Remembering former San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Kurt Kupper

February 26, 2026

Kurt Kupper

By KEITH T. GURNEE

Kurt Kupper, one of the first environmentalists elected to the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors back in 1972, passed away last week at the age of 83. While others have already written of his service to his community, he deserves some words from one of his allies and a friend who knew him well.

The heady days of the late 1960s and early 70

For those on the cusp of adulthood, the whirlwind of events of that era defined a rush of unparalleled political activism. The Civil Rights movement, the Vietnam War, the rise of environmentalism, the protest movements, the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy, and the Watergate hearings profoundly influenced Kurt’s and my views that formed our political futures.

We got to know each other as students of architecture at Cal Poly. After marrying my 19 year-old wife in Sept. 1970, little did either of us know that I would run for the San Luis Obispo City Council at the ripe old age of 23.

Given little chance to win against two incumbent business candidates, we formed a campaign with three Cal Poly students to give it a shot. Kurt Kupper focused on social activism, Warner Chabot covered the environment, and Ken Bruce led the student organizing effort.

With their help and that of my political mentor, Harold Miossi, we started making headway. Confronting skepticism, we actually thought we had a chance.

Meanwhile, Cal Poly students organized an unprecedented political race of their own. Pete Evans and Marianne Doshi ran respectively for student body president and vice president and won going away in shaking up student government in March of 1971. Kurt and I supported them and became fast friends.

One month later to everyone’s surprise, I became the first Cal Poly student to be elected to the SLO City Council. While I had been bitten by the political bug, so had Kurt Kupper!

The rise of Kurt Kupper

Shortly thereafter, Kurt played a critical role in helping Maxine Lewis to start Grass Roots II, a non-profit organization dedicated to serving the needy in the community. He was also instrumental in generating support for the recreation building that was constructed in Meadow Park.

Kurt started questioning the construction of Diablo Canyon Power Plant, particularly it’s safety which he would do throughout the rest of his career.

In 1972, two conservative members of the SLO County Board of Supervisors were stepping down from their positions leaving two open vacancies on the board. Dr. Richard Kresja, a Cal Poly Biological Professor, decided to run for one of the seats as a slow growth candidate. After meeting with Dr. Kresja, Kurt opted to throw his hat in the ring for District 3.

Returning Kurt’s favor to my earlier race, I joined his campaign and helped him walk door-to-door through all of Pismo Beach to generate support for his race. Come Nov. 1972, both Kupper and Kresja were victorious, becoming the first environmental candidates elected to the Board of Supervisors in its history.

Kurt Kupper’s challenges

Both Kupper and Kresja took office in Jan. 1973 and found themselves at the short end of the stick facing a 3-2 business and development majority. While it wasn’t going to be easy, Kurt and Dick worked cleverly together in winning small but important victories, including the following:

1. During the Diablo Canyon licensing, Kurt worked with Mothers for Peace and the Sierra Club in requiring an Emergency Evacuation Plan as a condition of its operation.

2. Kurt was a leader in adopting the County Land Use Element prepared by then County Planning Director Paul Crawford.

3. Kurt supported the “agricultural clustering” ordinance that has permanently preserved thousands of acres of open space in the Edna Valley and other locations. Shortly after it’s adoption, the county received a statewide award for the ordinance from the California American Planning Association.

4. Then Kurt helped block an attempt by the board majority to secretly acquire a strip of historic buildings on Palm Street as a future expansion of the County Courthouse.

This resulted in the county acquiring the property across Monterey Street from the old courthouse that became the Katcho Achadjian Government Center, a far greater government building site situated in the heart of downtown San Luis Obispo.

With the help of his wife Kathleen O’Neill and his many supporters, Kurt had become the third district supervisor elected for three four-year terms.

After Dick Kresja was elected to two terms in 1980, he resigned early to return to teaching at Cal Poly, allowing Governor Jerry Brown to appoint Jeff Jorgenson to his position in 1980. Jeff succeeded in winning a full term through 1985 and collaborated with Kupper throughout their elected terms.

In 1982, midway through his third term, Kurt threw his hat in the ring for the California State Assembly seat against a strong conservative incumbent Eric Seastrand. As hard as he worked to win, this time it wasn’t in the cards and Kurt finished out his final term on the board.

Shortly thereafter in 1985, Kurt and his wife Kathleen became king and queen of what was then the famous Mardigras Parade through downtown San Luis Obispo, a great way to celebrate his 12 years in office.

A good man

After leaving elective politics, he didn’t stop caring. Kurt went on to manage ECOSLO, a local environmental advocacy group for six years and rolled up his sleeves in the recycling business.

Late in life, he kept close to his friends and fought a hard battle with cancer. After more than 10 years, his maker came calling to him on the morning of Monday, Feb. 16, 2026.

Throughout his career, his compatriots gave Kurt his highest compliments. Comments such as “a great ally,” “a good man,” “a great collaborator,” and “a calm and kind man who believed in win-win solutions” are spot on. Strong praise for a deserving man indeed.

Kurt, farewell dear friend…