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Hill calls Grover Beach mayor a disgrace

August 5, 2013
Adam Hill

Adam Hill

By CCN STAFF

EDITOR’S NOTE: See San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Adam Hill’s email to the Grover Beach City Council at the bottom of this story.

In a recent email to members of the Grover Beach City Council, County Supervisor Adam Hill called Mayor Debbie Peterson “a disgrace to our community” and says he now has police protection because of death threats.

The email, dated July 26, was sent to all council members via the general email address “gbadmin@grover.org.” City Manager Robert Perrault then requested that electronic copies be forwarded to Peterson, as well as council members Karen Bright, Jeff Lee, Glenn Marshall, and William Nicolls.

In addition to his comments about the mayor, Hill, whose supervisorial district includes Grover Beach, attempted to explain away his absence from the July 23 scheduled meeting of the Air Pollution Control District (APCD) Board. Hill and fellow county supervisor Bruce Gibson informed APCD officials earlier that week that they would be unable to attend the meeting for unspecified reasons. Hill was later photographed having coffee in San Luis Obispo with Arroyo Grande city councilwoman Caren Ray when the APCD meeting would have been taking place.

“My absence at the APCD meeting was precipitated by the illness of my fiance’s 11-year-old daughter (Sage). This occurred Monday morning while she was at camp and her mother (Dee) is in DC.” Hill has been dating Dee Torres of CAPSLO Homeless Services and Torres was away in Washington, D.C at the time.

Hill also used the email to accuse community activist Kevin P. Rice of stalking.

“On Wednesday morning at 8 a.m., Kevin P. Rice was parked outside my house,” Hill wrote in the email. “He then followed me as I took Sage to the doctor. After that, he followed me as I dropped another daughter off at day camp. Then he followed me as I met for coffee with AG City Councilwoman Caren Ray, and later followed me again as I returned to take care of Sage.”

Hill went on to call Rice “your mayor’s sidekick” and indicated that he will seek a restraining order again Rice.

“It should appall you that I have to live with death threats and stalking as it appalls me, and frightens my family,” Hill wrote in his email. He did not elaborate on the threats he has been receiving.

However, Rice said he did not follow Hill throughout the morning and just happened to be at a kitchen store across from the coffee shop where Hill met Ray. In addition, a CalCoastNews reporter met with Rice during the morning hours during a time Hill claims he was being followed.

Rice dismissed Hill’s comments as “utter fabrications” made in an attempt to turn the Grover Beach Council against Peterson, who is serving her first term as mayor. Peterson is also the Grover Beach representative on the APCD board.

“Like San Diego Mayor Bob Filner, Hill’s harassment and abuse will only be stopped when the targets of his harassment speak out publicly,” Rice added.

The bad blood between Hill and Peterson stems primarily from the on-going debate over the so-called “dust rule” which calls for more stringent fines and regulations regarding dust emissions in the popular Oceano Dunes, a cause long championed by Hill.

Peterson has been questioning both the science and the economic impact of the changes, passed in 2011, and is trying to repeal the dust rule. Both Hill and Gibson argue that Peterson should follow the APCD staff’s recommendations.

The issue was scheduled to be addressed at the July APCD meeting.

Critics suggest that Hill and Gibson, both of whom were photographed at various public events that day, decided not to attend the meeting in order to prevent a quorum because they lacked the needed votes to block the repeal.

The Grover Beach City Council is scheduled to meet Monday, August 5, at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall. Peterson has come under criticism from fellow council members for taking up the dust rule issue without consulting them. There is a possibility that council members will decide Monday to replace Peterson on the APCD board, a move believed to have the blessing of Hill.

Over the weekend, both Hill and Gibson contacted Grover Beach Council members asking them to vote to replace Peterson on the APCD Board. Several opponents of Hill and Gibson’s alleged “strong-arm tactics” contend that Grover Beach City Council members Jeff Lee and Glen Marshall have a perceived conflict of interest because they are also San Luis Obispo County public works employees who may have difficulty voted against their bosses wishes.

In his email, however, Hill said he didn’t care what the city council decided to do.

