last mile segment of the network is situated in closest proximity to the customer and is responsible
for establishing connections between individual customer premises and an access node.Each access
node consolidates connections from numerous customer premises.
In comparison to other segments of the network,the last mile segment offers the lowest bandwidth.
Nonetheless,it has sufficient capacity to accommodate the bandwidth requirements of a specific
number of customers.The cost of the last mile segment can be quite significant and is subject to
variations based on the density of households in the area.
The selection of a particular technology for the implementation of the last mile segment will depend on
several factors,including bandwidth requirements,economic considerations,and geodemographic
conditions.Some of the currently available technologies for implementation of this segment include:
•Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)
•Data Over Cable Service Interface Specifications (DOCSIS)
•Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH)
•Fixed Wireless Access (FWA)
•Satellite
Middle Mile
The Middle Mile segment of the network encompasses the connections established between eachaccessnodeandanaggregationnode.The primary function of each aggregation node is to group the
connections of multipleneighborhoods or small towns.It serves as an intermediate layer between the
last mile segment which connects customer premises to access nodes and the backbone segment which
carries traffic between aggregation nodes and the internet.
Typically,fiber optic technology is used to implement the middle mile segment due to its high
bandwidth capacity.However,there are cases where deploying fiber infrastructure is not a viable option
and wireless microwave links may be utilized as a more cost-effective alternative.For example,this may
be the case when an access node is in a remote area or when the cost of fiber construction is
prohibitively expensive due to the nature of the terrain.
Backbone
The backbone segment refers to a high-capacity network that provides interconnections between
various ISP's PoPs and to local and remote data centers.The primary function of the backbone is to
aggregate traffic from several large geographic regions,such as medium to large cities or major towns.As a result,the backbone links require a much higher bandwidth capacity than middle mile links since
they transport a massive amount of data.
Given the bandwidth requirements of the backbone segment,it can only be effectively implementedusingfiberoptictechnology,which provides the necessary high-speed data transmission capacity.The
backbone segment plays a crucial role in the broadband infrastructure as it enables efficient transport of
data over long distances,facilitating the interconnection between global internet networks.
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1.3.2 Broadband Technologies
Although fiber optic technologies are widely used in the middle mile and backbone segments of
broadband networks,a variety of broadband technologies are available for implementation in the last
mile /access network segment.Thus,it is crucial to evaluate each technology and its characteristics,
such as reliability,cost,reach,and bandwidth.The following section describes the most relevant
technologies.
Digital Subscriber Line
Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)technology provides broadband services over existing telephone copper
lines.A DSL modem serves as the CPE and the access node is implemented through a DSL AccessMultiplexer(DSLAM)which is typically located at the local telephony exchange building.
DSL speeds are dependent on the distance between the customer location and the access node,with
speeds ranging from a few hundred Mbps at distances less than 300 feet to 20-30 Mbps at distancesgreaterthan0.5 miles.Longer distances,beyond several miles,may impede the use of this technology in
the last mile section of the network.
Broadband networks that use existing copper wires usually require low investment as they reuseexistinginfrastructure.However,these infrastructures are old and prone to failure,especially in long
cable runs.
Figure 3 below depicts the high-level architecture for DSL technology.
Figure 3.DSL high-levelarchitecture
Data Over Cable Service Interface Specifications
Data Over Cable Service Interface Specifications (DOCSIS)technology allows cable providers to offer
high-speed internet service to their customers over their existing coaxial cable infrastructure,which was
originally designed for delivering cableTV signals.With DOCSIS,cable providers can leverage the existing
network infrastructureto deliver internet speeds that can rival those of traditional DSL or some fiber-
optic connections.
In the DOCSIS architecture the CPE is referred to as cable modem,and the access node as the Cable
Modem Termination System (CMTS).
As in the case of twisted pairs,coaxial cables have a low cost and deployment effort since most of the
cabling infrastructure is already in place and minimum upgrades (like user equipment andintermediate
amplifiers)are required.
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DOCSIS enables data speeds up to 1 Gbps and more with a maximum distance of 5 miles and good cable
conditions.With this technology,the coaxial cable is shared with various subscribers,and so is the
bandwidth,which is distributed between the subscribers making simultaneous use of the network.
Figure 4 shows the associated architecture.
Figure 4.DOCSIS high-level architecture
Fiber-to-the Home
Fiber to the Home (FTTH)is a type of access network that employs fiber optic cables to connect many
individual subscribers to the access node.Typically,FTTH is implemented through a passive opticalnetwork(PON)where the fiber cable emerging fromthe access node is "split"to reach multiplesubscriberswhowillsharetheavailablebandwidth.The CPE in this architecture is referred to as an
Optical Network Terminal (ONT),while the access node is known as an Optical Line Terminal (OLT).
Fiber optic cables are very thin cables (the size of a human hair)made of glass that transport data in theformoflightpulses,which are immune to electric or magnetic interference.Fiber optic systems enable
bandwidths from hundreds of Mbps to hundreds or even thousands of Gbps and transmission over long
distances.Importantly,distance and speed will depend on the transmission technology being used,that
can be upgraded without modifying the fiber infrastructure.Thus,fiber installed today can achieve
higher bandwidths by upgrading the equipment,ensuring a future-proof network.
One popular FTTH standards is XGS-Passive Optical Network (PON).XGS-PON is a 10-Gigabit-capable
symmetric optical network that can deliver downstream and upstream line rates of 9.95328 Gbit/s per
OLT optical port,shared by up to 64,128,or 256 subscribers through fiber “splits”.Additionally,an XGS-
PON network supports a physical distance of up to 12.4 miles between OLT at the access node and ONTs
at customer locations.
The costs associated with fiber networks are typically the highest when they require the construction of
new infrastructure.Although the initial cost might seem high,the deployment of fiber provides robust
future-proof networks with high reliability and extremely high bandwidth.
Deployments of FTTH can achieve symmetrical connections at the customer premises of up to 1000
Mbps downlink and 1000 Mbps uplink.Moreover,FTTH can be deployed by leveraging existing civil
infrastructures such as electric poles and utility holes,which significantly reduces the capital
expenditure (CAPEX).
The high-level architecture of a FTTH access network is presented in Figure 5 below.
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Figure5.FTTH high-level architecture.
Fixed Wireless Access
Fixed Wireless Access (FWA)technology distributes broadband services to customer premises via
wireless signals.Various techniques can be utilized to implement FWA,including Time-Division MultipleAccess(TDMA),and more recently,4G and 5G technologies.FWA services are typically provided by ISP
or Mobile Network Operators (MNOs).
More recently,the FCC has reallocated the use of 3.5GHz spectrum known as Citizens Broadband RadioService(CBRS)spectrum for use by private and public entities under various licensing regimes.This is an
increasingly viable solution for rural communities.
In FWA,wireless signals are transmitted from antennas positioned atop high towers or buildings and
received using CPEs located outside the customer's building.
The bandwidth capacity of FWA depends on the wireless technology being used.For instance,4G
technology can meet 25 Mbps/3 Mbps per subscriber,while 5G technology can provide services of 100
Mbps/20 Mbps or higher.Wireless propagation can be affected by weather conditions,which caninterfereorattenuatethesignal.
FWA is commonly considered a suitable alternative to FTTH when fiber deployment is too costly or
when there are geographic constraints such as challenging terrain.
Figure 6 illustrates the high-level architecture for FWA technology.
Figure 6.FWA high-level architecture
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Satellite
Satellite broadband is an alternative wireless technology that enables high-speed bi-directional internet
connections through communications satellites.The quality,speed,and cost of satellite connections
vary depending on the type of satellites and their orbits.Low Earth Orbit (LEO)satellites,situated
between 200 and 2,000 kilometers above the earth,provide high speeds at reasonable costs by using a
constellation of satellites which is constantly changing in the sky.Geostationary satellites in contrast are
positioned at altitudes of about 36,000 km which allows them to maintain the same position with
respect to the Earth surface.
In satellite broadband,the CPE consists of a Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT)equipped with a flat
(LEO)or parabolic (geostationary)antenna to establish a connection with the satellite,and a home
router.The satellite relays the connection to the satellite hub,which links directly to a backbone node or
ISP PoP.
Satellite links are sensitive to weather conditions,as it can affect the signal attenuation between the
VSAT terminal and the satellites.This is especially important in the case of geostationary satellites due
to the much longer link length.
Satellite systems are typically used in remote areas where neither fiber nor microwave links are viable,
such as ranches,farms,or isolated homes.Costs associated with satellite services can be high,and the
typical speeds offered are in the rangeof 25/3 Mbps for typical LEO systems.
The high-level network architecture for Satellite technology is captured in Figure 7.
Figure 7.Satellite systemhigh-levelarchitecture
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As a summary,Table 2 provides a comparison of the last-mile technologies described in this section.
Table 2.Last-Mile Technology Comparison
Last Mile
Technology Cost Speeds Reliability Deployment
Complexity
DSL Low
•Low speeds
•Decreases with the length of
the copper line
High Low
DOCSIS Low
•Medium to high speeds
•Decreases with the number
simultaneous users
High Low
FTTH High
•Extremely high
speeds/bandwidth
•Easily upgraded to achieve
faster speeds
High High
FWA Medium-high
•High speeds.
•Signal strength decreases with
distance,reducing data speed
High Medium
Satellite High(operating cost)
•Medium speeds
•Regular user experiencedue
to high signal delay Lowtomedium
Low
(considering satellites
are in place)
1.4 Project Scope &Approach
The scope of the North County Broadband Strategic Plan focuses on developing an actionable plan that
outlines the steps needed to achieve equitable access to broadband services for all residents,regardless
of their income or geographic location.The project scope also includes the identification of strategic
partners and the analysis of suitable connectivity scenarios and operating models along with the
associated economic impact.
This scope of work was augmented to conduct a Request for Information (RFI)with the ISPcommunity,
submit a crowdsource challenge to the FCC Broadband Data Collection,and to engage with ISPs to
encourage submission of concept proposals to address the revised objective of 100%availability of
gigabit symmetrical service.
The scope of work was delivered over the course of six months from October 2022 to March 2023
according to the methodology depicted in Figure 8.
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Figure 8.Project Methodology.
As shown,there are four workstreams,which are aligned with the North County Broadband Strategic
Plan RFP.The first workstream involves convening meetings and conducting outreach,followed by the
second workstream which focuses on comprehensive data collection phase.This phase was critical in
gaining a complete understanding of North County's broadband availability and adoption,as well as
technical,economic,and social constraints that required analysis to effectively bridge the connectivity
gap.Using the collected data,the third workstream,Analysis Development,assesses technical options
while considering funding and public private partnership (PPP)opportunities.These efforts lead to the
final set of recommendations described in Section 6 Broadband Strategy &Action Plan.
The task areas for each workstream are summarized below:
Workstream 1 –Convene Meetings &Outreach
The initial workstream includes the project kick-off and reaching out to the relevant stakeholders toinitiatethedatacollectionandprojectscoping.Tasks in this workstream include:
•Broadband Needs Analysis.Inputs were gathered via a public forum for each City,a regional
needs assessment survey,and public data research.This information was organized and
analyzed,including comprehensive Geographic Information System (GIS)analysis to determine
priority areas.
•Infrastructure Assessment.This includes research from publicly availabledata sources (e.g.,
Paso Robles GIS Portal,Energy Information Administration (EIA),California Department of
Transportation (Caltrans))the development of data collection checklists for the Cities and thesubsequentcollectionofinfrastructuredataviaworkshopswithkeyCitystaffandutilities.
Collected data were integrated into the GIS Plan to support the analysis and the development of
network design scenarios.City policies,permitting and other regulations for Broadband were
also assessed and consolidated into a Broadband Readiness Assessment.
Separately,the development,issuance and management of an ISP RFI process was incorporated into this
workstream to assess ISP interest and capability to deploy broadband services across the Cities.
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Workstream 2 –Data Collection
The Data Collection Workstream receives the results of the needs and infrastructure assessment.The
activities in this workstream include a thorough assessment of funding sources,development of a
network design,identification of operating preferences,and an analysis of the digital divide:
•Funding Sources Assessment.Federal and state broadband funding programs were researched,
followed by a preliminary evaluation of eligibility for Atascadero and Paso Robles.Extending
further,an assessment of the probability of successful outcomes associated with the various
programs was performed to guide the Cities on where to invest grant writing efforts.
•Network Design.A baseline city-wide FTTH design was developed and optimized leveraging
existing infrastructure.Then,the network design was adapted based on the proposed
connectivity scenarios.
•Operating Preferences.Each City’s preferences were captured through workshops with City
staff where operating model options were discussed along with potential City contributions.
Separate discussions were conducted with Finance Directors to determine available funds and
alternative funding options.
•Digital Divide Analysis.This activity included panel discussions ineach community,desktop
research,needs assessment analysis and interviews with various stakeholders to identify digital
equity barriers and potential programs to address these barriers,based on the methodology for
the State Digital Equity Plan.
Workstream 3 –Analysis Development
The Analysis Development workstream includes two key activities,a preliminary assessment of potential
ISP partners and economic analysis,informed by the output of previous activities:
•Partner Qualification.A preliminary assessment of potential ISP partners was conducted based
on desktop research.This analysis was further informed by the RFI process and subsequent
discussions with interested ISPs.
•Economic Analysis.For the economic impact analysis,existing broadband studies within the
region (and out of region)were reviewed,synthesizing the findings,andextrapolating for North
County.
Workstream 4 –Final Project Deliverables
Project findings and recommendation are compiled and synthesized to construct the final Project
deliverable:
•Broadband Strategic Plan.Findings and recommendations were consolidated into a cohesive
plan,including a roadmap with prioritized initiatives and action items.
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2 Broadband
Community Profile
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2.1 Socioeconomic and demographic profile
The community of Paso Robles in Northern San LuisObispo (SLO)County has a multi-generational
history in agriculture.Paso Robles is located on the Rancho El Paso de Robles Mexican land grant that
was purchased in 1857.The City was incorporated in 1889,just a few years after Southern Pacific
Railroad came through.Known for its mineral hot springs,still accessible to this day,it continues to be a
popular tourist destination.The City benefits from the revenue generated by tourism and destination
travel due to the surrounding wine region and ancillary industries including wine sales,restaurant and
hotel services and the sale of farm equipment and supplies.Over the past several years,the City isactivelyengagedinexpandinganddiversifyingtheireconomywithafocusonthedevelopmentofaSpaceInnovationandTechnologyParkinpartnershipwithCaliforniaPolytechnicStateUniversity,SLO,
and Cuesta Community College North Campus.Work efforts are underway to secure a Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA)licensed Spaceport along with their existing Airport license22.
Unique to Paso Robles is that a sizable portion of the downtown core of the City,shown in Figure 9 has
the Federal designation as a Qualified Opportunity Zone (QOZ),making it more attractive for new
investments23.
22 Paso Robles Community Profile (accessed March 2023)
23 The purpose of identifying these zones was to spur economic development and job growth by providing a tax
benefit to investors.The length of timethat the investor holds onto the investment determines the tax benefitstheyreceive.
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Figure 9.Paso Robles Qualified Opportunity Zone.
The median age of the community was 37 years old with 17.5%of the population over 65 years old,
according to the 2021 Census data.While the community is predominantly white,55.2%,followed by
Hispanic or Latino at 35.6%,the rest fall within a smaller demographic of two or more races and less
than 2%are American Indian or Alaska Native24.Data provided by Paso Robles Unified School District
reports that of their 6,341 students,20.11%are considered English Language Learners (ELL),thebreakdownisasfollows:
•Spanish –93%
•Mixteco –5.25%
•Arabic –almost 1%
The remainder of the ELL students speak Mandarin/Chinese,French,Khmer/Cambodian,Russian and
Vietnamese with a small grouping of ‘other’.
The education breakdown for Paso Robles is presented in Figure 10.As shown,37.91%of the population
have an associate degree or higher;and 65.08%have completed some college or higher25.
24 U.S.Census Community Snapshot (accessed March 2023)
25 Paso Robles Community Profile (accessed March 2023)
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Figure 10.Paso Robles Levelof Education.
The median income in 2021 dollars,calculations analyzed between 2017-2021,was $75,569 with
approximately 9%of the populationconsidered to be in poverty26.Over 60%of the 6,341 students
enrolled in the Paso Robles Unified School District qualify for the National School Lunch Program
(NSLP)27.While the student population may not live entirely within the City limits,the data suggests that
the Federal designation of poverty may not accurately reflect households that fall below median
income.According to the data,60%of Paso Robles residents are homeowners and 40%rent.
The Paso Robles Housing Authority (PRHA)currently operates 301 Multi Family Affordable Housing Units
within their Oak Park complex with an average of 3.5 individuals in each unit.Approximately 32%are K-
12 and 11%are seniors,55 years of age and up.The Chet Dotter site is a 40-unit 100%senior
population.The households are 85%Hispanic or Latino and are considered low income,as they fall 60%or more below medianincome of $65,640.Area Median Income (AMI)by household forSLO is
established by the California Tax Credit Committee (CTCAC)and was $109,400 in 202228.
People’s Self-Help Housing (PSHH)manages multipleproperties including farmworker housing,familyhousing,housing for seniors,and individuals living with disabilities.The total number of units is 197.
In 2022,Paso Robles was home to 1,890 businesses with the leading industries by jobs as follows:retail,
accommodation and food services,manufacturing,and education.Over 67%of these businesses have 4
or less employees and only 0.74%with 100+employees.Many of theretail,and accommodation andfoodservicesjobsarelowwagejobsanddonotcoverlivingexpenses.Those working in these industries
must have multiple incomes within a household or will likely need to live in subsidized housing.While
most employers are small business owners,over 3,000 of thetotal jobs include Executive Manager and
Administrators and Office and Administrative support which impacts the work distribution to skew
predominantly white collar29.
26 U.S.Census Community Snapshot (accessed March 2023)
27 National School Lunch Program,who qualifies (accessed March 2023)
28 California Tax Credit Committee (accessed March 2023)
29 Paso Robles Community Profile (accessed March 2023)
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The community of Atascadero is in Northern SLO County and intersected by U.S.Highway 101 (the 101)
and the California Highway 41 in the center of the main business corridor.The land encompassing
Atascadero was founded in 1913 by EG Lewis and intended to be a utopian planned colony.The land
was subdivided,and infrastructure installed to support an anticipated population of 30,000.In 1979Atascaderowasincorporatedasacity.The surrounding area is primarily rural residential with some
agriculture,predominantly cattle grazing.While much of Route 101 incorporates the historic El Camino
Real throughout the length of the State,this is not the case for Atascadero.The El Camino is the main
road running the length of the community and is critical for accessing businesses and residences all
along the way.Atascadero has tended to be a bedroom community and therefore has historically
struggled at developing a sales tax base that is vital for community development and planning.In the
past decade,significant efforts have been made to encourage business development,increase housing
units,and enhance opportunities for local and regional tourism to draw people into Atascadero and the
downtown core.
The median age of the community in 2021 was 40 years old with 16.9%of the total population over 65.
The City is predominantly white,74.3%,followed by Hispanic or Latino at 18.3%and Asian,American
Indian,and Alaska Native and African American,combined and accounting for 3.7%of the total
population30.Data provided by Atascadero Unified School District (AUSD),7.6%of their student
population are ELL with Spanish as their primary language.
The education breakdown for Atascadero is presented in Figure 11.As shown,41.01%of the population
in Atascadero have an associate,bachelor,or graduate degree31.
30 U.S.Census Community Snapshot (accessed March 2023)
31 https://reachcentralcoast.org/atascadero/(accessed March 2023)
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Figure 11.AtascaderoLevelof Education.
The median income in 2021 dollars,calculations analyzed between 2017-2021,was $82,777 with over
8%of the population considered to be inpoverty32.In November 2022,AUSD reported that 48.99%or
2,104 of their students qualified for the NSLP.This number includes students who attend AUSD schools
outside of the City limits.Data accessed reported that 65%of residents own their home and 35%rent.
Within City limits,there are approximately 650 units that accommodate a variety of housing for low-
income and of those,19 are for seniors ages 55 and above and 93 are for seniors ages 62 and older33.
In 2022,Atascadero was home to 1,421 businesses with the leading industries by jobs being healthcare
and social services,retail,accommodation and food services,and education.Almost 70%of these
businesses have 4 or less employees and only 0.56%with 100+employees.The largest employer is the
Atascadero State Hospital (ASH),a secure forensic hospital that houses felony defendants,severely
mentally disable individuals,and other offenders with mental health issues requiring acute care.Some
are prison transfers who require temporary mental health treatment and are there to stabilize before
returning to other facilities.ASH reports thatthey have approximately 2,140 employees34.Largest jobcountsbyoccupation,from highest to lowest are office and administrative support,health diagnosingandtreatingpractitioners,sales,executive managers and administrators,and food preparation and
servingfor a total of 5,712.While retail and accommodation and food are two of the four largest
industries,white collar jobs account for 71%of total employees35.
