Hill campaign threatens radio station’s advertising and broadcast license

May 8, 2015
Supervisor Adam Hill

Supervisor Adam Hill

(EDITOR’S NOTE: The Facebook page of “Jenny Herzog” described in this article disappeared on May 8, at 8:40 p.m., about seven hours after this posting.)

By DANIEL BLACKBURN

A mysterious, self-described volunteer for Supervisor Adam Hill’s reelection campaign has warned that the campaign would file a complaint with the FCC and turn advertisers away from KVEC and Dave Congalton’s talk show.

In a series of emails to KVEC General Manager Ron Roy beginning April 3, a person identifying herself as “Jenny Herzog” criticized Congalton for “personal attacks” on Hill. “Herzog” demanded that Hill be allowed to “guest host” the Home Town radio show.

“Herzog” identified herself as “a volunteer assigned to Hill’s campaign on behalf of a law firm that represents the Democratic Party.”

If the demands were not met, “Herzog” wrote, “We will file a formal complaint with the FCC. We will make the complaint public at a press conference, and with that will also come advice that no advertising be purchased for El Dorado Broadcasting by clients, donors, and associates.”

Roy told CalCoastNews that he rejected the ultimatum.

“I don’t take kindly to threats,” he said.

Pat Harris, chair of the San Luis Obispo County Democratic Party, said she does not know “Herzog.” Harris also said there was no such law firm.

“The local Democratic Party does not have a law firm that represents the organization,” Harris said.

“Herzog” said on her Facebook page that she is self-employed after working for the mass media company Conde Nast; that she studied corporate finance at Cal Poly; that she lives in Avila Beach; and that she was born May 19, 1989. No evidence exists that any of that information is factual.

May 7 Facebook page

May 7 Facebook page

And the photo of “Herzog” on the page is that of a Missouri woman, Kim Suozzi, who died in 2013 of an aggressive form of brain cancer.

Congalton lays some blame for the “Herzog” attacks on Hill although, he says, he has no direct proof.

“Hill is involved because his name was used in the original complaint. So I call upon him to repudiate these tactics and to investigate his supporters to find out if anyone was indeed responsible,” Congalton said. “Just when you think someone can’t sink any lower, they do.”

Hill has ignored repeated phone calls and detailed emails from CalCoastNews asking for comment on “Herzog.”

KVEC General Manager Roy acted appropriately, Congalton said.

“I think Ron Roy handled this ‘complaint’ fairly,” said Congalton. “He was far more patient that I would have been. I knew from the beginning that ‘Jenny Herzog’ never existed—she gave us only a gmail account as a means of identification. I would have called her out immediately or dismissed her. Hard to say if this was a prank, a test, or an ill-thought out strategy, but I doubt very seriously that the public would support any attempt to silence anyone in the local print or broadcast media.”

For several years, Hill has attempted to control content on KVEC by encouraging public officials like San Luis Obispo Councilman John Ashbaugh and SLO County Sheriff Ian Parkinson to refuse to go on Congalton’s show and attempting to damage Congalton’s reputation.

Hill regularly tries to prevent Congalton from discussing CalCoastNews articles about Hill or his wife. He has objected particularly to CalCoastNews Publisher Karen Velie’s appearances.

“Your protege has really outdone herself with her hit piece on Dee,” Hill said in an email to Congalton in 2012. “I sure hope you are not going to dignify her lies by having her on your show. I hope there is a line even you won’t cross. Watch for the push back, Dave.”

“Herzog” asked that KVEC provide Hill air time to defend his wife and promote his reelection.

Dave Congalton

Dave Congalton

“As you know, Mr. Roy,” one email read, “the airwaves are publicly owned, and you are KVEC’s designated public trustee on matters of equal access, and to ensure that no ‘rigging or slanting’ should reoccur when it is brought to your attention. It was brought to our attention that Mr. Congalton’s animosity toward Hill has long ago crossed the line from opinion to deliberate distortion and falsification.”

