In an era when public trust in government often feels like a lost cause, it’s easy to become cynical. But every now and then, you come across a leader who doesn’t just talk about values—they live them. For the last three years, I’ve watched Jimmy Paulding do exactly that.
He isn’t chasing headlines or grandstanding. He shows up to clean-up events, walks the neighborhoods, and listens—really listens—without needing to be the loudest voice in the room.
Take his commitment to older adults. Long before it was on the county’s radar, Jimmy helped develop a report highlighting gaps in senior housing and care. That laid the groundwork for the county’s first-ever Master Plan on Aging, which now guides improvements in health care access and senior infrastructure countywide. He did it because people needed it, not for the applause.
I also think about his seven years on the SLO County Air Pollution Control District, advocating for cleaner air on the Nipomo Mesa when others had given up. He ignored the noise, trusted the science, and stayed focused. As a result, PM10 pollution is now down nearly 40 percent on high-wind days. That kind of unglamorous persistence is rare in politics.
He pushed to make behavioral health a top county priority and tackled homelessness with actual systems: housing, outreach, and mental health services. It worked—unsheltered homelessness is down 31 percent in our county.
Integrity isn’t always loud and it doesn’t always make the front page. But it shows up in the decisions a leader makes when no one is watching. We need more leaders like Jimmy Paulding. Vote for him on June 2.
Terry Parry
Arroyo Grande
This article appears in April 30 – May 7, 2026.
He’s got my vote.
Paulding has been Adam-Hill-Lite. And he chooses to speak and wave his hands when he should be listening. He ignores science and is derogatory and demeaning to those who challenge his preconceived notions based on politics rather than reality/science: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid027rr52BSovpb6cWbrp5ifNroC4CycfzTnHoMwDjAnRmMUWmRTzF4sA7NGwEXSm1Ugl&id=1386991110&mibextid=wwXIfr