32 U.S.Census Community Snapshot (accessed March 2023)
33 Published by HASLO (accessed March 2023)
34 Department of State Hospitals –Atascadero (accessed March 2023)
35 https://reachcentralcoast.org/atascadero/(accessed March 2023)
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2.2 Broadband Availability
This section provides a detailed analysis and quantification of broadband service availability in NorthCountybasedondatafromtheFCC,CPUC and end user speed tests.In addition,an analysis of ISPs
operating in the area was conducted to understand service offering and technology.
The framework for assessing broadband service availability is the unserved and underserved definitions
established in Section 1.1.This framework is critical as it aligns with FCC and CPUC and is directly tied to
eligibility criterion in various federal and state broadband funding programs.
In Section 4.3,an overview of funding vehicles and the prospect for funding is conducted largely basedonbroadbandavailabilitydatafromthissection.
2.2.1 FCC National Broadband Map
The FCC Broadband Data Collection and the FCC Serviceable Locations Fabric are important sources of
information to determine locations lacking acceptable broadband service to inform the Strategic Plan
and potentially to trigger the pursuit of federal or state funding.In this Section an overview of FCC
Broadband data is provided with analysis of the ISPs operating in North County,the choice of ISPs by
census block in North County and finally the critical views on broadband service availability.
Scope and content of the FCCBroadband Data
The new FCC Broadband Data Collection released in
November 2022 and the FCC Serviceable Locations
Fabric,are initiatives undertaken by the FCC to
improve the accuracy and reliability of broadband
data collection and mapping.
The FCC Broadband Data Collection program
requires ISPs to report more detailed information
about their service offerings and coverage areas,
including information on the speeds,technologies,
and pricing of their services at the serviceable
location level basedon the FCC ServiceableLocationsFabricwhichincludesallthelocationswherebroadbandserviceisrequiredacrossthe
country.There are approximately 120 million
serviceable locations across the country in this FCC
database.
The FCC Broadband Data Collection dataset includes,for each serviceable location and ISP,information
on the technology used to provide the service and the maximum advertised download and upload
speeds.This information is used to create broadband availability maps that help policymakers and
consumers make more informed decisions about broadband services.
North County obtained access to the FCC Broadband Data Collection dataset and the FCC Serviceable
Location Fabric in December 2022 shortly after its release.
Service Providers in North County
Service providers are mandated to report their maximum advertised speeds to the FCC so that
broadband service can be characterized.Table 3 shows the ISPs operating in North County and the
A fast analysis of the data was
conducted by TeleworX and a
crowdsource challenge was
submitted based on speed test
data before the January 13th,
2023 deadline.This is part of an
ongoing challenge process that
is required to improve the
accuracy of the dataset and to
make sure North County is
properly represented.
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available broadband technologies and speeds according to the data reported to the FCC.Incumbent ISPs
report a mix of wireline technologies,but FTTH technology offering gigabit symmetrical service is rare.
The smaller local ISPs deploy fixed wireless technologies to reach their subscribers.National MNOs also
rely on fixed wireless services to reach their customers.
Table 3.ISP ServiceOffering in NorthCounty
All ISPs reported their ability to provide services in both Paso Robles andAtascadero
Category ISP Available Technologies Type
Incumbent WirelineProviders
AT&T Copper |FTTP Wireline
Charter Cable |FTTP Wireline
Digital West (Astound)FTTP Wireline
Regional /LocalProviders
Outback Internet Unlicensed FWA Wireless
Ranch WiFi Unlicensed FWA Wireless
Surfnet Communications Licensed FWA |Unlicensed FWA Wireless
TPx Communications Copper Wireline
Wilson Creek Communications Unlicensed FWA Wireless
Mobile NetworkOperators
T-Mobile Licensed FWA Wireless
AT&T Unlicensed FWA Wireless
Verizon Licensed FWA Wireless
Note:ISPs above include all the ISPs that reported to the FCC that they provide fixed broadband services
within the Cities of Atascadero and Paso Robles.
Further analysis of the FCC data indicates that wireline ISPs are the dominant broadband solution in
North County.Analysis of speed test data and Needs Analysis surveys indicate Charter is the dominant
wireline ISP.
Table 4 shows that wireless ISPs compared with wireline ISPs,provide service >100/20 to 12%less
serviceable locations for Atascadero and 38%less for Paso Robles.
Table 4.Served locationsper type of ISP
City Total ServiceableLocations Wireline Wireless Wireline +
Wireless
Atascadero 10,276 9,681 |94.2%8,415 |81.9%10,065 |97.9%
Paso Robles 10,710 10,616 |99.1%6,573 |61.4%10,687 |99.8%
Service Provider Choice
Another significant metric obtained from the FCC data is the number of available service providers by
Census block,since this is an indicator of the level of competition.An area with broadband serviceability
but limited provider options typically result in higher prices and limited choices for end users36 37.
Results of the analysis presented in Table 5 and Figure 12 show that 20.5%of the population in
Atascadero (36%of the Census blocks)and 33.6%of the population in Paso Robles (45%of the Census
blocks)are served by only one wireline provider or no provider at all.The lack of effective broadband
36 Broadband Prices are Soaring.Competition is the Answer |Benton Institute for Broadband &Society
37 Competition in the Broadband Internet Market -Secretariat Economists (ei.com)
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competition was also raised as an issue of concern in the Needs Assessment Survey by residents and
businesses.
With limited options for internet service providers consumer choice is often limited to high prices and
subpar service.To the extent there are two wireline ISPs in a census block with one ISP offering
comparatively low speeds,a de facto monopoly exists at the census block level.Lack of competition also
dampens ISP investment and innovation in North County38.
Table 5.Available wireline ISPsper Census Block and served population.
Census Blocks Population
Number of ISPs Atascadero Paso Robles Atascadero Paso Robles
0 60 |13.7%170 |19.5%665 |2.2%151 |0.5%
1 98 |22.4%219 |25.1%5,442 |18.3%10,438 |33.1%
2 276 |63.2%479 |54.9%23,324 |78.2%20,839 |66.0%
3 3 |0.7%4 |0.5%384 |1.3%128 |0.4%
Total 437 |100%872 |100%29,815 |100%31,556 |100%
North County is predominantly a two-service provider area.After examining speed-test
data,which has no instance of an AT&T subscriber,it appears that the Cities are de facto
one service provider area.In the areas of the City where there is only one provider,it is
almost always Charter.
Note:Larger versions of these maps can be found in Appendix IV.
Figure 12.Number of wireline ISP options offering broadband service>25/3 by Census Block
38 72%of the respondents to the Needs Assessment survey were Charter customers,followed by AT&T with 9%
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FCC Broadband Service Availability
The examination of FCC broadband availability data in North County indicates that the percentage of
unserved and underserved areas in the region is small,with 2.1%of serviceable locations in Atascadero
and 0.2%in Paso Robles.
Table6.Unserved ServiceableLocations considering wirelineand wireless connectivity.
Atascadero has 11 times more unserved locations than Paso Robles
City Total ServiceableLocations Unserved(<25/3)Underserved(25/3 to 100/20)
Paso Robles 10,710 12 |0.1%11 |0.1%
Atascadero 10,276 133 |1.5%58 |0.6%
Analysis of this data reveals geographical distribution of the unserved locations which is a critical input
into designing a solution.Solutions for the unserved are more practical and cost effective when they areclusteredtogether.
Table 6 provides the counts and percentage of unserved and underserved according to the FCC data.Figure 13 shows at the Census Block level that unserved areas are mainly in the areas surrounding thePasoRoblesairportandwestAtascadero.
The low counts of underserved locations are related to the speeds being offered by the ISPs.Most ISPs
that arecapable of offering speeds higher than 25/3,also have an offering above 100/20 and this is thespeedthatisreportedintheFCCdataset.
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Note:Larger versions of these maps can be found inAppendix IV.
Figure 13.FCC Unserved /Underserved locations bycensus block
2.2.2 CPUC California Broadband Map
CPUC is responsible for overseeing the regulation of telecommunications services in the state of
California.Like the FCC,the CPUC uses broadband data collected across California to develop its
California Interactive Broadband Map.
The California Interactive Broadband Map39 is a web-based tool that provides information on
broadband availability and quality across the state at the census block level.The map provides data on
broadband speeds,service providers,and coverage areas,as well as information on areas where
broadband service is lacking or inadequate.This map also provides a first look at area eligibility for
California Advanced Services Fund (CASF)applicants.
The information displayed in the Broadband Map is annually refreshed by the CPUC40
and the new map is expected to be released on March 31,202341.
Different layers in the interactive Broadband Map provide information on broadband adoption and
deployment and inputs necessary for grant development.In addition,it captures the results of the
Summer 2022 CalSPEED Mobile Drive Test results.Satellite connectivity is not collected in the California
Interactive Broadband Map as it is not a grant-eligible technology for the CPUC managed initiatives.
39 Broadband Mapping Program (ca.gov)
40 This analysis uses the latest available dataat time ofwriting the report –Release 4.0.December 2021.
41 CASF March 22,2023,Webinar
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The number of households located in unserved census blocks was obtained by referring to the data
provided on the "Wireline Consumer Served Status"layer of the California Interactive Broadband map.
Table 7 presents the results.Note that CPUC data does not consider underserved connectivity;census
blocks are characterized as either served or unserved,based on a 25/3 connectivity threshold.
Table7.CPUC Unserved households
According to CPUC maps,Atascadero presents 3x more unservedhouseholdsthanPasoRobles
City Total Households Unserved
(<25/3)
Paso Robles 12,303 159 |1.3%
Atascadero 12,244 470 |3.8%
Figure 14 shows that most of Census blocks in North County have access to broadband internet with
speeds of 25/3 Mbps or higher.However,there are still areas lacking adequate connectivity,particularly
those located farther from the City center.
Note:Larger versions of these maps can be found in Appendix IV.
Figure 14.Distribution on server and underservedcensus blocks according to CPUC.
Similarities and Discrepancies between FCC and CPUC data
Figure 15 illustrates a significant overlap in the geographic distribution of unserved locations when
comparing data from both the FCC and CPUC.
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Figure 15.CPUC maps and FCC data comparison showssignificant alignmentin theidentification ofunserved locations.
CPUC maps and FCC data report similar results for unserved locations at the Census block level.Despite
the general alignment of CPUC and FCC data,there is a notable inconsistency in the southwest region of
Atascadero.CPUC records indicate that the area is served whereas FCC data suggests that most
locations (103 out of 116,or 90%)in that area are unserved.This mismatch affects two census blocks
and a total of 116 serviceable locations.
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Additionally,CPUC data reports that five Census blocks to the west of Atascadero,which encompass 245
serviceable locations,are served.However,FCC data reveals that 40%of these serviceable locations (99)
are unserved.These inconsistencies,illustrated in Figure 16,will require reconciliation as they may
impact funding application requests.
Comparing the CPUC and FCC broadband availability maps raises discrepancies that need to be
reconciled in the ongoing quest for accurate data.There are challenge processes at both the CPUC andFCClevelthatcanandshouldbepursued,particularly to the extent they impact funding opportunities.
Figure 16.CPUC and FCC viewsdiscrepancies.
2.2.3 Speed Tests
Speed tests are an important tool for gaining insight into broadband service performance across the
North County Cities.Between October 2022 and January 2023,a speed test program was active in North
County,providing valuable information about the actual quality and performance of internet
connections in the area.
In Atascadero,326 tests were conducted across 237 locations,spanning 144 Census blocks (33%of
total).Similarly,in Paso Robles,there were 125 measurements taken in 88 locations across 81 Census
blocks (9%of total).
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Table 8 indicates that approximately 17%of the tested locations fall below the unserved threshold,with
around 70%below the underserved threshold.Figure 17 illustrates a GIS view of these results.
Although latency and jitter measures in Atascadero are rated below Paso Robles,the averagevalues for
both Cities are sufficient to enable good quality of service for delay-sensitive services like video and
voice calls.
Table 8.Speed Test Statistics
Concept Atascadero Paso Robles
#of Speed Tests 326 125
#of Locations 237 88
Locations <25/3 41 (17.3 %)15 (17.0 %)
Locations 25/3 to 100/20 171 (72.2 %)60 (68.2 %)
Locations >100/20 25 (10.5 %)13 (14.8 %)
Ping Max 766.5 40
Ping Min 0.5 7
Ping Avg.21.15 13.5
Jitter Max 116.13 34.5
Jitter Min 0.01 0.08
Jitter Avg.7.23 5.07
ISP Name(#Speed Tests)
Surfnet Communications (4)
Outback Internet,LLC (3)
Ranch WiFi LLC (2)
Charter Communications Inc.(277)Unrecognizable (40)
Outback Internet,LLC (1)
Charter Communications Inc.(113)
Unrecognizable (11)
#Census Blocks w/Speed Tests 144 81
#Census Blocks w/o Speed Tests 293 791
%Census Blocks w/Speed Tests 33%9%
%Census Blocks w/o Speed Tests 67%91%
Note:Larger versions of these maps can be found in Appendix IV.
Figure 17.ServedStatus by Census block based on speed test data.
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The results of the speed test assessment,although limited in the number ofmeasurements,support the
notion that Charter is the dominant ISP.Not a single end user speed test is attributable to AT&T,which
infers a very small market share in North County.
2.3 North County Priority Area Identification
An important requirement from the North County RFP and the City management teams was to identify
priority areas for broadband service.Priority areas for the City are low-income and disadvantaged
communities and areas with economic development potential.New housing developments were also
identified as priority areas.
This section examines the three priority area categories of interest to City management and serves as
input into the Broadband Strategic Plan.
Low-income and disadvantaged communities
Low-income areas and disadvantaged communities often lack access to affordable broadband servicesoradequatebroadbandinfrastructure.To identify low-income areas the 150%poverty line was used in
alignment with the Digital Equity Act.42.Based on an average household size of 2.57 people,the150%
poverty line is $33,974,as compared to the Federal Poverty Guidelines for 2023,which set the poverty
line at $22,649.
By analyzing the North County 12-month household income43,a concentration of low-income
households was identified in the west of Paso Robles and southeast of Atascadero.This information was
used in conjunction with the CPUC Wireline Served status map to identify 60 households in Atascadero
and 23 in Paso Robles as low-income and unserved.It was further revealed that 30%of these
households were in the northern part of Paso Robles.Figure 18 illustrates the geographical distribution
of these low-income,unserved areas.
42 Digital Equity Act of2021
43 B19001:HOUSEHOLD INCOME IN THE ...-Census Bureau Table
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Figure 18.Distribution of low-income census blocks falling under CPUCUnserved Areas
Socioeconomic Vulnerability Index
The Socioeconomic Vulnerability Index (SEVI)is a metric that represents the relative socioeconomic
standing of communities,at the Census tract level,in terms of poverty,unemployment,educational
attainment,language proficiency,and percentageof income spent on housing.In general,communities
that score high on the SEVI are disadvantaged as they are more vulnerable to economic and social
challenges.
It should be noted that SEVI is used by State Broadband Funding authorities to determine broadband
funding eligibility.In addition,SEVI is a useful tool for City planners to identify areas of social need.
Disadvantaged communities can be found in the east and south of Paso Robles,as well as in the south
and west of Atascadero,according to the SEVI indicator.By intersecting the CPUC data on unserved
Census blocks with the SEVI analysis,it is possible to identify unserved disadvantaged communities.
Figure 19 presents this view,which highlights the priority Census blocks north and south of Paso Robles
downtown and in the southwest corner of Atascadero.
Table 9 provides a summary of the distribution of unserved vulnerable households by SEVI index.
To the west and south of Paso Robles,and in the south and east of Atascadero,the SEVI criteria locates
disadvantaged communities.By intersecting the CPUC maps for unserved Census blocks with the SEVI
analysis mentioned earlier,it is possible to identify the unserved disadvantaged communities,which are
mainly located north and south of Paso Robles downtown,and in the southwest portion of Atascadero.
Table 9 summarizes the distribution of vulnerable households that are unserved classified by the SEVI
index.
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Note:Larger versions of these maps can be found inAppendix IV.
Figure 19.Disadvantaged Communities (Socioeconomic Vulnerability Index (SEVI))
Table 9.Vulnerablehouseholds inunserved/underserved areasby SEVI score
Unserved Households
SEVI Score Atascadero Paso Robles
<20%365 0
20%to 50%105 145
>50%0 14
Total 470 159
Economic Development Projects
The Paso Robles City Council has advanced plans for the creation of a commercial spaceport in this
North County city.The proposed spaceport is targeted for Paso Robles Municipal Airport area and will
be designed to attract space tech companies and support commercial spaceflight and research activities.
The City is currently waiting for approval of their application to the FAA for a spaceport license,which
would allow it to conduct commercial space operations.
Constructinga spaceport in Paso Robles has thepotential to greatly enhance the local economy by
generating employment opportunities and luring advanced technology industries to the region.To
ensure this objective is achieved it is essential to have access to high-speed broadband services.
After comparing the location of this new economic growth area with the CPUC maps in Figure 20,it was
discovered that a substantial portion of the future development will lack suitable broadband services.It
is expected that ISPs will extend their networks to cover this area if a sizable construction project is
approved.
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Economic development priority area CPUC unserved areas within the economic
development priority area
Figure 20.Identification of unserved locations in theeconomic development area
In the case of the City of Atascadero,there are two main economic development projects: “Del Rio Road
Commercial Area”and “North El Camino Real”corridor.Both projects are in areas with adequate
internet connectivity.
Single and Multi-Family Housing Developments
Paso Robles is in the early stages of a decade plus build out of housing developments.Generally,a new
housing development is seen as very attractive targets for the service provider community as they can
deploy their infrastructure in a greenfield setting.
Paso Robles has not added any significant housing units since 2007 and now has 4,372 single family and
multi-family units in queue.Information provided by the City identifies that the bulk of the new
development is on the Eastside of Paso Robles.Some of the recent and upcoming projects are infill such
as the Uptown/Town Center and then continuation of buildouts in the North.Within these projects,
there will be affordable housing options for low-income families and seniors.
Figure 21 shows the location of the new single and multi-family developments within the city.
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Figure 21.HousingDevelopments
Figure 22 indicates that there is an overlap between the new housing projects and the areas that do notcurrentlyhaveaccesstobroadbandservices.The southern portion of the development is anticipated to
be impacted by inadequate connectivity which will hinder the ability of new residents to access
broadband services.It is expected that these new housing developments will represent an attractive
extension of broadband coverage for the ISPs.
Figure 22.Housing Developments &CPUCUnserved Areas
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The City of Atascadero also has ongoing housing developments located mainly within the City’s core,
which implies a high probability that these units will have adequate internet service.
The priority areas identified above are important inputs to the North County Broadband Strategy as
broadband availability will have asignificant impact on the social and economic development of North
County.
2.4 Infrastructure Assessment
Identifying broadband and civic infrastructure that can be leveraged for broadband deployment is a
crucial factor in lowering the cost of broadband deployment across the City and priority areas.
An asset inventory was developed by collecting data through public research and interviews with the
Information Technologies (IT),Public Works,and Planning departments in Atascadero and Paso Robles.
An overview of the existing and planned infrastructure documented in the inventory is provided below:
1)City buildings and anchor institutions.As shown in Figure 24,there are 33 locations controlled
by the Cities,26 in Paso Robles,7 in Atascadero.In addition,as shown in Figure 24 there are 88
anchor institutions,30 in Paso Robles,58 in Atascadero,including schools,healthcare facilities,
public safety facilities,and retirement homes,among others.While these assets are considered
as “broadband serviceable locations”, they can also be utilized to host network equipment,
reducing the need for communication central offices and remote huts.
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Figure 23 City buildings
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Figure 24.Anchor Institutions.
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2)Conduit and dark fiber.The City of Paso Robles has deployed conduit and fiber through various
projects,totaling 10.1 miles of fiber.In addition,Paso Robles has been awarded a $3,537,447
Grant from the US Economic Development Administration (EDA)for the deployment of 14.2
miles of conduit and a 288-strand fiber providing connectivity to key areas of the city.These
routes are captured in Figure 25.
Figure 25.City conduit and darkfiber in Paso Robles.
Inthe case of Atascadero,there is no conduit or fiber owned by the City that can be leveraged
for broadband deployment.
3)Middle-Mile Fiber.There are two middle-mile projects that are relevant to North County,the
Nacimiento Water Pipeline andthe California Middle Mile Broadband Initiative (MMBI)also
known as GoldenStateNet44.
44 https://goldenstatenet.org/(accessed March 2023)
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The Nacimiento Water Pipeline,shown in Figure 26,is a 45-mile pipeline from Lake Nacimiento
to SLO.During construction conduit and fiber were deployed along the entire route,providing
connectivity for the water system but also middle mile fiber for the County and cities involved,
including Atascadero and Paso Robles.This is an asset that can connect last-mile networks to
the internet or possibly offer route diversity and resiliency.
