I’ll be direct: I’m tired of the recent news focused on tearing down Jimmy Paulding. Because while the critics are busy pointing fingers, Jimmy has been quietly delivering results that have made a real difference in people’s lives, and voters in District 4 deserve to hear about them.
Residents of the Nipomo Mesa once lived with some of the worst air quality in the state. Jimmy has fought for dust control at the Oceano Dunes since his very first campaign in 2017. During his seven years on the SLO County Air Pollution Control District—including as board president in 2024—he trusted the science and pushed for action. The results are measurable: On high-wind days, PM10 particulate matter is down. That’s cleaner lungs for our neighbors.
Then there’s homelessness, a crisis too many politicians treat as a photo opportunity. Since Jimmy took office, the number of unsheltered people in SLO County is down 42 percent, according to preliminary numbers from this year’s Point-in-Time Count. Hundreds of people are no longer sleeping in riverbeds or under overpasses because of targeted investments in housing, outreach, and mental health services—real systems, not Band-Aids.
On behavioral health, Jimmy made it a top county priority, a first. The result: nearly $22 million secured for a new psychiatric health facility with beds for both youth and adults. Decades overdue and finally on the way.
Add to that: balanced budgets every year, new advocacy for fair redistricting and campaign finance reform; new funding for Sheriff’s Office substations, fire stations, sidewalks, and parks; and a real economic development strategy for South County.
The record is there for anyone willing to look. Vote for Jimmy Paulding—supervisor District 4—on June 2.
Terry Parry
Co-Founder Women’s March SLO
This article appears in Spring Arts Annual 2026.