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Lenthall really hates this commercial

May 19, 2008

County Supervisor Jerry Lenthall is threatening KSBY with legal action if the station doesn’t cease airing an opponent’s campaign commercial.

Lenthall’s threat centers on a comment made by his District 3 opponent, Adam Hill, which ironically is similar to one Lenthall aimed at a different adversary last election.

“Imagine that, increasing his salary while cutting our services,” says a voice in a television commercial boosting the candidacy of Adam Hill that prompted the letter.

Lenthall contends Hill’s claim is false and deceptive.

“According to San Luis Obispo County Manager David Edge, the county has not had to cut any services because of the ‘pay raise’ by the County Board of Supervisors,” Lenthall’s attorney, Thomas Hiltachk of Sacramento, wrote in a letter to station officials.

During Dave Congalton’s 920KVEC Home Town Radio talk show Friday, Hiltachk and Hill campaign consultant Chris Crotty debated the merits of the commercial. A caller claimed Lenthall had used the same campaign tactic during a tight race for the third district county supervisor seat in 2004.

In a Tribune-sponsored debate, Lenthall noted opponent Patty Andreen’s vote for a pay raise during financially unsettling times.

According to an Oct. 27, 2004, article in The Tribune, Lenthall said during that debate, “Patty, you have said how you were fiscally responsible for cutting almost $10 million on the school board, but you are on record during this time of initial financial crisis of proposing a pay raise for yourself and other board members when you are literally laying off teachers. Doesn’t that send a mixed message?”

KSBY continues to air Hill’s commercial. Evan Pappas, General Manager, KSBY-TV, said in a statement today:

“Although our practice is not to comment on our clients, I can tell you that in the case of political advertisers, if one side has a grievance with another side, we try to have them speak directly to one another and/or assist them in conveying their concerns to one another. Our practices are to enforce the rules and regulations of the FCC.”


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By: Anonymous on 5/20/08

We all have a dog in this fight if we live here. Please don't stop caring just because the run-up to the election is getting crazy. Maybe you don't care as much as Ciaffardini does, but you've gotta care *some*.


By: Anonymous on 5/20/08

What Jerry otta do is get Bo Dereck to entice Adam into a dark alley (bubblegum?) and have Chuck Liddel beat the crap out of him.

I have almost no dog in this fight, but Jerry seems to be becoming a cartoon character with low self esteem.

By: Anonymous on 5/20/08

Mr. Lenthall talks out both sides of his mouth. When he gets honest I'll take a look at him.

By: Anonymous on 5/20/08

Jerry Lenthall is damaged goods.


Imagine should it come time for the Board of Supervisors to cut the budget. Department heads will point to Mr. Lenthall, and how he voted for TWO pay raises for himself during tough financial times for the county, and laugh in his face. That is unless they are afraid that he will again call out his high-priced Sacramento lawyer and threaten legal action for having the truth pointed out to the public, exactly the way he has dealt with KSBY and his opponent Adam Hill when together they brought to light questionable actions by Mr. Lenthall.


Mr. Lenthall's legal threats are outrageous and every county voter in any district who ever has any reason to question the Board on any tough issue has reason to fear should Mr. Lenthall be elected to a second term.


Mr. Lenthall has gone off the deep end big time and there is every reason to believe he will not start acting nicer or more reasonable should he be allowed to continue on the Board.


Mr. Lenthall is a threat to fairness and open government and he has positioned himself to be laughingly ineffective when it comes time to make financial decisions for the county. And he continues to duck the media and won't face these issues head on.


And those are only a small portion of the problems and questionable actions Mr. Lenthall has saddled our county with. Thank God local voters have a an extremely capable alternative to vote for who I beleive will be balanced, fair and reasonable and NOT be a puppet for special interests: Mr. Adam Hill.


Signed, sincerely,


David Ciaffardini

who is NOT a radical lefty and NOT a Democrat, never voted for a Clinton, and DOES have a job, is NOT a whore for anyone, and has the integrity to not hide behind multiple phony ID's.


