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SLO County supervisor candidates trade barbs as campaigns heat up

February 19, 2020

By CCT STAFF

District 3

A determined candidate looking to become San Luis Obispo County’s next District 3 supervisor is raising behavioral concerns about her opponent in the hotly contested primary race.

Successful business owner Stacy Korsgaden rattled incumbent Supervisor Adam Hill’s campaign by resurrecting comments former students posted on PolyRatings, a site where students critique teachers. Titled “Accusations against creepy Adam Hill have piled up,” the mailer includes charges from prior students that Hill attempted to coerce them into sleeping with him.

This followed up on a flier that accused Hill of bullying and threatening critics and opponents.

Hill’s camp has denied any wrongdoing, and fired back criticizing Korsgaden’s campaign for running ads that include anonymous allegations from more than 10 years ago.

“No matter how foul and low their campaign goes, we will not go there,” Hill says in a Facebook ad. “Facts matter. The truth matters. That’s what guides me and those who work for me.”

District 3, which includes Grover Beach, Pismo Beach and portions of San Luis Obispo and rural Arroyo Grande, has 3,923 more Democrats than Republicans. Hill is a Democrat and Korsgaden is a Republican.

District 5

District 5 incumbent Supervisor Debbie Arnold has taken aim at her opponent Ellen Beraud for accepting money from people involved in illegal marijuana industry activities.

In addition, a group of veterans formed a political action committee to oppose Beraud because of her 2008 city council vote against the Faces of Freedom Veteran’s Memorial in Atascadero. The group has raised approximately $50,000 it is spending on radio ads and mailers opposing Beraud.

Following several critical mailers, Beraud’s campaign shot back with a somewhat misleading text message from “Debbie with Ellen Beraud for county supervisor.” The text paints Beraud as politically aligned with Supervisor John Peschong, and a supporter of local farmers and veterans.

“As a small business owner herself, she is the only candidate fighting for small family farmers and local businesses,” the text says. “Will you help bring back common sense by voting for Ellen Beraud?”

District 5, which includes Atascadero, Creston, Pozo, Santa Margarita and portions of Templeton and San Luis Obispo, has 1,076 more Republicans than Democrats. Arnold is a Republican, and Beraud is a Democrat and member of the SLO County Progressives.

District 1

District 1, which runs inland from the Monterey County line to Templeton, has 5,234 more Republicans than Democrats, giving conservative Supervisor John Peschong an edge over his challenger Stephanie Shakofsky, a Democrat.

John Peschong and Stephanie Shakofsky

In hundreds of radio ads that started in late 2019, Peschong labels Shakofsky as a new-to-the-county “San Francisco liberal” who is “attempting a left-wing takeover” of the SLO County Board of Supervisors. Peschong also slams Shakofsky for her support of privatizing the Paso Robles groundwater basin, which was rejected in 2016 by almost 80 percent of voters.

Shakofsky fired back, accusing Peschong of making backroom deals and for supporting several cannabis cultivation businesses.

The winners of the three open supervisor seats will be determined during the March 3 primary election.


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Darren Shetler is one of SLO County’s most unscrupulous and corrupt developers. Now in the marijuana business with John Peschong. I’m surprised only because I did not make the obvious connection. They are both completely amoral.


1

Exactly. Facts are facts – Peschong is all spin.


-1

As a general rule, history repeats itself. We the public should be grateful when competing political opponents share each other’s dark past. With verifiable or unverifiable data we can then connect the dots before we vote our conscience. This certainly includes something for everyone, an experienced well grounded conservative, a multi-accused unprosecuted *&%#@^* or Joanie Come Lately “a self proclaimed role of duct tape” to choose from.


3

Supervisor Peschong has been a true politician during his first 3 year tenure as Supervisor – a true politician that spins the issues.


Let’s look at some of the Peschong facts and not Peschong’s political spin specific to the cannabis compatible land use issues impacting SLO County and putting industrial cannabis grows right next door to his constituents – residential agriculture homes and families. This issue is about compatible land use, not cannabis use.