The “Herzog” emails alleged Velie “runs an anti-government website, and published a series of articles about Hill’s wife that made claims shown to be false and without merit.”

Torres-Hill was the subject of a 2013 CalCoastNews investigation that found misuses of charitable contributions to CAPSLO, at the time that Torres-Hill was the head of the organization. Torres-Hill was later demoted. She is on a leave of absence from her position and filed a whistle-blower suit against CAPSLO alleging she was demoted because she raised safety and security concerns at the Maxine Lewis homeless and the Prado Day Center.

The latest battle began shortly after a CalCoastNews February 2015 story about Torres-Hill. In fall 2014, Hill aggressively attempted to persuade members of the San Luis Obispo City Council to vote in favor of a land use change needed by developer Gary Grossman to develop large parcels near the airport. During that time, Grossman made a $50,000 donation to Torres-Hill’s SLO Housing Connection, a project that would compete with CAPSLO to provide services for the homeless.

Torres-Hill responded to the story with a hostile string of emails to Congalton which began on Feb. 28 at 6:34 p.m.

“You are honestly the biggest, most juvenile hypocrite I’ve ever had the misfortune to know,” Torres-Hill wrote. “Again, I’m done ignoring you and I’m certain this e-mail will spin off into a two week radio pummeling but I don’t care, go for it!”

By March 1, the emails became more heated as Torres-Hill launched an attack on Congalton’s wife, Charlotte, while accusing Congalton of infidelity.

“All I ever hear about you is negative. I haven’t heard a positive thing about you or your wife in years,” Torres-Hill said in a 2:53 a.m. email to Congalton. “They say that you fund the blog (CalCoastNews), you are sleeping with Velie, you’ve lost your mind, you funded her legal defense, you are obsessed with Velie, Charlotte used to be, or maybe still is, a man.”

Torres-Hill signs her emails, “Mother, daughter, wife, friend, survivor of domestic violence, poverty advocate, and all around decent person!!”

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Dave and Charlotte, I’ve never met you but I’m sorry you’ve been so harassed by the Lil’ Bully and his new bride. Those e-mails sound incredibly nasty but sadly not surprising. Adam has already outed himself publically as a power-hungry tyrant but I didn’t realize that Dee was like that, too.


As for Adam being a guest host on KVEC, I say bring it on!! I’d LOVE to listen to him further dig himself into oblivion. The more venom that spouts from the Lil’ Bully’s mouth, the better. Let him dig his own political grave. He and Bruce G. need to go. Now.


Hill is truly a disgusting reprobate. If “Jenny Herzog” was not his doing, he would be screaming his denial from the rooftops and threatening lawsuits left and right.


He is a dirty and increasingly desperate politician.


The San Luis Obispo County Democratic Party needs to have this matter professionally investigated. Once the party wakes-up and realizes that Hill is behind this, it must cut all ties to Hill!


Cutting ties would be the only honorable thing to do. We will be watching, Pat Hill!


The Democratic Central Committee in San Luis Obispo has endorsed a number of dubious Dems. A wake up call certainly is in order and likely. Sadly, there will be so many ties to cut that there will be very few endorsees or Central Committee members remaining.


Is there no way the Board of Supervisors can officially “reprimand” or “censure” Hill for his behavior and that of his close political supporters?


No; there’s no way. It’s up to the electorate.


Smells Like Team Adam Hill Spirit.


Smells more like Richard Nixon and Donald Segretti.


You know who I mean.


I know one person around here that would organize something so transparently stupid and mean.


Do tell. Because posing as a Republican on her Facebook page while representing Hill in emails is about as dumb as I can imagine. Except, maybe, choosing the image of a well-publicized dead woman. Moronic! Like no one was going to figure that out! Good job, Team Hill!


Kevin,


Ignore the troll slowerfaster.


The brain of a tried and true Democrat, Liberal, Progressive….or whatever they are morphing into these days.