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By: Anonymous on 5/20/08

David,


"It depends on what the meaning of the word IS, IS"


As you are a radical lefty, I'm sure you remember this. It was okay then. Now you say words don't matter.


Sounds like the same double standard you are throwing in Lenthall's face.


Typical Clinton Democrat move.


Get a job dude,

By: Anonymous on 5/20/08

I am not close enough to the campaign or Jerry to know what they are doing, or what word they might use.


As "everyman," I simply continue to point out that you are not trying to "cover up" anything if you ask to get put on the area's #1 talk show to talk about being maligned.

By: Anonymous on 5/20/08

David Ciaffardini? Who died and made you the master of this blog? Hmmm pal? Put down the kool-aid and get over yourself…we have!

By: Anonymous on 5/20/08

David Ciaffardini :


You're barking at the moon…nobody really cares. Might I suggest you return to your own failed blog.


Goodbye

By: Anonymous on 5/19/08

That's right Newsome. Cover-up, repress, quash, whatever term you prefer to briefly describe using legal threats to try to force the removal of a political commercial publicizing an unflattering truth about the candidate's behavior.


You can join Mr. Lenthall's goobledy-gook speaking bullying lawyer in quibbling over the intent of a single small word, but the basic truth rings clear to reasonable people most any which way you choose to parse it.


The bottom line being Mr. Lenthall voted himself a pay raise at a time of fiscal hardship in SLO county government, and when the matter became a campaign issue, he tried to put a lid on it, and continues to personally duck the issue, using a paid mouthpiece to try to obfuscate the truth, intimidate his opponent, and sweep the issue aside so he won't have to face it head on during the remaining days before the election.


Granted, the word "cover-up" may not be comprehensive enough to satisfy everyone. What word would YOU use?

By: Anonymous on 5/19/08

Ciaffardini claims that Mr. Lenthall has a legal mouthpiece. Thank goodness for that and we don't have to "listen" to him ranting and raving on this blog. I'm beginning to wonder if Ciaffardini is the mouthpiece for Adam Hill. So much for Mr. congeniality-Ciaffardini is on the attack for someone.


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By: Anonymous on 5/19/08

Cover up?

By: Anonymous on 5/19/08

Sorry David Ciaffardini and All, I meant to post that on the other blog.

By: Anonymous on 5/19/08

Please folks, this thread is about the Lenthall pay raise cover-up.


These other completely irrelevant comments, about the local banking controversy, Dave Congalton, et al, should be placed under their respective articles on this site, or directed to another forum.


It is a simple courtesy that will prevent reader confusion and make it easier for Dan and Karen to manage these discussions.


Thanks.

By: Anonymous on 5/19/08

Extra Extra Read All About It. The SLB President had a tempe tantrum on 920KVEC but couldn't defend the facts that are levied against him.

By: Anonymous on 5/19/08

Let's get back to the main point here. The fact is that Jerry Lenthall has so far been avoiding facing this issue head-on. According to The New Times, he won't respond to their reporter's questions. He hasn't responded here. He could have spoken on the Dave Congalton Show, but instead let his high-priced Sacramento mouthpiece speak for him. (Or maybe his mouthpiece wouldn't LET him speak.)


What is Mr. Lenthall afraid of? Is there something else he is hiding? Or is it simply that he knows in his heart that what he did with the raise issue doesn't sit well with his own conscience and he really doesn't have the cajones to look the public in the eye and deal with it.


Jerry Lenthall is a politician who is in the top tier of county politics, but he's going off the deep end and going into hiding because he voted himself a pay raise and the world found out? He won't respond to reporters.


If he shuts down so completely on an issue like this, can we really expect him to be open and honest when the harder questions are put to him if he should win a second term?


When he makes his next speech speaking of "open government" will his audience laugh him off the podium? Will he have any credibility left when he deals with contract negotiations?


Can he show any sort of leadership or integrity dealing with the controversy? Is he permanently damaged goods because of THIS?


Is his political strategy now "duck, hide and call in the lawyers"?


