Paso Robles City Councilmember Chris Bausch is asking 2nd District voters for another term after a tumultuous four years at City Hall that culminated in lawsuits and more than $840,000 in settlements and legal costs.
This time, he isn’t running unopposed.
Bausch, who was appointed to the council in 2022, faces two challengers in November: Generation Build founder Michael Massey and soon-to-be retired financial systems administrator Robert Simoni.
For Simoni, Bausch’s first term—and particularly the taxpayer money spent resolving the legal disputes surrounding him—helped inspire his campaign.
“I was just kind of shocked at that,” Simoni told New Times. After learning that Bausch had run unopposed four years earlier, he began considering a run himself.
The controversy dates back to a conflict between Bausch and former City Manager Ty Lewis. In March 2025, The Tribune sued Paso Robles and Bausch, alleging violations of the California Public Records Act after seeking records related to the conflict.
Bausch later sued the city and The Tribune, arguing that he hadn’t been given adequate time or resources to respond. A judge eventually ordered him to turn over responsive records, including those stored on personal devices.
The dispute was settled in September 2025, with Paso Robles agreeing to pay $250,000 toward The Tribune’s legal fees and $27,000 toward Bausch’s. Including Lewis’ settlement and associated legal costs, the broader conflict cost the city and its insurer more than $840,000.
At the time, Mayor John Hamon suggested voters consider recalling Bausch.
“Leadership requires accountability, and it is unacceptable for elected officials to engage in conduct that exposes the city to repeated legal challenges,” Hamon said during a September 2025 City Council meeting.
Bausch maintained that he hadn’t broken the law and said he delayed releasing records at the advice of his attorney.
New Times reached out to Bausch but did not receive a response before publication.
Now, with development accelerating on Paso Robles’ east side, the candidates are offering different approaches to growth, housing, infrastructure, and city spending.
Simoni has made “smart growth” the centerpiece of his campaign and said conversations with fellow 2nd District residents repeatedly come back to development and traffic.
The district bears much of the traffic generated by development farther east, he said, with drivers funneling toward the Niblick and 13th Street bridges.
“They don’t want to see a lot of development unless there’s different ways of getting into town,” Simoni said.
His platform also includes improving roads, fiscal responsibility, and preserving open space. Simoni pointed to Niblick Road as a priority for improvements and Montebello Oaks as an area he would like to see preserved.
Massey, meanwhile, has put housing affordability at the center of his campaign.
The Paso Robles native told New Times in April that the difficulty younger residents face establishing themselves in the city helped motivate him to run.
“I just see our generation; it’s just getting harder and harder for us,” Massey said.
He called housing the city’s “most pressing” issue because of its effects on affordability, economic stability, and residents’ ability to remain in the community.
Simoni has spent much of his career administering financial systems for large companies, including Google, and plans to retire this year.
He moved to Paso Robles nearly five years ago and volunteers at the History Center of SLO County, helps with ECHO’s work addressing housing insecurity, and serves as treasurer for two organizations.
Simoni said that experience informs his focus on fiscal responsibility.
“I pledged to work diligently, but respectfully, with all the fellow City Council members and all city employees to ensure that tax dollars are spent on improving infrastructure services, not on legal disputes,” he said.
He also describes himself as an independent alternative in the race, noting that he owns no property in Paso Robles beyond his home and has no local business interests.
“I’m just looking to provide public service to the residents of my district,” Simoni said.
In the 1st District, incumbent Councilmember Kris Beal is seeking another term against challenger Linda George.
Paso Robles voters will also choose a new mayor after Hamon announced earlier this year that he would not be seeking reelection. William Britton, Faith Frankel, and Chris Rogalla are running to succeed him. ∆
This article appears in Aug 20-27, 2026.
