Front Page  »  

Hill to Blakeslee: “This is a new low”

June 17, 2011

Adam Hill

State Senator Sam Blakeslee (R-San Luis Obispo) is postponing a Paso Robles fundraiser scheduled for next week after San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Adam Hill criticized the event. [Tribune]

Hill sent Blakeslee an email on Wednesday, attacking the fundraiser because it was scheduled to be emceed by Andy Caldwell, founder of the Coalition of Labor, Agriculture, and Business (COLAB), an organization Hill called “hostile, secretive, and racist.”

In his email, Hill wrote that the participation of COLAB in a Blakeslee fundraiser led him to question whether the senator is really the moderate he portrays himself to be.

“This is a new low, and the saddest sign yet of where things are headed with you,” Hill wrote, also suggesting that the Republican state senator would be “pandering to hate-mongers.”

Caldwell was set to emcee the event, hosted at the Paso Robles Inn by a variety of well-known North County ranchers and farmers. COLAB has no official role in the fundraiser.

“Perhaps you don’t know about the hostile, secretive and frequently racist activities of COLAB,” Hill wrote to Blakeslee. “I wish I could give you the benefit of the doubt on this one, but this is so disappointing and offensive.”

In announcing the delay of next week’s event, Blakeslee issued a statement, saying ““I decided to postpone this event lest it become a forum for Supervisor Hill’s dispute with Andy Caldwell, which would only serve to divide our community at a time when we need to come together.”

On Thursday, Hill admitted to a reporter that the email to Blakeslee was not “the most helpful approach.”


Loading...
Subjects:                 
Related:


90 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

After going to COLAB’s website and looking around, I did find down on the bottom left hand side a mention of how “Liberal policies are ruining the economy”, but of course there was no link to an article that expands on that meme. If you want to make a statement like that and give it some substance, shouldn’t you back up your assertion with some discussion or examples that tries to make your point? It seems that the organization, although they have the word “Labor” in their title, (Coalition of Labor Agriculture and Business Owners) the main bulk of issues are all about business concerns with no discussion about the labor part of the equation. Is the organization’s name simply an attempt to “sound reasonable” instead of just a coalition of business and property owners? Curious that there are no names of any of the members listed on the website; are they embarrassed, secretive or just don’t want to be identified? I do think that Adam Hill could have raised his concerns with a little more tact, but his basic point about the organization doesn’t seem that far off to me, and Sam Blakeslee did the right thing in stepping back from the fundraiser.


0

I didn’t see anything about Labor on the COLAB website either. The issues raised in their news releases concentrate on issues that affect agriculture and business. Their actions speak louder to me than their carefully worded descriptions of themselves. It does seem that Hill could have been more tactful though.


0

Hill needs to remember that he represents ALL of the County residents. To lecture Sam Blakeslee is beyond arrogant. I was a Hill fan/voter. No more!


0

I thought Mr. Hill was elected to represent his district on county issues. This reeks of someone playing partisan politics with an eye to a bigger office, maybe running against Blakslee in the next election. Mr Hill please put your energy into the job you currently have.


0

Hill is the racist! He hates farmers, business people and anyone from the north county! As for Sam, I’ve just lost total respect for you! If you stand for nothing you’ll fall for anything.


0

We all know what you say about Hill is not true. You are just mad and foaming at the mouth. He probably dislikes the politics of some of the folks you mentioned since they often support policies that only serve their own profit margin instead of the public good. I guess you are one of them, and that’s OK but calling him a racist is, to say the least, without substance.


0

This is unbelievable, I responded to this post earlier and it was for some odd reason deleted. I contacted the owner and it was then promptly restored. Now it is deleted again!!!!!!!! Oh my????? Is somebody out of control around here?


0

The owner of this site tells me that they can’t locate my original post . So from memory, here it is.

Thank you hotdog, I appreciate your comment. I used to believe that you were a drooling far left wing entitled liberal, I guess that goes to show that the old cliché’ about assuming holds true.

And…….Thank you Adam Hill


0

It might be due to my painful tonsils, really feel like cr@p today, but I don’t get your post. Was it an attempt at sarcasm or do you really side with Hill and the Dog?


0

No I wasn’t being sarcastic. That sort of sarcasm isn’t my style. But I must admit that I thought COLAB was a different organization with different issues than who they actually are. Being a non partisan, there are many times that I agree with hotdog and I frequently agree with Adam Hill, however in this case, I had the group confused and was responding to a different issue involving reverse discrimination! Sorry, I’m on cold meds and allergy meds myself today!


0

Someone must have removed the background in the picture showing his height.


0

Funny, but BOOOO! -1 hehe…


0

I don’t know much about COLAB, but they really must be baddies for Hill to dismiss the group of them in one grand gesture.


It doesn’t bode well for Hill to write off an entire subset of his constituency. If I were a member of his non-favored groups, I would be pissed.


Too, I wonder what became of Blakeslee’s spine in this regard.


