San Luis Obispo County District 4 candidates meet with public in forums
Dave Alley
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) – A pair of public forums are allowing the public to hear directly from the two candidates that are vying for the supervisor seat in San Luis Obispo County District 4.
On Monday morning, the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce held the first one at the SLO Ranch marketplace.
“The SLO Chamber is so honored to offer this unique opportunity for our public to come in and have a very different experience with their candidates,” said Garret Olson, San Luis Obispo Chamber President/CEO. “This is an opportunity for opening comments and for closing comments, but in between there an opportunity to sit down and have a have a dialog back and forth to ask the questions that they want to ask with their own voice to respond to those questions.”
Taking part in the 90-minute forum was incumbent District 4 Supervisor and current board chair Jimmy Paulding, as well as challenger Adam Verdin, an Oceano businessman, attorney and community volunteer.
“Today was a great opportunity to just sit down with folks at the table, have a cup of coffee, and have a conversation about the future of our city, county community,” said Paulding. “I love the one-on-ones. One of my favorite aspects of campaigning are meet and greets, like this one where we get to sit in a nice pavilion and have a conversation about the future of our community. It’s great to connect with people and voters on a one-on-one individual basis.”
Verdin, who is seeking his first ever political office, agreed with Paulding that the small, face-to-face gathering allowed for direct personal dialog and feedback.
“It was a wonderful opportunity to meet folks in the business community, listen to their concerns, and have an opportunity to share my vision of San Luis Obispo County, particularly for the district,” said Verdin. “I think the most meaningful time for me is speaking with people one-on-one and really listening to their concerns, and understanding their perspective in the community, and what they would like to see different, and what they would like to be, and what they would like to see changed in the next four years.”
Paulding and Verdin will also take part in a second candidate forum on Wednesday at the South County Regional Center in Arroyo Grande.
The second forum will be held by the League of Women Voters of San Luis Obispo County and run from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
District 4 in San Luis Obispo County represents Nipomo, Arroyo Grande, Oceano, Huasna, Edna Valley, California Valley and other unincorporated portions of the South County.
Voting for the seat will be held during the Primary Election on Tuesday, June 2, 2026.
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.