There’s something smarmy, almost prissy about the way opponents of SLO County’s 3rd District Supervisor Adam Hill chastise him because he has a short fuse when he sees powerless people being manhandled and government being grotesquely abused.
It’s almost as though they expect him to say, “Oh, dearie me, we really must stop urinating on the homeless. Can’t we, heavens to Betsy, do something to help small business owners and their families instead of bankrupting them and ripping up their lives? Shouldn’t we help with housing for people who can’t afford to live here?”
Hill’s pinky should be properly extended from his cup full of chamomile as he gently chides his fellow supervisors.
This demand for delicacy is a weird reaction from where I sit. When critics start excoriating Hill because wrongdoing angers him, I always ask myself, why aren’t they as cheesed off as he is? I certainly am.
If ever there were a time in America to get passionate about bad things happening, this is that moment.
Hill’s opponents took time and taxpayer dollars last week to conduct their annual Hill Roast, mobilizing their goons from around the county to insult the supervisor and those who elected him.
They do this every year about this time, in a sort of annual hoedown similar to a once-a-year Klan meeting in Dogpatch. Some groups have annual picnics, others have cross burnings. The local contingent has a Hill-burning.
The chief actors are Hill’s fellow supervisors John Peschong, Lynn Compton, and Debbie Arnold. But the strings are being pulled by Mike Brown, the fifth-rate Wizard of Oz wannabe who orchestrates this event at the behest of his owners, the Coalition of Labor, Agriculture and Business (COLAB).
COLAB is a secretive far-right group that runs the county government through these puppets.
They get people like the depressingly familiar public scold Julie Tacker and her ilk to dump on Hill. The ostensible purpose is to keep him from becoming chairman because he’s “unfit.” But nobody falls for that horse pucky.
What’s really going on? Two things. One is a visceral personal attack on Hill, thus the nastiness toward his family, who should be off-limits.
The real reason for the show, however, is to keep the discussion away from the havoc this crowd has wreaked and the harm they have done.
Here are just a few things COLAB and its puppets don’t want you to think about:
• Housing. Only the well-off can afford to live here. The Board of Supervisors could do something about that. But the majority won’t. Why should they care? Compton has a roof over her head. Peschong has local digs. Arnold isn’t bedding down in the creek bed.
• Homeless. Many homeless are drug-addicted or have mental problems, or both. Others earn poor wages or have lost their jobs. Hundreds of children in county schools are homeless. Arnold, Peschong, and Compton, who could help, do nothing. After all, the homeless don’t provide campaign contributions. COLAB members do.
• Small business. The ruling troika has stomped on it with their handling of the marijuana issue.
There’s more, and it all wraps around the very important issue of incompetent local governance. Anyone who wants to see how this works hereabouts should watch the tapes of 2nd District Supervisor Bruce Gibson trying to explain the marijuana ordinance to the clueless Compton.
Marijuana is a major national, state, and local problem. It is extraordinarily complicated and involves public health, law enforcement, the environment, small business, the county budget, lawsuits, and many other components.
Gibson, who knows more about local governance than his colleagues combined, patiently tried to explain this to Compton, whose take on the issue seemed to boil down to this:
Some constituents on the Nipomo Mesa smelled the evil weed and complained to her about it. She had to protect her constituents by reining in marijuana growing everywhere. End of discussion.
This revealed Compton’s view of governing to be a local version of President Donald Trump’s “America First,” except with Compton it’s “Nipomo First.” That’s why she hijacked much of the county’s park money for her district.
Gibson struggled in vain to explain that supervising a local governing board that encompasses five districts is about more than protecting a handful of your own constituents.
Watching Gibson make this effort was amusing, if depressing. I kept waiting for him to start pounding his head against the podium in frustration.
In the end Compton, Peschong, and Arnold pretty much put the kibosh on meaningful county marijuana operations, putting some people out of business and throwing their families’ lives into chaos.
Why did they do this? Because they could.
And also because nobody is trying to stop them. Except Hill and Gibson. This makes me mad. And I’m wondering, isn’t it about time the real majority in this county showed up at a Board of Supervisors meeting and demanded that this bought-and-paid-for trio do right by us.
I think this county is filled with people who share Adam Hill’s beliefs and even his passion. It’s time for them to stop being prim and take a stand.
When they do, I hope they don’t bend over backward to be polite about it. Like Hill, they need to speak passionately rather than being mealy-mouthed. I’m sick of people in government sticking the shiv in people’s backs in a mannerly way. Δ
Bob Cuddy is an award-winning columnist, now retired and living in Arroyo Grande. Send your thoughts to clanham@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Jan 18-28, 2018.
Whether you agree with Cuddy or not, or whether you live in the Fourth District or not, the best solution to the problem is to be part of the Republican/Democratic coalition in support of Jimmy Paulding for County Supervisor. Paulding has the common sense, integrity and RELEVANT WORK EXPERIENCE that will give the Board the type of balance it needs at this crucial time.