I'm personally calling him out on this. Mr. Lenthall, what the heck is going on? Come out of your closet and speak to county voters. You ARE a county supervisor aren't you? Leave the mouthpiece in Sacramento, tell your cadre of blogger supporters to pipe down, and stand up and tell us your side of the story, please!


And if you are not willing to do that, it seems pretty obvious to a lot of us that your political career has run its course and you should bow out as gracefully as possible before you cause yourself, your fellow board members, and your constituency any more embarrassment.


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By: Anonymous on 5/19/08

To Listener,

As an escrow officer of many years I can tell you that while it's true that the escrow company records the amount of a loan, THEY RECORD THE AMOUNT REPORTED TO THEM BY THE LENDER..

By: Anonymous on 5/19/08

A comment made earlier about Congalton being a mouth peice for the far radical left is accurate!

He is riding on your coat tails and he will kick you to the curb in heartbeat!

GET AWAY FROM CONGALTON NOW!

before it's too late! Be and stay independant! Your site is a gold mine and Dave wants his share!

Today he said on his show that he wants you to censor your comments like he does!

Congalton is a has been! Do not listen to him and do not accept his support!

Heed this warning now or I will have to tell "told you so" later on!

I love your site and your work. Protect it!

By: Anonymous on 5/19/08

rue paul's comment and those like it are just one of the reasons this blog will fail…1st amendenment rights be damned, Karen and Daniel have an obligation to bann pricks like Rue Paul

By: Anonymous on 5/19/08

Can anyone tell me how many raises Hill has received while the student fees go up and education budgets suffer?


And don't make the excuse that he did not vote for it. He is ina union, correct?


Just wondering?

By: Anonymous on 5/19/08

Don't know what this military vets tangent is about. Lenthall is NOT a vet. If he is presenting himself as one, or his supporters are, this is truly dishonest, and terribly insulting.


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By: Anonymous on 5/19/08

Smokey and USA seem to think that being a former police officer Lenthall was a working stiff and that Hill as an educator was feeding off the public coffers. I hate to tell you that both are tax payer funded positions. I doubt Hill is going to have the cushy 75% retirement benefits that Lenthall enjoys. Lenthall is still sucking on both public teets. Double dipping on his retirement (thank god he was too dense to make captain) and now the Supes salary (with increase and all).


I actually don't now how Smokey got from Adam Hill being a teacher and equating that to hitler? What, what, What!


Also, Smokey, just because you pushed papers during WWll does not make you a better citizen than the rest of us.


And "USA" I believe there are other countries that have blogging (oh my not the commies!).

By: Anonymous on 5/19/08

Alright "Smokey" whoever you are, you are way off base and either purposely lying or terribly mistaken. I NEVER have or never would say "teachers are more important than military personnel."


How dare you hide behind some phony identity and try to shamelessly attribute a false quote to me that is not even close to anything I've said or written.


I believe that no person is better or more important than any other based simply on their occupation. From President, to sanitation workers, to Teachers,to to people who are hired to scrape gum off the street, all occupations are noble and it takes all of them to make this world work. What matters is integrity and doing a job well no matter what job God has given them to do.


You can claim to be a military vet and claim that makes you more important and worthy than others, but it is simply not true, in fact, it is insane.


You may be a vet, you may have done a good job, or you may have been responsible for unspeakable attrocities. Being handed a uniform doesn't make you a hero or more worthy than anyone ese. It is the quality of the work you did. And, the truth be told, it is the quiet, humble veterans, the ones that don't go spouting off claiming how special they are, who are in nearly all cases the ones that were the most upstanding, the most heroic, and the ones who we should be most proud of and thankful for. And that type of assessment tends to pretty much go across the board for all occupations.


The biggest squawkers are usually the biggest phonies. And that's a simple truth.


And as for Mr. or Miss "USA", how blind you are to reality. If it wasn't for teachers there wouldn't have been a Dr. Jonas Salk and you and millions of others would be dead or crippled because of polio.


