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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.”


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When you are losing the argument or the campaign, scream racism at the top of your lungs, and that will make it all better. I see no racism in this actors acts. If Hill sees racism in everything that exists here in San Luis Obispo County, then he should resign from the board, because obviously they are all racists, and he should pack up and leave this county that is full of racists. Maybe he could take a flight to Anartica and find a place where only he is at. because everybody is a racist according to Adam Hill. I can see this is only the beginning of what is to come for the 2012 elections when every Democrat will be screaming at the top of their lungs racism, and they will do everything in their power to created a race war and race riots to prove their point. Adam Hill, you are the real racist here


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Adam Hill is a pompous, lying and extremely selfish human being! He has twisted the truth backwards to benifit himself any way he can. He has no morals and only cares about his point of view at all costs! Not someone I care to see running our county or having any real power in this county. I truly believe the man is sick with power!


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So I am trying to piece this together reading the comments and Typoqueen claims the letter Hill wrote to Blakeslee contained the following:

“I only hope you won’t be featuring a black-face entertainer impersonating the president, as Andy Caldwell featured in COLAB’s recent fundraiser in Santa Maria,” Hill wrote”


Citizen then wrote:

This was a misrepresentation by Hill. COLAB had the comedian Steve Bridges perform at its Santa Maria fundraiser. A tribune blogger put it this way: “Steve Bridges is an American comedian, impressionist, and actor who has “developed a repertoire of over 200 impressions, including TV characters Barney Fife and Homer Simpson, broadcasters Tom Brokaw, Paul Harvey and Rush Limbaugh; his impressions of political leaders Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Arnold Schwarzenegger rapidly established him as a premiere vocal impressionist.”


To prove Citizens point TJ wrote:

I just checked out Steve Bridges Obama impersonation – there are clips on YouTube as well as of his appearance on Leno: http://stevebridges.com/obamavideos-leno.html


If this is an accurate portrayal of what happened and Mr. Hill used this to try to claim, for clearly political reasons, that COLAB and Mr. Caldwell are racist, he needs to be examined by his fellow supervisors for violations of ethics. Mr. Hill has made a serious accusation of racism, the type of accusation that can ruin a person’s and an organization’s standing in the community. He needs to publically explain in detail his charge of racism.


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He needs to publically explain in detail his charge of racism.”


He did explain but I’ll recopy his explanation:


“I only hope you won’t be featuring a black-face entertainer impersonating the president, as Andy Caldwell featured in COLAB’s recent fundraiser in Santa Maria,” Hill wrote”


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That is not an explanation. That is an excuse he apparently contrived to try to ruin the reputation of a person and organization that is on the other side of the political spectrum from him. For a SLO Supervisor to do this should not be acceptable to anyone, including the other Supervisors.


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Hills attitude towards COLAB SLO and it’s representatives remains the same. He refuses to discuss the issues with Mike Brown, all he’s been capable of so far is to attack the messenger. See for your self at the Board’s May 10th meeting. At the conclusion of his tantrum, he interrupts Mr. Brown and dismisses him before his 3 minutes has concluded. The next day he calls Mr. Brown to apologize, in private of course. Not exactly a stand up guy. My guess is that Hill offered the apology after county counsel reminded him of the state’s open meeting laws. Who knows? At any rate, Brown is not the firebrand that Andy Caldwell is. As far as I can see, he’s never been anything but a polite gentleman,

He does have 40 years of experiance with institutional finance, maybe Hill is just insecure?


Next is his email tirade to Sam Blakesly which included cc’s to the Trib & others. Once again, he claims that Mike Brown never brings up any issues of substance, again without any specifics.Similar to his first tirade he has a followup the next day to apologize.


What gives? Even without his race baiting comments, we have the leader of our county that doesn’t appear to have control of his emotions….apparently in a big way.


The citizens of SLO County deserve better, that is, leadership without the hubris and high drama associated with Hill. Basically he’s turning into a huge distraction from the Board’s business.

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If I was Jim Patterson, I’d be furious. Jim barely won the previous election and I imagine this latest Hill escapade will have 5th District conservatives and thinking Democrats writing big checks for Jim’s opponent.


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It was not issue or in anyone’s mind, or thought, until Supervisor Hill “First” started it to take advantage of Blakeslee! Blakeslee already employ quality minority staff, how about Hill or does he prefer blond hair, blue eyed beauties like Tiger Woods (Thats all I am saying, it was not issue before!)?


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