Figure 26.Nacimiento Water Pipeline
This middle mile network will ensure better
and more connectivity throughout the State
of California and improvethe economics of
last mile networks,particularly in rural
areas.At the time of this writing the final
design has not been confirmed and
finalized.The middle mile construction
commenced in October 2022 in the San
Diego area and there is a statutoryrequirementtocompletetheentire
network by end of December 2026.
The current design for SLO County is captured in Figure 27.As shown,the route includesHighway101fromSantaMaria(in Santa Barbara County)to San Miguel,Highway 1 from
GoldenStateNet is the entity that
will manage the planned middle
mile open-access network
consisting of 10,000 route miles
that is a central component of SB-
156 that provides $3.25 billion for
the buildout.
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Guadalupe to Grover Beach and from SLO to San Simeon,and Highway 46 from Paso Robles to
Cholame.A total of 184 miles are planned within SLO,including 7.5 miles in Atascadero and 8.5
miles in Paso Robles.
Figure 27.California MiddleMile Broadband Initiative –Current Design forSLO County.
GoldenStateNet can play an important role in developing last-mile access for North County,
depending on the timing of its construction and potential synergies with ISP partners and other
City projects.
4)Utility Infrastructure.The main utility asset that can be leveraged for broadband are theutility
poles owned by the Pacific Gas &Electric Company (PG&E),which is the electric utility in the
area.It is estimated there are existing poles covering 95%of the area in Atascadero and 91%in
Paso Robles.
InAtascadero,there are 3.1 miles of abandoned sewer lines.Investigation into these sewer lines
suggests that for cost reasons they are not likely to be repurposed for fiber deployment.These
sewer lines are shown in Figure 28.
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Figure 28.Abandoned Sewer Lines inAtascadero.
2.5 Broadband Readiness
Broadband readiness refers to the assessment of local policies and regulations around broadband
construction, reflecting the level of “readiness” or “friendliness” to attract broadband investments. This
is a critical aspect in today’s environment as broadband needs throughout the country are exploding and
service providers will look to prioritize investments based on attractive markets that can be deployed
efficiently.
Broadband policies to facilitate Service Provider efficiency and to attract Service Providers have been
demonstrated across the country.Recently,Ventura City Council approved an agreement with SiFi
Networks to build a citywide fiber network45.Contributions from the City include access to the city’s
45 https://www.cityofventura.ca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/32475/13C
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rights of way anda Master Encroachment Agreement.The City was able to avoid direct funding for this
initiative,in part,through attractive broadband policies.
North County broadband readiness was assessed through workshops and interviews with the Public
Works and Planning Departments of Paso Robles and Atascadero to understand their permitting and
construction policies and processes.These policies were then evaluated based on the California Local
Permitting Playbook46,considering the four categories illustrated in Figure 29..
Figure 29.Broadband ReadinessAssessment Categories.
2.5.1 Permitting Process &Fees
The evaluation of this category includes the examination of the existing permitting processes and the
applicable permit fees for broadband deployment against the best practices set forth below:
1)Document the permitting process and make it available to the public
2)Provide an online portal for permit applications
3)Establish a dedicated telecommunications permit
4)Distinguish between major and minor permits
In the case of Paso Robles,telecommunications permitting follows the standard encroachment permit
process which is documented on the City website.There is no telecommunications-specific permit and
there’s no distinction between major and minor permits. The permit application cannot be completed
online.
For Atascadero,telecommunications permitting follows the standard encroachment permit process,but
is not documented.There is no distinction between major and minor permits and,while the online
application portal has been implemented47,it is not yetconfigured to process telecommunications
permit applications.In addition,the permit fees are considered high as they are calculated on a per foot
basis48.
46 State of California Local Permitting Playbook (August 2022)
47 https://permits.atascadero.org/eTrakit/
48 Trench -$675 plus $8 per linear foot;Boring -$675 plus $4 per linear foot;Overhead -$675 plus $2 per linearfoot
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2.5.2 Broadband Deployment Policies
Evaluation of broadband deployment policies were based on the following critical issues:
1)Microtrenching Policy49
Microtrenching is 3x faster and up to 6x cheaper than traditional trenching methods and has
minimal environmental disturbance.California Senate Bill 37850 requires local agencies to allow,
except as provided,microtrenching for the installation of underground fiber,if the installation in
the microtrench is limited to fiber.
2)Dig Once Policy
A "Dig Once"policy encourages the placement offiber or conduit in the ground whenever the
road is dug up for a public works project.Dig Once policies break down barriers of entry for new
market entrants,by lowering the cost of deployment51,creating a competitive marketplace that
ultimately can result in more options,lower prices,and higher quality of service for consumers.
3)Access public assets for broadband deployment
The high capital cost of network construction is a primary challenge for broadband deployment.
Enabling service providers to lease existing public assets has the potential to reduce ISP cost
while providing revenues to the city.
Noneof the policies above have been implemented by Paso Robles or Atascadero.However,it isimportanttonotethatPasoRobleshastakenstepstoinstallconduitalongsidenewroadconstruction
and major maintenance/repair work.
2.5.3 Construction Standards
Construction standards for aerial and underground fiber and conduit promote consistent and safe
construction practices across broadband deployments.These standards can help enhance the
permitting application andreview processes.Construction standards should be industry best practices
and they should also be publicly accessible and transparent.
Both Paso Robles and Atascadero have construction standards available through their web portals.In
the case of Paso Robles this includes standards for underground utility location and Pipe in Trench,but
no further details are provided.For Atascadero,there are generic construction standards for public
works but not for broadband /telecom specific construction.
49 “Microtrench” refers to a narrow open excavation trench that is less than or equal to 4 inches in width and 12 to 26 inches in depth and that is created for the purpose of installing a subsurface pipe or conduit.
50 California SB-378
51 The cost of pullingfiber in an existingconduit is ~10 percent of the cost of underground construction without theconduit.
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2.5.4 Broadband and Infrastructure Data
An organized government database of geographic information dramatically increases efficiency and
reduces costs.Access to relevant data reduces the cost and time required to plan and build broadband
infrastructure.Essential infrastructure data includes housingunits,rights-of-way,and easements,
building footprints,conduit lines,fiber lines,zoning,and existing underground utilities.
Paso Robles has an online map with broadband related data,although it is incomplete.In the case of
Atascadero,the majority of GIS data relevant to broadband is not yet available to the public.
Summary and Recommendations
The results of the broadband readiness assessment are presented in Figure 30.
Figure 30.Broadband Readiness Assessment Summary.
Based on the analysis described above,recommendations to improve broadband readiness for North
County are set forth below:
1)The Cities of Paso Robles and Atascadero should improve the permitting process and fees for
broadband construction by:
a.Implementing and/or enhancing online permitting portals.
b.Establishing separate permits for broadband distinguishing between major and minor
projects.
c.Documenting and publishing the Atascadero permitting process
d.Reviewing current permit fees applicable for broadband construction projects in
Atascadero
2)The Cities should establish and reinforce the following policies:
a.Establish a “Microtrenching” Policy as required by California Senate Bill 378.
b.Establish a “Dig-Once” Policy
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c.Explore potential synergies with utilities (e.g.,PG&E)for joint deployment
d.Explore the leasing of public assets to ISPs or other stakeholders
3)The City of Atascadero should promote consistent and safe construction practices across
broadband deployments by:
a.Developing publicly accessible and transparent construction standards for aerial and
underground fiber and conduit.
4)The Cities can reduce cost and time required to plan and build broadband infrastructure by:
a.Add essential City infrastructure datato the GIS portal in Atascadero52.
b.Complementing and maintaining an up-to-date GIS portal in Paso Robles.Importantly,
the asset inventory and GIS plan generated as part of this project can be used to
implement this recommendation.
2.6 Key Findings and Recommendations
Key Findings:
•The examinationof the FCC broadband availability data in North County indicates that the
percentage of unserved and underserved areas in the region is small,with Atascadero below
1.5%and Paso Robles reporting under 0.1%.
•The CPUC Broadband map generally matches the FCC data.There are however some relevant
discrepancies that should be clarified.
•The North County is a de facto one-ISP region,with Charter being the clearly dominant provider.
•Speed tests show lower performance than reported by FCC data.This inconsistency presents an
opportunity to challenge the FCC data and potentially influence funding eligibility.
•New economic developments and new housing projects could be affected by lack of service in
portions of these areas.
•Vulnerable communities are concentrated in clusters,farther from the City center.
•The California Middle Mile Network,GoldenStateNet,represents a potential opportunity to
stimulate lastmile connectivity for the Cities and their ISP partner(s).
•There are distinct levels of broadband readiness in the North County Cities,but the desired goal
of best-in-class readiness is within reach.
Recommendations:
•Review and analyze discrepancies between FCC and CPCU data to secure a coherent point of
view in grant applications.Challenge state and federal data as required.
•Establish mechanisms to evaluate broadband performance in the whole of North County for an
extended period.Establish a speed test practice that can provide a clear view of broadband
52 https://atascadero.maps.arcgis.com/home/index.html
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access and competition and can be usedto track achievement of broadband improvement
objectives.
•Consider purchasing a speed test service to achieve these results to generate a morecomprehensiveviewofbroadbandperformanceandtochallengeISPdataprovidedto the FCC
and CPUC.
•Promote public-private partnerships to improve broadband access which are based onOpen
Access Network methodologies to favor competition and service improvement.
•Promote formalization and documentation of permitting and construction procedures to
facilitate the deployment and effective maintenance of broadband infrastructures.
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3 ISP Assessment and
Engagement
ISPs are a key stakeholder for the broadband present and future of
North County.A process to assess and engage ISPs was developed to
discover ISP service offerings,their broadband infrastructure,and their
plans for the Cities,if any.An effort was also launched to gauge
interest and willingness to collaborate with the Cities of Paso Robles
and Atascadero to extend and improve broadband infrastructure.
ISP interest and support for the Open Access Network (OAN)business model was also an area of pursuit.
Open Access Networks enable multiple retail ISPs to offer services to end customers over a broadband
network deployed and operated by an OAN service provider.In short,this is a wholesale service to retail
ISPs with non-discriminatory pricing.The effect of this business model is to lower the aggregate
deployment costs while maintaining competition at the retail level.Incertain rural geographies only one
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network is financially sustainable,and the OAN model often ensures it is built with the added feature of
customer choice and retail service competition.
Most state and federal funding programs for broadband encourage OANs and some stipulate OAN as a
condition of funding.Moreover,the GoldenStateNet middle mile initiative will be launched as an OAN.
In addition,the Golden State Connect Authority,a California RCRC initiative for last mile connectivity,
will also be launched as an OAN53.
ATT and BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, announced in December 2022 a
$15 Billion investment to build OANs in certain areas of the US which further validates
the OAN business model.
While OANs were of interest in the North County RFI,it was not positioned as a requirement.
3.1 ISP Engagement through an RFI
The ISP assessment and engagement process is captured in Figure 31.The first task was to identifytargetISPsforengagement.This was conducted via desktop research along with a preliminary ISP
assessment.Secondly,an ISP engagement package was developed in parallel with the RFI and the
coordination of introductory meetings.After the introductory meetings with each of the ISPs,the RFI
was issued.RFI responses were analyzed,and further discussions and qualifications were conducted
based on responses.
Figure 31.ISP Assessmentand Engagement Process.
The ISPs identified in the preliminary assessment were grouped into three categories:1)Area 1 ISPs:
ISPs operatingwithin the Paso Robles and Atascadero City boundaries;2)Area 2 ISPs:ISPs in close
proximity;and 3)Area 3 ISPs:ISPs operating out of region.The resulting categorization is shown in
Figure 32.Satellite ISPs are not considered as in most cases,it is not a grant-eligible technology.
53 Golden StateConnect Authority (accessed March 2023)
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Figure 32.List of ISPs analyzed.
Table 10 provides a comparison of ISP serviceofferings basedon desktop research including official
websites and online tools based on ISP and user reported data54.Please note that service offerings
shown for Local ISPscorrespond to those offerings available in Paso Robles and Atascadero,while
service offerings shown for other ISPs correspond to a wider geographic and often national plans.
Table 10.ISP Service Offering Summary
Service Provider Broadband Technology Download /Upload Speeds (Mbps)Monthly Fee (USD)
Local ISPs (Area 1)
AT&T Internet FTTH/FWA/xDSL
300 |500 |1,000
25 (FWA)
$55 |$65 |$80
$55 (FWA)
Spectrum (Charter)FTTH /DOCSIS 300 |500 |1,000 $49.99 |$69.99 |
$89.99
T-Mobile Home
Internet FWA Up to 182 Starting at $50
Outback Internet FWA 10/5 |20/7 |30/10 |40/15 $60 |$100 |$150 |
$225
Ranch WiFi FWA 5/5 |10/5 |20/10 |30/10 $65 |$95 |$135 |$165
Wilson Creek
Communications FWA 1/1 |7/5 |12/8 |24/12 |35/12 $25 |$45 |$85 |$115|
$155
Surfnet
Communications FWA
10/3 |15/4 |50/10100 /20
(Residential)
40/20 |100 /20 (Business)
$55.96 |$79.96 |
$119.96 (Residential)
$239.95 |$349.95
(Business)
54 https://broadbandnow.com/,https://www.broadbandsearch.net/
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Astound Broadband Fiber 100 |500 |940 |1200
$25 |$45 |$65 |$80
Local ISPs in Close Proximity (Area 2)
Frontier Fiber 500 |1,000 |2,000 $49.99 |$69.99 |
$99.99
Xfinity Fiber /Cable 400 |800 |1,200
$24.99
$59.99
$79.99
Peak WiFi FWA 50/10 |100/20 |100/100 $69.95 |$149.95 |
$199.95
Advanced Wireless FWA 4/1 |20/4 |25/4 |30/5 |35/5 Starting at $49.99
Out of Region ISPs (Area 3)
Lit Communities Fiber See Note 2
Netly Fiber See Note 3
Ting Fiber 100 $89
SiFi Networks Fiber See Note 4
Note 1:Single quantity service speed refers to the download speed.Note 2:Lit Communities offers planning,deployment,and operation of fiber networks to communities.Therefore,
the service offering is defined by the community on a case-by-case basis.Note 3:Netly offers wholesale fiber services to cities,ISPs,utilities,among others.
Note 4:SiFi Networks funds,builds,and operates open access fiber networks across the US.The retail providers
define speeds and pricing plans.
The RFI was developed with specific objectives for each ISP category as set forth below:
1)Area 1 ISPs –North County
•Characterize the ISP footprint and capabilities within North County
•Understand the ISP plans to upgrade their services and coverage area
•Explore and identify requirements that North County can potentially address toaccelerateISPupgradeplansandcommitments.
2)Area 2 ISPs –Close Proximity to North County
•Characterize the ISP footprint and capabilities in Area 2 which is proximal to the North
County Cities
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•Understand and assess the potential of Area 2 ISPs as partners to deploy,operate or
manage broadband infrastructure within Area 1,North County
3)Area 3 ISPs -Out of Region
•Understand the ISP criteria to enter a new market such as North County
•Identify the ISP capabilities and their potential role as partners to deploy and operate
broadband infrastructure within North County
Initial engagement and meetings took place with nine (9)of the ISPs:Astound,AT&T,Charter,Lit
Communities,Netly Fiber,Outback,Ranch WiFi,Ting,and Wilson Creek Communications.Of those,only
Astound,AT&T,Charter and Ranch Wi-Fi responded to the RFI,the rest declined.Highlights from the ISP
responses arecaptured below.
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The ISP RFI process shed the light on the ISP community positioning towards North County,providing
the following insights:
1)While the North County broadband environment can be attractive for new entrants,the time
and effort to engage in an unknown market without a clear sense of opportunity resulted in
marginal interest and lack of responses to the RFI.The major impediments are:1.level of timeandresourceinvestmenttodevelopcommercialopportunities;opportunity development isoftenamulti-year processwith no assurance of a successful outcome;2.perceived high cost of
doing business in California for out of state new entrants and concern over the prevailing wage
requirement.
2)Smaller wireless ISPs are not prepared to address city-wide needs.
3)Local ISPs which already have a stake in the area are engaged and willing to collaborate with the
city.Therefore,further discussions with Astound,AT&T,Charter,and Ranch Wi-Fi should bepursuedbasedonotherfindingsandrecommendationscapturedinthisreport.
3.2 Request for Concept Proposals
After reviewing the RFI responses described in Section 3.1,it became evident that there was a lack of a
tangible,concrete,and actionable course of action from the ISPs to meet the Cities broadband
objectives.
As a result,a decision was made to pivot towards an ISP centered approach where the Cities offer
various forms of support to improve the ISP business case for broadband deploymentin North County
and to encourage a creative ISP response.Importantly,this pivot also formalized a North County goal for
affordable city-wide gigabit symmetrical service.
This initiative was codified in a Request for a Concept Proposal.
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The Concept Proposal was an open invitation to the ISPs to submit a proposal to meet City objectives
with a business plan that works for the ISPs.The Request for Concept Proposal was drafted without
excessive requirements.Additionally,it furnished ideas and opportunities to the ISPs on how and where
each City might possibly contribute to the solution up to and including financial inducements.
Three ISPs with the capability to deploy last-mile fiber throughout the Cities were contacted as part of
the concept proposal:AT&T,Charter,and Astound.AT&T declined to respond,while Charter requesteda30-day extension until April 10,2023.Astound responded with a Concept Proposal that is currentlybeingevaluatedindependentlybytheCities.
Importantly,this approach can and should be replicated in case the first round of discussions with
Astound and Charter results in no agreements.In this case,out-of-region ISPs should be re-engaged as
the Cities are now in a position to offer a clear path for new entrants that includes contributions fromtheCities,creating a more compelling business case for these ISPs.
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4 Analysis of
Broadband Scenarios
The focus of the North County Broadband Strategic Plan is to develop an
actionable plan to provide Atascadero and Paso Robles broadband
services that meet the needs of today and especially tomorrow.
While the federal and state thresholds for broadband speeds hover between 25/3 Mbps and100/20
Mbps,the prevailing view from City leadership after the broadband market analysis,is to leap forward
to the upgraded objective of gigabit symmetrical service which is widely available throughout the US.
This grade of service is a byproduct of any ISP commitment to FTTH deployment.This determination
resulted in a key focus of this North County Broadband Strategic Plan to bring gigabit symmetrical
service to the Cities.
While it is crucial to identify the priority areas mentioned in Section 2.3 and obtain connectivity
solutions for residents of these areas,it is important to recognize that modern broadband solutions
need not be throttled down to the minimum threshold and should and can leap forward to FTTH
standards (e.g.,gigabit symmetrical service).
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To understand the prospects of realizing the ambitious broadbandobjectives a brief architecture
overview isestablished in Section 4.1.
Operating models and scenario analysis incorporating high level designs andoperating models targeted
at 100%availability of gigabit symmetrical service is developed in Section 4.2.
Informed by insights from the ISP engagement described in Section 3 and the infrastructure assessment
in Section 2.4,Section 4.2 developsvarious operating models that are matched against conceptual
network designs.Models are then comparedconsidering preferences from both Cities and other key
decision factors including cost,level of effort,speed of deployment,and financial viability from each
City’s perspective.
Recommendations on optimal models are provided that are comfortable for the Cities and aligned with
the principles established in the request for concept proposals issued to the ISPs.
Finally,funding sources and economic impact are assessed in Section 4.3 providing recommendations
for potential grant applications and summarizing the economic impact of broadband deployment to all
the premises withinthe Cities.
4.1 Architecture Overview
Considering the goal for gigabit symmetrical service,network designs for the broadband scenarios were
developed based on a FTTH architecture,as described in Section 1.3.2,specifically using XGS-PON
technology which can deliver downstream and upstream line rates of approximately 10 Gbps per OLT
optical port.
The scope of each network design differs based on the specific target under each broadband scenario.
All the designs are developed in accordance with the following guidelines:
1)An access node is assumed to be hosted in the City Hall providing last-mile connections to
locations within 12 miles.For locations farther than that distance,other access node(s)are
installed in other City buildings.
2)The route design is optimized to maximize the use of existing infrastructure,minimizing fiberroutelength,subject to connecting all thelocations within the target area.
3)Network scenarios were designed considering aerial and underground fiber installation:
•For aerial construction,the strand and lash construction method with a 96-strand aerial
dielectric cable is assumed.
•For underground construction,a mix of trenching and boring techniques is considered for
the installation of two 2” High-density polyethylene (HDPE)conduit,one of them filled with
288-strand all dielectric cable.
4)Network electronics are dimensioned to support 1 Gbps symmetrical service and capacity spare
for futuregrowth.
4.2 Operating Models and Network Scenarios
The broadband operating model establishes the roles and responsibilities for each of the stakeholders in
the deployment and operation of a broadband network.A myriad of models can be developed through
simple variations in roles and responsibilities.A framework to understand model variations is useful as a
tool to assess optimal models for the Cities.
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CPUC Framework
The CPUC has been using a high-level framework to overview the potential models where local
governments engage in the deployment and operation of broadband networks based on the US Ignite
Whitepaper on Broadband Models.A modified version of this framework is illustrated in Figure 33,
where five common public/privatemodels are presented.