“Frankly, I don’t care what you do about her anymore,” Hill wrote, referring to Peterson. “If you want to keep her on the APCD Board she will continue to embarrass the city, and most likely get the county sued. She has alienated me entirely, and I find her a disgrace to our community.”

 

Hill’s email

“From: Adam Hill

“Sent: Friday, July 26, 2013 10:49 AM

“Subject: from Adam

“Council Members,

“There has been another cycle of misinformation so a quick correction is in order.

“My absence at the APCD meeting was precipitated by the illness of my fiancé’s 11 year old daughter. (Sage) This occurred Monday morning while she was at camp and her mother (Dee) is in DC.

“On Wednesday morning at 8am, Kevin P Rice was parked outside my house.

“He then followed me as I took Sage to the doctor. After that, he followed me as I dropped another daughter off at day camp. Then he followed me as I met for coffee with AG City Councilwoman Caren Ray, and later followed me again as I returned to take care of Sage.

“This stalking by Mr. Rice, who you know as your Mayor’s sidekick, is actually legal. Nonetheless, I contacted the Sheriff and the SLOPD and I now have police protection. I will next have to seek a restraining order against Mr. Rice.

“This is how ugly and dangerous this nonsense about a non-issue stirred up by your Mayor has gotten. It should appall you that I have to live with death threats and stalking as it appalls me, and frightens my family.

“Frankly, I don’t care what you do about her anymore. If you want to keep her on the APCD Board she will continue to embarrass the city, and most likely get the county sued. She has alienated me entirely, and I find her a disgrace to our community.

“Sincerely,

“Adam”

 


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CCN should publish Hill’s emails without commentary of any kind, which just lends credibility to the argument that his problems are all the work of media jackals. The guy can make himself look bad without any help.


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CCN should not treat Adam Hill any differently than they treat any other politician.


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I’m sorry if I wasn’t clear. Supervisor Adam Hill is oversensitive and prone to verbal faux pas. The reading public can deduce this from his email without further commentary. However, as demonstrated by his use of the phrase “cycle of misinformation” he clearly blames CCN for stirring a tempest in a teapot. It’s his only alternative to blaming himself.


Basically I agree with you, but publishing his rants without comment takes away his excuse.


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Why should CCN give Adam Hill preferential treatment over other subjects of their articles?


Because Adam Hill whines when he gets caught with his pants down?


I don’t think rewarding bad behavior with special dispensations is a good idea in any situation, whether it is when dealing with a child or with Adam Hill.


Oh, forgive me. A “child” and “Adam Hill” are the same thing.


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I agree I can’t wait for them to start


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Shouldn’t be composing emails until his meds start working.


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Maybe Dee is the one who sets out his pills each morning and since she is not home he didn’t know which pills to take?


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Maybe Dee is not happy Adam Hill is out having coffee with the sleazy Caren Ray instead of staying home with Dee’s sick child.


Not many women appreciate being publicly humiliated, especially by a doofus like Hill.


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Does Hill often have a fit of nincompoopery when his fiance (Dee Torres, head of CAPSLO homeless services) is out of town?


Or is this a special case, perhaps connected to Hill being caught with another woman when he should have been at the APCD meeting?


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I get it…Debbie Peterson is a disgrace but it’s Hill that needs Police protection. Mr Hill has become an embarrassment to the whole County. The man acts like a school boy…


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LOL. Now he needs police protection. This malignant dwarf thinks hes the second coming of Huey Long.


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How did this guy get elected?


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CalPoly’s temporary residents.


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Adam Hill is seriously disturbed, he thinks he’s clever as do all sociopaths as if we can’t see through his wild self serving fables.


This typical behavior is beyond disgusting but it isn’t Hill that concerns me as much as the complacent votes he received at the ballot in the first place.


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Poor Adam, he’s playing the part of victim, when the hell are we the people going to get recognized as victims of this little P… Ant and his degenerate sidekick, both this clowns should be recalled, you’d think with what these two have done that they would crawl under a rock and stay very quiet for the remainder of their terms, when is some one in their districts going to get a recall started.