You don’t have to take my word for it. Do the research. Meet the man. Paulding is the type of person that will promote a fresh and productive sense of unity on the Board and in our community at a time when it is needed more than ever.
There is no need to talk bad about other candidates or Board Members when there is so much GOOD to talk about when it comes to Jimmy Paulding.
Rightword is correct. Paulding is a REASONABLE and experienced public servant who believes the role of a supervisor is to govern. A vote for him is to restore collegiality and deliberation in county governance. Around our county government building in SLO, Compton is known by county employees for her rude and disrespectful behavior towards public servants. Enough is enough.
“Goons from around the County”? I spoke out against Hill at the BoS meeting. I was especially disturbed by Mr. Hill’s blanket condemnation of citizens of SLO, including his own supporters, in his Viewpoint published in the Tribune on 5 Jan. Mr. Cuddy displays the same type of aggressive, insulting language that renders attempts at civil discourse a waste of time.
Glad to read support for Bruce and Adam. I am so grateful for their presence on the BOS. I personally have had my business negatively affected by the gang of threes decision making. The only way forward is to make sure we vote out Lyn Compton
I have listened to Jimmy Paulding speak several times now, and he continues to impress everyone with his broad work experience, calm demeanor, desire to work with others, and commitment to public service. Go to his site and watch a short video of his upbringing, and you’ll agree that this is the person we want for south county Supervisor. https://jimmypaulding.org/about/
I have met Jimmy Paulding. I have heard him speak and take audience questions. He impressed me as authentic and smart with common sense approaches to the issues facing us. I hope the voters of Dist 4 will make him their new Supervisor. He’s the type of class act we sorely need to replace Lynn Compton.
On another note, as a voter in Dist 3, I am getting extremely tired of North County right wingers showing up to BOS meetings in droves for the express purpose of impugning Adam Hill’s character. Mr. Hill was re-elected to his seat by a comfortable margin. The voters of Dist 3 have spoken. We support Hill. The policies of Hill and Gibson represent the wishes of a large portion of this county’s voters. In theory, I have no problem working with conservatives, but in practice, the BOS majority refuses to work… PERIOD. That’s not governance. Their vote to bill the rest of us for their North County donors’ personal water use tells you all you need to know about what these three phonies are up to: socializing the costs of private services; rewarding their friends at the expense of everyone else. They are wasting our time and our money. We can do better. Let’s vote them out!
Rude, personal attacks have no place at a BoS meeting. That is true for all sides. They only serve to further divide us, foster a hostile work place and put up impediments to finding workable solutions for the citizens of SLO County. Since Mr. Peschong prefers not to do his job as Chairman and shut down all personal attacks it becomes apparent the voters will need to fix this mess by first voting again for Bruce Gibson. I have heard Mr. Gibson speak many times. His calm demeanor and depth of knowledge are evident. He speaks his mind in plain intelligent language without disparaging others. Second we must vote Jimmy Paulding into the 4th District seat. I have heard this rational, intelligent, hard working young man speak numerous times. I have watched him run citizen workshops where he listened respectfully to community members and gave on point answers. He is a problem solver for the future. Let’s get this board working again for the majority of the county. Vote Gibson and Paulding.
I too support Jimmy Pauldings campaign in the 4th District. Other people who have responded to Cuddys column have adequately described Jimmys deep level of real world business and public service experience. It is very clear that electing Jimmy Paulding should be a very high priority for every thinking voter who believes in fact based good governance. But there is more that needs to be said about the gist of Cuddys editorial.
While electing Jimmy in 2018 is important, defending and re-electing Bruce Gibson in the Second District is of equal importance. The COLAB cabal will be running the ex-executive director of the Home Builders Association of Central California in an attempt to unseat Supervisor Gibson. Not only is the HBACC philosophically opposed to the funding of affordable housing, they are actively petitioning Compton, Peschong and Arnold to repeal the Countys Inclusionary Housing Ordinance.
I attended the April meeting and spoke out against the Countys funding ($2M) of the Paso Water Basins SGMA. I was also in attendance at the December meeting speaking in favor of increased funding when the BoS voted to stand pat on additional funding for affordable housing. While attending meetings and speaking in support of the issues that Hill and Gibson hold dear feels good, the end result is always the same. Compton, Peschong and Arnold vote to maintain the status quo, supporting the economic interests of the wealthy and powerful in this county who in turn support their election campaigns.
Attending BoS meetings and being informed about the facts surrounding the many issues facing this county is important. However, anyone and everyone who is concerned with the ideologically driven decision making process by the gang of three supervisors needs to be 100% on board with getting Paulding elected and Gibson re-elected. That means contributing generously to their campaigns and actively working within their campaign organizations to assure that these two fine candidates are elected, and reason is restored to the decision and policy making on the County Board of Supervisors.