Peschong has stated he represents his constituents and recently commented on the cannabis issue… “Cannabis is legal in California. With that in mind, it should be treated like any other crop. We need responsible permitting for any farms to ensure that they are obeying the law and away from the general public. Odors need to be abated and we will not tolerate an increase in illicit activity as a result. Anyone who wishes to grow any type of product, including cannabis will follow every law associated with it.”


This is all Peschong spin… Here are the facts on our county’s cannabis ordinances/laws:


Fact 1: Peschong’s biggest donor in his 2016 campaign was Darren Shetler of HempAERO that is dedicated to research and innovation in the cultivation of hemp – a variety of cannabis. Peschong as a newly elected supervisor, the Board of Supervisors and the SLO County Department of Planning and Building crafted with Big Cannabis a set of cannabis ordinances/laws – with no local agriculture community inputs. These cannabis ordinances/laws are in direct conflict with compatible land use for residential agriculture homes and traditional agriculture businesses. Cannabis (marijuana or hemp) is a nuisance crop when land use for cannabis grows impact current residential agriculture homes and traditional agriculture businesses. Just look at the cannabis grow disaster created in Santa Barbara County – in Carpinteria and Santa Ynez as an example.


Fact 2: While Proposition 64 de-criminalizes the recreational use of marijuana – making it legal to use in California – it allows each of the 58 counties within the state of California to decide if each county will allow for marijuana cultivation. This is a county Board of Supervisor decision on marijuana cultivation NOT a Proposition 64 decision. So while Peschong is right, cannabis use is legal in California, Peschong along with the Board of Supervisors did not have to allow cannabis cultivation in SLO County. Only 12 of the 58 counties in California allow marijuana cultivation. Only 12 counties in California allow marijuana grows to be conducted in their county – 46 counties in California decided NOT to allow cannabis cultivation in their residential agriculture neighborhoods. Peschong and the current SLO County Board of Supervisors brought this conflict to the county.


Fact 3: Peschong has demonstrated he has swung his votes to Big Cannabis. Peschong is the current “swing vote” on the Board of Supervisors. Hill and Gibson consistently vote for Big Cannabis projects where they want the tax revenues – at the price of ruining residential agriculture neighborhoods and our traditional agriculture and tourism businesses. Arnold and Compton have routinely voted against Big Cannabis projects and support protecting our county’s agriculture homes, businesses, and quality of life. Peschong most recently has voted with Hill and Gibson promoting Big Cannabis grows in our county. First with his NO votes on North County appeals at the Board of Supervisors which are currently being fought by his constituents in court. Second with his recent vote to extend the abeyance ordinance that had previously been extended for the last 2+ years allowing cannabis cultivation operations without following the county’s cannabis ordinance/laws. No other business in SLO County gets this kind preferential treatment.


These are the facts and not Peschong political spin. So if you want a cannabis industrial grow next door to your residential agriculture home and family or have your traditional agriculture business in direct conflict with a cannabis grow next door believe the Peschong spin.


I don’t. By learning the facts, my hope is that readers don’t as well.


-8

The most offensive ad I heard is Beraud saying “she has a vision for well-paying jobs people love doing with housing they can afford, and ending” homelessness. Pleased do tell so we can nominate you for next’s years Nobel Peace Prize. All she will do is create a board majority that will increase the cost of market rate housing and spend more to attract more homeless to our vacation paradise (all homeless advocates say the vast majority of the homeless are local whereas police officers and those of us who were born and raised here will tell you the opposite). It offends my intelligence for her to say she has a solution. This is about nothing more than the SLO Progressives and control of the board and they will not care a whit if SLO becomes San Francisco and the Bob Jones Trail becomes the Joe Rodota Trail. Google it, is a 8.5 mile trail in Sonoma County that was completely taken over by the homeless and is completely unusable for pedestrians and bicyclists, the Bob Jones Trail is becoming the same. The homeless advocates say, and this is word-for-word from Becky Jorgeson on Congalton’s show, “if people don’t like what they see they can hike and bike elsewhere, there are lots of trails”.


