SLO County voters shouldn't forget about down-ballot races this election 

In November, voters will be selecting among candidates running to fill nominally nonpartisan local seats: all those "down-ballot" races after the partisan offices of president/vice president, Congress, and the state Legislature.

Pay attention now: There will be a test on everything that follows here, and that test is on Nov. 5—exactly two months from this edition of New Times!

There are competitive races in all seven of the county's municipalities, in five of our 20 special districts, and in six school districts. Based on published data from the SLO County Elections Office, these races have attracted 69 candidates, including 30 who identify themselves as an incumbent. They're vying for one of the 48 seats that, if they win, will entitle them to take office.

There are also 40 seats on local agencies in this county where only one qualified candidate filed to run, so those "uncontested contests" will not be on the ballot; the respective candidates are appointed "in lieu of election." In fact, three special district seats will go unfilled because no candidate filed for them.

In the not-so-distant past, I served as one of those local elected officials (SLO City Council, 2008 to 2016), and I consider myself lucky to have won both contests. Based on this experience, allow me to offer the following observations:

1. Most people who run for local office are genuinely interested in serving their community, regardless of any party affiliation or ideological fixation. People run because they want local government to conduct business in the best interests of their community. It certainly isn't for the salary!

2. Running for office—even a low-profile seat like a special district board—requires compliance with campaign finance, financial disclosure, and Brown Act regulations that carry significant penalties even for a minor violation. A single screw-up can bring a fine from the state Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC).

3. Local officeholders often find that their service requires far more time and expertise than they ever expected. They're required to sit through seemingly endless "public comment" periods required for all local agency meetings. One mayoral candidate in Arroyo Grande uses this time (both in AG and at the county Board of Supervisors) to spout abusive and incendiary messages of homophobic hate.

4. Too often, people decide not to run for these local offices, or to step down from them, because it's just too stressful. They have families to raise, businesses to run, or both. Local officeholders like Dan Rivoire and Aaron Gomez each only served one term as a SLO City Council member. Heidi Harmon resigned abruptly from her service as mayor of SLO largely because she couldn't afford to serve, even after engineering a 50 percent raise in the mayor's salary! (It's still only $2,500/month.)

5. And it's hard to please everyone—or, increasingly, anyone. Many voters want to have their cake and eat it too: They demand excellent public services and shiny new infrastructure projects, but they refuse to cough up the funds to pay for them.

In almost every community here in SLO County, there are examples of local elected officials getting out ahead of their skis with local voters even though they had good intentions:

• In Grover Beach, a "ratepayers' revolt" threatened to recall nearly the entire City Council in 2023 after the city had initially proposed to nearly double their utility rates over five years to keep up with the escalating costs of the Central Coast Blue water treatment project. Last spring, the council withdrew from Central Coast Blue and repealed the water rate increase. Only 2nd District Councilmember Dan Rushing is now threatened by a recall vote in November. Mayor Karen Bright and Councilmember Zach Zimmerman will step down when their terms expire in December. Clint Weirick is running unopposed for that city's 4th District seat. First District Councilmember Robert Robert is now running for mayor against two other candidates, Kassie Dee and perpetual gadfly (and recall leader) Debbie Peterson. (Note: The toxic rhetoric in Grover Beach continues as the pro-recall group is now raising hell about City Manager Matt Bronson's salary.)

• Council members faced angry backlash in both SLO and Paso Robles over enormous increases in downtown parking rates. Both cities backed off in the face of outraged voters and business owners. (Anyone want a slightly used parking meter to decorate their driveway? Call the city of Paso Robles!)

• The San Simeon Community Services District may soon go out of business entirely, dissolving into a mere county services agency with no elected officials to conduct its affairs. If it weren't so painful, it would almost be funny: They simply couldn't find enough people to run for one of the five district board seats, each with only 33 voters. (Yes, that's not a typo: The entire district only has about 200 service connections!)

Democracy requires an informed electorate and people who are willing to step up and run for these "down ballot" local offices. So please, read through your entire ballot, check out the candidate statements in the Voter's Guide or online, read New Times, and then ... VOTE. Δ

John Ashbaugh has been voting since 1972. Send your comments about these local races to him through the editor, [email protected].