SLO County has an ethics problem — and it’s not just one politician | Opinion

If local government were a restaurant, SLO County would be the place that keeps failing hygiene inspections and then arguing about the definition of “clean.”

At the county level, Bruce Gibson has once again reminded voters why trust in local politics is circling the drain. He decided to play kingmaker, then act surprised that people notice.

First, he rehired his wife into his district office, then reversed course when a candidate to be his successor, Michael Woody, pointed out that would be unlawful — prompting county staff to take a closer look at the situation. Gibson proffered the kindergarten excuse of “I didn’t know.”

He has also put Jim Dantona on the county payroll, starting in January. Dantona is a declared candidate for Gibson’s seat and widely seen as his chosen successor. Not illegal. Just the sort of deck stacking that screams, “‘I know what’s best for you, now stop asking questions.”

A 20-year public servant should live above “technically legal.” Instead, Gibson’s legacy is starting to look less like statesmanship and more like a morality play where the “village elder” turns out to be just another man hooked on the perks of power.

Distrust of government is rampant

That arrogance lands badly when public trust is already in the cellar, with the Pew Research Center finding only 17% of Americans trust government to do what is right most of the time or always.

Step back and it is clear this was not just a bad week. It is a local habit, and taxpayers are the ones underwriting it.

Remember Adam Hill? Federal prosecutors called it bribery and the county had to recheck every cannabis permit he’d touched, like a landlord fumigating after finding rats.

That was not “bad optics.” His tragic suicide is the kind of scandal that makes normal residents wonder whether the game is rigged. Whether political power is just a vending machine for connected insiders.

Over in Paso Robles, Councilmember Chris Bausch swore to uphold the public trust, then treated the Public Records Act like a spam email from a Nigerian prince, sitting on thousands of emails and texts until a judge made him cough them up.

Next comes the sitcom twist. He “found” a recording on a phone he said he had already returned, adding fuel to claims of a conspiracy to dump the city manager. Illegal? Maybe. Unethical? Definitely. “Not illegal, just evasive” is exactly how trust dies.

Finally, if you want peak SLO County farce, try this. The DA has filed eight felony charges against former Arroyo Grande mayoral candidate Gaea Powell for alleged election fraud — presumption of innocence duly noted. Now she wants to run for county clerk-recorder, the person in charge of elections!

The punchline is not her. It’s that the system is so mistrusted that people don’t even raise an eyebrow.

Zoom out, and we see the same disease in Sacramento and Washington. Newsom forced Californians to skip school and Grandma’s birthday because of COVID, then had dinner at the French Laundry while sending his kids to a private school that returned to in-person classes while public schools remained closed.

Trump is the same farce on a different channel. He howls about vote-by-mail fraud, then requests a mail-in ballot for himself. He bellows “law and order,” then treats judges like hecklers for the crime of holding him to account.

Acknowledge politicians who get it right

What do we do about this locally?

First, bin the partisan excuses. Ethics is basic hygiene. Both parties keep forgetting to wash their hands and the voters are sick of it.

Second, we should salute the public servants who behave like adults.

In our own county, supervisors Heather Moreno’s (R) and Dawn Ortiz-Legg’ s (D) public posture is more often about collaborative problem-solving than performance art. Less cable news cosplay, more neighbor. In an era of political narcissism, that is worth applauding.

Finally, we need guardrails, because too many of our leaders cannot be trusted with an open road. Here is a starter list for our elected officials:

• A modern code of conduct that covers conflicts, money, online behavior, etc., with real teeth because “guidance” without punishment is just a bedtime story.

• A local Public Service Academy to cultivate fresh talent and stop recycling the same faces like yesterday’s takeaway.

• Public engagement that is not theater with proactive two-way consultation, not a “we hear you” ritual that ends with “and we will ignore you.”

• A Quality of Life scorecard with public targets on cost of living, homelessness, schools, crime, cleanliness, jobs, environment, community engagement and cohesion. We want to measure results, not speeches.

If our elected officials are to restore trust, they can start by putting their own house in order. The public is tired of leaders who behave like celebrity aristocrats and then act shocked when the peasants stop applauding.

Clive Pinder hosts “CeaseFire” on KVEC 920AM/96.5 FM and writes at clivepinder.substack.com. He figures if apathy is a mandate, California is the most legitimate place on earth.