District 4 is a rematch between Compton and Paulding. Here’s our recommendation

We endorsed Jimmy Paulding when he first ran for county supervisor in 2018. We remain convinced that he is the right person for the job.

He’s smart, he works hard and he’s gained valuable political experience both as a practicing attorney and a local officeholder.

He now serves on the Arroyo Grande City Council — he was elected in the fall of 2018 — which has given him real-world government experience not just on the council, but also on countywide boards, including the San Luis Obispo County Council of Governments and the county Air Pollution Control District.

Another plus: At 36, Paulding would bring a young person’s perspective to a board dominated by baby boomers. And he has energy and a willingness to dig into tough issues — along with an ability to enlist other people to help.

Some examples:

• He is a founding member of an ADU (accessory dwelling unit) Task Force that studied how to increase the supply of these small, moderately priced units in San Luis Obispo County.
• When he walked neighborhoods during the current campaign, his conversations with older residents made him acutely aware of the challenges they face. He put together a working group of professionals involved in geriatric care who just released a report of their findings and recommendations.
• He co-founded the Economic Recovery Institute, which focuses on housing, energy and infrastructure.
• He was key in organizing an action team to explore ways to reuse the Phillips 66 refinery on the Nipomo Mesa after it closes.

Is he a perfect candidate? No.

As we’ve seen in this campaign, he has a tendency to shoot from the hip, as when he erroneously claimed he had never voted on giving council members a raise and then had to retract that statement. He’s also been faulted for following a double standard when he criticizes his opponent, Supervisor Lynn Compton, for accepting contributions from developers while he accepts contributions from labor unions — another special interest.

But there is no such thing as a perfect candidate.

There are, however, those who learn from their mistakes and become stronger for it. We believe Jimmy Paulding is such a person.

What would a Paulding win mean?

If Paulding wins and Bruce Gibson and Dawn Ortiz-Legg are reelected, that will end eight years of control by a far-right board majority that too often puts partisanship above all else.

We saw that with redistricting.

We saw it with the power struggle over the appointment of a new county clerk-recorder to replace Tommy Gong, who was hounded out of office.

And we’re seeing it again with the county charter proposal that would prevent a Democratic governor from ever again appointing a supervisor to fill a vacancy.

But Paulding is more than a chess piece. No matter what happens in the other two races, he will make a strong supervisor in his own right — one who is responsive to his constituents, regardless of their political affiliation.

How the race stacks up

In 2018, Paulding lost the Board of Supervisors election to incumbent Lynn Compton by just 60 votes.

This election is shaping up to be another nail-biter.

While the candidates are the same, the voters are not; as a result of redistricting, the boundaries of the district have shifted.

Oceano, a heavily Democratic community that went for Paulding in 2018, is no longer in the district. The San Luis Obispo Country Club area is.

That may have been designed to give Compton an edge, but overall, the political demographics haven’t changed much.

According to the most recent voter registration report, Republicans now outnumber Democrats by nearly 2,300 voters. That’s roughly the same as in 2018, when Republicans had around 2,000 more voters.

When you consider the large contingent of decline-to-state voters — 7,664 — this is anyone’s race, so it comes as no surprise that the opposition is waging a nasty campaign.

Exhibit A: Sleazy mailers paid for by a political action committee called Back the Badge portray Paulding as a Roman emperor — complete with laurel wreath — and accuse him of voting to increase taxes 15 times.

It’s a gross distortion of facts; the City Council has no power to raise taxes. Paulding voted with the rest of the council to raise fees, and voted in favor of putting a tax measure on the ballot. That’s a far cry from raising taxes.

The opposition isn’t just attacking him. It’s going after his supporters as well.

A recent email from local Republican Party Chairman Randall Jordan accuses Paulding of falsely representing himself as a Republican when he goes door to door. (Paulding and his campaign workers deny that.)

The Republican Party email continues: “Look at his endorsements and see for yourself. No REPUBLICAN would want these endorsements!”

Some names on the list of Paulding’s “progressive” endorsers denounced by the Republican Party: two retired police chiefs, several current and former council members and mayors of various SLO County cities and a U.S. congressman. Each of their names has a scowling emoji next to it.

Not so long ago, it was an honor to have bipartisan support. Apparently, now it’s a badge of shame, at least for Republicans.

Paulding, on the other hand, does have Republican supporters and is proud of it.

That’s the way government should work, and could work again.

But if there is any hope of bringing back a semblance of bipartisanship to what is supposed to be a bipartisan body, it’s time to make a change.

It’s critical that we elect leaders who will govern in the best interests of all the residents of San Luis Obispo County.

The Tribune strongly urges the voters of District 4 voters to choose Jimmy Paulding for supervisor.

This story was originally published May 15, 2022 at 5:30 AM.