The City Council is composed of five members elected at large by the citizens of Atascadero. Council members serve four-year overlapping terms. The Mayor is selected by the Council members to preside over the meetings and perform other ceremonial duties. As the policy-making legislative body, the City Council is responsible for the enactment of all programs, policies and services of the City.

The City Council acts upon all legislative matters concerning the City, approving and adopting all ordinances, resolutions, contracts and other matters requiring overall policy decisions and leadership. The Council appoints the City Manager, City Attorney and various other commissions, boards and citizen advisory committees, all of which ensure broad-based input into the affairs of the City.

In 1998, the Council initiated a unique strategic planning effort to annually determine important issues and set overall goals for the City; these strategic planning sessions continue to be held near the beginning of each year. Each City department also prepares a strategic plan to interface with the priorities established by Council. The City's annual operating budget becomes the guide and the means for implementing those strategies.

City Council Members are elected officers identified in Government Code Section 87200 and file statements of economic interests with the City Clerk's office. Copies of statements of economic interests filed by the City's elected officials may be obtained by visiting the offices of the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) or the City Clerk. The physical address of the FPPC is 428 J Street, Suite 620, Sacramento, California 95814. The physical address of the City Clerk's office is 6907 El Camino Real, Atascadero, CA 93422. Statements of economic interests for some state and local government agency elected officers may be available in electronic format on the FPPC's website at http://www.fppc.ca.gov .