Responses to Tribune Editorial Review Board Questions - Candidate for

District 4 County Supervisor Jimmy Paulding

1. On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the best performance, please rate how well the County
is meeting the following challenges. If you believe more needs to be done in these areas, tell
us specifically what you would do as a County supervisor over the next four years.

Affordable Housing…2 out of 10

The lack of affordable housing has been identified as the single greatest threat to a sustainable
local economy. The County is grossly underperforming in its responsibility to provide affordable
housing as evidenced by its failure to meet state-mandated goals. The Board of Supervisor’s vote
on December 12, 2017 to reject proposed revisions to the County’s Inclusionary Housing
Ordinance (IHO), which had broad-based community support (including the San Luis Obispo
Chamber of Commerce, Economic Vitality Corporation, and Homebuilders Association),
underscores the Board’s lack of interest in addressing the problem.

In addition to supporting the County’s IHO, as the Fourth District County Supervisor, I will
support implementation of housing policy that incentivizes construction of next-generation
housing. Our County ordinances currently prevent (or disincentivize through costly fees)
construction of truly affordable housing solutions such as tiny homes and accessory dwelling
units (“granny” units). Our policies should incentivize these homes by reducing or eliminating
fees for those who are willing to incorporate energy and water conserving measures. This is the
right time especially in the wake of a new state law that went into effect on January 1, 2018
requiring local jurisdictions to essentially allow accessory dwelling units by right.

There are plenty of innovate ways to address the affordable and workforce housing crisis. What
we need is the desire and leadership to get us there.

Homeless services…2 out of 10

As part of its 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness, SLO County conducts a census of its homeless
population every two years, which also ensures that the County continues to receive funds from
the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for shelters, services, and
permanent supportive housing. The census conducted in January 2017 found 1,125 homeless
persons in SLO County, many of which were veterans. This is unacceptable. We can do better.

Many of the organizations that are doing the hard of work of serving our homeless need more
funding. According to Janna Nichols at the Five Cities Homeless Coalition, the programs they
are implementing work well – they just need more funding for additional housing and services.
For example, the 50 Now program that serves the most vulnerable of our South County homeless
population, has been successful and achieved program performance metrics. Why not make it the
100 Now or the 250 Now program? While the Prado Day Center and Maxine Lewis Memorial
Shelter (the “Homeless Shelter”) operated by CAPSLO provide a great service to those in San
Luis Obispo, people experiencing homelessness in South County do not get the benefit of these
services. The South County’s People’s Kitchen and Five Cities Homeless Coalition, which also
run the Warming Center at Hillside Church, do great work, but more housing and services are
needed.

First, our County supervisors need to show that they are serious about addressing homelessness
through County budget priorities. Second, we need to bring new ideas to the table to identify
additional sources of funding to improve existing programs and fund new programs. Pay for
Success programs are an innovative way to leverage private investment to build housing and
provide more services for those who are chronically homeless. In addition, partners such as
Hope’s Village of SLO should be given all of the resources the County can offer to ensure their
projects come to fruition. Finally, the County should implement the City of Albuquerque’s
There’s a Better Way program, which gives panhandlers a chance at a change in life and
provides caring members of the community with a better way to donate their money.

Mental health services, particularly for jail inmates…1 out of 10

As stated by Jill Bolster-White, Executive Director of Transitions Mental Health Association, in

her recent viewpoint in the SLO Tribune, “The death of Andrew Holland was a community
tragedy that exposed failures in our systems of treatment and incarceration. Mr. Holland’s case
reflects our collective failure as a society to provide effective and humane help for the tens of
thousands of our County residents who suffer from mental illness. Yes, tens of thousands of our
fellow residents need help. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one in five
people experience a mental health condition. In our County of 280,000 residents, that suggests
56,000 of our friends and neighbors struggle with mental illness.” The article goes on to say that
the County’s two facilities for mental health crises, the 16-bed Psychiatric Health Facility and
the new 4-bed Crisis Stabilization Unit, will still be inadequate to serve the entirety of this
vulnerable population.

As the Fourth District County Supervisor, I will work to ensure that our County has a dedicated
psychiatric care facility at the County Jail. Due to a federal mandate requiring inmate population
realignment, inmates were transferred from our state prison system to our local jail. California
jails now have the responsibility for supervising certain kinds of felony offenders. This has
turned many California jails – including ours – into de facto prisons. Similar to a prison, our jail
needs a psychiatric care facility staffed with experienced psychiatric technicians, psychiatric
nurses, and physicians.