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New TV reality show to be brought back. Should it be as The World Turns or as The 5th District turns?


This is all getting kind of old. They all should go back to school and leave us all alone.


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Alternative headline:


Kevin P.Rice accused of stalking…again


If Debbie Peterson hopes to have any future in politics, she is advised to make a public statement distancing herself from Rice as soon as possible, otherwise she will suffer the same fate as Ed Waage and Paul Brown.


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“Poor Adam” is right. While it would appear all his statements are substantially accurate, he just shoots himself in the foot. Rice pokes and him like my son pokes at my daughter, just for the entertainment of the response. Why Adam constantly takes the bait is beyond me.

That being said, I would seem GB mayor is heavily entangled with Rice. She stuck her political neck out to publicly support him in his short lived SLO campaign only to find herself hung out to dry by her man when he quits. She continues to carry K.P.Rice’s water on the APCD board, and it had been said by more than one that the two of them are an item.

Now for stalking. If looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it’s probably a duck. Adam was photographed secretively and reported on in CCN twice in one day. We know CCN is another friend of Rice’s, often investing space for his rantings. I would like to hear Rice explicitly deny that he was the one following and photographing Hill on the date of the meeting. I’m betting he can’t.


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Who are the “more than one”? I’m betting not one person will take credit for lying despite your ignorant eagerness to take them at their word. Tell us who they are. if you won’t, then why not?


You’ve got it backwards. Hill is free to perjure himself in a court of law. If he is really that stupid I will gladly prove him to be a liar.


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That was far from a denial that you were the one following and photographing him that day.

The misdirection about your personal relationships has little bearing on the general assertion.


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Kevin provided the early picture. Kevin saw Adam at the coffee shop and took the picture.


Later in the day, several public officials called to say Adam and Bruce were at the EVC event. Josh Friedman took those pictures.


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The first smacks of an ambush. Did Kevin identify himself, or ask to take pictures ? Was Adam Hill given the opportunity to grant permission for the publication of photos ?


The second group of photos by Josh Friedman were taken at an open, public event.


Was Adam Hill doing anything wrong …or was he just minding his own business ? With the EVC event, was Adam Hill engaging in part of his duties attending to the public’s business ?


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If you are in a public place (ie, sitting outside a coffee shop) you have no rights to photographic privacy. You may not like having your picture taken, and you may not like the person taking the picture, but as for legal *rights*? None, sir. No one has to obtain permission of any sort.


It is this post-9/11 mentality of ‘secrecy’ that is truly chipping away at our freedoms. Stop being a party to that.


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This from http://www.journalismethics.info :

“When is it legitimate to take pictures of people in private moments ? … The ethical question is: When is intrusion justified ? ”


Clearly, there are accepted rights of privacy, even when subjects are in public settings. At bare minimum, it is only common courtesy to ask permission to take ‘individual’ photographs or recordings, and not part of a public ‘crowd’ event.


From the National Press Photographers Association Code of Ethics:

– Be complete and provide context when photographing or recording subjects.

– Recognize and work to avoid presenting one’s own biases in the work.

– While photographing subjects, do not intentionally contribute to, alter, or seek to alter or influence events.


As far as the nebulous concept of ‘freedoms’ …what about the freedom to be left alone ?


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Adam Hill is a public figure.


Slowerfaster is hiding behind a mask.


1/10 on your UW–Madison research, I for incomplete.


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Ooooh, too bad.


The correct question to today’s Final Jeopardy is

“Who is Shiva, the God of Death ?”.

We would have accepted, “Who is Shiva, the Destroyer ?”.


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Again, why should Adam Hill be treated any differently than the rest of us?


Because he whines when he gets caught being an idiot?


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Utter fabrications is denial. If Hill wants to swear in court I will prove him to be a perjurer. Hill is a liar, bully, and a harrasser.


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Be honest. The claim of being “stalked” came from the county board of supervisors’ resident paranoid, whining doofus, Adam Hill.


Hill is getting more and more like the Red Queen. Very unsettling.


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