Paso Robles is about to hold its first election by district. Here’s who’s on the ballot
Paso Robles will hold its first district City Council election in November, when one candidate will run unopposed and two candidates will compete to represent the southeastern corner of the city.
Officials in 2019 divided Paso Robles into four electoral districts after the city was accused of disenfranchising Latino voters and was threatened with a Voting Rights Act lawsuit.
About 39% of Paso Robles residents identify as Hispanic or Latino, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Paso Robles has the largest population of Hispanic or Latino residents of any incorporated city in San Luis Obispo County, but its residents have largely been represented by a City Council composed of white men.
A lawyer representing the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project in 2018 claimed the city’s previous at-large system violated the law because it resulted in the political preferences of the racial majority canceling out those of its Latino minority.
Later that year, voters elected Councilwoman Maria Elena Garcia, only the third woman to serve on the council in the city’s history.
Three candidates running for City Council in November
In November, voters will elect City Council members from District 3 and District 4. They will cast ballots for representatives from Districts 1 and 2 in 2022.
District 3 encompasses part of the downtown area and is bordered to the north by Union Road, to the east by Garden Hills Road and dips down to Highway 46 West. District 4 includes a small area in the southeastern corner of the city bordered by Creston and Charolais roads to the west.
All four current council members live in separate districts, meaning they won’t compete against each other for votes in November.
District 3 incumbent Councilman Steve Gregory will run unopposed in his race. Council members appointed Gregory to the governing body in 2014, and he won his first election in 2016.
In his candidate statement, Gregory said his priorities “are to focus on public safety and maintain our finances in a fiscally responsible manner.”
“I will focus on our housing shortage, and keep improving our road system,” he wrote.
District 4 incumbent Councilman Fred Strong will seek his fifth term in office after winning re-election in 2016. He will face off against Jacob Allred, a global product line manager for oil field technology manufacturer Weatherford, according to the company’s website.
In his candidate statement, Allred he’s running for council so he can “work diligently to ensure that Paso Robles continues its steady growth trajectory where local businesses can continue to thrive.”
“I will ensure that our community has access to more head-of-household jobs so that we can afford to live here, and that we have access to effective emergency services,” Allred wrote. “I am concerned, without this effort, we will find ourselves unable to continue calling Paso Robles ‘home’ as we will move to find work, more affordable homes, or safer places to live.”
Strong used his candidate statement to tout his accomplishments during his time as a councilman. He said he’s “been directly involved with bringing over $2 billion to our area and upgraded our public safety, library and water despite losing $17 million/year in taxes due to disasters.”
“My efforts have helped bring over 800 head of household jobs to our area while reducing the city controlled portion of your property taxes,” Strong wrote.
Ryan Cornell, Paso Robles director of administrative services, will also run unopposed for city treasurer. In Cornell’s candidate statement, he said he wants to “expand my role to include investment of city funds and to ensure accuracy, compliance, and transparency of all city funds.”
For more information on the candidates and the city’s November 2020 elections, visit prcity.com/elections.
This story was originally published August 27, 2020 at 10:33 AM.