I also think we need a seasoned prison level jail administrator – similar to a warden – to guide
our jail operations while updating jail policies and protocols that reflect the changes in our jail
population. This would be someone with the knowledge, experience, and training to deal with
the influx of mentally ill inmates. This administrative role will ensure more transparency and
accountability.
In addition to building partnerships between the public and private sector to work together to
address the lack of services available for people with mental illness, the best way to ensure that
these reforms are implemented is to establish them as County budget priorities. Only when we
have a Board of Supervisors that makes mental health reform a priority will we comprehensively
be able to implement the reforms needed.

Preparing for the closure of Diablo Canyon Power Plant…5 out of 10

The County Board of Supervisors have appropriately supported State Sen. Bill Monning and
Assemblyman Jordan Cunningham’s efforts to co-author SB 1090, legislation that would give
San Luis Obispo County the full $85 million settlement for economic mitigation initially
proposed by PG&E in its plans to shutter the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant by 2025. The
plant closure will be followed by a decommissioning process that is anticipated to take
approximately ten years. The plant has been the single largest private employer in San Luis
Obispo County for the past 30 years and currently employs approximately 1,500 employees with
reported average salaries of approximately $157,000 per year. It is imperative that the County do
its best to ensure that PG&E’s employee retention program is comprehensive in nature and will
enable a smooth transition to other jobs for the many employees who have made the Central
Coast their home. It is also essential that planning take into account job transition strategies for
all of the building trades that have worked at PG&E over the years.

The County has also appropriately supported the Economic Vitality Corporation’s efforts to
analyze and manage the overall economic planning of the closure. The Economic Vitality
Corporation (EVC) is a non-profit economic development organization serving all of San Luis
Obispo County. In its role, the EVC will select and oversee one or more consulting firms to help
the community mitigate the negative impact to our local economy by completing an economic
impact study of effects caused by the impending closure and developing in collaboration with
community stakeholders a regional economic strategy. The first phase will entail completion of
economic and fiscal impact analysis of the plant’s closure. The second phase will entail
completion of an economic strategic and implementation plan that unifies the region under a
collective vision and guides County leaders in the development of a coordinated economic
strategy that fosters strong regional partnerships. I am eager to 1) expedite this process and 2)
ensure that it is completely transparent to the public. So many people’s livelihoods depend on a
smooth transition into a post-Diablo Canyon economy.

In addition to economic planning, the County should continue negotiations with PG&E to ensure
that the plant site is repurposed in a way that will benefit the community at large. I recently
toured the plant with PG&E representatives to discuss plant decommissioning and future site
uses. Future public use of the existing desalinization plant, repurposing of PG&E’s many high-
tech office buildings and facilities, preserving land for public access and recreation (e.g., hiking
trails to Montana De Oro), and turning the site into an incubator for renewable energy pilot
projects in partnership with Cal Poly were among the discussed potential site uses. It is
imperative that the public weigh in on the process currently being undertaken by PG&E through
their Citizens Engagement Panel to garner public input on site repurposing. As Fourth District
County Supervisor, I will work to ensure that the public is engaged to the full extent possible in
developing the plan to repurpose the site.

Long-term budget management, including financing of employee pensions…3 out of 10

The County's budget is perhaps the most important document published by the County of San
Luis Obispo. It serves as the most concrete expression of public policy. How the County spends
public funds reflects what the County hopes to accomplish in a given fiscal year. The budget is
tied to priorities, plans and specific projects approved by the Board of Supervisors. In October of
last year, the County reported that instead of a surplus of $3 million to $5 million, the County
now faces a $4.8 million deficit after administrators discovered an $8 million accounting mistake
in next year’s budget forecast. Staff described the mistake as human error. It is noteworthy that
staff at the County have indicated on many occasions that they are demoralized under the board’s
current leadership. One of the symptoms of how toxic and dysfunctional the board is, is the fact
that they have not been able to retain department heads. The turnover in the positions of County
Administrative Officer, Public Works Director, and Planning and Building Director indicate a
crisis of leadership and lack of ability to “get things done” at the board level. It has been said that
the $8 million dollar accounting error would not have happened if the right staff leadership was
in place.