Figure 33.Operating models for broadbandexpansion through City involvement.
Cities’ Preferences
The CPUC /US Ignite framework was used to discuss operational preferences with the Cities ofAtascaderoandPasoRobles.The key findings and guidelines obtained from these discussions arecapturedbelow:
•The Cities are not positioned to launch and manage a full-service municipal ISP.
•The Cities prefer not to be active in broadband operations but would consider it if other viable
options do not surface.
•There is a relative preference and interest in owning a middle-mile network,active or passive,that can be leveraged by ISPs to extend and provide last-mile service to end users.
Scenario Overview
Considering the Cities’ preferences, four scenarios were developed to evaluate their feasibility and
relative attractiveness and to guide the Cities in future engagements withkey stakeholders as the
Broadband Strategy and Plan advances.These scenarios were also developed as proof positive as to why
certain scenarios are of no interest to the Cities.
For the analysis,the CPUC /US Ignite framework was extended to capture the roles to fund,own,
deploy,and operate the components of the broadband network including poles and conduit,middle-
mile passive and active infrastructure,last-mile passive and active infrastructure,and service delivery.
The analysis is done considering that each City may select a different model,therefore,models are
described using “the City” as a placeholder for the City of Atascadero or the City of Paso Robles.
The four scenarios are summarized in the following:
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1)Fast-Track:Light-form Public-Private Partnership.An ISP partner commits to deploy a
citywide fiber network with support from each City through light-form contributions.
2)Conventional:Leverage City assets to establish a middle-mile dark fiber network.The
City funds the deployment of a middle-mile dark fiber network that is leveraged by ISP partners
to provide broadband services to unserved/underserved locations.
3)Pump Priming:Deploy a middle-mile Open Access Network to improve last-mile
economics.The Conventional scenario with the addition of active infrastructure in the middle-
mile network to offer lit active services.
4)Bold (and Risky):Own the last-mile Open Access Network.The City partners with a third-
party operator to deploy and operate a last-mile open access network.
The scenarios are ordered based on the level of involvement from the City from low to high.Scenarios 1-
2 are best aligned with both Cities’ preferences while scenarios 3 and 4 are presented for contrast as
they require heavy involvement from each City to deploy and operate middle-mile and last-mileinfrastructure,respectively.Therefore,the analysis presented in the following sections puts emphasis onScenarios1and2.
4.2.1 Scenario 1 –Fast Track:Light-form Public-Private Partnership
In this scenario,an ISP partner commits to expand its infrastructure to provide FTTH service throughout
the City,subject to light-form contributions from the City.In exchange,the ISP charges end users for the
service and,depending on the type and amount of City contributions,may provide some form of
payback to the City,as illustrated in Figure 34.
Figure 34.Scenario 1 –Task Track:Light-form Public PrivatePartnership.
The classic example of this type of scenario is what occurred in Kansas City with Google Fiber.Kansas
City provided the right environment through access to existing infrastructure and broadband-friendly
policies,resulting in the City being selected by Google Fiber in 2011 to be the first market to deliver 1
Gbps broadband service to residential and business users,boosting quality of life and
entrepreneurship.55
Roles and responsibilities for the implementation of this scenario in North County are further analyzed
below.
Funding
The infrastructure to be deployed under this scenario includes the necessary middle-mile and last-mile
infrastructure to ensure 100%availability of 1 Gbps symmetrical service.For an ISP without existing
infrastructure,this would represent an estimated 447 miles of fiber.The required infrastructure and
55 https://www.forbes.com/sites/eliseackerman/2012/08/04/how-kansas-won-the-google-fiber-jackpot-and-why-california-never-will/?sh=5bbc9ffe4b76
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associated cost will vary greatly based on the level of infrastructure of the selected ISP partner –from
significant to none.
The role of the Cities is to provide light form funding.Funding levels are designed to trigger interest of
potential ISP partners,enabling their business case.The proposed contributions include the following:
1)Removing barriers and streamlining the permitting processes.Ensures a clear and efficient
permitting process which addresses the issues captured in Section 2.5 andprovides certainty to
the ISP partner while reducing the overall time and cost for deployment.
2)Access to existing and planned City infrastructure.Provides access to the existing and planned
City infrastructure described in Section 2.4,particularly existing conduit and fiber which reduces
the investment required to provide city-wide service.
3)Contract to provide connectivity to City buildings.Offers a long-term contract to provide inter-
building connectivity and broadband service for City buildings to ensure revenue for the ISP
partner,improving its business case.
4)Collaboration for Grants.Partnering with the ISP partners to apply for broadband grants to help
pay for infrastructure expansion.The role of the City can vary from extending a letter of support
to serving as the primary applicant for the grants.Potential grant opportunities are further
explored in Section 4.3.
Note:Additional inducement funding can be considered under this section to meet the clearing
threshold for an ISP commitment.
Ownership
Under this “Fast-Track” scenario,the ISP partner keeps ownership of most of the newly deployed
infrastructure including passive and active last mile and middle mile infrastructure.
The notable exception is for infrastructure that is funded through grants awarded to the City.In that
case,the City will be the owner of the portion of the infrastructure funded by the Grant,and the ISP
partner may enter into a long-term lease agreement at reduced or no fee.
Deployment
The ISP partner is responsible for the deployment of the required last-mile and middle mile
infrastructure (passive and active),meeting the agreed upon timelines.
The City is responsible for accelerating the permitting process and tracking the progress of thedeployment.
Operation
The ISP partner is responsible for operating the last-mile and middle mile infrastructure,passive and
active,and for providingresidential and business broadband services within the City in accordance with
a Service Level Agreement (SLA)to be established between the ISP partner and the City.
The City oversees SLA compliance based on some level of reporting and community feedback.
Figure 35 shows the roles and responsibilities for Scenario 1.
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Figure 35.Light-form Public-Private Partnership OperatingModel.
Further analysis of this scenario was done by generating a conceptual network design.Since the specific
ISP partner has not been selected,the conceptual network design,shown in Figure 36,includes 100%ofpremiseswithinAtascaderoandPasoRobles.As stated before,the specific infrastructure to bedeployedunderthismodelwillvarybasedontheselectedISPpartner.
Figure 36.Network Scenario for the Light-Form Public-Private Partnership Model.
The business case for this scenario is also analyzed for each City through a high-level financial analysis.
The results are captured in Figure 37 for the City of Paso Robles and in Figure 38 for the City of
Atascadero.Importantly,the CAPEX is absorbed by the Service Provider and the operational costs to the
City are insignificant.
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Note:This analysis does not provide a Net Present Value (NPV)analysis.The primary purpose is to
provide an operating view of the City budgets.
Figure 37.Financial view for Scenario1 –City of El Paso Robles.
Since the City of Paso Robles has existing and planned conduit infrastructure to be leased by the ISP
partner,connectivity services for the City can be provided by the ISP at no fee,resulting in a minimum
annual operating cost to manage the SLA with the ISP partner.
Figure38.Financial view for Scenario 1 –City ofAtascadero.
For Atascadero,the cumulative deficit shown above is primarily due to the payment for connectivityserviceswhichisestimatedtobe$10,000 per month.As connectivity services are already part of theCityoperatingcostsmorefavorablepricingcanbenegotiatedimprovingthescenariofinancials.
The primary benefit of the Fast Track Scenario is its low cost for the Cities and fast implementation.In
addition,there is no need for the Cities to be involved in broadband operations.In this scenario,the CitydoesnotownnewassetsandthemodelisISPdependentwithlimitedCitycontrolonthe
implementation.
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4.2.2 Scenario 2 –Conventional:Leverage City assets to establish a middle mile
dark fiber network
This scenario,captured in Figure 39,is built around the City led deployment of a middle mile dark fiber
network to connect City assets and anchor institutions.The City hires a contractor for the deployment of
the middle mile passive infrastructure which is then leased to one or more ISP partners.ISPs leverage
the dark fiber network to extend their last-mile infrastructure and provide broadbandservice to end
users across the Cities.The ISP charges end users for the service andpays fees to the City for the lease
of dark fiber infrastructure.As part of the arrangement the ISP may also provide high-speed internet
access for the internal network of the City.
Figure 39.Scenario 2 –Conventional:Leverage City assets to establish a middlemile dark fiber network.
This type of scenario has been implementedby the City of West Des Moines in Iowa56.Since 2021,the
West Des Moines has been building a citywide conduit network (~1,000 miles)funded through a
municipal bond under an open access model.In exchange,Google Fiber has committed to install fiber
passing every home and business in the city.Other ISPs are being onboarded including local ISPs such asMi-Fiber.
The roles and responsibilities associated with this scenario for North County are set forth below:
Funding
The City funds the passive infrastructure for the middle mile network through grants,municipal debt,or
general funds while the ISP partners fund their own middle mile active infrastructure and the passive
and active infrastructure for the last mile.
To support the last mile deployments the City can streamline the permitting process to reduce overall
time and cost for deployment.
Ownership
Ownershipof the newly deployed infrastructure belongs to the entity that funds the deployment.
Therefore,the middle-mile passive infrastructure is owned by the city,while the middle-mile active
infrastructure and the last mile infrastructure,passive and active,is owned by the ISP partner.
56 https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-01-27/to-span-the-broadband-gap-an-iowa-town-built-its-own-fiber-network
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Deployment
The City is responsible for the permitting process and the deployment of the middle-mile passive
infrastructure.For these tasks the City relies on a single partner which can be an ISP or a construction
company under a turnkey contract.
On the other hand,the ISP will oversee the deployment of its own infrastructure for middle mile (active
only)and last mile (active and passive).
Operation
The middle-mile passive infrastructure is operated by the city,including the delivery of conduit
segments and fiber strands,establishment of lease agreements,billing,and associated maintenance.
These tasks can also be outsourced to a third party or to an anchor tenant in exchange for reduced lease
fees.
Each ISP is responsible for operating the last-mile (active and passive)and middle-mile (active only)
infrastructure and for providing residential andbusiness broadband service.Depending on how the
leasing fees are negotiated,an SLA between the City and the ISPs for the provisioning of end user
services might be agreed upon in which case the City would need to oversee SLA compliance.
A summary of the roles and responsibilities above is captured in Figure 40.
Figure 40.Conventional Operating Model:Leveraging City assets to establish a middle mile dark fiber network.
The conceptual network design for this scenario,shown in Figure 41,includes fiber termination to 121
premises within Atascadero and Paso Robles,which include City buildings and anchor institutions,with
an estimated length of 61 miles of fiber and a total cost between $6.3 million and $8.7 million.
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Figure 41.Network Scenario for the MiddleMile Dark Fiber Network.
It is important to note that the number of premises and the design of the network can be adapted to the
available budget and/or key areas where partner ISPs have a higher need for middle mile passive
infrastructure.
The results of the high-level business case analysis are shown in Figure 42 for the City of Paso Robles and
Figure 43 for the City of Atascadero.For both Cities,excluding the required CAPEX,the Cities will
generate revenues from dark fiber leasing which cover the annual fixed costs related to SLA
management and the payment for high-speed internet,resulting in a positive operational surplus over a
five-year period.
Note:This analysis does not factor in CAPEX cost,which may be provided through grants,nor does it
provide an NPV analysis.The primary purpose is to provide an operating view of the City budgets.
Figure42.Financial view for Scenario 2 –City ofPaso Robles.
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Figure43.Financial view for Scenario 2 –City ofAtascadero.
Scenario 2 has the advantage of addressing City connectivity needs while enabling last-mile
deployments without the level of investment or the operational complexity required for an end-to-end
network.Furthermore,the City will own broadband assets that can be leveragedto obtain revenues.
Scenario 2 presents the challenge to operate the passive infrastructure and raise the required funding.It
is important to note that the City may not control the implementation of the last mile,therefore,leasing
agreements should be effectively negotiated to obtain last mile commitments,perhaps in exchange for
reduced leasing fees.
4.2.3 Scenario 3 –Pump Priming:Deploy a middle mile Open Access Network to
improve last-mile economics
Scenario 3 is a variation of Scenario 2 in which the middle mile passive infrastructure is complemented
with active infrastructure to establish a middle mile open access network.In this case,the middle mile
network operation is outsourced to a third-party operator under a flat fee model subject to an SLA.The
third-party operator provides middle mile services and dark fiber to the ISPs,which in exchange,pay
wholesale fees to the city.Figure 44 captures these interactions.
Figure 44.Scenario 3 –Pump Priming:Deploy a middle mile Open Access Network toimprove last-mile economics.
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This model has been implemented in multiple places across the country.For example,in LA County,the
South Bay Cities Council of Governments57 developed a middle-mile network that connects various
municipal buildings and public agency sites across the 15 South Bay Cities.The network commenced
operations in August 2020 and is operated by American Dark Fiber.The expectation is that the networkwillbeleveragedtoextendlow-cost broadband service to residents and businesses throughout the
Southwest Los Angeles region.
A summary of the roles and responsibilities under this scenario is captured in Figure 45.
Figure 45.MiddleMileOpenAccessNetwork Operating Model.
The results of the high-level business case analysis for Scenario 3 are shown in Figure 46 for the City of
Paso Robles and Figure 47 for the City of Atascadero.
Note:This analysis does not provide an NPV analysis.The primary purpose is to provide an operating
view of the City budgets.
57 https://southbayCities.org/programs/south-bay-fiber-network/
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Figure46.Financial view for Scenario 3 –City ofPaso Robles.
Figure47.Financial view for Scenario 3 –City ofAtascadero.
For both Cities the results are similar:the cost for the middle mile network operation is greater than
associated revenues,yielding a deficit over five years of approximately $100k.
The implementation of the middle mile open access network creates a more robust infrastructure to
enable last-mile deployments.However,the operation of an open access network is more complex
requiring another entity,the third-party operator,to manage and operate the network on behalf of the
City impacting the sustainability of the business case.As in Scenario 2,the City may not have control on
the implementation of the last mile,and hence,the importance of negotiating leasing agreements
considering commitments for last mile deployments.
4.2.4 Scenario 4 –Bold (and Risky):Own the last-mile Open Access Network
In this scenario the City implements a last-mile open access network to serve priority unserved and
underserved areas.The interactions between stakeholders under this scenario are captured in Figure 48.
The City hires a contractor for the deployment of the middle mile and last mile infrastructure.The
operation of the network is outsourced to a third-party operator under a flat fee model subject to an
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SLA.The third-party operator provides middle mile and last mile services to the ISPs,which in exchange
pay wholesale fees to the city.Finally,the ISPs provide broadband services to end users charging them
the corresponding service fees.
Figure 48.Scenario 4 –Bold (andRisky):Own the last-mile OpenAccessNetwork.
The flagship implementation of such a scenario is Utopia Fiber in Utah58,a last-mile open access network
founded by a consortium of 16 cities in Utah in 2002.Utopia currently manages more than 40,000
subscribers in partnership with 11 ISPs that provide retail broadband services.Interestingly, California’s
Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC)entered into an agreement with Utopia to operate
last mile networks in rural California under the auspices of the Golden State Connect Authority using this
open access model.
The roles and responsibilities for Scenario 4 are summarized in Figure 49.
58 https://www.utopiafiber.com/
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Figure 49.Last Mile Open Access Network Operating Model.
The results of the high-level business case analysis are shown in Figure 50 for the City of Paso Robles and
Figure 51 for the City of Atascadero.
Note:This analysis does not provide an NPV analysis.The primary purpose is to provide an operating
view of the City budgets.
Figure50.Financial view for Scenario 4 –City ofPaso Robles.
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Figure51.Financial view for Scenario 4 –City ofAtascadero.
Under this scenario the Cities collect significantly more revenue due to the wholesale service fees.
However,this revenue is not enough to cover the higher costs of operating the last mile network.In
addition,the CAPEX requirement exceeds reasonable expectations of public funding as addressed in
Section 4.3.
This scenario presents a notably higher cost,risk,andcomplexity for North County,requiring more
involvementin operations.Moreover,municipal funding through grants is not likely to be sufficient to
cover the priority areas.This scenario does provide a unique benefit for the community which is the
ability to ensure that priority unserved and underserved areas are addressed.The City would have
control regarding the implementation process and timelines.Furthermore,the City would own
important revenue-generating assets.
This scenario is not recommended as it presents a high degree of risk,funding requirements,and
operational complexity.
4.2.5 Summary of Scenarios &Recommendations
Figure 52 summarizes the most prominent features of the four scenarios that have been analyzed.As
shown,Scenarios 1 and 2 are recommended for further investigation.The rationale for this
recommendation is as follows:
•The CAPEX contribution from the Cities is viable.Scenario 1 requires minimum contributions
from the Cities.For Scenario 2,Paso Robles can leverage the existing EDA grant,while
Atascadero can complement the $1.39M available for broadband with grant money.
•The operational complexity of these two scenarios is manageable for both Cities.Furthermore,
the City of Paso Robles already owns and has experience with the operation of a fiber network.
•These scenarios minimize the financial risk and accelerate the expansion of broadband
infrastructure toward the objective of 100%availability of gigabit symmetrical service.
•These scenarios are compatible with the path defined for concept proposals from ISPs.
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Figure 52.Broadband Scenarios Summary.
4.3 Funding Sources Overview and Assessment
To achieve North County objectives,capital investment will be required either by the private sector,the
public sector or both.There are three primary categories of funding sources that are captured in Figure
53 below.
Figure 53.Funding SourcesCategories.
The first category refers to funding that has already been awarded to the Cities through a grant for
broadband deployment and can be used immediately.As described in Section 2.4,Paso Robles has been
awarded an EDA grant for $3,537,447 to deploy 14.2 miles of fiber.Atascadero,in turn,has assigned
$1,390,000 from various grants to be spent on broadband.
The second category includes state and federal programs for broadband infrastructure deployment.It is
important to note that these programs can only be used to deploy infrastructure to connect currently
unserved and underserved locations as identified in FCC and CPUC maps.Consequently,initial estimates
indicate that the maximum amount that Paso Robles and Atascadero can apply for is ~$3.9M and
~$11.6M,respectively with no assurance of receiving funding.
State and federal funding sources are further characterized in Section 4.3.1
The third category considers methods for self-financing.This means funds raised by the Cities either
through internal budgets,bonds,or assessments/taxes.Self-funding is not the focus of this section as it
is not expected to be an important instrument in achieving North County’s objectives.
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4.3.1 State and Federal Funding Sources
Multiple programs related to broadband have been created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and
the urgent need to close the digital divide.Most of these programs can be traced back to the following
legislation:
1.Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
In November 2021,President Joe Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA)or
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL)to support internet expansion,access,and use nationwide.The BIL
provides a total of $65 billion for the following areas:
•Planning activities and studies for the development of Internet expansion projects.
•Network infrastructure deployment for high-speed Internet
•Activities to increase Internet access and meaningful use of high-speed internet.This includes
digital literacy,skills training,telehealth,and remote learning.
The Broadband Equity,Adoption,and Deployment (BEAD)Program emanates from the BIL,assigning
$42 billion for infrastructure deployment that will be distributed among the states and US territories
based on their number of unserved locations.
2.American Rescue Plan Act
The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)funding is an answer to the COVID-19 pandemic to help families
and small businesses get affordable high-speed internet connections.ARPA acts as an addition to the
BIL,andamong others,it has already committed $4.3 billion to the State of California.
Atascadero existing funds are coming substantially under ARPA funds.
3.Senate Bill 156
Governor Newsom signed the Senate Bill 156 (SB-156)that allocates $6 billion for expanding broadband
infrastructure and access in California.Most relevant programs emerging from this senate bill focus on
deploying Middle-mile and Last-mile networks across the state.
Multiple funding programs for broadband infrastructure and adoption were created from these three
legislations.Each program targets slightly different objectives and incorporates different eligibility
criteria and requirements.Existing programs were exhaustively researched and analyzed to determine
North County eligibility and likelihood of getting funded.As a result,four programs were selected as
possible funding sources:
•Last Mile Federal Funding Account
•CASF Broadband Infrastructure Grant Account
•Loan Loss Reserve Fund
•BEAD
A detailed description of eachof the selected programs is presented in Appendix V while Table 11
provides a high-level overview.
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Table11.State and Federal Funding ProgramsSummary.
Program Max Estimated Amount Timeframe Estimated Scores
Last Mile FederalFundingAccount Paso Robles:$1.5MAtascadero:$4.4M Application window tobeopenbymid-June.110–120 points of 130
Broadband
Infrastructure Account
Paso Robles:$3.9M
Atascadero:$11.6M May 1st,2023 80%-100%of funding
Loan Loss Reserve Fund 5%-20%of total project
loan Quarterly 30 –50 points out of 50
BEAD Infrastructure To be determined ~2024 To be determined
Based on the above,the recommended roadmap for grant applications is illustrated in Figure 54 and
described below.Importantly,application for grants is subjectto re-assessing eligibility once the
updated CPUC map is published on March 31st.
Figure 54.Grant application roadmap.
