Adam Hill must go

April 28, 2016

Jim Duenow

OPINION by JIM DUENOW

The election season is upon us and I fear disasters are in store for us. The worst will be the likely reelection of Adam Hill for the District 3 San Luis Obispo County supervisor seat.

The reason Hill’s reelection is likely is not that it is merited but rather that his campaign is awash with money. A cabal of real estate developers, who received favored treatment from Hill, has raised this money. Developers like Gary Grossman, John Belsher, Ryan Petetit and others are in Hill’s pocket and he in theirs.

Also, it has been observed that special interests like PG&E and Phillips 66 funnel money through the Democratic Central Committee only to Hill.

Another example is about money to Hill’s wife, Dee Torres Hill. After being let go from her job with CAPSLO for allegedly stealing gift cards meant for homeless people, she started her own alleged nonprofit corporation to aid the homeless. Her board of directors resigned en mass after seeing how she was running the “nonprofit.”

What she is really doing, is using her business to launder money to her husband, Adam Hill. Developers, such as Gary Grossman, suddenly decided to aid the poor by shoveling $40,000 to $50,000 to Dee Torres’ “nonprofit.”

No one has been able to see the books of the “nonprofit” to see where the money really goes and apparently the business has not reported its income to the IRS. Money laundering?

With all this money, Hill is likely to fool the voters and demolish his opponents with ads filled with blatant lies. He has already lied about his opponent Dan Carpenter’s record. He has made references to Carpenter’s daughter and called her a “troll.” The man has no shame.

Adam Hill has a reputation as a bully. He is worse than that, he’s a cruel, vindictive and vicious bully.

Take the example of Karen Velie who publishes CalCoastNews. Ms. Velie has written about the various peccadillos of Hill and his minions. Hill, in retaliation, has vilified Ms. Velie on his website. He has called her a drunk, a convicted felon, a resident of mental health hospitals, and other things too obscene to present here. All untrue.

Hill has personally confronted CalCoastNews advertisers and threatened them in various ways if they continued to advertise.

With Adam Hill, it is all about money and power. He is so obviously corrupt that one wonders where our law enforcement people are hiding. Hill probably has something on them, too.

We, the voters, are the only hope to solve this problem. Though unlikely, I hope wisdom prevails and Adam Hill is sent packing in the June election. Hope springs eternal!

Jim Duenow, a Democrat, has lived in San Luis Obispo County for 50 years. He is a civil trial lawyer, now semi-retired, who has served on multiple San Luis Obispo City commissions and committees.


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The context of Mr. Duenow’s comments make them all the more telling. Duenow, one of the most respected and successful lawyers in San Luis Obispo started out as a strong Hill supporter, financially and politically. He joins a growing number of local Democrats who are demanding change and whose voices will be heard in their vote for District 3 supervisor.


Well said, Jim…


I wish the Tribune had the stones to run a letter like this…


You guys love a bully when it is W or Trump or Christie, but your panties bunch now? Hill has done so much during his term. Carpenter was a seat warmer in SLO city. It ain’t broke. Don’t f**k it up.


A seat warmer?, not sure about Carpenter, but Hill certainly has been a seat warmer but only in homes of developers for the parties and dinners. As far as Hill “doing so much”, he certainly has and it is exactly “what he has done” that is why he needs to go. “Broke”?, the county actually is if it addressed all real costs, including salaries, pension and benefits. It is easy to claim a balanced budget when you leave off millions and billions of debt. But Hill and many others refuse to acknowledge the true government debt.


It’s broke… Very broke…


Are you new here? You honestly believe people here “love” W or Trump or Christie? You also feel Carpenter was a seat warmer? REALLY?! You really are becoming ignore-worthy at this point.


I mean, unless you’re a paid hack or truly are that ignorant, I’m guessing you did not put a lot of effort into those thoughts.


Hill’s reelection is likely because most voters only know what they read on yard signs and see on TV. Almost nobody reads CCN or listens to KPRL or KVEC. I hope Debbie Peterson; who I like, but will finish 3rd, will endorse Dan Carpenter. Why not? ‘Ef the local Democratic Party. Hill is more pro-development than any of the “conservative” supervisors, who do in fact question resources and IMPACT ON TAXPAYERS by specific developments, because he’s taking cash from the developers. Concerned about development impacts, I would much rather call Debbie Arnold or Lynn Compton than that New Jersey political-animal. Carpenter’s a pretty straight-up guy. Maybe not my favorite, but ANYBODY BUT HILL. A statewide political analyst on Dan DelCampo’s show said that Hill’s tactics were unprecedented in rural California but were East Coast SOP and proven to be effective.


Great piece Mr. Duenow. Finally someone else besides Dan Carpenter calling out the bully! Come on 3rd District voters, let’s get rid of Hill while we have the best chance.


As I stated in an earlier article regarding these “non-profits”, Fed and State regulators need to start investigating these charlatans. Why they have not begun this endeavor says to me that Hill, Hill-Torres, have maybe more power over the law than we know.


No chance from the state, it is Democratic controlled and they would never investigate someone doing the same thing they are doing so long as it doesn’t jeopardize their money stream


BINGO!


I moved here in the early 2000s from a nearby large metro area. I liked the quiet life, the people, the landscape, etc. The central coast is an incredible place to live, work, play.


One night I was bored and somehow stumbled on the general plan from SLO City, I think it was the city and not the county.


Anyway I remember reading in there about the limited growth that early folks desired, presumably in an effort to prevent SLO from becoming a highly urban area with uncontrolled building and excessive population.


I thought to myself, well that’s great. Folks took the time to write down this. I envisioned living here for many years with that small town feel.


Naïve I was, because they just simply changed the general plan. Their job is poring over this to suit their wants. Each server every detail, which the general public has no time for.


I am astounded at the incessant developing, building, greed. There is no such thing as a politician who works to serve the public. They are there to line their pockets. Should anything ever get in the way, no big deal, just move to the next town.


The truth is right before our eyes, but it is so incredibly hard to change. I no longer feel like this area has a small-town vibe to it. Honestly I wish the best, but quite steadily we are approaching San Luis Angeles County.


The level of corruption here is worst than LA county by far. Hillbilly politics, good ole boy BS and the like. IMO the jackasses from LA that couldn’t make it there as crooks have moved to SLO county to carry on, we just haven’t buried them quite yet, but its coming.One by one they will fall in one way or another. I frequently hear how Hill is environmentally minded, yet his buddy & big dollar donater Gary Grossman has at least half a dozen housing projects going on at any given time in slo co. In Pismo there is 3-4 alone all using hundreds of thousands of gallons of water from Pismo city wells for dirt work. His other half is partially responsible for the homeless/garbage/human feces in our waterways disaster, in that she screws the homeless around and they want nothing to do with her so called not for profit business. Satan leading the blind and ignorant.


Dan’s a good guy, but why are stating facts about aspects of his record taken as attacks??


Hill…..the Donald Trump of the Central Coast. Hill’s supporters, as Trump’s, ought to be ashamed of themselves in their utter stupidity.


Trump supporter here.


There is no similarity between Hill and Trump.


Hill takes safe, politically correct positions on every issue.


Trump has taken a record amount of incoming flak for challenging the conventional wisdom on immigration, trade, and foreign policy.


Hill is left wing and appeared at a mosque after Trump called for a temporary ban on foreign Moslems entering the USA. What role a County Supervisor has in setting immigration policy is not apparent. Hill is hoping to get votes countering Trump’s positions, even though as a County Supervisor his job is largely related to land use policy and paving roads.


Then you’re in the ashamed group due to your utter stupidity for Hill. I smell a troll.