Next Year’s election for SLO County Fourth District supervisor already taking shape
Dave Alley
OCEANO, Calif. – Next year’s election for San Luis Obispo County District Four Supervisor is already beginning to take shape.
Two candidates, including the incumbent, announced recently their intentions to run for the office that represents much of South San Luis Obispo County.
Current District Four Supervisor Jimmy Paulding will seek a second term in office, while South County businessman Adam Verdin is just starting his first campaign for the position.
“I’m really excited to run for reelection,” said Paulding. “I’ve enjoyed serving as your county supervisor. It’s been about two-and-a-half years. It’s been the honor of my life and I’m really excited to continue doing the work.”
“I’m running for District Four Supervisor and I’m excited about it,” said Verdin
The candidates area similar in they both grew up in the Five Cities area, live in Arroyo Grande and are graduates of Arroyo Grande High School.
Paulding, who was elected in 2022, will hold a campaign kickoff event this coming Saturday on July 26 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Heritage Square Park in the Village of Arroyo Grande.
In a social media post announcing his reelection campaign, Paulding said, “Over the last two years, we’ve delivered real progress: balanced budgets, expanded affordable housing, improved emergency services, and meaningful investments in our parks, libraries, and public infrastructure—all while working to restore transparency and trust in local government.”
Verdin is a native of Oceano and is co-owner of “Old Juan’s Cantina,” which is one of the most well-known and longest-running businesses in the small coastal town.
In addition to his business ownership, Verdin is an active community volunteer, who is currently serving on several local boards, including Jack’s Helping Hand, the 5Cities Homeless Coalition, the South County Chambers of Commerce, and Parks California. Verdin also now works as chief pilot for a corporate aviation company.
“I think that I might bring a different perspective than what we currently have,” said Verdin. “I have some business acumen and that’s again embedded in the community and I look at this as an extension of some of the public work and some of the community work that we’re currently already doing.”
Voting for the seat will be held during the Primary Election on Tuesday, June 2, 2026.
According to the San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder Office, which handles elections, the end of the filing period is in December, so additional candidates may later enter the race.
A candidate will need to capture a majority of votes in June to win the election. If not, a runoff will take place during the General Election on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026.
Whoever wins the race will be sworn in early January 2027.