1)Atascadero should apply for the Broadband Infrastructure Grant account whose deadline is May
1st.
2)Both Cities should consider applying to the Last-Mile Federal Funding Account.In the case of
Atascadero,this should be based on the statusof the Broadband Infrastructure Grant
application.
3)Track developments and updates coming from National Telecommunications and Information
Administration (NTIA)and CPUC,and evaluate the option to apply once the rules,guidelines,
and details for submission are released.
4)It is not expected that the Cities will issue bonds and therefore will not require support from the
Loan Loss Reserve fund.
4.4 Economic Impact Analysis
As explained in Section 1.2,broadband access and adoption have a positive impact in multiple areas
including economic development,work,health,education,social inclusion,andquality of life in general.
Multiple studies in the last two decades59 have shown the direct and indirect impact in economic (e.g.,
59 Broadband penetration and economic growth nexus:evidencefrom cross-country panel data,2014.
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gross domestic product,businesses,and jobs)and social (e.g.,health,education,transportation)areas
due to broadband penetration in communities of diverse sizes.
For North County,there is a particular interest in characterizing the economic impact from broadband
deployment across the Cities.In this section,an analysis is presented for the scenario that assumes
deployment of gigabit symmetrical service to 100%of premises within the Cities.The economic impact
has been estimated by analyzing previous broadband studies within the region –as well as national andinternationalstudies–and applying and extrapolating their findings to North County.The results arepresentedbelow.
Gross domestic product (GDP)increase
Numerous studies have demonstrated that greater broadband availability leads to economic growth in
terms of an increase in the GDP. It’s estimated that a 10% increase in fixed broadband penetration
results in a per capita GDP increase between 0.9%and 1.5%60.This can represent an approximate
increase in the GDP between $143 million and $238 million61.
The specific percentage depends on the current level of connectivity in the region.For North County,it
is estimated that a 10%increase in fixed broadband penetration will drive a growth of 0.88%in the GDP
per capita.
Given that the current penetration in Paso Robles and Atascadero is around 90%62,the maximum
increase in penetration is 10%andtherefore the expected growth in the GDP per capita due to
broadband is capped at 0.88%.While penetration is capped,a more robust grade of service will only
further increase the GDP affect.
Direct Business Impact
The economic impact of broadband can also be quantified as a direct impact on creating business andjobs.According to the business responses to the Needs Assessment Survey,14%of business ownerscouldhiremoreemployeesandexpandtheirmarketswithGigabitInternetattheirbusiness.
Extrapolating these results using current data from the Census,a potential number of 230 businessescouldhiremoreemployeesbyadoptingGigabitInternetserviceinNorthCounty.
Workforce Development
The introduction of broadband provides channels for learning new skills for career advancement and
completing essential jobfunctions in many professions.This translates into employees capable of
working from any location,enabling more flexible work arrangements,and providing employers access
to a broader talent pool.
According to the Needs Assessment Survey,49.3%of respondents use the most data/Gigabytes during
remote learning /remote work.It is expected that with enhanced broadband in North County,more
people can work or study remotely,significantly improving their skills and job opportunities.It has been
shown63 that the gross enrollment ratio for tertiary schools (post-secondary education)increases by
60 ITU Publications:The economic contribution of broadband,digitization,and ICT regulation.
61 Calculated based on San Luis Obispo county GDP.
62 Census Quick Facts
63 ITU Publications:The economic contribution of broadband,digitization and ICT regulation.
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0.051%with a 1%increase in fixed broadband adoption.With the expected increase of 10%,this ratio is
expected to increase by 0.51%.This means 1,313 and 1,439 enrolled students for Paso Robles and
Atascadero (respectively).
Labor Productivity
Labor productivity measures the hourly output of a country or the economy of a city.Specifically,it
charts the real GDP produced by an hour of labor.The high-quality reliable home internet opens diverse
opportunities for employment making the idea of working from home more attractive.Moreover,
remote working combined with high-quality (fast and reliable)internet is estimated to impact labor
productivity by an estimated 1.1%64.A recent study65 points out that 1%percentage of additional
productivity could mean an increase in per capita GDP about $3,500.
Figure 55 presents a summary of the estimatedeconomic impact of 100%availability of high-speed
reliable and affordable broadband across the Cities.
Figure 55.Broadband economic impact on North County
64 Internet Access and its Implications for Productivity,Inequality,and Resilience.
65 What is productivity?–McKinsey &Company
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5 Digital Divide
Analysis
According to the Digital Equity Act of 2021,“digital equity” is a condition
in which individuals and communities have the information technology
capacity that is needed for full participation in the society and economy
of the United States.
To achieve digital equity,it is necessary to ensure that all individuals have reliable and affordable access
to broadband services,internet-enabled devices,and the necessary digital skills and resources to
leverage the benefits of a connected world.
Digital equity is increasingly considered as a 21st century social justice and fair opportunity issue since
lack of access and adoption of broadband negatively impacts quality of life and limits economic,
educational,and health care opportunities.Therefore,it is important to understand the barriersresultinginthedigitaldividetoimplementtherightstrategiestoachievedigitalequity.
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The California Department of Technology (CDT)is currently developing the State Digital Equity Plan
(SDEP)66,a complimentary process that will support the goals of the California Broadband for All Action
Plan.It is anticipated that implementationof the SDEP will take up to five years after funding is
distributed.The SDEP will be submitted to the NTIA to access funding from the $2.75 billion assigned by
the IIJA to close the digital divide.
The SDEP must:
1)Identify the digital equity barriers for eight Covered Populations:
2)Identify the state’s plan to address outcomes in key priority areas including education,healthcare,
digital inclusion,economic and workforce development,and civic participation and access to
essential services.
This Digital Divide Analysis performed aspart of this project is aligned with these requirements.The
digital equity barriers for covered populations are analyzed in Section 5.1,while key priority areas are
characterized in Section 5.2.Finally,programs and recommendations are provided in Section 5.3 with
Section 5.4 assessing the alignment with the California Broadband for All initiative.
The following section presents a characterization of the Covered Populations in North County and the
key challenges they face that are unrelated to broadband.
5.1 Digital Equity Barriers for Covered Populations
As a first step,covered populations defined in the Digital Equity Act are identified within North County,
based on various data sources including the Needs Assessment Survey,the SLO County Digital Divide
Reportand the latest data from the Census Bureau.The Digital Divide67 is the gap between those who
have affordable access,skills,and support to effectively engage online and those who do not.
•Individuals living in covered households
Covered households are defined as households whose income is not more than 150 percent of
the amount equal to the poverty level.As discussed in section 2.3,the Cities ofPaso Robles and
Atascadero have 22%and 17%oftheir population (respectively)living on an income lower than
the 150%of the poverty level.
66 State DigitalEquity Plan (accessed March 2023)
67 https://www.digitalinclusion.org/definitions/
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•Aging Individuals
According to the 2020 Census,the population of Paso Robles is 31,513,while Atascadero’s is
29,794.The percentage of individual aging is very similar for both Cities,17.5%for Paso Robles
and 16.9%for Atascadero.
•Incarcerated individualsAtascaderoStateHospital is part of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
(CDCR)system with approximately 1,184 beds.It is unclear how many of the inmates would be
likely to participate in digital skills training.
•Veterans
The veteran population living in North County is approximately 1,186,632 in Paso Robles and
554 in Atascadero.
•Individuals with disabilitiesTheUSCensus68revealsthere are about 5,101 people (8.2%)in North County under 65 living
with a disability.
•Individuals with language barriers
The US Census indicates that 28%(3,349)of homes in Paso Robles speak a language other than
English,while in Atascadero,it is in 11%(1,290)of homes.As discussed in section 2.1,20%of
Paso Robles students are considered ELL while speaking range of languages like Spanish,Arabic,
Chinese among others.In Atascadero,7.6%of their student population are ELL with Spanish as
their primary language.
•Member of racial or ethnic minority groups
Paso Robles and Atascadero population is composed by a significant percentage of Hispanic or
Latino population,35.6%and 18.3%respectively.At Paso Robles,2%belong to American Indian
or Alaska Native population and the rest fall into smaller ethnical groups.Similarly,in 3.7%of
Atascadero population is a combination of Asian,American Indian,and Alaska Native andAfricanAmerican.
•Individuals who primarily reside in rural areas
The Cities of Paso Robles and Atascadero are both considered as urban areas.While the Cities
are considered urban areas,the bulk of the area in North County is rural and access to services iswithintheCityboundaries,specifically the school districts.The education system and social
services serve many of the rural residents of North County.
68 U.S.Census Bureau,American Community Survey (ACS)and Puerto Rico Community Survey(PRCS),5-YearEstimates.
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After identifying the covered populations,the digital equity barriers around access,affordability,
devices,and skills were analyzed based on the Needs Assessment Survey,interviews with key
stakeholders,public data,and previousreports at the county,state,and national level.The results of the
analysis are presented in the following sections.
5.1.1 Access
According to the Census69,most of the North County households have internet access:91.8%of
households in Paso Robles and 90.4%in Atascadero.This is in alignment with the Needs Assessment
Survey results where 96%of respondents reported to have access to internet at home.
Among survey respondents without internet access,32%claimed that there is no internet service
provider in their area.Also,it’s worth noting that almost 85% of survey respondents without internet
access are older than 55 years old,while 44%are older than 65,revealing an adoption gap for aging
individuals.
According to the SLO County Digital Divide Report,8.2%of the Hispanic or Latino population living in
Paso Robles and 6.1%in Atascadero have no Internet connection.This shows that these minority groups
are not unequally affected by broadband availability,given that the average for both Cities is around
10%.
Importantly,the Needs Assessment Survey shows that most respondents who have internet access
(53%)consider their service reliability as the most important feature,but 35%consider their connection
to be unreliable or very unreliable.
5.1.2 Affordability
The Needs Assessment Survey revealed that 73%of respondents with internet at home consider their
service too expensive.Of those,58%are older than 55 years and 32%older than 65.
In addition,the SLO County Digital Divide Report shows that 40%of Paso Robles’and 37%of
Atascadero's households cannot afford the so-called “Digital New Normal”. The “New Normal” considers
digital services among the basic needs of the population together with other essential services likeelectricity.
This barrier could be addressed through the FCC’s Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).According to
the ACP enrollment tracker from the California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF)70,there are 4,666
households in Paso Robles and 2,583 in Atascadero that are eligible for this benefit.In fact,this numbermightbehighersincehouseholdswithstudentsintheNSLPautomaticallyqualifyfortheACP,that
means 61%of students in Paso Robles and 49%in Atascadero.However,according to the ACP
Enrollment Tracker,only one third of eligible households (34%in Paso Robles and 36%in Atascadero)
have enrolled into the program.
In conclusion,consistent outreach through partnerships will continue to be an essential effort toincreasethepercentageofACPenrollmentinNorthCounty.
69 U.S.Census Bureau,American Community Survey (ACS)and Puerto Rico Community Survey (PRCS),5-YearEstimates.
70 California Affordable Connectivity Program Enrollment Tracker (accessed March 2023)
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5.1.3 Devices
Having internet-connected devices at home is essential to make use of broadband services71.According
to the Census72,the percentage ofhouseholds with at least one computer is 96%for Paso Robles and
95%for Atascadero.These percentages are comparable with the Needs Assessment Survey,where 96%
of aging respondents have at least one computer at home.
Aging respondents also reported to own other internet devices,such as the following:
•Security Systems (e.g.,doorbells and cameras)–44%
•Supporting Systems (e.g.,Alexa)–35 %
•Medical equipment –9%
In a similar way,the SLO County Digital Divide Report identified that 4.3%of the Hispanic or Latino
population in Paso Robles and4.1%in Atascadero do not have a computer at home.This report alsoidentifiesthe18-year-old population sector as the one that suffers the least from the lack of acomputer:1%inPaso Robles and 4%in Atascadero.
Based on the above, there doesn’t seem to be important barriers regarding devices,in general and
across covered populations.The gap could be closed through existing programs such as the ACP,whichprovidesone-time discount of up to $100 for a laptop,tablet,or desktop computer.
5.1.4 Skills
Figure 56 summarizes the digital skills of the respondents to the Needs Assessment Survey.
Figure 56.Digital skills in NorthCounty.
71 Smartphones are not considered to be adequate devices for fully accessing the internet.
72 U.S.Census Bureau,American Community Survey (ACS)and Puerto Rico Community Survey (PRCS),5-YearEstimates.
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The survey reveals that most of the aging population (above 90%)can perform essential internet
activities such as sending/receiving emails,finding places and directions,or doing electronic banking.
They start struggling with social media,messaging applications,streaming services,and (even more)
eCommerce applications.
An increase in the adoption of e-commerce applications would represent not only an improvement in
the economy of cities but it can also improve the lifestyle of the aging population.
During the public forum conversations in Paso Roblesand Atascadero,digitalskills,and training on how
to use the internet was deemed to have primary importance when considering steps to take towards
closing the digital divide.Panelists noted that while most of the community can access some internet
services,there are many who need to access services that they don’t know how to use such as
telehealth,banking,eGovernment and eCommerce.Based on interviews with Community BasedOrganizations(CBO)partners and County staff,of significant importance are digital training
opportunities for senior populations and parents of the ELL students.
The Youth Works program,located within the Housing Authority,has a computer lab to supportstudentswithinternetaccessfordoinghomework.In an interview with the Executive Director,he
explained that all their residents would benefit from training to fully utilize the resource.
5.2 Priority Area Assessment
5.2.1 Education
School districts from Paso Robles and Atascadero have been working towards improving connectivity at
schools and at student homes.For schools this has led to 100%of the schools in North County
connected to the K-12 High Speed Network (K12HSN),100%of them through fiber in Paso Robles,and
92.3%in Atascadero73.
Nevertheless,there are still important gaps regarding student connectivity.IT directors of both districts
were asked what their top priority would be for their students if money was not a barrier.Atascadero's
director would like to provide accessible high-speed Internet to every household.Paso Robles would like
to deploy fiber to connect all their school sites and administrative buildings to provide wireless services
to surrounding areas,specifically rural residents that lack reliable internet access.
This is consistent with the Needs Assessment Survey that shows that only 27%of remote learning
students consider their home to have good internet service.In comparison,34%would like to have
better connectivity,10%consider their home as having bad servicewhich makes them struggle
constantly,and 8%consider their service to be awful,which makes it impossible to work with.
5.2.2 Health Care
According to the Needs Assessment Survey,57%of respondents rely on the internet for telehealthservices,leaving 43%behind.Furthermore,of those doing telehealth only 25%are satisfied with their
experience,with 19%of respondents referring that their doctors/nurses struggled to provide the
service.
This indicates that faster,more reliable connectionsare required to fully leverage telehealth programs.
5.2.3 Economic and Workforce Development
73 K12HSN Data Portal
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As demonstrated in Section 4.4,broadband has a significant impact on economic and workforce
development.Importantly,this requires not only access to broadband but also the development of
digital skills throughout.
Results from the Needs Assessment Survey provide relevant insights regarding the use of broadband for
economic and workforce development:
•Only 27%of respondents are satisfied with their internet service regarding remote working,therestsaidtheywouldliketheirconnectiontobebetter(32%),they constantly struggle (11%)or
consider it almost impossible to do any remote work (4%).
•Almost all business owners that claimed an internet connection are satisfied with their internet
service regarding remote working,the rest said they would like their connection to be better
(32%),they constantly struggle (11%)or consider almost impossible to do any remote work
(4%).
5.2.4 Civic Engagement and Access to Essential Services
Both cites have accessible services via their websites that identify important resources as well as CitycouncilmeetingagendasandotherCityprocessesandprocedures.Most of the information is geared
towards City operations and upcoming projects and priorities,paying bills,recreational opportunities,
etc.The sites also include general information for special events and critical announcements for raising
awareness during emergency events.Where applicable,the Cities have embedded external links to
additional information regarding County social services and housing and other programs managed by
and addressed at the County level.
A key challenge to accessible and affordable broadband are gaps in the multi-unit housing
infrastructure.While some of the housing includes Wi-Fi for the residents,it may be difficult for those
households that would qualify for the ACP to connect if individual lines are not accessible within each
unit.Therefore,it is important for the Cities to ensurewithin their policies that multi-unit housing in
development is wired for high-speed internet access.
5.3 Digital Inclusion Programs and Partners
Digital inclusion refers to the activities necessary to ensure that all individuals and communities,
including the Covered Populations identified for the SDEP,have access to and use information and
communication technologies.The five elements of digital inclusion are access to affordable and robust
internet service,internet enabled devices,access to digital literacy training,quality technical support
and applications and online content to enable and encourage self-sufficiency.
Meaningful digital inclusionwork requires programs and policies that meet the needs of the community
in culturally appropriate and language accessible materials.Recommended programs and partners are
captured below:
Affordable Connectivity Program.Affordable access to
broadband services can be accomplished through the ACP74.
Furthermore,the ACP offers an opportunity to purchase a low-
cost computing device for households who are enrolling in ACP for
the first time.
74 Affordable Connectivity Program (accessed 2023)
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It is recommended for North County to promote and support enrollment into the ACP by working with
CBO partners,libraires and schools to facilitate registration events,and access to online resources within
the City online websites.
The Northstar Online Learning (NSOL)program75 is available
through the Public Library system of SLO.The NSOL was developed
to help job seekers lacking digital literacy skills obtain and retain
employment that require such skills.Furthermore,the NSOL is a
nationally recognized program that provides a digital literacycertificationoncecompletedandthatcertificatecanbeturnin for
a low-cost device.
Recommendation is to increase awareness and promotion of thisprogramthatwouldbenefitthelocalcommunity.While the NSOL program is only accessible via the
Atascadero library,community members served by County programs can utilize the resource.All that is
required is a library card number and a computer.
Paso Robles Library System
While the NSOL program is not currently available within the Paso
Robles library system, the City’s Five Year Library Strategic Plan has
four goals that align with digital inclusion strategies with one ofthesegoalsspecificallytargetingtheimplementationoftechnologyandinnovationplatformsandstaffsupport.
Community Learning Centers
A recommended initiative is to provide learning centers within
already established community centers that families or seniors
already utilize and could receive assistance with devices and training
programs.Initiatives like this can already be found in some of the
subsidized housing developments in Paso Robles and there is
evidence that there is a greater need.Libraries are an important
partner and already have some infrastructure and resources available to build upon andhave access to
unique grants,funding,and programs via the California State Library system.
Devices and digital navigator programs can be developed and deployed via funding through the CASF
Adoption Funding Account described below andprograms can be implemented through partnerships
noted above.Key to success is identifying trusted and collaborative partners.
The Boys and Girls Club of Mid Central Coast reported that if
they had 130 devices,they could set up computer labs in both
Cities and serve all their school and club sites and support students
with homework projects.Devices can be funded through the CASF
Adoption Funding Account described below.
75 Northstar Digital Literacy (accessed March 2023)
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In addition,they could also work with parents who need to learn how to use a computer to access the
internet.Finally,partnerships to provide the support needed to overcome language barriers would need
to be established.
CASF Adoption Funding Account
A program for thedeployment of low-cost devices could be
developed in partnership with the Cities and CBOs by utilizing the
CASF Adoption funding account76.The bulk purchase of devices for
training centers within housing developments,after-school
programs,libraries and for workforce training centers,and to
subsidize the purchase of home computers for individuals that
participate in digital skills training would play a significant role inclosingthedigitaldivideinNorthCounty.
The Workforce Development Board of San Luis Obispo County
(WDBSLO)is in the third year of its local plan to support
employment and training services.The Workforce Innovation and
Opportunity Act (WIOA)guides these efforts focusing on digital
fluency,distance learning,and cultural competencies.
In North County,a partner for this work is Eckerd Connects77.The programsprovided by Eckerd could
play a role in supporting basic digital skills training to covered populations utilizing their resources.
Importantly,to ensure alignment with the SDEP and the California Broadband for All Action Plan,a
similar type of online or in person training program would need to be accessible in other languages,
primarily Spanish.
El Camino Homeless Organization (ECHO)78 operates two shelters
in North County,one in each city.Through a conversation with their
client services manager,it was identified that there are not enough
computers available to support their client needs as they move into
independence since most job and rental applications need to be
completed online and ECHO hasonlyone or two computers that
clients can use with supervision,which is insufficient as they serve
hundreds of individuals a year in the temporary shelter program and
their transition to housing program.
A program to provide ECHO clients with a computer and to ensure they have access to the internet
when they move out into housing should be considered.Collaborating on a CASF Adoption Funding
Account application would prove to be beneficial.
76 CASF Adoption Account (accessed March 2023)
77 Eckerd Connects (accessed March 2023)
78 ECHO (accessed March 2023)
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Regional Coordination and Awareness
The County of SLO,the County Office of Education,County and local library systems,local school
districts,Cuesta Community College and the WDBSLO are all partners in determining the best path
towards closing the digital divide.This is key as regional coordination will be the most effective
approach to support digital inclusion and improve digital literacy.Through regional coordination,the
task to identify gaps of services,identify needs and subsequent opportunities becomes a collaborative
process with the potential for a higher rate of success.
