Adam Hill admits to impersonating opponent

January 19, 2012

Adam Hill

By KAREN VELIE

San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Adam Hill admitted Wednesday he impersonated his political opponent, and now says it was just a joke.

On Jan. 6, the San Luis Obispo Tribune printed a letter to the editor from Sheila Blake, asking readers to help her convince LAFCO to vote against annexing the proposed Los Robles Del Mar development into the city of Pismo Beach. The issue has divided many in the South County beach community.

On the same morning, Hill left the following message on Blake’s answering machine, calling her names and claiming to be Ed Waage, Hill’s opponent in the District 3 supervisor race.

“Hi Mrs. Blake, I read your letter in the Tribune, are you a communist, or a socialist, or both or maybe a Marxist, this is Ed Waage. Just wanted to let you know what I thought,” the message says.

Listen: Download Mp3

After listening to the message which she claims she did not think sounded like either candidate, she called Waage to tell him about the impersonation. Blake then allowed Waage to make an audio copy of the call, which he provided to CalCoastNews.

“I am disappointed that Adam Hill would make a phone call and pretend the phone call was from me,” Waage said.

On Monday, Hill received the following questions from a reporter and subsequently refused to answer questions about the phone message after being provided a transcript of the Blake call.

“I have a voice message that was left on an answering machine of a Pismo Beach resident who had an opinion letter in the Tribune,” a CalCoastNews reporter wrote in an email to Hill. “And while the call says it is from Ed Waage, several people contend it is you. How do you respond to allegations you made the phone call?”

Hill responded in an email on Monday saying the questions were “malicious, gotcha stuff,” and that he hoped the reporter was “confident that the constant campaign of defamation” against him “could not be proven to show actual malice.”

On Wednesday evening, Blake says Hill, a good friend, called to explain that he had made the call as an “innocent joke.”

“I acted so swiftly to call Ed (Waage), Adam (Hill) never got a chance to call back and tease me about the call,” Blake said even though it had been nine days since she had provided the tape to Waage.

Hill said Wednesday he did not remember making the call when asked about it on Monday.

“I did not even know what the heck you were asking about when you emailed me the night before you ran your story,” Hill wrote in an email on Wednesday.

The Save Price Canyon website has quoted Hill as telling its group that he is against the two large proposed developments that are winding their way through the system. In an interesting twist, planners involved in one of the proposed developments also contend Hill has said he is supporting their project.

When asked in four separate emails if he supports the Save Price Canyon group or those attempting to develop the property, Hill refused to answer, instead asking, “Why the hate?”


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Not a man I am voting for.. Such disappointing choices.


This is worse than Christmas. I am getting very anxious to have the opportunity to vote against this guy. I don’t care who it is, I’m voting for the other guy just based upon how Mr. Hill handled this situation. Doing the deed showed bad judgement. Failing to resign or apologize afterwards shows bad character. Bad judgement + bad character = no business being in an elected office.


Remove an ‘A’ and an ‘H’ and it pretty much sums this all up:


Adam Hill

_dam _ill


Good journalism KAREN VELIE.. I am impressed..


Been a good weekend for Adam — all the other news has taken the spotlight off of him and his issue(s).


Nine days since Adam Hill’s false impersonation of his opponent was revealed, and still no apology for demeaning the Board, his office and the public he supposedly serves.


On all local radio news outlets, on CalCoastNews, in Board of Supervisor meetings, and on the street Hill’s lack of integrity has become the subject of public derision and disgust, eclipsing all other important issues.


Hill’s insistence that he did nothing wrong, and insistence that Jim Patterson and Bruce Gibson support his excuses appears to be diminishing the chances that Patterson will be returned to office by voters in the 5th District, while it tears at voter’s willingness to support Hill’s own reelection.


Nine days. Adam Hill has proved to be the Mike Ryan of the Democratic Party. Unfit to be supported by those who worked to put him in office in 2008.


I support Adam Hill. But in this case, I hope he quickly apologizes to the Board and to Ed Waage for a moment of bad judgment and we can all move on.


It’s too late to move on, and too many incidents like this from Hill. We deserve better. We’re his boss, and we should fire him. His judgment is way flawed and his character is not worthy of confidence. I wish it weren’t so.


It’s been 2 weeks and he has done nothing but make heartless excuses and attempt to blame the people he perpetrated. So much for “quickly apologizes”…..do you still support this arrogant supervisor? Hard to move on knowing that he has gotten away with more embarrassing, childish behavior for an elected official and has absolutely no remorse. Oh, he is sorry…..sorry he got caught lieing and cheating! I am with disgusted, although I don’t think he can be fired and obviously he believes we deserve more of the same from him.


how could such an unattractive human being ever get elected anyway….good thing this guy has worked for the state or elected official his whole life, we would rip him a new one if he ever tried to be a real business man, even in this mild tertiary market, what an effing loser


Just checking in to see if Adam Hill is still a narcissist with delusions of grandeur……Yep.


Somebody in NJ got nailed for impersonating a political opponent? NJ, the land of the mob?


Nice to know that the DA in mob-ville is more willing to nail those who break the law than is SLO Co’s DA.


A classic example of ” Shooting from over the Hill” . The trajectory leads back to a real Chicken JOKE.


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