Sex, lies and leprosy — nothing has been off-limits in SLO County’s ugly campaign season

If the primary election is a sort of dress rehearsal for the Main Event in November, we’re in real trouble.

This campaign season has been one of the most cringe-worthy in recent memory — and we’re not just talking about national politics.

Some samples from right here in San Luis Obispo County:

• You voted against the Atascadero veterans memorial and you were born in Canada? You dishonor vets!
• You’ve accepted contributions from Big Cannabis, or Big Oil, or Big Development? You’re for sale!
• An anonymous online post from 2001 accuses you of trying to “hit on” Cal Poly students in a class you taught? You’re a sex pervert!

In this election, real-life issues have taken a back seat to hair-on-fire allegations — perhaps none more bizarre than warnings about the return of old-world diseases like leprosy and the bubonic plague.

Lepers in our midst?

In the race for Congress, conservative Andy Caldwell faces the incumbent, Democrat Salud Carbajal.

And believe it or not, Caldwell just played the leprosy card.

Back in September, he posted this on Facebook: “Los Angeles is now becoming a leper colony!!! That is right. The dems refuse to deal with the homeless crisis and now leprosy is making a comeback in 2019!!!”

And he didn’t let it go at that.

This week’s New Times reports that a mailer recently went out repeating the same dubious claim.

Here’s the language in the mailer: “California residents pay more everything. Meanwhile, our traffic is grid-locked, our roads are falling apart, our water is being rationed, and homeless people are bringing back diseases such as leprosy!”

No, homeless people aren’t bringing back leprosy. Multiple sources debunked that, including the Associated Press, which interviewed USC medical expert Dr. Maria Teresa Ochoa.

“Ochoa said the number of reported leprosy cases is on the decline in (Los Angeles) county, with only one reported in 2019. That’s down from 1998, when 13 leprosy cases were reported in the county.”

When New Times confronted Caldwell with the facts, he said he “was not aware” that the news about a leprosy comeback was bogus.

“But he then added that ‘the prediction is bubonic plague is going to make a comeback,’” according to New Times.

How hard would it have been for Caldwell to look up the latest news on leprosy before sending out those ridiculous mailers?

Another thing: Leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, is a terrifying but treatable condition that is not easily transmitted. Yet Caldwell attempts to demonize homeless people and Democrats with his mention of leper colonies and his triple exclamation points. How compassionate!!!

Paging Albus Dumbledore

In the race for District 3 County supervisor, Stacy Korsgaden accuses her opponent, Adam Hill, of being a “creepy” sex pervert.

The source of the allegations?

Anonymous critiques Cal Poly students posted on a “rate my professor” website back when Hill was teaching English at Poly, from 1995 to 2011.

There are a few credibility problems here.

First, a website that lists “Albus Dumbledore” as a Cal Poly professor obviously isn’t totally trustworthy.

Albus Dumbledore is not a real person. He is the fictional headmaster at Hogwarts, the wizarding school attended by Harry Potter. Yet there he is, on polyratings.com — which, by the way, is not sponsored by or associated with Cal Poly.

Oh, and here’s a salacious “review” listed on Dumbledore’s page: “he sure does like his women, wet!!”

That same statement — complete with the double exclamation marks — is on Adam Hill’s page as well, and on the page of at least one other teacher, who appears to be a real person.

Korsgaden said that particular remark was not considered for the mailer, since it was posted in 2016, long after Hill had left Poly.

Still, it points out that anyone can say just about anything — good or bad — on anonymous review sites.

In defense of polyratings.com, the majority of critiques appear to be genuine assessments based on how teachers grade, how funny they are, whether or not they’re accessible to students, and whether regular attendance is required.

Several of the comments about Hill are highly complimentary, others not so much — including the one that accuses him of trying to “hit on the girls in the class.” A couple others say he spent too much time talking about sex in his lectures. And one student complained he “pushes his views upon his students.”

From that, the Korsgarden campaign concludes Hill is a “creepy” pervert.

Flimsy evidence, especially since Cal Poly spokesman Matt Lazier said university files show no reports or complaints against Adam Hill.

Korsgaden said she didn’t check with Cal Poly before the mailer went out, but she still believes it’s accurate.

“It was a hard-hitting piece,” she said, “but I do stand by it.”

Yet it’s the mailers that come off as creepy, by taking a few anonymous comments and treating them as evidence of serious, if not criminal, wrongdoing.

It’s especially disappointing that Korsgaden would engage in such tactics since she’s portraying herself as the anti-Adam Hill by promising she will bring “civility and stability back to the local government level.”

Then there’s that statue

The single most talked-about issue in San Luis Obispo County’s election has nothing to do with current policy or programs. It concerns a veterans memorial in Atascadero that was approved back in 2007.

So far, a PAC has spent around $60,000 on mailers and TV and radio ads that accuse former Atascadero City Councilwoman Ellen Beraud of voting against the monument — thereby showing her disdain for veterans.

Is it a lie to say that Beraud opposed the monument?

Technically, no, but it’s a giant sin of omission.

What those fliers aren’t telling you is that Beraud was in favor of a monument, but she, along with several others in Atascadero, believed other proposals for a sculpture should be considered first. And for that, she’s been viciously targeted.

What’s happening to Beraud isn’t just garden-variety negative campaigning. The level of hostility is among the worst we’ve seen directed at a local candidate, and in the name of patriotism, local leaders like District Attorney Dan Dow, who contributed to the PAC and is listed on its executive committee, are taking part in this organized campaign of bullying.

Civility code ... for candidates?

Civility is a big deal in San Luis Obispo County — for officials who have already been elected.

County supervisors and mayors from all seven cities made a show of signing a code of civility in 2018.

It consisted of simple guidelines like these: Be courteous. Listen. Respect different opinions.

At the time, The Tribune Editorial Board suggested the code also apply to candidates for public office.

Obviously, our suggestion didn’t get very far, but we’re not giving up.

Here’s what we said back in 2018:

If you think campaigns can’t be run without getting down and dirty, you’re wrong — it has been done before.

One that stands out is the 2010 campaign for state Assembly that pitted Republican Katcho Achadjian against Democrat Hilda Zacarias. They both signed pledges agreeing not to engage in mudslinging. They didn’t.

So how about it, candidates? Are you willing to take a clean campaign pledge, and to direct your campaign staffs to sign off on it as well?

We’ll be asking, and we strongly urge voters to do the same.

In a few days, we will pivot from the primary to the general election, where many more local candidates will vie for seats on boards and councils across San Luis Obispo County, along with the continuing campaigns of those running for state and national offices.

If we can restore some common courtesy, at least at the local level — remembering that we can disagree without disrespecting — that would be a huge election win for us all.