Nepotism has no part in San Luis Obispo County government

December 9, 2025

Michael Erin Woody

OPINION by MICHAEL ERIN WOODY

As a resident of San Luis Obispo County, I am demanding that Supervisor Bruce Gibson resign office immediately. Gibson is morally corrupt and lacks the ethics to hold office.  Rather than face consequences for this ethical breach, Gibson and the county government establishment orchestrated what can only be described as a taxpayer funded reward scheme that shows a complete lack of respect for the people of SLO County.

This latest act of self-serving cronyism is particularly galling given the sordid history between Supervisor Gibson and his current wife.

Now every time Bruce Gibson and his wife/assistant go to Sacramento on their private plane, Washington DC, or to any conference in the United States, SLO County taxpayers will be paying for their vacation and all expenses. This is disgraceful.

This revolving door of nepotism and preferential treatment has cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in salary, benefits, and pension obligations.

The arrogance of the political class in SLO County is beyond a tipping point: It is now a spilled mess that has damaged our reputation as a region and ability to effectively serve the constituents during a time a great importance.

Gibson’s actions are a clear reminder of the moral corruption and flagrant disregard for ethics in our community leaders. As has been widely documented, SLO County has been ran by an insider’s game of fraud and deceit for over a generation.

The people of San Luis Obispo County deserve elected officials who demonstrate basic ethical standards and respect for public resources.

Bruce Gibson has repeatedly shown he is incapable of meeting this minimal threshold. His continued presence on the Board of Supervisors is an embarrassment to the county and an insult to every taxpayer who has funded his family’s enrichment.”

Woody calls upon Supervisor Bruce Gibson to:

• Resign from office immediately
• Terminate his wife’s employment in his office
• Issue a public apology to the taxpayers of San Luis Obispo County

Woody is also calling for a very public investigation into how this happened:

• The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors to censure Supervisor Gibson and demand his resignation
• The San Luis Obispo County District Attorney to review whether criminal violations have occurred
• The California Fair Political Practices Commission to investigate potential violations of conflict-of-interest statutes
• County Human Resources to explain how this hiring was approved given the clear appearance of impropriety

Brief history

In Nov. 2012, Gibson admitted to conducting an adulterous affair with Cherie Aispuro, who was then serving as his legislative assistant while he was married to another woman. The scandal rocked San Luis Obispo County government and exposed a pattern of judgment so poor it should have disqualified Gibson from continued public service.

After the affair became public, county staff reassigned Ms. Aispuro back to the Clerk-Recorder’s Office at an annual salary of $68,870 which at the time was approximately double her previous compensation.

And after what the public was told would be a permanent reassignment, Gibson quietly moved his girlfriend and later wife back into his office, where she worked until retiring with a county pension in 2019.