There is a place in this world for everyone: Doctors, Soldiers, teachers, on up the line. For anyone to suggest otherwise as they have here, well, that's getting pretty much close to the philosophy of Adolf Hitler who was more than eager to eliminate every man, woman and child who didn't fit into his scheme of who was important enough to be able to live.


And for folks like you to spout off this disgusting prejudice in support of Jerry Lenthall for Supervisor is horrible. You did it. I feel sorry for Mr. Lenthall, but God, I wish he had the political fortitude to speak up and put your kind in your place. You are not doing him any favors, at least I hope not.

By: Anonymous on 5/19/08

At least there is one other, and I'm sure more, red blooded Americans out there. I'll sit down and swear a little and have a clod beer any day over a swirling, sniffing, sipping and spitting wine with an educator. I appreciate educators but they need to come down to reality and really figure out what is happening. They need to get out of that silver lined classroom and their protective environment and maybe go have a beer with a combat veteran.

By the way i support Jerry 100% but cuts need to be made at the top and not from the bottom up. I think he missed it on this one.


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By: Anonymous on 5/19/08

From Congalton's blog:


from The Tribune 2004:


ANDREEN , LENTHALL SQUARE OFF IN DEBATE


Tribune, The (San Luis Obispo, CA) – October 27, 2004


School board member Patty Andreen and retired police Sgt. Jerry Lenthall are running in what's expected to be one of this year's closest local political races: the contest for 3rd District county supervisor.


The Tribune invited Lenthall and Andreen to participate in an hour long debate in which the candidates answered questions from each other as well as from City Editor Richard Jackoway and county reporter Nathan Welton.


Below is an edited version of the discussion.


Lenthall: Patty, you have said how you were fiscally responsible for cutting almost $10 million on the school board, but you're on record during this time of initial financial crisis of proposing a pay raise for yourself and other board members when you're literally laying off teachers. Doesn't that send a mixed message?


Andreen : This was one of the things that was unopposed. The teachers union did not take a position against it. The public did not come to complain. We were concerned about attracting quality people to run for the board, and I think most people know how hard we worked.


It doesn't send mixed messages; what it says to the people of the county is that school board service is a valuable service and that San Luis Coastal will pay what is allowed under the Education Code, which comes down to about $10 an hour.


Lenthall: But you were also compensated for health benefits?


Andreen : Yes, we've always received health benefits.


Lenthall: How is someone going to say, "I'm asking you to tighten your belt' or 'I'm going to lay you off but yet I'm going to propose and support giving myself a pay raise?"


By: Anonymous on 5/19/08

I agree with Ciaffardini that the ad in question wasn't "that bad." It is not as inflamatory and tasteless as the Jerry-bashing ads that Hill regularly schedules on KVEC.


I sort of miss what Ciaffardini is talking about re "behind the scenes" anything. According to Congålto's show, it was the Lenthall campaign that asked to be put on the air to discuss the sleazy turn the contest has taken. How can Lenthall be both behind the scenes AND seeking publicity at the same time for the same issue?

By: Anonymous on 5/19/08

Way to go USA, I thought that I was the only patriotic War Veteran on here today. Thank you for your support.


David, your comment on "Teachers being more Important than Military Personnel", just shows your complete and utter ignorance of the whole world in general. Back in WWII, some where between 20,000,000 and 40,000,000 people perished around the world because a guy by the name of Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussilini and Joseph Stalin had the same mind set as you. You are thoroughly disgusting!!!!

By: Anonymous on 5/19/08

David, yes I do think that members of our military are more valuable than educators. If it were not not for this current generation and for our past generations we could possibly not be blogging today. There are a great number of educators who protest against America and that is their choice under the freedom that we live in. To the best of my knowledge it has been the American fighting man that has allowed us to have this freedom and not educators, many of which have been draft dodgers. I will also admire Mr. Lenthall for his career of upholding the law and trying to keep the peace at our local college while they riot and protest the freedom that our military has provided us.


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By: Anonymous on 5/19/08

I find Mr. Hills campaign on the whole to remarkably positive, considering all that he has to work with in addressing Mr. Lenthall's history.


