Paso Robles school board candidate addresses fraud claim; opponent hit with mail allegation
One of the two candidates in San Luis Obispo County accused of committing election fraud spoke up against the allegations, while his incumbent opponent fielded accusations of his own.
Hunter Breese, a candidate for the Trustee Area 3 seat on Paso Robles school board, was reported to the District Attorney’s Office by Paso Robles resident Camille Katz on behalf of a small group of citizens who suspect he is not living at the address where he registered to run, which would be a felony violation of state election code.
Breese, 19, previously denied the claims against him when asked by a Tribune reporter but declined to answer specific questions. He spoke to the Paso Robles Daily News and Cal Coast News with more detailed comments, including providing a copy of his lease to both news outlets.
On Tuesday, Breese sent a statement to The Tribune responding in detail to the allegations.
Meanwhile, incumbent board member Nathan Williams was accused of violating federal law for depositing campaign materials in Paso Robles mailboxes.
Breese denies claims and says his opponent is involved in the ‘false’ allegations
Breese is registered to run for Paso Robles school board at a home on Red Cloud Road belonging to Sharon Johnson, the fiancée of sitting board member and Breese campaign ally, Kenney Enney.
The Red Cloud Road address is in Trustee Area 3, where Breese seeks office, but Katz thinks he might not actually be living there. She reported him to the DA’s Office on the grounds that he hasn’t been sighted at the address but has been seen at his parents’ home on White Tail Place in Trustee Area 5.
“Following an anonymous tip to authorities, several false statements and allegations have been made by my opponents regarding my eligibility to run for the PRJUSD School Board,” Breese wrote in an email to The Tribune. “I would like to set the record straight with facts, not innuendo.”
According to Breese, he signed a two-year lease in May to live at the address on Red Cloud Road, has been registered to vote at that address since July, and said that both SLO County Clerk-Recorder Elaina Cano and SLO County Superintendent of Schools Jim Brescia confirmed that his registration for candidacy was valid based on his residency documents.
Breese previously told the Paso Daily News that he spends half his time at Red Cloud Road and otherwise spends time at his girlfriend’s house or his own family’s home, where he works for their construction company out of their home office.
In his statement, Breese questioned his incumbent opponent for school board, Williams, and “the group of progressive activists who are attempting to use underhanded political tactics to prevent people from voting for me,” on the nature of the allegations and how they came to light.
“If you had concerns about my eligibility, why not act like adults and address the matter with me directly before rushing to the authorities?” Breese asked.
“Why raise this issue now, knowing full well that the authorities will not have time to investigate before Election Day, leaving false allegations hanging over me?” he asked.
“Why make these claims anonymously through the press?” Breese said. “Trustworthy individuals who have the courage of their convictions don’t hide behind anonymity.”
Breese called out Katz, the complainant, as a “well-known progressive activist” who has worked with Williams and another currently sitting board member, Jim Cogan, on “various causes,” including the efforts to recall Enney, and labeled her as someone who is “politicizing our classrooms” and “undermining parental rights.”
Breese continued: “Why have other school board members — Mr. Cogan, Mr. Peterson, and Ms. Williams (sic)— joined this ‘pile on’ without first speaking with me to make an informed decision before approaching the media?”
Breese also brought up new allegations against Williams in his response.
“Why is there photographic evidence of Mr. Williams appearing to open private mailboxes on my street?” Breese asked. “Besides being a federal offense, this suggests Mr. Williams is desperate to catch me in a lie because he lacks confidence in winning the election fairly.”
The Paso Daily News had previously published security camera images of Williams parked on and walking around Red Cloud Road on Oct. 4, days before the fraud allegations against Breese first came to light.
“I approached Mr. Williams directly and received a less-than-credible response,” Breese wrote about this claim. “As a result, he has been reported him to the U.S. Postal Service, which will take appropriate action. “
“This is not how things should be,” Breese wrote. “It’s shameful that our current leaders behave in this manner.”
Breese said that Williams asked him to run for the board and supports young people getting involved, but his actions have proven otherwise.
“Once again, it seems politicians will say one thing and do another to cling to power,” Breese wrote.
