Two strong candidates are running for judge in SLO County. Here’s our endorsement
San Luis Obispo County voters are fortunate to have two well-qualified candidates running for an open seat on the Superior Court bench.
Deputy District Attorney Mike Frye and San Luis Obispo attorney Paul Philips both have outstanding credentials that include years of experience in several areas of the law.
Frye began his career practicing civil law, but for the past 25 years he has been a prosecutor. He’s taken 81 felony cases to trial — including 17 for murder — and won convictions in 90% of those cases.
Phillips has his own general law practice in San Luis Obispo, where he handles civil and criminal cases, business law, probate administration, family law and education law. He taught in the College of Business at Cal Poly from 1982 to 2010.
This is the second time he’s run for office. In 2014, he was a write-in candidate for district attorney in a race that pitted Dan Dow — who went on to win the election — against Tim Covello. Phillips ran because he saw a need for change at the District Attorney’s Office, and believed voters deserved another choice.
Both candidates have an impressive knowledge of the law — Frye is one of only two attorneys in the county certified as a criminal law specialist by the state bar — and a commitment to ensuring everyone receives fair treatment. They come across as compassionate and down-to-earth, and they care deeply about our community.
Given how divisive elections have become, it’s been especially refreshing to see the respect these two candidates have for one another.
At a recent Tribune Editorial Board meeting, for example, Frye described Phillips as “a gentleman.” Phillips characterized Frye as a “lovely human being.”
You don’t often hear that kind of praise from candidates describing their opponents.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREWhy do we endorse?
Making endorsements during election season is an important role for newspaper editorial boards, including The Tribune Editorial Board. Elections are key to determining the future of our Central Coast region, and through endorsements, we share our opinion of the qualifications of the candidates and recommend those who would best serve our communities.
Due to the large number of races on the 2024 General Election ballot, we are unable to issue endorsements in every race. We chose to focus on the most competitive contests.
For more about our process, click the arrow on the top right.
Who endorses?
Endorsement decisions are made by Editor Joe Tarica and Opinion Editor Stephanie Finucane.
How do we decide?
Candidates are invited to participate in an interview with The Editorial Board where they are asked a series questions about major issues. It’s our opportunity to learn the candidates’ positions and to gauge how well informed they are about issues they are likely to confront if elected.
We also research voting records of candidates who have held public office; we watch candidate forums; we look at back stories from The Tribune, as well as other publications that have covered the candidates; and we examine public documents. We also take a look at the candidates’ advertising and campaign statements. Are they overpromising, for example, or misrepresenting their opponent’s record?
In the case of ballot measures, we study the background of the issue, the pro and con arguments and consider who is supporting and opposing the measure.
Tell us what you think
If you disagree (or agree) with our endorsements, share your thoughts with us by writing a letter to the editor (200-word maximum). Email your submissions to letters@thetribunenews.com. Due to the volume of submissions we receive during campaign season, we do not publish Viewpoint-length pieces (600-800 words) in support or opposition to candidates.
Again, this was a close call between two strong candidates but on balance, we believe Mike Frye’s background and experience in so many areas, particularly criminal law, make him the stronger candidate.
He’s industrious, he’s a creative thinker, and we believe he will be a problem-solver on the bench.
A little more about his background:
After graduating from McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, Frye, 60, practiced civil law in Fresno for three and a half years in the early 1990s, but a desire to get some jury trial experience led him to a job at the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office, and from there, to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of California, where he handled homicides, sexual assaults, human trafficking, narcotics trafficking and other serious criminal cases. He also did appellate work before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
His work on human trafficking cases took him to SLO County, which led to a decision to take a job with the SLO County District Attorney’s Office. He’s been there for the past six years, where he’s in charge of the DA’s public integrity unit, among other duties.
He’s prosecuted several high-profile embezzlement cases, including the case of an Arroyo Grande bookkeeper sentenced to 10 years in prison after admitting to stealing $500,000 from local businesses, and the current case against the owner of Timeless Treasures, who is accused of failing to pay at least 58 people for the furniture, antiques and other items they left on consignment.
He’s also investigated alleged wrongdoing by public officials, such as Brown Act violations and conflict-of-interest cases.
Frye has been endorsed by several local leaders, including District Attorney Dan Dow, Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham, county Supervisors Dawn Ortiz-Legg, Debbie Arnold and John Peschong, as well as from several local attorneys and community members. He’s also supported by the San Luis Obispo County Republican Party and police officers associations in Arroyo Grande, Atascadero and Paso Robles.
Mike Frye will be an excellent addition to the San Luis Obispo County Superior Court bench. The Tribune strongly endorses Frye for judge.