While it is true that this one ad pointing out a very basic fact about Lenthall's record can be considered negative, it is remarkably mild and rather innocuous.


Consider for a moment if Mr. Hill didn't run this ad. Does anyone really think it is healthy that a local politician votes himself a raise twice while the county faces financial hardship and NOT be confronted with the matter in a subsequent election campaign? Is that really the kind of free ride you want to give to local politicians.


Giving himself a controversial raise, while a fellow board member, Jim Patterson voted against it, may not be the worst thing Lenthall has done, but it is a legitimate issue that all voters deserve to know about.


Mr. Lenthall then has every opportunity to explain his actions honestly and straight forward and leave the voters to decide how egregious it was.


Overall, with the current state of Karl Rove-type politics infecting our country, Mr. Hills campaign has been remarkably positive and commendable.


I find it much more troubling and egregious that Mr. Lenthall's folks would try to use behind the scenes legal intimidation and threats in order to remove a basic and obvious campaign from the table and public awareness.


But the truth has emerged despite the heavy handed legal threats and now Mr. Lenthall should own up to the fact and tell us straight forward, sans high-priced lawyers, what his side of the story is. If Mr. Lenthall is the man he says he is, it should give him plenty of opportunity to show the public how he deals with troubling issues while under heavy pressure. It could be his chance to shine…or not.


It is pretty simple really.

By: Anonymous on 5/19/08

Hey Goldilocks,

I apologize for getting Adam Hill's Alma Matter incorrect, however, many of us seem to be annoyed and down right fed up with negative election campaigning. As a matter of fact, it stinks. For many of us voters it's and automatic "TURN OFF", which draws us to immediately vote for his opponent. When Adam Hill can construct a resume which expounds his brilliance, successes, and accomplishments, which should far exceed those of his opponent, then maybe he will be able to win over the support and votes he needs to be successful in his political endeavors.


P.S. I also have a truly wonderful life, and I am enjoying it to the fullest.

By: Anonymous on 5/19/08

I can't imagine that Mr. Lenthall would condone his supposed "supporters" who publicly state that teachers "don't work for a living" and that people in the military are significantly more valuable to our society than educators.


If I were in Mr. Lenthall's position I would step right up on this forum and immediately denounce such remarks being made in his support.


Otherwise it only makes the rest of us wonder if these are the kind of people and destructive and insensitive and wrong-headed attitudes that will be invigorated should Mr. Lenthall be elected to a second term.


But I keep asking myself, what is it about Mr. Lenthall's campaign that stokes these kind of people and this kind of attitude. Why do these kind of people seem to gravitate toward Mr. Lenthall?


Mr. Lenthall, you know I have been critical of you for lots of reasons, but I do believe you are intelligent and have respect for education. Mr. Lenthall, please, for the sake of teachers and education in general, step up and denounce these insensitive and narrow minded supporters who want to trash teachers and higher education in your name.


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By: Anonymous on 5/19/08

I personally want to have a Supervisor that has worked for a living and can relate to the working class, not necessarily someone who has been hanging around the campus and living off of us working people.I have never met a Cal Poly professor who didn't think they were better than everyone else. I'll stick with the status quo.

By: Anonymous on 5/19/08

Hey Smokey,


You don't speak for all the bears, you know? Adam Hill didn't graduate from Cal Poly. He never claimed yo have graduated. Get your facts straight. Also, get a life while you're at it.

By: Anonymous on 5/19/08

I think it becomes rather confusing to the casual reader when posters here use my name in the space where the author is supposed to identify himself or herself.


I can appreciate why some of the authors here don't want their own real name associated with the words they write, so you can imagine that I certainly don't want folks to think for a moment that I am the author of some of this stuff.


I aim to clearly label and identify what I personally write so there will be no confusion on the matter to the casual reader. You all have every right to stay anonymous, but it would do everyone a favor is you at least use identifiers in a consistent and clear way so that others are not mistakenly confused as the author of your words.


I hope you can appreciate the reasonableness of this.