“Paso Robles voters deserve better,” Breese wrote. “Our students deserve better role models. The community deserves better leaders.”
“It’s time for fresh faces and new ideas on the Paso Robles School Board,” Breese said. “Voters can trust me to be the face of that change, delivering a brighter future for the next generation of Bearcats.”
Williams responds to new allegations against him
Williams said he had nothing to with the fraud allegations against his opponent.
“While I appreciate Hunter’s frustration in having attention placed on him in that way, his attempt to tie me to it is unfounded,” Williams told The Tribune.
As Breese said was the case, Enney filed an official complaint against Williams with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
The Tribune obtained a copy of the complaint, which alleges that Williams was illegally placing campaign materials in postal mailboxes while canvassing on Red Cloud Road.
Depositing unstamped material in mailboxes is prohibited by federal law, so as to deter those attempting to evade paying postage fees. The crime is punishable by a fine of up to $300 per offense. The complaint called for an investigation into Williams’ visits to 1,200 homes to discover if he illegally deposited mail at any or all of them.
Enney did not respond to The Tribune’s requests for confirmation and comment.
Williams said he has not heard anything official about the complaint from the postal service or anyone else, apart from rumors online.
“Even if the postal service did reach out to me, I have nothing to hide,” Williams said.
Williams said he “had no clue” about the rule and that most of his campaign materials he hung on people’s doors instead of slotting in their mailboxes, anyways.
“I got door hangers, and I went out myself and was putting those up on doors, talking to people,” he said. “At some point there were just a handful of houses that for one reason or another — whether it was just sore knees, because of my disability or just maybe access — I just put it in a mailbox here and there, but most of them still went on doors.”
Williams said he has two permanent disabilities as a result of four knee surgeries, two shoulder surgeries and a couple of other conditions.
Williams said he found the postal service complaint “ironic” and completely unfounded, having been made without any evidence.
“I find it ironic that (Breese) was upset about somebody filing a complaint regarding allegations against him, but then he turned around and did the same thing,” Williams said. “Either he himself or Kenney did the same while making allegations against me, none of which was founded.”
In addition to allegedly filing the complaint against him, Williams said that Enney suggested to the Paso Daily News that Williams was the anonymous source that tipped off The Tribune.
“He’s making it obvious that he’s trying to insinuate that I had something to do with things, or that I’m involved,” Williams said.
The Tribune originally received an anonymous tip about the accusations from the public Instagram account @slo.spotlight.805 and later spoke to Katz about the complaint she filed. Katz originally spoke to The Tribune on the condition of anonymity.
“I did not submit the complaint and, as you know, I did not reach out to the Tribune or any other outlet for that matter,” Williams said. “I also did not collaborate with the author of the complaint. Simply put, I have stayed clear of it for obvious reasons.”
Enney told Paso Daily News that “on Oct. 4, 2024, Nathan Williams’ truck was observed parked next to the residence of Sharon Johnson and her tenant, Hunter Breese,” and that “the following Monday, Hunter Breese was contacted by the San Luis Obispo Tribune regarding allegations that he had fraudulently registered to vote at the Red Cloud Road residence and therefore was not eligible to run for Paso Robles Joint Unified School District Area 3 Trustee.”
“Per the article, the allegations were made by an anonymous source,” Enney said. “Williams is being challenged by Hunter Breese.”
Williams said the two events were unrelated. He was parked on Red Cloud Road by coincidence while canvassing in the neighborhood, which had nothing to do with the fraud allegations against Breese that followed soon after, Williams said.
“That was the last area that I was canvassing, and it’s the top of the hill, so I parked at the top of the hill where parking started,” Williams said. “I didn’t know who lived there or what. I had no clue.”
In regard to his opponent’s campaign, Williams said that he “absolutely” encouraged Breese to run, but pointed out that “there is a difference in encouraging someone to run and being involved in thinking someone is ready for the role.”
“What matters to me is my own integrity and because of that I have kept myself away from any kind of silliness like that, and my actions have shown that,” Wiliams said. “I respect Hunter for running and I wish him well in his endeavors, but at the same time I know I have shown my dedication and character over the years and am the right person for Trustee Area 3.”
This story was originally published October 23, 2024 at 2:00 PM.
