How did SLO County supervisor candidate vote on taxes, raise? Mailers spread misinformation
The race to represent District 4 on the San Luis Obispo Board of Supervisors is getting personal.
Two mailers, paid for by political action committee Back the Badge, call supervisor candidate Jimmy Paulding the “prince of taxes” and make misleading claims about his voting record.
Incumbent Lynn Compton is competing with the Arroyo Grande City Council member to represent District 4. Paulding challenged Compton for the seat in 2018 and lost by only 60 votes, according to final election results from the county.
Paulding called the election mailers “character assassination,” and said he’s taking a different campaign strategy.
“I choose to use facts and talk about the issues,” he said.
What do SLO County election mailers claim?
The mailers falsely accused Paulding of voting to increase taxes 15 times. Voters must approve local tax increases, so Paulding did not have the ability to raise taxes as a City Council member.
“Taxes require a vote of the people,” Paulding said, so the mailers “insult the intelligence of our voters.”
The mailers reference a June 2020 council meeting at which Paulding joined a 5-0 decision to put a measure on the November 2020 ballot that would increase sales taxes by 1%. If voters approved the tax, the funds would be used to maintain roads, which are in poor condition in Arroyo Grande, he said.
“I support giving the choice to voters,” he said.
The mailers say Paulding supported fee increases, such as an increase in operating fees included in the Master Fee Schedule, the solid waste collection rate and sewer collection fees in 2019 — all unanimous decisions made by the City Council.
Paulding said these were routine fee increases designed to adjust for inflation.
One mailer also includes misleading information about Paulding’s votes to “increase his own salary by 60%.”
In November 2019, the Arroyo Grande City Council voted 3-2 to direct staff to draft an ordinance that would raise the salaries of the mayor and City Council starting in December 2020. Paulding voted against drafting the ordinance, as it “did not seem prudent” while the city faced financial challenges at the time, he said.
At a meeting later in November 2019, the City Council voted to update the draft so the salary increase would start in December 2022. Paulding cast the lone vote against the second draft.
Paulding did, however, vote with the rest of the council to approve the salary increase when it was on the consent agenda at a meeting in December 2019, according to the meeting minutes.
“At that point it was clear what the will of the council was,” Paulding told The Tribune. “I didn’t have any control because I was in the minority.”
Originally, Paulding denied that he voted for the salary increase. He later acknowledged that he had voted for it on the consent agenda.
The city will implement the salary increases in December 2022, after Paulding’s term on the council ends — so he did not vote to increase his own salary as a mailer claimed.
Local developer donates thousands of dollars to Back the Badge
Local developer Nick Tompkins donated $30,000 to Back the Badge, the political action committee that funded the mailers.
In a Facebook video, Paulding noted that “one of the largest developers in South County” donated to Back the Badge. Paulding said in the video that he’s refused to take any donations from developers, and will prioritize the community over “special interests.”
Tompkins said he was unaware of the mailers until he was contacted by The Tribune. When he donated to the group, he said, he didn’t know how they would use his money.
Tompkins said he doesn’t support the mailers and hopes Back the Badge stops circulating them.
“It’s not my kind of gig,” he said. “Politics have become way too divisive.”
Tompkins prefers “middle of the road” candidates willing to “look across the aisle” to get things done, he said.
Tompkins has only donated directly to two supervisor candidates during the primary election: Dawn Addis and Dawn Ortiz-Legg. He gave $5,000 to Ortiz-Legg’s campaign, and $4,900 to Addis’ campaign, he said.
Tompkins said he lives in District 4, but has not financially supported Compton or Paulding in 2022. Because he builds developments in District 4, he said he does not think it’s appropriate to donate to District 4 candidates.
Tompkins is working on the Dana Reserve Project, a massive proposed housing development in South County.
This story was originally published May 7, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
