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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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What if Blake and/or whomever pulls Hill’s strings is done with him and need a new body in that seat?


They would not want to split the lefty vote by allowing voters to choose between Hill and some other greenie. So they took Hill out.


They recognize Hill cannot beat Waage, and they don’t want Waage, so they disabled Hill in order to let their new favorite stand a chance.


Who is their new favorite? When is the filing deadline? We will know then.


I am not a campaign strategist, I am a BS artist.


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No one took Adam Hill out. He pulled this stunt himself, and got caught.


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You’re right Citizen! Adam Hill is capable of “DOING BAD ALL ON HIS OWN”!!!


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‘BS artist’. I like that humility, we could use more here! Lot of armchair experts, most of us probably don’t know a lot of the angles of things we rant about. But it is almost impossible to know all the details of the incredible things going on, its very frustrating for me.


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I want the county board of supervisors to back off Devaul’s back NOW, RIGHT NOW!

They have imposed a quandary of expensive inescapable requirements with short timelines and sanctions that could require him to forfeit a large bulk of his land in fines for failure/ inability to fund what they want (in the millions of dollars) him to do, the land that he and his family have own since his birth here in SLO.

They had the discretional authority in the interest of the community to leave him alone and should have politely (he is open and cooperative, open mined from the heart – always been a of a nice meek old gent –Our family have shop at his Sunny Acres for wood and garden supplies over 20 years – easy to approach and talk with – well liked by his employees) asked him to reorganize the way he was aiding the homeless. What the Supervisors are doing to him is grand theft made legal when he realized or got their number!


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Blake is a woman? Makes Hill’s story even more plausible. Man-joking a woman is always a bad idea, bites you in the as* every time. Hill may be an rsole, never met him, but he also may be straight here.


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I know him, have been on the other side from him and he is ruthless. He believes this is the way politics are! Do not let him get away with any more of this nonsense. He has gotten away with much worse than this and that is why he continues his evil, selfish ways.


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YOU, my man, are another person, just like Hill, who is DUMBER THAN DIRT….And to think YOU teach at Cal Poly!


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referring to SewerheightsRez in the above comment!


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The June election is a primary and unless someone gets 50% plus one vote, there will be a run off between the top two vote-getters. The November election is for all the marbles. And the delay in swearing in the new people is in part to give the County Clerk’s Office time to finalize the election results and deal with any challenges like a recount.

It’s the same with the President, they get elected in November but don’t take office until Jan. 20.

As for this phone call, it reminds me of my misspent youth when I’d go out partying with friends and come home buzzed, then call up my girlfriend and literally make a jackass of myself on the phone.

Eventually I realized that it was bad from to call up girls when you’re buzzed.


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Don’t get fooled.


There are only two candidates for the 3rd District, so one of them will get 50%, plus one, in the June election.


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When is the filing deadline for candidates?


Hill’s team needs to jump ship, and they’re obviously not going to jump onto Waage’s boat. So they have to offer someone new. Has the filing deadline already passed?


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Another question to be answered: Are the emails to Karen Velie, Dave Congalton, etc. from Adam Hill defending himself for a political blunder coming from his county email address or his personal one? If he is using his county email for politcal purposes then that is another problem that should be reported to the FPPC.


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Is there any way to find out if he made this call from his county office during work hours or not? If he’s using taxpayer funded resources to do this kind of thing then that’s certainly another legal problem. Anyone know when the call was made?


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To Taxpayer:


Ooo-la-la! Great catch.


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It was around 10am on a Friday, if I remember correctly, definitely during normal office hours; whether or not he was at work at the time using taxpayer provided resources is unknown.


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Someone could file a FOIA request.


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Someone could. In California government it’s not FOIA; it’s CPRA.


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This question has been asked before. Whether he’s conducting his nafarious business on the taxpayers time or not never will amount to a “Hill” of beans. He’s the Supervisor….who are you going to complain to?


All you can do is get rid of him and elect a person with a sense of decency and respect for others.


And tell Hill to take his dogs with him when he vacates his office next January.


What a piece of work.


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We do not have to put up with him till next January! RECALL this poor excuse of a human being. We can not afford to keep hearing these types of foolery in our county. If we let him continue, we will be sending a message to all that we are just spineless morons who think we have no control over the people we elect to govern us. Let grow a pair and force this incompetent fool out of office.


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jms, we can’t agree more with you, however, if you take a look at the timeline to get a recall on the ballot before November you will realize it simply cannot be done. Focus on voting him out.


