Dee Torres-Hill rips nonprofit volunteer at fundraiser

May 24, 2016

By CCN STAFF

Tempers flared Saturday night when Dee Torres-Hill, wife of San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Adam Hill, allegedly confronted a woman and a political opponent of Hill’s during a fundraising dinner for the Senior Nutrition Program. Torres-Hill took issue with one of Hill’s former supporters sitting next to San Luis Obispo City Councilman Dan Carpenter and his wife, Sandy.

During the live auction, multiple sources confirmed that Torres-Hill walked across the banquet room at the Cliff’s Resort and asked Bev Aho of Avila Beach why she was sitting next to Carpenter. Aho, a volunteer with the nonprofit, said her seating assignment for the event, attended by about 200 people, was random.

“I was in shock,” Aho said. “We were in the middle of an auction, and Dee comes over and wants to take me outside and talk to me. She shamed me.”

Aho said she tried unsuccessfully to get Torres-Hill to calm down.

Several people at Aho’s table participating in the auction also took umbrage with Torres-Hill’s actions.

“It was not appropriate to call anyone out of a live auction,” said Alana Reynolds, another attendee who witnessed the exchange. “It was disruptive to those of us who were sitting at the table.”

The next day, Reynolds said she called Hill to discuss the incident. “Hill’s assistant then called me to apologize for (the supervisor’s) wife’s behavior,” Reynolds said.

In the hotel’s foyer, Torres-Hill told Aho she was angry that Aho was sitting next to Carpenter because Carpenter and others were trying to “harm her children.”

Carpenter is in a tight race to unseat Hill, who seeks a third term as District 3 supervisor in the upcoming June 7 primary. Hill frequently claims that members of the media who report on his actions, as well as his political opponents, are harassing his wife’s three children.

Torres-Hill then reportedly went back to the Aho table and asked Dan Carpenter to follow her to the foyer. Dan and Sandy Carpenter and Aho complied. Then, said Aho, Torres-Hill allegedly began cursing and screaming that Carpenter, CalCoastNews, and radio hosts Dave Congalton and Dick Mason were after her children.

“Dan was very calm and he kept asking Dee to calm down,” Aho said.

Dan Carpenter said he has never even discussed Torres-Hill’s children, Aho said.

Torres-Hill responded saying she wished her husband would lose the race and that she was tired of his “fucking job,” Aho said.

Torres-Hill then said that Carpenter had posted a video of Dick Mason on his campaign website that was causing one of her children emotional angst.

Sandy Carpenter reminded Torres-Hill that her husband’s affiliates had posted photos of her adult daughter with devil horns along with a claim that she was the spawn of Satan. Torres-Hill said Carpenter’s daughter deserved the attack because she had “thumbed up” a Facebook post critical of Hill, several witnesses said.

Torres-Hill then began screaming “fucking pig” and at one point lunged at Dan Carpenter in an attempt to slap him, witnesses said.

Dan Carpenter told Torres-Hill the conversation was over and returned to his table. Torres-Hill then walked in front of the auctioneer to retrieve her purse and departed, Aho said. Hill had left the banquet area shortly before Torres-Hill confronted Aho.

“This was Dee trying to bully me, and then bully Dan,” Aho said. “It really messed up my bidding. I volunteer for senior nutrition and I know how much they need the money.”

CalCoastNews asked Torres-Hill for examples of the alleged harassment of her children, and for a comment on the incident at the Senior Nutrition Program fundraiser. In response, Torres-Hill sent the following email, reprinted verbatim:

“Yes, you got me, I tried to jump Dan Carpenter at the senior nutrition event right after I sent threatening e-mails to some obscure radio guy’s daughter(?????), before I went and stole some more children for CWS, which was all – well after Adam and I plotted the death of a few unnamed journalists (or is it sanitation guys)? Wait, was I in that murder plot story, I can’t remember?  I know it’s me who’s funneling money from SLO Housing to Adam, right? Hard to keep all of my very treacherous deeds straight. I guess this means a new wanted poster is going up.”

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