Allegations of misconduct ignite Arroyo Grande Council

February 12, 2017
Arroyo Grande Councilwoman Caren Ray

Arroyo Grande Councilwoman Caren Ray

By KAREN VELIE

The Arroyo Grande City Council will consider hiring an outside investigator to look into allegations of misconduct brought by a member of the public against Mayor Jim Hill. Three members of the bitterly divided council opposed Hill’s November reelection.

During a Jan. 24 board meeting, Arroyo Grande resident Patty Welsh claimed that Mayor Hill had shared his email password with his wife and distributed an employment contract that had yet to be approved by the South San Luis Obispo County Sanitation District Board. Welsh is a controversial figure who has disrupted city meetings in the past.

On two recent occasions, attendees at city meetings, who did not agree with Welsh, accused her of assault. In both cases, the incidents were reported to the police.

Welsh’s evidence that Hill shared confidential records is an email Hill sent her on April 6 with an unsigned contract for sanitation district Administrator Gerhardt Hubner. Welsh claims the contract was confidential at the time Hill sent it to her, and that his sharing of the contract is a violation the Brown Act.

The Brown Act exempts agencies from discussing several issues in open session, such as litigation, employee reviews and real estate and labor negotiations. However, proposed management contracts and other agency business are not exempted.

Mayor Jim Hill

Mayor Jim Hill

On Feb. 1, Welsh repeated her allegations at a sanitation district board meeting where she handed in a copy of the April 2016 email string showing Hill shared the contract with her on April 6.

And while Welsh claims the email string is proof of wrongdoing, the unsigned contract was available to the public on April 3, when it was published in an agenda packet.

In addition, while the Arroyo Grande City Council will be voting on whether or not to spend up to $15,000 looking into Welsh’s allegations, it may not be under the council’s purview. Even though the three member sanitation district board is comprised of one representative each from the Grover Beach City Council, the Arroyo Grande City Council and the Oceano Community Services District, the city of Arroyo Grande has no jurisdiction over sanitation district matters.

Nevertheless, Mary Lucey and Matt Guerrero, who during their respective tenures represented the Oceano Community Services District, encouraged the city to look into Welsh’s allegations. Arroyo Grande City Councilwomen Caren Ray then asked city staff to look into the Welsh’s allegations.  In the November election, Ray, Lucey and Guerrero openly supported Hill’s opponent Richard Waller.

On Tuesday at 4 p.m., the Arroyo Grande City Council will hold a special meeting to discuss the alleged Brown Act violations. At 6 p.m., the council will consider spending $15,000 on an investigation into Welsh’s allegations of Brown Act violations at the sanitation district.

The company under consideration for the $15,000 contract, Liebert Cassidy Whitmore, was asked by the city to determine if the allegations should be independently investigated. After reviewing the tape of the Jan. 24 meeting, Liebert Cassidy Whitmore said Welsh’s allegations “warrant an independent investigation.”


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I was curious if this would be reported by CCN. If Mayor Hill was Adam Hill this report would have unflattering pictures of A.Hill and spinning against him. I love what CCN does but turned off by the overwhelming bias towards the people they like the most.


I believe the photo of Ray used was from her recent campaign, I recall seeing it in there. Can you imagine the response a CCN photographer would get if they asked to take a picture of Adam Hill or any of the others caught doing something they shouldn’t have been? I am not so worried about the photos used. People usually don’t like it when something negative is being said when it’s bout them or someone in their circle.


I was not surprised to see the stock photo of Caren Ray in the article. Caren could not wait to get on this issue, as she was the councilperson who made the request for further investigation.


Her loyalties to Tony Ferrara will just not let up. She has been after Mayor Hill since his winning a write in campaign. She is obviously favoring her own desires and not what the majority of the population feels. Yes, the majority. He was elected two times now, which takes majority vote.