SLO County mayor announces bid for reelection — and plan to retire
Atascadero Mayor Charles Bourbeau announced he will run for a second mayoral term in the November election.
Having joined the City Council in 2016, the upcoming election marks a decade of local public service for Bourbeau. He became mayor in 2024, when he ran unopposed.
“I am very pleased with what the city has accomplished since I joined the City Council in 2016 and am proud to have been a part of that journey,” Bourbeau said in a news release.
During his mayoral term, Bourbeau has overseen public safety improvements projects including remodeling the police station and one of the fire stations and completely reconstructing the other.
“I want to continue on the path of progress we have been on for two more years,” Bourbeau said.
That progress has also included “roads being fixed, new bridges, a revitalized downtown that is thriving more than ever, improved park facilities, great family oriented events and more,” he said.
If reelected, it would be his second term as mayor — and his last.
“At the end of a second term as mayor in 2028, I will have been on the City Council for 12 years and I think that is long enough,” Bourbeau said. “If reelected, I expect this will be my last term.”
Bourbeau has lived in Atascadero since 1985 when his wife Melissa began a long teaching career in Atascadero schools. He served as an officer and later colonel in the California National Gaurd for three decades, roles in which he was responsible for federal financial management, logistics and contracting.
After retiring from the National Guard, he volunteered in the community before being election to the City Council.
No other candidates have yet arisen to challenge Bourbeau. The official candidate filing period for the November election opens in July.