0

I think Sam is more concerned with good judgment (on his part) than so called spine. I think he must have realized Hill’s email had some substance.


0

Sam has never really had a spine, he’s your classic born-to-it opportunist, riding on the coattails of his family name. He and Hill can both take a long walk as far as I am concerned.


0

I just visited the COLAB website and read some of their material and I have to say I don’t see what the issue is. It would be good if Hill provided some specifics rather than just slinging mud around.


0

Hill’s remark does seem a bit extreme. I visited the COLAB also. Didn’t see anything alarming there, except that they do seem very supportive of big ag. Although their position on the issues would help smaller ag operators as well.


I did find two forays in the political realm, COLAB took Lois Capps to task for the way she scheduled public debates and they also helped defeat an increase in sales tax in Santa Barbara county that was intended to fund the operation of a county jail that is being built.


I still don’t know what COLAB has done to prompt such a strong statement from Hill. Perhaps he either knows more than we do, or maybe he’s let his emotions show too much with his choice of words.


0

Quote: “I still don’t know what COLAB has done to prompt such a strong statement from Hill. Perhaps he either knows more than we do, or maybe he’s let his emotions show too much with his choice of words.”


It’s simple…


Hill is an egg-suckin’ dog liberal. Andy is not.


Hate mongering racist my arse! What a tool we have on the Board of Supervisors for making such a statement.


0

Colab resembles a Union for the GoodOle Boy “Family Economy Heritage” COLAB


0

zaphod: Whats this to do with Saint Babs county?

Or did the word” Heritage” make you so excited that you forget to read?


Google is your frend http://www.colabslo.org


0

zaphod: Whats this to do with Saint Babs county? Just happens to be the county where the Fun-d Raceing “Hill warming” incident took place, bonus large collection of Caldwell and a bit o climate gate denialish material. I poked around and found interesting stuff, LuLz colab I wonder if they have an oath! Invalidate the Gnatcatcher!! this link opens a pdf


0

I disagree with those who beat up Hill on this. What would you say if a well-known hate monger and racist were coming to do the emcee gig, instead of a relatively little known one (known, supposedly, by Adam Hill)? Wouldn’t that send a message? Of course. I think it was a poor choice to both use Caldwell for an event and also this boosts Caldwell’s notoriety, something Hill and many (maybe most) others would not like.

Sam made a good decision to step back and reassess. I don’t know the votes but if Sam (and Katcho) voted in lock step with the other repos something is wrong, way wrong. The Gov is fulfilling a promise to let us vote on the mechanism to determine our future-many in Sacto are opposing that. The right to vote, to decide, to determine. Just what to the previous writers and the future ones have against that fundamental right? Amazing, you would be whining if the tables were turned, always whining…..


0

I think you’re missing the points of most people here: show us where the racism is from the emcee. I don’t know COLAB or that dude from shinola, but to have you come in and establish the premise of “say if a well-known hate monger and racist…” is a pretty weak argument against “hey where is the hate, show us” question.


He may be a hate-mongering racist, but I was unable to see it presented by Hill or anyone here. I don’t like big AG as much as the next guy (I am not a fan of Monstano for instance, nor George Soros, their #1 shareholder). Anyway, all many as well as I am asking is what has Hill said or provided that makes his statement hold water?


0

One only has to listen to Caldwell for a few minutes to realize that he’s a hate monger. Now whether that hate is directed towards racisim I really don’t know. But COLAB ie Andy Caldwell absoultly hates liberials. IMO it’s okay to oppose others views, I don’t can’t stand the Tea Bags POVs but I don’t hate the people themselves. Caldwell is over the top, to me he borders on obsesion with his hatred. Wish that I had one of his news letters so I copy some of his nonesense. I feel that any moderate con would be turned off by his retoriet. I’m really suprised that Blakslee would assosiate with him. Blake has done a few things that I liked but this completly turns me off, he might have shot himself in the foot with this one. On the other hand if Hill doens’t explain the racisim charge he might also have shot himself in the foot.


0

Wow. You don’t hate the “Tea Bags” then? OK, just making sure. The rest of your comment also backs up your claim to not hate the people (Caldwell) themselves…


OK, just thought I’d get some irony in my diet for today.


0

Wow. Hill sounds very unhinged and volatile.


THEORY: Could Hill be venting at Blakeslee for not voting for Governor Brown’s higher state taxes that would end up directly in the Supervisors’ hands?


Mr. Hill recently spoke very strongly about how “critical” it is for Sacramento to pass Gov. Brown’s tax hikes. You can bet a county supervisor with such convictions has talked to the local senator, no? Maybe Katcho will get flamed next.


0

I think you nailed it with the state budget comment. Hill and the other supervisors are clearly not comfortable making budget cuts to local social services forced by the state’s diversion of local funding. I don’t think Hill can take the pressure, and this letter to Blakeslee is the result.


0

What a load of crap! You can pound sand, Hill.


0
1 2 3