Senator secures funds for Salinas River study, Paso Robles dining facility
State Senator John Laird represents Paso Robles.
Five San Luis Obispo County projects will receive funding through the 2026-27 state budget
– State funding will support five projects across San Luis Obispo County, including the Hearst Ranch Trail at San Simeon, a Salinas River conservation study, and a new dining facility at a Paso Robles organization serving people experiencing homelessness.
Sen. John Laird announced the funding, which was secured through the 2026-27 state budget.
The California Department of Parks and Recreation will receive funding to support completion of the first 3.5-mile segment of the Hearst Ranch Trail at San Simeon.
The coastal trail is located near Hearst Castle, which attracts approximately 700,000 visitors each year from the Central Coast, throughout California and beyond. Completing the first segment will expand opportunities for residents and visitors to access the North San Luis Obispo County coastline.
The Atascadero-based SLO Beaver Brigade will receive funding for a conservation study of the Salinas River, which stretches from San Luis Obispo County through Monterey County before emptying into Monterey Bay near Marina.
The study will identify opportunities for conservation, public access, and habitat restoration along the river corridor, including properties with significant biodiversity value.
Funding will also support completion of a new permanent dining facility at the El Camino Homeless Organization’s Paso Robles campus for people experiencing homelessness in Paso Robles and surrounding communities.
The organization’s Paso Robles campus provides emergency shelter, housing placement, and other services intended to help individuals and families find permanent housing and become self-sufficient.
In Southern San Luis Obispo County, funding provided to the county will support preparation of a feasibility study and permit planning for the Avila Beach Trail, which would stretch from the community of Avila Beach to Harford Pier at Port San Luis.
The project will support recreational opportunities, safety, and accessibility along the planned multi-use trail. The Avila Beach Trail would also complete the final segment of the Bob Jones City-to-the-Sea Trail, which begins near the historic Octagon Barn just outside San Luis Obispo, creating a continuous trail connection from the San Luis Obispo area to the coast.
Pacific Wildlife Care will receive funding to support completion of a new regional wildlife rehabilitation center in San Luis Obispo County. The facility is expected to provide wildlife care and services throughout the county and the broader Central Coast region.
Construction is underway on the Kim and Derrel Ridenour Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, a purpose-built facility on 10 acres. The center will include space for animal intake and treatment, outdoor aviaries and enclosures, aquatic facilities, and areas for staff, volunteers, and educational programs.
Pacific Wildlife Care treats nearly 3,000 wild animals representing more than 200 species each year. The new facility will increase its capacity, provide spaces to care for different species and establish a permanent home for regional wildlife rehabilitation.
The five allocations are part of funding secured by Laird through the 2026-27 state budget and will be distributed to support the identified local projects and programs.
Laird also secured an additional $2 million in state funding to help permanently protect Wild Cherry Canyon and expand public access along the San Luis Obispo County coast. The funding builds on $40 million secured in prior state budgets for the effort.
The new funding, provided through the State Coastal Conservancy, has enabled the acquisition of Wild Cherry Canyon and adjacent properties. The acquisitions will conserve the land and enable public access through an extension of the California Coastal Trail through the Irish Hills.
Laird also helped secure an agreement between San Luis Obispo County and PG&E that will provide $16.6 million to local agencies affected by the continued operation of Diablo Canyon Power Plant.
Laird introduced Senate Bill 931 earlier this year to restore community funding that was not extended when the state authorized Diablo Canyon to continue operating through 2030.
PG&E subsequently agreed to provide two payments of $8.3 million directly to the county. The county will distribute the funding to affected local agencies, including schools. Laird will continue working to secure support for the remaining three years.
Laird represents the 17th Senate District, which includes all of Santa Cruz, San Benito, and Monterey counties and a majority of San Luis Obispo County.