A shriveled pea. That’s the brain of slowerfaster, and his/her ilk.


He/She is what has destroyed our once blessed nation. One Nation under God. We were once a great nation because of our Judeo/Christian beliefs.


Enter, slowerfaster and those vile antiChrist extremists alike.


Revival is what we need to save this once God blessed Country.


ToHell: Wow, tell me how you really feel about the downward spiral of our great nation. It is all the fault of Democrats, Liberals, Progressives and “antiChrist extremists”; really? Not a mention of how there has been a constant drum beat against Unions, how “greed is good”, how the move to ship as many factories and jobs overseas as possible and to give the corporations doing that as many tax breaks as possible, how politicians have learned to manipulate gullible voters by playing up on their fears of “the other” and/or “the gays”, how the liberals are coming to “get your guns”, how conservatives are going to “take back America” by restricting access to contraception and/ or safe, legal abortion; yeah, the downward spiral of America is all the fault of those who want as many people to vote, to have as many people involved in politics as possible. Sure. Keep your delusions to yourself, please.


bfsl : When one is part of a Death-Cult religion ( Reaganism …which you have identified, if not by name ) they have to stick to the talking points.

They’re quick to accuse you, me, and anyone else that presents facts contrary to their myths…just like they reflexively accuse Adam Hill with no evidence to back their claims; because their extremism is based on hate and division.


Facts like Lois Lerner’s emails were deleted?

It’s “facts” such as those that cause folks to be skeptical and untrusting.

Your constant drumbeat of “death cults” turns people off to the point that it’s hard to take you seriously, even when I may agree with some of what you say.


“how the move to ship as many factories and jobs overseas as possible”


That was done under Clinton’s administration and it was Gore who played the PR man, selling it to the American people, just like he sold the lie of “An Inconvenient Truth”, which really, was very “convenient” for him as he makes money on each Chicago carbon exchange.


“conservatives are going to “take back America” by restricting access to contraception and/ or safe, legal abortion”


The “conservative” position is that your pregnancy is your business, and if you want to abort it, YOU PAY FOR IT. You have no “right” to force someone to bear the burden and pay the cost of YOUR PERSONAL CHOICES. What kind of crazy, irresponsible, selfish thinking is that?


Grow up and take responsibility for your choices …. including the choice to elect self-serving liars into office and to keep them there.


I love this pic. He looks just like Otis on The Andy Griffith Show.


That was a mean cut at Otis.


Holy freak, battyman, this guy is unbelievable. Just as nutty are the fools who kept

reelecting him. Though not quite in the same insane category, Congalton proves himself

to be just as big a bozo by even responding to the antics.


Congalton didn’t respond for more than a year while these a-holes ripped mercilessly at his reputation. He has shown remarkable restraint, but now, it looks like, he’s tired of the crap and is fighting back. Go, Dave. Go, Ron Roy.


and somebody’s going to pay money to see this guy get roasted? just sit back with some popcorn


Torres is up at 3AM writing e mails voicing her discontent? Think she would rather be in a nice warm bed next to her man rather then shooting off senseless e mails. Apparently her meds had not kicked in yet.


Or have kicked in. Sniff. Sniff. Sniff.


How can anyone excuse, or try to explain away, using the photo of a deceased woman for their own political gain?


It is difficult to choose the single most offensive deed from this article.


Why are we not surprised at the names of the actors in the latest Adam Hill debacle.


http://www.bigdaddydata.com/city/CA/Avila_Beach/25052


agag1, if you are any way affiliated with Adam Hill there are no principles or ethics. COMPLETE SCUM.


Makes you wonder who’s brainchild this is?

Tom Fulks?

Adam himself?


I have never sued anyone in my life, but If I were a parent of Kim Suozzi, my attorneys would be hearing from me.


Welcome to the Adam Hill and Dee Torres show!


adam hill is a libturdtard. wants to control everything. read some adam smith libturd.