Fact check: Did Debbie Arnold send a postcard endorsing Susan Funk for SLO County supervisor?
Some voters in San Luis Obispo County’s District 5 supervisor race received postcards from candidate Susan Funk’s campaign signed by “Debbie,” leading some to accuse Funk of misleading voters into thinking current Supervisor Debbie Arnold had endorsed her.
But it wasn’t Arnold who signed the postcards. It was just a campaign volunteer who had the same first name, Funk told The Tribune.
In its Sunday newsletter, the SLO County’s conservative Coalition of Labor Agriculture and Business called the postcard “mysterious.”
“Who is the Debbie who endorsed Funk?” the newsletter said. “Could this be more than a coincidence? Is the campaign attempting to portray Arnold as a supporter of Funk?”
Arnold previously endorsed Funk’s opponent, Atascadero Mayor Heather Moreno.
Funk told The Tribune on Tuesday that a campaign volunteer named Debbie signed the postcards and that she did not intend to mislead voters with the postcard.
“There’s nothing misleading about a volunteer signing their own name even if somebody else also has that name,” Funk said. “There is more than one Debbie in the world.”
Historically, Funk positioned herself against Arnold.
At a candidate debate on Feb. 7, she criticized the planting ordinance, a policy championed by Arnold which allowed farmers to use 25 acre-feet of water from the Paso Robles groundwater basin annually instead of 5 acre-feet of water.
Debbie Arnold did not sign postcard endorsing Funk
About 80 volunteers for Funk’s campaign sent hand-written postcards to registered voters in remote parts of the district, according to Funk. Generally, volunteers didn’t include their last name on the postcard in order to protect their safety, she said.
A volunteer named Debbie signed about 100 postcards, 23 of which were sent to registered voters in Santa Margarita, according to Funk.
Debbie’s note on the postcard asks the recipient to vote for Funk.
“As an Atascadero City Council member and business owner, she makes sure local government serves the people, not special interests like big developers,” the note said.
Arnold’s husband, Steven, received one of the postcards at their Santa Margarita home.
“I’m hoping no one that received that postcard thinks that’s me, because from the beginning, I’ve formally endorsed Heather Moreno for my seat,” Arnold told The Tribune on Tuesday.
Funk said the postcard does not indicate a connection to the sitting supervisor — as it doesn’t include Arnold’s photo or last name.
Funk thanked her volunteers for their work and said she is committed to serving the community.
“The important thing to know is this comes out of a very large, very active volunteer commitment to my campaign, and it’s because people really want to see me elected,” Funk said. “I am grateful to have the support of so many local volunteers that are passionate about what I can deliver as a supervisor.”
This story was originally published February 14, 2024 at 10:49 AM.
