Adam Hill using government resources in election bid

June 5, 2012

Adam Hill

By KAREN VELIE

San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Adam Hill’s use of his office in his bid for reelection appears to be a violation of Government Codes 54964 and 8314, which ban government officials from using public resources including buildings, computers or phones to discourage or support a ballot measure or political campaign.

On June 1 at about 2 p.m., Hill was forwarding links to a positive and misleading article written by Tribune reporter Bob Cuddy titled “Nastiness increasing in 2 SLO County supervisory campaigns,” using his San Luis Obispo County Supervisor email.

Cuddy’s piece slams Hill’s opponent Ed Waage while praising Hill as the only candidate who had not reported negative issues on radio advertisements or fliers. Cuddy did not include negative campaigning on Hill’s website and instead touted Hill as an opponent of negative advertising.

In what appears to be an attempt to hide his action, Hill sent the emails in a way that the names of recipient are hidden.

While no criminal penalty exists for violating government code 54964, Government Code 1222 makes a willful violation of any of the provisions by a government official a misdemeanor.

Hill did not respond to requests for comment.


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An update: The FPPC ruled that the email WAS IN FACT NOT a violation that the Fair Political Practices Commission has jurisdiction of.


I have emailed Ms. Velie and asked that she run a retraction or correction of this article because Mr. Hill did not violate the law, in the judgement of the FPPC.


Travis (from San Luis Obispo)


Well, I’ll swan. Thanks Travis. Ms.Velie?


This election’s biggest loser: Kevin P. Rice. After this debacle with Waage, I wonder which politicians he will next offer to “‘help” with their campaign.


It remains to be seen if Waage’s political career will survive after being so closely associated with the Rice and his ham-fisted, sleazy campaign tactics and everything else Rice has become infamous for.


Savvy politicians will avoid Rice like he was carrying the plague. Waage was a fool for not publicly denouncing Rice and his Karl-Rove fantasies early on.


Oh , they will find body parts in his freezer soon enough ( Rice ).


Waage was just clueless.


Kevin Rice did not pull a prank with that website or distort any facts. It is rather Hill with the help of the Tribune who distorted the facts. The website that was promoted and designed by Kevin Rice simply revealed authentic Hill flyers that he had paid for and where he endorsed/supported both sides of the camp. Hill was pandering and roasting marshmallows over several opposing fires. Rice was simply the messenger. No doubt, the truth will all come out.


No doubt the truth will out, long after we’ve turned our attention to other matters and have forgotten the context. Rice is not a stable person, based on his frantic self-justifying campaigning (“IntegritySLO”), so he’s lost any sense of trust I’ve placed with him in the past.


Cindy, your men lost big time. No need to waste time trying to spin it.


Rice commandeered Waage’s campaign and drove it straight into a brick wall. The message was all wrong, focussing on petty incidents and avoiding issues and experience. Voters saw right through it. The Kevin Rice ads were laughable; despite their meanness and idiocy.


That Waage was astoundingly foolish and weak to allow Rice and bellowing Chris Arend to be his most vocal message bearers and steering his campaign into the most dangerous and non-productive direction. The political “strategy”, if there was one, was abominable. If it was any indication of how Waage would conduct himself on the Board, we can ALL be thankful he was trounced so badly his political career is nearly shot.


Waage may be “nice”, even well-meaning, but he fell as another victim of Kevin P. Rice, who is now being referred to as the Typhoid Mary of local politics.