23

Oh boy, your recreational pleasure path nature walk has been inundated with the mentally ill and less well off? So if you see it, it bothers you, but If you dont, who cares? Every local gov entity running for office cares about homeless families and people and human welfare, just not you apparently. You see a problem with no empathy i feel, and provide no solution either, you, a voter. Public space is for the public, and if they can’t maintain their society; your homeless and nature zen trail, let them eat cake. Your comments come across very insensative and emotional. And the Bob Jones trail sits next to a Buddhist Monastery and had been gentrified long ago and is on top of a Chumash Burial site and a whale feeding ground, any irony? And all you see are homeless? ? Yes, people living outside without safety is shocking.


-17

What’s shocking is rolling out the red carpet for every hobo on the West Coast and then virtue signaling against everyone who objects. The leftists supersized a smaller local problem that was manageable and then howl when they’re called out for creating an unmanageable and ever-increasing mess. San Luis Obispo: hobo Mecca of California! (Paso is still teeing up.)


10

Paso/North County is overflow due to coastal demand. Santa Cruz, SLO, SB, Santa Monica have the climate in winter, though there’s something to be said about the North County warm nights in summer, its only hot for a few hours midday, but even homeless population pressure pushes people inland for affordability and quality of life, and now better services. Were I homeless. I would much prefer Atascadero’s bucolic Sunken Garden and the close-by services to overcrowded (too many homeless, no such thing!) downtown SLO and the remote service center out by the sewer plant (as is proposed in Paso). Paso and the North County are definitely “teeing up”. And now that homeless services is not a charity but a very well-paid profession, new good paying jobs for homeless proponents.


3

“Whale feeding ground”? You mean 3 million years ago when the sea level was 53 feet higher ? (20,000 years ago it was 400 feet lower) I have have found whale bones near the Bob Jones Trail and more are still there. What’s your point ?


0

I believe this pretty much sums up HIll. Although his admitted depression may add to his behavior it runs deeper than just that.

Psychopaths, in general, have a hard time forming real emotional attachments with others. Instead, they form artificial, shallow relationships designed to be manipulated in a way that most benefits the psychopath. People are seen as pawns to be used to forward the psychopath’s goals. Psychopaths rarely feel guilt regarding any of their behaviors, no matter how much they hurt others.

But psychopaths can often be seen by others as being charming and trustworthy, holding steady, normal jobs. Some even have families and seemingly-loving relationships with a partner. While they tend to be well-educated, they may also have learned a great deal on their own.

When a psychopath engages in criminal behavior, they tend to do so in a way that minimizes risk to themselves. They will carefully plan criminal activity to ensure they don’t get caught, having contingency plans in place for every possibility.Common signs of psychopathy

socially irresponsible behavior.

disregarding or violating the rights of others.

inability to distinguish between right and wrong.

difficulty with showing remorse or empathy.

tendency to lie often.

manipulating and hurting others.

Sound about right?


25

Unfortunately, just as in the case of Donald Trump, Mr. Hill will most likely be reelected. People don’t seem to care that these candidates are scumbags, they just know that they are part of their tribe.


-11

Thanks Calcoast News for turning non partisan political offices into a Democrat vs Republican slug fest.


-7

Shouldn’t you be thanking the Tribune and New times as well? You know, the ones who report only the news and offer no personal opinions.


14

The only way the public knows about bad behavior is to have the media or opponents point it out. Adam Hill or his ex sent sexually disgusting emails to a member of the media to control the press. The sexual harassment allegations at Cal Poly show the same type of behavior. The public has a right to know before going to the polls.


56

I’ve had enough of Hill, Stacy gets my vote!


49