With specific regard to employee pensions, in December of last year, the Board of Supervisors
unanimously decided that County employees will again pay more to help fully fund the County
pension plan. This is the third year in a row that supervisors have approved an increase in
contribution rates into the San Luis Obispo County Pension Trust — an independent retirement
system that provides benefits to employees of the County and some other agencies. While this
measure was necessary to address the issue, it is important that the County simultaneously ensure
that employees are paid equivalent to comparable jurisdictions. Rumors of a labor strike are
circulating – a strike due to the way in which the County has chosen to negotiate with various
employee unions in the wake of rising housing costs.

As the Fourth District Supervisor, I will bring over ten years of budgeting work experience to the
table in order to balance the County budget. I will also ensure employees are paid fairly for the
service they provide, and work hard to improve the availability of affordable housing for the
many County employee families who are struggling to stay on the Central Coast during this
housing crisis.

Air quality violations on the Nipomo Mesa…0 out of 10

Last May, the San Luis Obispo County Health Commission wrote the Board of Supervisors a
letter, outlining in detail the serious risks of exposure to PM10 silica dust, calling out State
Parks’ “very slow and ineffective” efforts, over years, to mitigate the hazard. In its own words,
the Commission states: “Nipomo Mesa residents remain exposed to very acute, chronic and
cumulative health impacts.”
The Air Pollution Control District (APCD) has tried to secure compliance with health
requirements and standards. Larry Allen, the District’s former Director has pushed for the Board
of Supervisors to place on its agenda the need for immediate mitigation of the air quality health
risks, but the board majority, including Lynn Compton, has refused. The board could take a
hardline approach with State Parks using the 550-plus acres of County-owned land (the La
Grande Tract) as leverage to ensure that mitigation is implemented. Instead of selling the land to
State Parks as recommended by Compton, I will vote to retain ownership of the land and use it is
as leverage to ensure the proper mitigation is completed.

2. The current board has a reputation for being highly partisan, divided and unable to get
along. How can that be improved?

The current board seems unable to resolve community issues. In fact, this board is the most toxic
board in recent memory. The problem is the current ideologues serving on the board who put
extreme ideology ahead of serving the community. I am committed to running a nonpartisan
campaign, and I will never allow partisan considerations to influence my governing decisions.
The fact that the position is commissioned to be nonpartisan according to our state’s constitution
is ignored by many on the board. I will not ignore this fact.

In order to improve relations on the board, I am committed to engaging in civil discourse.

According to the California League of Women Voters, basic principles of civil discourse include
being tolerant, listening instead of interrupting, refraining from sarcasm, being respectful,
speaking in modulated tones, sticking to the issue, recognizing there are two sides, and avoiding
labels. I am committed to honoring each and every one of these principles. In order to develop
trust, we must be able to communicate effectively. In order to communicate effectively, we must
engage in civil discourse. I truly believe that my commitment to these principles combined with
my strong professional background in mediating and negotiated disputes will improve the
toxicity and dysfunction on the board.

3. The death of Andrew Holland continues to be a major issue in San Luis Obispo County.
The County has put reforms in place designed to prevent this from happening again, but
some members of the public are calling for County employees to be held accountable. What
is your position? Should County employees have been disciplined?

The treatment and death of Andrew Holland is a tragedy of epic proportion. Those involved must
be held accountable. Our most vulnerable, including those suffering from mental illness, have
been grossly under-served in this County for far too long. We need to restore transparency and
accountability to our local government, and we need elected officials who are interested in
making the changes we so desperately need.

When something tragic occurs such as this, it is incumbent upon the elected San Luis Obispo
County Board of Supervisors, who constitute the accountable legislative authority, to do their
job. The board should have asked for a full, complete, and transparent formal investigation. This
investigation should have been followed by issuance of a transparent report of what happened,
how it happened, why it happened, and which officials and employees failed to follow
administrative procedures and adhere to standards of common decency and respect for human
rights.

An independent outside investigator should have been used. The fact that the FBI is conducting
an investigation does not relieve the board from the responsibility to conduct an investigation of
the systemic failures in operations, management, communication, and accountability that the
County admits occurred. Accordingly, I support an independent investigation, which will
determine whether County employees should be disciplined.

