Heading for worse 

The drama from Oceano is so extensive that it continuously reverberates throughout the county.

Every week, newly elected Oceano Community Services District (OCSD) board member Charles Varni publishes verbose, sanctimonious, and self-victimizing diatribes every time someone disagrees with him. Varni completely melts down in a feedback loop of replaying his grievances against the district while further alienating himself from his board colleagues and the rule of law.

Unfortunately, as the OCSD board president, he is now the public face of Oceano. And if he is so concerned about righting the wrongs from the district's "unfortunate history [of] mismanagement and corruption," Varni should let the district's actions to remediate those wrongs speak for themselves.

Varni doth protest too much, methinks.

Come to think of it, he reminds me of someone I knew—someone who I still have difficulty writing about. At one time, I supported him.

Much can be said about former SLO County 3rd District Supervisor Adam Hill, what he achieved, and what he sought to achieve. But as time marches forward, we learn more about the scandals he was involved in. Hill branded himself as a champion for the underdog all the while engaging in conduct that progressively undercut that message. Varni exhibits similar tendencies.

Hill portrayed himself as a dedicated steward for social and environmental justice, taking on all-comers with fiery gusto and admittedly not a whole lot of grace. But when he was criticized, Hill lashed out in a variety of ways—sometimes understandable, other times not. Local elected officials rarely acted out like Hill did. Similarly, Varni boasts a long record of advocating for social and environmental causes with vigor. But when he advocates for something, Varni's hostility is always at the forefront. Various articles in the Santa Maria Times reveal Varni courted controversy when he served on the Santa Maria Valley Water Conservation District, oftentimes publicly feuding with his board colleagues and staff.

While Hill's critics repeatedly raised issues with how he publicly and personally attacked them, Hill's supporters spun his words and actions as merely being part of his schtick. "It's just Adam being Adam." He was a scrapper, they'd say. A rebel with a cause. Like many, I subscribed to that narrative until it unceremoniously collapsed.

At the Dec. 13, 2023, OCSD meeting, Varni was appointed board president. The vote came after the board met in closed session to discuss an extensive Brown Act complaint filed against him and entertained discussions to refer his potentially criminal board misconduct to the District Attorney. Varni's supportive colleagues on the board dismissed the complaint and his own "unfortunate history" of personally attacking colleagues and residents, stating their support was rooted in his dedication and commitment to the community. OCSD director Beverly Joyce-Suneson even stated his allegedly unwavering commitment to Oceano was "commendable behavior."

Hill was re-elected several times due to his own "commendable behavior"—behavior that 3rd District voters were willing to overlook as long as his positions lined up with theirs. With his conduct unchecked, Hill was given enough cover to engage in bribery with SLO County cannabis mogul Helios Dayspring and SLO County developer Ryan Wright. Hill believed he could get away with it as long as the focus was on him being a staunch advocate for his district and not for everything else.

Instead of recusing himself in accordance with the law, Varni voted against his own criminal referral to the District Attorney, which is obstruction of justice. Instead of recusing himself, he voted against receiving and filing the Brown Act complaint against him, which is a clear conflict of interest. This comes after he publicly feuded with the district's general manager and legal counsel. This led to the general manager's sudden retirement and departure of legal counsel.

All of these developments occurred after one of his own board colleagues unsuccessfully attempted to file a restraining order against him. This is pattern and practice from Varni, who developed a reputation for public spats toward community members, staff and colleagues. Let's not forget to mention the hours of YouTube video that featured Varni snapping at his former colleagues on the Oceano Advisory Council—with many of those highlights shown during a 45-minute-long presentation at the SLO County Board of Supervisors in 2022.

In the post-Hill era, shouldn't our county supervisors be more vigilant when dealing with elected officials covered in red flags? Instead of publicly recognizing Varni's toxic misconduct as inherently problematic, 4th District Supervisor Jimmy Paulding remains conspicuously silent. Makes sense. Varni is one of his loudest and proudest supporters. It's true that Paulding submitted a letter to the OCSD that called for civility after the now-infamous Oct. 25 meeting, which erupted into pure chaos that originated from Varni. Mere calls for civility will not and should not mitigate the significant legal risks the district will face as a result of Varni's past and ongoing misconduct.

Voters and decision-makers need to do more than look at an elected official's positions. They need to evaluate the totality of their actions as elected officials and recognize problems before they get worse. And Varni is getting worse. Δ

Aaron Ochs writes to New Times from Morro Bay. Send a response to [email protected].