Heather Moreno sworn in as SLO County’s new District 5 supervisor. What are her plans?
The San Luis Obispo Board of Supervisors gained a new face Tuesday as Heather Moreno was sworn in to her new seat.
Moreno, 57, replaced former District 5 Supervisor Debbie Arnold, who recently retired after 12 years on the board.
A longtime Atascadero resident and former mayor of the city, Moreno said she is excited to represent an even larger portion of the county, and her fellow supervisors welcomed her with open arms.
The county board room was packed wall to wall on Tuesday morning with those who came to celebrate the incoming supervisor and the re-elected incumbents as well as to honor the outgoing Arnold. Clapping boomed through the hall as all stood for multiple standing ovations.
Incumbent Supervisors John Peschong and Dawn Ortiz-Legg were also sworn into their seats on Tuesday after being re-elected in the March primaries.
“It is humbling and sobering to be an elected representative of the people in your own community,” newly appointed Chairperson Ortiz-Legg said after the swearing in ceremony.
Tuesday was also Arnold’s last time in the board room as a supervisor.
“I want to thank all of you here today and all that are listening, just thank you for the opportunity to represent you all for these past 12 years, the county that we all love so much,” Arnold said. “It was the honor of a lifetime.”
The Tribune sat down with Moreno prior to her taking office to talk about her goals for the county and what she is bringing from her past experiences to her role as supervisor.
“I’m so excited to serve the Fifth District, and I look forward to meeting so many people in the coming years,” Moreno said. “I just want people know my door is open and we’re here to serve.”
A real ‘Renaissance woman’: Moreno’s path to politics
Though not originally from SLO County, Moreno is a lifelong California resident. She was born in San Diego, earned a degree in accounting from Cal State Fullerton and later a graduate degree from Fuller Theological Seminary, then lived in Huntington Beach before finally moving to SLO County with her husband in 2004.
After working in accounting for some years, Moreno moved into the health and wellness realm, starting a coaching business to help people who wanted to build a healthy lifestyle.
“I refer to myself sometimes as a Renaissance woman — I have a lot of different interests,” Moreno said.
Outside of work, she loves getting together with friends for coffee, hiking, reading and dancing. In fact, she is performing in May in the annual Dancing with Our Stars fundraiser on behalf of the Lumina Alliance, a group that supports those impacted by sexual and intimate partner violence.
“Between the accounting, the theology, I think the diverse background helps me and serves me well in holding public office,” Moreno said.
However, it wasn’t until a fight bubbled up over Atascadero creek setbacks in 2007 that Moreno got involved in politics, she said.
At the time, the city passed and then later overturned changes to its General Plan that prohibited construction within 35 feet of Atascadero, Boulder and Graves creeks.
Alongside other Atascadero homeowners concerned with the ordinance infringing on their property rights, Moreno attended City Council meetings and “worked a real grassroots effort” to overturn the setback.
She said she met many city representatives during that experience, including then-Councilmember Tom O’Malley, who appointed Moreno to the Planning Commission from 2008 to 2010. That was her first role in local government.
Moreno does not see her path in politics as a career as much as an opportunity that fell perfectly into place.
After finishing up her theology degree, Moreno joined the Atascadero City Council in 2012 by being appointed to a vacant seat, then ran and was officially elected in 2014. In 2018, she ran for and was elected mayor for the first time, then twice more in 2020 and 2022.
Moreno said she felt a responsibility to run for mayor — and she pointed to the same motivation when deciding to run for District 5 supervisor.
“I don’t mean that in a way like obligation, like I have to do it, but more of a like ‘to whom much is given, much is expected,’” Moreno said. “When it came time for supervisor, and I knew Debbie was retiring, I thought, yeah, we need someone strong to step up, and someone who has values that I think align with North County, and I looked around and I felt like I was the person to do that.”
More than anything, she was inspired by the encouragement she received and her desire to serve her community, she said.
Moreno’s top priorities as District 5 supervisor
Moreno said she accomplished many things as mayor of Atascadero that she plans to carry as priorities into her role as supervisor.
For one, she was proud of her work to fully fund the city’s law enforcement and other public safety efforts, she said.
“Public safety is the No. 1 one thing we do for our constituents,” she said.
She also successfully focused largely on government efficiency, she said.
“It’s part of how I think and do things, and I think government should also be looking through that lens,” she said.
Moreno started an efficiency task force in Atascadero to analyze the best use of the city’s resources, something she said the county could benefit from, too.
“The county is looking at some not-insignificant budget deficits coming up if we want to be able to give employees cost-of-living increases,” she said. “I want us to be on sound financial footing going into the future. I want us to have employees that like working for the county and feel that they are fairly compensated, that we are doing the job the taxpayers expect.”
She also brings with her her experience as a city planning commissioner, and plans to allocate attention and resources to improving roads and streamlining residential and commercial projects that benefit the community.
“There (are) priorities that I think should always be priorities, like public safety and roads and infrastructure,” Moreno said. “I mean, government is the only one that can do those things.”
The lens through which Moreno approaches problems is another strong suit she brings, she said. She cited homelessness as an example.
“Something we did in Atascadero is we had a balanced approach that treats people with compassion and helps them get the services they need, recognizing and bringing accountability to those who break the law,” she said. “That type of approach, I think, is really important.”
Affordable housing and homelessness are high on her radar, as well as learning more about the challenges facing the Paso Robles Water Basin, she said.
“Whether you have voted for me or supported me or not is immaterial in this role. What’s important is that we all get to work on the things that are facing our county, and I pledge to do that,” Moreno said at Tuesday’s swearing-in ceremony. “Thank you for placing your trust in me.”
This story was originally published January 7, 2025 at 11:43 AM.
