Debbie Arnold says she'll again take on Jim Patterson for 5th District supervisor

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• San Luis Obispo County supervisor candidate Arnold holding fund-raiser

  San Luis Obispo County supervisor candidate Arnold holding fund-raiser

  San Luis Obispo County supervisor candidate Debbie Arnold will have a $99-a-person fundraiser at the Alex Madonna Expo Center in San Luis Obispo Feb. 2 beginning at 5:30 p.m.

  The social, dinner and auction are part of Arnold’s campaign to unseat incumbent Supervisor Jim Patterson in the 5th District, which mostly comprises Atascadero and surrounding areas.

  To RSVP call 805-801-8259 or email debbie@debbieforslo.com.

• Patterson won’t get Sierra Club endorsement for re-election

  Patterson won’t get Sierra Club endorsement for re-election

  The local chapter of the Sierra Club has withheld an endorsement from longtime ally Jim Patterson in the incumbent supervisor’s tight race for re-election in the county’s 5th District.

• Patterson’s fiscal leadership, balance merit re-election

  Patterson’s fiscal leadership, balance merit re-election

  The race for 5th District county supervisor is a rematch between two-term incumbent Jim Patterson and challenger Debbie Arnold, who served as aide to former Supervisor Mike Ryan and, more recently, to state Sen. Sam Blakeslee.

  We endorsed Patterson in 2008, and we do so in this race as well. If anything, Patterson is an even stronger county supervisor today, having helped lead the county through one of the worst fiscal crises in its history.

  Of the two candidates, we also find him the more moderate — despite attempts by the opposition to paint him as a wacko environmentalist who never met a regulation or a tax he didn’t like. On the contrary, Patterson has often voted in favor of the very projects and policies that environmentalists and slow-growth advocates have opposed, sometimes alienating staunch supporters in the process.

• SLO County 5th District debate explores familiar themes

  SLO County 5th District debate explores familiar themes

  San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Jim Patterson explained to a political forum how he and his colleagues pulled the county government through a crippling recession, while Patterson’s challenger in the June primary, Debbie Arnold, said county regulations and overspending have damaged business and it is time for a change.

  The rivals squared off Thursday night in front of an overflow crowd of more than 100 people at the Carlton Hotel in Atascadero. The Latino Outreach Council sponsored the forum, one of the few held this campaign season, and moderators Jim Brescia, Biz Steinberg and Heather Young filtered the questions, reframing some of them to keep the discussion civil.

  Moderators kept the debate focused on the issues, and the same general themes that have dominated the race emerged once more.

• Art After Dark doubles as Jim Patterson fundraiser

  Art After Dark doubles as Jim Patterson fundraiser

  An Art After Dark reception and opening Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. will also serve as a fundraiser for County Supervisor Jim Patterson, who will be present to talk with art lovers and supporters.