Devin Nunes will be in SLO County for Republican fundraiser — and so will protesters

Central Valley Congressman Devin Nunes is coming to San Luis Obispo County on Friday as the special guest for a Republican fundraising dinner.

Organizers had initially hoped to keep the date and location of the fundraiser under wraps for what they said were security reasons, but information about the event leaked via a popular parody Twitter account called Devin Nunes’ Cow as Thousand Hills Ranch in Pismo Beach, a wedding venue off Price Canyon Road.

Now there’s a protest planned in response to the representative’s “continued avoidance and disregard for his constituents” as well as “for trying to have a secret, local, out-of-district fundraiser given his questionable use of campaign funds,” read a notice from the South County Democratic Club of San Luis Obispo County.

An email invitation sent out to local party members advertised a “A Conversation with Congressman Devin Nunes,” whom it calls “a man for and of the people.”

The email also included this message to recipients: “Due to tight security issues, please DO NOT POST anything about this event on your social media: Not your website, Facebook, Twitter nor any other! Thank you!”

The SLO County Republican Party, primary event organizers, did not comment on the protest when reached Thursday by The Tribune. The Tribune previously contacted the local Republican Party chairman, the venue itself and Nunes’ staff, but no one would confirm or deny the location.

Protest organizer Bryce Engstrom said he is surprised the county is hosting someone so nationally divisive.

“He seems to think he can come here to have an event in private and not be protested,” Engstrom said.

Protest signs, cowbells and even a man in a cow suit are expected to be at the demonstration. The protest will happen approximately 3-5 p.m. outside the fundraiser at the intersection of Thousand Hills Road and Price Canyon Road.

Engstrom said he does not have an estimate on how many people will be protesting.

Nunes’ lawsuits, previous ‘security’ issues

A former dairy farmer, Cal Poly alum and one of President Trump’s most loyal defenders, Nunes has been a polarizing figure in Congress, where he has served most of eastern Fresno, as well as Clovis, Tulare and Visalia since 2003.

In April, Nunes filed a defamation lawsuit against McClatchy, which owns The Tribune, over a 2018 Fresno Bee news article about a lawsuit against Alpha Omega Winery. The winery is owned by San Luis Obispo attorney Robin Baggett. The Bee story detailed alleged prostitution and drug use during a 2015 charity event on a yacht owned by the winery.

McClatchy calls the lawsuit baseless and without merit.

Nunes also filed a defamation lawsuit against Twitter and three Twitter accounts: Republican strategist Liz Mair (@LizMair) and parody accounts Devin Nunes’ Mom (@DevinNunesMom), which has since been suspended, and Devin Nunes’ Cow (@DevinCow). He is accusing them of derailing his re-election campaign and seeking $250 million in damages and $350,000 in punitive damages.

“I want to bring public awareness that people are raising funds for Nunes to sue people over free-speech issues,” Engstrom said.

An earlier Nunes event was canceled due to similar issues.

He was scheduled to speak in front of the Fresno County Repoublican Party in April, an event that was canceled after multiple social media posts urged people to disrupt the event, according to The Fresno Bee.

The event organizer, the Fresno Republican Party, cited “security reasons” as the motivation for canceling the event in a tweet.

Controversy around Nunes

The Fresno Bee also reported the representative’s questionable use of political donations in 2018, including Las Vegas trips and nearly $15,000 in Boston Celtics basketball games tickets.

Nunes has declined his number of public appearances in his district in recent years. The group “The Watch” has gathered at Nunes’ office weekly since 2016 to protest the representative’s lack of public appearances, among other issues.

Only paying guests will be able to attend the SLO County event. Tickets are $55 for a general admission seat ($100 for two) and $150 for a VIP ticket ($250 for two), which includes a private reception and photo op, according to the invitation email.

This story was originally published June 27, 2019 at 4:34 PM.