SLO County Government Center renamed in honor of Katcho Achadjian
The County Government Center in downtown San Luis Obispo has a new name: the Katcho Achadjian Government Center San Luis Obispo County.
The Board of Supervisors made the change Tuesday with a unanimous vote followed by tributes from many of those who knew him best, including his wife, Araxie; daughter, Nyri; former Supervisor Harry Ovitt; and Katcho’s former legislative aide, Vicki Janssen.
It was an emotional ceremony; some speakers teared up as they recalled memories of Katcho — that’s what everyone called him —from his ability to empathize with constituents to his penchant for driving well over the speed limit.
He was praised as a role model: “When I’m up on the dais I channel him as much as I can,” Supervisor Dawn Ortiz-Legg said.
Recognized for his star quality: “They always say you’re famous when people just recognize you by your first name,” Supervisor Debbie Arnold noted.
And honored for his commitment to family: “I know that he’s looking down right now and the thing that he is most proud of is his commitment to family,” said Supervisor Lynn Compton.
Mostly, speakers talked about how appropriate it is to honor Katcho in this way.
“I can’t think of a better person that deserves this recognition,” said Jim Brabeck, former general manager of Farm Supply. “And I don’t care if the name is long. His life was not as long as it should have been. In that short period of time, he gave a whole lot more than he ever received.”
Achadjian, who died on March 5, 2020, at age 68, served three terms on the county Board of Supervisors, representing the South County, and three terms in the state Assembly.
But those accomplishments, impressive as they are, are not what earned him so much love and respect, even from those who disagreed with his Republican politics. He did what he thought was best for everyone involved.
On the Board of Supervisors, he developed a reputation for bipartisanship; his swing votes earned him the nickname “Man in the Middle.”
It wasn’t always an easy place to be.
“Many of those decisions were challenging for him because he wanted everybody to be happy. He wanted everybody to benefit. He wanted everybody to prosper. And there are times here when that’s not possible so I saw him struggle,” County Supervisor Bruce Gibson recalled Tuesday. “He had a set of worry beads that he would work behind the dais.”
Achadjian was especially concerned about those in need.
On the Board of Supervisors, for instance, he was one of the last to hold out for keeping the former General Hospital open.
In 2013, he was the only Republican in the state Legislature to vote in favor of bills expanding Medi-Cal to cover low-income Californians, despite his opposition to the Affordable Care Act.
“During our overlapping tenure in the state Assembly, Katcho was looked upon by all as a man who voted his conscience,” former lawmaker Sen. Bill Monning, a Democrat, wrote in a tribute following Achadjian’s death.
That’s becoming increasingly rare. Even at the local level, voting is often among purely partisan lines, with no attempt at compromise.
That was not the way Katcho operated.
“Politics is like a marriage,” he once said. “You can’t just walk away the first time you disagree. You work through it.”
As was pointed out on Tuesday, there is a bit of irony in naming a building after him.
“You know, Katcho was a conservative and he believed in smaller, more efficient government, and obviously, naming a big government building like this is not necessarily in that vein,” Supervisor John Peschong said.
Being the good sport that he was, we don’t think he would have minded.
Besides, it’s one more way he’s giving back to our community, by reminding everyone who enters the Katcho Achadjian Government Center of what it truly means to be a public servant.
This story was originally published December 14, 2022 at 8:00 AM.