Adam Verdin leads in race for SLO County supervisor campaign contributions

February 5, 2026

By KAREN VELIE

With two San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisor seats up for grabs, the four candidates running are raking in cash, collecting endorsements and fervently campaigning.

Campaign finance reports show Adam Verdin outpacing the other three candidates. Verdin raised $164,490 in cash and a loan during the second half of 2025 while his opponent for the District 4 seat, incumbent supervisor Jimmy Paulding, raised $144,344 in monetary and non-monetary donations.

District 2

For nearly 20 years, Supervisor Bruce Gibson held the District 2 supervisor seat, but he is not running for reelection. Two of the top issues in District 2 are a push for wind energy farms off the coast of Morro Bay and a proposed battery storage facility on the coastline.

The district runs along the coast from San Simeon to Los Osos and includes a portion of San Luis Obispo. It has 7,542 more Democrats than Republicans, which would appear to give Jim Dantona, a Democrat, an advantage.

However, Michael Erin Woody, a licensed civil engineer and Salinan Indian tribal council member, has voiced opposition to the proposed offshore wind energy fields  and battery storage facility – a top issue with many residents. He is registered as declined to state.

As the former head of the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce, Dantona was a strong supporter of off-shore wind energy and battery storage.

Dantona raised $56,630 in cash donations. His top donors include $5,900 from Patrick Arnold, $5,000 from the IBEW Education Fund, $2,500 from the San Luis Obispo Cattleman’s Political Action Committee and $2,500 form Strategic Communications in Manhattan Beach.

Woody raised $37,550 with $35,000 from a loan he made to his campaign. His donors were primarily tied to a group of people wanting to stop plans to industrialize Port San Luis and and parts of Morro Bay.

District 4

District 4, which includes Nipomo, Arroyo Grande and Oceano, has 1,235 more Republicans than Democrats giving Verdin, a registered Republican, an advantage over Paulding, a registered Democratic.

Verdin is a local businessman, pilot, attorney and community leader. He is focused on keeping our communities safe, prosperous, and affordable.

Verdin raised $164,490 in cash and a loan of $15,000. Verdin’s top donors include $11,800 from Covelop Inc., $5,900 from Steven Hollister, $5,200 from attorney Paul Ready and $5,000 from Charles Bell.

Paulding won his District 4 seat in 2024. Paulding primarily votes in lockstep with Supervisor Gibson. His support of a battery storage plant in Nipomo is likely to be a key issue in the race.

Paulding raised $144,344 in monetary and non-monetary donations between July 1, 2025 and Jan. 31, 2025. His top donors were primarily unions including $5,000 from the Central Coast Construction Trades, $4,000 from Southern California Trade Council and $4,000 from the Plumbers and Steamfitters Union.

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