Increased engagement with CBOs is critical to support digital equity programs as they tend to be the
trusted partners with access to priority populations who will benefit the most from digital accessible
training and services.
As the Cities continue to work towards prioritizing broadband for the community,special considerations
should be given to synthesizing information and resources within their webpages,including libraryresourcelinks,to support broadband access and adoption.
5.4 Alignment with California Broadband for All
The California Broadband for All Action Plan (CBA)was developed to provide access to affordable and
reliable broadband to transform the lives of all Californians79.It has the following goals,with actions and
partners identified at the state level to close the digital divide:
•All Californians have high-performance broadband available at home,schools,libraries,andbusinesses.
•All Californians have access to affordable broadband and the devices necessary to access the
internet.
•All Californians can access training and support to enable digital inclusion.
The CBA,established in December 2020,covers access to affordable broadband,accessible broadband
and access to equipment and training to close the digital divide as shown in Figure 57.
Figure 57.California Broadband For All Action PlanElements.
79 Broadband for All (accessed March 2023)
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Despite the analysis being framed inaccordance with the SDEP development process,building on the
partners and programs identified throughout this section,North County is well positioned to achieve
Broadband for All’s initiative goals as well: affordability is addressed through the Affordable Connectivity
Program and associated support and promotion programs,accessibility through the implementation ofrecommendedBroadbandscenariosinSection4,and adoption through investments in developing
digital inclusion projects and programs which ultimately benefit the entire community.
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6 Broadband Strategy
&Action Plan
The findings and recommendations captured throughout the analysis are
synthesized into the Action Plan presented in this section.
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The action plan has been shaped by the following strategic pillars:
•Achieving the upgraded objective of 100%access to gigabit symmetrical service.The
analysis of the broadband market in North County shows that both Paso Robles and Atascadero
are reasonably well served according to FCC and CPUC standards with only 1.3%of households
(159)in Paso Robles and 3.8%(470 households)in Atascadero being without access to services
with speeds higher than 100/20 Mbps.That said,the results of the Needs Assessment Survey
indicate that respondents are dissatisfied with the current ISP service offerings regarding cost
(73%),speed (25%),or reliability (35%).Moreover,ambitious economic development plans and
job growth will be restrained without best-in-class broadband infrastructure and services.Becoming “gigabit symmetrical cities” is a highly desired feature needed to compete in theeconomicdevelopmentarena.
Today’s ISP environment is a soft monopoly with Charter as the dominant provider. The Cities
lack vibrant competition and virtually no ISP announced deployment of plans for FTTHtechnologywhichisbecomingmorecommonplaceacrosstheUSbytheday.
City demographics and population density build a compelling case for the expanded objective of
100%availability of gigabit symmetrical service.
•Prioritization of ISP-led scenarios.The notion of the City running its own network is deemed
not viable from an operational,financial,and risk perspective.Therefore,the pathway to
realizing 100%access to gigabit symmetrical service lies with the incumbent ISPs or possibly new
entrants willing to deploy FTTH service across the Cities.
The “broadband positive” conditions of the Cities,as seen through its income levels and
attractive population density is sufficient to trigger broadband deployment,albeit with a level of
support and financial inducements characterized by a light form PPP.
The request for concept proposals is a step in the direction of dialogue with the ISP community
to encourage one or more ISPs to embrace the gigabit symmetrical objective and develop a
financially positive business case.This may come out of necessity with a level of support from
the Cities of Atascadero and Paso Robles.
•Digital inclusion through affordability,devices,and skill development programs.The
Digital Divide analysis revealed that these are the areas where concrete actions from the Cities
are needed to close the gap and achieve digital equity.
Based on these strategic pillars,the high-level plan captured in Figure 58 specifies tasks and timelines to
advance broadband objectives of the Cities.Importantly the implementation of the action plan will be in
an independent manner for each City.
As shown in Figure 58,the first step is presenting the action plan to each of the City Councils for the
necessary acknowledgement and/or approval.Afterwards,the action plan is structured in three
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workstreams:1)Broadband Infrastructure,2)Broadband Policies,3)Digital Inclusion.Each of the
workstreams is addressed in the following sections.
Figure 58.North County High-Level Action Plan
6.1 Broadband Infrastructure
This workstream captures the activities related to the deployment of broadband infrastructure.
Importantly,there are activities that are conditioned upon certain outcomes as explained below:
Presentation to City Council for
Approval
1.1.Incumbent ISP ConceptProposal
Discussions
1.2.Non-incumbent ISP Discussions
(conditional)
1.3.Atascadero CASF Broadband
Infrastructure Grant Application
1.4.ISP light-form PPP Negotiation
1.5.MoUs and/or Agreements
1.6.Non-incumbent Negotiations /
Agreements (conditional)
1.7.FFA GrantApplication (if
appropriate)
1.8.BEAD Monitoring
1.9.ISP 1G Deployment
Commencement
2.1.Monitoring/challenging of FCC
and CPUC data
2.2.Permitting Process Upgrades
2.3.BB Policy Impl.
2.4.BB Constr.Standards Impl.
3.1.Regional Coordination
3.2.CASF Adoption Application
3.3.ACP Enrollment Program
3.4.NSOL Program Promotion
3.5.Paso Robles Library System
Q2 2024 Q3 2024
1.BroadbandInfrastructure2.BroadbandPolicies&Management3.DigitalInclusionQ2 2023 Q3 2023 Q4 2023 Q1 2024
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1)Incumbent ISP Concept Proposal Discussions.The first step in the action plan,
starting in April 2023 is to form a Broadband Advisory Committee to evaluate concept proposals
from the ISPs and engage in discussions with them,in order to detail the contributions from
each City and the specific commitments from the ISP.This Committee should include the City
Manager,Economic Development Manager,IT,Planning,and Public Works Departments.
Importantly,these discussions should be conducted independently for each City and shouldfollowtherecommendationsinSection4.2.5.It is expected that these initial discussions will
take two to three months from April to June 2023.
2)Non-incumbent ISP Discussions.In the case that the discussions with incumbent ISPs
don’t result in a suitable scenario for one or both Cities,each City should reengage with the
broader ISP community,leveraging City contributions to obtain commitment from an ISP to
deploy gigabit symmetrical service across the City.This would require coordinating meetings
with non-incumbent ISPs identified during the RFI process described in Section 3.1,and possiblyissuingasecondRequestforConceptProposalsthatclearlystatesCitygoalsandcontributions.
3)Atascadero CASF Broadband Infrastructure Grant Application.In parallel with
ISP discussions,starting the week of April 17th,the City of Atascadero should consider applying
or supporting an ISP to apply for the CASF Broadband Infrastructure Grant which is due on May
1st.Eligible areas will be based on the latest CPUC map to be released on March 31st,but it isexpectedthatthisgrantcanfundfiberinfrastructureto~125 unserved households in the westofAtascadero.The City Manager and Finance Director will need to be involved.
4)ISP Light-form PPP Negotiation.Provided the discussions of ISP proposal(s)are
successful,the Cities should enter into detailed negotiations for the light-form PPP.This task can
start as early as June 2023 and will require the involvement of the City Manager,the Economic
Development Manager,IT Department,Public Works Department,Finance Director and the
Legal Team from each City.Preliminary terms and conditions negotiated may need to bepresentedtoCityCouncilforapprovalasappropriate,with a target date to close negotiations
before the end of September 2023.
5)MoUs and/or Agreements.After negotiations are finalized,the City and the selected ISP
partner should sign the necessary MoUs or agreements to implement the agreed plan.The main
task here is to coordinate the Legal teams to prepare the necessary agreements,ensuring theagreementsareinaccordancewiththenegotiatedtermsandconditions.Once the agreements
are accepted,an event for the signature and press releases can be prepared to announce the
agreement.The estimated timeline for this activity is between September and November 2023.
6)Non-incumbent Negotiations /Agreements.In the non-incumbent track,which is
contingent upon failure of negotiations with incumbent ISPs,negotiations and agreements with
the non-incumbent ISPs should take place in the first half of 2024.Based on the responses to theRequestforConceptProposals,the Broadband Advisory Committee can recommend enter intonegotiationswiththeselectednon-incumbent ISP,resembling the process in activity #4 above.
7)FFA Grant Application.Starting in July 2023,each City along with a potential ISP partner
shouldassess a potential application to the Federal Funding Account,based on area eligibility.
After the window for application is open in June 2023,a designate from each City will confirm
eligible areas for this Grant and discuss the opportunity with the (potential)ISP partner.If theopportunityisattractiveenough,and in the case of Atascadero,if the risk of not being funded
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by CASF is considered medium or high,each City should organize to submit an application,
involving the Broadband Advisory Committee and the Finance Director.The City Council should
be engaged as required for approval.It is expected that the application window will be open for
three months from June to September.
8)BEAD Monitoring.The Cities should keep aware of NTIA and CPUC announcements
throughout 2024,in order to characterize the opportunity for additional funding and plan for
applications as appropriate.For this task a designate should monitor CPUC and NTIA websites
and subscribe to CPUC email lists80,and send an email to beadded to the CASF Distribution List
to CASF_Adoption@cpuc.ca.gov.
9)ISP 1G Deployment Commencement.Provided negotiations and agreements are
successful,the selected ISP partner should commence deployment either at the beginning of Q1
2024,for an incumbent ISP or Q3 2024 for a non-incumbent ISP.Throughoutthe process the
Broadband Advisory Committee should keep in touch by monitoring progress,while various
departments will be involved in the actual permitting and construction process such as Public
Works,Planning,IT,providing support according to the terms and conditions of the light-form
PPP.
6.2 Broadband Policies
Activities under this workstream are oriented toward creating a more broadband friendly environment
that accelerates and attracts broadband infrastructure deployment projects.These activities are further
described below:
1)Continuous monitoring and challenge of FCC and CPUC maps.The
discrepancies identified in the analysis presented in Section 2.2 evidence the need to keep anactivepositionincollectingaccuratedatathroughspeedtesttoolsandchallengingthefederal
and state maps as they are updated.It may be necessary for the Cities to purchase a speed test
service.This should be considered by the Broadband Advisory Committee and brought to
Council for approval between May and July 2023.Importantly,a staff member would need to be
designated to perform the monitoring and organize the challenges to themaps.
2)Permitting process documentation and update.This task applies to the City of
Atascadero as their current permit process is not documented and has various issues that havebeenaddressedinSection2.5.Fixing these issues is also related to Workstream 1 as the
optimized permitting process is part of the offeringtoward ISPs.In this case,the Public Works
80 https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/industries-and-topics/internet-and-phone/broadband-implementation-for-california
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Department should analyze the recommendations in Section 2.5 and best practices from NTIA81
to develop a proposal to update the permitting process,document it and present it to the City
Council for approval,as required.The estimated timeframe for this task is five months between
May and September 2023.
3)Implementation of policy recommendations.Other policy recommendations
captured in Section 2.5 should be implemented throughout the rest of 2023,including the
assessment of micro-trenching,Dig-Once,andthe update /implementation of the Cities’ GIS
Portal.This will require the involvement of the Public Works and Planning Departments to
analyze examples and considerations from the State of California Local Permitting Playbook82
and policies from other Cities83 to develop the policies for the Cities.Once the draft is ready,itshouldbepresentedtotheCityManagerand/or City Council for approval,as required.The
estimated timeframe for this task is five months between May and September 2023.
4)Refinement of construction standards.Construction standards specific for broadband
shouldbe developed in coordination with ISPs.This is a secondary priority but should not be
neglected.This task can start in Q3 2023 with a target for completion by the end of 2023 orearlyin2024.First,the set of required construction standards should be identified,and basedonthat,ask ISPs to provide proposals.Then engineers from the Cities can assess and refine the
proposals to specify the standards for each City.
6.3 Digital Inclusion
The plan for Digital Inclusion is centered around coordination and support of existing programs,
prioritizing those that address devices and skills gaps.
1)Regional Coordination.First,regional coordination and engagement with libraries,school
districts,higher education,and CBOs should be pursued to identify areas where the City can
provide reasonable support to existing programs,including publishing materials to promote
these programs and informational material for the community.This includes the partners
identified in Section 5.3,in addition to other entities such as the Broadband Consortium of the
Pacific Coast.Starting in May-June the Broadband Advisory Committee or a designate should
reach out to these partners for initial discussions,considering the possibility to organize forums
81 https://broadbandusa.ntia.gov/sites/default/files/2023-03/Permitting_Best_Practices_Case_Studies.pdf
82 https://broadbandforall.cdt.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2022/09/California-Local-Jurisdiction-Permitting-Playbook-1.pdf
83 https://calcog.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/CALSTA-DigOnceWhitePaper.pdf
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with the regional stakeholders,with two objectives:1)Identifying programs and specific next
steps that require City support,and 2)Inventory of devices needs to organize the CASF Adoption
Funding Account Application.
2)CASF Adoption Funding Account Application.A program for the deployment of low-
cost devices should be developed in partnership with the Cities and CBOs by utilizing the CASF
Adoption funding account whose application is due July 1,2023.Starting in May,a designate
from each City must coordinate the needs for devices across various programs and CBOs,such
as training centers within housing developments,after-school programs,libraries,workforce
training centers,Boys and Girls Club of Mid Central Coast,and ECHO.
Then,in June a team for Grant writing must be organized.It can be led by theCity or by one of
the stakeholders.Partners will collaborate to provide the required information and organize the
Application package before July 1,2023.CPUC has developed a guide for applicants84.
3)ACP Enrollment Program.The Cities should actively promote and support enrollment
into the ACP,supporting CBO partners,libraries,and schools to facilitate registration events,
and enabling access to related online resources within thewebsites of the Cities.In addition,it is
important that the Cities ensure through policies that multi-unit housing in development is
wired for high-speed internet access so that these households can apply for the ACP.Subtasks
related to this activity are listed below:
o Identify,request,and upload online resources to Cities’websites.Starting in July 2023,a
designate from each of the Cities from the IT or the Economic Development Department
should start the research of materials related to ACP enrollment,and in parallel,request
support from identified partners in task #1 above,selecting materials for publication in
the Cities’ websites.
o Establish a channel for partners to send information regarding registration events that
can be promoted through the Cities’ communication channels.During mid July and earlyAugust,the Cities should set up an inbox or point of contact to receive information andrequeststosupportACPenrollmentevents.A procedure to upload and publish contentshouldalsobeestablished.
o Analyze with Public Works and Planning departments how to implement a policy for
multi-unit housing wiring for high-speed internet access.The recommended timeframeforthisisbetweenSeptemberandDecember2023.
4)NSOL Program Promotion.The Cities should promote the NSOL program through an
online campaign and include the program in relevant newsletters and the Cities’ websites.This
should start in July and continue throughout the end of the year.Over time,it would also be
important to create a similar type of online or in person training program to be accessible inotherlanguages,to achieve alignment with the California Broadband for All Action Plan.
5)Support Paso Robles Library System Plan.As the City of Paso Robles increases their
available technology and innovation resources on their library site,the Broadband Advisory
Committee should also provide ongoing and active promotion in alignment with their Library
System 5-year strategic plan.
84 Overview of Steps for Applying for CASF Broadband Adoption Account Grant
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Appendix I.Broadband Needs
Assessment Survey &Results
Question of the Needs Assessment survey and high-level statistics are documented below.
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Appendix II.ISP Engagement Package
The following captures compose the ISP Engagement Package.
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Appendix III.Public Forum Summary
Forums Scope,Objective &Participants
The following are the s,objective &participants of the public forum:
•Scope:
o Why community participation is important to the development of a
community broadband strategic plan.
o Share what data is being collected and why.
o How to access the data collection tools.
•Objective:
o Public forums’ objective was to bring community partners into the digital equity and
inclusion conversation to determine how each organization directly works towards
closing the digital divide.
•Participants
o School district IT
o People Self Help Housing
o Dignity Health
o San Luis Obispo County Behavioral Health
o Library staff
o Boys and Girls Club Staff
Key Findings
The most important aspects discussed during the Digital Equity Outreach Forums are summarized
below:
1)Training
Public forums’ objective was to bring community partners into the digital equity and inclusion
conversation to determine how each organization directly works towards closing the digital divide.
2)Digital Equity Coalitions and Peer Programs
Digital equity coalitions,navigator programs,and peer programs are potential solutions to address
most of the use and adoption issues.
3)Trust in Digital Platforms
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People do not trust digital platforms due to privacy and security concerns but also due to negative
experiences. It’s important to ensure good first-time experiences and provide support.
4)Affordability
Broadband service cost is perceived as a barrier.In addition,there is no awareness regarding
subsidies such as the Affordable Connectivity Program.
5)Access to Devices
Many people don’t have access to computers,and they tend to rely on cell phones due to cost and
lack of computing skills.
6)Access to Infrastructure
There are regions without access to adequate broadband infrastructure.Reliability is a common
concern along with the need to speed up the deployment and access to fiber infrastructure.
Challenges in Broadband Access,Use and Adoption
Lack of digital skills and access to devices are the main challenges to access broadband services in both
Cities.
Atascadero Paso Robles
Digital Skills
•Primary training needs are around
how to use a computer and digital
platforms.
•There is concerns regarding
privacy,and security due to the
lack of technical skills.
•Older generations are more
challenged
•Training is required at the basic
level (e.g.,how to use a
computer),but also for specific
users such as teachers,parents,
and elders.
•Bi-lingual training education is
required.
•Motivation to use digital
services is lacking in some
sectors of the population.In-
person meeting might be
required
User Devices
Telehealth or digital education platforms are better suited for computers;
however,it is not affordable to everyone to own a computer
Quality of Service
•Online services not always work as
intended given the lack of
reliability of the broadband
service.
•Reliability of services is a
concern.
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•If the first experience is bad,it is
very unlikely that the user tries to
use the service again.
•Access to better,faster broadband
can improve quality of life.
•The acceptance of the
technology is complicated
when there is no
understanding about how to
use it and how it benefits thecommunity
Accessibility &
Affordability
•Cost of broadband services is
considered high.
•People’s Self-Help Housing (PSHH)
is able to serve but may not have
the capacity to assist with the ACP
sign-ups.
•There’s a need to simplify pole
access and permitting to facilitate
the access to fiber infrastructure.
•Cost of broadband services is
considered high.
•Cost of expanding
infrastructure.
•There have been issues getting
fiber from the East to the West
due to the crossing with HWY
101.
Closing the Digital Divide
Preliminary solutions and initiatives to close the digital divide were identified during the Outreach
Forums:
Training:
•Training programs in partnerships with schools.
o Computer usage,digital navigation,cybersecurity,service platforms.
o Provide the parents with guidelines about how to use education platforms for kids and
manage online kids safety.
o Build trust around digital services.
•Development of contents considering language,and age.
•Digital Equity Coalitions.
•Peer-support and family advocates.
Access &Affordability:
•Increase outreach and awareness regarding ACP and other subsidies for broadband service.
•Support for sign-up to subsidy programs (e.g.,through PSHH and other community anchor
institutions)
•Priority attention to regions with no broadband access due to lack of infrastructure
•Develop a plan for redundancy and resiliency of broadband infrastructure and online services.
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•Facilitate permitting process for telecoms.
Adoption:
•Platforms improvement by establishing requirements regarding ease to use and the community
needs.
•Improve broadband service and reliability at community anchor institutions providing online
services.
•Funding programs for devices
•Increase awareness regarding ACP and other programs that may fund devices.
•Community Events and Incentives to use online services.
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Appendix IV.GIS Views
FCC Unserved /Underserved location clusters
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Distribution on served and underserved census blocks according to
CPUC
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Served Status by Census block based on speed test data
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Disadvantaged Communities (Socioeconomic Vulnerability Index
(SEVI))
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City buildings and anchor institutions
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City conduit and dark fiber in Paso Robles
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California Middle Mile Broadband Initiative –Current Design for SLO
County
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Appendix V.Analysis of State and
Federal Funding Programs
Last Mile Federal Fund Account
The SB-156 established the Federal Fund Account (FFA)85 to fund last-mile projects to connect unserved
and underserved Californians in coordination with federal and state universal service programs.The FFA
consists of a total pool of $2 billion and is being managed by the California Advanced Services Fund
(CASF),with money from the ARPA program.Key features are summarized in Figure 59.
Figure 59.Last-Mile Federal Funding Account summary.
The Last-Mile FFA will fund costs related to the deployment of broadband infrastructure,backhaul
leasing (up to 5 years),and upgrade of existing facilities.Eligible projects must cover areas containing
households and businesses lacking broadband services (which includes underserved areas)focusing on
disadvantaged communities.
Note:CPUC will publish a new eligibility map on March 31st,2023.
Eligible entities include local governments,Non-telephone corporations,and entities with a Certificate
of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN).Each entity can apply for up to a $25 million grant to serve
the program's purpose with a limit of $9,300 per home.Based on FCC and CPUC data the maximum
amount of funding would be approximately $1.5M for Paso Robles and $4.4M for Atascadero.
