Who will succeed Supervisor Adam Hill? These 7 are in the running for vacant SLO County seat
Multiple San Luis Obispo County leaders have expressed interest in filling the Board of Supervisors seat left vacant after Adam Hill’s sudden death — and residents will get to hear from them at a Wednesday town hall.
The League of Women Voters of San Luis Obispo County, NAACP San Luis Obispo County and the Latino Outreach Council will host a community town hall featuring seven applicants for Hill’s District 3 seat.
Hill died on Aug. 6 of undisclosed causes. Before his death, he was re-elected for another four-year term after winning his primary election against opponent Stacy Korsgaden in March.
Hill’s District 3 constituency includes residents in San Luis Obispo, Edna Valley, Avila Beach, Pismo Beach and Grover Beach.
Earlier in the month, County Counsel Rita Neal told The Tribune that Gov. Gavin Newsom will likely appoint Hill’s replacement.
Those interested in filling the vacancy submit applications to the governor’s office that are reviewed by his appointments secretary, Neal told The Tribune on Monday. The county does not participate in selecting a new supervisor.
“We do not know when an appointment will be made,” Neal wrote in an email. “But we are hopeful it will be in the next month or two.”
Here are the seven applicants who will participate in Wednesday’s town hall:
Erica Flores Baltodano, county civil service commissioner: Hill appointed Baltodano to the county Civil Service Commission in 2019. Baltodano, an employment attorney and policy advocate, has also served on the boards of local nonprofits, including the San Luis Obispo Legal Assistance Foundation and the San Luis Coastal Education Foundation.
Stacy Korsgaden, District 3 primary candidate: Korsgaden, who owns an insurance agency, ran against Hill to represent District 3 in the March primary. She narrowly lost to Hill, who won with 51.4% of the vote.
Dawn Ortiz-Legg, county planning commissioner: Hill appointed Ortiz-Legg, an enterprise agency liaison for PG&E, to the county Planning Commission in 2018. Ortiz-Legg also ran against Jordan Cunningham in the 2016 35th District State Assembly race.
Peg Pinard, former District 3 supervisor: Pinard spent decades representing residents in San Luis Obispo and District 3 from the late 1980s through the early 2000s. During that time, she served as a San Luis Obispo City Council member and mayor, as well as a county supervisor.
Mariam Shah, Grover Beach city councilwoman: Shah, a stay-at-home mom and former attorney, was elected to the Grover Beach City Council in 2014 and was re-elected for another four-year term in 2018.
Erica Stewart, San Luis Obispo city councilwoman: Stewart was elected to the San Luis Obispo City Council in 2018, becoming the city’s first Black council member. She’s also currently the assistant director of personnel and marketing for Campus Health and Well-Being at Cal Poly.
Kara Woodruff, financial planner: Woodruff is a financial planner and vice president of San Luis Obispo firm Blakeslee & Blakeslee. She also previously served on the board of trustees for the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County.
The town hall will take place via Zoom from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday.
For more information on how to participate, visit my.lwv.org/california/san-luis-obispo-county/calendar or call Cheryl Vines at 805-748-9735.
This story was originally published September 1, 2020 at 5:15 AM.
CORRECTION: Correction: An earlier version of this story misidentified Dawn Ortiz-Legg’s occupation and did not mention Stacy Kosgaden or Peg Pinard, who have applied to fill the seat formerly occupied by Supervisor Adam Hill.
