Turmoil at SLO County advisory group after chair resigns, member ousted
Internal turmoil has consumed a San Luis Obispo County community advisory group, from a resignation and member removal to a now newly appointed chair who faces criminal charges.
Murray Powell, a longtime board member and vice chair of the Templeton Area Advisory Group — or TAAG — was voted off the board on Jan. 15. TAAG is a volunteer group that makes recommendations to the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors on land use and development in Templeton.
Powell’s removal came exactly one month after the group’s former chair Jennifer Jones resigned due to the “problematic behaviors” of one board member, citing ongoing misconduct at meetings in a public resignation letter published in full by the Paso Robles Daily News on Dec. 16.
“We have made amazing progress as a board this year but fail to represent the community effectively when meetings are such a disaster,” Jones wrote.
Community members have since expressed concern over the group’s new chair, David Leader, who faces 24 criminal misdemeanor charges for alleged violations of multiple restraining orders, vandalism and petty theft.
Leader told The Tribune the charges stemmed from a “neighborhood dispute of an easement that’s just gotten way out of hand.”
He is scheduled for trial beginning March 2.
“There’s a lot of hyperbole, there’s a lot of false accusations,” Leader said. “There’s two sides to the story, and all I can say is, I cannot wait for my day in court, because the truth will come out.”
Advisory group chair resigned over board member misconduct
In her letter, Jones attributed her resignation to the repeated misconduct of a single board member that prevented meetings from being held “in a civilized and professional manner.”
“Applicants should not be talked down to or berated,” Jones said in her letter. “County staff should not be harassed or lectured. Board members are expected to be respectful. Feeling unsafe in my own home or in the boardroom due to someone’s behavior is unacceptable. Board members screaming and cussing on the phone and in person should never be tolerated.”
Jones also noted broken protocols and improper agendizing, which continued to be an issue on the board after her departure, Leader said.
Jones did not identify the disruptive board member in her letter, but Leader said she was “absolutely” referring to Powell and that he was “the primary reason” why Jones left. Jones could not be directly reached for comment.
Powell was also difficult to work with in the aftermath of Jones’ resignation, Leader said.
He said Powell violated two bylaws in the weeks following Jones’ resignation, first by blocking the board from seating Leader as the new chairman for two meetings and then by refusing to add an item to the agenda that voted for his removal.
“We all came to the realization that this, just, it has to stop,” Leader said. “The meetings were becoming very unpleasant for the public. People stopped coming. People left the board. People didn’t want to join the board because of this problem.”
Leader described Powell as “very bright” and commended his knowledge of public governance, but that he also frequently disrupted and spoke over people and was disrespectful to the public who attended the meetings.
“It was very, very unpleasant, very unprofessional and very confrontational,” Leader said. “It just made it really hard to have an open, friendly discussion.”
Leader said he was speaking on behalf of the board, and all members have characterized Powell in a similar way.
Powell is known to have been frequently disruptive at the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisor meetings in the past, as well.
The TAAG board ultimately posted its own agenda including an item to vote to remove Powell on Jan. 15.
“He was very unhappy,” Leader said. “He said that he’s done a lot for TAAG, more than all of us put together, and it’s probably true.”
However, it is likely that Powell will soon rejoin the TAAG team.
Powell plans to run for the now-open seat in the group’s March election, which no other candidates have filed to run for, Leader said.
If he remains uncontested, Powell will be assigned to a new seat. He was also previously chairman of the cannabis committee and the new projects committee, but there is no guarantee he will be reassigned to those positions, Leader said.
The board was also informed Powell has since consulted an attorney, though Leader said nothing has yet come of it. The board also spoke with an attorney to dispel any concerns of a lawsuit, he said.
“If Murray could come back and be a gentleman and respectful and work with us as a team player, we would love to have him back,” Leader said. “Is he capable of that kind of change at this point in his life? I don’t know, and I’m not going to speculate.”
Powell did not respond to The Tribune’s request for comment.
New chair faces upcoming trial
Meanwhile, Leader is facing his own challenges.
Leader said the misdemeanor charges against him are the result of a neighborhood dispute that has gotten “way out of control.”
Since 2023, Leader has had multiple temporary restraining orders filed against him by four different neighbors, court records show. Only one was granted, two were denied and another is pending, Leader said.
“It’s very, very contentious,” Leader said. “People are acting irrationally. People are saying things (that) are completely not true. It’s just — it’s crazy. It’s just absolutely out of hand, and it’s crazy.”
The neighbors’ restraining orders alleged instances of Leader trespassing, vandalizing their property and making verbal threats. In one case, his neighbors alleged he had brandished his gun around the neighborhood. Another neighbor alleged Leader’s dog attacked theirs at the dog park.
A civil lawsuit from another of Leader’s neighbors also seeks damages in addition to a restraining order, again alleging he trespassed and intentionally inflicted emotional distress on them. Leader said he filed a cross-complaint against them.
That neighbor’s restraining order said Leader’s behavior “continues to escalate” and that he was “concerned” about his and his wife’s safety.
“They made some really inaccurate and very threatening allegations that simply are not true, and yet I’m paying the price because the judge has not heard my side of the story,” Leader said.
All cases involved allegations that Leader rode his horse and drove vehicles — including a truck, Porsche and an ATV — across his neighbors’ private driveways and properties.
The lawsuit alleged he did so to purposefully trigger his neighbors motion sensitive security cameras and honked his horn five to 10 times daily as he passed their property in an effort to “annoy” and “harass” them. It alleged he often did so multiple times a day for months on end. They believed Leader did so out of a grudge against the neighbor for beating Leader in a homeowners’ association board election, with the goal of intimidating the neighbor to move away.
The District Attorney’s Office filed 21 criminal misdemeanor charges related to alleged violations of the restraining orders — including 11 charges for contempt of court for disobeying the court orders — against Leader on March 5, 2025. He was also charged with two counts of vandalism of less than $400 and one count of petty theft — all misdemeanors.
He has separately faced four infractions for unlawful trespassing of his dog on private property in three other cases since October 2024. For two of the charges, he pleaded no contest and paid fines to resolve. A no contest plea operates the same as a guilty plea without admitting fault.
Leader said he has since put a GPS collar on his dog, resulting in only one problem in the last six months. Two of the infractions were filed in June.
A fourth restraining order filed by another neighbor since the 24 criminal charges were filed alleged Leader harassed the family daily by speeding past their home, “shouting obscenities, making lewd gestures and shining bright lights” into their home.
“My children are afraid of him,” the order said.
Leader filed restraining orders against two of his neighbors in response, one of whom he alleged was trying to get him arrested for violating an earlier order.
“I can’t wait for my day in court,” Leader said.
This story was originally published February 2, 2026 at 11:22 AM.