The CASF will use a 130–point evaluation that considers network technology,participation in the ACP,
broadband need in the area,and whether the project proposes to leverage the statewide middle mile
network.Based on this evaluation,Atascadero and Paso Robles are expected to score between 110 and
120 points.
85 Last Mile Federal Funding Account
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The window to apply to the Last-Mile FFA grant will be open by mid-June following the launch of a grant
application portal.
CASF Broadband Infrastructure Grant Account
The CASF Broadband Infrastructure Grant Account is a $150 million per-year grant authorized by the SB-
156 until 2032.This program intends to fund infrastructure projects to provide broadband access to
unserved households.Figure 60 captures the key features of the program.
Figure 60.CASF Broadband Infrastructure Grant Account summary.
Eligible costs include those costs related to the deployment of broadband infrastructure,property or
backhaul leasing (up to 5 years),and costs for upgrading existing facilities to provide interconnection.
Eligible projects must provide unserved locations with broadband service of at least 100 Mbps download
and 20 Mbps upload.Eligibility will be determined based on the updated California Broadband Map to
be published on March 31st.
Eligible entities are local governments,wireless carriers registered within CASF,non-telephone
corporations,and entities with a CPCN.
The maximum cost per connected home is $24,700 for wireline technologies and $4,500 for wireless
technologies.This translates into an estimated maximum grant amount of $3.9 million for Paso Robles
and $11.6 million for Atascadero.
The funding criteria of the Broadband Infrastructure grant is based on funding all or a portion of the
Broadband project.An applicant can get from 60%to 100%funding based on whether the project
considers areas without connectivity,low-income areas,remote areas and whether existing
infrastructure is leveraged for the project.On a first approximation,North County could anticipate
receiving between 80%to 100%of the project submitted.
This grant accepts applications annually with a due date of April 1st.However,the application deadline
has been extended to May 1st for 2023.
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Loan Loss Reserve Fund
The Loan Loss Reserve Fund is a $750 million fund created by the SB-156 and operated by the CPUC to
serve as credit enhancement for local governments and nonprofits deploying broadband infrastructure
to borrow from financial institutions at more favorable terms.Key features of this program are captured
in Figure 61.
Figure 61.Loan Loss Reserve Fund summary.
Funds from the Loan Loss Reserve Fund can be used to pay debt issuance costs or the obtention of
credit enhancements.The program includes coverage between 5-20%of the project loan amount in the
event of default.
Eligible projects must be capable of offering at least 100 /20 Mbps.Eligible entities must demonstrate
financial,technical,and operational expertise.
Funds will be awarded on a rolling basis until prioritization starts.Prioritization will start when either
80%of the funding is encumbered or when the fund balance drops below 70%of the original funding.
After that,unserved areas will be prioritized.
The scoring criteria of the Loan Loss Reserve Fund is based on a 50–point evaluation that considers the
use of matching funds,pricing commitments,and broadband service needs in the area.As a first
approximation,North County is expected to obtain between 30 and 50 points,which positions the Cities
of Atascadero and Paso Robles in a good spot to apply for this grant.
Application to the Loan Loss Reserve fund can be submitted any time before prioritization starts,after
that,applications will be accepted and reviewed on a quarterly basis.
BEAD Program
The BEAD program is a significant federal initiative managed by the NTIA to provide broadband
infrastructure and reduce the digital divide in all the states and US territories.It is composed of
infrastructure and digital equity funds.The focus of this section is on the infrastructure program.
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The infrastructure program allocates $42.45 billion for broadband infrastructure planning and
implementation.Each state will receive a minimum allocation of $100 million,and the NTIA will allocate
the remaining funds based on the number of unserved locations and the ability of each state to provide
broadband to unserved areas.
Therefore,the California Department of Technology (CDT)is conducting the development of the State
Digital Equity Plan (SDEP)to detail how the BEAD funding would be used in the following 5 years.NTIA
will distribute the funds to the states and US territories based on the submitted plans.Once the funds
are assigned to California,the CPUC will manage BEAD funds through various programs,establishing the
rules and guidelines for applications.
Figure 62 summarizes the estimated timeline for the BEAD infrastructure program.As shown,BEAD
funding won’t be available until 2024. Therefore, it is possible that infrastructure deployment projects
will be already in progress.However,it is recommended that the Cities keep up to date with the status
of BEAD in case additional funding is required for remote unserved areas.
Figure 62.BEAD infrastructure estimated timeline86.
86 Internet for All:Working Planning Guide
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Acronyms
ACP Affordable Connectivity Program
AMI Area Median IncomeARPAAmericanRescuePlan Act
ASH Atascadero State Hospital
AUSD Atascadero Unified School District
BEAD BroadbandEquity,Adoption,and Deployment
BIL Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
CAPEX Capital expenditure
CASF California Advanced Services Fund
CBA California Broadband for All Action Plan
CBRS Citizens Broadband Radio Service
CDCR California Department of Corrections and RehabilitationCDTCaliforniaDepartmentofTechnologyCETFCaliforniaEmergingTechnologyFund
CMTS Cable Modem Termination System
CPE Customer Premises Equipment
CPUC California Public Utilities Commission
CTCAC California Tax Credit Committee
DOCSIS Data Over Cable Service Interface Specifications
DSL Digital Subscriber Line
DSLAM DSL Access Multiplexer
ECHO El Camino Homeless Organization
EDA Economic Development AdministrationEIAEnergyInformationAdministration
ELL English Language Learners
FAA Federal Aviation Administration
FCC Federal Communications Commission
FTTH Fiber-to-the-Home
FWA Fixed Wireless Access
Gbps Gigabits persecond
GDP Gross domestic product
GIS Geographic Information System
HDPE High-density polyethylene
ICT Information and Communication TechnologyIIJAInfrastructureInvestmentandJobsActISPInternetServiceProvider
IT Information Technologies
K12HSN K-12 High Speed Network
LATA Local Agency Technical Assistance
LEO Low Earth Orbit
Mbps Megabits per second
MMBI Middle Mile Broadband Initiative
MNOs Mobile Network Operators
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MoU Memorandum of Understanding
NPV Net Present Value
NSLP National School Lunch Program
NSOL Northstar Online Learning
NTIA National Telecommunications and Information Administration
OAN Open Access Network
OLT Optical Line Terminal
ONT Optical Network Terminal
PG&E Pacific Gas &Electric Company
PON Passive Optical Network
POP Point-of-Presence
PPP Public Private Partnership
PRHA Paso Robles Housing Authority
PSHH People’s Self-Help Housing
QOZ Qualified Opportunity Zone
RCRC Rural County Representatives of California
RFI Request for Information
RFP Request for Proposal
RFQ Request for Quotation
SDEP State Digital Equity Plan
SEVI Socioeconomic Vulnerability Index
SLA Service Level Agreement
TDMA Time-Division Multiple Access
VoIP Voice over Internet Protocol
VSAT Very Small Aperture Terminal
WDBSLO Workforce Development Board of San Luis Obispo County
WIOA Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act
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Definitions
Digital Equity –A condition in which all individuals and communities have the information technology
capacity needed for full participation in our society,democracy,and economy.
Digital Divide –The gap between those with affordable access,skills,and support to effectively engage
online activities and those without.As technology evolves,the digital divide prevents equal participation
and opportunity in all parts of life,disproportionately affecting people of color,Indigenous peoples,
households with low incomes,peoplewith disabilities,people in rural areas,and older adults.
Digital Inclusion –Refers to the activities necessary to ensure that all individuals and communities,
including the most disadvantaged,have access to and use ICTs.This includes five elements:
•Affordable,robust broadband internet service.
•Internet-enabled devices that meet the needs of the user.
•Access to digital literacy training.
•Quality technical support;and
•Applications and online content are designed to enable and encourage self-sufficiency,
participation,and collaboration.
•Digital Inclusion must evolve as technology advances.Digital Inclusion requires intentional
strategies and investments to reduce and eliminate historical,institutional,and structural
barriers to technology access.
Broadband Adoption –Is traditionally defined as residential subscribership to high-speed internet
access.Adoption is connecting low-income residents to the internet at home with digital literacy
proficiency.Adoption overcomes 3 barriers:
•Cost –for both the internet service and the appropriate computing device
•Relevance –outreach in -language and in-culture by “trusted messengers” referred to as “Digital
Navigators” is essential to explain to unconnected low-income households how they will benefit
from being connected with at-home internet.
•Digital Literacy –targeted households will not subscribe to internet services or acquire a device
they don’t know how to use it or the internet.
•Successful adoption involves:
o Understanding the benefits of being connected online at home.
o Become aware of available,affordable internet service options.
o Acquire an affordable device for connecting to the internet.
o Learn foundational skills ofdigital literacy.
o Select and sign up for home internet service.
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Digital Navigators –Trusted guides who assist community members in internet adoption and the use of
computing devices.Digital navigation services include ongoing assistance with affordable internet
access,device acquisition,technical skills,and application support.
Digital Inclusion Ecosystem –A combination of programs and policies that meet a geographic
community’s unique and diverse needs. Coordinating entities work together in an ecosystem to address
all aspects of the digital divide,including affordable broadband,devices,and skills.Indicators of a robust
Digital Inclusion Ecosystem:
•The existence of programs and policies addressing all aspects of the digital divide.
•Affordable and subsidized broadband service options that meet the community’s needs.
•Affordable and subsidized device ownership programs that meet the community’s needs.
•Multilingual digital literacy and digital skill training that meet the community’s needs.
•Hardware and software technical support.
•Digital navigation services to guide residents to the above services.
•Collaboration:Entities providing local digital inclusion services,policymakers,advocates,social
service providers,and community leaders co-create solutions in partnership with the
community.
Unserved and Underserved –These terms relate to Deployment and describe the availability of
broadband infrastructure.Unserved means there is no available Internet infrastructure.Underserved
means that the available Internet infrastructure is inadequate (generally not reliable or fast enough to
support prevalent consumer applications,especially remote learning and telehealth).
•[Unserved is defined in State law and CPUC regulations as locations with less than 25 Mbps
download and 3 Mbps upload (25/3 Mbps).Given that the State and CPUC standards for
deployment are >100/20 Mbps,Underserved can be considered locations between 25/3 Mbps
and 100/20 Mbps.]
Unconnected and Underconnected –These terms relate to adoption and describe the status of a home
connection to the Internet.Unconnected means that a household has no home Internet connection
(regardless of whether or not there is availability or access to broadband infrastructure).
Underconnected means that a household is connected to the Internet only by a smartphone.
•2021 Statewide Survey found that 15%of California households are digitally-disadvantaged —
9%are Unconnected (not online at home),and 6%are Underconnected (have only a
smartphone);29%of low-income households are disproportionately disadvantaged,with 18%
Unconnected and 11%Underconnected.The 2023 Statewide Survey on Digital Equity will
update these figures and measure progress over the last 2 years.]
Bandwidth –Capacity of a broadband connection,often a synonym for data transfer speed.
Broadband Service –The term “broadband service” means any technology identified by the Secretary
(Secretary of Agriculture)as having the capacity to transmit data to enable a subscriber to the service to
originate and receive high-quality voice,data,graphics,and video87.
87 7 U.S.Code §950bb
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Broadband over Powerlines (BPL)–Delivery of broadband over existing low and medium-voltage
electric power distribution networks,with speeds comparable to DSL and cable modem.
Cable Modem –Provides broadband through some coaxial cables delivering television.
Community Anchor Institution –A public school,a public or multi-family housing authority,a library,a
medial or healthcare provider,a community college or other institution of higher education,a State
library agency,and any other nonprofit or governmental community support organization88.
Connection speeds:
•Kilobit/Kilobyte –Kilobits per second (Kbps)is a measure of dial-up speed,where one Kb =125
bytes.Kilobyte (KB)means 1,000 bytes and measures storage capacity or data size.
•Megabit/Megabyte –Megabits per sec (Mbps or Mb)is a measure of transmission speed,with a
1Mb connection able to transfer 1MB (megabyte/MB)of data in 8 seconds.A megabyte is a
measure of the size of computer files or capacity.1MB =1,000 KB.
•Gigabit/Gigabyte –Gigabit is a unit describing data transfer speed,usually per second (Gbps).
Gigabyte describes the size of computer files and capacity.1GB =1,000 MB (megabytes)
Dark fiber –“Unlit” or unused optical fiber available in fiber optic communication.
Devices that Connect to the Internet:
•Computer
•Tablet
•Smart phone
•Gaming consoles
•Smart televisions and appliances,i.e.,Alexa,Google Nest,Ring,etc.
•Point of sale devices
•Smart City applications,i.e.,water meters,traffic cameras,air quality sensors,etc.
Incumbent service provider –Entity that,as of the application's submission date,is providing
broadband service to not less than 5 percent of the households in the service territory in the proposed
application89.
Internet of Things –Network of objects,remotely controlled,with embedded electronics and sensors
that share data.It can be anything from a smart thermostat to an internet-connected refrigerator.
88 47 U.S.Code §1721
89 7 U.S.Code §950bb
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Atascadero City Council
Staff Report – Community Development Department
Affordable Housing Incentives: Phase 1
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Council:
1. Direct staff to bring back a policy to allow deferral of development impact fees and
wastewater capacity charges for affordable housing projects in accordance with
City Housing Element Policy; and
2. Authorize staff to prepare a letter for People’s Self-Help Housing that commits the
City to offering an impact fee deferral for their Del Rio Ridge Affordable Housing
project.
DISCUSSION:
On May 24, 2022, staff presented a summary of options to implement current General
Plan Housing Element policies for affordable housing. Housing Element Program 2.E
calls for adopting incentives that are designed to encourage affordable housing. The
Housing Element anticipates that the City will have considered adopting an affordable
housing strategy by the end of 2022. At the May 24, 2022 public hearing, Council heard
a presentation from the consultant hired to evaluate the nexus (EPS) to provide
development impact fees for affordable housing and directed staff to continue analyzing
implementation options with an eye towards incentives. At this time, staff is suggesting
a phased approach to housing element implementation, with phase one adopting a policy
that allows for the deferment of development impact fees for projects that provide housing
that is deed restricted as affordable to low- and very low-income persons. A later phase
of housing program implementation could include suggested changes to the interim
inclusionary housing ordinance and to the City’s Density Bonus Ordinance so that it aligns
with current State Density bonus policies.
The adopted 2021-2028 Housing Element provides the following applicable policy:
Program 2.E: Affordable Housing Development Incentives
Provide, when possible, developer incentives such as expedited permit processing and
developer impact fee deferrals for units that are affordable to lower-income households,
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including extremely-low income households. Atascadero will promote these incentives to
developers on the City’s website and during the application process.
Funding Source: General Fund (staff time)
Responsible Party: Community Development Department
Timeframe: Ongoing Quantified Objective: Assist 5 lower-income housing projects
Analysis:
Affordable Housing Overview
The following tables classify San Luis Obispo County’s monthly rental and sales rates for
each income category. These tables are based on 2022 rates and will be updated this
year for 2023.
The City’s current RHNA cycle (2020-2029) sets a goal of achieving 207 completed very
low-income units, 131 completed low-income units, and 151 moderate-income units in
addition to 354 above moderate-income units for a total of 843 units. Currently we are
making some progress towards meeting our RHNA goals, however we continue to
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experience a deficit in the low- and very low-income categories. Accessory Dwelling Units
(ADUs) continue to make a significant contribution to the moderate affordable housing
category.
While the State Density Bonus can be an effective tool in the construction of lower-income
units, the number of units achieved is expected to remain below the City’s sixth cycle
RHNA goals. Many of the City’s recent low- and very low-income units are constructed
by local non-profit organizations through grant funding opportunities. These housing
projects utilize tax credit programs that rely upon contributions from local jurisdictions in
order to achieve grant scoring and be awarded funds. Grant scoring can be supported
through a combination of Impact Fee deferrals and affordable housing funds obtained
through a City contribution (typically from affordable housing funds that are the result of
an affordable housing impact fee).
How would a fee deferral work to encourage more affordable housing?
The City can provide a long-term deferral and low-interest loan towards the payment of
development impact fees and wastewater capacity charges. The current development
impact fee for a high-density multi-family unit, such as an apartment, is $11,694. This
amount is $14,555 per unit for medium density. The wastewater impact fee ranges from
$3,350 up to $4,188 depending on the size of the unit. The impact fees are used to pay
for necessary road expansions, police facility expansions, and additional fire and park
facilities needed to serve future residents as the City grows. It is important to note that
the current development impact fees are adopted at a rate of 60% of full facility costs
(currently using 2006 cost analysis), and there is a large backlog of needed expansion
projects for which there is not adequate funding. The wastewater capacity charges are
reserved for the necessary expansion of the City’s wastewater system which is currently
nearing maximum capacity.
A long-term loan and deferral of payments for a designated period of time is a tool
commonly used by local jurisdictions in order to incentivize affordable housing and help
with startup costs. The City of Paso Robles has a similar program and defers payment
with simple interest loans at approximately 3 to 4%, providing an extended period of time
to generate cash flow for repayment and to eliminate upfront project costs. Payments are
made annually and a lien is placed on the property in favor of the City to ensure payment.
An affordable housing agreement is also recorded on the property as part of the
agreement as a qualification of the loan deferment. This type of program can count as a
City fund contribution for grant applications, which can accelerate a non-profit’s eligibility
for grant applications that fund affordable housing. The program would allow impact fees
to be collected over time rather than a full reduction of revenue; however, there are some
costs associated with program administration, primarily in additional staff time.
Impact Fee Applicability to ADUs
ADUs currently can be counted as either low- or moderate-income units based on a
completed regional study. Per the study, the City can count 50% of ADUs at the low-
income rate and 50% at the moderate-income rate. Currently ADUs within the City may
be built up to a maximum size of 1,000 sq. ft. It is important to note that per State law, no
impact fee can be charged for an ADU that is less than 750 sq. ft., and ADUs that are
between 750 and 1,000 sq. ft. are eligible for a reduced rate impact fee which is roughly
half the rate of a typical dwelling unit. Now, it is easier than ever to construct an ADU. The
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City provides free “stock” plans and permit costs are relatively low. Therefore, ADU’s are
already given a substantial incentive and need not be part of a new incentive program.
The Deferment Program Details
The intent of the program is to incentivize the construction of a variety of residential units
that are in the low-, very low-, and extremely low-income categories. The City can choose
project eligibility (number of units or project scope), however the deferment should only
apply to units that are deed restricted as affordable for 30 years or more in accordance
with State Density Bonus affordability requirements. A project need not be 100%
affordable in order to apply for the deferment, however only those units that are deed
restricted as affordable to extremely low- to low-income would be eligible for a deferment.
The following steps would be required in order to receive a deferment:
1. City approval of a tentative agreement to allow for fee deferment by Community
Development Director based on project scope.
2. City approval of construction permits to construct residential dwelling units.
3. Recordation of a covenant on each property to restrict affordability (see affordable
agreement, Attachment 1).
4. Recordation of agreement to allow for deferment (see draft agreement, Attachment
2).
5. Occupancy or sale of residential unit in accordance with affordability terms.
Recommend Deferment Eligibility
A minimum project scope should be established in order to be eligible for a deferment
agreement since the establishment of the agreement and the recordation of an affordable
housing agreement does involve staff review time along with administrative costs over
the life of the deferral and repayment. The deferment program should be reserved for
projects that make a significant contribution to the City’s stock of affordable housing in
the low and lower categories.
Staff suggests the following criterion:
1. Project must be a housing project that meets current zoning standards and
consists of five (5) or more residential units that are deed restricted as affordable
in the low-, very low-, or extremely low-income categories.
2. Project must record a deed restriction for affordability, subject to City terms, in
conjunction with recordation of deferral agreement.
3. Development Impact Fees, including wastewater capacity charges, shall be
eligible for deferment.
4. Construction plan check fees and associated permit fees shall not be eligible for
deferment.
5. Staff will work with local non-profits to determine what terms and repayment
conditions would allow the deferred fees to be counted as a local contribution. The
City of Paso Robles program has terms set at 4.5% simple interest for 17 years
with payments due annually starting at one year from date of project occupancy.
Another discussion with the local non-profit proposed a deferment with no
payments until year 17, simple interest at 4.5%, and repayment over the next 10
years.
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People’s Self Help Affordable Housing Project
People’s Self Help is planning to construct a 42-unit project that will be 100% affordable
with units in the low, very low and extremely low categories. They have asked the City to
allow for the deferment of development impact fees in order to help fund the project and
to help them get a higher score on their tax credit application. At this time, they only need
a commitment letter from the City that they can use for their application. Staff is asking
City Council to authorize staff to prepare a letter that commits the City to a development
impact fee deferment consistent with the proposed program (assuming it meets the
criterion above, and assuming that City Council endorses the deferment policy).