With that said, it is my personal belief that the level of discourse on these forums would rise considerably and be much more healthy and productive if more people didn't use pseudonyms and anonymous postings and took personal responsibility for the words they contribute. But at this point that is a matter of your own conscience, courage and personal situation. But please consider it. I think we would all benefit.

By: Anonymous on 5/19/08

Congalton is a mouthpiece for the extreme left so we know exactly who he supports in disrict 3. That being said I did hear about this website from his show.

By: Anonymous on 5/19/08

I would like to respond to Adam Hill's negative campaign commercials and tactics. Adam Hill is a third rate instructor working part time at Cal Poly trying to claim to be the worlds greatest gift to society. His main credentials are having to work his way through Cal Poly to securing his degree. HEY Adam, what do you think the majority of San Luis Obispo County Residents have been doing for YEARs. Our claim to fame however, is that we went off to wars half way around the world not knowing if we would ever return dead or alive, or worse yet, alive but maimed and crippled for life, after which, we could work our way through college as well as use the G. I. Bill. Many of us San Luis Obispo County Native Sons and Daughters have done this with great pride and distinction. Your opponent has also served this county with a great deal of pride and distinction and continues to do so as our supervisor. Why don't you grab your little bottle and go down to San Luis Creek for a good little cry. It's O'KAY. All of us OLD Natives will accept your immaturity and let it pass by just like a mild case of flatulence.


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By: Anonymous on 5/19/08

David comments comments on the "historically rather congenial and productive nature of our local hometown politics." Where have you been? Politics either here or there is one of the dirtiest "businesses" going. If you foubt that, just read the last paragraph in your blog. Your a two sided blade.

By: Anonymous on 5/19/08

Mark! 40,000 listeners?? You have got to be kidding! Maybe 1500/2000!

You state the source of your stats…

You couldn't be further from the truth.

Step away from the kool-aid!

By: Anonymous on 5/19/08

You are obviously a Hill supporter who is now spewing you trash on this blog, because no one reads yours.


If you want to advertise pay for it. don't clog this site with your liberal, hatefull crap.

By: Anonymous on 5/19/08

Jerry Lenthall has really gone off the deep end on this one.


It again demonstrates that under pressure Mr. Lenthall is both hypocritical and uses very poor judgment and is willing to slavishly follow very bad advice from self-serving, out-of-town higher ups in the Republican Party who have a hidden agenda very destructive to the historically rather congenial and productive nature of our local hometown politics.


For Mr. Lenthall's handlers to threaten legal action in this way over a rather innocuous campaign ad is the epitome of over-the-top, unethical, mean-spirited, petty bullying that has no place in what is supposed to be a healthy non-partisan election.


It is no wonder that so many people think of Mr. Lenthall as a closeted bully and don't trust him and his out-of-town string-pullers who are hiding behind the curtain ready to pounce and reveal their true nature should Lenthall capture, by any foul means necessary, a second term.


There is little doubt in my mind that this despicable legal maneuver wasn't even Mr. Lenthall's own idea and that he didn't have the courage, and feels too threatened and under pressure, to say no to sick, lowly and hypocritical tactics like this.


Woe to our fine community should more of this desperate, vicious and uncalled for backroom politicking and frivolous legal threat tactics gets a further toe-hold in our county.


Even Mr. Lenthall's most ardent local supporters should examine this latest stunt deeply and carefully and ask themselves if they REALLY know what is going on in the heart and soul of their candidate and whether a vote for him will be like tripping a switch that will leave a Frankenstein's monster strutting through our land for the next four years. It is time for them to grab a clue and this is a very big clue.

By: Anonymous on 5/19/08

Dave Congalton has been instymental in getting this sites existence out to the people. He has an audiance of 40,000 people and is the TOP RADIO SHOW TALK HOST IN THE COUNTY.Thank You Dave.

By: Anonymous on 5/19/08

Yeah, right. Just go out and get your own talk radio show. Anybody can have one, right? What a nutjob. Congalton may be a hack, but he is also responsible for my knowing about this great web site. Thank you, Dave!


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