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Teach me! Got it! Thanks…..if he had any common decency left (which I doubt), he would just resign. I won’t be looking for an appology from him any time soon.


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I have been thinking a little bit about timelines.


The 3rd District election is June 5th 2012. And yet, Hill’s term expires in Jan 2013. That is a heck of a long time to sit as a lame duck.


What am I missing?


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He needs to be investigated and prosecuted if at all possible. I won’t claim to know the law in this matter and it seems to me to impersonate a person who is running against me to have people think badly of them would be against some election law at the very least. I would expect to be questioned at the very least and arrested and convicted at the very most. Is Ian P. one of Adams guys? Is there a lawyer anywhere who could shine some light on how we can get this guy out before an election process?


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jms, I painstakingly provided a list of contact, phone numbers and emails above. Start there. He’s elected to office and cannot be removed other than by shame or recall. The latter is not feasible. I doubt the former is either.


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SloRider is correct. Emailing or calling those endorsing Hill can have the greatest effect.

Start with the business’s, Walter Bros, RRM, Bill Borgsmiller, John Belsher, Charlie Richardson first. I can guarantee you that they never expected Hill to lose it as he has in the past couple of months.

Be polite and tell them exactly how you feel.

If even a few of them ask to have their names removed from A.Hill’s endorsement list, it will have a tremendous effect.

But don’t forget, so far the Tribune still apparently loves Hill.


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At the very least, I would think a Grand Jury investigation would be in order.


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Go for then: Complaint form


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Cheese

I believe (you) he commited a crime with motive and intent to undermind supports and votes.

The legal defense for criminal and civil slander is to establish “it was just a joke”


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Hill’s only appologie is for alledging “it was a joke” a well known legal defense for the crime.


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Well the “I-was-just-joking” defense is a lot better than Hill’s “I-don’t-remember-making-that-call” excuse.


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I will be on the Bill Benica radio show on KYNS today at noon to discuss this issue. Turn your radio dial to 1340 AM or listen live at http://calcoastnews.com/slo-talk-is-cheap-with-bill-benica/.


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Motivation is the key.

Someone who writes a letter opposing annexation is likely to write another letter if they receive an offensive call from a sitting City Council member (and candidate for Supervisor) accusing them of being a marxist, socialist, communist from the City Council member. The only motivation that makes sense is that Hill thought if he manufactured such a call, the letter writer would complain to the paper and make his opponent look like a beast and a nutball unworthy of responsibly serving the public.

There is no tone of levity if you listen to the call Hill left on Ms. Blake’s voicemail, and he doesn’t sound drunk or stoned. A prankster would follow up with their “friend” to laugh about a prank within a few hours.

Hill’s only motive that makes any sense for making the call at 10 in the morning on his work day was that it might generate more letters and articles, not about the annexation, but about his opponent being insensitive, mean, and dangerous to the environment and to voters. How many other times has he done this kind of thing to lie about who he is and what someone else thinks? District 3 needs a Supervisor who won’t spend so much time coniving to fake out the voters..

Where, by the way, is the Sheriff and the District Attorney? Have they stepped forward to investigate whether the Supervisor violated Penal Code Section 529 when he tried to advantage himself by passing himself off as his opponent? That law makes it a felony to impersonate some one else where the fake might bet a benefit out of his falsehood. Elected officials don’t, and shouldn’t, get a free pass on this sort of thing.


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Sheila Blake’s has a distorted sense of loyalty to Hill (vested interest needing his support) she is not credible in trying to protect him for something in return.


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I don’t believe her statement that she and Adam Hill are “good friends.” Good friends are able to recognize each others’ voices over the phone.


Also, good friends don’t throw you under the bus, like Hill did Ms. Blake, when they need a patsy to take the fall for some stupid action.


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Absolutely! This man is dangerous to us all. We can not sit by the sidelines and continue to let him make fools of us. RECALL this poor excuse for a human being.


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Cicero

“Hill’s only motive that makes any sense for making the call at 10 in the morning on his work day was that it might generate more letters and articles, not about the annexation, but about his opponent being insensitive, mean, and dangerous to the environment and to voters.”


You got to admit, Hill is a diabolical genius in making a fool of the media to form the thoughts of people. It was a fluke he was caught, otherwise he would be rolling over and “laughing (big smle) at everyone”


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Another motive could be that the nudie-cutie.com website was down for awhile.


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