CONCLUSION:
With State requirements mandating specific housing goals for our community, the
adoption of incentives towards the development of affordable housing will help the City in
reaching RHNA goals and complying with our adopted Housing Element. In recent
discussion with affordable housing developers, such as People’s Self-Help Housing and
the Housing Authority of Paso Robles, they strongly believe that a fee deferment program
is an effective tool to help incentivize affordable housing construction. People’s Self-Help
Housing is currently asking the City for the approval of a deferment program for one of
their future affordable housing projects in Atascadero (Attachment 1).
NEXT STEPS:
▪ If Council authorizes staff to enter into deferral agreements for qualifying affordable
projects, staff would return with a draft policy and proposed amendments to the
Municipal Code on May 23, 2023.
▪ If Council authorizes, staff would draft a letter for People’s Self Help Housing Corp
to commit to a development impact fee deferral for the Del Rio Ridge affordable
housing project, consistent with the terms endorsed by Council.
▪ At a later date, staff will return with other implementation items from the Housing
Element. These include revisions to the existing interim inclusionary housing
ordinance to align with state density bonus law and code amendments for revisions
to the City’s Density Bonus Ordinance.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The deferral of impact fees will reduce the necessary contributions to the City’s impact
fees, thereby reducing the amount of available funding. Additionally, implementation of
the program will result in the need for additional staff time. Staff projects that this will
defer approximately $3 million in impact fees and wastewater capacity charges for the
term of the deferment.
ATTACHMENT:
1. Letter from People’s Self-Help Housing (Email)
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ITEM NUMBER: D-1
DATE: 04/25/23
Atascadero City Council
Staff Report – City Manager
2023 Draft Action Plan
RECOMMENDATION:
Council review and provide staff direction on the Draft Action Plan
DISCUSSION:
In preparation for the 2023-2025 budget cycle, the Council held the 2023 Goal Setting
Workshop (Workshop) on February 10, 2023 and February 11, 2023. The public meeting
was a workshop-style meeting with the City Council, members of the public, and City staff,
expressing ideas and working collaboratively to bring key ideas into focus. The meeting
focused on the long-term vision for the community, the City’s organizational mission
statement, and the strategic priorities for fiscal years 2023-2024 and 2024-2025.
On March 14, 2023, Council adopted the 2023 Strategic Planning Statements and
Strategic Priorities (Statements & Priorities). The adopted document includes a brief
narrative, True North Statements, the organizational mission statement, and the strategic
priorities for 2023-2025, including key focus areas. The adopted strategic priorities and
related Key Focus Areas were as follows:
Strategic Priority: Economic and Community Vibrancy
Key Focus Areas:
• Downtown Viability
• Activation of Underutilized Sites and Nodes
• Business Support and Jobs/Housing Balance
• Neighborhood Compatibility and Wellness
Strategic Priority: Fiscal and Infrastructure Efficiency & Sustainability
Key Focus Areas:
• Asset Management/Replacement/Modernization
• Financial Strategies
• Transparency and Accountability
Strategic Priority: Ensuring Public Safety and Providing Exceptional City Services
Key Focus Areas:
• Staff
• Unhoused Population
• Flourishing Community
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Based on the input gathered at the Goal Setting Workshop, staff identified general actions
that will be undertaken in the next two fiscal years in order to achieve progress in the
identified Strategic Priorities and Key Focus Areas. These general actions or steps have
been organized into a Draft Action Plan. The Action Plan drives the actions and workplan
for the City for the next two-year budget cycle and is key in determining the staff focus for
the two-year period. Because they are intrinsically intertwined, the Action Plan is typically
be adopted along with the two-year Budget.
Tonight, staff is asking Council and the public to carefully review and provide additional
direction on the Draft Action Plan. The focus of the Goal Setting Workshop was to identify
high level strategic priorities and areas where Council would like to see action. General
input was given on all of the focus areas, but specific actions and further guidance on
degree of actions were not discussed. As such the Draft Action Plan includes actions
that may require further discussion, refinement or elimination. Tonight’s workshop is
intended to allow the Council the opportunity to discuss those actions and provide
additional direction.
Concurrently, the City has been working on preparing operating budgets, refining revenue
projections, identifying deficiencies, researching solutions for areas of prioritization,
developing cost projections, and generally gathering information. Once the action plan
was developed, staff undertook the arduous task of looking at all supplemental budget
requests through the lens of whether each budget request would move us closer to
advancing one of the Key Focus areas in the area of Strategic Priorities, or whether the
request would divert resources to an area that is not a strategic priority. There were well
over $16 million in one-time and ongoing funding requests. All of the budget requests are
for much needed repairs, staffing, equipment, priorities and programs; however, there is
not enough available funding to fund all of the items on the list, nor is the list an exhaustive
list of those items needed to serve the community.
While staff is still refining final costs and looking at other potential solutions, the draft list
of budget requests was sorted into three separate categories or tiers based on the
identified priorities and the relative consequences of not funding the request. The
categories for the lists are as follows:
• Tier 1: Those top budget requests that are either necessary for maintenance of
ongoing operations, were identified as a high strategic priority item, and items that
improve staff efficiency or staff time
• Tier 2: Those budget requests that are important, perhaps even identified
specifically in the Council Goal Setting session, but that based on the amount of
available funding may not fit within the upcoming budget cycle’s available funding.
• Use of Replacement Reserves / Identified Funds: Budget requests where there
was an identified reserve available to replace existing vehicles or technology
equipment were placed in this category.
Each list provides a range of estimated costs for each budget request and indicates the
strategic priorities that would be advanced if funded. While numbers continue to be
crunched and information gathered, staff believes that each item listed under Tier 1 can
be funded at some level in the upcoming budget cycle. Although staff will continue to
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look for opportunities for those items listed under Tier 2, it is likely that most if not all items
on this will not be funded in this budget cycle.
Review of the Action Plan
Tonight’s session is intended to review and refine the Draft Action Plan. The information
provided on the budget requests is intended to provide context for the Draft Action Plan
and to generally assist in understanding the resources necessary to advance the plan.
While the draft action plan in large part will drive the budget, this review is not intended
to be a detailed budget setting session. Instead, the review is intended to ensure that the
actions are consistent with the Council’s vision and to seek Council input on the relative
prioritization of those actions and budget requests necessary to implement the Draft
Action Plan.
Next steps
Based on the input received from tonight’s Council meeting, staff will go back and refine
the Action Plan and will begin building the budget. Over the next six weeks, the Finance
Committee will review the draft budget that incorporates the feedback received from the
community and the Council, and will recommend a Draft Budget and Action Plan for
adoption by the City Council at the June 13 Council meeting.
FISCAL IMPACT:
None. The two-year budget is based on the goals developed through the strategic
planning process. While there is no direct impact as a result of the approval of this work
plan, future budgets are based on these goals, and specific projects may require the
expenditure of funds or additional resources.
ALTERNATIVES:
Council may modify, change or delete any action item and/or provide additional staff
direction on these items.
ATTACHMENT:
1. 2023 Draft Action Plan
2. 2023 Supplemental Budget Request List
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1
CITY OF ATASCADERO
Action Plan Draft
Modified: 4/11/2023
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1
Table of Contents
Strategic Priorities ...................................................................................................................... 3
ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY VIBRANCY ......................................................................... 4
Downtown Vitality ................................................................................................................ 4
Activation of Underutilized Sites and Nodes ........................................................................ 5
Business Support and Jobs/Housing Balance ..................................................................... 6
Neighborhood Compatibility and Wellness .......................................................................... 6
FISCAL AND INFRASTRUCTURE EFFICIENCY & SUSTAINABILITY .................................. 7
Key Focus Area: Asset Management/Replacement/Modernization ..................................... 7
Key Focus Area: Financial Strategies ................................................................................. 8
Key Focus Area: Transparency and Accountability ............................................................. 9
ENSURING PUBLIC SAFETY AND PROVIDING EXCEPTIONAL CITY SERVICES ............10
Key Focus Area: Staff ........................................................................................................10
Key Focus Area: Unhoused Population ..............................................................................11
Key Focus Area: Flourishing Community ...........................................................................11
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Strategic Priorities
Three current strategic priorities were carried forward from the 2021-2023 Strategic Plan and
were reshaped with revised key areas of focus.
▪ Economic and Community Vibrancy
▪ Fiscal and Infrastructure Efficiency & Sustainability
▪ Ensuring Public Safety and Providing Exceptional City Services
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Economic and
Community Vibrancy
ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY VIBRANCY
Key Focus Areas:
• Downtown Vitality
• Activation of Underutilized Sites and Nodes
• Business Support and Jobs/Housing Balance
• Neighborhood Compatibility and Wellness
Downtown Vitality
• Construct the Downtown Infrastructure Enhancement Plan (DIEP) to provide
increased safety, Downtown walkability, business support, parking availability
o Conduct purposeful, targeted campaign for ‘We Are Open for Business’ as
part of the Downtown Infrastructure Enhancement Plan (DIEP)
• Complete Downtown paving project (pavement markings, ADA ramps, drainage
issues, sidewalk repairs)
• Continue Street Tree Renewal Program with goal of having all trees and tree wells
replaced and/or filled in compliance with adopted Street Tree Renewal Program
(throughout the Downtown core)
o Establish Downtown Streetscape Education Campaign that communicates
ownership and maintenance responsibilities of trees, sidewalks, streets, etc
• Facilitate Chamber/ Business Improvement Area (BIA) project to install string lights
over Entrada Ave
• Maintain the Atascadero Creek as a quality aesthetic feature to be enjoyed by all
o Promote the voluntary creek clean-up program as a way to keep the creek
free of trash
o Explore permits and programs to manage vegetation and fuels in the creek
o Continue homeless outreach programs and the Orange Bag Program to
help keep the creek clean, safe and healthy
• Incentivize additional restaurants through the Restaurant Loan Program
• Explore zoning code changes to increase vibrancy
o Research the ability to enforce regular operating hours
o Introduce a better definition of retail zoning in the Downtown
o Consider up-zoning/mixed-use/potential incentives as part of the General
Plan Update
o Explore incentives and code revisions to expedite the relocation of
nonconforming uses and the occupancy of vacant buildings Downtown
o Consider adjusting building height limitations in the Downtown
• Engage property owners and tenants to encourage compatible development of
vacant lots
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Economic and
Community Vibrancy
• Continue to facilitate and promote current and future uses of vacant lots in Colony
Square
• Continue to facilitate continued operation of the Downtown theater
• Facilitate redevelopment of underutilized properties along Sunken Gardens/East
Mall/West Mall
• Facilitate development of City-owned East Mall properties:
o Research ways to incentivize development of property consistent with
Council long-term vision and PD37 ($0 sale or forgivable loan)
o Ensure sale and development of properties are done without delay
o Complete sale of property to developer and facilitate prompt development
of properties in accordance with PD37
• Aggressively pursue the Armory site as a potential location for the Public Safety
Center/Fire Station #1
• Implement Police Department special assignment position to provide business
liaison to address Downtown concerns
• Acknowledge historical significance & importance of Printery in Downtown
• Continue to plan and host successful signature events
• Look for opportunities to facilitate and sponsor events designed to increase tourist
activity
• Continue to build out First Friday events designed to stimulate business activity in
the Downtown
• Facilitate increased activity and use of The Plaza on El Camino
• Communicate collaboratively with businesses to encourage a sense of pride,
ownership, positive attitude, and harmony that promotes Downtown vibrancy
Activation of Underutilized Sites and Nodes
• Consider developing design “themes” for Commercial Nodes
• Complete transportation operational analysis, develop transportation concept plan,
and adopt plan lines at nodes
• Creatively support development at Del Rio, Dove Creek & San Anselmo nodes
o Explore transportation improvements at San Anselmo/ECR and San
Anselmo/101 intersections
• Investigate potential rezone/road abandonment for The Oaks Center (Spencer’s,
Guest House, et.al)
• Creatively support retail or hospitality buildout of Springhill/Home Depot node
• Facilitate redevelopment of underutilized industrial zoned sites (Via, Sycamore)
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Economic and
Community Vibrancy
Business Support and Jobs/Housing Balance
• Pursue land uses that support business and jobs/housing balance
o Complete General Plan Update and begin General Plan implementation
strategies including municipal code updates designed to streamline zoning
policies
o Continue to work toward meeting our RHNA affordable housing goals
• Continue to facilitate enhancement of fiber-optic broadband infrastructure access
for residents and businesses
o Leverage earmarked broadband funds to increase broadband speed,
reliability and access, while reducing costs for residents and businesses
o Use completed Broadband Strategic Plan to apply for additional available
funding through Federal and State grants to advance connectivity
o Find ways to increase consumer ISP choices
o Consider adjusting permitting fees to encourage fiber-optic broadband
development
o Develop micro-trenching policy
o Consider developing a “Dig Once” policy
• Investigate ways we can support and capitalize on the proposed Space Port
• Look for ways to toot our own horn and continue to publish proof that we are easy
to work with!
• Launch a business attraction social media campaign
• Continue to support regional economic development efforts
• Support expansion of family entertainment opportunities
• Continue to support Chamber and other non-profit partnerships
Neighborhood Compatibility and Wellness
• Establish Objective Design Guidelines to support Quality Development and
transitions between zoning districts
• Look for opportunities for trail/pedestrian connections
• Prepare thoughtful, targeted educational materials for residents/neighbors on SB
9, ADUs, and zoning
• Explore options for short-term rental ordinance
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Fiscal and Infrastructure
Efficiency and Sustainability
FISCAL AND INFRASTRUCTURE EFFICIENCY &
SUSTAINABILITY
Key Focus Areas:
• Asset Management/Replacement/Modernization
• Financial Strategies
• Transparency and Accountability
Asset Management/Replacement/Modernization
• Examine life cycle costs for capital projects and purchases
• Look for opportunities and grants to fund infrastructure
• Purchase and implement Asset Management software
o Conduct inventory and condition assessment of City assets
o Establish procedures for proactive monitoring
o Develop a sustainable replacement plan and prioritize funding for City
assets
• Begin replacing Fire Station #1
o Aggressively pursue obtaining Armory property within first year
o Explore feasibility of co-located Public Safety Center for Fire, Police,
Dispatch and Emergency Operation Center (EOC)
o Pursue grants, low interest loans and financing to fund project
o Increase projected annual allocation to reflect high cost of construction for
essential services facilities
• Develop Zoo capital improvement and funding plan to discern the viability of
continuing AZA accreditation
o Collaborate with Friends of the Charles Paddock Zoo (Friends) to maximize
fundraising and increase awareness
o Work with Friends to develop and implement plan to raise $1,000,000 in the
next two years for construction of the Madagascar Biodiversity Hot Spot
o Consider City matching capital funding for Madagascar Biodiversity Hot
Spot
• Update wastewater treatment plant retrofit and secondary treatment improvements
o Add additional staff and/or consultants to manage Wastewater Treatment
Plant Update Project
o Begin design of treatment plant upgrades
o Pursue grants, low interest loans and financing to fund project
o Discuss potential policies related to wastewater capacity charges and other
development fees that may discourage desired business types
o Pursue collaboration with Atascadero State Hospital on common
wastewater solutions
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Fiscal and Infrastructure
Efficiency and Sustainability
o Based on the availability of grant funding, begin planning to extend sewer
to priority eligible sewer expansion areas
• Continue to address key deferred maintenance issues in parks and public facilities
• Begin replacement of the financial system
• Expand energy infrastructure (back-up generators, redundancy)
• Consider sidewalk repair amnesty or other limited assistance program
• Update City Engineering Standards to provide safe and consistent public
improvements
Financial Strategies
• Develop balanced strategy of operational expenditures vs. capital/one-time
expenditures that will accommodate future growth for Measure D-20 funds
• Adopt budgets and fiscal strategies that:
o Continue conservative Council/general fiscal strategy
o Prepare the City for changing economic conditions
o Build and maintain responsible reserves for asset replacement
o Maintain a healthy general fund reserve
• Continue fiscal strategies and adjust plans as needed to allow the City to respond
to changes in a fiscally sustainable manner
• Renew F-14 on the 2024 ballot
• Implement opportunities, strategies and plans to grow the organization as the
community grows
• Invest in full and part time staff
• Develop responsible reserves for unfunded liabilities (non-asset)
o Explore and consider funding Section 115 Trust for pensions
o Consider additional payments for unfunded pension liability (UAL)
• Ensure that the resources (tools, equipment, facilities, technology) are available to
assist staff and to build staff capacity
• Identify and invest in tools, equipment and facilities to increase long-term
operational efficiencies. Invest in:
o Agenda management solution
o Digital plan check software, equipment and process
o Records organization, scanning and destruction
o Other time savers
• Prepare and strategically implement new impact fee study
• Perform critical third-party review of permitting process towards essentialism
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Fiscal and Infrastructure
Efficiency and Sustainability
• Remain active in the League of CA Cities for City’s rights and sales tax allocation
statewide
• Actively look for creative investment opportunities
• Capitalize on grant opportunities to accomplish action plan goals
• Explore public and private partnerships to achieve action plan goals
• Establish Citywide primary survey benchmark system to reduce Public Works and
Technology staff time and to streamline development
• Hire grant writing consultant
Transparency and Accountability
• Continue to look for ways in which technology can increase and clarify
transparency and accountability
• Complete overhaul of City website. (simplify, eliminate old data and make it more
efficient)
o Continue to devote resources to keep website up-to-date
• Continue and build upon outreach efforts for Measure D-20 and Measure F-14
sales tax measures
o Develop outreach program highlighting available information on use of F-14
funds
o Refine Measure D-20 annual report to include results and performance
measures
o Continue to publish and distribute Measure D-20 and Measure F-14 annual
reports
• Improve transparency and understandability of financial reports
o Consider alternate financial presentation to demonstrate balanced budget
o Make Finance Committee meetings available virtually
• Implement records management program to facilitate access to public records
• Increase transparency and public awareness of Zoo
• Implement an online payment and tracking system for City fees and tax payments
• Create and incentivize a new customer satisfaction survey for permit/planning
processes
• Ensure that all messaging is accessible and consistent across all media platforms
• Improve wi-fi at City Hall and the Zoo
• Continue community engagement in decision-making discussions
• Improve emergency planning communications with business community through
the fire inspection program
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Ensuring Public Safety and
Providing Exceptional City Services
ENSURING PUBLIC SAFETY AND PROVIDING EXCEPTIONAL
CITY SERVICES
Key Focus Areas:
• Staff
• Unhoused Population
• Flourishing Community
Staff
• Hire and retain an adequate level of staffing to achieve our priorities
o Work toward long-term goal of 2 emergency dispatchers on duty at all times
o Develop and implement organizational changes to reduce span of control
for Public Safety supervision
o Work toward long-term goal of additional Fire & Emergency Response
resources
o Develop strategies to ensure adequate staffing based on projected changes
to workload as community grows/demands change
• Provide competitive salaries/benefits and appropriate classifications for all
employees
• Continue to maintain and look for opportunities to enhance other hiring, retention,
employee growth and development programs
o Provide training and professional development opportunities
o Facilitate employee promotional opportunities with an eye toward
succession planning
o Explore a wider City employee recognition/commendation program
o Explore other retention and attraction strategies (low cost loans?)
• Work to ensure that employees have the tools necessary to do their job
• Continue to support and promote mental health and wellness services for
employees
• Continue to prioritize a culture that emphasizes working together as one team (no
silos) and treating each other like family.
• Complete an essentialism evaluation of each department to identify lower priority
programs and activities
• Roll out updated mission statement
• Hire for heart
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Ensuring Public Safety and
Providing Exceptional City Services
Unhoused Population
• Expand training and education of staff and community members on available
support resources for our unhoused population
• Continue to train and educate staff and community members on compassionate
interactions with our under-represented residents
• Build Outreach for Underrepresented Residents (OUR) Team program with a focus
on:
o Connecting homeless/underrepresented individuals with services
o Providing a resource for community concerns
o Participate in multi-jurisdictional information sharing system to more
effectively provide services and respond to community needs
• Look for opportunities to assist NGOs in facilitating pathways out of homelessness
• Participate in crafting and developing regional solutions to address homelessness
• Advocate for addiction and mental health programs
• Look for opportunities and grants to provide resources to respond to future
opportunities to support underrepresented residents
• Optimize use of opioid settlement funds to support local programs and
partnerships
• Support partner non-government organizations outreach efforts
• Consider revisions to the municipal code to strengthen the camping ordinance and
create a shopping cart ordinance
• Implement strategies for ongoing areas of public concern including design of public
spaces
• Continue to perform regular clean-ups of problem encampments
• Continue to perform vegetation management activities in the Downtown District
Flourishing Community
• Adopt list of historic structures and implement General Plan policy
• Implement Community Choice Energy
• Continue to meet requirements for AZA accreditation for the Charles Paddock Zoo
• Consider name change for zoo to Central Coast Charles Paddock Zoo
• Increase awareness of available recreational scholarships for lower income
residents
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Ensuring Public Safety and
Providing Exceptional City Services
• Consider expanding recreational scholarship program to all low-income residents
• Improve communications with the schools on common city/school issues like
vaping, food distribution resources and safe corridors for kids
• Continue robust communications regarding community wildfire preparedness and
evacuation planning
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