4. How do you (or would you) communicate with your constituents?

On the campaign, I have created a number of community events where any member of the public
can meet me and address their concerns. This includes community workshops, events at public
parks, and meet and greets. I am committed to listening to everyone in our community, and will
continue to do so while on the Board of Supervisors. I also have my contact information on my
website so anyone can reach out with any questions or concerns they have. I will maintain these
practices while in office. Unlike what my opponent has publicly stated, I will answer anyone’s
call regardless of how much money they have donated to my campaign. In an article published
by the New Times in March, my opponent stated, “If someone gives you $5,000 and they call you
on your personal cell, you’re going to take their call.”

5. Do you support 1) oil exploration and drilling off the San Luis Obispo Coast and 2) an
increase in onshore production?

I do not support offshore oil exploration and drilling off of our coasts, or an increase in onshore
production. I believe it is imperative that our County take a firm stance against offshore oil in
order to protect our scenic beaches and local tourism economy. I am also focused on a forward-
thinking agenda, which entails transitioning our nuclear energy powered economy with a post-
Diablo Canyon renewable energy-based economy.

6. Due to passage of Senate Bill 1, agencies in San Luis Obispo County are expected to
receive $10 million per year in additional funding for road maintenance. SLOCOG also
plans to move forward with major projects, including much-needed improvements to the
deadly Cholame Y. However, SB 1 has been the target of repeal campaigns due to the
unpopularity of the increase in the gas tax and vehicle license fees. Do you believe the taxes
should be repealed? If so, how would SLO County replace that revenue?

SB 1 is a major source of funds for improving our roads and infrastructure locally. The
California Transportation Commission recently approved $261 million in state transportation
money to repair roads and improve infrastructure in San Luis Obispo County. The commission's
decision gives the region the most state transportation money it has ever received, according to
the San Luis Obispo Council of Governments (SLOCOG). Not only will the money go toward
fixing the deadly Cholame "Y" intersection on Highway 46, where another tragic accident
occurred leaving two dead, but the funds will go to projects that benefit District 4, including
Highway 101 congestion relief near Pismo Beach, short-term improvements on Highway 227,
Highway 101-Tefft Street interchange improvements in Nipomo, and Highway 101-Brisco
Road-Grand Avenue interchanges in Arroyo Grande. Notwithstanding the deaths at the deadly
Cholame “Y,” which has been dubbed “Blood Alley,” with the type of traffic congestion we see
on the Highway 101, accidents go up, injuries go up, and deaths occur. For the price of what may
be a cup of coffee a week, lives can be saved and qualify of life for commuting residents will go
up. For these reasons, I support SB 1, and will fight to ensure that District 4 receives every penny
that has been allocated to it. In addition, I will use my planning and construction background to
ensure projects are completed on time and within budget

8. What is the biggest need in your district and how would you meet that?

It is my firm belief that the residents of District 4 are most concerned about our water security.
With continuing drought conditions, we need a Board of Supervisors that is focused on
developing a long-term water solution. Whether it is desalinization using and upgrading the plant
at Diablo Canyon or the existing plant at the Phillips 66 Oil Refinery, our leaders need to move
forward with real solutions. Of course, conservation comes first, and there is a lot of work to be
done to ensure that our wastewater is reused. This is why I support the Central Coast Blue
project, a local water sustainability project that will create a new, high quality, and reliable water
supply for our Five Cities communities, including Arroyo Grande, Pismo Beach, Grover Beach,
and Oceano. Agencies representing the Five Cities communities are designing and building a
new advanced water purification facility to create a high-quality water source to supplement
local supplies. This project will allow the Five Cities to have sufficient supplies even in times of
water shortage or drought. This project, however, will not bring additional water to Nipomo.
Therefore, it is vital that our leaders work toward generating additional water sources for
Nipomo residents.
As 4th District Supervisor, I will work to resolve the litigation that has ensued between the Five
Cities, the Nipomo Community Services District (NCSD), and other water purveyors in Nipomo
that has obstructed the ability of our local communities to work together to develop a strong
regional approach to addressing our water needs. I will ensure that the County – in conjunction
with the NSCD – works to implement a streamlined and cost-effective greywater promotion
program that incentivizes residents to implement greywater systems to conserve our water
supplies. Finally, I will make decisions with regard to new residential and commercial
developments that take into consideration our scarce water resources, instead of approving
projects to appease campaign donors.